bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative Transcriptomics Identify Key Hypothalamic Circular RNAs that Participate in Sheep (Ovis aries) Reproduction
Authors: Zhang Zhuangbiao , Tang Jishun , He Xiaoyun , Zhu Mingxia , Gan Shangquan , Guo Xiaofei , Zhang Xiaosheng , Zhang Jinlong , Hu Wenping , Chu Mingxing
Published: August 2019

Circular RNA (circRNA), as an emerging class of noncoding RNA, has been found to play key roles in many biological processes. However, its expression profile in the hypothalamus, a powerful organ initiating the reproductive process, has not yet been explored. Therefore, we used RNA sequencing to explore the expression of circRNAs in the hypothalamus of sheep with the FecB ++ genotype. We totally identified 41,863 circRNAs from sheep hypothalamus, in which 333 (162 were upregulated, while 171 were downregulated) were differentially expressed in polytocous sheep in the follicular phase versus monotocous sheep in the follicular phase (PF vs. MF), moreover, 340 circRNAs (163 were upregulated, while 177 were downregulated) were differentially expressed in polytocous sheep in the luteal phase versus monotocous sheep in the luteal sheep (PL vs. ML). We also identified several key circRNAs including oar_circ_0018794, oar_circ_0008291, oar_circ_0015119, oar_circ_0012801, oar_circ_0010234, and oar_circ_0013788 through functional enrichment analysis and oar_circ_0012110 through a competing endogenous RNA network, most of which may participate in reproduction by influencing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) activities or affecting key gene expression, indirectly or directly. Our study explored the overall expression profile of circRNAs in sheep hypothalamus, which potentially provides an alternative insight into the mechanism of sheep prolificacy without the effects of FecB mutation.
Enrichment with Lucerne Hay Improves Sow Maternal Behaviour and Improves Piglet Survival
Authors: Edwards Lauren E. , Plush Kate J. , Ralph Cameron R. , Morrison Rebecca S. , Acharya Rutu Y. , Doyle Rebecca E.
Published: August 2019

This study investigated the effects of providing lucerne hay on the behaviour and the performance of sows housed in farrowing crates during farrowing and lactation. Seventy-two mixed parity sows received either 1 kg lucerne hay daily from entry into the farrowing crate (−2 d from expected farrowing date) until weaning at 17 d (lucerne group, n = 36), or received no additional enrichment (control group, n = 36). In the 18 h prior to farrowing, the sows in the lucerne treatment spent more time performing nest-building behaviour (14.8% lucerne vs 11.1% control, p = 0.0009) and less time sham-chewing (1.0% lucerne vs 1.9% control, p = 0.01) than control sows, and gave birth to fewer stillborn piglets/litter (0.1 lucerne vs 0.4 control, p = 0.027). After farrowing (Day 3), the control sows spent less time lying than the lucerne sows (26% control vs 43% lucerne, p < 0.05). The control sows also spent less time interacting with their piglets during early lactation compared to late lactation (25.5% Day 5 vs 47.3% Day 12, p < 0.05), suggesting reduced maternal behaviour in this group. The lucerne sows continued to interact with the lucerne throughout lactation, indicating that they still found the enrichment rewarding after the nesting period had ceased. Based on these results, lucerne enrichment was considered to improve sow welfare during farrowing and lactation and reduce the number of stillborn piglets.
Uptake of Manganese from the Manganese-Lysine Complex in Primary Chicken Intestinal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Bai Shiping , Zhang Keying , Ding Xuemei , Wang Jianping , Zeng Qiufeng , Peng Huanwei , Bai Jie , Xuan Yue , Su Zuowei , Wu Bin
Published: August 2019

Organic manganese (Mn) sources can replace inorganic Mn as dietary Mn supplements in poultry. To compare the uptake of Mn from the Mn-lysine complex (MnLys) and MnSO4, we first established the primary chicken intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) model and used it to determine Mn uptake. The MnLys increased the uptake of Mn compared to MnSO4. The uptake of Mn decreased in the IECs with Fe addition in the medium regardless of the Mn sources. The MnLys decreased the Mn2+ efflux transporter ferroportin 1 (FPN1) mRNA level but did not influence the Mn2+ influx transporter divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) mRNA expression when compared to MnSO4. The results above indicated that the increase of Mn accumulation for MnLys at least partly was due to the decrease of Mn efflux by reduced FPN1 expression. The addition of N-ethylmaleimide, an L-lysine transport system y+ inhibitor, decreased the uptake of Mn from MnLys but did not affect the uptake of Mn from MnSO4. The cycloheximide, as an L-lysine transport system b0,+ activator, increased the uptake of Mn from MnLys, whereas they did not influence the uptake of Mn from MnSO4. The MnLys increased the system y+ members cationic amino acid transporter (CAT) 1 and CAT2, and system b0,+ components rBAT and b0,+AT mRNA expression when compared to MnSO4. These results suggested that the uptake of MnLys complex might be transported by CAT1/2 and system b0,+, which was different from the ionized Mn2+ uptake pathway. In conclusion, the uptake of Mn from MnLys complex not only might be uptake through the ionized Mn2+ pathway, but also appeared to be transported through the CAT1/2 and system b0,+ in primary chicken IECs.
Dynamic Variations in Fecal Bacterial Community and Fermentation Profile of Holstein Steers in Response to Three Stepwise Density Diets
Authors: Qiu Qinghua , Zhu Yangxiang , Qiu Xinjun , Gao Chaoyu , Wang Jingjing , Wang Haibo , He Yang , Rahman Muhammad Aziz ur , Cao Binghai , Su Huawei
Published: August 2019

The objective of this study was to track the dynamic variations in fecal bacterial composition and fermentation profile of finishing steers in response to three stepwise diets varied in energy and protein density. A total of 18 Holstein steers were divided into three groups in such a way that each group contained six animals and received one of three stepwise dietary treatments. Dietary treatments were C = standard energy and protein diet, H = high energy and protein diet, and L = low energy and protein diet. Animals were fattened for 11 months with a three-phase fattening strategy. Fecal samples were collected to evaluate the dynamics of fecal fermentation and bacterial composition in response to dietary treatments and fattening phases using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate increased with increasing density of diet and as the fattening phase continued. The relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes dominated and showed 56.19% and 33.58%, respectively. Higher dietary density decreased the fecal bacterial diversity, Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, and the relative abundances of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, and Bacteroides, whereas higher dietary density increased the abundance of Prevotella_9. Our results indicated that both fecal fermentation profile and bacterial composition share a time-dependent variation in response to different dietary densities. This knowledge highlights that both diet and fattening phase impact fecal fermentation profile and bacterial composition, and may provide insight into strategies to reduce fecal contamination from the origin by optimizing diet and fattening time.
The Usefulness of Retinoic Acid Supplementation during In Vitro Oocyte Maturation for the In Vitro Embryo Production of Livestock: A Review
Authors: Abdelnour Sameh A. , Abd El-Hack Mohamed E. , Swelum Ayman Abdel-Aziz , Saadeldin Islam M. , Noreldin Ahmed E. , Khafaga Asmaa F. , Al-Mutary Mohsen G. , Arif Muhammad , Hussein El-Sayed O. S.
Published: August 2019

Retinoic acid (RA) is an indigenous metabolite and descriptive physiologically functioning constituent of vitamin A. Retinoids were documented as vital regulators for cell development and distinction, embryonic growth, and reproductive function in both male and female livestock. Previously, RA has been shown to have several positive impacts in vivo and in vitro and critically control many reproductive events, such as oocyte development, follicular growth, and early embryonic growth. In addition, RA manages apoptotic signaling and oxidative damages in cells. Recently, RA has been used widely in assisted reproductive technology fields, especially during in vitro embryo development in various mammalian species, including buffaloes, bovine, goats, sheep, pigs, and rabbits. However, the optimum concentration of RA greatly differs based on the condition of maturation media and species. Based on the obtained findings, it was generally accepted that RA enhances nuclear oocyte maturation, cleavage and maturation rates, blastocyst formation, and embryo development. As such, it possesses antioxidant properties against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an anti-apoptotic effect through enhancing the transcription of some related genes such as superoxide dismutase, prostaglandin synthase, glutathione peroxidase, peroxiredoxins, and heme oxygenase. Therefore, the current review concludes that an addition of RA (up to 50 nM) has the potential to improve the oocyte maturation media of various species of livestock due to its antioxidant activity.
Eye Blink Rates and Eyelid Twitches as a Non-Invasive Measure of Stress in the Domestic Horse
Authors: Merkies Katrina , Ready Chloe , Farkas Leanne , Hodder Abigail
Published: August 2019

Physiological changes provide indices of stress responses, however, behavioural measures may be easier to determine. Spontaneous eye blink rate has potential as a non-invasive indicator of stress. Eyelid movements, along with heart rate (HR) and behaviour, from 33 horses were evaluated over four treatments: (1) control—horse in its normal paddock environment; (2) feed restriction—feed was withheld at regular feeding time; (3) separation—horse was removed from visual contact with their paddock mates; and (4) startle test—a ball was suddenly thrown on the ground in front of the horse. HR data was collected every five s throughout each three min test. Eyelid movements and behaviours were retrospectively determined from video recordings. A generalized linear mixed model (GLIMMIX) procedure with Sidak’s multiple comparisons of least squares means demonstrated that both full blinks (16 ± 12b vs. 15 ± 15b vs. 13 ± 11b vs. 26 ± 20a full blinks/3 min ± SEM; a,b differ p < 0.006) and half blinks (34 ± 15ab vs. 27 ± 14bc vs. 25 ± 13c vs. 42 ± 22a half blinks/3 min ± SEM; a,b,c differ p < 0.0001) decreased during feed restriction, separation and the startle test compared to the control, respectively. Eyelid twitches occurred more frequently in feed restriction (p < 0.0001) along with an increased HR (p < 0.0001). This study demonstrates that spontaneous blink rate decreases while eyelid twitches increase when the horse experiences a stressful situation.
The Oral Pheneticillin Absorption Test: An Accurate Method to Identify Patients with Inadequate Oral Pheneticillin Absorption
Authors: Dijkmans Anneke C. , Kweekel Dinemarie M. , van Dissel Jaap T. , van Esdonk Michiel J. , Kamerling Ingrid M. C. , Burggraaf Jacobus
Published: August 2019

Severe streptococcal infections are commonly treated with intravenous followed by oral penicillin (pheneticillin) therapy. However, switching from iv to oral therapy is complicated by the variability in oral pheneticillin absorption. We employed an Oral Absorption Test (OAT) for pheneticillin to identify patients in whom oral pheneticillin absorption is poor. Out of 84 patients 30 patients (36%) were identified as insufficient absorbers. Treatment failure due to pheneticillin malabsorption can be avoided by performing an OAT, and these patients should be treated by another antibiotic, which is known to be absorbed well.
Effect of Neem (Azadirachta indica L.) on Lipid Oxidation in Raw Chilled Beef Patties
Authors: Ouerfelli Manel , Villasante Juliana , Ben Kaâb Leila Bettaieb , Almajano MaríaPilar
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the total polyphenol content, radical scavenging and antimicrobial activities of Azadirachta indica (A. indica) and to evaluate their effect on shelf-life stability of raw beef patties during refrigerated storage at 4 ± 1 °C. During 11 days of storage, the antioxidant effect of A. indica on ground beef meat was investigated by the determination of lipid oxidation, pH, anti-radical activity, color, hexanal content, and microbial growth. The results obtained showed that fresh A. indica leaves and synthetic conservative behaved in the same way and retarded the lipid oxidation of chilled beef patties while increasing their pH (5.40 and 5.45, respectively). It can also be said that A. indica limited the loss of color, reduced the metmyoglobin formation (36.70%) and had a significant effect on bacterial growth and hexanal content. In addition, the results obtained through anti-radical and antimicrobial properties showed proportional values of total polyphenol content and radical scavenging activity of leaf extracts as they showed their antimicrobial effect against some bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus, among others. These results support the involvement of A. indica in the food industry as a natural antioxidant that could replace synthetic ones.
Protective Effects of Melon Extracts on Bone Strength, Mineralization, and Metabolism in Rats with Ovariectomy-Induced Osteoporosis
Authors: Kim Bongju , Lee Sung-Ho , Song Su-Jin , Kim Won Hyeon , Song Eun-Sung , Lee Jae-Chang , Lee Sung-Jae , Han Dong-Wook , Lee Jong-Ho
Published: August 2019

A polyphenolic extract from melon (Cucumis melo L.), as a potential source of natural antioxidants, has been reported to have a positive effect on osteoblast activity. In this study, the protective effects of heat-treated melon extract (ECO-A) on bone strength, mineralization, and metabolism were examined in osteoporotic rat models. Osteoporosis was induced by ovariectomy (OVX) in female rats and then maintained for 8 weeks, along with the ingestion of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, OVXP) or ECO-A (OVXE) for an additional 4 weeks. At a pre-determined timepoint, bone strengths, as well as bone mineral contents (BMC) and the density (BMD) of femurs and/or lumbar spines extracted from each animal, were measured by a mechanical test and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, respectively. Moreover, several biochemical markers for bone turnover were analyzed by respective colorimetric assay kits in addition to clinical analyses. The maximum load and stiffness of femurs from the OVXE group were found to be significantly higher than the other groups. Furthermore, the OVXE group showed significantly higher BMC, BMD, and bone volume than the OVX and OVXP groups, which were comparable to the non-OVX (sham) group. The levels of bone formation and resorption markers in the OVXE group were similar to the sham group, but significantly different from other groups. In conclusion, these results suggest that ECO-A can play potentially positive roles in the protection of bone loss in rats with OVX-induced osteoporosis.
Caffeoylquinic Acids and Flavonoids of Fringed Sagewort (Artemisia frigida Willd.): HPLC-DAD-ESI-QQQ-MS Profile, HPLC-DAD Quantification, in Vitro Digestion Stability, and Antioxidant Capacity
Authors: Olennikov Daniil N. , Kashchenko Nina I. , Chirikova Nadezhda K. , Vasil’eva Aina G. , Gadimli Aydan I. , Isaev Javanshir I. , Vennos Cecile
Published: August 2019

Fringed sagewort (Artemisia frigida Willd., Compositae family) is a well-known medicinal plant in Asian medical systems. Fifty-nine hydroxycinnamates and flavonoids have been found in A. frigida herbs of Siberian origin by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and electrospray triple quadrupole mass detection (HPLC-DAD-ESI-QQQ-MS). Their structures were determined after mass fragmentation analysis as caffeoylquinic acids, flavone O-/C-glycosides, flavones, and flavonol aglycones. Most of the discovered components were described in A. frigida for the first time. It was shown that flavonoids with different types of substitution have chemotaxonomic significance for species of Artemisia subsection Frigidae (section Absinthium). After HPLC-DAD quantification of 16 major phenolics in 21 Siberian populations of A. frigida and subsequent principal component analysis, we found substantial variation in the selected compounds, suggesting the existence of two geographical groups of A. frigida. The antioxidant activity of A. frigida herbal tea was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH•) and hydrophilic/lipophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays and DPPH•-HPLC profiling, revealing it to be high. The effect of digestive media on the phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of A. frigida herbal tea was assessed under simulated gastrointestinal digestion. We found a minor reduction in caffeoylquinic acid content and ORAC values, but remaining levels were satisfactory for antioxidant protection. These results suggest that A. frigida and its food derivate herbal tea could be recommended as new plant antioxidants rich in phenolics.
Anti-Hyperglycemic and Anticholinergic Effects of Natural Antioxidant Contents in Edible Flowers
Authors: Nowicka Paulina , Wojdyło Aneta
Published: August 2019

In this study, 16 selected edible flowers were evaluated for their content of bioactive compounds (polyphenols, carotenoids, triterpenoids) and for their anti-diabetic (ability to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidases) and anti-aging (ability to inhibit acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) activities. Most of the flowers analyzed in this study have not been examined in this respect until now. Contents of the analyzed bioactive compounds differed significantly among the flowers. In particular, the highest contents of carotenoids and triterpenoids were determined in marigold, arnica, lavender, and daisy; in turn, the highest contents of phenolic acids, procyanidin polymers, and total polyphenols were assayed in hawthorn, primrose, and linden blossom. There was a positive correlation between the content of isoprenoids in edible flowers and their anti-aging activity, and between the content of polymeric procyanidins and flowers’ ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. In conclusion, edible flowers may be used to produce functional foods as well as for medical purposes.
An Efficient Anomaly Detection System for Crowded Scenes Using Variational Autoencoders
Authors: Xu Ming , Yu Xiaosheng , Chen Dongyue , Wu Chengdong , Jiang Yang
Published: August 2019

Anomaly detection in crowded scenes is an important and challenging part of the intelligent video surveillance system. As the deep neural networks make success in feature representation, the features extracted by a deep neural network represent the appearance and motion patterns in different scenes more specifically, comparing with the hand-crafted features typically used in the traditional anomaly detection approaches. In this paper, we propose a new baseline framework of anomaly detection for complex surveillance scenes based on a variational auto-encoder with convolution kernels to learn feature representations. Firstly, the raw frames series are provided as input to our variational auto-encoder without any preprocessing to learn the appearance and motion features of the receptive fields. Then, multiple Gaussian models are used to predict the anomaly scores of the corresponding receptive fields. Our proposed two-stage anomaly detection system is evaluated on the video surveillance dataset for a large scene, UCSD pedestrian datasets, and yields competitive performance compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Cutting Blade Measurement of an Ultrasonic Cutting Machine Using Multi-Step Detection
Authors: Kim Tae-Gu , Ahmad Sheikh Faisal , Yun Byoung-Ju , Kim Hyun Deok
Published: August 2019

An algorithm for measurement of the cutting blade of the ultrasonic vibration cutting machine used in an automation machine is proposed in this paper. The proposed algorithm, which is based upon a multi-step detection method, is developed for the accurate measurement of the cutting blade by exactly determining its rotation angle, length, and thickness. Instead of the commonly used Otsu method, we propose a new curvature-based adaptive binarization method, which provides more accurate details about the dimensions of the cutting blade. A region of interest containing the cutting blade from the acquired image is first extracted in the multi-step detection method, which is further processed to remove the noise, which increases the measurement reliability. An important feature of the proposed process is the restoration of the cutting blade’s tip data, which used to be lost during the fine noise-filtering process. The rotation angle and length are measured using the minimum rotated rectangle while the line fitting based upon the least square method is applied to increase the reliability of the thickness measurement. Experimental results validate the superiority of the proposed method over the conventional Otsu method.
A Speed Tracking Method for Autonomous Driving via ADRC with Extended State Observer
Authors: Xiong Shuo , Xie Hui , Song Kang , Zhang Guohui
Published: August 2019

This paper proposes the extended state observer (ESO)-based active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) for the speed tracking of an autonomous vehicle. Uncertainties, both in the vehicle plant and in the sensors, such as nonlinear uncertainties due to the powertrain dynamics, variations in rolling resistance and air resistance, are all estimated in real-time by an extended state observer (ESO). Furthermore, a simple vehicle longitudinal dynamics model, including a mean value engine model (MVEM), is implemented to obtain the parameters in ADRC and design a feedforward controller to enhance the controller’s performance. The proposed controller is validated through CarSim®/Simulink® simulations and road tests. The simulation validates the adaptiveness of the proposed controller against the well-tuned proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, and the speed tracking error of the proposed controller is within 1.26% in simulation. Simulation results also show that fuel consumption can be improved by 3.6% by changing the accelerator pedal depth and positive rate. Finally, the road tests are completed under four kinds of road conditions, and the maximum tracking error is smaller than 0.5 km/h.
Evaluating Litter Yield and Decomposition for Re-Vegetated Mangroves in a Subtropical Mudflat
Authors: Niu Anyi , Zhou Ting , Yang Xiu , Gao Yifei , Xu Songjun , Lin Chuxia
Published: August 2019

Field monitoring and incubation experiments were conducted to evaluate the litter yield and examine the decomposition of the litter of three representative mangrove species frequently used for mangrove re-vegetation in a subtropical mudflat on the South China coast. The results show that the litter yield of the investigated mangrove species varied significantly from season to season. The annual litter production was in the following decreasing order: Heritiera littoralis > Thespesia populnea > Kandelia obovata. Initially, rapid decomposition of easily degradable components of the litter materials resulted in a marked weight loss of the mangrove litter. There was a good linear relationship between the length of field incubation time and the litter decomposition rate for both the branch and the leaf portion of the three investigated mangrove species. Approximately 50% or more of the added mangrove litter could be decomposed within one year and the decomposed litter could be incorporated into the underlying soils and consequently affect the soil carbon dynamics. An annual soil carbon increase from 2.37 to 4.64 g/kg in the top 5 cm of the soil was recorded for the investigated mangrove species.
A Kriging Surrogate Model for the Interference Reduction in the Settlement Surveillance Sensors of Steel Transmission Towers
Authors: Shi Jiajia , Chu Liu , Souza de Cursi Eduardo
Published: August 2019

The utilization of modal frequency sensors is a feasible and effective way to monitor the settlement problem of the transmission tower foundation. However, the uncertainties and interference in the real operation environment of transmission towers highly affect the accuracy and identification of modal frequency sensors. In order to reduce the interference of modal frequency sensors for transmission towers, a Kriging surrogate model is proposed in this study. The finite element model of typical transmission towers is created and validated to provide the effective original database for the Kriging surrogate model. The prediction accuracy and convergences of the Kriging surrogate model are measured and confirmed. Besides the merits in computational cost and high-efficiency, the Kriging surrogate model is proven to have a satisfied and robust interference reduction capacity. Therefore, the Kriging surrogate model is feasible and competitive for interference filtration in the settlement surveillance sensors of steel transmission towers.
Preparation and Removal Properties of Cimetidine from Aqueous Solution by Waste Bricks Incorporated with Different Iron Oxides
Authors: Zhang Ziyang , Liu Fangyuan , Xu Chunya , Chen Hongrui , Tan Chaohong , Zhang Xiaoran
Published: August 2019

In this study, to investigate the elimination of micropollutant from aqueous solutions by construction waste, waste red brick (WRB) with and without incorporated of iron species (goethite and hematite) were prepared by a simple method. The prepared materials were systematically characterized and batch experiments were conducted to study the elimination of typical micropollutant cimetidine from the water environment. Results showed that both two iron species could be successfully incorporated onto WRB and the main structure of WRB were maintained. The adsorption process of cimetidine onto bricks was fast due to the microstructure and useful adsorption sites on the surface of bricks. The Langmuir model fitted the experimental data better and the qmax of cimetidine increased about 24.4% and 39.6% for the incorporation of hematite and goethite, respectively. The pH values influenced the adsorption behavior greatly and the favorable pH value was around 6.0. The charge screening effect and competition adsorption may influence the adsorption behavior together. Due to the interaction between cimetidine and bricks, the outer-sphere complexation may be formed in the adsorption process. This study shows new methods for the elimination of the micropollutant from the water environment and offers useful guidelines for the reuse of construction waste.
Preparation of an Asymmetric Membrane from Sugarcane Bagasse Using DMSO as Green Solvent
Authors: Thi To Nu Dang , Phi Hung Nguyen , Van Hoang Cao , Van der Bruggen Bart
Published: August 2019

Asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes have been successfully fabricated by phase inversion, using sugarcane bagasse (SB) as the starting material. SB is a raw material with high potential to produce cellulose derivatives due to its structure and morphology. Cellulose was extracted from SB by pretreatment with solutions of 5 wt% NaOH, 0.5 wt% EDTA; then bleached with 2 wt% H2O2. Cellulose acetate (CA) was prepared by the reaction between extracted cellulose with acetic anhydride, and H2SO4 as a catalyst. The obtained CA exhibited a high degree of substitution (2.81), determined with 1H-NMR spectroscopy and titration. The functional groups and thermal analysis of the extracted cellulose and the synthesized CA have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The change in the crystallinity of the extracted cellulose and CA was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Asymmetric membranes were fabricated using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the solvent, with a casting thickness of 250 µm. The obtained membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), DSC and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hydrophilicity of the membranes was evaluated, as demonstrated by the measurement of water contact angle (WCA) and water content. Furthermore, the antifouling properties of membranes were also investigated.
An Anti-Jamming Hierarchical Optimization Approach in Relay Communication System via Stackelberg Game
Authors: Feng Zhibin , Ren Guochun , Chen Jin , Chen Chaohui , Yang Xiaoqin , Luo Yijie , Xu Kun
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we study joint relay selection and the power control optimization problem in an anti-jamming relay communication system. Considering the hierarchical competitive relationship between a user and jammer, we formulate the anti-jamming problem as a Stackelberg game. From the perspective of game, the user selects relay and power strategy firstly which acts as the leader, while the jammer chooses power strategy then that acts as follower. Moreover, we prove the existence of Stackelberg equilibrium. Based on the Q-learning algorithm and multi-armed bandit method, a hierarchical joint optimization algorithm is proposed. Simulation results show the user’s strategy selection probability and the jammer’s regret. We compare the user’s and jammer’s utility under the proposed algorithm with a random selection algorithm to verify the algorithm’s superiority. Moreover, the influence of feedback error and eavesdropping error on utility is analyzed.
Carbon Spheres as CO2 Sorbents
Authors: Staciwa P. , Narkiewicz U. , Sibera D. , Moszyński D. , Wróbel R. J. , Cormia R. D.
Published: August 2019

Microporous nanocarbon spheres were prepared by using a microwave assisted solvothermal method. To improve the carbon dioxide adsorption properties, potassium oxalate monohydrate and ethylene diamine (EDA) were employed, and the influence of carbonization temperature on adsorption properties was investigated. For nanocarbon spheres containing not only activator, but also EDA, an increase in the carbonization temperature from 600 °C to 800 °C resulted in an increase of the specific surface area of nearly 300% (from 439 to 1614 m2/g) and an increase of the CO2 adsorption at 0 °C and 1 bar (from 3.51 to 6.21 mmol/g).
Quantum Structure for Modelling Emotion Space of Robots
Authors: Yan Fei , Iliyasu Abdullah M. , Jiao Sihao , Yang Huamin
Published: August 2019

Utilising the properties of quantum mechanics, i.e., entanglement, parallelism, etc., a quantum structure is proposed for representing and manipulating emotion space of robots. This quantum emotion space (QES) provides a mechanism to extend emotion interpretation to the quantum computing domain whereby fewer resources are required and, by using unitary transformations, it facilitates easier tracking of emotion transitions over different intervals in the emotion space. The QES is designed as an intuitive and graphical visualisation of the emotion state as a curve in a cuboid, so that an “emotion sensor” could be used to track the emotion transition as well as its manipulation. This ability to use transition matrices to convey manipulation of emotions suggests the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach. Our study is primarily influenced by two developments. First, the massive amounts of data, complexity of control, planning and reasoning required for today’s sophisticated automation processes necessitates the need to equip robots with powerful sensors to enable them adapt and operate in all kinds of environments. Second, the renewed impetus and inevitable transition to the quantum computing paradigm suggests that quantum robots will have a role to play in future data processing and human-robot interaction either as standalone units or as part of larger hybrid systems. The QES proposed in this study provides a quantum mechanical formulation for quantum emotion as well as a platform to process, track, and manipulate instantaneous transitions in a robot’s emotion. The new perspective will open broad areas, such as applications in emotion recognition and emotional intelligence for quantum robots.
Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of Sintered Fe–Co–Cu-Based Diamond Composites
Authors: Li Siqi , Dai Wenhao , Han Zhe , Zhao Xinzhe , Liu Baochang
Published: August 2019

Metal-matrix-impregnated diamond composites are used for fabricating many kinds of diamond tools. In the efforts to satisfy the increasing engineering requirements, researchers have brought more attention to find novel methods of enhancing the performance of impregnated diamond composites. In this study, deep cryogenic treatment was applied to Fe–Co–Cu-based diamond composites to improve their performance. Relative density, hardness, bending strength, and grinding ratio of matrix and diamond composite samples were measured by a series of tests. Meanwhile, the fracture morphologies of all samples after the bending strength test were observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the hardness and bending strength of matrix increased slightly after deep cryogenic treatment. The grinding ratio of impregnated diamond composites exhibited a great increase by 32.9% as a result of deep cryogenic treatment. The strengthening mechanism was analyzed in detail. The Fe–Co–Cu-based impregnated composites subjected to deep cryogenic treatment for 1 h exhibited the best overall performance.
An Experimental and Numerical Study of CO2–Brine-Synthetic Sandstone Interactions under High-Pressure (P)–Temperature (T) Reservoir Conditions
Authors: Yu Zhichao , Yang Siyu , Liu Keyu , Zhuo Qingong , Yang Leilei
Published: August 2019

The interaction between CO2 and rock during the process of CO2 capture and storage was investigated via reactions of CO2, formation water, and synthetic sandstone cores in a stainless-steel reactor under high pressure and temperature. Numerical modelling was also undertaken, with results consistent with experimental outcomes. Both methods indicate that carbonates such as calcite and dolomite readily dissolve, whereas silicates such as quartz, K-feldspar, and albite do not. Core porosity did not change significantly after CO2 injection. No new minerals associated with CO2 injection were observed experimentally, although some quartz and kaolinite precipitated in the numerical modelling. Mineral dissolution is the dominant reaction at the beginning of CO2 injection. Results of experiments have verified the numerical outcomes, with experimentally derived kinetic parameters making the numerical modelling more reliable. The combination of experimental simulations and numerical modelling provides new insights into CO2 dissolution mechanisms in high-pressure/temperature reservoirs and improves understanding of geochemical reactions in CO2-brine-rock systems, with particular relevance to CO2 entry of the reservoir.
Fast Emotion Recognition Based on Single Pulse PPG Signal with Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Lee Min Seop , Lee Yun Kyu , Pae Dong Sung , Lim Myo Taeg , Kim Dong Won , Kang Tae Koo
Published: August 2019

Physiological signals contain considerable information regarding emotions. This paper investigated the ability of photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals to recognize emotion, adopting a two-dimensional emotion model based on valence and arousal to represent human feelings. The main purpose was to recognize short term emotion using a single PPG signal pulse. We used a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D CNN) to extract PPG signal features to classify the valence and arousal. We split the PPG signal into a single 1.1 s pulse and normalized it for input to the neural network based on the personal maximum and minimum values. We chose the dataset for emotion analysis using physiological (DEAP) signals for the experiment and tested the 1D CNN as a binary classification (high or low valence and arousal), achieving the short-term emotion recognition of 1.1 s with 75.3% and 76.2% valence and arousal accuracies, respectively, on the DEAP data.
Numerical Investigations of Micro-Scale Diffusion Combustion: A Brief Review
Authors: Resende P. R. , Ayoobi Mohsen , Afonso Alexandre M.
Published: August 2019

With the increasing global concerns about the impacts of byproducts from the combustion of fossil fuels, researchers have made significant progress in seeking alternative fuels that have cleaner combustion characteristics. Such fuels are most suitable for addressing the increasing demands on combustion-based micro power generation systems due to their prominently higher energy density as compared to other energy resources such as batteries. This cultivates a great opportunity to develop portable power devices, which can be utilized in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), micro satellite thrusters or micro chemical reactors and sensors. However, combustion at small scales—whether premixed or non-premixed (diffusion)—has its own challenges as the interplay of various physical phenomena needs to be understood comprehensively. This paper reviews the scientific progress that researchers have made over the past couple of decades for the numerical investigations of diffusion flames at micro scales. Specifically, the objective of this review is to provide insights on different numerical approaches in analyzing diffusion combustion at micro scales, where the importance of operating conditions, critical parameters and the conjugate heat transfer/heat re-circulation have been extensively analyzed. Comparing simulation results with experimental data, numerical approaches have been shown to perform differently in different conditions and careful consideration should be given to the selection of the numerical models depending on the specifics of the cases that are being modeled. Varying different parameters such as fuel type and mixture, inlet velocity, wall conductivity, and so forth, researchers have shown that at micro scales, diffusion combustion characteristics and flame dynamics are critically sensitive to the operating conditions, that is, it is possible to alter the flammability limits, control the flame stability/instability or change other flame characteristics such as flame shape and height, flame temperature, and so forth.
Ultrathin and Electrically Tunable Metamaterial with Nearly Perfect Absorption in Mid-Infrared
Authors: Zou Yuexin , Cao Jun , Gong Xue , Qian Ruijie , An Zhenghua
Published: August 2019

Metamaterials integrated with graphene exhibit tremendous freedom in tailoring their optical properties, particularly in the infrared region, and are desired for a wide range of applications, such as thermal imaging, cloaking, and biosensing. In this article, we numerically and experimentally demonstrate an ultrathin (total thickness < λ 0 / 15 ) and electrically tunable mid-infrared perfect absorber based on metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structured metamaterials. The Q-values of the absorber can be tuned through two rather independent parameters, with geometrical structures of metamaterials tuning radiation loss (Qr) of the system and the material loss (tanδ) to further change mainly the intrinsic loss (Qa). This concise mapping of the structural and material properties to resonant mode loss channels enables a two-stage optimization for real applications: geometrical design before fabrication and then electrical tuning as a post-fabrication and fine adjustment knob. As an example, our device demonstrates an electrical and on-site tuning of ~5 dB change in absorption near the perfect absorption region. Our work provides a general guideline for designing and realizing tunable infrared devices and may expand the applications of perfect absorbers for mid-infrared sensors, absorbers, and detectors in extreme spatial-limited circumstances.
Cooperative Threads with Effective-Address in Simulated Annealing Algorithm to Job Shop Scheduling Problems
Authors: Cruz-Chávez Marco Antonio , Peralta-Abarca Jesús del C. , Cruz-Rosales Martín H.
Published: August 2019

This paper presents a parallel algorithm applied to the job shop scheduling problem (JSSP). The algorithm generates a set of threads, which work in parallel. Each generated thread, executes a procedure of simulated annealing which obtains one solution for the problem. Each solution is directed towards the best solution found by the system at the present, through a procedure called effective-address. The cooperative algorithm evaluates the makespan for various benchmarks of different sizes, small, medium, and large. A statistical analysis of the results of the algorithm is presented and a comparison of performance with other (sequential, parallel, and distributed processing) algorithms that are found in the literature is presented. The obtained results show that the cooperation of threads carried out by means of effective-address procedure permits to simulated annealing to work with increased efficacy and efficiency for problems of JSSP.
Automatic Zebrafish Egg Phenotype Recognition from Bright-Field Microscopic Images Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Shang Shang , Long Ling , Lin Sijie , Cong Fengyu
Published: August 2019

Zebrafish eggs are widely used in biological experiments to study the environmental and genetic influence on embryo development. Due to the high throughput of microscopic imaging, automated analysis of zebrafish egg microscopic images is highly demanded. However, machine learning algorithms for zebrafish egg image analysis suffer from the problems of small imbalanced training dataset and subtle inter-class differences. In this study, we developed an automated zebrafish egg microscopic image analysis algorithm based on deep convolutional neural network (CNN). To tackle the problem of insufficient training data, the strategies of transfer learning and data augmentation were used. We also adopted the global averaged pooling technique to overcome the subtle phenotype differences between the fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Experimental results of a five-fold cross-validation test showed that the proposed method yielded a mean classification accuracy of 95.0% and a maximum accuracy of 98.8%. The network also demonstrated higher classification accuracy and better convergence performance than conventional CNN methods. This study extends the deep learning technique to zebrafish egg phenotype classification and paves the way for automatic bright-field microscopic image analysis.
Research on Lifespan Prediction of Composite Insulators in a High Altitude Area Experimental Station
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhang Zhijin , Jiang Xingliang , Liang Tian , Zhang Dongdong
Published: August 2019

In this paper, composite insulators of the same batch from Factory A, aged for 1–12 years in a high altitude area experimental station of Hunan province, were sampled. In order to investigate the changing law of lifespan prediction parameters with aging time, widely accepted testing methods, such as the static contact angle (CA) and hardness, were employed for composite insulators in accordance with previous research. Based on test results, lifespan prediction parameters were concluded and some parameters significantly correlated with aging time were filtered by means of correlation calculation. On this basis, a prediction method which can be used to determine the aging time of composite insulators was proposed based on a back propagation (BP) neural network. Test results indicate that parameters, including the static contact angle (θav), the relative content of Si (XSi) and O (XO) elements, and salt-fog flashover voltage (Uf), have significant correlation with aging time, and that these parameters can be used to evaluate the aging degree of composite insulators. In addition, due to the high accuracy in experimental verification, the method proposed in this paper can be used to predict the aging time of composite insulators from Factory A in high altitude areas in future research.
iHealthcare: Predictive Model Analysis Concerning Big Data Applications for Interactive Healthcare Systems †
Authors: Bhuiyan Md. Ataur Rahman , Ullah Md. Rifat , Das Amit Kumar
Published: August 2019

Recently, the healthcare industry has caught the attention of researchers due to a need to develop a smart and interactive system for effective and efficient treatment facilities. The healthcare system consists of massive biological data (unstructured or semi-structured) which needs to be analyzed and processed for early disease detection. In this paper, we have designed a piece of healthcare technology which can deal with a patient’s past and present medical data including symptoms of a disease, emotional data, and genetic data. We have designed a probabilistic data acquisition scheme to analyze the medical data. This model contains a data warehouse with a two-way interaction between high-performance computing and cloud synchronization. Finally, we present a prediction scheme that is performed in the cloud server to predict disease in a patient. To complete this task, we used Random Forest, Support Vector Machine (SVM), C5.0, Naive Bayes, and Artificial Neural Networks for prediction analysis, and made a comparison between these algorithms.
Design of All-Solid Dual-Concentric-Core Microstructure Fiber for Ultra-Broadband Dispersion Compensation
Authors: Wang Chao , Zhang Yajing , Wu Zheng , Zhang Guoxu , Zhang Yiyang , Jiang Linghong
Published: August 2019

In this paper, the all-solid dual-concentric-core microstructure fiber (MSF) with ultra-broadband dispersion compensation characteristics is designed. The effects of microstructure fiber structure parameters on dispersion, phase-matching wavelength, and kappa value are analyzed by the multi-pole method and mode coupling theory. The average dispersion compensation multiple is 18.45, that is, 1 km long dispersion compensated MSF can compensate for the cumulative dispersion of standard single-mode fiber of 18.45 km in the wavelength range of 1385~1575 nm by optimizing MSF parameters. The change range of residual dispersion is within ±0.72 ps/(nm·km), and the splicing loss with standard single-mode fiber is controlled below 5 dB within the compensation bandwidth of 190 nm. Compared with the air hole-quartz structure dual-concentric-core microstructure fiber, the designed fiber reduces the difficulty of fiber drawing, is easy to splice with standard single-mode fiber, and has wider compensation bandwidth as well as larger compensation multiple than the existing microstructure fiber. This lays a solid foundation for the optimization of dense wavelength division multiplexing networks and the construction of all-optical networks.
Mechanical Properties of Concrete with Bamboo Chips
Authors: Park Sung-Sik , Hou Yao-long , Lee Jun-Cheol , Jeong Sueng-Won
Published: August 2019

Mechanical properties of concrete with bamboo chips as a potential source of aggregates have been investigated in this study.The measurement of this investigation includes slump loss, compressive strength, strain at peak compressive stress, modulus of elasticity, compressive toughness ratio, and splitting tensile strength. A 0.5-cm-thick bamboo chip was cut to a 1 cm (width) × 1 cm (height) piece and then dried, wetted, and coated to minimize water absorption.The coarse aggregates in the concrete specimen were replaced with 10%, 20%, and 30% (by volume) of each bamboo chip. The testing results showed that the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of concrete with bamboo chips decrease with increasing bamboo chip content (BCC). It is considered that the decrease of strengths is due to the weak bond between the mortar and the bamboo chip.