bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anhedonia to Gentle Touch in Fibromyalgia: Normal Sensory Processing but Abnormal Evaluation
Authors: Boehme Rebecca , van Ettinger-Veenstra Helene , Olausson Håkan , Gerdle Björn , Nagi Saad S.
Published: May 2020

Social touch is important for interpersonal interaction. Gentle touch and slow brushing are typically perceived as pleasant, the degree of pleasantness is linked to the activity of the C-tactile (CT) fibers, a class of unmyelinated nerves in the skin. The inability to experience pleasure in general is called anhedonia, a common phenomenon in the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia. Here, we studied the perception and cortical processing of gentle touch in a well-characterized cohort of fibromyalgia. Patients and controls participated in functional brain imaging while receiving tactile stimuli (brushing) on the forearm. They were asked to provide ratings of pleasantness of the tactile stimulus and ongoing pain. We found high distress, pain catastrophizing, and insomnia, and a low perceived state of health in fibromyalgia. Further, patients rated both slow (CT-optimal) and fast (CT-suboptimal) brushing as less pleasant than healthy participants. While there was no difference in brain activity during touch, patients showed deactivation in the right posterior insula (contralateral to the stimulated arm) during pleasantness rating and activation during pain rating. The opposite pattern was observed in healthy participants. Voxel-based morphometry analysis revealed reduced grey matter density in patients, in the bilateral hippocampus and anterior insula. Our results suggest anhedonia to gentle touch in fibromyalgia with intact early-stage sensory processing but dysfunctional evaluative processing. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying anhedonia in fibromyalgia.
Simulation-Based Management of Construction Companies under the Circular Economy Concept—Case Study
Authors: Núñez-Cacho Utrilla Pedro , Górecki Jarosław , Maqueira Juan Manuel
Published: May 2020

Society and the business world are paying more and more attention to the Circular Economy (CE) principles. The construction industry is no stranger to this issue, and the companies are transitioning towards sustainable production models. However, it is not easy to predict when and to what extent a company implements the CE. To measure this process, a scorecard, that includes the main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the construction industry, related to the CE, was designed. Thus, the objective of this article is to design and test the CE-dashboard applicable to the construction industry. To do it, firstly, a literature review is performed. The next step is the selection of the KPIs collected in the literature, more suitable for reporting information about CE. Afterwards, a simulation based on the Monte Carlo technique performs. After multiple iterations, this method establishes the most probable KPI values as a result, which will be confronted with the limits used in the scorecard. With all this information, the dashboard emerges in Qlik software. Finally, a test of this dashboard takes place according to the information about KPIs from one of the leading Spanish companies (General Contractor (GC) building company). This step brings the validity of the created measurement instrument.
Tumorigenic and Metastatic Role of CD44−/low/CD24−/low Cells in Luminal Breast Cancer
Authors: Vikram Rajeev , Chou Wen Cheng , Hung Shih-Chieh , Shen Chen-Yang
Published: May 2020

Cells with high CD44 but low CD24 expression (CD44high/CD24−/low) and high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDHbr) are widely considered to be drivers of metastasis, therapy resistance and tumor recurrence in breast cancer. However, the role of the CD44high/CD24−/low and ALDHbr phenotypes in identifying tumorigenic cells in breast cancer remains controversial due to the discrepancy in their distribution and tumorigenic potential in intrinsic breast cancer subtypes. In this study, we analyzed the cells expressing these markers in six different breast cancer cell lines representing major breast cancer subtypes (T47D, MCF-7, BT-474, AU-565, Hs578T and MDA-MB-231). CD44high/CD24−/low, ALDHbr and CD44−/low/CD24−/low cell populations were isolated by flow cytometry and analyzed for hallmark stem cell characteristics of differentiation, migration, invasiveness and metastasis using in vitro and in vivo techniques. Our results demonstrate that the CD44−/low/CD24−/low cell population, which is enriched in luminal cell lines (T47D, MCF-7 and BT-474), possesses metastatic and tumorigenic properties. We also show that, contrary to previous claims, the expression of the ALDH1 isoform ALDH1A1 does not affect the tumorigenic potential of cell lines with high ALDH activity (BT-474 and AU-565). Further transcriptomic and clinical studies are needed to determine the potential of these markers as early diagnostic tools and treatment targets.
F-Box Proteins and Cancer
Authors: Yumimoto Kanae , Yamauchi Yuhei , Nakayama Keiichi I.
Published: May 2020

Controlled protein degradation is essential for the operation of a variety of cellular processes including cell division, growth, and differentiation. Identification of the relations between ubiquitin ligases and their substrates is key to understanding the molecular basis of cancer development and to the discovery of novel targets for cancer therapeutics. F-box proteins function as the substrate recognition subunits of S-phase kinase-associated protein 1 (SKP1)−Cullin1 (CUL1)−F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complexes. Here, we summarize the roles of specific F-box proteins that have been shown to function as tumor promoters or suppressors. We also highlight proto-oncoproteins that are targeted for ubiquitylation by multiple F-box proteins, and discuss how these F-box proteins are deployed to regulate their cognate substrates in various situations.
Deactivation of a Vanadium-Based SCR Catalyst Used in a Biogas-Powered Euro VI Heavy-Duty Engine Installation
Authors: Englund Johanna , Dahlin Sandra , Schaefer Andreas , Xie Kunpeng , Andersson Lennart , Shwan Soran , Carlsson Per-Anders , Pettersson Lars J. , Skoglundh Magnus
Published: May 2020

We have investigated how the exhaust gases from a heavy-duty Euro VI engine, powered with biogas impact a vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst in terms of performance. A full Euro VI emission control system was used and the accumulation of catalyst poisons from the combustion was investigated for the up-stream particulate filter as well as the SCR catalyst. The NOx reduction performance in terms of standard, fast and NO2-rich SCR was evaluated before and after exposure to exhaust from a biogas-powered engine for 900 h. The SCR catalyst retains a significant part of its activity towards NOx reduction after exposure to biogas exhaust, likely due to capture of catalyst poisons on the up-stream components where the deactivation of the oxidation catalyst is especially profound. At lower temperatures some deactivation of the first part of the SCR catalyst was observed which could be explained by a considerably higher surface V4+/V5+ ratio for this sample compared to the other samples. The higher value indicates that the reoxidation of V4+ to V5+ is partially hindered, blocking the redox cycle for parts of the active sites.
The Impact of Reduction Temperature and Nanoparticles Size on the Catalytic Activity of Cobalt-Containing BEA Zeolite in Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis
Authors: Chalupka Karolina A. , Grams Jacek , Mierczynski Pawel , Szynkowska Malgorzata I. , Rynkowski Jacek , Onfroy Thomas , Casale Sandra , Dzwigaj Stanislaw
Published: May 2020

A goal of this work was to investigate the influence of the preparation procedure and activation conditions (reduction temperature and reducing medium: pure hydrogen (100% H2) or hydrogen-argon mixture (5% H2-95% Ar)) on the activity of Co-containing BEA zeolites in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. Therefore, a series of CoBEA zeolites were obtained by a conventional wet impregnation (Co5.0AlBEA) and a two-step postsynthesis preparation procedure involving dealumination and impregnation steps (Co5.0SiBEA). Both types of zeolites were calcined in air at 500 °C for 3 h and then reduced at 500, 800 and 900 °C for 1 h in 100 % H2 and in 5% H2–95% Ar mixture flow. The obtained Red-C-Co5.0AlBEA and Red-C-Co5.0SiBEA catalysts with various physicochemical properties were tested in Fischer–Tropsch reaction. Among the studied catalysts, Red-C-Co5.0SiBEA reduced at 500 °C in pure hydrogen was the most active, presenting selectivity to liquid products of 91% containing mainly C7–C16 n-alkanes and isoalkanes as well as small amount of olefins, with CO conversion of about 11%. The Red-C-Co5.0AlBEA catalysts were not active in the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. It showed that removal of aluminum from the BEA zeolite in the first step of postsynthesis preparation procedure played a key role in the preparation of efficient catalysts for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. An increase of the reduction temperature from 500 to 800 and 900 °C resulted in two times lower CO conversion and a drop of the selectivity towards liquid products (up to 62%–88%). The identified main liquid products were n-alkanes and isoalkanes. The higher activity of Red-C-Co5.0SiBEA catalysts can be assigned to good dispersion of cobalt nanoparticles and thus a smaller cobalt nanoparticles size than in the case of Red-C-Co5.0AlBEA catalyst.
CTRP9 Mediates Protective Effects in Cardiomyocytes via AMPK- and Adiponectin Receptor-Mediated Induction of Anti-Oxidant Response
Authors: Niemann Bernd , Li Ling , Siegler Dorothee , Siegler Benedikt H. , Knapp Fabienne , Hanna Jakob , Aslam Muhammad , Kracht Michael , Schulz Rainer , Rohrbach Susanne
Published: May 2020

The C1q/tumor necrosis factor-alpha-related protein 9 (CTRP9) has been reported to exert cardioprotective effects, but its role in the right ventricle (RV) remains unclear. To investigate the role of CTRP9 in RV hypertrophy and failure, we performed pulmonary artery banding in weanling rats to induce compensatory RV hypertrophy seven weeks after surgery and RV failure 22 weeks after surgery. CTRP9 expression, signal transduction and mechanisms involved in protective CTRP9 effects were analyzed in rat and human RV tissue and cardiac cells. We demonstrate that CTRP9 was induced during compensatory RV hypertrophy but almost lost at the stage of RV failure. RV but not left ventricular (LV) cardiomyocytes or RV endothelial cells demonstrated increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis activation at this stage. Exogenous CTRP9 induced AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent transcriptional activation of the anti-oxidant thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) and superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2) and reduced phenylephrine-induced ROS. Combined knockdown of adiponectin receptor-1 (AdipoR1) and AdipoR2 or knockdown of calreticulin attenuated CTRP9-mediated anti-oxidant effects. Immunoprecipitation showed an interaction of AdipoR1 with AdipoR2 and the co-receptor T-cadherin, but no direct interaction with calreticulin. Thus, CTRP9 mediates cardioprotective effects through inhibition of ROS production induced by pro-hypertrophic agents via AMPK-mediated activation of anti-oxidant enzymes.
HPV Infection Affects Human Sperm Functionality by Inhibition of Aquaporin-8
Authors: Pellavio Giorgia , Todaro Federica , Alberizzi Paola , Scotti Claudia , Gastaldi Giulia , Lolicato Marco , Omes Claudia , Caliogna Laura , Nappi Rossella E. , Laforenza Umberto
Published: May 2020

Human sperm cells express different aquaporins (AQPs), AQP3, 7, 8, 11, which are localized both in the plasma membrane and in intracellular structures. Besides cell volume regulation and end stage of cytoplasm removal during sperm maturation, the role of AQPs extends also to reactive oxygen species (ROS) elimination. Moreover, oxidative stress has been shown to inhibit AQP-mediated H2O2 permeability. A decrease in AQPs functionality is related to a decrease in sperm cells number and motility. Here we investigate the possible effect of human Papillomavirus (HPV) on both expression and function of AQPs in human sperm cells of patients undergoing infertility couple evaluation. Stopped-flow light-scattering experiments demonstrated that HPV infection heavily reduced water permeability of sperm cells in normospermic samples. Confocal immunofluorescence experiments showed a colocalization of HPV L1 protein with AQP8 (Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.61), confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. No interaction of HPV with AQP3 and AQP7 was observed. A 3D model simulation of L1 protein and AQP8 interaction was also performed. Present findings may suggest that HPV infection directly inhibits AQP8 functionality and probably makes sperm cells more sensitive to oxidative stress.
Platelet Interactions with Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells and Hepatic Stellate Cells Lead to Hepatocyte Proliferation
Authors: Meyer Jeremy , Balaphas Alexandre , Fontana Pierre , Morel Philippe , Robson Simon C. , Sadoul Karin , Gonelle-Gispert Carmen , Bühler Léo
Published: May 2020

(1) Background: Platelets were postulated to constitute the trigger of liver regeneration. The aim of this study was to dissect the cellular interactions between the various liver cells involved in liver regeneration and to clarify the role of platelets. (2) Methods: Primary mouse liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) were co-incubated with increasing numbers of resting platelets, activated platelets, or platelet releasates. Alterations in the secretion of growth factors were measured. The active fractions of platelet releasates were characterized and their effects on hepatocyte proliferation assessed. Finally, conditioned media of LSECs exposed to platelets were added to primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Secretion of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and hepatocyte proliferation were measured. After partial hepatectomy in mice, platelet and liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC) interactions were analyzed in vivo by confocal microscopy, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and HGF levels were determined. (3) Results: Co-incubation of increasing numbers of platelets with LSECs resulted in enhanced IL-6 secretion by LSECs. The effect was mediated by the platelet releasate, notably a thermolabile soluble factor with a molecular weight over 100 kDa. The conditioned medium of LSECs exposed to platelets did not increase proliferation of primary hepatocytes when compared to LSECs alone but stimulated hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) secretion by HSCs, which led to hepatocyte proliferation. Following partial hepatectomy, in vivo adhesion of platelets to LSECs was significantly increased when compared to sham-operated mice. Clopidogrel inhibited HGF secretion after partial hepatectomy. (4) Conclusion: Our findings indicate that platelets interact with LSECs after partial hepatectomy and activate them to release a large molecule of protein nature, which constitutes the initial trigger for liver regeneration.
Hepatic NAPE-PLD Is a Key Regulator of Liver Lipid Metabolism
Authors: Lefort Charlotte , Roumain Martin , Van Hul Matthias , Rastelli Marialetizia , Manco Rita , Leclercq Isabelle , Delzenne Nathalie M. , Marzo Vincenzo Di , Flamand Nicolas , Luquet Serge , Silvestri Cristoforo , Muccioli Giulio G. , Cani Patrice D.
Published: May 2020

Diverse metabolic disorders have been associated with an alteration of N-acylethanolamine (NAE) levels. These bioactive lipids are synthesized mainly by N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine-selective phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) and influence host metabolism. We have previously discovered that NAPE-PLD in the intestine and adipose tissue is connected to the pathophysiology of obesity. However, the physiological function of NAPE-PLD in the liver remains to be deciphered. To study the role of liver NAPE-PLD on metabolism, we generated a new mouse model of inducible Napepld hepatocyte-specific deletion (Napepld∆Hep mice). In this study, we report that Napepld∆Hep mice develop a high-fat diet-like phenotype, characterized by an increased fat mass gain, hepatic steatosis and we show that Napepld∆Hep mice are more sensitive to liver inflammation. We also demonstrate that the role of liver NAPE-PLD goes beyond the mere synthesis of NAEs, since the deletion of NAPE-PLD is associated with a marked modification of various bioactive lipids involved in host homeostasis such as oxysterols and bile acids. Collectively these data suggest that NAPE-PLD in hepatocytes is a key regulator of liver bioactive lipid synthesis and a dysregulation of this enzyme leads to metabolic complications. Therefore, deepening our understanding of the regulation of NAPE-PLD could be crucial to tackle obesity and related comorbidities.
Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Obtained by a Green Route and Their Evaluation in the Bacterium of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Martínez Espinosa Juan Carlos , Carrera Cerritos Raúl , Ramírez Morales Maria Antonieta , Sánchez Guerrero Karla Paola , Silva Contreras Rocio Alejandra , Macías Juan H.
Published: May 2020

Metal nanoparticles are widely used in different areas such as biotechnology and biomedicine, for example in drug delivery, imaging and control of bacterial growth. The antimicrobial effect of silver has been identified as an alternative approach to the increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by the green route using the Geranium extract as a reducing agent. The characterization was carried out by the techniques of UV-Vis spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray emitted photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction. Nanoparticle diameters between 15 and 50 nm were obtained and the interplanar spaces calculated from the electron diffraction pattern corresponding to a mixture of silver with 4H and FCC structures. To determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (ATCC-27853), different concentrations of colloidal solution 0.36, 0.18, 0.09 and 0.05 μg/mL were evaluated as a function of the incubation time, measuring the inhibition halo and colony forming unit (CFU) during 0, 2 and 4 h of incubation. The minimum inhibitory AgNPs concentration (MIC) is 0.36 μg/mL at 0 h while the concentration of 0.18 μg/mL presents a total inhibition of the bacterium after 2 h. For the rest of the dilutions, gradual inhibitions as a function of time were observed. We evaluate the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles obtained by a green methodology in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Finally, the colloidal nanoparticle solution can be an antibacterial alternative for different biomedical approaches.
Effect of Cholesterol and Ibuprofen on DMPC-β-Aescin Bicelles: A Temperature-Dependent Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering Study
Authors: Geisler Ramsia , Prévost Sylvain , Dattani Rajeev , Hellweg Thomas
Published: May 2020

β -aescin is a versatile biosurfactant extracted from the seeds of the horse chestnut tree Aesculus hippocastanum with anti-cancer potential and is commonly used in the food and pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In this article, wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) is used in order to study the modifications of the structural parameters at the molecular scale of lipid bilayers in the form of bicelles composed of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and the triterpenoid saponin β -aescin. In particular, the impact on the cooperative phase transition and the structural parameters of the DMPC bilayers at different compositions and temperatures is of special interest. Moreover, we show how cholesterol and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen modulate the structural parameters of the β -aescin-DMPC assemblies on a molecular scale. Ibuprofen and cholesterol interact with different parts of the bilayer, namely the head-region in the former and the tail-region in the latter case allowing for specific molecular packing and phase formation in the binary and ternary mixtures.
Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of Tribological Properties of AA6063 Aluminum Alloy Reinforced with Fly Ash by Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Mohammed Razzaq Alaa , Majid Dayang Laila , Ishak Mohamad Ridzwan , Muwafaq Basheer Uday
Published: May 2020

Lightweight, high-strength metal matrix composites have attracted considerable interest because of their attractive physical, mechanical and tribological properties. Moreover, they may offer distinct advantages due to good strength and wear resistance. In this research, AA6063 was reinforced with FA particles using compocasting methods. The effects of fly ash content, load, sliding speed and performance tribology of AA6063 –FA composite were evaluated. Dry sliding wear tests were carried out according to experimental design using the pin-on-disc method with three different loads (24.5, 49 and 73.5 N) and three speeds (150, 200 and 250 rpm) at room temperature. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the influence of the process parameters on the tribological behavior of the composites. The surface plot showed that the wear rate increased with increasing load, time and sliding velocity. In contrast, the friction coefficient decreased with increasing these parameters. Optimal models for wear rate and friction coefficient showed appropriate results that can be estimated, hence reducing wear testing time and cost.
Quarter of a Century after: A Glimpse at the Conformation and Mechanism of Candida antarctica Lipase B
Authors: Błaszczyk Jarosław , Kiełbasiński Piotr
Published: May 2020

Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CAL-B) belongs to the family of α/β-hydrolases, and is one from the most extensively used biocatalysts in the kinetic resolution of amines and alcohols in a racemic state, in the desymmetrization of diacetates or diols, and in the stereoselective synthesis of chiral intermediate compounds for obtaining the various pharmaceuticals and agents which protect plants. There are also many cases of promiscuous reactions catalyzed by CAL-B. The number of very important results appeared recently in the literature in the years 2015–2019, regarding the crystal structure and conformation of CAL-B molecule. Before 2015, there was a long period of a complete lack of information concerning this enzyme’s structure. The earlier reports about CAL-B structure were dated between 1994–1995, and did not provide enough conclusions about the mechanism of the enzyme. The recently solved structures give a hint of the enzyme mechanism in three dimensions.
New Intranuclear Symbiotic Bacteria from Macronucleus of Paramecium putrinum—“Candidatus Gortzia Yakutica”
Authors: Beliavskaia Alexandra Y. , Predeus Alexander V. , Garushyants Sofya K. , Logacheva Maria D. , Gong Jun , Zou Songbao , Gelfand Mikhail S. , Rautian Maria S.
Published: May 2020

Holospora-like bacteria (HLB) are obligate intracellular Alphaproteobacteria, inhabiting nuclei of Paramecium and other ciliates such as “Candidatus Hafkinia” is in Frontonia. The HLB clade is comprised of four genera, Holospora, Preeria, “Candidatus Gortzia”, and “Candidatus Hafkinia”. These bacteria have a peculiar life cycle with two morphological forms and some degree of specificity to the host species and the type of nucleus they inhabit. Here we describe a novel species of HLB—“Candidatus Gortzia yakutica” sp. nov.—a symbiont from the macronucleus of Paramecium putrinum, the first described HLB for this Paramecium species. The new endosymbiont shows morphological similarities with other HLB. The phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA gene places it into the “Candidatus Gortzia” clade.
Two-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography versus Transient Elastography: A Non-Invasive Comparison for the Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Villani Rosanna , Cavallone Francesco , Romano Antonino Davide , Bellanti Francesco , Serviddio Gaetano
Published: May 2020

In recent years, several non-invasive methods have been developed for staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. A 2D-Shear wave elastography (SWE) technique has been recently introduced on the EPIQ 7 US system (ElastQ), but its accuracy has not been validated in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We enrolled 178 HCV patients to assess their liver fibrosis stage with ElastQ software using transient elastography as a reference standard. The best cut-off values to diagnose ≥ F2, ≥ F3, and F4 were 8.15, 10.31, and 12.65 KPa, respectively. Liver stiffness values had a positive correlation with transient elastography (r = 0.57; p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) was 0.899 for ≥ F2 (moderate fibrosis), 0.900 for ≥ F3 (severe fibrosis), and 0.899 for cirrhosis. 2D-SWE has excellent accuracy in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and an excellent correlation with transient elastography.
Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis—A Misleading Challenge in the Emergency Department
Authors: Bilha Stefana , Mitu Ovidiu , Teodoriu Laura , Haba Cristian , Preda Cristina
Published: May 2020

Despite its’ life-threatening potential due to cardiac severe dysrhythmia in the context of severe hypokalemia, thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) often goes unrecognized. Although classically confined to young Asian men, it can occur irrespective of age, sex, and race. We report a short series of three cases of TPP as first presentation of Graves’ disease in a young Caucasian male and in two Caucasian elderly and middle-aged women, respectively. The first patient developed malignant ventricular arrhythmias due to severe hypokalemia and was defibrillated, with recovery after prompt potassium correction and administration of antithyroid agents and propranolol. The other two cases developed persistent hypokalemia despite adequate potassium chloride (KCl) repletion, with slow recovery of motor deficit and serum potassium normalization up to day 5. In the first case, long-term euthyroid state was achieved via total thyroidectomy due to the presence of a suspicious nodule that proved to be malignant. In the other two cases, medical treatment was the choice of therapy for thyrotoxicosis. None experienced recurrent TPP. Thyroid hormone evaluation is mandatory in the presence of hypokalemic paralysis, even in the absence of clinical signs of thyrotoxicosis. If TPP is confirmed, initial therapy should comprise antithyroid drugs and propranolol, besides hypokalemia correction.
Comparison of the Probabilistic Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm and Some Iteration Method in Application for Solving the Inverse Problem on Model With the Caputo Type Fractional Derivative
Authors: Brociek Rafał , Chmielowska Agata , Słota Damian
Published: May 2020

This paper presents the algorithms for solving the inverse problems on models with the fractional derivative. The presented algorithm is based on the Real Ant Colony Optimization algorithm. In this paper, the examples of the algorithm application for the inverse heat conduction problem on the model with the fractional derivative of the Caputo type is also presented. Based on those examples, the authors are comparing the proposed algorithm with the iteration method presented in the paper: Zhang, Z. An undetermined coefficient problem for a fractional diffusion equation. Inverse Probl. 2016, 32.
Storage of Energy in Constrained Non-Equilibrium Systems
Authors: Zhang Yirui , Giżyński Konrad , Maciołek Anna , Hołyst Robert
Published: May 2020

We study a quantity T defined as the energy U, stored in non-equilibrium steady states (NESS) over its value in equilibrium U 0 , Δ U = U − U 0 divided by the heat flow J U going out of the system. A recent study suggests that T is minimized in steady states (Phys.Rev.E.99, 042118 (2019)). We evaluate this hypothesis using an ideal gas system with three methods of energy delivery: from a uniformly distributed energy source, from an external heat flow through the surface, and from an external matter flow. By introducing internal constraints into the system, we determine T with and without constraints and find that T is the smallest for unconstrained NESS. We find that the form of the internal energy in the studied NESS follows U = U 0 ∗ f ( J U ) . In this context, we discuss natural variables for NESS, define the embedded energy (an analog of Helmholtz free energy for NESS), and provide its interpretation.
Mutual Information Based Learning Rate Decay for Stochastic Gradient Descent Training of Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Vasudevan Shrihari
Published: May 2020

This paper demonstrates a novel approach to training deep neural networks using a Mutual Information (MI)-driven, decaying Learning Rate (LR), Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) algorithm. MI between the output of the neural network and true outcomes is used to adaptively set the LR for the network, in every epoch of the training cycle. This idea is extended to layer-wise setting of LR, as MI naturally provides a layer-wise performance metric. A LR range test determining the operating LR range is also proposed. Experiments compared this approach with popular alternatives such as gradient-based adaptive LR algorithms like Adam, RMSprop, and LARS. Competitive to better accuracy outcomes obtained in competitive to better time, demonstrate the feasibility of the metric and approach.
The L3Pilot Data Management Toolchain for a Level 3 Vehicle Automation Pilot
Authors: Hiller Johannes , Koskinen Sami , Berta Riccardo , Osman Nisrine , Nagy Ben , Bellotti Francesco , Rahman Ashfaqur , Svanberg Erik , Weber Hendrik , Arnold Eduardo H. , Dianati Mehrdad , De Gloria Alessandro
Published: May 2020

As industrial research in automated driving is rapidly advancing, it is of paramount importance to analyze field data from extensive road tests. This paper investigates the design and development of a toolchain to process and manage experimental data to answer a set of research questions about the evaluation of automated driving functions at various levels, from technical system functioning to overall impact assessment. We have faced this challenge in L3Pilot, the first comprehensive test of automated driving functions (ADFs) on public roads in Europe. L3Pilot is testing ADFs in vehicles made by 13 companies. The tested functions are mainly of Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) automation level 3, some of them of level 4. In this context, the presented toolchain supports various confidentiality levels, and allows cross-vehicle owner seamless data management, with the efficient storage of data and their iterative processing with a variety of analysis and evaluation tools. Most of the toolchain modules have been developed to a prototype version in a desktop/cloud environment, exploiting state-of-the-art technology. This has allowed us to efficiently set up what could become a comprehensive edge-to-cloud reference architecture for managing data in automated vehicle tests. The project has been released as open source, the data format into which all vehicular signals, recorded in proprietary formats, were converted, in order to support efficient processing through multiple tools, scalability and data quality checking. We expect that this format should enhance research on automated driving testing, as it provides a shared framework for dealing with data from collection to analysis. We are confident that this format, and the information provided in this article, can represent a reference for the design of future architectures to implement in vehicles.
Cooperative Visual-SLAM System for UAV-Based Target Tracking in GPS-Denied Environments: A Target-Centric Approach
Authors: Trujillo Juan-Carlos , Munguia Rodrigo , Urzua Sarquis , Grau Antoni
Published: May 2020

Autonomous tracking of dynamic targets by the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is a challenging problem that has practical applications in many scenarios. In this context, a fundamental aspect that must be addressed has to do with the position estimation of aerial robots and a target to control the flight formation. For non-cooperative targets, their position must be estimated using the on-board sensors. Moreover, for estimating the position of UAVs, global position information may not always be available (GPS-denied environments). This work presents a cooperative visual-based SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) system that allows a team of aerial robots to autonomously follow a non-cooperative target moving freely in a GPS-denied environment. One of the contributions of this work is to propose and investigate the use of a target-centric SLAM configuration to solve the estimation problem that differs from the well-known World-centric and Robot-centric SLAM configurations. In this sense, the proposed approach is supported by theoretical results obtained from an extensive nonlinear observability analysis. Additionally, a control system is proposed for maintaining a stable UAV flight formation with respect to the target as well. In this case, the stability of control laws is proved using the Lyapunov theory. Employing an extensive set of computer simulations, the proposed system demonstrated potentially to outperform other related approaches.
A Reconfigurable Analog Baseband Circuitry for LFMCW RADAR Receivers in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Process
Authors: Han Jingyu , Jiang Yu , Guo Guiliang , Cheng Xu
Published: May 2020

A highly reconfigurable open-loop analog baseband circuitry with programmable gain, bandwidth and filter order are proposed for integrated linear frequency modulated continuous wave (LFMCW) radar receivers in this paper. This analog baseband chain allocates noise, gain and channel selection specifications to different stages, for the sake of noise and linearity tradeoffs, by introducing a multi-stage open-loop cascaded amplifier/filter topology. The topology includes a course gain tuning pre-amplifier, a folded Gilbert variable gain amplifier (VGA) with a symmetrical dB-linear voltage generator and a 10-bit R-2R DAC for fine gain tuning, a level shifter, a programmable Gm-C low pass filter, a DC offset cancellation circuit, two fixed gain amplifiers with bandwidth extension and a novel buffer amplifier with active peaking for testing purposes. The noise figure is reduced with the help of a low noise pre-amplifier stage, while the linearity is enhanced with a power-efficient buffer and a novel high linearity Gm-C filter. Specifically, the Gm-C filter improves its linearity specification with no increase in power consumption, thanks to an alteration of the trans-conductor/capacitor connection style, instead of pursuing high linearity but power-hungry class-AB trans-conductors. In addition, the logarithmic bandwidth tuning technique is adopted for capacitor array size minimization. The linear-in-dB and DAC gain control topology facilitates the analog baseband gain tuning accuracy and stability, which also provides an efficient access to digital baseband automatic gain control. The analog baseband chip is fabricated using 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. With a power consumption of 5.9~8.8 mW, the implemented circuit achieves a tunable gain range of −30~27 dB (DAC linear gain step guaranteed), a programmable −3 dB bandwidth of 18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25 MHz, a filter order of 3/6 and a gain resolution of better than 0.07 dB.
The Schaake Shuffle Technique to Combine Solar and Wind Power Probabilistic Forecasting
Authors: Alessandrini Stefano , McCandless Tyler
Published: May 2020

One way to mitigate the variability of wind and solar power generation is to install the corresponding plants in nearby locations. For example, in Kuwait, the facility at Shagaya Renewable Energy Park is located in a desert area with both photovoltaic panels and wind turbines that allow the continuous generation of renewable energy throughout the day. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a system to generate probabilistic wind and solar predictions for the Shagaya facility. These predictions are based on the analog ensemble technique that post-processes the wind speed and solar irradiance predictions based on a combination of multiple models including the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model. The ensemble forecasts have 20 members and are generated independently at each wind and solar power production facility. Here we present a method based on the Schaake Shuffle (SS) technique to pair the ensemble members from the independent systems to obtain a unique ensemble prediction of the aggregated wind and solar generation. After reordering through the SS technique, the corresponding paired solar and wind power members can be summed to build a unique ensemble of combined generation that is statistically consistent, as verified by the presented metrics.
Profiling Corrosion Rates for Offshore Wind Turbines with Depth in the North Sea
Authors: Khodabux Waseem , Causon Paul , Brennan Feargal
Published: May 2020

Corrosion in the marine environment is a complex and expensive form of damage. It is commonly studied by the deployment of coupons that reflect the marine corrosion a structure will experience, thus allowing design and maintenance prevention strategies to be developed accordingly. This study stems from the lack of information in the literature regarding the profiling of corrosion with respect to marine depth in the North Sea where important wind farm developments have been undertaken. To address such issue a field experiment has been designed and carried out in the vicinity of the Westermost Rough Windfarm in the North Sea. The field experiment consists of deploying steel S355 coupons below the tidal area and capturing the effects of corrosion, the mass loss from which the corrosion rate is derived and the chemical products that makes up the rust with water depth. The study involves proper planning and logistics to ensure that the field experiment survives the rough conditions of the North Sea for a duration of 111 days. A high corrosion rate of 0.83 mm/year has been observed in this experiment. This paper goes into the details of the deployment blueprint employed and the analyses of the coupons to provide a conclusive observation and modelling of corrosion with respect to water depth under free or open sea water corrosion condition.
Parametric Process Design and Economic Analysis of Post-Combustion CO2 Capture and Compression for Coal- and Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants
Authors: Adu Emmanuel , Zhang Y.D. , Liu Dehua , Tontiwachwuthikul Paitoon
Published: May 2020

For the envisaged large number of commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that are to be implemented in the near future, a number of issues still need to be resolved, the most prominent being the large capital and operational costs incurred for the CO2 capture and compression process. An economic assessment of the capture and compression system based on optimal design data is important for CCS deployment. In this paper, the parametric process design approach is used to optimally design coal and natural gas monoethanolamine (MEA)-based post-combustion CO2 absorption–desorption capture (PCC) and compression plants that can be integrated into large-scale 550 MW coal-fired and 555 MW natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, respectively, for capturing CO2 from their flue gases. The study then comparatively assesses the energy performance and economic viabilities of both plants to ascertain their operational feasibilities and relative costs. The parametric processes are presented and discussed. The results indicate that, at 90% CO2 capture efficiency, for the coal PCC plant, with 13.5 mol.% CO2 in the inlet flue gas, at an optimum liquid/gas ratio of 2.87 kg/kg and CO2 lean loading of 0.2082 mol CO2/mol MEA, the CO2 avoidance cost is about $72/tCO2, and, for the NGCC PCC plant, with 4.04 mol.% CO2 in the inlet flue gas, at an optimum liquid/gas ratio of 0.98 kg/kg and CO2 lean loading of 0.2307 mol CO2/mol MEA, the CO2 avoidance cost is about $94/tCO2.
The Use of Generalized Gaussian Distribution in Vibroacoustic Detection of Power Transformer Core Damage
Authors: Krupiński Robert , Kornatowski Eugeniusz
Published: May 2020

Vibroacoustic diagnostics (VM—Vibroacoustic Method) is one of the methods for diagnosing the active part of power transformers. Measurement technologies have been refined over the past several years, but the methods of analyzing data obtained in VM diagnostics are still in development. In most cases, they are based on a simple frequency spectrum analysis, and the diagnostic conclusions are subjective and depend on the expert’s professional experience. The article presents an objective method for the detection of transformer unit core damage, based on the analysis of the statistical properties of the vibration signal registered on the surface of the tank of an unloaded transformer in the steady state of vibrations (VM). The algorithm for proceeding further is: FFT analysis of the vibroacoustic signal, with the determination of the relative changes in vibration power as a function of frequency P r ( f ) and, finally, the determination of the statistic properties of the dataset P r ( f ) . The Generalized Gaussian Distribution (GGD) is used to describe the P r ( f ) set. The detector output values are the λ and p parameters of the GGD distribution. These two numerical values form the basis for the classification of the technical condition of the transformer unit core. The correctness of the described solution was verified on the example of ten pieces of 16 MVA power transformers with different operating times and degrees of wear.
Optimal Regulation of Pumping Station in Water Distribution Networks Using Constant and Variable Speed Pumps: A Technical and Economical Comparison
Authors: Cimorelli Luigi , Covelli Carmine , Molino Bruno , Pianese Domenico
Published: May 2020

Greenhouse gas emission is one of the main environmental issues of today, and energy savings in all industries contribute to reducing energy demand, implying, in turn, less carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In this framework, water pumping systems are one of the most energy-consuming activities. The optimal regulation of pumping systems with the use of variable speed drives is gaining the attention of designers and managing authorities. However, optimal management and operation of pumping systems is often performed, employing variable speed drives without considering if the energy savings are enough to justify their purchasing and installation costs. In this paper, the authors compare two optimal pump scheduling techniques, optimal regulation of constant speed pumps by an optimal ON/OFF sequence and optimal regulation with a variable speed pump. Much of the attention is devoted to the analysis of the costs involved in a hypothetical managing authority for the water distribution system in order to determine whether the savings in operating costs is enough to justify the employment of variable speed drives.
Research on the Fault Diagnosis of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell System
Authors: Han Feng , Tian Ying , Zou Qiang , Zhang Xin
Published: May 2020

In this work, the possibilistic fuzzy C-means clustering artificial bee colony support vector machine (PFCM-ABC-SVM) method is proposed and applied for the fault diagnosis of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system. The innovation of this method is that it can filter data with Gaussian noise and diagnose faults under dynamic conditions, and the amplitude of characteristic parameters is reduced to ±10%. Under dynamic conditions with Gaussian noise, the faults of the PEM fuel cell system are simulated and the original dataset is established. The possibilistic fuzzy C-means (PFCM) algorithm is used to filter samples with membership and typicality less than 90% and to optimize the original dataset. The artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is used to optimize the penalty factor C and kernel function parameter g. Finally, the optimized support vector machine (SVM) model is used to diagnose the faults of the PEM fuel cell system. To illustrate the results of the fault diagnosis, a nonlinear PEM fuel cell simulator model which has been presented in the literature is used. In addition, the PFCM-ABC-SVM method is compared with other methods. The result shows that the method can diagnose faults in a PEM fuel cell system effectively and the accuracy of the testing set sample is up to 98.51%. When solving small-sized, nonlinear, high-dimensional problems, the PFCM-ABC-SVM method can improve the accuracy of fault diagnosis.
Analysis of Magnetic Field and Torque Features of Improved Permanent Magnet Rotor Deflection Type Three-Degree-of-Freedom Motor
Authors: Li Zheng , Yu Xuze , Xue Zengtao , Sun Hexu
Published: May 2020

This paper proposes a novel layered permanent magnet motor (N-LPM), which is based on a three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) permanent magnet motor. Compared with the former, the improved N-LPM air gap magnetic density, torque and structure stability have been significantly improved. The proposed N-LPM has three layers of stator along the axis direction, and each layer of stator has three-phase winding. In order to calculate the magnetic field and torque distribution of the N-LPM, an analytical method (AM) is proposed. For performance verification and accurate calculation, finite-element analysis (FEA) is adopted. The two kinds of motors before and after the improvement are compared, and their magnetic field, torque and stability are analyzed. The optimization rate is defined to evaluate the performance of the motor before and after improvement. The results show that the radial flux density, rotation torque, deflection torque and the volume optimization rate of the permanent magnet of the improved motor are 80%, 25%, 50% and 54.72% respectively, and the comprehensive performance is improved significantly.
Interleaved High Step-Up DC–DC Converter with Voltage-Lift and Voltage-Stack Techniques for Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Chen Shin-Ju , Yang Sung-Pei , Huang Chao-Ming , Chen Yu-Hua
Published: May 2020

A novel interleaved high step-up DC–DC converter applied for applications in photovoltaic systems is proposed in this paper. The proposed configuration is composed of three-winding coupled inductors, voltage multiplier cells and a clamp circuit. The step-up voltage gain is effectively increased, owing to the voltage-stack and voltage-lift techniques using the voltage multiplier cells. The leakage inductor energy is recycled by the clamp circuit to avoid the voltage surge on a power switch. The low-voltage-rated power switches with low on-state resistances and costs can be used to decrease the conduction losses and increase the conversion efficiency when the voltage stresses of power switches for the converter are considerably lower than the high output voltage. The reverse-recovery problems of diodes are mitigated by the leakage inductances of the coupled inductors. Moreover, both the input current ripple and the current stress on each power switch are reduced, owing to the interleaved operation. The operating principle and steady-state analysis of the proposed converter are thoroughly presented herein. A controller network is designed to diminish the effect of the variations of input voltage and output load on the output voltage. Finally, the experimental results for a 1 kW prototype with 28–380 V voltage conversion are shown to demonstrate its effectiveness and performance.