bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modulation Technique for Modified Active Quasi-Z-Source Inverter with Common-Mode Voltage Reduction
Authors: Nguyen Minh-Khai , Choi Youn-Ok
Published: November 2021

In Z-source topologies, a high-amplitude common-mode voltage can occur when shoot-through states are inserted. In this study, a new space vector pulse-width modulation for an active quasi-Z-source topology is proposed to operate at a high modulation index and reduce the common-mode voltage to one-third of the DC-link voltage. Moreover, the quality of the output voltage is improved by operation with a high modulation index and decreasing the switching loss of the H-bridge switches. The detailed operating principles of the active quasi-Z-source topology using the proposed space vector modulation (SVM) method are presented. A simulation model was built, and an experimental prototype was verified to correct the theoretical analysis.
Shared-Aperture 24–28 GHz Waveguide Antenna Array
Authors: Hazdra Pavel , Kracek Jan , Lonsky Tomas , Kabourek Vaclav , Hradecky Zdenek
Published: November 2021

A compact three-element shared-aperture waveguide antenna array for the 24–28 GHz microwave-frequency band is presented as a proof-of-concept of an array with steerable directional beam suitable for 5G telecommunication systems. The array is intended for use in a microwave photonic link and is sufficiently steerable only with the progressively phased excitation signals of equal magnitudes. The mutual interactions between the array elements are minimized to maintain the properties of the individual elements, even if they are embedded and closely spaced in the array. The proposed concept could be simply extended by adding more elements to further increase the directivity and enhance the steering properties of the array.
An Interactive Self-Learning Game and Evolutionary Approach Based on Non-Cooperative Equilibrium
Authors: Li Yan , Zhao Mengyu , Zhang Huazhi , Yang Fuling , Wang Suyu
Published: November 2021

Most current studies on multi-agent evolution based on deep learning take a cooperative equilibrium strategy, while interactive self-learning is not always considered. An interactive self-learning game and evolution method based on non-cooperative equilibrium (ISGE-NCE) is proposed to take the benefits of both game theory and interactive learning for multi-agent confrontation evolution. A generative adversarial network (GAN) is designed combining with multi-agent interactive self-learning, and the non-cooperative equilibrium strategy is well adopted within the framework of interactive self-learning, aiming for high evolution efficiency and interest. For assessment, three typical multi-agent confrontation experiments are designed and conducted. The results show that, first, in terms of training speed, the ISGE-NCE produces a training convergence rate of at least 46.3% higher than that of the method without considering interactive self-learning. Second, the evolution rate of the interference and detection agents reaches 60% and 80%, respectively, after training by using our method. In the three different experiment scenarios, compared with the DDPG, our ISGE-NCE method improves the multi-agent evolution effectiveness by 43.4%, 50%, and 20%, respectively, with low training costs. The performances demonstrate the significant superiority of our ISGE-NCE method in swarm intelligence.
Electromagnetic Interference of Power Converter with Random Modulation on the Power Line Communication System
Authors: Beshir Abduselam Hamid , Wan Lu , Grassi Flavia , Crovetti Paolo Stefano , Liu Xiaokang , Wu Xinglong , El Sayed Waseem , Spadacini Giordano , Pignari Sergio Amedeo
Published: November 2021

Random Pulse Width Modulation (RPWM) allows controlling the switching signal of power converters in order to reduce the harmonic peaks by spreading the noise spectrum. Currently, many manufacturers of power converters are deploying this modulation scheme in order to comply with Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) test requirements. However, when the converters coexist with Power Line Communication (PLC) systems, such as in Smart Grid (SG) applications, resorting to RPWM needs further investigations since it potentially affects the communication channel by increasing the bit error rate. This possible detrimental effect is investigated in this work, by considering a PLC system for automatic meter reading (AMR) implemented in a SG application. To this end, the model of a complete PLC system is implemented in SIMULINK, and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation is used to model the PLC modems in the communication channel. Results show that, even if the deployment of RPWM techniques may lead to an appreciable reduction/spreading of the peaks in the noise spectrum, it may also lead to an increase of the bit error rate on the PLC system.
Design Space Exploration of Hybrid Quantum–Classical Neural Networks
Authors: Kashif Muhammad , Al-Kuwari Saif
Published: November 2021

The unprecedented success of classical neural networks and the recent advances in quantum computing have motivated the research community to explore the interplay between these two technologies, leading to the so-called quantum neural networks. In fact, universal quantum computers are anticipated to both speed up and improve the accuracy of neural networks. However, whether such quantum neural networks will result in a clear advantage on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices is still not clear. In this paper, we propose a systematic methodology for designing quantum layer(s) in hybrid quantum–classical neural network (HQCNN) architectures. Following our proposed methodology, we develop different variants of hybrid neural networks and compare them with pure classical architectures of equivalent size. Finally, we empirically evaluate our proposed hybrid variants and show that the addition of quantum layers does provide a noticeable computational advantage.
The Efficiency Comparison of Hydro Turbines for Micro Power Plant from Free Vortex
Authors: Sritram Piyawat , Suntivarakorn Ratchaphon
Published: November 2021

In this research paper, the relationship between a crossflow turbine and propeller turbine size changes and the pond size in a free vortex power generation system was investigated. This relationship can be written in the form of a new mathematical equation using the principles of the response surface methodology (RSM) method. This study aimed to compare the efficiency of a crossflow turbine and propeller turbine to enhance a micro power plant from free vortex. The pond size in a micro power plant from free vortex was 1 m in diameter and 0.5 m in height with a 0.2 m outlet drain at the bottom. All turbines were tested at different water flowrates of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 m3/s to identify the rpm, water head, voltage, and electric current to access the waterpower, power output, and overall efficiency. At a 0.02 m3/s water flowrate, the crossflow turbine had greater overall efficiency than the propeller turbine, reaching 9.09% efficiency. From the comparison of the results of the two turbines used in the 0.5 m high cylinder-shaped generator pond, the turbine type, turbine size (height and diameter), number of blades, and water flowrate are key factors that affect the overall efficiency. The crossflow turbine can achieve greater efficiency than the propeller turbine in this generator system.
Comparison of Renewable Energy Sources in ‘New’ EU Member States in the Context of National Energy Transformations
Authors: Wałachowska Agnieszka , Ignasiak-Szulc Aranka
Published: November 2021

The European Union strives to create sustainable, low-carbon economies; therefore, energy policies of all member states should move towards renewable energy sources (RES). That concerns also the so-called new EU member states. These countries, on the one hand, are characterized by significant historical similarities in terms of post-communist legacy and adopted development strategies linked with the EU membership, and on the other hand, by significant social, economic and environmental differences resulting from different transformation and development paths and conditions. The question remains how the selected countries should cope with actions in the field of national energy transformations to confront the multiple challenges linked to assuring a significant level of sustainable development. In order to be successful, it is necessary to conduct an effective and rapid changes in the energy industry, which should be preceded by an analysis of the differentiation of countries in terms of their potentials. The results of such analyses should be helpful in selecting the most appropriate strategies for transformation of the described industry. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to assess the new EU member states for RES diversification and identify similar subgroups of countries using cluster analysis, taking into account the percentage share of individual renewable energy sources in total renewable energy production. This was done for the years 2010, 2015 and 2019 which should allow us to demonstrate the differences between them as a group and also reveal changes recorded over time for a single country. Ward’s method was used for the analysis. The presented approach to the analysis of energy production enabled the acquisition of new knowledge in this field and supported the assessment of the current state of RES. The results obtained can be used in countries of comparable specificity to undertake activities of similar nature in relation to internal energy production, technological development or common energy policy.
Effect of Mainstream Velocity on the Heat Transfer Coefficient of Gas Turbine Blade Tips
Authors: Jeong Jin Young , Kim Woojun , Kwak Jae Su , Lee Byung Ju , Chung Jin Taek
Published: November 2021

This study experimentally investigated the effects of cascade inlet velocity on the distribution and the level of the heat transfer coefficient on a gas turbine blade tip. The tests were conducted in a transient turbine test facility at Korea Aerospace University, and three cascade inlet velocities—30, 60, and 90 m/s—were considered. The heat transfer coefficient was measured using the transient IR camera technique with a linear regression method, and both the squealer and plane tips were investigated. The results showed that the overall averaged heat transfer coefficient was generally proportional to the inlet velocity. As the inlet velocity is increased from 30 m/s to 60 m/s and 90 m/s, the heat transfer coefficient increased by 11.4% and 25.0% for plane tip, and 26.6% and 64.1% for squealer tip, respectively. However, the heat transfer coefficient near the leading edge of the squealer tip and the reattachment region of the plane tip was greatly affected by the cascade inlet velocity. Therefore, heat transfer experiments for a gas turbine blade tip should be performed under engine simulating conditions.
An Analysis of a Laminar-Turbulent Transition and Thermal Plumes Behavior in a Paramagnetic Fluid Subjected to an External Magnetic Field
Authors: Kraszewska Anna , Donizak Janusz
Published: November 2021

Transition to turbulence and changes in the fluid flow structure are subjects of continuous analysis and research, especially for unique fields of research such as the thermo-magnetic convection of weakly magnetic fluids. Therefore, an experimental and numerical research of the influence of an external magnetic field on a natural convection’s fluid flow was conducted in the presented research. The experimental part was performed for an enclosure with a 0.5 aspect ratio, which was filled with a paramagnetic fluid and placed in a superconducting magnet in a position granting the enhancement of the flow. The process was recorded as temperature signals from the thermocouples placed in the analyzed fluid. The numerical research enabled an investigation based not only on temperature, but velocities as well. Experimental and numerical data were analyzed with the application of extended fast Fourier transform and wavelet analysis. The obtained results allowed the determination of changes in the nature of the flow and visualization of the influence of an imposed strong magnetic field on a magnetic fluid. It is proved that an applied magnetic field actuates the flow in Rayleigh-Benard convection and causes the change from laminar to turbulent flow for fairly low magnetic field inductions (2T and 3T for ΔT = 5 and 11 °C respectively). Fast Fourier transform allowed the definition of characteristic frequencies for oscillatory states in the flow, as well as an observation that the high values of magnetic field elongate the inertial range of the flow on the power spectrum density. Temperature maps obtained during numerical simulations granted visualizations of thermal plume formation and behavior with increasing magnetic field.
A Review of Model Predictive Controls Applied to Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems
Authors: Musa Alessia , Pipicelli Michele , Spano Matteo , Tufano Francesco , De Nola Francesco , Di Blasio Gabriele , Gimelli Alfredo , Misul Daniela Anna , Toscano Gianluca
Published: November 2021

Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADASs) are currently gaining particular attention in the automotive field, as enablers for vehicle energy consumption, safety, and comfort enhancement. Compelling evidence is in fact provided by the variety of related studies that are to be found in the literature. Moreover, considering the actual technology readiness, larger opportunities might stem from the combination of ADASs and vehicle connectivity. Nevertheless, the definition of a suitable control system is not often trivial, especially when dealing with multiple-objective problems and dynamics complexity. In this scenario, even though diverse strategies are possible (e.g., Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy, Rule-based strategy, etc.), the Model Predictive Control (MPC) turned out to be among the most effective ones in fulfilling the aforementioned tasks. Hence, the proposed study is meant to produce a comprehensive review of MPCs applied to scenarios where ADASs are exploited and aims at providing the guidelines to select the appropriate strategy. More precisely, particular attention is paid to the prediction phase, the objective function formulation and the constraints. Subsequently, the interest is shifted to the combination of ADASs and vehicle connectivity to assess for how such information is handled by the MPC. The main results from the literature are presented and discussed, along with the integration of MPC in the optimal management of higher level connection and automation. Current gaps and challenges are addressed to, so as to possibly provide hints on future developments.
Density Functional Theory Calculations of Pinus brutia Derivatives and Its Response to Light in a Au/n-Si Device
Authors: Yilmaz Mehmet , Demir Yasar , Aydogan Sakir , Grilli Maria Luisa
Published: November 2021

In this study, the performance of an organic dye obtained from the bark of the red pine (Pinus brutia) tree growing in Muğla/Turkey as an interface layer in the Au/n-Si Schottky diode (SD) structure was evaluated. For this purpose, at first, the optimized molecular structure, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) simulations of the organic dye were calculated by the Gauss program and it was theoretically proven that the dye exhibits semiconducting properties. Then, the electrical and photodiode variables such as ideality factor, effective barrier height, series resistance, interface states density distribution, photosensitivity, and photo responsivity were evaluated employing current-voltage measurements under dark and different illumination densities. Additionally, C-V measurements were used to demonstrate that the fabricated device has capacitive features and this capability varies as a function of the frequency. Under these measurements, the possible conduction mechanism for the organic dye-based Au/n-Si device was investigated and the results showed that Au/Pinus brutia/n-Si may be a good candidate for optoelectronic applications.
Factorisation Path Based Refactorisation for High-Performance LU Decomposition in Real-Time Power System Simulation
Authors: Dinkelbach Jan , Schumacher Lennart , Razik Lukas , Benigni Andrea , Monti Antonello
Published: November 2021

The integration of renewable energy sources into modern power systems requires simulations with smaller step sizes, larger network models and the incorporation of complex nonlinear component models. These features make it more difficult to meet computation time requirements in real-time simulations and have motivated the development of high-performance LU decomposition methods. Since nonlinear component models cause numerical variations in the system matrix between simulation steps, this paper places a particular focus on the recomputation of LU decomposition, i.e., on the refactorisation step. The main contribution is the adoption of a factorisation path algorithm for partial refactorisation, which takes into account that only a subset of matrix entries change their values. The approach is integrated into the modern LU decomposition method NICSLU and benchmarked against the methods SuperLU and KLU. A performance analysis was carried out considering benchmark as well as real power systems. The results show the significant speedup of refactorisation computation times in use cases involving system matrices of different sizes, a variety of sparsity patterns and different ratios of numerically varying matrix entries. Consequently, the presented high-performance LU decomposition method can assist in meeting computation time requirements in real-time simulations of modern power systems.
CFD Modelling of the Thermal Performance of Fruit Packaging Boxes—Influence of Vent-Holes Design
Authors: Ilangovan Adhiyaman , Curto João , Gaspar Pedro D. , Silva Pedro D. , Alves Nanci
Published: November 2021

The shelf life of perishable products depends mainly on the conservation of air temperature. Packaging boxes are usually used to accommodate food products during cold storage and transport and/or display. The design of the vent-holes of the packaging box must promote cold airflow and remove the field heat of the produce after harvest at a short time. This study describes the influence of the vent-holes design and its performance during cold storage. The cooling performance of the different packaging boxes is evaluated experimentally and numerically using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Three new packaging box configurations with the same size but different vent-holes design (size, shape and position) and a reference box are modelled. The transient three-dimensional CFD model predicts the airflow pattern and temperature distribution within the different packaging boxes. The best thermal performance packaging achieved a fruit model temperature 1.5 K to 5 K lower than the other configurations at the end of 8 h of cooling. These predictions allow the development of new packaging box designs that promote the shelf-life extension of perishable products.
Big Data Analytics for Spatio-Temporal Service Orders Demand Forecasting in Electric Distribution Utilities
Authors: Ferreira Vitor Hugo , Correa Rubens Lucian da Silva , Colombini Angelo Cesar , Fortes Márcio Zamboti , Mello Flávio Luis de , Araujo Fernando Carvalho Cid de , Pereira Natanael Rodrigues
Published: November 2021

This paper presents a big data analytics-based model developed for electric distribution utilities aiming to forecast the demand of service orders (SOs) on a spatio-temporal basis. Being fed by robust history and location data from a database provided by an energy utility that is using this innovative system, the algorithm automatically forecasts the number of SOs that will need to be executed in each location in several time steps (hourly, monthly and yearly basis). The forecasted emergency SOs demand, which is related to energy outages, are stochastically distributed, projecting the impacted consumers and its individual interruption indexes. This spatio-temporal forecasting is the main input for a web-based platform for optimal bases allocation, field team sizing and scheduling implemented in the eleven distribution utilities of Energisa group in Brazil.
Growth-Climate Relationships and Long-Term Growth Trends of the Tropical Forest Tree Choerospondias axillaris (Anacardiaceae) in East-Central Thailand
Authors: Surayothee Wisawakorn , Buajan Supaporn , Fu Peili , Pumijumnong Nathsuda , Fan Zexin , Panthi Shankar , Finnegan Patrick M. , Zhang Yongjiang , Chen Yajun , Tor-ngern Pantana , Chanthorn Wirong , Nathalang Anuttara , Brockelman Warren Y.
Published: November 2021

Tropical forests play important roles in global carbon cycling. Tree-ring analysis can provide important information for understanding long-term trends in carbon-fixation capacity under climate change. However, tree-ring studies in tropical regions are limited. We carried out a tree-ring analysis to investigate the dendrochronological potential of the tropical forest tree Choerospondias axillaris (Anacardiaceae) in east-central Thailand. Our study focused on growth-climate relationships and long-term growth trends. A chronology was constructed covering the period from 1932 to 2019. The tree-ring width index of C.axillaris was positively correlated with precipitation in June, July, and October. Furthermore, growth of C.axillaris was positively correlated with the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) from July to October, indicating that growth of C.axillaris is mainly limited by moisture availability in the late monsoon season. Moving correlation analysis further revealed the consistency and temporal stability of the relationship of tree growth with monsoon season precipitation and SPEI during the period under study. There was a significant increasing trend in long-term growth from 1932 to 2002 (slope = 0.017, p < 0.001); however, long-term growth decreased from 2003 to 2019 (slope = −0.014, p < 0.001). Our study provides important insight into the growth-climate correlations of a broad-leaved tree species in a dry evergreen forest in tropical Asia.
Longer Growing Seasons Cause Hydrological Regime Shifts in Central European Forests
Authors: Kupec Petr , Deutscher Jan , Futter Martyn
Published: November 2021

In this study, we present evidence for a hydrological regime shift in upland central European forests. Using a combination of long-term data, detailed field measurements and modelling, we show that there is a prolonged and persistent decline in annual runoff:precipitation ratios that is most likely linked to longer growing seasons. We performed a long term (1950–2018) water balance simulation for a Czech upland forest headwater catchment calibrated against measured streamflow and transpiration from deciduous and coniferous stands. Simulations were corroborated by long-term (1965–2018) borehole measurements and historical drought reports. A regime shift from positive to negative catchment water balances likely occurred in the early part of this century. Since 2007, annual runoff:precipitation ratios have been below the long-term average. Annual average temperatures have increased, but there have been no notable long term trends in precipitation. Since 1980, there has been a pronounced April warming, likely leading to earlier leaf out and higher annual transpiration, making water unavailable for runoff generation and/or soil moisture recharge. Our results suggest a regime shift due to second order effects of climate change where increased transpiration associated with a longer growing season leads to a shift from light to water limitation in central European forests. This will require new approaches to managing forests where water limitation has previously not been a problem.
Route Planning of Helicopters Spraying Operations in Multiple Forest Areas
Authors: Fang Shuping , Ru Yu , Liu Yangyang , Hu Chenming , Chen Xuyang , Liu Bin
Published: November 2021

It is of great value to research the problem of forest pest and disease control. Currently, helicopters play an important role in dealing with this problem. However, the spraying route planning still depends on the pilot’s driving experience, which leads to low efficiency and less accurate coverage. For this reason, this paper attempts to use intelligent algorithms to plan the pesticide spraying route for helicopters. When the helicopter is conducting spraying operations in multiple forest areas, the routes are divided into two parts: pesticide spraying routes for individual forest areas and dispatch routes between multiple forest areas. First, the shorter spraying route with fewer turnarounds for individual forest areas was determined. Then a two-layer intelligent algorithm, a combination of a genetic algorithm (GA) and ant colony optimization algorithm (ACO), was designed to determine the dispatch route between multiple forest areas, which is referred to as GAACO-GA. The performance was evaluated in self-created multiple forest areas and compared with other two-layer intelligent algorithms. The results show that the GAACO-GA algorithm found the shortest dispatch route (5032.75 m), which was 5.60%, 5.45%, 6.54%, and 4.07% shorter than that of GA-GA algorithm, simulated annealing-GA (SA-GA) algorithm, ACO-GA algorithm, and particle swarm optimization-GA (PSO-GA) algorithm, respectively. A spraying experiment with a helicopter was conducted near Pigzui Mountain, Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, China. It was found that the flight path obtained from the proposed algorithm was 5.43% shorter than that derived from a manual planning method. The dispatch route length was reduced by 16.93%, the number of turnarounds was reduced by 11 times, and the redundant coverage was reduced by 17.87%. Moreover, helicopter fuel consumption and pesticide consumption decreased by 10.56% and 5.43%, respectively. The proposed algorithm can shorten the application route, reduce the number of turnarounds and the cost of spraying operations, and has the potential for use in spraying operations in smart forestry and agriculture.
Genetic Characterisation of Chestnut Cultivars in Crete
Authors: El Chami Mohamad Ali , Tourvas Nikolaos , Kazakis George , Kalaitzis Panagiotis , Aravanopoulos Filippos A.
Published: November 2021

(1) Background and objectives: Cretan chestnut belongs to sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and has been historically associated with the lifestyle of rural communities with great economic importance. However, chestnut genetic resources in Crete have rarely been studied and assessed, while chestnuts are threatened by several anthropogenic factors. This study assessed the genetic variability of the Cretan sweet chestnut using 59 trees corresponding to the four best-known chestnut cultivars (Strovliani, Rogdiani, Koutsakera and Katharokastania). (2) Materials and Methods: The trees were evaluated using seven simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs): three nSSRs and four EST-SSRs. (3) Results: Genomic SSR results revealed notable genetic diversity in terms of expected heterozygosity, level of polymorphism and effective number of alleles. Moreover, in the four chestnut cultivars, twenty-two unique genotypes were identified, deeming each cultivar to be in fact a multiclonal variety. Genetic differentiation among cultivars was relatively low, though highly significant. Four different groups of synonymies were found: two homonymy groups in Katharokastania and Strovliani, six in Rogdiani and eight in Koutsakera. The cluster analysis and PCoA results reveal two main clusters, one corresponding to the Rogdiani cultivar and the other to Katharokastania, while the other two could not be assigned to a particular group. (4) Conclusions: The null hypothesis of single-clone genotype-to-cultivar correspondence was tested and could not be accepted.
Quantifying the Preference of Stakeholders in the Utilization of Forest Resources
Authors: Yu Boyang , Li Mingchuan , Zheng Bin , Liu Xiaolu , Gao Lan
Published: November 2021

The economic contribution of forest resources to the communities surrounding nature reserves cannot be ignored. The method for which to find a forest resource utilization path to balance the contradiction between local farmers’ economic development and ecological protection in the development of nature reserves is important. However, little attention has been given to the effect of forest resource users’ behavioral preferences on forest resource utilization. This study selected Wolong Nature Reserve as a case study and randomly interviewed different stakeholders with semi-structured questionnaires to investigate the differences in forest resource utilization patterns among stakeholders with different behavioral preferences. According to the results of multi-attribute decision analysis with behavioral preference, stakeholders form different behavioral preferences by judging their own resource endowment. With a change of in the behavioral preference value λ, when the behavioral preference of stakeholders is more pessimistic (λ = 0.1), cautious (λ = 0.3), or neutral (λ = 0.5), they are more inclined to choose the economically dominant forest resource utilization mode; when the behavioral preference of stakeholders is optimistic (λ = 0.7) or even radical (λ = 0.9), they choose the eco-economic or eco-dominant forest resource utilization mode, respectively. This study confirms that stakeholders’ behavioral preferences have an important impact on forest resource utilization patterns. Therefore, policy making should focus on improving the economic benefits of forest resources and providing alternative livelihoods, which will change the resource endowment of the stakeholders of nature reserve, guide them to turn to relatively optimistic behavioral preferences, enhance their awareness and motivation of ecological protection, and thereby improve forest conservation outcomes.
Effects of NaCl and CaCl2 Salinization on Morpho-Anatomical and Physiological Traits of Potted Callistemon citrinus Plants
Authors: De Micco Veronica , Arena Carmen , Amitrano Chiara , Rouphael Youssef , De Pascale Stefania , Cirillo Chiara
Published: November 2021

The aim of this work was to assess the possible coordination mechanisms between leaf functional anatomical traits and physiological acclimation of potted Callistemon citrinus plants when subjected to two saline iso-osmotic solutions using NaCl or CaCl2. Digital image analysis was applied to quantify anatomical parameters with a specific focus on the occurrence of signs of structural damage as well as on alterations, such as the occurrence of shrunk tissues and accumulation of phenolic compounds. Morpho-anatomical analyses were accompanied by measurements of leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence emission. Results showed that C. citrinus plants, when irrigated with the CaCl2 solution, induced a leaf morpho-anatomical structure which did not allow the maintenance of high photosynthetic performance under such conditions, compared to both controls and plants treated with the iso-osmotic solution of NaCl. Data collected seem to suggest a close relationship between anatomical traits and eco-physiological strategies in maintaining the photosynthetic efficiency under saline stress conditions and highlight the fundamental role of leaf anatomy in imposing the limits of plant physiology.
An Efficient Deep Convolutional Neural Network Approach for Object Detection and Recognition Using a Multi-Scale Anchor Box in Real-Time
Authors: Varadarajan Vijayakumar , Garg Dweepna , Kotecha Ketan
Published: November 2021

Deep learning is a relatively new branch of machine learning in which computers are taught to recognize patterns in massive volumes of data. It primarily describes learning at various levels of representation, which aids in understanding data that includes text, voice, and visuals. Convolutional neural networks have been used to solve challenges in computer vision, including object identification, image classification, semantic segmentation and a lot more. Object detection in videos involves confirming the presence of the object in the image or video and then locating it accurately for recognition. In the video, modelling techniques suffer from high computation and memory costs, which may decrease performance measures such as accuracy and efficiency to identify the object accurately in real-time. The current object detection technique based on a deep convolution neural network requires executing multilevel convolution and pooling operations on the entire image to extract deep semantic properties from it. For large objects, detection models can provide superior results; however, those models fail to detect the varying size of the objects that have low resolution and are greatly influenced by noise because the features after the repeated convolution operations of existing models do not fully represent the essential characteristics of the objects in real-time. With the help of a multi-scale anchor box, the proposed approach reported in this paper enhances the detection accuracy by extracting features at multiple convolution levels of the object. The major contribution of this paper is to design a model to understand better the parameters and the hyper-parameters which affect the detection and the recognition of objects of varying sizes and shapes, and to achieve real-time object detection and recognition speeds by improving accuracy. The proposed model has achieved 84.49 mAP on the test set of the Pascal VOC-2007 dataset at 11 FPS, which is comparatively better than other real-time object detection models.
Time Optimization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using an Augmented Path
Authors: Md Abdul Quadir , Agrawal Divyank , Mehta Monark , Sivaraman Arun Kumar , Tee Kong Fah
Published: November 2021

With the pandemic gripping the entire humanity and with uncertainty hovering like a black cloud over all our future sustainability and growth, it became almost apparent that though the development and advancement are at their peak, we are still not ready for the worst. New and better solutions need to be applied so that we will be capable of fighting these conditions. One such prospect is delivery, where everything has to be changed, and each parcel, which was passed people to people, department to department, has to be made contactless throughout with as little error as possible. Thus, the prospect of drone delivery and its importance came around with optimization of the existing system for making it useful in the prospects of delivery of important items like medicines, vaccines, etc. These modular AI-guided drones are faster, efficient, less expensive, and less power-consuming than the actual delivery.
Role and Regulation of the RECQL4 Family during Genomic Integrity Maintenance
Authors: Luong Thong T. , Bernstein Kara A.
Published: November 2021

RECQL4 is a member of the evolutionarily conserved RecQ family of 3’ to 5’ DNA helicases. RECQL4 is critical for maintaining genomic stability through its functions in DNA repair, recombination, and replication. Unlike many DNA repair proteins, RECQL4 has unique functions in many of the central DNA repair pathways such as replication, telomere, double-strand break repair, base excision repair, mitochondrial maintenance, nucleotide excision repair, and crosslink repair. Consistent with these diverse roles, mutations in RECQL4 are associated with three distinct genetic diseases, which are characterized by developmental defects and/or cancer predisposition. In this review, we provide an overview of the roles and regulation of RECQL4 during maintenance of genome homeostasis.
Weaving Mitochondrial DNA and Y-Chromosome Variation in the Panamanian Genetic Canvas
Authors: Rambaldi Migliore Nicola , Colombo Giulia , Capodiferro Marco Rosario , Mazzocchi Lucia , Chero Osorio Ana Maria , Raveane Alessandro , Tribaldos Maribel , Perego Ugo Alessandro , Mendizábal Tomás , Montón Alejandro García , Lombardo Gianluca , Grugni Viola , Garofalo Maria , Ferretti Luca , Cereda Cristina , Gagliardi Stella , Cooke Richard , Smith-Guzmán Nicole , Olivieri Anna , Aram Bethany , Torroni Antonio , Motta Jorge , Semino Ornella , Achilli Alessandro
Published: November 2021

The Isthmus of Panama was a crossroads between North and South America during the continent’s first peopling (and subsequent movements) also playing a pivotal role during European colonization and the African slave trade. Previous analyses of uniparental systems revealed significant sex biases in the genetic history of Panamanians, as testified by the high proportions of Indigenous and sub-Saharan mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) and by the prevalence of Western European/northern African Y chromosomes. Those studies were conducted on the general population without considering any self-reported ethnic affiliations. Here, we compared the mtDNA and Y-chromosome lineages of a new sample collection from 431 individuals (301 males and 130 females) belonging to either the general population, mixed groups, or one of five Indigenous groups currently living in Panama. We found different proportions of paternal and maternal lineages in the Indigenous groups testifying to pre-contact demographic events and genetic inputs (some dated to Pleistocene times) that created genetic structure. Then, while the local mitochondrial gene pool was marginally involved in post-contact admixtures, the Indigenous Y chromosomes were differentially replaced, mostly by lineages of western Eurasian origin. Finally, our new estimates of the sub-Saharan contribution, on a more accurately defined general population, reduce an apparent divergence between genetic and historical data.
Genome-Wide Selective Signatures Reveal Candidate Genes Associated with Hair Follicle Development and Wool Shedding in Sheep
Authors: Lei Zhihui , Sun Weibo , Guo Tingting , Li Jianye , Zhu Shaohua , Lu Zengkui , Qiao Guoyan , Han Mei , Zhao Hongchang , Yang Bohui , Zhang Liping , Liu Jianbin , Yuan Chao , Yue Yaojing
Published: November 2021

Hair follicle development and wool shedding in sheep are poorly understood. This study investigated the population structures and genetic differences between sheep with different wool types to identify candidate genes related to these traits. We used Illumina ovine SNP 50K chip genotyping data of 795 sheep populations comprising 27 breeds with two wool types, measuring the population differentiation index (Fst), nucleotide diversity (θπ ratio), and extended haplotype homozygosity among populations (XP-EHH) to detect the selective signatures of hair sheep and fine-wool sheep. The top 5% of the Fst and θπ ratio values, and values of XP-EHH < −2 were considered strongly selected SNP sites. Annotation showed that the PRX, SOX18, TGM3, and TCF3 genes related to hair follicle development and wool shedding were strongly selected. Our results indicated that these methods identified important genes related to hair follicle formation, epidermal differentiation, and hair follicle stem cell development, and provide a meaningful reference for further study on the molecular mechanisms of economically important traits in sheep.
Heritability and Genomic Architecture of Episodic Exercise-Induced Collapse in Border Collies
Authors: Norton Elaine M. , Minor Katie M. , Taylor Susan M. , McCue Molly E. , Mickelson James R.
Published: November 2021

An episodic nervous system disorder triggered by strenuous exercise, termed border collie collapse (BCC), exists in border collies and related breeds. The genetic basis of BCC is unknown but is believed to be a complex genetic disorder. Our goal was to estimate the heritability (h2SNP) of BCC, define its underlying genetic architecture, and identify associated genomic loci using dense whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data. Genotype data were obtained for ~440,000 SNPs from 343 border collies (168 BCC cases and 175 controls). h2SNP was calculated to be 49–61% depending on the estimated BCC prevalence. A total of 2407 SNPs across the genome accounted for nearly all the h2SNP of BCC, with an estimated 2003 SNPs of small effect, 349 SNPs of moderate effect, and 56 SNPs of large effect. Genome-wide association analyses identified significantly associated loci on chromosomes 1, 6, 11, 20, and 28, which accounted for ~5% of the total BCC h2SNP. We conclude that BCC is a moderately- to highly-heritable complex polygenetic disease resulting from contributions from hundreds to thousands of genetic variants with variable effect sizes. Understanding how much the BCC phenotype is determined by genetics and whether major gene mutations are likely to exist inform veterinarians and working/stock dog communities of the true nature of this condition.
Is miRNA Regulation the Key to Controlling Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Evolution?
Authors: Tamas Tiberiu , Baciut Mihaela , Nutu Andreea , Bran Simion , Armencea Gabriel , Stoia Sebastian , Manea Avram , Crisan Liana , Opris Horia , Onisor Florin , Baciut Grigore , Crisan Bogdan , Opris Daiana , Bumbu Bogdan , Tamas Adela , Dinu Cristian
Published: November 2021

Non melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is one of the most common types of skin cancer. It has a number of subtypes, which include basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. MicroRNAs are short, non-coding RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecules, capable of regulating gene expression at a post transcriptional level. They play a pivotal role in a variety of physiologic cellular functions and pathologies, including malignant diseases. The development of miRNAs represents an important study field, which has been extensively exploited in melanoma for almost a decade with promising results, therefore we consider it a stepstone for further research projects also in non-melanoma skin cancers. The aim of our study was to explore the current literature in order to present the role of the different miRNAs in some of the most frequent types of NMSC pertaining to oncogenesis, evolution and therapy. The most relevant and accurate available data from the literature were evaluated. Our study concluded that there are almost 100 miRNAs which can be upregulated or downregulated and can play a role in oncogenesis. They can be easily identified in circulation, are stable and they can be important diagnosis/prognosis and therapy monitoring markers.
MiR-138-5p Suppresses Cell Growth and Migration in Melanoma by Targeting Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase
Authors: Tarazón Estefanía , de Unamuno Bustos Blanca , Murria Estal Rosa , Pérez Simó Gema , Sahuquillo Torralba Antonio , Simarro Javier , Palanca Suela Sarai , Botella Estrada Rafael
Published: November 2021

Recent evidence suggests the existence of a miRNA regulatory network involving human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT), with miR-138-5p playing a central role in many types of cancers. However, little is known about the regulation of hTERT expression by microRNA (miRNAs) in melanocytic tumors. Here, we investigated the effects of miR-138-5p in hTERT regulation in melanoma cells lines. In vitro studies demonstrated higher miR-138-5p and lower hTERT messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in human epidermal melanocytes, compared with melanoma cell lines (A2058, A375, SK-MEL-28) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) observing a negative correlation between them. A2058 melanoma cells were selected to be transfected with miR-138-5p mimic or inhibitor. Using luciferase assay, hTERT was identified as a direct target of this miRNA. Overexpression of miR-138-5p detected by Western blot revealed a decrease in hTERT protein expression (p = 0.012), and qPCR showed a reduction in telomerase activity (p < 0.001). Moreover, suppressions in cell growth (p = 0.035) and migration abilities (p = 0.015) were observed in A2058-transfected cells using thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide and flow cytometry, respectively. This study identifies miR-138-5p as a crucial tumor suppressor miRNA involved in telomerase regulation. Targeting it as a combination therapy with immunotherapy or targeted therapies could be used in advanced melanoma treatment; however, more preclinical studies are necessary.
Geoscience Fieldwork in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond: Commentary on the Development of a Virtual Geological Field Trip to Whitefish Falls, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Peace Alexander L. , Gabriel Jeremy J. , Eyles Carolyn
Published: November 2021

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant cancelation of geoscience fieldwork, as well as outstanding accessibility issues inherent in conducting fieldwork, we developed a virtual geological fieldtrip (VFT) to the Huronian age deposits in the Whitefish Falls area, Ontario, Canada. This region is a geologically significant site in which many Ontario universities conduct undergraduate teaching due to the high-quality exposures. In this contribution, we describe and comment on the development of this openly available resource, the motivations in doing so, the challenges faced, its pedagogical impact and relevance, as well as provide suggestions to others in the development of such resources. Our multimedia VFT combines 360° imagery, georeferenced data on integrated maps, and multi-scale imagery (aerial/drone, outcrop, and thin section images). The VFT was built using the Esri Storymaps platform, and thus offers us the opportunity to review the effectiveness of building such resources using this medium, as well as our approach to doing so. We conclude that the Esri Storymaps platform provides a sound medium for the dissemination of multimedia VFTs, but that some aspects of in-person fieldwork remain hard to replicate. Most notably, this affects “hands on experience” and specific activities such as geological mapping. In addition, while VFTs alleviate some accessibility barriers to geoscience fieldwork, substantial barriers remain that should remain the focus of both pedagogical and geoscience work.
A Comparison of Country’s Cultural Dimensions and Health Outcomes
Authors: Matus Justin C.
Published: November 2021

Research comparing health care systems of countries, with a particular emphasis on health care spending and health care outcomes, has found unexplained differences which are often attributed to the countries’ cultures, yet these cultural dimensions are never completely identified or measured. This study examines if culture predicts a country’s population health, measured as life expectancy and health care spending. Using the Hofstede country-level measures (six dimensions) of culture as independent variables, two regression models to predict life expectancy and per capita health care using 2016 World Bank data were developed. The original data set included 112 countries which was reduced to a final total of 60 due to missing or incomplete data. The first regression model, predicting life expectancy, indicated an adjusted R square of 0.45. The second regression model, predicting per capita health care spending, indicated an adjusted R square of 0.63. The study suggests culture is a predictor of both life expectancy and health care spending. However, by creating a composite measure for all six culture measures, we have not found a significant association between culture and life expectancy and healthcare expenditure. The study is limited by small sample size, differences in geography, climate and political systems. Future research should examine more closely the relative influence of individualism on life expectancy and assumptions about models of socialized medicine.