bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Crop Evapotranspiration and Crop Coefficients over an Almond and Pistachio Orchard Throughout Remote Sensing
Authors: Bellvert Joaquim , Adeline Karine , Baram Shahar , Pierce Lars , Sanden Blake , Smart David
Published: October 2018

In California, water is a perennial concern. As competition for water resources increases due to growth in population, California’s tree nut farmers are committed to improving the efficiency of water used for food production. There is an imminent need to have reliable methods that provide information about the temporal and spatial variability of crop water requirements, which allow farmers to make irrigation decisions at field scale. This study focuses on estimating the actual evapotranspiration and crop coefficients of an almond and pistachio orchard located in Central Valley (California) during an entire growing season by combining a simple crop evapotranspiration model with remote sensing data. A dataset of the vegetation index NDVI derived from Landsat-8 was used to facilitate the estimation of the basal crop coefficient (Kcb), or potential crop water use. The soil water evaporation coefficient (Ke) was measured from microlysimeters. The water stress coefficient (Ks) was derived from airborne remotely sensed canopy thermal-based methods, using seasonal regressions between the crop water stress index (CWSI) and stem water potential (Ystem). These regressions were statistically-significant for both crops, indicating clear seasonal differences in pistachios, but not in almonds. In almonds, the estimated maximum Kcb values ranged between 1.05 to 0.90, while for pistachios, it ranged between 0.89 to 0.80. The model indicated a difference of 97 mm in transpiration over the season between both crops. Soil evaporation accounted for an average of 16% and 13% of the total actual evapotranspiration for almonds and pistachios, respectively. Verification of the model-based daily crop evapotranspiration estimates was done using eddy-covariance and surface renewal data collected in the same orchards, yielding an r2 >= 0.7 and average root mean square errors (RMSE) of 0.74 and 0.91 mm day-1 for almond and pistachio, respectively. It is concluded that the combination of crop evapotranspiration models with remotely-sensed data is helpful for upscaling irrigation information from plant to field scale and thus may be used by farmers for making day-to-day irrigation management decisions.
Vibro-Acoustic Optimization Study for the Volute Casing of a Centrifugal Fan
Authors: Zhang Jianhua , Chu Wuli , Zhang Jinghui , Lv Yi
Published: October 2018

Concerning fan systems with an air pipe connecting air intake and a closed outlet, aerodynamic noise cannot be directly transmitted from the fan inlet and outlet to the outside. At this moment, the volute vibrational radiation noise induced casing surface vibration is the major noise component. The main factors affecting the fan vibrational noise are analyzed through theoretical derivation, then a vibrational noise optimization control method for the volute casing is proposed that considered the influence of vibro-acoustic coupling, taking the panel thickness of the volute (front-panel thickness [FT], side-panel thickness [ST], and back-panel thickness [BT]) as design variables, and the acoustical power of the volute surface and the total mass of the volute as the optimal target function. The optimization method is mainly divided into three main parts: the first was based on the simulation of unsteady flow of the fan to obtain the vibrational noise source; the second, using the design of experimental (DOE) method and the proposed numerical simulation of fluid-structure-acoustic coupling method to obtain the designing space, then the radical-based function (RBF) method is used to construct the approximate surrogate model instead of the simulation model previously mentioned, which was used to provide the basic mathematical model for the optimization of the next part; the third part, implementing the low vibrational noise optimization for the fan volute, applied the single-target (taking volute radiated acoustical power as the target function) and the multi-target (taking the volute radiated acoustical power and volute total mass as the target function) methods. In addition, the fan aerodynamic performance, volute casing surface fluctuations, and vibration response were validated by experiments, showing good agreement. It is of utmost importance that the dynamic pressure measurements and vibrational tests on the volute casing verify the accuracy of the numerical calculation. The optimization results showed that the vibrational noise optimization method proposed in this study can effectively reduce the vibration noise of the fan, obtaining a maximum value of noise reduction of 7.3 dB. The optimization identified in this paper provides a significant reference for the design of a low-vibrational-noise volute.
Pep-1&Borneol-Bifunctionalized Carmustin-Loaded Micelles Enhance Anti-Glioma Efficacy through Tumor Targeting and BBB Penetrating
Authors: Guo Xiaoyuan , Wu Guojian , Qin Yue , Wang Hong , Qu Ding , Chen Lukui
Published: October 2018

Abstract: Tumor-targeting and blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating are highly desirable for the treatment of glioma. In this study, we developed Pep-1&borneol-bifunctionalized carmustin-loaded micelles (Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M) capable of targeting to IL-13 receptor-overexpressed glioma and penetrating the brain microvascular endothelial cells-associated physiologic barriers. Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M were nearly spherical particles with a dimeter of 32.6 ± 1.1 nm and zeta potential of -21.3 ± 3.1 mV. Carmustine (CMS) released from Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M in pH 7.4 was significantly faster than in acidic environments. In human glioma BT325 cellular studies, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M remarkably increased the cytotoxicity, notably improved the internalization and effectively induced the cell apoptosis. Likewise, in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) cells, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M obviously promoted the cellular uptake, rapidly decreased the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and thereby of enhancing the ability of penetration. In orthotopic Luc-BT325 glioma tumor-bearing nude mouse models, the stronger fluorescence signal and longer retention were observed in brain tissues compared with other controls, after single administration of DiD-labelled Pep-1/Bor/M (DiD/Pep-1/Bor/M). Importantly, Pep-1/Bor/CMS-M displayed the strongest inhibition of tumor growth, the longest survival period and low systemic toxicity in treating orthotopic glioma tumor-bearing nude mice. Simultaneous functionalization of Pep-1 and borneol offers a novel strategy for designing CMS-based nanomedicine and precisely treating glioma.
Oxygen Saturation measurements from Green and Orange Illuminations of Multi-Wavelength Optoelectronic Patch Sensor
Authors: Alharbi Samah , Hu Sijung , Mulvaney David , Barrett Laura , Yan Liangwen , Blanos Panos , Elsahar Yasmin , Adema Samuel
Published: October 2018

Photoplethysmography (PPG) based pulse oximetry devices normally use red and infrared illuminations to obtain oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings. In addition, the presence of motion artefacts severely restricts the utility of pulse oximetry physiological measurements. In the current study, a combination of green and orange illuminations from a multi-wavelength optoelectronic patch sensor (mOEPS) was investigated in order to improve robustness to subjects’ movements in the extraction of SpO2 measurement. Two experimental protocols with 31 healthy subjects were designed to determine SpO2 measurement. The datasets for the first protocol were collected from 15 subjects at rest, with the subjects free to move their hands. The datasets for the second protocol with 16 subjects were collected during cycling and running exercises. The results showed good agreements with SpO2 measurements (r = 0.98) in the both protocols. The outcomes promise a robust and cost-effective approach of physiological monitoring with the prospect of providing health monitoring that does not restrict user physical movements.
Revisiting the Relationship between Financial Wealth, Housing Wealth and Consumption: A Panel Analysis for the US
Authors: Kontana Dimitra , Siokis Fotios
Published: October 2018

Based on the seminal paper of Case, Quigley and Shiller (2013), we investigate the effects of financial and housing wealth on consumption. Using quarterly data from 1975 to 2016, for all States of U.S. economy, and a different methodology in measuring wealth, we report relatively greater financial effects than housing effects on consumption. Specifically, in our basic utilized model, the calculated elasticity for financial wealth is 0.060, while for housing is 0.045. The results are not in agreement with the ones obtained by Case, Quigley and Shiller. In an attempt to investigate the disparity we proceed by incorporating the introduction of the Tax Reform Act in 1986, which increased incentives for owner-occupied housing investments. Finally, due to distributional factors at work, and taking into account the pronounced uneven distribution of wealth we investigate the effects of wealth for 8 states that include the Metropolitan areas comprising of the well known Case-Shiller 10-City Composite Index. Now the housing effect on consumption is much stronger and larger than the financial effect. Additionally, we forecast the consumption changes at the time of the high rise and large drops in house prices for these states. Forecasts showed a recession from the fall of Lehman Brothers until the fourth quarter of 2011. These forecasts were not verified. Probably, the new techniques used by politics played an important role. We also find that extreme behaviors cannot be predicted.
Unification Theories. Examples and Applications
Authors: Nichita Florin F.
Published: October 2018

We consider several unification problems in mathematics. We refer to transcendental numbers. Also, we present some ways to unify the main non-associative algebras (Lie algebras and Jordan algebras) and associative algebras.
Intra-Hour Forecasts of Solar Power and Ramp Events †
Authors: Abuella Mohamed , Chowdhury Badrul
Published: October 2018

In this study an adjusting post-processing approach is implemented for improving intra-hourly forecasts of solar power and ramp events of PV solar power systems at different locations in the United States. This study also serves as an out-of-sample test to evaluate the performance of the adjusting approach with different locations and timescales. Thus, various individual intra-hourly forecasts of solar power are combined and adjusted by applying the adjusting approach. Both point and probabilistic forecasts of solar power are included. After that, solar power ramp event forecasting by the adjusting approach is carried out.
On Converting the Furthest-Pair-Based Binary Search Tree to a Decision Tree: Experimental Results on Big Data Classification
Authors: Hassanat Ahmad B. A.
Published: October 2018

Big Data classification has recently received a great deal of attention due to the main properties of Big Data, which are volume, variety, and velocity. The furthest-pair-based binary search tree (FPBST) shows a great potential for Big Data classification. This work attempts to improve the performance the FPBST in terms of computation time, space consumed and accuracy. The major enhancement of the FPBST includes converting the resultant BST to a decision tree, in order to remove the need for the slow K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and to obtain a smaller tree, which is useful for memory usage, speeding both training and testing phases and increasing the classification accuracy. The proposed decision trees are based on calculating the probabilities of each class at each node using various methods; these probabilities are then used by the testing phase to classify an unseen example. The experimental results on some (small, intermediate and big) machine learning datasets show the efficiency of the proposed methods, in terms of space, speed and accuracy compared to the FPBST, which shows great potential for further enhancements of the proposed methods to be used in practice.
Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of Synthons as Precursors for Enantiopure Clenbuterol and other β2- Agonists
Authors: Blindheim Fredrik Heen , Hansen Mari Bergan , Evjen Sigvart , Zhu Wei , Jacobsen Elisabeth Egholm
Published: October 2018

(R)-1-(4-Amino-3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-bromoethan-1-ol has been synthesised in 93% enantiomeric excess (ee) by asymmetric reduction of the corresponding ketone catalysed by a ketoreductase and NADPH as the co-factor in DMSO. (S)-N-(2,6-Dichloro-4-(1-hydroxyethyl)phenyl)acetamide has been synthesised in >98% ee by the same system. Both synthons are potential precursors for clenbuterol enantiomers. Clenbuterol is a β2-agonist used in veterinary treatment of asthma in several countries. The drug is listed on the World Anti-doping Agency’s Prohibited list due to its effect on increased protein synthesis in the body. However, racemic clenbuterol has recently been shown to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. In order to reveal which one (or both) of the enantiomers that cause this effect, the pure enantiomers need to be studied separately. Our biocatalytic approach in order to obtain enantiopure clenbuterol should be applicable to industrial scale.
Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Reaction Using Electrodeposited Co3Se4 Catalys
Authors: Sim Yelyn , John Jude , Surendran Subramani , Moon Byeolee , Sim Uk
Published: October 2018

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising field for sustainable energy production using hydrogen. Development of efficient catalysts is essential for resourceful hydrogen production. The most efficient catalysts reported to date have been extremely precious rare-earth metals. One of the biggest hurdles in this research area is the difficulty of developing highly efficient catalysts comparable to the noble metal catalysts. Here, we report that non-noble metal dichalcogenide (Co3Se4) catalysts made using a facile one-pot electrodeposition method, showed highly efficient photoelectrochemical activity on a Si photocathode. To enhance light collection and enlarge its surface area even further, we implemented surface nano-structuring on the Si surface. The nano-structured Si photoelectrode has an effective area greater than that of planar silicon and a wider absorption spectrum. Consequently, this approach exhibits reduced overvoltage as well as increased photo-catalytic activity. Such results show the importance of controlling the optimized interface between the surface structure of the photoelectrode and the electrodeposited co-catalyst on it to improve catalytic activity. This should enable other electrochemical reactions in a variety of energy conversion systems.
Synthesis and Characterization of Cu Decorated Zeolite A@void@Et-PMO Nanocomposites for Removal of Methylene Blue by a Heterogeneous Fenton Reaction
Authors: Li Xiayu , Zeng Shangjing , Qu Xuejian , Dai Jinyu , Liu Xiaofang , Wang Runwei , Zhang Zongtao , Qiu Shilun
Published: October 2018

The development of novel porous composite materials for organic dye degradation and removal has received increasing attention due to water contamination problem. In this paper, hydrothermal synthesized nano zeolite A have been encapsulated with porous periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) through a simple modified StÖber method an organosilane-directed growth-induced etching strategy, the obtained yolk-shell structured sample was further functionalized by the impregnation of copper, realizing the composite material with hierarchical porous and catalytic properties. The morphology, porosity and metal content of the zeolite Cu/A and Cu/A@Et-PMO were fully characterized. As compared to the parent material, the composite Cu/A@Et-PMO have an efficient adsorption and catalytic degradation performance on methylene blue (MB), the removal efficiency reached as high as 95% of 60 mg/L MB with 10min. These novel structured porous composites may have great potential for adsorption and degradation application including waste effluents.
Synthesis, APPI Mass-Spectrometric Characterization and Polymerization Studies of Group 4 Dinuclear Bis(ansa-metallocene) Complexes
Authors: Schnee Gilles , Farenc Mathilde , Bitard Leslie , Vantomme Aurelien , Welle Alexandre , Brusson Jean-Michel , Afonso Carlos , Giusti Pierre , Carpentier Jean-Francois , Kirillov Evgueni
Published: October 2018

New ligand platforms of the type p- or m-Ph{-CR(3,6-tBu2Flu)(Cp)}2 (para-, R = Me (2a), H (2b); meta-, R = Me (2c)) were synthesized via nucleophilic addition of the 3,6-tBu2-fluorenyl-anion onto the parent phenylene-bridged difulvenes (1a‒c). The corresponding discrete homodinuclear zirconium and hafnium bis(dichloro ansa-metallocene) complexes, Ph[{-CR(3,6-tBu2Flu)(Cp)}MCl2]2 (p-, R = Me (3a-Zr2, 3a-Hf2), R = H (3b-Zr2); m-, R = Me (3c-Zr2) were prepared by salt metathesis reactions. An attempt to generate in situ a heterodinuclear complex 3a-Zr-Hf was also undertaken. For the first time, Atmospheric Pressure PhotoIonization (APPI) mass-spectrometric data were obtained for all dinuclear compounds and found to be in excellent agreement with the simulated ones. Preliminary studies on the catalytic performances of these dinuclear complexes, upon activation with MAO, in ethylene homopolymerization and ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization revealed a few differences as compared to those of the monometallic analogues. In particular, slightly lower molecular weights and greater formation of short methyl and ethyl branches were obtained with the dinuclear systems.
Variation of Individual Location Radiance in VIIRS DNB Monthly Composite Images
Authors: Coesfeld Jacqueline , Anderson Sharolyn , Baugh Kimberly , Elvidge Christopher , Schernthanner Harald , Kyba Christopher
Published: October 2018

With the growing size and use of night lights time series from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band (DNB), it is important to understand the stability of the dataset. All satellites observe differences in pixel values during repeat observations. In the case of night lights data, these changes can be due to both environmental effects and changes in light emission. Here we examine the stability of individual locations of particular large scale light sources (e.g. airports, prisons) in the monthly composites of DNB data from April 2012 to September 2017. The radiances for individual pixels of most large light emitters are approximately normally distributed, with a standard deviation of typically 15-20% of the mean. We observe geospatial autocorrelation in the monthly variations for nearby sites, while the correlation for sites separated by large distances is small. This suggests that local factors contribute most to the variation in the pixel radiances, and furthermore that averaging radiances over large areas will reduce the total variation. A better understanding of the causes of temporal variation would improve the sensitivity of DNB to lighting changes.
Security and Cryptographic Challenges for Authentication Based on Biometrics Data
Authors: Nita Stefania Loredana , Mihailescu Marius Iulian , Pau Valentin Corneliu
Published: October 2018

Authentication systems based on biometrics characteristics and data represents one of the most important trend in the evolution of our world. In the near future, biometrics systems will be everywhere in the society, such as government, education, smart cities, banks etc. Due to its uniqueness characteristic, biometrics systems will become also vulnerable, privacy being one of the most important challenge. The classic cryptographic primitives are not sufficient to assure a strong level of secureness for privacy. The following work paper represents an effort to present the main cryptographic techniques and algorithms that can give us the possibility to raise a certain level of secureness for privacy. We will show their own challenges (strengths and weaknesses). We will demonstrate how we can use the most common and well-known techniques and algorithms in order to get a maximum efficiency and a high level in assuring the integrity of the biometrics data.
Gas Hydrate Estimate in an Area of Deformation and High Heat Flow at the Chile Triple Junction
Authors: Villar-Muñoz Lucía , Vargas-Cordero Iván , Bento Joaquim P. , Tinivella Umberta , Fernandoy Francisco , Giustiniani Michela , Behrmann Jan H. , Calderon-Diaz Sergio
Published: October 2018

Large amounts of gas hydrate are present in marine sediments offshore Taitao Peninsula, near the Chile Triple Junction. Here, marine sediments on the forearc contain carbon that is converted to methane in a zone of very high heat flow and intense rock deformation above the downgoing oceanic spreading ridge separating the Nazca and Antarctic plates. This regime enables vigorous fluid migration. Here we present an analysis of the spatial distribution, concentration, estimate of gas phases (gas hydrate and free gas) and geothermal gradients in the accretionary prism and forearc sediments offshore Taitao (45.5° - 47° S). Velocity analysis of Seismic Profile RC2901-751 indicates gas hydrate concentration values <10% of the total rock volume, and extremely high geothermal gradients (<190 °Ckm-1). Gas hydrates are located in shallow sediments (90-280 meters below the seafloor). The large amount of hydrate and free gas estimated (7.21x1011 m3 and 4.1x1010 m3, respectively), the high seismicity, the mechanically unstable nature of the sediments, and the anomalous geothermal conditions, set the stage for potential massive releases of methane to the ocean mainly through hydrate dissociation and/or migration directly to the seabed through faults. We conclude that the Chile Triple Junction is an important methane seepage area and should be the focus of novel geological and ecological research.
A Warped Five-Dimensional Spacetime Conformally Revisited
Authors: Slagter Reinoud Jan
Published: October 2018

We show that the Einstein field equations for a five-dimensional warped spacetime, where only gravity can propagate into the bulk, determine the dynamical evolution of the warp factor of the four-dimensional brane spacetime. This can be explained as a holographic manifestation. The warped 5D model can be reformulated by considering the warp factor as a dilaton field ($\omega$) conformally coupled to gravity and embedded in a smooth $M_4 \otimes R$ manifold. On the brane, where the U(1) scalar-gauge fields live, the dilaton field manifests itself classically as a warp factor and enters the evolution equations for the metric components and matter fields. We write the Lagrangian for the Einstein-scalar-gauge fields in a conformal invariant setting. However, as expected, the conformal invariance is broken (trace-anomaly) by the appearance of a mass term and a quadratic term in the energy-momentum tensor of the scalar-gauge field, arising from the extrinsic curvature terms of the projected Einstein tensor. These terms can be interpreted as a constraint in order to maintain conformal invariance. By considering the dilaton field and Higgs field on equal footing on small scales, there will be no singular behavior, when $\omega\rightarrow 0$ and one can deduce constraints to maintain regularity of the action. Our conjecture is that $\omega$, alias warp factor, has a dual meaning. At very early times, when $\omega \rightarrow 0$, it describes the small-distance limit, while at later times it is a warp (or scale) factor that determines the dynamical evolution of the universe. We also present a numerical solution of the model and calculate the (time-dependent) trace-anomaly. The solution depends on the mass ratio of the scalar and gauge fields, the parameters of the model and the vortex charge $n$.
Introduction of an Experimental Terrestrial Forecasting/Monitoring System at Regional to Continental Scales Based on the Terrestrial System Modeling Platform (v1.1.0)
Authors: Kollet Stefan , Gasper Fabian , Brdar Slavko , Goergen Klaus , Hendricks-Franssen Harrie-Jan , Keune Jessica , Kurtz Wolfgang , Küll Volker , Pappenberger Florian , Poll Stefan , Trömel Silke , Shrestha Prabhakar , Simmer Clemens , Sulis Mauro
Published: October 2018

Operational weather and also flood forecasting has been performed successfully for decades and is of great socioeconomic importance. Up to now, forecast products focus on atmospheric variables, such as precipitation, air temperature and, in hydrology, on river discharge. Considering the full terrestrial system from groundwater across the land surface into the atmosphere, a number of important hydrologic variables are missing especially with regard to the shallow and deeper subsurface (e.g. groundwater), which are gaining considerable attention in the context of global change. In this study, we propose a terrestrial monitoring/forecasting system using the Terrestrial Systems Modeling Platform (TSMP) that predicts all essential states and fluxes of the terrestrial hydrologic and energy cycles from groundwater into the atmosphere. Closure of the terrestrial cycles provides a physically consistent picture of the terrestrial system in TSMP. TSMP has been implemented over a regional domain over North Rhine-Westphalia and a continental domain over European in a real-time forecast/monitoring workflow. Applying a real-time forecasting/monitoring workflow over both domains, experimental forecasts are being produced with different lead times since the beginning of 2016. Real-time forecast/monitoring products encompass all compartments of the terrestrial system including additional hydrologic variables, such as plant available soil water, groundwater table depth, and groundwater recharge and storage.
Multiscale Hydro-Meteorological Factors Variations and Its Links to Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Systems in the Source Region of Yangtze River
Authors: Tang Jian , Cao Hui-Qun
Published: October 2018

Studying hydro-meteorological factors variations and its links to large-scale atmospheric circulation systems can facilitate the understanding of the hydrological processes and sustainable water resources management in the source region of the Yangtze River (SRYR). Currently, researches mostly focused on the temporal and spatial variation characteristics in hydro-meteorological factors; however, researches on the hydro-meteorological variations and its links to large-scale atmospheric circulation systems in the SRYR are scarce. Based on long-term hydro-meteorological and reanalysis data, this research investigated multiscale variations of hydro-meteorological factors and its links to large-scale atmospheric circulation characteristic indices during 1957~2012 in the SRYR. The results showed that the amounts of streamflows and precipitation in the SRYR declined during the 1990s. Since the 2000s, the amounts of streamflows and precipitation had increased significantly climate in the SRYR. The change trends of precipitation and streamflows in the SRYR are synergetic at annual and seasonal scales, and have three significant periods, namely 3~5 years, 15–20 years and 30–40 years. The South Asia monsoon (SAM) plays a relatively more important role in the hydro-meteorological factors changes in the SRYR. The relative contributions of SAM to streamflows and precipitation changes were 83.6% and 78%, respectively. During the driest (wettest) year, the SAM is relatively weak (strong), and brings less (more) southwest airflow into the SRYR, less (more) precipitation and streamflows will be generated in the SRYR.
Detection of Nonspecific Binding of E. coli O157:H7 on Reduced Graphene Oxide Screen-Printed Carbon Electrodes Using Electrochemical Methods
Authors: Ismail Nur Alya Batrisya , Ali Ahmed Nasteho , Abd-Wahab Firdaus , Ramli Nurul Izzati , Wan Salim Wan Wardatul Amani
Published: October 2018

Immunosensors have been widely developed to use antibodies to detect a pathogen of interest; it is interesting to look at the effect of nonspecific antibody binding to E. coli using electrochemical methods. IgG antibody not specific to E. coli O157:H7 was crosslinked onto a screen-printed carbon electrode. The presence of E. coli at 4, 4 × 102, 4 × 105, and 4 × 108 CFU/mL on the electrode surface was detected via linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Current transfer at both electrodes was reduced as the concentration of bacteria increased; however, the calibration of number of cells to decreased current was nonlinear for IgG-modified electrodes. The nonlinearity is confirmed by EIS measurements which showed highest impedance at 4 CFU/mL E. coli when impedance should be the lowest. FESEM images showed higher binding of cells when IgG is present compared to electrodes with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) alone. Electrodes with rGO alone show less attachment of E. coli, with EIS showing a linear calibration profile, while LSV shows not much difference in current values for all concentrations aside from the highest concentration. These results suggest that nonspecific binding can provide false signals in electrochemical measurements, and it is crucial to provide proper controls. 
Hardware in the Loop Real-Time Simulation for Heating Systems: Model Validation and Dynamics Analysis
Authors: El-Baz Wessam , Mayerhofer Lukas , Tzscheutschler Peter , Wagner Ulrich
Published: October 2018

Heating systems such as heat pump and combined heat and power cycle systems (CHP) are representing a key component in the future smart grid. Their capability to couple the electricity and heat sector promises a massive potential to the energy transition. Hence, these systems are continuously studied numerical and experimental to quantify their potential and develop optimal control methods. Although numerical simulations provide time and cost-effective solution for system development and optimization, they are exposed to several uncertainties. Hardware in the loop (HiL) system enables system validation and evaluation under different real-life dynamic constraints and boundary conditions. In this paper, a HiL system of heat pump testbed is presented. This system is used to present two case studies. In the first case, the conventional heat pump testbed operation method is compared to the HiL operation method. Energetic and dynamic analyses are performed to quantify the added value of the HiL and its necessity for dynamics analysis. The second case, the HiL testbed is used to validate the heat pump operation in a single family house participating in a local energy market. It enables not only the dynamics of the heat pump and the space heating circuit to be validated but also the building room temperature. The energetic analysis indicated a deviation of 2% and 5% for heat generation and electricity consumption of the heat pump, respectively. The model dynamics emphasized the model capability to present the dynamics of a real system with a temporal distortion of 3%.
Risk Factors for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Population-Based Studies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Altobelli Emma , Rapacchietta Leonardo , Profeta Valerio F. , Fagnano Roberto
Published: October 2018

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) represents an important public health problem with a prevalence between 1.3% and 12.5%. Several population-based randomized trials have evaluated ultrasound screening for AAA providing evidence of a reduction in aneurysm-related mortality in the screened population. The aim of our study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk factors for AAA. We conducted a systematic review of observational studies and we performed a meta-analysis that evaluated the following risk factors: gender, smoking habits, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, Coronary Artery Disease and family history of AAA. Abdominal aortic aneurysm prevalence is higher in smokers and in males. It is important to underline that all countries, where AAA screening was set up, had high income level and the majority belong to Western Europe (United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Spain and Belgium). Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening is fundamental for public health. It would avoid deaths, ruptures, and emergency surgical interventions if abdominal aortic aneurysm was diagnosed early in the population target for screening.
Untangling Cosmic Magnetic Fields: Faraday Tomography at MetreWavelengths with LOFAR
Authors: O'Sullivan Shane , Brüggen Marcus , Van Eck Cameron , Hardcastle Martin , Haverkorn Marijke , Shimwell Timothy , Tasse Cyril , Vacca Valentina , Horellou Cathy , Heald George
Published: October 2018

The technique of Faraday tomography is a key tool for the study of magnetised plasmas in the new era of broadband radio polarisation observations. In particular, observations at metre-wavelengths provide significantly better Faraday depth accuracies compared to traditional cm-wavelength observations. However, the effect of Faraday depolarisation makes the polarised signal very challenging to detect at metre wavelengths (MHz frequencies). In this work, Faraday tomography is used to characterise the Faraday rotation properties of polarised sources found in data from the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS). Of the 76 extragalactic polarised sources analysed here, we find that all host a radio-loud AGN. The majority of the sources (∼64%) are large FRII radio galaxies with a median projected linear size of 710 kpc and median radio luminosity at 144 MHz of 4 × 10^26 W/Hz. In several cases, both hotspots are detected in polarisation at an angular resolution of ∼20". One such case allowed a study of intergalactic magnetic fields on scales of 3.4 Mpc. Other detected source types include an FRI radio galaxy and at least 8 blazars. Most sources display simple Faraday spectra, however, we highlight one blazar that displays a complex Faraday spectrum, with two close peaks in the Faraday dispersion function.
Determination of N2 and N2O Fixation Rates in Leguminous Plants and Three Different Soil Types by Labeling Experiments with Stable Nitrogen Isotopes
Authors: Nowak Martin , Koegler Felix
Published: October 2018

Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient and plays an important role in plant growth and physiology. In addition, N is also the limiting nutrient in most terrestrial ecosystems. The increasing use of N fertilizers increases agricultural production, but also has negative impacts on biodiversity, water quality and increases emissions of greenhouse gases such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere. N2O is a strong greenhouse gas and the product of microbial transformation processes of N introduced into soil and groundwater (nitrification and denitrification). The production of N2O in soils is highly dependent on oxygen and water content, soil temperature and texture and the available amount of reactive nitrogen (NO3- or NH4+). In agricultural soils, N2O emissions are also influenced by the type of fertilizer used, crops grown, soil pH and NO3- concentration. Refined forms of land management, such as the cultivation of legumes, can reduce the use of fertilizers and thus also the emission of N2O. Legumes can use symbiotic nodule bacteria (rhizobia) to bind atmospheric N2 and make it available to the plant. Non-symbiotic soil microorganisms such as cyanobacteria or other heterotrophic and autotrophic prokaryotes are also able to fix N2. Furthermore, the N2-fixing enzyme nitrogenase, which is specific for most organisms, is not specific for other N2 compounds, especially N2O. To study the N2 and N2O fixation potential of soils and legumes, experiments with isotope-enriched N-gases (100 mol% 15N2 and 15N2O) were performed. Three different soil types (forest, meadow and wetland) as well as legume plants inoculated with rhizobia bacteria (Rhizobium leucaneae) (Leucaena leucocephala) were incubated in microcosms with different mixing ratios of N2 and N2O over a period of one week. The measured 15N enrichment was then used to determine the biological uptake rates. Both in plants and in soils admixtures of up to 40% N2O had no influence on the N2 fixation rate. N2 uptake rates were 1.2 ± 0.4 ug N gdw-1 d- 1in forest and grassland soils and 3.9 ± 1.2 ug N gdw-1 d- 1 in wetland soils. In contrast, the N2 fixation rates of leguminous plants were significantly higher (130 ± 40 ug N gdw-1 d- 1), with the highest accumulation not in root nodules but in the roots. In both plants and soil, the N2O fixation of 0.2 ± 0.1 ug N gdw-1 d- 1 could only be measured from a concentration of 4 vol%. The results indicate that both soils and legumes have a high potential to bind atmospheric nitrogen in the form of both N2 but not N2O. The fate of nitrogen in soil needs to be further investigated. N2 fixation seems to play an important role in wetland soils. Legumes in particular have the potential for NH4+ input and N2O reduction, as most of the solid nitrogen has been transferred to the roots, which can contribute significantly to soil nutrient input.
Teologi Keramahan Allah: Sebuah Pembacaan Kristologi Lukas
Authors: Manurung Frans Setiadi
Published: October 2018

This paper is an attempt to present a hospitable christology model that is relevant for answering issues of plurality in the Indonesian context. The author raises one of the problems of christology, namely the controversy over the idea of Jesus’ subordination to and belief in God in both Luke’s writings. Developing the synthesis approach of Douglas H. Buckwalter, it is suggested that Luke’s Christology is traditional and does not show any conflict with these two ideas. Luke’s ability to build a synthesis in his Christology is precisely an important point for Luke in depiciting Jesus as a manifestation of God’s hospitality and a model for his community. Luke’s Christology that presents the idea of the hospitality of God, is an important contribution for the construction of a model of Christian life in the Indonesian context.
Deep convolutional neural networks for Bearings failure predictionand temperature correlation
Authors: Belmiloud D. , Benkedjouh T. , Lachi M. , Laggoun A. , Dron J. P.
Published: October 2018

Rolling elements bearings (REBs) is one of the most sensitive components and the common failure unit in mechanical equipment. Bearings failure prognostics, which aims to achieve an effective way to handle the increasing requirements for higher reliability and in the same time reduce unnecessary costs, has been an area of extensive research. The accurate prediction of bearings Remaining Useful Life (RUL) is indispensable for safe and lifetime-optimized operations. To monitor this vital component and planning repair work, a new intelligent method based on Wavelet Packet Decomposition (WPD) and deep learning networks is proposed in this paper. Firstly, features extraction from WPD used as input data. Secondly, these selected features are fed into deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to construct the Health Indicator (HI). This study focuses on analysing the relationships such as correlations between the HI and temperature. We develop a solution for the Connectiomics contest dataset of bearings under different operating conditions and severity of defects. The performance of the proposed method is verified by four bearing data sets collected from experimental setup called “PRONOSTIA”. The results show that the health indicator obtains fairly high monotonicity and correlation values and it is beneficial to bearing life prediction. In addition, it is experimentally demonstrated that the proposed method is able to achieve better performance than a traditional neural network based method.
Assessment of apparent losses due to meter inaccuracy using an alternative, validated methodology
Authors: Ncube Mthokozisi , Taigbenu Akpofure E.
Published: October 2018

Despite wide acceptance of the IWA water balance as the basis of managing water losses, experience suggests that there are difficulties with its application. For apparent losses assessment, the traditional approach of deriving consumption profiles and testing water meters exceeds the resources of many utilities. While a few studies have explored alternative methodologies, these have largely not been validated and are susceptible to reproducibility and interpretation difficulties. This paper introduces an improved comparative billing analysis method that combines data preparation techniques, clustering analysis and classical regression analysis on monthly billing data of a water utility in Johannesburg, South Africa. Using the method, an average estimate of apparent losses due to metering errors of 8.2% was found against the best-case scenario of 9.4% using field investigations and laboratory tests, which also measure meter under-registration that the proposed methodology does not cater for. The validated results were possible at a fraction of the cost and effort, while also providing better insight into the underlying consumption patterns. The results show that data-driven discovery processes are viable alternatives for improved assessment and management of water losses.
Ionic Liquids for Topical Delivery in Cancer
Authors: Dias Ana Rita , Costa-Rodrigues João , Teixeira Cátia , Prudêncio Cristina , Gomes Paula , Ferraz Ricardo
Published: October 2018

:

The unique properties of ionic liquids make them quite appealing for diverse applications,
from “green” solvents (1st generation ionic liquids) to finely tuned materials (2nd generation
ionic liquids). A decade ago, a 3rd generation of ionic liquids emerged which is focused
on their prospective clinical applications, either as drugs per se or as adjuvants in drug formulations.
In recent years, research focused on the use of ionic liquids for topical drug delivery
has been increasing and holds great promise towards clinical application against skin cancers.
This article highlights the growing relevance of ionic liquids in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical
technology, which is opening new windows of opportunity.
Pattern and Correlates of Hypomagnesemia Among Subset of Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Rabeea Ihsan Salah , Al-Gburi Karrar , Adnan Ihsan , Hasan Bilal , Mohammed Massa , Mohammed Mariam
Published: October 2018

Background:

Nowadays, there is an accumulated data about the relation between hypomagnesemia
(low Serum Mg level < 0.7 mmol/l) and diabetes.

Objective:

In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in a carefully diagnosed
diabetes patients and to show how some factors could contribute to the prevalence of low serum
Mg level among the population under study.

Methods:

In short, 62 patients of both type 1 and 2, who attended AL-Sadir medical city/ diabetes and
endocrinology centre during the period of the study were included in the study. A detailed history was
taken and participants were informed verbally about the procedure of this study. Serum magnesium and
creatinine were measured using standardized methods.

Results:

The overall prevalence of the hypomagnesemia, among diabetic population involved in this
study, was 29.03 % and it was nearly similar in male (29.41 %) and female (28.57 %). The means(SD)
of serum Mg level were similar in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Other difference in prevalence
among other characteristics has been reported. Within all participants, gender (r = -0.02), fasting blood
glucose (r = -0.514) and metformin use (r = -0.014) were negatively correlated with serum Mg level, in
contrast to other variables, which were positively correlated. While among type 1 DM, age (r= 0.193),
serum creatinine (r= 0.031) and insulin use (r= 0.217) were positively correlated with serum Mg level.
In contrast, others were negatively correlated. In type 2 DM, age (r = -0.283) and fasting blood glucose
(r = -0.496) were negatively correlated with serum Mg level. On the other hand, other variables were
positively correlated with serum Mg level.

Conclusion:

Hypomagnesemia prevalence was detected in nearly one-third of the diabetic population,
which is quite high prevalence. Some factors have shown to play an essential role in this prevalence. A
large study is warranted to address this issue.
Comparison Between Computed Tomography Angiography and Digital Subtraction Angiography in Critical Lower Limb Ischemia
Authors: Al-rudaini Hesham Ebrahim Ahmed , Han Ping , Liang Huimin
Published: October 2018

Background:

CT Angiography (CTA) of aortoiliac and lower extremity arteries is a relatively recent innovation of CT imaging that has changed after the introduction of multi-detector row scanners.

Objective:

The study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Multidetector Computed Tomographic Angiography (MDCTA) in the assessment of arterial tree in patients with Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD), as compared to Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA).

Methods:

A single-center nonrandomized prospective study was conducted on 50 patients complaining of peripheral arterial disease (chronic stage) from February 2017 to October 2017. All the patients were exposed to DSA and CTA prior to definitive treatment. The images were then analyzed using maximum intensity projection, volume-rendered, and curved multiplane reformation techniques.

Results:

All the patients involved in this study were susceptible according to their clinical presentation. The statistical analysis exposed a highly significant difference between CTA and DSA in the assessment of stenosis at the level of Femoropopliteal segment (P<0.01), while for infrapopliteal segment, there was no statistically significant difference between CTA and DSA having 8% versus 14% insignificant stenosis and 62% versus 47% significant stenosis in CTA and DSA, respectively. The overall accuracy of CT angiography in the femoropopliteal segments was 95.20% while in the infrapopliteal segment it was 94.5%.

Conclusion:

Multidetector CT angiography was found to be a reliable alternative mean for pathoanatomical description of the arterial lesions in critical lower limb ischemia and its subsequent management in comparison to digital subtraction angiography.
Evaluation of Hepatic Steatosis with CT and Correlation with Anthropometric Measurements
Authors: Taydas Onur , Koc Ural
Published: October 2018

Objective:

The aim of the study was to evaluate hepatic steatosis in an asymptomatic
group of patients with unenhanced abdominal computed tomography (CT) and to compare the results
with anthropometric measurements.

Methods:

The study included 617 patients aged 18-93 years, who underwent unenhanced abdominopelvic
CT between January 2016 and December 2017. Three imaging criteria were used in
the assessment of hepatic steatosis on CT: mean region of interest (ROI) value of measured liver
lobe (40 HU ≥), mean ROI value of measured liver lobe / measured spleen mean ROI value (1 ≥),
mean ROI value of measured liver lobe - mean ROI value of spleen (10 HU≥). The liver fat was
quantitatively assessed both visually and using multidetector CT grading. The anthropometric
measurements used were the size of the liver and spleen, abdominal anterior-posterior diameter,
abdominal transverse diameter, abdominal circumference, subcutaneous adipose tissue area, and
anterior, posterior, and posterolateral subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness.

Results:

The prevalence of hepatic steatosis was 29.3% according to the visual evaluation, 29.8%
according to the quantitative evaluation, 67.1% according to at least one criterion and 23.3% according
to at least two criteria. A positive correlation was determined between hepatic steatosis and
anthropometric measurements. Differences between the genders were observed in both hepatic
steatosis and anthropometric measurements.

Conclusion:

By setting more objective criteria for evaluation, with the possibility of quantitative
analysis in particular, non-contrast CT will have a more important role in assessing liver fat in the
future.