bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mucins: the Old, the New and the Promising Factors in Hepatobiliary Carcinogenesis
Authors: Kasprzak Aldona , Adamek Agnieszka
Published: March 2019

Mucins are large O-glycoproteins with high carbohydrate content and marked diversity in both the apoprotein and the oligosaccharide moieties. All three mucin types, trans-membrane (e.g., MUC1, MUC4, MUC16), secreted (gel-forming) (e.g., MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6) and soluble (non-gel-forming) (e.g., MUC7, MUC8, MUC9, MUC20), are critical in maintaining cellular functions, particularly those of epithelial surfaces. Their aberrant expression and/or altered subcellular localization is a factor of tumour growth and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress and several anti-cancer agents. Abnormal expression of mucins was observed in human carcinomas that arise in various gastrointestinal organs. It was widely believed that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) does not produce mucins, whereas cholangiocarcinoma (CC) or combined HCC-CC may produce these glycoproteins. However, a growing number of reports shows that mucins can be produced by HCC cells that do not exhibit or are yet to undergo, morphological differentiation to biliary phenotypes. Evaluation of mucin expression levels in precursors and early lesions of CC, as well as other types of primary liver cancer (PLC), conducted in in vitro and in vivo models, allowed to discover the mechanisms of their action, as well as their participation in the most important signalling pathways of liver cystogenesis and carcinogenesis. Analysis of mucin expression in PLC has both basic research and clinical value. Mucins may act as oncogenes and tumour-promoting (e.g., MUC1, MUC13), and/or tumour-suppressing factors (e.g., MUC15). Given their role in promoting PLC progression, both classic (MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC6) and currently tested mucins (e.g., MUC13, MUC15, MUC16) have been proposed to be important diagnostic and prognostic markers. The purpose of this review was to summarize and update the role of classic and currently tested mucins in pathogenesis of PLC, with explaining the mechanisms of their action in HCC carcinogenesis. It also focuses on determination of the diagnostic and prognostic role of these glycoproteins in PLC, especially focusing on HCC, CC and other hepatic tumours with- and without biliary differentiation.
Biosynthesis and Signal Transduction of ABA, JA, and BRs in Response to Drought Stress of Kentucky Bluegrass
Authors: Chen Yajun , Chen Yang , Shi Zhenjie , Jin Yifeng , Sun Huashan , Xie Fuchun , Zhang Lu
Published: March 2019

Kentucky bluegrass (KB, Poa pratensis) is one of the most widely used cool-season turfgrass species, but it is sensitive to drought stress. Molecular studies in KB are hindered by its large and complex genome structure. In this study, a comparative transcriptomic study was conducted between a short and long period of water deficiency. Three transcriptome libraries were constructed and then sequenced by using leaf RNA samples of plants at 0, 2, and 16 h after PEG6000 treatment. A total of 199,083 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation revealed that DEGs were enriched in “Plant hormone signal transduction” and “MAPK signaling pathway-Plant”. Some key up-regulated genes, including PYL, JAZ, and BSK, were involved in hormone signaling transduction of abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and brassinosteroid and possibly these genes play important roles in coping with drought stress in KB. Furthermore, our results showed that the concentrations of ABA, JA and BR increased significantly with the extension of the drought period. The specific DEGs encoding functional proteins, kinase and transcription factors, could be valuable information for genetic manipulation to promote drought tolerance of KB in the future.
A Smart Imaging Workflow for Organ-Specific Screening in a Cystic Kidney Zebrafish Disease Model
Authors: Pandey Gunjan , Westhoff Jens H. , Schaefer Franz , Gehrig Jochen
Published: March 2019

The zebrafish is being increasingly used in biomedical research and drug discovery to conduct large-scale compound screening. However, there is a lack of accessible methodologies to enable automated imaging and scoring of tissue-specific phenotypes at enhanced resolution. Here, we present the development of an automated imaging pipeline to identify chemical modifiers of glomerular cyst formation in a zebrafish model for human cystic kidney disease. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of intraflagellar transport protein Ift172 in Tg(wt1b:EGFP) embryos was used to induce large glomerular cysts representing a robustly scorable phenotypic readout. Compound-treated embryos were consistently aligned within the cavities of agarose-filled microplates. By interfacing feature detection algorithms with automated microscopy, a smart imaging workflow for detection, centring and zooming in on regions of interests was established, which enabled the automated capturing of standardised higher resolution datasets of pronephric areas. High-content screening datasets were processed and analysed using custom-developed heuristic algorithms implemented in common open-source image analysis software. The workflow enables highly efficient profiling of entire compound libraries and scoring of kidney-specific morphological phenotypes in thousands of zebrafish embryos. The demonstrated toolset covers all the aspects of a complex whole organism screening assay and can be adapted to other organs, specimens or applications.
Biomechanical and Histological Analysis of Titanium (Machined and Treated Surface) Versus Zirconia Implant Materials: An In Vivo Animal Study
Authors: Gehrke Sergio Alexandre , Prados-Frutos Juan Carlos , Prados-Privado María , Calvo-Guirado José Luis , Aramburú Júnior Jaime , Pérez-Díaz Leticia , Mazón Patricia , Aragoneses Juan Manuel , De Aza Piedad N.
Published: March 2019

Objectives: The aim of this study was to perform an in vivo histological comparative evaluation of bone formation around titanium (machined and treated surface) and zirconia implants. For the present study were used 50 commercially pure titanium implants grade IV, being that 25 implants with a machined surface (TiM group), 25 implants with a treated surface (TiT group) and, 25 implants were manufactured in pure zirconia (Zr group). The implants (n = 20 per group) were installed in the tibia of 10 rabbits. The implants distribution was randomized (n = 3 implants per tibia). Five implants of each group were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and an optical laser profilometer for surface roughness characterization. Six weeks after the implantation, 10 implants for each group were removed in counter-torque for analysis of maximum torque value. The remaining samples were processed, included in historesin and cut to obtain non-decalcified slides for histomorphological analyses and histomorphometric measurement of the percentage of bone-implant contact (BIC%). Comparisons were made between the groups using a 5% level of significance (p < 0.05) to assess statistical differences. The results of removal torque values (mean ± standard deviation) showed for the TiM group 15.9 ± 4.18 N cm, for TiT group 27.9 ± 5.15 N cm and for Zr group 11.5 ± 2.92 N cm, with significant statistical difference between the groups (p < 0.0001). However, the BIC% presented similar values for all groups (35.4 ± 4.54 for TiM group, 37.8 ± 4.84 for TiT group and 34.0 ± 6.82 for Zr group), with no statistical differences (p = 0.2171). Within the limitations of the present study, the findings suggest that the quality of the new bone tissue formed around the titanium implants present a superior density (maturation) in comparison to the zirconia implants.
Mechanical Performance of Warm-Mixed Porous Asphalt Mixture with Steel Slag and Crumb-Rubber–SBS Modified Bitumen for Seasonal Frozen Regions
Authors: Cheng Yongchun , Chai Chao , Liang Chunyu , Chen Yu
Published: March 2019

In this paper, the performance of a warm-mixed porous asphalt mixture (PAM) with steel slag as aggregate and crumb-rubber–SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) modified bitumen as a binder was studied. Two kinds of warming additives were used, namely ethylene bis stearic acid amide (EBS) and stearic acid amide (SA). The mixtures were investigated for their permeability, Marshall stability, low-temperature crack resistance, and underwent a rutting test, water sensitivity evaluation and Cantabro particle loss test. Then, the viscoelastic and dynamic characteristics of the mixtures were also analyzed. The results showed that the addition of the warming additives allowed the decrease of the manufacturing temperature by 10 °C. Thus, the addition of warming additives significantly improves the low-temperature crack resistance and slightly reduces the water sensitivity, weakly increases the permeability, and has little effect on the resilient modulus. Since the addition of SA significantly improves the low-temperature crack resistance and rutting resistance of the PAM, SA is therefore recommended for pavement engineering in seasonal frozen regions.
Inorganic and Hybrid Perovskite Based Laser Devices: A Review
Authors: Stylianakis Minas M. , Maksudov Temur , Panagiotopoulos Apostolos , Kakavelakis George , Petridis Konstantinos
Published: March 2019

Inorganic and organic-inorganic (hybrid) perovskite semiconductor materials have attracted worldwide scientific attention and research effort as the new wonder semiconductor material in optoelectronics. Their excellent physical and electronic properties have been exploited to boost the solar cells efficiency beyond 23% and captivate their potential as competitors to the dominant silicon solar cells technology. However, the fundamental principles in Physics, dictate that an excellent direct band gap material for photovoltaic applications must be also an excellent light emitter candidate. This has been realized for the case of perovskite-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) but much less for the case of the respective laser devices. Here, the strides, exclusively in lasing, made since 2014 are presented for the first time. The solution processability, low temperature crystallization, formation of nearly defect free, nanostructures, the long range ambipolar transport, the direct energy band gap, the high spectral emission tunability over the entire visible spectrum and the almost 100% external luminescence efficiency show perovskite semiconductors’ potential to transform the nanophotonics sector. The operational principles, the various adopted material and laser configurations along the future challenges are reviewed and presented in this paper.
Rebar Corrosion Investigation in Rubber Aggregate Concrete via the Chloride Electro-Accelerated Test
Authors: Liang Jian , Zhu Han , Chen Lei , Han Xiaobin , Guo Qinglin , Gao Ying , Liu Chunsheng
Published: March 2019

Erosion effect of chloride ions from the marine, deicing salt, saline-alkali land and some industrial environments will cause the corrosion of rebar in concrete, which is one of the most harmful factors affecting the durability of concrete structure. It had been proved that the incorporation of rubber aggregates increase the capillary saturation of cement concrete and reduce the corrosion degree of rebar. This paper investigated the rebar corrosion behavior in rubber aggregate concrete under the chloride electro-accelerated corrosion condition and such an investigation has not been seen in any public literature. Two water-cement ratios (0.45 and 0.55) and four rubber contents (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg/m3) were selected for experiment. Four-point bending tests of concrete beam were conducted before and after chloride ion erosion in order to determine effect of rubber aggregate on the durability of rebar. Results showed that rebar corrosion degree decreased with the increase of rubber aggregate in concrete. Besides, the more the dosage of rubber is, the better the anti-crack performance of cement concrete. This will postpone the crack development and reduce the peak of rebar corrosion.
New versus Old Oral Anticoagulants: How Can We Set the Scale Needle? Considerations on a Case Report
Authors: Arcadi Francesca Antonia , Portaro Simona , Giorgianni Roberto , Naro Antonino , Casella Carmela , Genovese Carmelo , Marino Silvia , Calabrò Rocco Salvatore
Published: March 2019

Ischemic stroke is a complex multifactorial disorder. Anticoagulation is a growing research area, with the main goal of preventing systemic embolization and stroke. We report the case of a 41-year-old woman with antiphospholipid syndrome who was unsuccessfully treated with Dabigatran, a new oral anticoagulant, as she developed a major stroke involving the right carotid artery, due to deep venous thrombosis with pulmonary embolism. We therefore suggest a closer monitoring of the safety and efficacy of dabigatran. Moreover, in the presence of multifactorial causes of pro-coagulation, we believe that warfarin should remain the mainstay of oral anticoagulation.
Green Nanotechnology: Advancement in Phytoformulation Research
Authors: Verma Ajay , Gautam Surya P. , Bansal Kuldeep K. , Prabhakar Neeraj , Rosenholm Jessica M.
Published: March 2019

The ultimate goal of any scientific development is to increase well-being and human health. Novel strategies are required for the achievement of safe and effective therapeutic treatments beyond the conventional ones, and society needs new requirements for new technologies, moving towards clean and green technology development. Green nanotechnology is a branch of green technology that utilizes the concepts of green chemistry and green engineering. It reduces the use of energy and fuel by using less material and renewable inputs wherever possible. Green nanotechnology, in phytoformulations, significantly contributes to environmental sustainability through the production of nanomaterials and nanoproducts, without causing harm to human health or the environment. The rationale behind the utilization of plants in nanoparticle formulations is that they are easily available and possess a broad variability of metabolites, such as vitamins, antioxidants, and nucleotides. For instance, gold (Au) nanoparticles have attracted substantial attention for their controllable size, shape, and surface properties. A variety of copper (Cu) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles have also been synthesized from plant extracts. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles are also important metal oxide nanomaterials that have been synthesized from a number of plant extracts. International and domestic laws, government and private-party programs, regulations and policies are being carefully reviewed and revised to increase their utility and nurture these nanoscale materials for commercialization. Inspiring debates and government initiatives are required to promote the sustainable use of nanoscale products. In this review, we will discuss the potential of the utilization of plant extracts in the advancement of nanotechnology.
Ultra-Low-Level Laser Therapy and Acupuncture Libralux: What Is so Special?
Authors: Evangelista Luca , De Meo Bruno , Bernabei Gianluca , Belloni Gabriele , D’Angelo Giovanni , Vanzini Marzio , Calzà Laura , Gallamini Michele
Published: March 2019

Background: Contrary to the most credited theories on laser therapy that see power/energy as the major factors to its effectiveness, a technique using an extremely low power/energy laser stimulation to treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction is proposed. The stimulus consists of a 20 s train of modulated pulses with an average power below 0.02 mW and is applied on sequences of acupuncture points selected according to the impaired segment of the patient’s body. Methods: Modifications on the extracellular soft tissue matrix and on the “fascia” were sonographically demonstrated. Laboratory and clinical tests confirmed the effectiveness. Results: Responses similar to those experienced in acupuncture were observed. The device—a CE Class IIa certified medical device named Libralux—affords a clinically proven effectiveness exceeding 80% in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and associated motor dysfunctions. An average of just three application sessions was generally sufficient to overcome the dysfunction. Conclusions: The development of the method is supported by over 20 years of R&D activities, with a range of experiments discussed in several papers published in indexed peer-reviewed journals. A few considerations regarding the possible physiological action mechanisms involved are proposed in this paper.
Interlaboratory Measurements of Contiguity in WC-Co Hardmetals
Authors: Mingard Ken P. , Roebuck Bryan
Published: March 2019

The contiguity of a hardmetal is a measure of the proportion of the carbide grain boundaries that are in direct contact with other carbide grain boundaries. Recent analysis of data available in the literature shows a large scatter in results and a significant difference in values measured from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping. An interlaboratory exercise has been carried out with the measurement of a range of WC-Co hardmetal grades. For each grade, SEM images were acquired from both an etched surface and an ion beam polished surface and EBSD maps with two different processing routes. These maps and images were provided to the participants for measurement to eliminate variability from sample preparation and image acquisition. It was shown that measurement of contiguity from EBSD maps is likely to lead to an overestimation of contiguity, largely because EBSD maps do not have the resolution of SEM images to identify small binder phase regions between WC grains. Ion beam polishing combined with backscattered electron imaging was found to provide the best images of the microstructure to underpin a confident measurement of contiguity. However, high resolution SEM images of etched surfaces gave values close to those from ion beam polished samples so it is recommended that, as etching is much more widely available, high-resolution imaging of a lightly etched WC surface should be promoted as the preferred method for measurement of contiguity, in combination with backscattered imaging where possible. Even with good images, variation between operators can give uncertainties of approximately ±10%.
Lithospheric Architecture and Metallogenesis in Liaodong Peninsula, North China Craton: Insights from Zircon Hf-Nd Isotope Mapping
Authors: Zhang Zhichao , Wang Yuwang , Li Dedong , Lai Chunkit
Published: March 2019

The Liaodong Peninsula is an important mineral province in northern China. Elucidating its lithospheric architecture and structural evolution is important for gold metallogenic research and exploration in the region. In this study, Hf-Nd isotope maps from magmatic rocks are constructed and compared to geological maps to correlate isotopic signatures with geological features. It is found that gold deposits of different age periods in Liaodong are located in areas with specific εHf(t) and εNd ranges (Triassic: from −8 to −4 and from −12 to −8, Jurassic: from −22 to −8 and from −14 to −8, Cretaceous: from −12 to −10 and from −22 to −20), respectively. This may reflect that when the Paleo-Pacific plate was subducted beneath the North China Craton, the magma was derived from the juvenile lower crust and the ancient lower crust, and formed the low-to-moderate hydrothermal Au-(Ag) and Pb-Zn deposits in the Triassic. In the Jurassic, continued subduction may have led to lithospheric thickening. Subsequently, the magma from the ancient lower crust upwelled and formed low-to-moderate hydrothermal Au deposits and porphyry Mo deposits. In the Cretaceous, crustal delamination may have taken place. The magma from the ancient lower crust upwelled and formed various low-to-moderate hydrothermal Au deposits.
Thermally Self-Healing Graphene-Nanoplate/Polyurethane Nanocomposites via Diels–Alder Reaction through a One-Shot Process
Authors: Oh Cho-Rong , Lee Sang-Hyub , Park Jun-Hong , Lee Dai-Soo
Published: March 2019

Thermally self-healing graphene-nanoplate/polyurethane (GNP/PU) nanocomposites were prepared via a bulk in-situ Diels–Alder (DA) reaction. Graphene-nanoplate (GNP) was used as a reinforcement and crosslinking platform by a DA reaction with a furfuryl-based chain extender of polyurethane (PU). Results showed that a DA reaction occurred in GNP during the PU forming cure process. This procedure is simple and solvent free because of the absence of any independent surface modification process. Through the calculation of the interfacial tensions, the conditions of the bulk in-situ DA reaction were determined to ensure that GNP and the furfuryl group can react with each other at the interface during the curing process without a solvent. The prepared composites were characterized in terms of thermal, mechanical, and thermally self-healing properties via the DA reaction. In the PU capable of a DA reaction (DPU), characteristic peaks of DA and retro DA reactions were observed in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and endothermic peaks of retro DA reactions appeared in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms. The DPU showed significantly enhanced physical properties and chemical resistance. The thermally self-healing capability was confirmed at 110 °C via the retro DA reactions. It is inferred that thermally self-healable crosslinked GNP/PU nanocomposites via DA reactions could be prepared in a simple bulk process through the molecular design of a chain extender for the in-situ reaction at the interface.
A Scientific Perspective of Personalised Gene-Based Dietary Recommendations for Weight Management
Authors: Drabsch Theresa , Holzapfel Christina
Published: March 2019

Various studies showed that a “one size fits all” dietary recommendation for weight management is questionable. For this reason, the focus increasingly falls on personalised nutrition. Although there is no precise and uniform definition of personalised nutrition, the inclusion of genetic variants for personalised dietary recommendations is more and more favoured, whereas scientific evidence for gene-based dietary recommendations is rather limited. The purpose of this article is to provide a science-based viewpoint on gene-based personalised nutrition and weight management. Most of the studies showed no clinical evidence for gene-based personalised nutrition. The Food4Me study, e.g., investigated four different groups of personalised dietary recommendations based on dietary guidelines, and physiological, clinical, or genetic parameters, and resulted in no difference in weight loss between the levels of personalisation. Furthermore, genetic direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests are widely spread by companies. Scientific organisations clearly point out that, to date, genetic DTC tests are without scientific evidence. To date, gene-based personalised nutrition is not yet applicable for the treatment of obesity. Nevertheless, personalised dietary recommendations on the genetic landscape of a person are an innovative and promising approach for the prevention and treatment of obesity. In the future, human intervention studies are necessary to prove the clinical evidence of gene-based dietary recommendations.
Change Detection in Remote Sensing Images Based on Image Mapping and a Deep Capsule Network
Authors: Ma Wenping , Xiong Yunta , Wu Yue , Yang Hui , Zhang Xiangrong , Jiao Licheng
Published: March 2019

Homogeneous image change detection research has been well developed, and many methods have been proposed. However, change detection between heterogeneous images is challenging since heterogeneous images are in different domains. Therefore, direct heterogeneous image comparison in the way that we do it is difficult. In this paper, a method for heterogeneous synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image and optical image change detection is proposed, which is based on a pixel-level mapping method and a capsule network with a deep structure. The mapping method proposed transforms an image from one feature space to another feature space. Then, the images can be compared directly in a similarly transformed space. In the mapping process, some image blocks in unchanged areas are selected, and these blocks are only a small part of the image. Then, the weighted parameters are acquired by calculating the Euclidean distances between the pixel to be transformed and the pixels in these blocks. The Euclidean distance calculated according to the weighted coordinates is taken as the pixel gray value in another feature space. The other image is transformed in a similar manner. In the transformed feature space, these images are compared, and the fusion of the two different images is achieved. The two experimental images are input to a capsule network, which has a deep structure. The image fusion result is taken as the training labels. The training samples are selected according to the ratio of the center pixel label and its neighboring pixels’ labels. The capsule network can improve the detection result and suppress noise. Experiments on remote sensing datasets show the final detection results, and the proposed method obtains a satisfactory performance.
Continuous Driver’s Gaze Zone Estimation Using RGB-D Camera
Authors: Wang Yafei , Yuan Guoliang , Mi Zetian , Peng Jinjia , Ding Xueyan , Liang Zheng , Fu Xianping
Published: March 2019

The driver gaze zone is an indicator of a driver’s attention and plays an important role in the driver’s activity monitoring. Due to the bad initialization of point-cloud transformation, gaze zone systems using RGB-D cameras and ICP (Iterative Closet Points) algorithm do not work well under long-time head motion. In this work, a solution for a continuous driver gaze zone estimation system in real-world driving situations is proposed, combining multi-zone ICP-based head pose tracking and appearance-based gaze estimation. To initiate and update the coarse transformation of ICP, a particle filter with auxiliary sampling is employed for head state tracking, which accelerates the iterative convergence of ICP. Multiple templates for different gaze zone are applied to balance the templates revision of ICP under large head movement. For the RGB information, an appearance-based gaze estimation method with two-stage neighbor selection is utilized, which treats the gaze prediction as the combination of neighbor query (in head pose and eye image feature space) and linear regression (between eye image feature space and gaze angle space). The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the baseline methods on gaze estimation, and can provide a stable head pose tracking for driver behavior analysis in real-world driving scenarios.
Robot-Assisted Eccentric Contraction Training of the Tibialis Anterior Muscle Based on Position and Force Sensing
Authors: Kubota Keisuke , Sekiya Masashi , Tsuji Toshiaki
Published: March 2019

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical effects of a training robot that induced eccentric tibialis anterior muscle contraction by controlling the strength and speed. The speed and the strength are controlled simultaneously by introducing robot training with two different feedbacks: velocity feedback in the robot controller and force bio-feedback based on force visualization. By performing quantitative eccentric contraction training, it is expected that the fall risk reduces owing to the improved muscle function. Evaluation of 11 elderly participants with months training period was conducted through a cross-over comparison test. The results of timed up and go (TUG) tests and 5 m walking tests were compared. The intergroup comparison was done using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The results of cross-over test indicated no significant difference between the 5-m walking time measured after the training and control phases. However, there was a trend toward improvement, and a significant difference was observed between the training and control phases in all subjects.
Flexible and Highly Sensitive Hydrogen Sensor Based on Organic Nanofibers Decorated by Pd Nanoparticles
Authors: Jiang Hongchuan , Yu Yibing , Zhang Luying , Zhu Jun , Zhao Xiaohui , Zhang Wanli
Published: March 2019

A highly sensitive and flexible hydrogen sensor based on organic nanofibers decorated by Pd nanoparticles (NPs) was designed and fabricated for low-concentration hydrogen detection. Pd NPs were deposited on organic nanofiber materials by DC magnetron sputtering. The temperature dependence of the sensitivity at 25 ppm H2 was characterized and discussed, and the maximum response of the sensor increased linearly with increasing measurement temperature. Performances of the hydrogen sensor were investigated with hydrogen concentration ranging from 5 ppm to 50 ppm. This sensor exhibits high sensitivity, with the response up to 6.55% for H2 as low as 5 ppm, and the output response of the hydrogen sensor increased linearly with the square root of hydrogen concentration. A cycling test between pure nitrogen and 25 ppm hydrogen concentration was performed, and the hydrogen sensor exhibited excellent consistency.
Effect of Uneven Electrostatic Forces on the Dynamic Characteristics of Capacitive Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscopes
Authors: Xu Zeyuan , Yi Guoxing , Er Meng Joo , Huang Chao
Published: March 2019

The hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG) is a typical capacitive Coriolis vibratory gyroscope whose performance is inevitably influenced by the uneven electrostatic forces caused by the uneven excitation capacitance gap between the resonator and outer base. First, the mechanism of uneven electrostatic forces due to the significantly uneven capacitance gap in that the non-uniformity of the electrostatic forces can cause irregular deformation of the resonator and further affect the performance and precision of the HRG, was analyzed. According to the analyzed influence mechanism, the dynamic output error model of the HRG was established. In this work, the effect of the first four harmonics of the uneven capacitance gap on the HRG was investigated. It turns out that the zero bias and output error, caused by the first harmonic that dominates mainly the amplitude of the uneven capacitance gap, increase approximately linearly with the increase of the amplitude, and periodically vary with the increase of the phase. The effect of the other three harmonics follows the same law, but their amplitudes are one order of magnitude smaller than that of the first one, thus their effects on the HRG can be neglected. The effect of uneven electrostatic forces caused by the first harmonic on the scale factor is that its nonlinearity increases approximately linearly with the increase of the harmonic amplitude, which was analyzed in depth. Considering comprehensively the zero bias, the modification rate of output error, and scale factor nonlinearity, the tolerance towards the uneven excitation capacitance gap was obtained.
Exploiting Impact of Hardware Impairments in NOMA: Adaptive Transmission Mode in FD/HD and Application in Internet-of-Things
Authors: Le Chi-Bao , Do Dinh-Thuan , Voznak Miroslav
Published: March 2019

In this paper, a cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system is studied for the Internet-of-Things (IoT) in which a master node intends to serve multiple client nodes. The adaptive transmission strategy is proposed at the relay node, i.e., the relay can be half-duplex (HD) and/or full duplex (FD). In practical terms, numerous low-cost devices are deployed in such IoT systems and it exhibits degraded performance due to hardware imperfections. In particular, the effects of hardware impairments in the NOMA users are investigated. Specifically, the closed-form expressions are derived for the outage probability. Moreover, the ergodic capacity is also analysed. This study also comparatively analyzes the orthogonal multiple access (OMA) and NOMA with HD and/or FD relaying. The numerical results are corroborated through Monte Carlo simulations.
Using a Parallel Helical Sensing Cable for the Distributed Measurement of Ground Deformation
Authors: Wu Xiushan , Tong Renyuan , Wang Yanjie , Mei Congli , Li Qing
Published: March 2019

Surface and underground stretched deformation is one of the most important physical measurement quantities for geological-disaster monitoring. In this study, a parallel helical sensing cable (PHSC) based on the time–domain reflectometry (TDR) technique is proposed and used to monitor large ground stretched deformation. First, the PHSC structure and manufacturing process are introduced, and then, distributed capacitance, distributed inductance, and characteristic impedance were derived based on the proposed stretched-structure model. Next, the relationship between characteristic impedance and stretched deformation was found, and the principle of distributed deformation measurement based on the TDR technique and PHSC characteristic impedance was analyzed in detail. The function of the stretched deformation and characteristic impedance was obtained by curve fitting based on the theoretically calculated results. A laboratory calibration test was carried out by the designed tensile test platform. The results of multi-point positioning and the amount of stretched deformation are presented by the tensile test platform, multi-point positioning measurement absolute errors were less than 0.01 m, and the amount of stretched deformation measurement absolute errors were less than 3 mm, respectively. The measured results are in good agreement with the theoretically calculated results, which verify the correctness of theoretical derivation and show that a PHSC is very suitable for the distributed measurement of the ground stretched deformation.
Dielectric Spectroscopy Using Dual Reflection Analysis of TDR Signals
Authors: Ngui Yin Jeh , Lin Chih-Ping , Wu Tsai-Jung
Published: March 2019

Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) has been a powerful tool for measuring soil dielectric properties. Initiating from apparent dielectric constant ( K a ) measurement up until apparent and complex dielectric spectroscopies, the embedded information in the TDR signal can be extracted to inspire our understanding of the underlying dielectric behaviors. Multiple full waveform inversion techniques have been developed to extract complex dielectric permittivity (CDP) spectrum, but most of them involved prior knowledge of input function and tedious calibration. This rendered the field dielectric spectroscopy challenging and expensive to conduct. Dual reflection analysis (DRA) is proposed in this study to measure CDP spectrum from 10 MHz to 1 GHz. DRA is a simple, robust, model-free, and source-function free algorithm which requires minimal calibration effort. The theoretical framework of DRA is established and the necessary signal processing procedures are elaborated in this study. Eight materials with different dielectric characteristics are selected to evaluate DRA’s performance, by using both simulated and experimental signals. DRA is capable of measuring non-dispersive materials very well, whereas dispersive materials require the assistance of a long-time-window (LTW) extraction method to further extend the effective bandwidth. The DRA approach is suitable for field applications that can only record a limited amount of data points and in-situ dielectric spectroscopy.
The Effect of Caffeine Ingestion and Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse on High-Intensity Running Performance
Authors: Germaine Mark , Collins Kieran , Shortall Marcus
Published: March 2019

The aim of the current study was to investigate whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing works synergistically with caffeine to augment high-intensity running in a fed state. Eight participants completed a total of three trials; (1) placebo (PLA) trial (placebo capsule + placebo mouth rinse), (2) caffeine (CAF) trial (400 mg caffeine + placebo mouth rinse) and (3) carbohydrate mouth rinse + caffeine (CMR + CAF) trial (400 mg caffeine + 6% carbohydrate mouth rinse). Each trial consisted of a 45 min steady-state run at 65% VO2max, followed by 90% VO2max high-intensity intervals (HIIT) at 1 min and subsequently by a 1 min recovery walking at 6 km·h−1, until exhaustion. Both CAF (46.8 ± 20.1 min) and CMR + CAF (46.9 ± 18.4 min) time to exhaustion were significantly greater than the PLA group (36.2 ± 14.8 min, p < 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that there was a significant increase in time to exhaustion between PLA and CMR + CAF (p = 0.006) and PLA and CAF (p = 0.017) but not between CAF and CMR + CAF (p = 0.99). In conclusion, we provide novel data that suggest that caffeine alone would likely suffice as an ergogenic aid during high-intensity running while in a fed state.
Socio-Economic Drivers of Adoption of Small-Scale Aquaculture in Indonesia
Authors: Diedrich Amy , Blythe Jessica , Petersen Elizabeth , Euriga Epsi , Fatchiya Anna , Shimada Takahiro , Jones Clive
Published: March 2019

Aquaculture has a critical role in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals of increasing benefits that low-income and least-developed countries derive from marine resources. Its capacity to deliver these outcomes is challenging, particularly for marginalized groups. This is especially true if the introduction of novel technologies is applied with incomplete understanding of socio-economic and bio-physical contexts. We examined what socio-economic factors affect people’s perceptions of adoption of lobster aquaculture in rural households in Indonesia. We used multiple linear regression with model averaging to test the influence of five capital assets (human, social, natural, physical, and financial), including agency, equity, and household sensitivity, on people’s perceived ability to adopt lobster aquaculture. Agency and sensitivity had the greatest influence on the dependent variable. We then used correlation analysis to develop a heuristic model of potential indirect causal mechanisms affecting people’s perceptions of adoption. Our results point to the existence of a ‘sensitivity trap’, where more sensitive or marginalized households are less likely to engage in new economic opportunities. We emphasize the value of multifaceted programs for improving livelihoods, particularly for poorer, more vulnerable households as one way to support the UN’s commitment to using aquaculture as a pathway to achieving sustainable development.
Biogas Potential for Improved Sustainability in Guangzhou, China—A Study Focusing on Food Waste on Xiaoguwei Island
Authors: Feiz Roozbeh , Ammenberg Jonas , Björn Annika , Guo Yufang , Karlsson Magnus , Liu Yonghui , Liu Yuxian , Shizue Moriga Masuda Laura , Enrich-Prast Alex , Rohracher Harald , Trygg Kristina , Shakeri Yekta Sepehr , Zhang Fagen
Published: March 2019

As a result of rapid development in China and the growth of megacities, large amounts of organic wastes are generated within relatively small areas. Part of these wastes can be used to produce biogas, not only to reduce waste-related problems, but also to provide renewable energy, recycle nutrients, and lower greenhouse gases and air polluting emissions. This article is focused on the conditions for biogas solutions in Guangzhou. It is based on a transdisciplinary project that integrates several approaches, for example, literature studies and lab analysis of food waste to estimate the food waste potential, interviews to learn about the socio-technical context and conditions, and life-cycle assessment to investigate the performance of different waste management scenarios involving biogas production. Xiaoguwei Island, with a population of about 250,000 people, was chosen as the area of study. The results show that there are significant food waste potentials on the island, and that all studied scenarios could contribute to a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Several socio-technical barriers were identified, but it is expected that the forthcoming regulatory changes help to overcome some of them.
Relationship between Wetland Plant Communities and Environmental Factors in the Tumen River Basin in Northeast China
Authors: Zheng Xiaojun , Fu Jing , Ramamonjisoa Noelikanto , Zhu Weihong , He Chunguang , Lu Chunyan
Published: March 2019

Understanding what controls wetland vegetation community composition is vital to conservation and biodiversity management. This study investigates the factors that affect wetland plant communities and distribution in the Tumen River Basin, Northeast China, an internationally important wetland for biodiversity conservation. We recorded floristic composition of herbaceous plants, soil properties, and microclimatic variables in 177, 1 × 1 m2 quadrats at 45 sites, located upstream (26), midstream (12), and downstream (7) of the Basin. We used TWINSPAN to define vegetation communities and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) to examine the relationships between environmental and biological factors within the wetland plant communities. We recorded 100 plant species from 93 genera and 40 families in the upstream, 100 plant species from 57 genera and 31 families in the midstream, and 85 plant species from 76 genera and 38 families in the downstream. Higher species richness was recorded upstream of the River Basin. The plant communities and distribution were influenced by elevation, soil properties (total potassium, pH, and available phosphorus), and microclimate variables (surface temperature, precipitation, average temperature, sunshine hours, and relative humidity). More than any other factor, according to our results, elevation strongly influenced the structure of wetland plant communities. These findings support prevailing models describing the distribution of wetland plants along environmental gradients. The determination of the relationship between soil and plants is a useful way to better understand the ecosystem condition and can help manage the wetland ecosystem.
A Novel Expertise-Guided Machine Learning Model for Internal Fault State Diagnosis of Power Transformers
Authors: Wu Qunli , Zhang Hongjie
Published: March 2019

The fault diagnosis of power transformers is of great significance to improve the reliability of power systems. This paper proposes a novel fault diagnosis method called the expertise-guided machine learning (EGML) model where a genetic algorithm (GA) and a mind evolutionary algorithm (MEA) are used as optimization algorithms. Thereby, two types of EGML models are generated, that is, the GA-EGML model and the MEA-EGML model. In the EGML model, knowledge function replaces the cost function of traditional artificial intelligence algorithms, which can provide additional information for each individual and bring some corrections to the prediction results. To investigate the application potentials of the proposed models in power transformer fault diagnosis, real dissolved gases data are utilized to evaluate the diagnosis performance of the proposed models. Results indicate that the performance of the EGML model outperforms the traditional back propagation neural network (BPNN) model and all other models participating in the comparison. Both the GA-EGML model and MEA-EGML model can be used to diagnose the faults of a power transformer, and the latter is better. In addition, to further investigate the robustness of the proposed models for different data, four scenarios are simulated. Empirical results show that the accuracies of all models decrease in the other three scenarios compared to the baseline scenario, especially in scenario 2. However, the proposed models decline less than the traditional models in scenario 2 and scenario 4, and obtain satisfactory accuracy in all scenarios.
Understanding the Impact of Environmental Education on Tourists’ Future Visit Intentions to Leisure Farms in Mountain Regions
Authors: Leelapattana Winitra , Hsu Shih-Yun , Thongma Weerapon , Chen Chun , Chiang Fu-Mei
Published: March 2019

The research problem of this study is to understand whether people with higher level of EE are more likely to choose farm stays for their vacation. The main aim of this study is to investigate the causal relationship between an individual’s environmental education (EE) and their theory of planned behavior (TPB) decision-making process that leads to future visit intention. A convenient sampling method was used to survey visitors of Toucheng Leisure Farm in the mountain region of Taiwan; and a total of 600 responses were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that five of the six hypotheses were supported. This finding suggests that environmental education makes an individual more pro-environmental and susceptible to the social norms about environmental protection. Environmental education, however, does not affect the inconvenience or extra cost incurred by purchasing green products.
Energy Efficiency as a Wicked Problem
Authors: Thollander Patrik , Palm Jenny , Hedbrant Johan
Published: March 2019

Together with increased shares of renewable energy supply, improved energy efficiency is the foremost means of mitigating climate change. However, the energy efficiency potential is far from being realized, which is commonly explained by the existence of various barriers to energy efficiency. Initially mentioned by Churchman, the term “wicked problems” became established in the 1970s, meaning a kind of problem that has a resistance to resolution because of incomplete, contradictory, or changing requirements. In the academic literature, wicked problems have later served as a critical model in the understanding of various challenges related to society, such as for example climate change mitigation. This aim of this paper is to analyze how the perspective of wicked problems can contribute to an enhanced understanding of improved energy efficiency. The paper draws examples from the manufacturing sector. Results indicate that standalone technology improvements as well as energy management and energy policy programs giving emphasis to standalone technology improvements may not represent a stronger form of a wicked problem as such. Rather, it seems to be the actual decision-making process involving values among the decision makers as well as the level of needed knowledge involved in decision-making that give rise to the “wickedness”. The analysis shows that wicked problems arise in socio-technical settings involving several components such as technology, systems, institutions, and people, which make post-normal science a needed approach.
MHD Nanofluids in a Permeable Channel with Porosity
Authors: Khan Ilyas , Alqahtani Aisha M.
Published: March 2019

This paper introduces a mathematical model of a convection flow of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluid in a channel embedded in a porous medium. The flow along the walls, characterized by a non-uniform temperature, is under the effect of the uniform magnetic field acting transversely to the flow direction. The walls of the channel are permeable. The flow is due to convection combined with uniform suction/injection at the boundary. The model is formulated in terms of unsteady, one-dimensional partial differential equations (PDEs) with imposed physical conditions. The cluster effect of nanoparticles is demonstrated in the C 2 H 6 O 2 , and H 2 O base fluids. The perturbation technique is used to obtain a closed-form solution for the velocity and temperature distributions. Based on numerical experiments, it is concluded that both the velocity and temperature profiles are significantly affected by ϕ . Moreover, the magnetic parameter retards the nanofluid motion whereas porosity accelerates it. Each H 2 O -based and C 2 H 6 O 2 -based nanofluid in the suction case have a higher magnitude of velocity as compared to the injections case.