bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contour Tracking Control of a Linear Motors-Driven X-Y-Y Stage Using Auto-Tuning Cross-Coupled 2DOF PID Control Approach
Authors: Chen Syuan-Yi , Chien Zi-Jie , Wang Wei-Yen , Chiang Hsin-Han
Published: December 2020

Linear motors (LMs) are widely used in numerous industry automation where precise and fast motions are required to convert electric energy into linear actuation without the need of any switching mechanism. This study aims to develop a control strategy of auto-tuning cross-coupled two-degree-of-freedom proportional-integral-derivative (ACC2PID) to achieve extremely high-precision contour control of a LMs-driven X-Y-Y stage. Three 2PID controllers are developed to control the mover positions in individual axes while two compensators are designed to eliminate the contour errors in biaxial motions. Furthermore, an improved artificial bee colony algorithm is employed as a powerful optimization technique so that all the control parameters can be concurrently evaluated and optimized online while ensuring the non-fragility of the proposed controller. In this way, the tracking error in each axis and contour errors of the biaxial motions can be concurrently minimized, and further, satisfactory positioning accuracy and synchronization performance can be achieved. Finally, the experimental comparison results confirm the validity of the proposed ACC2PID control system regarding the multi-axis contour tracking control of the highly uncertain and nonlinear LMs-driven X-Y-Y stage.
Impact of Environmental Conditions on Grass Phenology in the Regional Climate Model COSMO-CLM
Authors: Hartmann Eva , Schulz Jan-Peter , Seibert Ruben , Schmidt Marius , Zhang Mingyue , Luterbacher Jürg , Tölle Merja H.
Published: December 2020

Feedbacks of plant phenology to the regional climate system affect fluxes of energy, water, CO2, biogenic volatile organic compounds as well as canopy conductance, surface roughness length, and are influencing the seasonality of albedo. We performed simulations with the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM) at three locations in Germany covering the period 1999 to 2015 in order to study the sensitivity of grass phenology to different environmental conditions by implementing a new phenology module. We provide new evidence that the annually-recurring standard phenology of CCLM is improved by the new calculation of leaf area index (LAI) dependent upon surface temperature, day length, and water availability. Results with the new phenology implemented in the model show a significantly higher correlation with observations than simulations with the standard phenology. The interannual variability of LAI improves the representation of vegetation in years with extremely warm winter/spring (e.g., 2007) or extremely dry summer (e.g., 2003) and shows a more realistic growth period. The effect of the newly implemented phenology on atmospheric variables is small but tends to be positive. It should be used in future applications with an extension on more plant functional types.
Epigenetic Modifier SETD8 as a Therapeutic Target for High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Wada Miku , Kukita Asako , Sone Kenbun , Hamamoto Ryuji , Kaneko Syuzo , Komatsu Masaaki , Takahashi Yu , Inoue Futaba , Kojima Machiko , Honjoh Harunori , Taguchi Ayumi , Kashiyama Tomoko , Miyamoto Yuichiro , Tanikawa Michihiro , Tsuruga Tetsushi , Mori-Uchino Mayuyo , Wada-Hiraike Osamu , Osuga Yutaka , Fujii Tomoyuki
Published: December 2020

The histone methyltransferase SETD8, which methylates the lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20), is reportedly involved in human carcinogenesis along with nonhistone proteins such as p53. However, its expression profiles and functions in the context of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) are still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of SETD8 in HGSOC. We performed quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of SETD8 in HGSOC samples and normal ovarian specimens. Then, we assessed the effect of the inhibition of SETD8 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and a selective inhibitor (UNC0379) on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HGSOC cells. The expression of SETD8 was significantly upregulated in clinical ovarian cancer specimens compared to that in the corresponding normal ovary. In addition, suppression of SETD8 expression in HGSOC cells with either siRNA or UNC0379 resulted in reduced levels of H4K20 monomethylation, inhibition of cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, UNC0379 showed a long-term antitumor effect against HGSOC cells, as demonstrated by colony-formation assays. SETD8 thus constitutes a promising therapeutic target for HGSOC, warranting further functional studies.
Interdigitated Sensor Optimization for Blood Sample Analysis
Authors: Claudel Julien , Ngo Thanh-Tuan , Kourtiche Djilali , Nadi Mustapha
Published: December 2020

Interdigitated (ITD) sensors are specially adapted for the bioimpedance analysis (BIA) of low-volume (microliter scale) biological samples. Impedance spectroscopy is a fast method involving simple and easy biological sample preparation. The geometry of an ITD sensor makes it easier to deposit a sample at the microscopic scale of the electrodes. At this scale, the electrode size induces an increase in the double-layer effect, which may completely limit interesting bandwidths in the impedance measurements. This work focuses on ITD sensor frequency band optimization via an original study of the impact of the metalization ratio α. An electrical sensor model was studied to determine the best α ratio. A ratio of 0.6 was able to improve the low-frequency cutoff by a factor of up to 2.5. This theoretical approach was confirmed by measurements of blood samples with three sensors. The optimized sensor was able to extract the intrinsic electrical properties of blood in the frequency band of interest.
Ag Functionalization of Al-Doped ZnO Nanostructured Coatings on PLA Substrate for Antibacterial Applications
Authors: Valerini Daniele , Tammaro Loredana , Vigliotta Giovanni , Picariello Enrica , Banfi Francesco , Cavaliere Emanuele , Ciambriello Luca , Gavioli Luca
Published: December 2020

Developing smart, environmentally friendly, and effective antibacterial surfaces is fundamental to contrast the diffusion of human infections and diseases for applications in the biomedical and food packaging sectors. To this purpose, here we combine aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and Ag to grow nanostructured composite coatings on bioplastic polylactide (PLA) substrates. The AZO layers are grown by RF magnetron sputtering, and then functionalized with Ag in atomic form by RF magnetron sputtering and in form of nanoparticles by supersonic cluster beam deposition. We compare the morphology, wettability, and antimicrobial performance of the nanostructured coatings obtained by the two methods. The different growth modes in the two techniques used for Ag functionalization are found to produce some differences in the surface morphology, which, however, do not induce significant differences in the wettability and antimicrobial response of the coatings. The antibacterial activity is investigated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as representatives of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, respectively. A preferential antimicrobial action of Ag on the first species and of AZO on the second one is evidenced. Through their combination, we obtain a hybrid composite coating taking advantage of the synergistic dual action of the two materials deposited, with a total bacterial suppression within few minutes for the first species and few hours for the second one, thus representing a valuable solution as a wide-spectrum bactericidal device.
Distribution of Characteristic Times: A High-Resolution Spectrum Approach for Visualizing Chemical Relaxation and Resolving Kinetic Parameters of Ionic-Electronic Conducting Ceramic Oxides
Authors: Yan Fuyao , Wang Yiheng , Yang Ying , Zhu Lei , Hu Hui , Tang Zhuofu , Zhang Yanxiang , Yan Mufu , Xia Changrong , Xu Yueming
Published: December 2020

Surface exchange coefficient (k) and bulk diffusion coefficient (D) are important properties to evaluate the performance of mixed ionic-electronic conducting (MIEC) ceramic oxides for use in energy conversion devices, such as solid oxide fuel cells. The values of k and D are usually estimated by a non-linear curve fitting procedure based on electrical conductivity relaxation (ECR) measurement. However, the rate-limiting mechanism (or the availability of k and D) and the experimental imperfections (such as flush delay for gaseous composition change, τf) are not reflected explicitly in the time–domain ECR data, and the accuracy of k and D demands a careful sensitivity analysis of the fitting error. Here, the distribution of characteristic times (DCT) converted from time–domain ECR data is proposed to overcome the above challenges. It is demonstrated that, from the DCT spectrum, the rate-limiting mechanism and the effect of τf are easily recognized, and the values of k, D and τf can be determined conjunctly. A strong robustness of determination of k and D is verified using noise-containing ECR data. The DCT spectrum opens up a way towards visible and credible determination of kinetic parameters of MIEC ceramic oxides.
Antimycobacterial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity Activities of Mesoporous Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles for Healthcare
Authors: Kote Jivan R. , Kadam Ambadas S. , Ubaidullah Mohd , Al-Enizi Abdullah M. , A. Al-Abdrabalnabi Mohammed , Nafady Ayman , Imran Muhammad , Mane Rajaram S.
Published: December 2020

Nanobiotechnology has offered great attention in drug delivery and the development of various medicines used to treat microorganism infections. The present investigation deals with antimycobacterial activity, in-vitro hemolysis assay, and antioxidant activity of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs). NiO NPs, with controlled size and shape, prepared by a simple and inexpensive successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method was scanned using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) digital images for surface morphology confirmation. Spherical irregular island-type NPs of about 24 nm diameter are obtained. The X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrates the synthesis of polycrystalline and cubic in phase NiO NPs. The Raman spectrum has revealed the presence of two vibration bands cantered at 550 and 1095 cm−1 for one photon longitudinal optical, and two longitudinal optical modes, respectively. The as-prepared NiO NPs endow 10 µg/mL against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis, MTCC-300) and 10 µg/mL against Mycobacterium phlei (M. phlei, MTCC-1723) inhibitory concentrations. The hemolytic activity of NiO NPs has also been explored. The antioxidant result demonstrates 63.44% for NiO NPs over 88.23% for standard, i.e., di(phenyl)-(2, 4, 6-trinitrophenyl) viminoazaniun antioxidant. Taken together, NiO NPs act as a potential candidate against mycobacteria.
Final Publication of the “Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics” and New Prospectives of Cosmetic Science in China
Authors: Su Zhe , Luo Fei-ya , Pei Xin-rong , Zhang Feng-lan , Xing Shu-xia , Wang Gang-li
Published: December 2020

In June 2020, the new “Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics” (CSAR) was finally issued and published in China. This is the first revision of the “Regulations on Hygiene Supervision of Cosmetics” (CHSR) since its publication in 1989. As the basic and fundamental legislation for cosmetics, CSAR has a far-reaching impact on the whole industry and also reveals new trends in scientific research work. To provide an interpretation of this regulation and help enterprises and researchers better understand the new policies, in this study, the main contents of CSAR and its regulatory system were introduced, and the major changes and background considerations were summarized, especially in the definition and scope of cosmetics, classification and categorization, ingredient management, safety evaluation, efficacy substantiation and technical evaluation work. A brief review of technical progress worldwide and a comparison of regulatory requirements were provided where necessary. Finally, new prospects of cosmetic science in China were discussed. In conclusion, CSAR will initiate a renewed and integrated regulatory system for cosmetics. Advanced concepts of supervision, encouragement of innovation, utilization of technical approaches and emphasis on scientific investigations are reflected in the regulations, which will deeply influence the development of both cosmetic products and new ingredients. With all these new challenges and opportunities, everyone involved should get prepared.
The Impact of Interfacial Charge Trapping on the Reproducibility of Measurements of Silicon Carbide MOSFET Device Parameters
Authors: Feil Maximilian W. , Huerner Andreas , Puschkarsky Katja , Schleich Christian , Aichinger Thomas , Gustin Wolfgang , Reisinger Hans , Grasser Tibor
Published: December 2020

Silicon carbide is an emerging material in the field of wide band gap semiconductor devices. Due to its high critical breakdown field and high thermal conductance, silicon carbide MOSFET devices are predestined for high-power applications. The concentration of defects with short capture and emission time constants is higher than in silicon technologies by orders of magnitude which introduces threshold voltage dynamics in the volt regime even on very short time scales. Measurements are heavily affected by timing of readouts and the applied gate voltage before and during the measurement. As a consequence, device parameter determination is not as reproducible as in the case of silicon technologies. Consequent challenges for engineers and researchers to measure device parameters have to be evaluated. In this study, we show how the threshold voltage of planar and trench silicon carbide MOSFET devices of several manufacturers react on short gate pulses of different lengths and voltages and how they influence the outcome of application-relevant pulsed current-voltage characteristics. Measurements are performed via a feedback loop allowing in-situ tracking of the threshold voltage with a measurement delay time of only 1 μs. Device preconditioning, recently suggested to enable reproducible BTI measurements, is investigated in the context of device parameter determination by varying the voltage and the length of the preconditioning pulse.
Open-Source Drone Programming Course for Distance Engineering Education
Authors: Cañas José M. , Martín-Martín Diego , Arias Pedro , Vega Julio , Roldán-Álvarez David , García-Pérez Lía , Fernández-Conde Jesús
Published: December 2020

This article presents a full course for autonomous aerial robotics inside the RoboticsAcademy framework. This “drone programming” course is open-access and ready-to-use for any teacher/student to teach/learn drone programming with it for free. The students may program diverse drones on their computers without a physical presence in this course. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) applications are essentially practical, as their intelligence resides in the software part. Therefore, the proposed course emphasizes drone programming through practical learning. It comprises a collection of exercises resembling drone applications in real life, such as following a road, visual landing, and people search and rescue, including their corresponding background theory. The course has been successfully taught for five years to students from several university engineering degrees. Some exercises from the course have also been validated in three aerial robotics competitions, including an international one. RoboticsAcademy is also briefly presented in the paper. It is an open framework for distance robotics learning in engineering degrees. It has been designed as a practical complement to the typical online videos of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Its educational contents are built upon robot operating system (ROS) middleware (de facto standard in robot programming), the powerful 3D Gazebo simulator, and the widely used Python programming language. Additionally, RoboticsAcademy is a suitable tool for gamified learning and online robotics competitions, as it includes several competitive exercises and automatic assessment tools.
Wideband Band-Pass Filter Design Using Coupled Line Cross-Shaped Resonator
Authors: La Dong-Sheng , Guan Xin , Chen Shuai-Ming , Li Yu-Ying , Guo Jing-Wei
Published: December 2020

In this paper, a wideband bandpass filter with a coupled line cross-shaped resonator (CLCSR) is proposed. The proposed bandpass filter is composed of two open-end parallel coupled lines, one short-end parallel coupled line, one branch microstrip line, and the parallel coupled line feed structure. With the use of the even and odd mode approach, the transmission zeros and transmission poles of the proposed bandpass filter are analyzed. The coupling coefficient of the parallel coupled line feed structure is big, so the distance between the parallel coupled line is too small to be processed. A three microstirp lines coupled structure is used to realize strong coupling and cross coupling. This structure also can reduce the return loss in passband and increase the out-of-band rejection. The transmission zeros can be adjusted easily by varying the lengths of the open-end parallel coupled line or the short-end parallel coupled line. The proposed bandpass filter is fabricated and measured. The simulated results agree well with the measured ones, which shows that the design method is valid.
Contribution of Xylem Anatomy to Tree-Ring Width of Two Larch Species in Permafrost and Non-Permafrost Zones of Siberia
Authors: Popkova Margarita I. , Shishov Vladimir V. , Vaganov Eugene A. , Fonti Marina V. , Kirdyanov Alexander V. , Babushkina Elena A. , Huang Jian-Guo , Rossi Sergio
Published: December 2020

Plants exhibit morphological and anatomical adaptations to cope the environmental constraints of their habitat. How can mechanisms for adapting to contrasting environmental conditions change the patterns of tree rings formation? In this study, we explored differences in climatic conditions of permafrost and non-permafrost zones and assessed their influence on radial growth and wood traits of Larix gmelinii Rupr (Rupr) and Larix sibirica L., respectively. We quantified the contribution of xylem cell anatomy to the tree-ring width variability. Comparison of the anatomical tree-ring parameters over the period 1963–2011 was tested based on non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The generalized linear modeling shows the common dependence between TRW and the cell structure characteristics in contrasting environments, which can be defined as non-specific to external conditions. Thus, the relationship between the tree-ring width and the cell production in early- and latewood are assessed as linear, whereas the dependence between the radial cell size in early- and latewood and the tree-ring width becomes significantly non-linear for both habitats. Moreover, contribution of earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) cells to the variation of TRW (in average 56.8% and 24.4% respectively) was significantly higher than the effect of cell diameters (3.3% (EW) and 17.4% (LW)) for the environments. The results show that different larch species from sites with diverging climatic conditions converge towards similar xylem cell structures and relationships between xylem production and cell traits. The work makes a link between climate and tree-ring structure, and promotes a better understanding the anatomical adaptation of larch species to local environment conditions.
Dynamics in Stoichiometric Traits and Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Pools across Three Different-Aged Picea asperata Mast. Plantations on the Eastern Tibet Plateau
Authors: Cao Jixin , Pan Hong , Chen Zhan , Shang He
Published: December 2020

Understanding the variations in soil and plants with stand aging is important for improving management measures to promote the sustainable development of plantations. However, few studies have been conducted on the dynamics of stoichiometric traits and carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) pools across Picea asperata Mast plantations of different ages in subalpine regions. In the present study, we examined the stoichiometric traits and C, N, and P stocks in different components of three different aged (22-, 32-, and 42-year-old) P. asperata plantations by plot-level inventories. We hypothesized that the stoichiometric traits in mineral soil could shape the corresponding stoichiometric traits in soil microbes, tree roots and foliage, and the C, N, and P stocks of the total P. asperata plantation ecosystem would increase with increasing stand age. Our results show that the N:P ratio in mineral soil was significantly correlated with that in tree foliage and herbs. Additionally, the C:N ratio and C:P ratio in mineral soil only correlated with the corresponding stoichiometric traits in soil microbes and forest floor, respectively. Both the fractions of microbial biomass C in soil organic C and microbial biomass N in soil total N decreased with increasing stand age. The C, N, and P stocks of the total ecosystem did not continuously increase across stand development. In particular, the P stock of the total ecosystem exhibited a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The aboveground tree biomass C accounted for more than 55% of the total ecosystem C stock regardless of stand age. In contrast, mineral soil and forest floor were the major contributors to the total ecosystem N and P stocks in all stands. This study suggested that all three different stands were N limited, and the stoichiometric homeostasis in the roots of P. asperata was more stable than that in the foliage. In addition, the soil microbial community assembly may change with increasing stand age for P. asperata plantations in the subalpine region.
Investigation of the Factors Affecting Artificial Seed Sowing Success and Seedling Survival in Pinus brutia Natural Stands in Middle Elevations of Central Cyprus
Authors: Petrou Petros , Milios Elias
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study was to analyze the germination of Pinus brutia Ten. seeds, in the field, in relation to factors such as period of sowing, light environment, and watering, in sites of different productivity in the middle elevations in central Cyprus. Two sowing experiments were conducted in three sites of different productivity. In the first experiment P. brutia seed sowing took place in February 2009 in two sowing environments which were gap and under canopy environments. The shade conditions in those environments were determined using hemispherical photographs. Also, the influence of watering on the seed germination was checked. In the second experiment, which was established in the same areas as in the first experiment, the seed sowing took place in December 2009. However, in this case, no watering was applied during the germination period. Moreover, the survival of the seedlings from both sowing periods were monitored up to the end of 2010. During the period of monitoring, the influence of watering was checked. The germination rates of seeds from the February sowing were very low. On the contrary, from the December sowing, the germination rates of seeds were very high in both sowing environments in all studied sites. In the case of seedling survival from the February and December sowing, mortality rates were relatively high in all sites except from the under-canopy sowing environment where watering was applied in the medium productivity site. From the December sowing, from a practical point of view, the number of survived seedlings, in all the plots of the three sites can be considered adequate for the successful regeneration of P. brutia.
Stress and Anxiety Levels in Pregnant and Post-Partum Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Stepowicz Anna , Wencka Barbara , Bieńkiewicz Jan , Horzelski Wojciech , Grzesiak Mariusz
Published: December 2020

The aim of this study was to analyze stress and anxiety levels experienced by pregnant and post-partum women during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to indicate the social and medical factors that could contribute to stress and anxiety. A total of 210 patients were enrolled in the study. Two well-established test-tools were applied: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The study revealed that the levels of stress and anxiety experienced by the surveyed patients were moderate to high. We demonstrated that women with mental treatment history, those in the first trimester of pregnancy and the ones that are single or in an informal relationship tend to experience higher levels of psychological distress and anxiety. Such factors as age, education, parity, eventful obstetric history, comorbidities, and the number of hospital stays proved to be statistically insignificant in the analysis. Our findings could be used to identify patients at greater risk of experiencing adverse mental effects and to provide them with adequate psychological support. Further multi-center studies are warranted in order to draw final conclusions.
One Abutment One Time: A Multicenter, Prospective, Controlled, Randomized Study
Authors: Ríos-Santos José Vicente , Tello-González Gregorio , Lázaro-Calvo Pedro , Gil Mur Francisco Javier , Ríos-Carrasco Blanca , Fernández-Palacín Ana , Herrero-Climent Mariano
Published: December 2020

Aim: (PRIMARY) Assess the changes in bone level (6 and 12 months after implant placement) between the test (definitive abutment (DEF)) and control (healing abutment (HEA)) groups. (SECONDARY) Assess the changes in bone level (6 and 12 months after implant placement) between the 1 mm high abutment group and 2 mm abutment group. Evaluate changes in implant stability recorded with analysis of the resonance frequency (RFA) Osstell system, at 6 and 12 months after implant placement, between the control group (HEA) and test (DEF). For the DEF group, the abutment was placed at the time of the surgery and was never removed. For the HEA group, the abutment was removed three times during the manufacture of the crowns. The abutments used were 1 mm high (Subgroup A) and 2 mm high (Subgroup B). Materials and methods: A total of 147 patients were selected between 54.82 ± 11.92 years old. After implant placement, patients were randomly distributed in the DEF and HEA group. After the implant placement, a periapical radiograph was taken to assess the peri-implant bone level; the same procedure was carried out 6 and 12 months post-placement. To compare the qualitative variables between the groups (HEA/DEF), the Chi-square test was used; for quantitative (MANOVA). Results: After a year, the accumulated bone loss was 0.48 ± 0.71 mm for the HEA group and 0.36 ± 0.79 mm for the DEF group, without statistical significance. Differences were only found due to timing (time) between 0 and 6 months (=0.001) and 0 and 12 months (0.001), with no differences attributable to the study groups (DEF and HEA). The accumulated bone loss (1 year) was 0.45 ± 0.78 mm for the 1 mm abutment group and 0.41 ± 0.70 mm for the 2 mm abutment group (p = 0.02). No differences were observed in implant stability between groups. Conclusions: The “One Abutment—One Time” concept does not reduce peri-implant bone loss compared to the connection–disconnection technique. The height of the abutment does influence bone loss: the higher the abutment, the lower the bone loss.
Association of Exposure to a Combination of Ergonomic Risk Factors with Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Korean Workers
Authors: Park Jungsun , Kim Yangho
Published: December 2020

This study examined the relationship of musculoskeletal symptoms with exposure to a combination of ergonomic risk factors at work and the possible ameliorating effect of enough time to rest during working hours or between consecutive shifts in Korean workers. Data were from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey. Workers exposed to ergonomic risk factors were more likely to report musculoskeletal symptoms than those without exposure, and exposure to more ergonomic risk factors increased the probability of musculoskeletal symptoms. Workers who had the opportunity to rest when desired and those who had enough time to rest between consecutive shifts were less likely to report musculoskeletal symptoms. In conclusion, workers exposed to more ergonomic risk factors had an increased risk for musculoskeletal symptoms, and providing enough time to rest and recovery to workers reduced the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms.
Erratum: Khan, A.A., et al. Survival and Estimation of Direct Medical Costs of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Short Title: COVID-19 Survival and Cost in Saudi Arabia). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 7458
Authors: Khan Anas A. , AlRuthia Yazed , Balkhi Bander , Alghadeer Sultan M. , Temsah Mohamad-Hani , Althunayyan Saqer M. , Alsofayan Yousef M.
Published: December 2020

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Various Aspects of a Gene Editing System—CRISPR–Cas9
Authors: Janik Edyta , Niemcewicz Marcin , Ceremuga Michal , Krzowski Lukasz , Saluk-Bijak Joanna , Bijak Michal
Published: December 2020

The discovery of clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and their cooperation with CRISPR-associated (Cas) genes is one of the greatest advances of the century and has marked their application as a powerful genome engineering tool. The CRISPR–Cas system was discovered as a part of the adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea to defend from plasmids and phages. CRISPR has been found to be an advanced alternative to zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) for gene editing and regulation, as the CRISPR–Cas9 protein remains the same for various gene targets and just a short guide RNA sequence needs to be altered to redirect the site-specific cleavage. Due to its high efficiency and precision, the Cas9 protein derived from the type II CRISPR system has been found to have applications in many fields of science. Although CRISPR–Cas9 allows easy genome editing and has a number of benefits, we should not ignore the important ethical and biosafety issues. Moreover, any tool that has great potential and offers significant capabilities carries a level of risk of being used for non-legal purposes. In this review, we present a brief history and mechanism of the CRISPR–Cas9 system. We also describe on the applications of this technology in gene regulation and genome editing; the treatment of cancer and other diseases; and limitations and concerns of the use of CRISPR–Cas9.
Vehicle Pedestrian Detection Method Based on Spatial Pyramid Pooling and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Guo Mingtao , Xue Donghui , Li Peng , Xu He
Published: December 2020

Object detection for vehicles and pedestrians is extremely difficult to achieve in autopilot applications for the Internet of vehicles, and it is a task that requires the ability to locate and identify smaller targets even in complex environments. This paper proposes a single-stage object detection network (YOLOv3-promote) for the detection of vehicles and pedestrians in complex environments in cities, which improves on the traditional You Only Look Once version 3 (YOLOv3). First, spatial pyramid pooling is used to fuse local and global features in an image to better enrich the expression ability of the feature map and to more effectively detect targets with large size differences in the image; second, an attention mechanism is added to the feature map to weight each channel, thereby enhancing key features and removing redundant features, which allows for strengthening the ability of the feature network to discriminate between target objects and backgrounds; lastly, the anchor box derived from the K-means clustering algorithm is fitted to the final prediction box to complete the positioning and identification of target vehicles and pedestrians. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieved 91.4 mAP (mean average precision), 83.2 F1 score, and 43.7 frames per second (FPS) on the KITTI (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute) dataset, and the detection performance was superior to the conventional YOLOv3 algorithm in terms of both accuracy and speed.
Analysis of Cultural Meme Characteristics for Big Data of Cultural Relics
Authors: Li Haifeng , Shi Zuoqin , Chen Li , Cui Zhenqi , Li Sumin , Zhao Ling
Published: December 2020

The cultural meme is the smallest unit constituting a dynasty′s culture, which has the same inheritance and variability as biological genes. Here, based on the name of cultural relics, we extract cultural memes through semantic word segmentation, word frequency statistics, and the synonym merging method, and construct dynasty cultural meme vectors. We analyzed color, auxiliary, texture, shape, and overall networks of five types of model to construct the culture network, using the social network analysis method, and explored the clustering and degrees of centrality characteristics of cultural memes. We then analyzed the similarities and differences among cultures of the dynasties. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Cultural memes represent different cultural characteristics of dynasties, and the inheritance and differences among dynasties’ cultures are closely related to their historical background. (2) Prevalence memes construct the cultural label of dynasties, which can roughly restore the cultural appearance of dynasties through fewer prevalence memes. (3) The use of community detection with a cultural meme network can determine the clustering of dynasties′ cultures, and the degree of centrality further reflects the main cultural characteristics presented by successive dynasties.
Compatibility of a Security Policy for a Cloud-Based Healthcare System with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Authors: Georgiou Dimitra , Lambrinoudakis Costas
Published: December 2020

Currently, there are several challenges that cloud-based healthcare systems around the world are facing. The most important issue is to ensure security and privacy, or in other words, to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data. Although the main provisions for data security and privacy were present in the former legal framework for the protection of personal data, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces new concepts and new requirements. In this paper, we present the main changes and the key challenges of the GDPR and, at the same time, we present how a cloud-based security policy could be modified in order to be compliant with the GDPR, as well as how cloud environments can assist developers to build secure and GDPR compliant cloud-based healthcare systems. The major concept of this paper is dual-purpose; primarily, to facilitate cloud providers in comprehending the framework of the new GDPR and secondly, to identify security measures and security policy rules, for the protection of sensitive data in a cloud-based healthcare system, following our risk-based security policy methodology that assesses the associated security risks and takes into account different requirements from patients, hospitals, and various other professional and organizational actors.
Long-Term Morbidity and Mortality after First and Recurrent Cardiovascular Events in the ARTPER Cohort
Authors: Escofet Peris Marina , Alzamora Maria Teresa , Valverde Marta , Fores Rosa , Pera Guillem , Baena-Díez Jose Miguel , Toran Pere
Published: December 2020

Background: Cardiovascular events are a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The risk of recurrence after a first cardiovascular event has been documented in the international literature, although not as extensively in a Mediterranean population-based cohort with low cardiovascular risk. There is also ample, albeit contradictory, research on the recurrence of stroke and myocardial infarctions (MI) after a first event and the factors associated with such recurrence, including the role of pathological Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). Methods: The Peripheral Arterial ARTPER study is aimed at deepening our knowledge of patient evolution after a first cardiovascular event in a Mediterranean population with low cardiovascular risk treated at a primary care centre. We study overall recurrence, cardiac and cerebral recurrence. We studied participants in the ARTPER prospective observational cohort, excluding patients without cardiovascular events or with unconfirmed events and patients who presented arterial calcification at baseline or who died. In total, we analyzed 520 people with at least one cardiovascular event, focusing on the presence and type of recurrence, the risk factors associated with recurrence and the behavior of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) as a predictor of risk. Results: Between 2006 and 2017, 46% of patients with a first cardiovascular event experienced a recurrence of some type; most recurrences fell within the same category as the first event. The risk of recurrence after an MI was greater than after a stroke. In our study, recurrence increased with age, the presence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), diabetes and the use of antiplatelets. Diabetes mellitus was associated with all types of recurrence. Additionally, patients with an ABI < 0.9 presented more recurrences than those with an ABI ≥ 0.9. Conclusions: In short, following a cardiac event, recurrence usually takes the form of another cardiac event. However, after having a stroke, the chance of having another stroke or having a cardiac event is similar. Lastly, ABI < 0.9 may be considered a predictor of recurrence risk.
High Variability of Postsurgical Anatomy Supports the Need for Individualized Drug-Eluting Implants to Treat Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Authors: Gao Ziwen , Matin Farnaz , Weber Constantin , John Samuel , Lenarz Thomas , Scheper Verena
Published: December 2020

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease in the general population that is increasing in incidence and prevalence, severely affecting patients’ quality of life. Medical treatment for CRS includes self-management techniques, topical and oral medical treatments, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). FESS is a standard procedure to restore sinus ventilation and drainage by physically enlarging the inflamed sinus passageways. Nasal drug-releasing stents are implanted to keep the surgically expanded aperture to the sinus frontalis open. The outcome of such an intervention is highly variable. We defined the anatomical structures which should be removed, along with ‘no-go areas’ which need to be preserved during FESS. Based on these definitions, we used cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images to measure the dimensions of the frontal neo-ostium in 22 patients. We demonstrate anatomical variability in the volume and diameter of the frontal sinus recess after surgery. This variability could be the cause of therapy failure of drug-eluting implants after FESS in some patients. Implants individually made to fit a given patient’s postsurgical anatomy may improve the therapeutic outcome.
Effect of Chemical Blowing Agent on the PVC Cellular Coating Extrusion
Authors: Garbacz Tomasz , Tor-Świątek Aneta , Jachowicz Tomasz
Published: December 2020

Depending on the type and application, the coatings of power, electric, telecommunication cables as well as other types of conduits are made of various kinds of polymer plastics. However, most often, because of good mechanical properties and many other advantages, they are first of all made from polyvinyl chlorine (PVC). This paper contains characteristics of the developed cellular extrusion of cable coatings, as well as specification of the blowing agent (BA) used and selected research results of the obtained cellular extrusion product. In technological tests the coating extrusion technological line was used. The material was modified with a new blowing agent of exothermic distribution of process characteristics, which was introduced into the material in quantities from 0.2 to 0.6% wt. The amount of blowing agent used has a direct impact on the density and structure of the received result for the extrusion of modified polymers. The cellular structure of the cellular coatings was presented. The results of the study are thin-walled properties of single- and double-layer cellular outer coatings, forming an outer surface on a steel wire. The research on the structure of manufactured materials, density and the degree of porosity, water and oil absorptivity, mechanical strength is presented.
Influence of The Segregation Phenomenon on Structural Efficiency of Lightweight Aggregate Concretes
Authors: Solak Afonso Miguel , Tenza-Abril Antonio José , García-Vera Victoria Eugenia
Published: December 2020

Lightweight aggregate concretes (LWAC) are versatile and interesting materials for projects that require greater structural efficiency. Due to the difference that exists between the densities of the materials used in these types of concrete, during transport and mainly compaction, their aggregates tend to separate from the mortar matrix, floating towards the surface, a phenomenon called segregation. Segregation in LWAC can affect its durability properties, its density, and directly affect its structural efficiency. In this work, different concrete densities (1700 kg/m3 and 1900 kg/m3) manufactured with different dosages (two different lightweight aggregates) and compaction methods (one or two layers) were analyzed to verify the impact of segregation on its structural efficiency. For this purpose, the segregation index of the LWAC was obtained by means of the image analysis technique. In addition, to obtain their structural efficiency, the density and compressive strength were obtained at different heights of the tested specimens. The results show the vibration of the samples in two layers leads to a more efficient elimination of trapped air, a reduction in the risk of segregation, and better structural efficiency.
Special Issue “Textile-Based Advanced Materials: Construction, Properties and Applications”
Authors: Manian Avinash P. , Bechtold Thomas
Published: December 2020

Developments in the science and technology of textiles is not only limited to apparel and fashion [...]
Resizing Approach to Increase the Viability of Recycled Fibre-Reinforced Composites
Authors: Matrenichev Vsevolod , Lessa Belone Maria Clara , Palola Sarianna , Laurikainen Pekka , Sarlin Essi
Published: December 2020

Most recycling methods remove the essential sizing from reinforcing fibres, and many studies indicate the importance of applying sizing on recycled fibres, a process we will denote here as resizing. Recycled fibres are not continuous, which dissociates their sizing and composite lay-up processes from virgin fibres. In this study, commercial polypropylene and polyurethane-based sizing formulations with an aminosilane coupling agent were used to resize recycled glass and carbon fibres. The impact of sizing concentration and batch process variables on the tensile properties of fibre-reinforced polypropylene and polyamide composites were investigated. Resized fibres were characterized with thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy, and the tensile properties of the composites were analysed to confirm the achievable level of performance. For glass fibres, an optimal mass fraction of sizing on the fibres was found, as an excess amount of film former has a plasticising effect. For recycled carbon fibres, the sizing had little effect on the mechanical properties but led to significant improvement of handling and post-processing properties. A comparison between experimental results and theoretical prediction using the Halpin-Tsai model showed up to 81% reinforcing efficiency for glass fibres and up to 74% for carbon fibres.
Transport of Au(III) from HCl Medium across a Liquid Membrane Using R3NH+Cl−/Toluene Immobilized on a Microporous Hydrophobic Support: Optimization and Modelling
Authors: Alguacil Francisco J. , Alcaraz Lorena , Largo Olga R. , López Félix A.
Published: December 2020

By the use of the tertiary amine A327 and 1 M HCl solution as precursors, the ionic liquid A327H+Cl− was generated and used to investigate its performance in the transport of Au(III) from hydrochloric acid medium. The influence of the stirring speed (600–1800 min−1), ionic liquid concentration (1.25–50% v/v) in the membrane phase, and gold concentration (0.01–0.15 g/L) in the feed phase on metal transport have been investigated. An equation which included both equilibrium and kinetics parameters was derived, and the membrane diffusional resistance (Δm) and feed phase diffusional resistance (Δf) was estimated as 9.5 × 106 s/cm and 307 s/cm, respectively. At carrier concentrations in the 5–50% v/v range and gold concentrations in the 0.01–0.15 g/L range, metal transport is controlled by diffusion of metal species through the feed boundary layer, whereas at the lowest carrier concentrations, membrane diffusion is predominant. From the receiving solutions, gold can be recovered as gold nanoparticles.
Carbon Nanotubes-Sponge Modified Electro Membrane Bioreactor (EMBR) and Their Prospects for Wastewater Treatment Applications
Authors: Almusawy Ali M. , Al-Anbari Riyad H. , Alsalhy Qusay F. , Al-Najar Arshed Imad
Published: December 2020

A novel membrane bioreactor system utilizes Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated polyurethane sponge (PUs), an electrical field, and a nanocomposite membrane has been successfully designed to diminish membrane with fouling caused by activated sludge. The classical phase inversion was harnessed to prepare Zinc Oxide/Polyphenylsulfone (ZnO/PPSU) nanocomposite membranes using 1.5 g of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The prepared nanocomposite membrane surface was fully characterized by a series of experimental tools, e.g., Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle (CA), pore size, and pore size distribution. The testing procedure was performed through an Activated Sludge-Membrane Bioreactor (ASMBR) as a reference and results were compared with those obtained with nanotubes coated sponge–MBR (NSMBR) and nanotubes coated sponge-MBR in the presence of an electrical field (ENSMBR) system. Observed fouling reduction of the membrane has improved significantly and, thus, the overall long-term was increased by 190% compared with the control ASMBR configuration. The experimental results showcased that sponge-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were capable of adsorbing activated sludge and other contaminants to minimize the membrane fouling. At a dosage of 0.3 mg/mL CNT and 2 mg/mL of SDBS, the sponge-CNT was capable of eliminating nitrogen and phosphorus by 81% and >90%, respectively.