• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1176-1189
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• 2016

In this paper, a novel quasi-direct power control (Q-DPC) scheme based on a resonant frequency adaptive proportional-resonant (PR) current controller with a variable frequency resonant phase locked loop (RPLL) is proposed, which can achieve a fast power response with a unity power factor. It can also adapt to variations of the generator frequency in T-type Three-level shaft synchronous generator (SSG) converters. The PR controller under the static α-β frame is designed to track ac signals and to avert the strong cross coupling under the rotating d-q frame. The fundamental frequency can be precisely acquired by a RPLL from the generator terminal voltage which is distorted by harmonics. Thus, the resonant frequency of the PR controller can be confirmed exactly with optimized performance. Based on an instantaneous power balance, the load power feed-forward is added to the power command to improve the anti-disturbance performance of the dc-link. Simulations based on MATLAB/Simulink and experimental results obtained from a 75kW prototype validate the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2018

Formation of toxic protein aggregates is a common feature and mainly contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and prion diseases. The transglutaminase 2 (TG2) gene encodes a multifunctional enzyme, displaying four types of activity, such as transamidation, GTPase, protein disulfide isomerase, and protein kinase activities. Many studies demonstrated that the calcium-dependent transamidation activity of TG2 affects the formation of insoluble and toxic amyloid aggregates that mainly consisted of NDD-related proteins. So far, many important and NDD-related substrates of TG2 have been identified, including $amlyoid-{\beta}$, tau, ${\alpha}-synuclein$, mutant huntingtin, and ALS-linked trans-activation response (TAR) DNA-binding protein 43. Recently, the formation of toxic inclusions mediated by several TG2 substrates were efficiently inhibited by TG2 inhibitors. Therefore, the development of highly specific TG2 inhibitors would be an important tool in alleviating the progression of TG2-related brain disorders. In this review, the authors discuss recent advances in TG2 biochemistry, several mechanisms of molecular regulation and pleotropic signaling functions, and the presumed role of TG2 in the progression of many NDDs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.415-436
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• 2003

The combination of spatial latticed structures (hereafter SLS) and flexible cables, the cable-stayed spatial latticed structures (hereafter CSLS) can cross longer span. According to variation principle, a novel geometric nonlinear formulation for 3-D bar elements considering large displacement and infinitesimal rotation increments with second-order precision is developed. The cable nonlinearity is investigated and it is taken that the secant modulus method can be considered as an exact method for a cable member. The tower column with which the cables link is regarded as a special kind of beam element, and, a new simplified stiffness formulation is presented. The computational strategies for the nonlinear dynamic response of structures are given, and the ultimate load carrying capacities and seismic responses are analyzed numerically. It is noted that, compared with corresponding spatial latticed shells, the cable-stayed spatial latticed shells have more strength and more stiffness, and that the verical seismic responses of both CSLS and CLS are remarkably greater than the horizontal ones. In addition, the computation shows that the stiffness of tower column influences the performance of CSLS to a certain extent and the improvement of structural strength and stiffness of CSLS is relevant not only to cables but also to tower columns.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.663-684
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• 2016

Conical vortices generated at the corner regions of large-span flat roofs have been investigated by using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique. Mean and instantaneous vector fields for velocity, vorticity, and streamlines were measured at three visual planes and for two different flow angles of $15^{\circ}$. The results indicated that conical vortices occur when the wind is not perpendicular to the front edge. The location of the leading edge corresponding to the negative peak vorticity and maximum turbulent kinetic energy was found at the center of the conical vortex. The wind pressure reaches the maximum near the leading edge roof corner, and a triangle of severe suctions zone appears downstream. The mean pressure in uniform flow is greater than that under turbulent flow condition, while a significant increase in the fluctuating wind pressure occurs in turbulent streams. From its emergence to stability, the shape of the vortex cross-section is nearly elliptical, with increasing area. The angle that forms between the vortex axis and the leading edge is much smaller in turbulent streams. The detailed flow structures and characteristics obtained through FLUENT simulation are in agreement with the experimental results. The three dimensional (3-D) structure of the conical vortices is clearly observed from the comprehensive arrangement of several visual planes, and the inner link was established between the vortex evolution process, vortex core position and pressure distribution.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.183-200
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• 2020

Connection of adjacent buildings with stiff links is an efficient approach for seismic pounding mitigation. However, use of highly rigid links might alter the torsional response in asymmetric plans and although this was mentioned in the literature, no quantitative study has been done before to investigate the condition numerically. In this paper, the effect of rigid coupling on the elastic lateral-torsional response of two adjacent one-story column-type buildings has been studied by comparison to uncoupled structures. Three cases are considered, including two similar asymmetric structures, two adjacent asymmetric structures with different dynamic properties and a symmetric system adjacent to an adjacent asymmetric one. After an acceptable validation against the actual earthquake, the traditional random vibration method has been utilized for dynamic analysis under Ideal white noise input. Results demonstrate that rigid coupling may increase or decrease the rotational response, depending on eccentricities, torsional-to-lateral stiffness ratios and relative uncoupled lateral stiffness of adjacent buildings. Results are also discussed for the case of using identical cross section for all columns supporting eachplan. In contrast to symmetric systems, base shear increase in the stiffer building may be avoided when the buildings lateral stiffness ratio is less than 2. However, the eccentricity increases the rotation of the plans for high rotational stiffness of the buildings.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2020

Currently, peroxide cure is a widely used cure system for rubber materials. To improve its effectivity, co-agents are used to enhance the peroxide efficiency and mechanical properties of rubber materials. Co-agents are multifunctional organic compounds that are highly reactive towards free radicals. These co-agents provide higher cross-link densities for a given peroxide concentration and improve the mechanical properties of peroxide-cured rubber composites. In this study, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) and high vinyl 1,2-polybutadiene (HVPBD) were used as co-agents. In order to obtain a concentration that achieves a favorable balance between mechanical properties and co-agent concentration, this research investigated the effects of co-agent content on the curing characteristics, chemical structures, and mechanical properties of HNBR composites. Additionally, the heat aging properties and compression sets of HNBR composites were investigated. Based on the results, we found that the HNBR composites with TMPTMA co-agents exhibited higher Shore A hardness and 10% modulus and better heat aging resistance and compression set than that of the HVPBD co-agent. The heat aging resistance and compression set deteriorated with increasing HVPBD content.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.381-386
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• 2012

Objectives: To investigate the link between cigarette smoking and muscle strength in Japanese men. Methods: We used data on 4249 Japanese men, aged $43.3{\pm}13.9$ years, in this cross-sectional investigation study. Grip strength and leg strength were measured as indicators of overall muscle strength. Meanwhile, subjects' cigarette smoking habits were recorded by trained medical staff. The effect of cigarette smoking on muscle strength was evaluated. Results: A total of 1618 men (38.1%) were smokers and 1481 men (34.9%) exercised regularly. Significant differences in muscle strength were noted between men with and without a Brinkman index of 400 or greater, after adjusting for age. After adjusting for age, height, body weight and exercise habits, associations between the Brinkman index and leg strength and the ratio of leg strength to body weight were attenuated. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking might be negatively associated with muscle strength, especially grip strength in Japanese men.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3386-3411
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• 2019

Secured and reliable routing is a crucial factor for improving the performance of Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) since these networks are susceptible to many types of attacks. The existing assumption about the internal nodes in wireless mesh networks is that they cooperate well during the forwarding of packets all the time. However, it is not always true due to the presence of malicious and mistrustful nodes. Hence, it is essential to establish a secure, reliable and stable route between a source node and a destination node in WMN. In this paper, a trust based secure routing algorithm is proposed for enhancing security and reliability of WMN, which contains cross layer and subject logic based reliable reputation scheme with security tag model for providing effective secured routing. This model uses only the trusted nodes with the forwarding reliability of data transmission and it isolates the malicious nodes from the providing path. Moreover, every node in this model is assigned with a security tag that is used for efficient authentication. Thus, by combining authentication, trust and subject logic, the proposed approach is capable of choosing the trusted nodes effectively to participate in forwarding the packets of trustful peer nodes successfully. The simulation results obtained from this work show that the proposed routing protocol provides optimal network performance in terms of security and packet delivery ratio.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2019

In this study, we investigate the associations between the solar variability and teleconnection indices, which influence atmospheric circulation and subsequently, the spatial distribution of the global pressure system. A study of the link between the Sun and a large-scale mode of climate variability, which may indirectly affect the Earth's climate and weather, is crucial because the feedbacks of solar variability to an autogenic or internal process should be considered with due care. We have calculated the normalized cross-correlations of the total sunspot area, the total sunspot number, and the solar North-South asymmetry with teleconnection indices. We have found that the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) index is anti-correlated with both solar activity and the solar North-South asymmetry, with a ~3-year lag. This finding not only agrees with the fact that El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ episodes are likely to occur around the solar maximum, but also explains why tropical cyclones occurring in the solar maximum periods and in El $Ni{\tilde{n}}o$ periods appear similar. Conversely, other teleconnection indices, such as the Arctic Oscillation (AO) index, the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) index, and the Pacific-North American (PNA) index, are weakly or only slightly correlated with solar activity, which emphasizes that response of terrestrial climate and weather to solar variability are local in space. It is also found that correlations between teleconnection indices and solar activity are as good as correlations resulting from the teleconnection indices themselves.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

There is an increasing demand for the rolling resistance reduction in truck bus radial (TBR) tires in the tire industry. In TBR tires, natural rubber is used as a base polymer to prevent wear and satisfy required physical properties (cut and chip). A binary filler system (silica and carbon black) is used to balance the durability of the tire and rolling resistance performance. In this study, natural rubber (NR) compounds applied with a binary filler system were manufactured at different cure temperatures for vulcanizate structure analysis. The vulcanizate structures were categorized into carbon black bound rubber, silica silane rubber network, and chemical crosslink density by sulfur. Regardless of the cure temperature, the cross-link density per unit content of carbon black had a greater effect on the properties than silica due to affinity with NR. The relationship analysis between the mechanical, viscoelastic properties with vulcanizate structure could be a guideline for manufacturing practical TBR compounds.