bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal transmission disequilibrium of rs2248359 in type 2 diabetes mellitus families and its association with vitamin D level in offspring
Authors: Yu Songcheng , Li Xing , Wang Yan , Mao Zhenxing , Wang Chongjian , Ba Yue , Li Wenjie
Published: January 2018

Association between T2DM and vitamin D deficiency has been reported in many epidemiologic studies. 24-hydroxylase encoded by CYP24A1 is the enzyme that degrades the active vitamin D metabolite. Variation in CYP24A1 may be associated with T2DM. This study investigates the association between rs2248359 in CYP24A1 and T2DM by a family-based association test (FBAT) and in a case-control study. The FBAT results revealed that there was transmission disequilibrium for allele T in both additive model (Z = 2.041, P = 0.041227) and dominant model (Z = 2.722, P = 0.006496). Results of the case-control study suggested that rs2248359 may be a risk factor for female T2DM (P = 0.036) but not for male T2DM (P = 0.816). Furthermore, excessive transmission of allele T in T2DM offspring was observed compared with the non-T2DM offspring (OR 1.392; 95%CI 1.024–1.894; P = 0.035). In addition, combination of maternal CT and paternal CC genotypes had significant synergistic effect on obtaining CT genotype for offspring with T2DM (OR 6.245; 95%CI 1.868–20.883; P = 0.004). Besides, lower level of 25(OH)D in T2DM offspring with genotype CT was observed as compared with the non-T2DM offspring (P = 0.013). These data suggest that maternal transmission disequilibrium of allele T may be a risk factor for T2DM and vitamin D deficiency in T2DM offspring.
Collective responses in electrical activities of neurons under field coupling
Authors: Xu Ying , Jia Ya , Ma Jun , Hayat Tasawar , Alsaedi Ahmed
Published: January 2018

Synapse coupling can benefit signal exchange between neurons and information encoding for neurons, and the collective behaviors such as synchronization and pattern selection in neuronal network are often discussed under chemical or electric synapse coupling. Electromagnetic induction is considered at molecular level when ion currents flow across the membrane and the ion concentration is fluctuated. Magnetic flux describes the effect of time-varying electromagnetic field, and memristor bridges the membrane potential and magnetic flux according to the dimensionalization requirement. Indeed, field coupling can contribute to the signal exchange between neurons by triggering superposition of electric field when synapse coupling is not available. A chain network is designed to investigate the modulation of field coupling on the collective behaviors in neuronal network connected by electric synapse between adjacent neurons. In the chain network, the contribution of field coupling from each neuron is described by introducing appropriate weight dependent on the position distance between two neurons. Statistical factor of synchronization is calculated by changing the external stimulus and weight of field coupling. It is found that the synchronization degree is dependent on the coupling intensity and weight, the synchronization, pattern selection of network connected with gap junction can be modulated by field coupling.
Specific Upregulation of a Cotton Phytoene Synthase Gene Produces Golden Cottonseeds with Enhanced Provitamin A
Authors: Yao Dan , Wang Yi , Li Qian , Ouyang Xufen , Li Yaohua , Wang Chuannan , Ding Lingli , Hou Lei , Luo Ming , Xiao Yuehua
Published: January 2018

Provitamin A (PVA) bio-fortification of crops offers a sustainable strategy to prevent the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), one of the world’s major public health problems. The present work aimed to enhance PVA accumulation in cottonseed, the main by-product in the production of cotton fibers and the third largest source of edible plant oil in the world. On the basis of comprehensive identification of carotenoid synthase genes and their expression levels in various cotton tissues, we selected phytoene synthase as the target for manipulating carotenoid biosynthesis in the developing cottonseeds. After functional verification in transgenic tobacco, a cotton phytoene synthase gene (GhPSY2D) driven by a seed-specific promoter was transformed into cotton. The transgenic cottonseeds showed golden appearance and contained over 6-fold higher carotenoid contents in the extracted oil than the non-transgenic control. Thin layer chromatograph analysis indicated that the main PVA carotenoid β-carotene was predominant in the transgenic cottonseeds, but undetectable in the wild-type control. By simultaneously providing economically valuable fibers and edible oils, the transgenic cottons bio-fortified with β-carotene in seeds may be a new powerful tool against VAD in low-income regions.
Strong Fe3+-O(H)-Pt Interfacial Interaction Induced Excellent Stability of Pt/NiFe-LDH/rGO Electrocatalysts
Authors: Han Yechuang , Li Pengfei , Liu Jun , Wu Shouliang , Ye Yixing , Tian Zhenfei , Liang Changhao
Published: January 2018

Agglomeration-triggered deactivation of supported platinum electrocatalysts markedly hinders their application in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). In this study, graphene-supported nickel–iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH/rGO), in which Fe3+ was introduced to replace Ni2+ partially in the Ni(OH)2 lattice to provide stronger metal–support bonding sites, was utilized to immobilize Pt nanoparticles (NPs). Given the optimized metal–support interfacial contact (Fe3+-O(H)-Pt) between Pt NPs and NiFe-LDH/rGO nanosheets for Pt/NiFe-LDH/rGO electrocatalysts, the Pt/NiFe-LDH/rGO electrocatalysts displayed dramatically enhanced durability than that of Pt/Ni(OH)2/rGO counterpart as well as commercial Pt/C, and 86.5% of its initial catalytic activity can be maintained even after 1200 cycles of cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests during MOR. First-principle calculations toward the resultant M-O(H)-Pt (M = Fe3+, Ni2+) interfacial structure further corroborates that the NiFe-LDH nanosheets can provide stronger bonding sites (via the Fe3+-O(H)-Pt bonds) to immobilize Pt NPs than those of Ni(OH)2 nanosheets (via the Ni2+-O(H)-Pt bonds).
An Injectable Oxygen Release System to Augment Cell Survival and Promote Cardiac Repair Following Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Fan Zhaobo , Xu Zhaobin , Niu Hong , Gao Ning , Guan Ya , Li Chao , Dang Yu , Cui Xiaoyu , Liu Xuanyou Liu , Duan Yunyan , Li Haichang , Zhou Xinyu , Lin Pei-Hui , Ma Jianjie , Guan Jianjun
Published: January 2018

Oxygen deficiency after myocardial infarction (MI) leads to massive cardiac cell death. Protection of cardiac cells and promotion of cardiac repair are key therapeutic goals. These goals may be achieved by re-introducing oxygen into the infarcted area. Yet current systemic oxygen delivery approaches cannot efficiently diffuse oxygen into the infarcted area that has extremely low blood flow. In this work, we developed a new oxygen delivery system that can be delivered specifically to the infarcted tissue, and continuously release oxygen to protect the cardiac cells. The system was based on a thermosensitive, injectable and fast gelation hydrogel, and oxygen releasing microspheres. The fast gelation hydrogel was used to increase microsphere retention in the heart tissue. The system was able to continuously release oxygen for 4 weeks. The released oxygen significantly increased survival of cardiac cells under the hypoxic condition (1% O2) mimicking that of the infarcted hearts. It also reduced myofibroblast formation under hypoxic condition (1% O2). After implanting into infarcted hearts for 4 weeks, the released oxygen significantly augmented cell survival, decreased macrophage density, reduced collagen deposition and myofibroblast density, and stimulated tissue angiogenesis, leading to a significant increase in cardiac function.
High temporal resolution delayed analysis of clinical microdialysate streams
Authors: Gowers S. A. N. , Hamaoui K. , Cunnea P. , Anastasova S. , Curto V. F. , Vadgama P. , Yang G.-Z. , Papalois V. , Drakakis E. M. , Fotopoulou C. , Weber S. G. , Boutelle M. G.
Published: January 2018

This paper presents the use of tubing to store clinical microdialysis samples for delayed analysis with high temporal resolution, offering an alternative to traditional discrete offline microdialysis sampling. A model allowing optimal results is described.
A Suzuki–Miyaura method for labelling proliferating cells containing incorporated BrdU
Authors: Yan Ning , He Yujun , Wen Hui , Lai Fangfang , Yin Dali , Cui Huaqing
Published: January 2018

A Suzuki–Miyaura reaction method was developed to label cellular BrdU with fluorescent boronic acid probes.
Lithium diamidodihydridoaluminates: bimetallic cooperativity in catalytic hydroboration and metallation applications
Authors: Pollard Victoria A. , Orr Samantha A. , McLellan Ross , Kennedy Alan R. , Hevia Eva , Mulvey Robert E.
Published: January 2018

Cooperativity between the Li and Al centres is implicated in catalytic hydroboration reactions of aldehydes and ketones with pinacolborane via heteroleptic lithium diamidodihydridoaluminates.
Efficient and selective hydrogenation of C–O bonds with a simple sodium formate catalyzed by nickel
Authors: Xi Xiaoxiang , Chen Tieqiao , Zhang Ji-Shu , Han Li-Biao
Published: January 2018

A Ni-catalyzed hydrogenation of C–O compounds with sodium formate is developed. Various esters, i.e. aryl, alkenyl, benzyl pivalates, and even the aryl ethers, were efficiently reduced with a loading of nickel catalysts down to 0.5 mol%.
Identification of a rhodium(iii) complex as a Wee1 inhibitor againstTP53-mutated triple-negative breast cancer cells
Authors: Yang Guan-Jun , Zhong Hai-Jing , Ko Chung-Nga , Wong Suk-Yu , Vellaisamy Kasipandi , Ye Min , Ma Dik-Lung , Leung Chung-Hang
Published: January 2018

The rhodium(iii) complex1was identified as a potent Wee1 inhibitorin vitroandin cellulo.
Visible light-mediated oxidative C(sp3)–H phosphonylation for α-aminophosphonates under oxidant-free conditions
Authors: Niu Linbin , Wang Shengchun , Liu Jiamei , Yi Hong , Liang Xing-An , Liu Tianyi , Lei Aiwen
Published: January 2018

An external oxidant-free synthesis of α-aminophosphonates by synergistically combining photocatalysis and proton-reduction catalysis is developed herein.
A luminescent bimetallic iridium(iii) complex for ratiometric tracking intracellular viscosity
Authors: Liu Fengyu , Wen Jia , Chen Su-Shing , Sun Shiguo
Published: January 2018

The luminescent bimetallic iridium probe C10 could distinguish cancer cells from normal cells and track viscosity changes during cell apoptosis.
Task-specific design of a hierarchical porous aromatic framework as an ultrastable platform for large-sized catalytic active site binding
Authors: Sun Jin-Shi , Jing Li-Ping , Tian Yuyang , Sun Fuxing , Chen Peng , Zhu Guangshan
Published: January 2018

An amine-tagged hierarchical PAF (PAF70-NH2) with narrowly distributed mesopores and ultra-stability was synthesized and used as a platform to bind thiourea catalytic sites for completely recyclable heterogeneous organocatalysis.
The structural diversity of C-rich DNA aggregates: unusual self-assembly of beetle-like nanostructures
Authors: Protopopova A. D. , Tsvetkov V. B. , Varizhuk A. M. , Barinov N. A. , Podgorsky V. V. , Klinov D. V. , Pozmogova G. E.
Published: January 2018

We report on the ability of oligonucleotides CnT25 to form multimers with an i-motif core and protruding T-tracts, which can be used as carriers of multiple functional groups.
Probing beta amyloid aggregation using fluorescence anisotropy: experiments and simulation
Authors: Mancini Onorio , Wellbrock Thorben , Rolinski Olaf J. , Kubiak-Ossowska Karina , Mulheran Paul A.
Published: January 2018

Simulated fluorescence anisotropy from Tyr residues distinguishes a beta amyloid monomer (black) from oligomers (coloured).
Importance of protein flexibility in molecular recognition: a case study on Type-I1/2 inhibitors of ALK
Authors: Kong Xiaotian , Sun Huiyong , Pan Peichen , Zhu Feng , Chang Shan , Xu Lei , Li Youyong , Hou Tingjun
Published: January 2018

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has been regarded as a promising target for the therapy of various cancers.
A fluorescent turn-on probe for cyanide anion detection based on an AIE active cobalt(ii) complex
Authors: Gabr Moustafa T. , Pigge F. Christopher
Published: January 2018

A Co(ii) complex based on an AIE-active tetraarylethylene ligand displays selective fluorescence enhancement in the presence of cyanide anion in aqueous solution.
Triphenylbismuth(v) di[(iso)nicotinates] – transmetallation agents or divergent organometalloligands? First organobismuth(v)-based silver(i) coordination polymers
Authors: Ben Kiran Ahmad , Mocanu Teodora , Pöllnitz Alpár , Shova Sergiu , Andruh Marius , Silvestru Cristian
Published: January 2018

Ph3BiX2 (X = O2CC5H4N-4, O2CC5H4N-3) as tectons connecting Ag(i) cations; the selection of assembling species is required to avoid ligand exchange.
Synthesis of carborane-fused carbo- and heterocycles via zirconacyclopentane intermediates
Authors: Cui Chun-Xiao , Ren Shikuo , Qiu Zaozao , Xie Zuowei
Published: January 2018

Carborane-fused zirconacyclopentane serves as an important synthon for the preparation of a variety of carborane-fused carbo- and heterocycles via insertion and transmetalation reactions.
DFT modelling of a diphosphane − N-heterocyclic carbene–Rh(i) pincer complex rearrangement: a computational evaluation of the electronic effects in C–P bond activation
Authors: Qin H.-L. , Leng J. , Zhang W. , Kantchev E. A. B.
Published: January 2018

DFT calculations confirmed that the rearrangement of a PCP-Rh-H pincer to a CCP-Rh-phosphane pincer occured by C–P oxidative addition (ΔG‡= 29.5 kcal mol−1, rate-determining step), followed by P–H reductive elimination (ΔG‡= 4.8 kcal mol−1).
Reverse osmosis brine treatment using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD): effect of membrane characteristics on desalination performance and the wetting phenomenon
Authors: Yan Zhongsen , Yang Haiyang , Yu Huarong , Qu Fangshu , Liang Heng , Van der Bruggen Bart , Li Guibai
Published: January 2018

PVDF membranes with different pore sizes were used to investigate effect of membrane properties on membrane flux and pore wetting in RO brine treatment by DCMD.
Zein-derived peptides as nanocarriers to increase the water solubility and stability of lutein
Authors: Jiao Yan , Zheng Xiqun , Chang Ying , Li Dajing , Sun Xiaohong , Liu Xiaolan
Published: January 2018

Zein and its derived peptides have been used as nanocarriers for bioactive components.
Design, synthesis and evaluation of indole derivatives as multifunctional agents against Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Denya Ireen , Malan Sarel F. , Enogieru Adaze B. , Omoruyi Sylvester I. , Ekpo Okobi E. , Kapp Erika , Zindo Frank T. , Joubert Jacques
Published: January 2018

Novel indole derivatives as multi-target directed ligands with neuroprotective abilities. X = NH or O.
A chiral lactate reporter based on total and circularly polarized Tb(iii) luminescence
Authors: Leonzio Marco , Melchior Andrea , Faura Georgina , Tolazzi Marilena , Bettinelli Marco , Zinna Francesco , Arrico Lorenzo , Di Bari Lorenzo , Piccinelli Fabio
Published: January 2018

Lactate anion signaling by a chiral Tb(iii) complex based on total and circularly polarized luminescence.
Nanotopography regulates motor neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Chen Weiqiang , Han Shuo , Qian Weiyi , Weng Shinuo , Yang Haiou , Sun Yubing , Villa-Diaz Luis G. , Krebsbach Paul H. , Fu Jianping
Published: January 2018

Nanotopographic cues in the stem cell niche regulate the motor neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells.
Photoelectrodes based on 2D opals assembled from Cu-delafossite double-shelled microspheres for an enhanced photoelectrochemical response
Authors: Oh Yunjung , Yang Wooseok , Tan Jeiwan , Lee Hyungsoo , Park Jaemin , Moon Jooho
Published: January 2018

A newly designed double-shelled Cu-delafossite 2D opal photocathode exhibits dramatic 9-fold enhancement in the photoelectrochemical response by improving the charge separation/transport capability.
Borophene hydride: a stiff 2D material with high thermal conductivity and attractive optical and electronic properties
Authors: Mortazavi Bohayra , Makaremi Meysam , Shahrokhi Masoud , Raeisi Mostafa , Singh Chandra Veer , Rabczuk Timon , Pereira Luiz Felipe C.
Published: January 2018

Mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, electronic and optical responses of borophene hydride, a newly synthesized 2D material are explored using the first-principles simulations.
A high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor based on vanadyl phosphate/carbon nanocomposites and polypyrrole-derived carbon nanowires
Authors: Chen Ningna , Zhou Jinhua , Zhu Guoyin , Kang Qi , Ji Hongmei , Zhang Yu , Wang Xizhang , Peng Luming , Guo Xuefeng , Lu Chunliang , Chen Jing , Feng Xiaomiao , Hou Wenhua
Published: January 2018

A layered microstructure of VOPO4/C and N-doping of PCN ensure excellent electrochemical performance.
Moldable biomimetic nanoscale optoelectronic platforms for simultaneous enhancement in optical absorption and charge transport
Authors: A. K Jagdish , Garg Kavita , Ramamurthy Praveen C. , Mahapatra Debiprosad Roy , Hegde Gopalkrishna
Published: January 2018

Nano-scale patterns such as those found on the exterior surface of eyes of certain nocturnal insects have far-reaching implications in terms of optoelectronic device design.
An implanted paramagnetic metallofullerene probe within a metal–organic framework
Authors: Meng Haibing , Zhao Chong , Li Yongjian , Nie Mingzhe , Wang Chunru , Wang Taishan
Published: January 2018

Paramagnetic endohedral metallofullerene can be used as a molecular probe because of its sensitive electron spin characters, one of which is to sense its surroundings.
Temperature-sensitive poly(phenyleneethynylene) nanomedicines for intracellular tracking via fluorescence resonance energy transfer
Authors: Geng Shinan , Fu Qianwen , Zhao Hao , Peng Xiaole , Zhang Chun , Zhao Yanbing , Wan Jiangling , Yang Xiangliang
Published: January 2018

pNIPAM-grafted poly(phenyleneethynylene) nanoparticles (pNE NPs) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization and Sonogashira coupling reaction and were developed as novel self-indicating drug nano-carriers for monitoring the intracellular drug release.
Synthesis of ZnO/ZIF-8 hybrid photocatalysts derived from ZIF-8 with enhanced photocatalytic activity
Authors: Yang Xiaobing , Wen Zhaodong , Wu Ziling , Luo Xuetao
Published: January 2018

Controllable conjunction of semiconductors with metal organic frameworks (MOFs) has been an efficient tool to enhance the chemical and physical properties of semiconductors by forming semiconductor–MOF hybrid structures.
Smart soaps: stimulus responsive soap–hydrogel bead composites for controlled dissolution and release of actives
Authors: Thompson Benjamin R. , Rutkevičius Marius , Horozov Tommy S. , Stoyanov Simeon D. , Paunov Vesselin N.
Published: January 2018

We designed soap–hydrogel bead composites which have lower environmental impact and allow control of the both dissolution and the release rate of encapsulated active components.
Synthesis of chiral sultams with two adjacent stereocenters via palladium-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution
Authors: Song Bo , Chen Mu-Wang , Zhou Yong-Gui
Published: January 2018

A palladium-catalyzed intramolecular asymmetric reductive amination of racemic α-branched ketones bearing the poorly nucleophilic sulfonamides has been successfully developed through dynamic kinetic resolution, providing chiral δ-sultams with two contiguous stereogenic centers.
A densely modified M2+-independent DNAzyme that cleaves RNA efficiently with multiple catalytic turnover
Authors: Wang Yajun , Liu Erkai , Lam Curtis H. , Perrin David M.
Published: January 2018

Modified dNTPs permit selection of DNAzymes that cleave RNA targets in the absence of a divalent metal cation (M2+) to meet a long-standing goal in bioorganic chemistry.
A conductive hydrogel based on alginate and carbon nanotubes for probing microbial electroactivity
Authors: Mottet Léopold , Le Cornec Domitille , Noël Jean-Marc , Kanoufi Frédéric , Delord Brigitte , Poulin Philippe , Bibette Jérôme , Bremond Nicolas
Published: January 2018

Tailoring a conductive composite hydrogel, shaped as beads or liquid core capsules, allows to probe the electroactivity of bacteria.
Virus-like particles as crosslinkers in fibrous biomimetic hydrogels: approaches towards capsid rupture and gel repair
Authors: Schoenmakers Daniël C. , Schoonen Lise , Rutten Martin G. T. A. , Nolte Roeland J. M. , Rowan Alan E. , van Hest Jan C. M. , Kouwer Paul H. J.
Published: January 2018

Viruses can provide toughness and strength to soft fibrous hydrogels.
Droplet microfluidic SANS
Authors: Adamo Marco , Poulos Andreas S. , G. Lopez Carlos , Martel Anne , Porcar Lionel , Cabral João T.
Published: January 2018

The coupling of droplet microfluidics and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) is demonstrated with a range of model systems: isotopic solvent (H2O/D2O) mixtures, surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) solutions and colloidal (silica) suspensions.
Correction: A colorimetric and far-red fluorescent probe for the highly sensitive detection of silver(i)
Authors: Wang Yong-jun , Liu Jing-gong , Tan Hui-ya , Yan Jin-wu , Zhang Lei
Published: January 2018

Correction for ‘A colorimetric and far-red fluorescent probe for the highly sensitive detection of silver(i)’ by Yong-jun Wang et al., RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 55567–55570.
HOTAIR contributes to cell proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer via targetting miR-23b/MAPK1 axis
Authors: Li Qin , Feng Yanhong , Chao Xu , Shi Shuai , Liang Man , Qiao Yumei , Wang Bin , Wang Pin , Zhu Zhenning
Published: January 2018

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) has been found to be overexpressed in many human malignancies and involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Although the downstream target through which HOTAIR modulates tumor metastasis is not well-known, evidence suggests that miR-23b might be involved in this event. In the present study, the expressions of HOTAIR and miR-23b were detected by real-time PCR in 33 paired cervical cancer tissue samples and cervical cell lines. The effects of HOTAIR on the expressions of miR-23b and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) were studied by overexpression and RNAi approaches. We found that HOTAIR expression was significantly increased in cervical cancer cells and tissues. In contrast, the expression of miR-23b was obviously decreased. We further demonstrated that HOTAIR knockdown promoted apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, our data indicated that HOTAIR may competitively bind miR-23b and modulate the expression of MAPK1 indirectly in cervical cancer cells. Taken together, our study has identified a novel pathway through which HOTAIR exerts its oncogenic role, and provided a molecular basis for potential applications of HOTAIR in the prognosis and treatment of cervical cancer.
SAR image despeckling using quadratic–linear approximated ‐norm
Authors: Nar Fatih
Published: January 2018

Speckle noise, inherent in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, degrades the performance of the various SAR image analysis tasks. Thus, speckle noise reduction is a critical preprocessing step for smoothing homogeneous regions while preserving details. This Letter proposes a variational despeckling approach where ‐norm total variation regularisation term is approximated in a quadratic and linear manner to increase accuracy while decreasing the computation time. Despeckling performance and computational efficiency of the proposed method are shown using synthetic and real‐world SAR images.
Classification of osteoporosis by artificial neural network based on monarch butterfly optimisation algorithm
Authors: Devikanniga D. , Joshua Samuel Raj R.
Published: January 2018

Osteoporosis is a life threatening disease which commonly affects women mostly after their menopause. It primarily causes mild bone fractures, which on advanced stage leads to the death of an individual. The diagnosis of osteoporosis is done based on bone mineral density (BMD) values obtained through various clinical methods experimented from various skeletal regions. The main objective of the authors’ work is to develop a hybrid classifier model that discriminates the osteoporotic patient from healthy person, based on BMD values. In this Letter, the authors propose the monarch butterfly optimisation‐based artificial neural network classifier which helps in earlier diagnosis and prevention of osteoporosis. The experiments were conducted using 10‐fold cross‐validation method for two datasets lumbar spine and femoral neck. The results were compared with other similar hybrid approaches. The proposed method resulted with the accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of 97.9% ± 0.14, 98.33% ± 0.03 and 95.24% ± 0.08, respectively, for lumbar spine dataset and 99.3% ± 0.16%, 99.2% ± 0.13 and 100, respectively, for femoral neck dataset. Further, its performance is compared using receiver operating characteristics analysis and Wilcoxon signed‐rank test. The results proved that the proposed classifier is efficient and it outperformed the other approaches in all the cases.
Balance‐driven analysis of cell‐edge user interference management in massive MIMO enabled irregular network
Authors: Chen Changshan , Zhao Xinsheng
Published: January 2018

The spatial degrees of freedom will be sacrificed to perform the precoding‐based interference management (IM) for the cell‐edge user (CEU) in a massive multiple‐input and multiple‐output enabled irregular network. It is desired to evaluate the impact of the precoding‐based IM on the performance of both the cell‐centre user (CCU) and CEU, which leads to a consideration of the balance between the CEU performance enhancement and the CCU tolerable performance degradation. Thus the separate analysis of CEU and CCU performance under the precoding‐based IM is imperative. To facilitate the analysis, the authors propose an approximate distribution of the CEU numbers with a flexible CEU definition in a single‐tier irregular network. With this distribution, the upper bound of the success probability of the typical CEU using the precoding‐based IM is analysed. Also, a lower bound of the success probability of the typical CCU is given. Moreover, the impact of the cell‐edge area on the success probability of both the CCU and CEU is discussed. It is found that the success probability of both the CCU and CEU decreases with the enlarged cell‐edge area in the case of the high density of users and small density of base stations. Nevertheless, the tendency of the success probability versus the cell‐edge area becomes diverse in the dense network or sparse user scenario.
Performance analysis of non‐coherent PLC with multi‐level ASK in impulsive noise environment
Authors: Dash Soumya P. , Mallik Ranjan K. , Mohammed Saif K.
Published: January 2018

The authors consider a single‐channel power line communication (PLC) system in the presence of Middleton Class‐A impulsive noise employing multi‐level amplitude‐shift keying (ASK) modulation at the transmitter and non‐coherent detection at the receiver. An asymptotically optimal detector for the PLC system is obtained using a tight approximation of the noise statistics. The magnitude of the received symbol is obtained as the decision variable, whose statistics is utilised to derive a series expression for the symbol error rate (SER). An asymptotic expression for the SER at high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) is also obtained which is further utilised to find the optimal ASK constellation minimising the SER. It is shown by numerical examples that the optimal solution is extremely close to the equally spaced ASK constellation set at high SNR. It is also observed that the SER variation of the system with the impulsive index of the noise validates the optimality of the proposed detector at high SNR.
Robust non‐linear control design for systems governed by Burgers' equation subjected to parameter variation
Authors: Abbasi Farshid , Mohammadpour Velni Javad
Published: January 2018

In this study, a robust sliding mode controller is proposed for dynamic systems governed by Burgers' equation with Neumann boundary conditions in the presence of parameter variations. The main objective is to design a reduced‐order model based controller at a nominal value of the system parameter that stabilises the full‐order model while being robust with respect to model uncertainties in the obtained reduced‐order model. The model uncertainties resulted from the variation of the parameter are discussed under two categories; first, the error arising from the change in the states of the full‐order model, and second, the error associated with the estimated proper orthogonal decomposition basis functions at the nominal value of . In this work, the boundedness of the error functions is studied and an estimation of these bounds is obtained in terms of the reduced‐order model and matrices of the full‐order system that are known a priori. Next, the bounds on the error functions are used to design a reduced‐order sliding mode controller that guarantees the stability of the full‐order model obtained via a finite element approximation of the Burgers' equation for a trajectory tracking problem.
Operational analysis of a connected vehicle‐supported access control on urban arterials
Authors: Khan Sakib M. , Mitchell Joshua , Chowdhury Mashrur , Dey Kakan , Huynh Nathan
Published: January 2018

Urban arterials are characterised by high traffic volume, and driveway densities which cause congestion and crashes. In urban arterials, safety and operational issues can be improved by access management strategies. One such strategy is to restrict traffic entering the urban arterial to ‘right‐in–right‐out’ through implementing a raised median. While past research has shown the operational benefits of this strategy, it has not been evaluated in the context of dynamic access control. This study investigates the effectiveness of the connected vehicle (CV)‐supported dynamic access control. The analysis is applied to an urban corridor under four scenarios: (i) the existing condition with direct left turns (DLTs) permitted at all driveways, (ii) a raised median restricting all driveway traffic to right‐in–right‐out and U‐turns permitted at signallised intersections, (iii) a peak‐hour DLT restriction at all driveways, and (iv) dynamic restriction (i.e. a restriction enforced during the time intervals in which traffic flow rates exceed given thresholds) of driveways to right‐in–right‐out in a CV environment. On the basis of the simulation analysis, it was found that converting driveway access from fully open to right‐in–right‐out based on prevailing traffic conditions in a CV environment can improve traffic operations.
Evaluating cyclist patterns using GPS data from smartphones
Authors: Rupi Federico , Schweizer Joerg
Published: January 2018

GPS traces from cyclists are used to retrieve their path by matching the traces to a detailed, attribute‐rich urban road network. The main objective of this research is to explore the influence of road network characteristics on the cyclist's path choice behaviour. The dataset used in this study consists of ∼27,500 GPS traces, which cyclists have recorded in Bologna, Italy, over a period of 4 weeks using a special smartphone application. Work trips are extracted from all traces by selecting only straight trips during the mornings of work days. After matching the traces to a specially prepared road map, the distributions of trip length, trip time and trip speed are determined. The shortest possible path between origin and destination of each trip is determined and compared with the chosen path. Results show that most cyclists tend to use the shortest path and accept only small detours. However, comparing the shortest path with the chosen path for each trip, it is possible to identify the network characteristics causing the cyclists to deviate from the shortest path. The main results of this study indicate that the chosen paths contain more cycleways and less intersections compared with the respective shortest paths.
Triple‐band polarisation‐independent metamaterial absorber at mm wave frequency band
Authors: Deng Guangsheng , Xia Tianyu , Yang Jun , Yin Zhiping
Published: January 2018

The authors present a triple‐band metamaterial absorber operating at mm wave frequency band. The absorber is composed of periodic unit cells, which consists of a new pattern and a ground plane, placed in two sides of a dielectric substrate made of polyimide film. To best understand the absorption mechanisms, full‐wave simulation results for the electric field, surface current, and power loss distributions are presented. The experimental results, for a transverse electric‐polarised normal incident wave, show three distinctive absorption peaks, at frequencies 101.25, 108.75, and 129 GHz with absorptivities of 92.5, 94.9, and 88.6%, respectively. The absorber is independent of the wave polarisation, where high absorption is achieved for a wide range of oblique angles of incidence.
Optimisation analysis of coil configuration and circuit model for asymmetric wireless power transfer system
Authors: Wang Shengming , Hu Zhaoyang , Rong Cancan , Lu Conghui , Tao Xiong , Chen Junfeng , Liu Minghai
Published: January 2018

The authors present a new asymmetric structure using an optimisable coil configuration and circuit model to eliminate frequency splitting and increase high‐efficiency transfer distance in wireless power transfer (WPT) via magnetic resonance coupling. A pair of non‐identical coils is proved theoretically and optimised to limit the coupling coefficient. The series–shunt mixed‐resonant circuit structure is adopted to promote the performance of WPT system. The advantages and characteristics of the asymmetric system using mixed‐resonant circuit structure based on appropriate non‐identical coils are depicted by numerical calculation and simulation. Moreover, the WPT system is finally set up to verify the theory prediction. All the calculated and experimental results show that frequency splitting is suppressed in close distance effectively. Moreover, the high‐efficiency transfer distance is proved to exceed the triple diameter of receiving coil. Therefore, a relatively high‐efficiency and long‐distance WPT system, which can be a good candidate for charging portable electronics, is obtained by selecting suitable circuit parameters and appropriate non‐identical coils.
Compressive sensing unmixing algorithm for breast cancer detection
Authors: Obermeier Richard , Martinez‐Lorenzo Jose Angel
Published: January 2018

Traditional breast cancer imaging methods using microwave imaging (MWI) seek to recover the complex permittivity of the tissues at each voxel in the imaging region. This approach is suboptimal in that it does not directly consider the permittivity values that healthy and cancerous breast tissues typically have. The authors describe a novel unmixing algorithm for detecting breast cancer. In this approach, the breast tissue is separated into three components, low water content, high water content, and cancerous tissues, and the goal of the optimisation procedure is to recover the mixture proportions of each component. By utilising this approach in a hybrid digital breast tomosynthesis/MWI system, the unmixing reconstruction process can be posed as a sparse recovery problem such that compressive sensing techniques can be employed. A numerical analysis is performed, which demonstrates that cancerous lesions can be detected from their mixture proportion under the appropriate conditions.
Compact four bands hybrid filtering antenna using step impedance resonators and tuning stub transition structures
Authors: Chen Keng‐Hsien , Lo Yu‐Chen , Lee Yi‐Shi , Wu Sung‐Jung , Tarng Jenn‐Hwan
Published: January 2018

A novel compact four bands hybrid filtering antenna composed of a hybrid radiator and a four bands bandpass filter is presented. The hybrid radiator is constructed using the micro‐strip line fed, the square‐ring and the T‐stub near the ground plane. The proposed four bands bandpass filter is composed of two parts, one is two‐step impedance resonators (SIRs) and the other is the tuning stub transition structure. With tuning stub transition structure, two SIRs effectively match to 50 Ω hybrid radiator. Furthermore, the geometry of the proposed filter is U‐shaped with the micro‐strip fed around the hybrid radiator. The evolution of the hybrid radiator and the construction of the four bands bandpass filter using the two SIRs and the transitions are discussed in detail. The proposed filtering antenna not only possesses numerous operation bands with good band edge gain selectivity but also reduces the occupied size in the modern communication device. The overall size of the proposed filtering antenna is 33 mm × 36.4 mm × 0.508 mm, and the operation frequencies are 1.8/2.45/3.5/5.2 GHz bands for GSM1800/WLAN/WiMAX applications. The measured results agree with simulated outcomes.
Multi‐radar anti‐bias track association based on the reference topology feature
Authors: Qi Lin , He You , Dong Kai , Liu Jun
Published: January 2018

To address track association problem for more than two radars under the influence of measurement biases, multi‐radar anti‐bias track association algorithm based on the reference topology feature (RET) is proposed. Influence of radar measurement biases and random errors on the RET is analysed and application conditions of track association algorithm based on the RET are clarified. The distance among multi‐radar multi‐track RETs is defined and anti‐bias track association algorithm for more than two radars is proposed. Simulation results demonstrate the application conditions, RET algorithm is sufficiently effective in multi‐radar circumstances and is strongly adaptable to radar measurement biases.
High‐power low‐loss air‐dielectric stripline Gysel divider/combiner for particle accelerator applications at 352 MHz
Authors: Hoang Duc Long , Nguyen Dinh The Anh , Bach Gia Duong , Jobs Magnus , Ruber Roger , Dancila Dragos
Published: January 2018

This study presents a new two‐way Gysel combiner based on an air‐dielectric stripline which allows to handle very high radio‐frequency power levels with low‐loss suitable for power combination in accelerator applications. The insertion loss of the combiner is 0.1 dB (2%). A thick stripline implementation allows improving the power capability in both continuous wave (CW) and pulsed operation. In addition, a mechanical tuner allows compensating for assembly and fabrication discrepancies. A methodology of designing the Gysel combiner as well as high‐power measurements up to 22 kW in pulsed mode are presented. Simulations and measurements are in very good agreement.
Application independent localisation of vehicle plate number using multi‐window‐size binarisation and semi‐hybrid genetic algorithm
Authors: Abo‐Samra Gibrael‐Elamin
Published: January 2018

This study introduces an enhanced version of a previously published genetic algorithm based technique to allow fast and accurate detection of the vehicle plate number independently of the used application. Hence, significant enhancements are introduced to upgrade the genetic algorithm into a semi‐hybrid category by preceding it with a sorting and subgrouping process that reduces the search space and following it by a rule‐based local search to optimize its output. The updated population structure and its initiation with subsets of the sorted image foreground objects results in a linear relationship between the image complexity represented by the number of foreground objects and the genetic algorithm search space instead of being exponential in previous versions. Moreover, a novel extra variable‐size‐window adaptive binarisation step is introduced to overcome the problems of attached license symbols that cannot be solved by the skipping ability introduced in previous versions. Various image samples with a wide range in scale, orientation, and symbol connectivity have been experimented to verify the effects of the new improvements. Encouraging results with 99.2% detection accuracy have been reported using a public dataset outperforming the author of the dataset by more than 5.5% and the state of the art systems by 2%.
Effect of tensile strain on the band structure and carrier transport of germanium monosulphide monolayer: a first‐principles study
Authors: Guo Guanxing , Bi Gang
Published: January 2018

The electronic properties of germanium monosulphide (GeS) monolayer under tensile strain were investigated using first‐principles calculations. Our computations showed that the band gap of GeS monolayer was tuned from 1.96 to 2.72 eV via uniaxial and biaxial tensile strain in the range of 10%. Besides, two transitions involving indirect to direct and direct to indirect were triggered when GeS monolayer was applied 3.5 and 9% tensile strain in the zigzag direction, however this transition had not happened when the tensile strain was applied in the armchair and biaxial direction. The band gap variations of GeS monolayer with the tensile strain were explained using a bond nature mechanism based on the Heitler–London's exchange energy model. Moreover, upon applying external strain, the acoustic phonon limited carrier mobility of GeS monolayer had an enhancement with more than two orders of magnitude at 300 K, from to . These findings show that strain engineering is an effective way to tune the electronic properties of GeS monolayer and to extend the applications of GeS monolayer in the field of electronics and optoelectronics.
Ordered mesoporous silicon doped with HPMo‐SiO2 solid phase extraction of trace Pb prior to flame atomic absorption spectrometry determination
Authors: Liu Junfeng , Sun Hongli , Zheng Yang , Wang Qiuyue , Guo Jing , Wu Yiwei
Published: January 2018

A new selective and sensitivity method for lead (Pb) determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry has been established using an ordered mesoporous silicon doped with phosphomolybdic acid (HPMo‐SiO2) material as an adsorbent. The possible adsorptive mechanism was speculated, and factors affecting its adsorptive behaviours of Pb were investigated in detail. At potassium hydrogen phthalate media, Pb can be quantitatively adsorbed at pH 3.0–6.0, and HPMo‐SiO2 exhibited good selectivity toward it. With an enrichment factor of 50, the detection limit and relative standard deviation of Pb are 0.78 ng ml−1 and 0.76 % (n = 9 and C = 2.0 ng ml−1), respectively. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of Pb in human serum, waste water, pond water, soil and whitening cosmetics with recoveries of 93.9–108.5%. To validate the accuracy verification, a GSB‐07‐1183‐2000 certified reference was analysed, and the result is in good agreement with the certified value.
Groundwater management of a highly dynamic karst by assessing baseflow and quickflow with a rainfall-discharge model (Dardennes springs, SE France)
Authors: Baudement Cécile , Arfib Bruno , Mazzilli Naomi , Jouves Johan , Lamarque Thierry , Guglielmi Yves
Published: January 2018

This paper aims at characterizing the groundwater flow in a highly dynamic karst aquifer using a global modeling approach based on rainfall and spring discharge time series. The Dardennes aquifer (SE France) was studied as it is used for drinking water supply and it also produces karst flash floods that increase the flood hazard downstream in urban areas. Three years of data were available, including a normal rainy year, a wet year and a dry year. Modeling was performed with the new platform KarstMod, a rainfall-discharge model with calibration tools. The Dardennes aquifer model was structured with three interconnected reservoirs: Epikarst, Matrix, and Conduit. Using this modeling approach, we were able to determine the groundwater hydrograph separation of the karst spring discharge, at the annual scale and at the event scale (flood). This gives insight into the low flow (Matrix) available for the drinking water demand and the fast flow (Conduit) that generates flash floods. In such a dynamic aquifer, part of the water budget cannot be accounted for by water resources as fast flow is not stored within the aquifer and is not available for the drinking water demand. The results were compared with the current groundwater management to determine whether the withdrawal is sustainable. Depending on whether it is a wet or a dry year, the proportion of slow flow ranges from 27 to 61% of the total discharge, respectively. During floods in high water periods, the proportion of quickflow increases drastically up to more than 90% of the spring discharge. In the case of a 300 mm/d simulated Mediterranean rainfall event, the mean daily peak value may reach 74 m3/s. This discharge can be reduced if the aquifer is previously depleted, which increases the storage within the aquifer. Coupling the geological context and the model results opens up future perspectives for the active management of the karst aquifer.
Relaxation of nonlinear elastic energies involving the deformed configuration and applications to nematic elastomers
Authors: Mora-Corral Carlos , Oliva Marcos
Published: January 2018

We start from a variational model for nematic elastomers that involves two energies: mechanical and nematic. The first one consists of a nonlinear elastic energy which is influenced by the orientation of the molecules of the nematic elastomer. The nematic energy is an Oseen–Frank energy in the deformed configuration. The constraint of the positivity of the determinant of the deformation gradient is imposed. The functionals are not assumed to have the usual polyconvexity or quasiconvexity assumptions to be lower semicontinuous. We instead compute its relaxation, that is, the lower semicontinuous envelope, which turns out to be the quasiconvexification of the mechanical term plus the tangential quasiconvexification of the nematic term. The main assumptions are that the quasiconvexification of the mechanical term is polyconvex and that the deformation is in the Sobolev space W1,p(withp>n− 1 andnthe dimension of the space) and does not present cavitation.
Strong geodetic problem on Cartesian products of graphs
Authors: Iršič Vesna , Klavžar Sandi
Published: January 2018

The strong geodetic problem is a recent variation of the geodetic problem. For a graph G, its strong geodetic number sg(G) is the cardinality of a smallest vertex subset S, such that each vertex of G lies on a fixed shortest path between a pair of vertices from S. In this paper, the strong geodetic problem is studied on the Cartesian product of graphs. A general upper bound for sg(G □ H) is determined, as well as exact values for Km □ Kn, K1,k □ Pl, and prisms over Kn–e. Connections between the strong geodetic number of a graph and its subgraphs are also discussed.
Organocatalytic γ′[C(sp3)–H] Functionalization of Ynones:
An Unusual Approach for the Cyclopentannulation of Benzothiophenes
Authors: Ramasastry S. , Grover Jagdeep , Raghu Moluguri , Hazra Raju , Mondal Atanu
Published: January 2018

An efficient organocatalytic approach for the cyclopenta[b]annulation of benzothiophenes via γ′[C(sp3)–H] functionalization of ynones is described. Nucleophilic addition of an organophosphine to the designed ynones generates heteroaryl-based ortho-quinodimethanes (oQDMs), which undergo carbocyclization to provide a variety of cyclopenta-fused benzothiophenes. This approach also constitutes an unusual organophosphine-catalyzed intramolecular hydroalkylation of ynones.
Oral-Facial-Digital Syndrome Type 1: Oral Findings in a 6-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Kırzıoglu Zuhal , Oz Esra
Published: January 2018

Oral-facial-digital syndrome (OFDS) is a group of congenital anomalies with 13 different forms. OFDS type 1 (OFDS1) is a developmental genetic anomaly related to the X chromosome, that is often seen in girls, and affects the face, oral cavity, and extremities. In this study, we discuss the oral findings of a 6-year-old girl with OFDS1 and her situation after 2.5 years.