bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alterations in Running Biomechanics after 12 Week Gait Retraining with Minimalist Shoes
Authors: Yang Yang , Zhang Xini , Luo Zhen , Wang Xi , Ye Dongqiang , Fu Weijie
Published: January 2020

Purpose: The intervention of 12 week gait retraining with minimalist shoes was established to examine its effect on impact forces, joint mechanics, and vertical stiffness during running. Methods: Thirty male recreational runners were randomly assigned to the gait retraining + minimalist shoe (n = 15, GR) and minimalist shoe (n = 15, MIN) groups. The ground reaction force and marker trajectories were collected before and after intervention at a speed of 3.33 ± 5% m/s. Results: A total of 17 participants (9 in the GR group and 8 in the MIN group) completed the training. After training, (1) the loading rate of both groups decreased significantly, and the loading rate of the GR group was lower than that of the MIN group. (2) The foot strike angle of the GR group decreased significantly after training, and the plantarflexion angle and hip joint angular extension velocity increased in both groups. (3) The moment of ankle joint increased in the GR group, and the stiffness of lower limbs was significantly improved in both groups. Conclusion: The 12 week gait retraining with minimalist shoes converted rearfoot strikers into forefoot strikers with a rate of 78% (7/9). More importantly, such a combined program, compared to the training with only minimalist shoes, can avoid the peak impact force and decrease the loading rate more effectively, thus providing a potential means of reducing risk of running injury caused by impact forces. Moreover, the increased vertical stiffness of lower extremity after gait retraining may improve running economy and corresponding energy utilization. However, these observations also suggest that the sole use of minimalist footwear may have limited effects on reducing running-related impacts.
Existence of the Audit Expectation Gap and Its Impact on Stakeholders’ Confidence: The Moderating Role of the Financial Reporting Council
Authors: Akther Taslima , Xu Fengju
Published: January 2020

This paper empirically emphasizes the existence of the audit expectation gap and its impact on stakeholders’ confidence, moderated by the active role of the financial reporting council. As a maiden attempt to portray the relationship, a higher-order model has been constituted and assessed with the pragmatic exploration, smearing the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The data contains 174 respondents as auditors, investors, investment and credit analysts, and regulatory agencies in Bangladesh. The study explores audit expectation gap from diverse aspects, such as auditors responsibility for fraud detection, meaning, and usefulness of the audit report, auditors providing the non-audit services, auditors’ responsibility for going concern reporting, and also an unmet expectation for the other assurance services, such as assurance on the other parts of the annual report beyond the financial statements, like management discussion and analysis and corporate social and environmental disclosure. The findings suggest that the audit expectation gap is negatively related to stakeholders’ confidence and the greater the audit expectation gap is, the lower stakeholders’ confidence is in the audit. Auditors maintaining perceived independence and improving the level of communication with users will diminish the audit expectation gap and induce stakeholders’ confidence simultaneously. Moreover, the active role of the financial reporting council acts as a moderator to ensure the auditors’ perceived independence. The result of the study motivates the policymakers to concentrate on the users’ audit-related expectations and also intends the importance of independent audit oversight.
FGF21 Protects against Aggravated Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption after Ischemic Focal Stroke in Diabetic db/db Male Mice via Cerebrovascular PPARγ Activation
Authors: Jiang Yinghua , Lin Li , Liu Ning , Wang Qingzhi , Yuan Jing , Li Yadan , Chung Kelly K. , Guo Shuzhen , Yu Zhanyang , Wang Xiaoying
Published: January 2020

Recombinant fibroblast growth factor 21 (rFGF21) has been shown to be potently beneficial for improving long-term neurological outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) stroke mice. Here, we tested the hypothesis that rFGF21 protects against poststroke blood–brain barrier (BBB) damage in T2DM mice via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activation in cerebral microvascular endothelium. We used the distal middle cerebral occlusion (dMCAO) model in T2DM mice as well as cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) subjected to hyperglycemic and inflammatory injury in the current study. We detected a significant reduction in PPARγ DNA-binding activity in the brain tissue and mRNA levels of BBB junctional proteins and PPARγ-targeting gene CD36 and FABP4 in cerebral microvasculature at 24 h after stroke. Ischemic stroke induced a massive BBB leakage two days after stroke in T2DM mice compared to in their lean controls. Importantly, all abnormal changes were significantly prevented by rFGF21 administration initiated at 6 h after stroke. Our in vitro experimental results also demonstrated that rFGF21 protects against hyperglycemia plus interleukin (IL)-1β-induced transendothelial permeability through upregulation of junction protein expression in an FGFR1 activation and PPARγ activity elevation-dependent manner. Our data suggested that rFGF21 has strong protective effects on acute BBB leakage after diabetic stroke, which is partially mediated by increasing PPARγ DNA-binding activity and mRNA expression of BBB junctional complex proteins. Together with our previous investigations, rFGF21 might be a promising candidate for treating diabetic stroke.
Polygenic Risk Scores Shed Light on the Relationship between Schizophrenia and Cognitive Functioning: Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Mallet Jasmina , Le Strat Yann , Dubertret Caroline , Gorwood Philip
Published: January 2020

Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disease associated with widespread cognitive impairment. Although cognitive deficits are one of the factors most strongly associated with functional impairment in schizophrenia (SZ), current treatment strategies hardly tackle these impairments. To develop more efficient treatment strategies in patients, a better understanding of their pathogenesis is needed. Recent progress in genetics, driven by large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the use of polygenic risk scores (PRS), has provided new insights about the genetic architecture of complex human traits, including cognition and SZ. Here, we review the recent findings examining the genetic links between SZ and cognitive functions in population-based samples as well as in participants with SZ. The performed meta-analysis showed a negative correlation between the polygenetic risk score of schizophrenia and global cognition (p < 0.001) when the samples rely on general and healthy participants, while no significant correlation was detected when the three studies devoted to schizophrenia patients were meta-analysed (p > 0.05). Our review and meta-analysis therefore argues against universal pleiotropy for schizophrenia alleles and cognition, since cognition in SZ patients would be underpinned by the same genetic factors than in the general population, and substantially independent of common variant liability to the disorder.
Postprandial Hypotension as a Risk Factor for the Development of New Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study with 36 Month Follow-Up in Community-Dwelling Elderly People
Authors: Jang Aelee
Published: January 2020

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is common among the elderly. However, it is unknown whether the presence of PPH can predict the development of new cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the elderly during the long-term period. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the presence of PPH and the development of new CVD within a 36 month period in 94 community-dwelling elderly people without a history of CVD. PPH was diagnosed in 47 (50.0%) participants at baseline and in 7 (7.4%) during the follow-up period. Thirty participants (31.9%) developed new CVD within 36 months. We performed a time-dependent Cox regression analysis with PPH, hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI) as time-varying covariates. In the univariate analyses, the presence of PPH, higher BMI, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure were associated with the development of new CVD. The multivariate analysis indicated that the relationship between PPH and the development of new CVD remained (adjusted hazard ratio 11.18, 95% confidence interval 2.43–51.38, p = 0.002) even after controlling for other variables as covariates. In conclusion, the presence of PPH can predict the development of new CVD. Elderly people with PPH may require close surveillance to prevent CVD.
Working Alliance in Blended Versus Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Patients with Depression in Specialized Mental Health Care
Authors: Kooistra Lisa , Ruwaard Jeroen , Wiersma Jenneke , van Oppen Patricia , Riper Heleen
Published: January 2020

This study investigates working alliance in blended cognitive behavioral therapy (bCBT) for depressed adults in specialized mental health care. Patients were randomly allocated to bCBT (n = 47) or face-to-face CBT (n = 45). After 10 weeks of treatment, both patients and therapists in the two groups rated the therapeutic alliance on the Working Alliance Inventory Short-Form Revised (WAI-SR; Task, Bond, Goal, and composite scores). No between-group differences were found in relation to either patient or therapist alliance ratings, which were high in both groups. In the full sample, a moderate positive association was found between patient and therapist ratings on Task (ρ = 0.41, 95% CI 0.20; 0.59), but no significant associations emerged on other components or composite scores. At 30 weeks, within-and between-group associations between alliance and changes in depression severity (QIDS, Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology) were analyzed with linear mixed models. The analyses revealed an association between depression over time, patient-rated alliance, and group (p < 0.001). In face-to-face CBT, but not in bCBT, lower depression scores were associated with higher alliance ratings. The online component in bCBT may have led patients to evaluate the working alliance differently from patients receiving face-to-face CBT only.
Lack in Periodontal Care of Patients Suffering from Severe Heart Diseases—Results after 12 Months Follow-Up
Authors: Ziebolz Dirk , Friedrich Sylvia , Binner Christian , Rast Josephine , Eisner Mirjam , Wagner Justus , Schmickler Jan , Kottmann Tanja , Haak Rainer , Borger Michael A. , Lehmann Sven , Oberbach Andreas , Garbade Jens , Schmalz Gerhard
Published: January 2020

Background: To assess whether the standardized recommendation of patients with heart failure (HF), left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) and heart transplantation (HTx) to visit their dentist leads to improved oral conditions after 12 months. Methods: Patients from the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Leipzig Heart Centre, Germany were examined at baseline and after 12 months. A dental (decayed-, missing-, and filled-teeth index (DMF-T)) and periodontal examination (periodontal probing depth, clinical attachment loss) was performed. At baseline, patients received a standardized recommendation to visit their dentist. At follow-up, a standardized questionnaire regarding the dental consultation was applied. Results: Eighty-eight participants (HTx: 31, LVAD: 43, HF: 14) were included. The majority of patients (79.5%) followed the recommendation to visit their dentist. Within the total cohort, periodontal treatment need was significantly reduced from 91% (baseline) to 75% (follow-up; p < 0.01). Only 10% of total cohort stated that they received periodontal treatment. The outcome in periodontal and dental treatment need at follow-up appointment revealed no statistically significant associations to the questionnaire regarding dentist consultation (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The simple recommendation to visit the dentist appears not enough to obtain sufficient dental and periodontal conditions in patients with severe heart diseases. Thereby, a lack in periodontal treatment of patients with HF, HTx and LVAD was identified, making interdisciplinary dental special care programs recommendable.
Looking for a Better Characterization of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Means of Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Abreu Manuel , Cabezas-Sainz Pablo , Pereira-Veiga Thais , Falo Catalina , Abalo Alicia , Morilla Idoia , Curiel Teresa , Cueva Juan , Rodríguez Carmela , Varela-Pose Vanesa , Lago-Lestón Ramón , Mondelo Patricia , Palacios Patricia , Moreno-Bueno Gema , Cano Amparo , García-Caballero Tomás , Pujana Miquel Ángel , Sánchez-Piñón Laura , Costa Clotilde , López Rafael , Muinelo-Romay Laura
Published: January 2020

Traditionally, studies to address the characterization of mechanisms promoting tumor aggressiveness and progression have been focused only on primary tumor analyses, which could provide relevant information but have limitations to really characterize the more aggressive tumor population. To overcome these limitations, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent a noninvasive and valuable tool for real-time profiling of disseminated tumor cells. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the value of CTC enumeration and characterization to identify markers associated with the outcome and the aggressiveness of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). For that aim, the CTC population from 32 patients diagnosed with TNBC was isolated and characterized. This population showed important cell plasticity in terms of expression of epithelia/mesenchymal and stemness markers, suggesting the relevance of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) intermediate phenotypes for efficient tumor dissemination. Importantly, the CTC signature demonstrated prognostic value to predict the patients’ outcome and pointed to a relevant role of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP1) and androgen receptor (AR) for TNBC biology. Furthermore, we also analyzed the usefulness of the AR and TIMP1 blockade to target TNBC proliferation and dissemination using in vitro and in vivo zebra fish and mouse models. Overall, the molecular characterization of CTCs from advanced TNBC patients identifies highly specific biomarkers with potential applicability as noninvasive prognostic markers and reinforced the value of TIMP1 and AR as potential therapeutic targets to tackle the most aggressive breast cancer.
Peacebuilding in Rural Colombia—A Collective Perception of the Integrated Rural Reform (IRR) in the Department of Caquetá (Amazon)
Authors: Graser Maximilian , Bonatti Michelle , Eufemia Luca , Morales Héctor , Lana Marcos , Löhr Katharina , Sieber Stefan
Published: January 2020

The 2016 peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP created institutional space for an effective implementation of needed rural reforms. However, the change of power structures also contains risks, like the deterioration of natural resources and the strengthening of other armed groups. By addressing collective perceptions regarding the Integrated Rural Reform (IRR), this paper shows the consequences of the peace agreement for the rural population in the department of Caquetá. Additionally, it presents the main challenges for further departmental development. The case study approach uses both semi-structured expert interviews of rural development stakeholders in different sectors based on three sampling strands, as well as participatory observation in the field. The main findings show an increase of general physical security and (economic) interest in the department since the signing of the agreement, while the deforestation rate, homicides, and threats against social-environmental leaders were all highly increased. The study also derives recommendations of departmental actors in rural development for a more effective peace implementation process, like the change from cattle driven to a more conservational economy with agri-silviculture and ecotourism, led by local civil society. To create a stable peace, it is crucial that the current government effectively implements the IRR, while also considering departmental perceptions of sustainable development. If the implementation process and departmental recognition is not enforced sufficiently, then peace might only be possible at the cost of the Amazon and its nature.
The Influence of a Novel Inorganic-Polymer Lubricant on the Microstructure of Interstitial-Free Steel during Ferrite Rolling
Authors: Kong Ning , Zhang Jie , Li Hongbo , Wei Boyu , Mitchell David R. G.
Published: January 2020

A novel polyphosphate lubricant was used and evaluated during hot (ferrite) rolling of an interstitial-free (IF) steel. The texture evolution of these rolled IF steels have been examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements. The polyphosphate lubricant shows an improved lubrication performance in terms of the texture optimization compared with lubricating oil and with unlubricated conditions. The γ-fiber texture is enhanced, and less shear texture is produced. This microstructure is responsible for enhanced drawability of ferrite rolled IF steels. The very high thermal stability of the polyphosphate enabled its use at very high temperatures (from 700 to 800 °C). Rolling temperature exerted limited influence on the resulting rolling texture evolution. The polyphosphate lubricant stabilizes the surface texture and reduces the gradient of shear texture through the thickness. The in-grain shear bands are reduced significantly (48.5%) compared with the unlubricated condition. Measured grain orientations indicate that the favorable texture of {111}<112> along the γ-fiber is developed while the undesired α-fiber texture of {001}<110> is effectively suppressed.
Leaching Chalcopyrite with an Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid and Bromide
Authors: Rodríguez Marcelo , Ayala Luís , Robles Pedro , Sepúlveda Rossana , Torres David , Carrillo-Pedroza Francisco Raul , Jeldres Ricardo I. , Toro Norman
Published: January 2020

The unique properties of ionic liquids (ILs) drive the growing number of novel applications in different industries. The main features of ILs are high thermal stability, recyclability, low flash point, and low vapor pressure. This study investigated pure chalcopyrite dissolution in the presence of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, [BMIm]HSO4, and a bromide-like complexing agent. The proposed system was compared with acid leaching in sulfate media with the addition of chloride and bromide ions. The results demonstrated that the use of ionic liquid and bromide ions improved the chalcopyrite leaching performance. The best operational conditions were at a temperature of 90 °C, with an ionic liquid concentration of 20% and 100 g/L of bromide.
Application of Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Rutin and Rosmarinic Acid from Satureja montana L. and Evaluation of the Extracts Antiradical Activity
Authors: Jakovljević Martina , Vladić Jelena , Vidović Senka , Pastor Kristian , Jokić Stela , Molnar Maja , Jerković Igor
Published: January 2020

Satureja montana L. was used in the current research as the plant exhibits numerous health-promoting benefits due to its specific chemical composition. The extraction method based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was used for the extraction of rutin and rosmarinic acid from this plant. Five different choline chloride-based DESs with different volumes of water (10%, 30%, and 50% (v/v)) were used for the extraction at different temperatures (30, 50, and 70 °C) to investigate the influence on rosmarinic acid and rutin content obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector (HPLC-DAD) in the obtained extracts. A principal component analysis was employed to explore and visualize the influence of applied parameters on the efficiency of the extraction procedure of rutin and rosmarinic acid. Among the tested DESs, choline chloride:lactic acid (mole ratio 1:2) and choline chloride:levulinic acid (mole ratio 1:2) were the most suitable for the extraction of rutin, while for rosmarinic acid choline chloride:urea (mole ratio 1:2) was the most effective solvent. The extract showing the best antiradical activity was obtained with choline chloride:urea (mole ratio 1:1) at 30 °C and 50% H2O (v/v).
Subcellular Targeting of Plant Sucrose Transporters Is Affected by Their Oligomeric State
Authors: Garg Varsha , Hackel Aleksandra , Kühn Christina
Published: January 2020

Post-translational regulation of sucrose transporters represents one possibility to adapt transporter activity in a very short time frame. This can occur either via phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, oligomerization, protein–protein interactions, endocytosis/exocytosis, or degradation. It is also known that StSUT1 can change its compartmentalization at the plasma membrane and concentrate in membrane microdomains in response to changing redox conditions. A systematic screen for protein–protein-interactions of plant sucrose transporters revealed that the interactome of all three known sucrose transporters from the Solanaceous species Solanum tuberosum and Solanum lycopersicum represents a specific subset of interaction partners, suggesting different functions for the three different sucrose transporters. Here, we focus on factors that affect the subcellular distribution of the transporters. It was already known that sucrose transporters are able to form homo- as well as heterodimers. Here, we reveal the consequences of homo- and heterodimer formation and the fact that the responses of individual sucrose transporters will respond differently. Sucrose transporter SlSUT2 is mainly found in intracellular vesicles and several of its interaction partners are involved in vesicle traffic and subcellular targeting. The impact of interaction partners such as SNARE/VAMP proteins on the localization of SlSUT2 protein will be investigated, as well as the impact of inhibitors, excess of substrate, or divalent cations which are known to inhibit SUT1-mediated sucrose transport in yeast cells. Thereby we are able to identify factors regulating sucrose transporter activity via a change of their subcellular distribution.
Integration of Prognostics and Control of an Oil/CO2 Subsea Separation System
Authors: Bernardino Lucas Ferreira , Souza André Felipe Ferreira de , Secchi Argimiro Resende , de Souza Jr. Maurício Bezerra , Barros Anne
Published: January 2020

The exploitation of reserves with a high CO2 content is challenging because of the need for its separation and the environmental impact associated with its generation. In this context, a suitable use for the generated CO2 is its reinjection into the reservoir, and subsea CO2 separation improves the efficiency of this process. The main objective of this work is to investigate the health-aware control of a subsea CO2 separation system. Previously identified linear models were used in a predictive controller with Kalman filter-based state estimation and online model update, and simulations were performed to evaluate the controller tuning. Regarding prognostics, a stochastic model of pump degradation, sensitive to its operating conditions, was proposed, and a particle filter was implemented to perform online degradation state estimation and remaining useful lifetime prediction. Finally, a health-aware controller was designed, which could extend the life of the process by four months when compared to operation with a conventional model predictive controller. Some difficulties in combining reference tracking and lifetime extension objectives were also investigated. The obtained results indicate that dealing with the control problem through the multiobjective optimization theory or addressing the lifetime extension in an optimization layer may improve its performance.
Detection of Drivers’ Anxiety Invoked by Driving Situations Using Multimodal Biosignals
Authors: Lee Seungji , Lee Taejun , Yang Taeyang , Yoon Changrak , Kim Sung-Phil
Published: January 2020

It has become increasingly important to monitor drivers’ negative emotions during driving to prevent accidents. Despite drivers’ anxiety being critical for safe driving, there is a lack of systematic approaches to detect anxiety in driving situations. This study employed multimodal biosignals, including electroencephalography (EEG), photoplethysmography (PPG), electrodermal activity (EDA) and pupil size to estimate anxiety under various driving situations. Thirty-one drivers, with at least one year of driving experience, watched a set of thirty black box videos including anxiety-invoking events, and another set of thirty videos without them, while their biosignals were measured. Then, they self-reported anxiety-invoked time points in each video, from which features of each biosignal were extracted. The logistic regression (LR) method classified single biosignals to detect anxiety. Furthermore, in the order of PPG, EDA, pupil, and EEG (easiest to hardest accessibility), LR classified accumulated multimodal signals. Classification using EEG alone showed the highest accuracy of 77.01%, while other biosignals led to a classification with accuracy no higher than the chance level. This study exhibited the feasibility of utilizing biosignals to detect anxiety invoked by driving situations, demonstrating benefits of EEG over other biosignals.
Short-Term Wind Power Prediction Using GA-BP Neural Network Based on DBSCAN Algorithm Outlier Identification
Authors: Zhang Pei , Wang Yanling , Liang Likai , Li Xing , Duan Qingtian
Published: January 2020

Accurately predicting wind power plays a vital part in site selection, large-scale grid connection, and the safe and efficient operation of wind power generation equipment. In the stage of data pre-processing, density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm is used to identify the outliers in the wind power data and the collected wind speed data of a wind power plant in Shandong Province, and the linear regression method is used to correct the outliers to improve the prediction accuracy. Considering the important impact of wind speed on power, the average value, the maximum difference and the average change rate of daily wind speed of each historical day are used as the selection criteria to select similar days by using DBSCAN algorithm and Euclidean distance. The short-term wind power prediction is carried out by using the similar day data pre-processed and unprocessed, respectively, as the input of back propagation neural network optimized by genetic algorithm (GA-BP neural network). Analysis of the results proves the practicability and efficiency of the prediction model and the important role of outlier identification and correction in improving the accuracy of wind power prediction.
Voxel-FPN: Multi-Scale Voxel Feature Aggregation for 3D Object Detection from LIDAR Point Clouds
Authors: Kuang Hongwu , Wang Bei , An Jianping , Zhang Ming , Zhang Zehan
Published: January 2020

Object detection in point cloud data is one of the key components in computer vision systems, especially for autonomous driving applications. In this work, we present Voxel-Feature Pyramid Network, a novel one-stage 3D object detector that utilizes raw data from LIDAR sensors only. The core framework consists of an encoder network and a corresponding decoder followed by a region proposal network. Encoder extracts and fuses multi-scale voxel information in a bottom-up manner, whereas decoder fuses multiple feature maps from various scales by Feature Pyramid Network in a top-down way. Extensive experiments show that the proposed method has better performance on extracting features from point data and demonstrates its superiority over some baselines on the challenging KITTI-3D benchmark, obtaining good performance on both speed and accuracy in real-world scenarios.
Depth Image–Based Deep Learning of Grasp Planning for Textureless Planar-Faced Objects in Vision-Guided Robotic Bin-Picking
Authors: Jiang Ping , Ishihara Yoshiyuki , Sugiyama Nobukatsu , Oaki Junji , Tokura Seiji , Sugahara Atsushi , Ogawa Akihito
Published: January 2020

Bin-picking of small parcels and other textureless planar-faced objects is a common task at warehouses. A general color image–based vision-guided robot picking system requires feature extraction and goal image preparation of various objects. However, feature extraction for goal image matching is difficult for textureless objects. Further, prior preparation of huge numbers of goal images is impractical at a warehouse. In this paper, we propose a novel depth image–based vision-guided robot bin-picking system for textureless planar-faced objects. Our method uses a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model that is trained on 15,000 annotated depth images synthetically generated in a physics simulator to directly predict grasp points without object segmentation. Unlike previous studies that predicted grasp points for a robot suction hand with only one vacuum cup, our DCNN also predicts optimal grasp patterns for a hand with two vacuum cups (left cup on, right cup on, or both cups on). Further, we propose a surface feature descriptor to extract surface features (center position and normal) and refine the predicted grasp point position, removing the need for texture features for vision-guided robot control and sim-to-real modification for DCNN model training. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of our system, namely that a robot with 7 degrees of freedom can pick randomly posed textureless boxes in a cluttered environment with a 97.5% success rate at speeds exceeding 1000 pieces per hour.
Investigation of the Occurrence of Nighttime Topside Ionospheric Irregularities in Low-Latitude and Equatorial Regions Using CYGNSS Satellites
Authors: Huang Liang , Liu Yi , Tang Qiong , Chen Guanyi , Wang Zhuangkai , Zhou Chen
Published: January 2020

By using multi-satellite observations of the L1 signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) taken in 2017, we present the occurrence of nighttime topside ionospheric irregularities in low-latitude and equatorial regions. The most significant finding of this study is the existence of longitudinal structures with a wavenumber 4 pattern in the topside irregularities. This suggests that lower atmospheric waves, especially a daytime diurnal eastward-propagating zonal wave number-3 nonmigrating tide (DE3), might play an important role in the generation of topside plasma bubbles during the low solar minimum. Observations of scintillation events indicate that the maximum occurrence of nighttime topside ionospheric irregularities occurs on the magnetic equator during the equinoxes. The current work, which could be regarded as an important update of the previous investigations, would be readily for the further global analysis of the topside ionospheric irregularities.
Non-Contact, Non-Destructive Testing in Various Industrial Sectors with Terahertz Technology
Authors: Tao Yu Heng , Fitzgerald Anthony J. , Wallace Vincent P.
Published: January 2020

In this article, we survey various non-contact, non-destructive testing methods by way of terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging designed for use in various industrial sectors. A brief overview of the working principles of THz spectroscopy and imaging is provided, followed by a survey of selected applications from three industries—the building and construction industry, the energy and power industry, and the manufacturing industry. Material characterization, thickness measurement, and defect/corrosion assessment are demonstrated through the examples presented. The article concludes with a discussion of novel spectroscopy and imaging devices and techniques that are expected to accelerate industry adoption of THz systems.
MOM/GA-Based Virtual Array for Radar Systems
Authors: Sultan Kamel , Abdullah Haythem , Abdallah Esmat , El-Hennawy Hadia
Published: January 2020

This paper introduces a novel antenna array synthesis for radar systems based on the concept of a virtual antenna array (VAA) and the method of moments/genetic algorithm (MoM/GA) synthesis method. The VAA concept is applied to both scanning and fixed radiation pattern arrays. The proposed VAA is introduced to simultaneously support the medium-range radar (MRR) and the long-range radar (LRR) with beam width ±7° for LRR and ±37° for MRR. The proposed VAA is distinguished by its minimum number of antenna elements, simple feeding network, high efficiency, and gain, but all of these are at the expense of a large aperture antenna size compared to the planar antenna array (PAA). The VAA has the ability to have the feeding network and the radiating elements on the same layer, as compared to the multilayer PAA. The newly proposed concept is analyzed and verified analytically and experimentally. Two orthogonal (16 elements) VAAs are designed to operate in the frequency range from 23.55 to 24.7 GHz and to support a flat-shoulder shape (FSS) radiation pattern for LRR/MRR. The antenna was fabricated and tested experimentally, and good agreements between the simulated and measured results were noticed. The proposed VAA is introduced to solve the problems of large size, low isolations, low efficiency, feeding network, low resolution, and small coverage range for the antenna arrays of automotive radars. The proposed antenna array is introduced for automotive radar applications at 24 GHz.
Recent Surge Behavior of Walsh Glacier Revealed by Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Fu Xiyou , Zhou Jianmin
Published: January 2020

Many surge-type glaciers are present on the St. Elias Mountains, but a detailed study on the surge behavior of the glaciers is still missing. In this study, we used remote sensing data to reveal detailed glacier surge behavior, focusing on the recent surge at Walsh Glacier, which was reported to have surged once in the 1960s. Glacial velocities were derived using a cross-correlation algorithm, and changes in the medial moraines were interpreted based on Landsat images. The digital elevation model (DEM) difference method was applied to Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) DEMs to evaluate the surface elevation of the glacier. The results showed that the surge initiated near the conjunction of the eastern and northern branches, and then quickly spread downward. The surge period was almost three years, with an active phase of less than two years. The advancing speed of the surge front was much large than the maximum ice velocity of ≈14 m/d observed during the active phase. Summer speed-ups and a winter speed-up in ice velocity were observed from velocity data, with the speed-ups being more obvious during the active phase. Changes in the glacier velocity and the medial moraines suggested that the eastern branch was more affected by the surge. The DEM differencing results showed that the receiving zone thickened up to about 140 m, and the upstream reservoir zone became thinner. These surge behaviors, as characterized by remote sensing data, gave us more detailed insights into the surge dynamics of Walsh Glacier.
Age-Related Changes in Mobility Evaluated by the Timed Up and Go Test Instrumented through a Single Sensor
Authors: Mangano Giulia R.A. , Valle Maria S. , Casabona Antonino , Vagnini Alessandro , Cioni Matteo
Published: January 2020

Mobility across people with a large range of age was evaluated, for the first time, by using an instrumented timed up and go test (iTUG) based on signals acquired by a single wearable inertial sensor. Eighty healthy participants, from childhood to old age, performed the test, covering walking distances of 3 m and 7 m. Total time, temporal, and velocity parameters of linear and turning subcomponents of the test were quantified. While children, adults, and senior adults exhibited similar values for all the parameters, older adults showed increases in duration and reductions in velocity during the turning phases when compared with the other groups. an increase in velocity was observed during mid turning when the test was performed along the longer distance. Similarity across children, adults, and senior adults indicates that healthy individuals develop the abilities performed in the iTUG early, while the slowing down shown during the turning phases by the older adults may reflect the need to implement adaptive adjustments to face changes of direction. These results emphasize the idea that reducing equipment to a single sensor provides an appropriate quantification when the iTUG is used to investigate a broader age range or different levels of complexity.
A Multi-Modal Person Perception Framework for Socially Interactive Mobile Service Robots
Authors: Müller Steffen , Wengefeld Tim , Trinh Thanh Quang , Aganian Dustin , Eisenbach Markus , Gross Horst-Michael
Published: January 2020

In order to meet the increasing demands of mobile service robot applications, a dedicated perception module is an essential requirement for the interaction with users in real-world scenarios. In particular, multi sensor fusion and human re-identification are recognized as active research fronts. Through this paper we contribute to the topic and present a modular detection and tracking system that models position and additional properties of persons in the surroundings of a mobile robot. The proposed system introduces a probability-based data association method that besides the position can incorporate face and color-based appearance features in order to realize a re-identification of persons when tracking gets interrupted. The system combines the results of various state-of-the-art image-based detection systems for person recognition, person identification and attribute estimation. This allows a stable estimate of a mobile robot’s user, even in complex, cluttered environments with long-lasting occlusions. In our benchmark, we introduce a new measure for tracking consistency and show the improvements when face and appearance-based re-identification are combined. The tracking system was applied in a real world application with a mobile rehabilitation assistant robot in a public hospital. The estimated states of persons are used for the user-centered navigation behaviors, e.g., guiding or approaching a person, but also for realizing a socially acceptable navigation in public environments.
Advances in Antibody-Based HIV-1 Vaccines Development
Authors: Dietrich Ursula
Published: January 2020

Despite the great success of antiretroviral therapy, both in the treatment and prevention of HIV-1 infection, a vaccine is still urgently needed to end the epidemic [...]
Study Of Package Technology Of Hybrid Corn VUB In Sukaraja Village, District Seginim, Bengkulu South Regency
Authors: Miswarti Miswarti , Yahumri Yahumri , Hidayat Taufik , Musaddad Darkam
Published: January 2020

Corn is the second strategic food commodity after rice. The use of superior hybrid corn seeds can increase production and productivity. This study aims to obtain a hybrid corn VUB farming technology package in Bengkulu Province. The assessment was carried out on irrigated paddy fields in Sukaraja Village, Seginim Subdistrict, South Bengkulu Regency from May to August 2018. The RAK design was used with 5 technological package treatments and 5 replications. The data collected consists of growth components, yield components, yields, input and output costs for each treatment. Data was analyzed using variance analysis and DMRT further testing. The feasibility of farming can be seen from the value of compensation for fees or the ratio between revenue and total costs (R/C ratio). The results of analysis of variance on growth components and yield components showed that there was a real effect of treatment on cob weight, number of rows in one cob, and seed weight per ear while on plant height, number of leaves, ear length, number of seeds in 1 row, ear circumference and weight 1000 items have no real effect. P1 technology package (Bima variety 19 URI, Urea 350 kg/ha, SP36 150 kg/ha, KCl 100 kg/ha and without organic matter) with B/C ratio of 2.08, followed by p5 (varieties NK 6172, Urea 300 kg, Phonska 300 kg/ha) gave the highest yield with B/C ratio of 2.04.
KEBERLANJUTAN USAHA PETERNAKAN AYAM RAS PEDAGING PADA POLA KEMITRAAN Sustainability Of Broiler Farming On Partnership Pattern
Authors: SURYANTI RENI
Published: January 2020

The low level of sustainability of the broiler farming related to the low business capacity of farmers. This condition causes sustainability were low at economic, ecological and social dimension. The study aims to analyze the level of sustainability of broiler farming on partnership pattern, and analyze the influence of capacity on the sustainability ts business. The study involved 247 broiler farmers in Sukabumi and Bogor Regency. The research was conducted from August to October 2018. Samples were determined by cluster random sampling technique with farmer clusters in two districts. Data analysis used descriptive analysis and inferencing with regression and correlation. The results show that siustanibility were low. The business capacity of broiler farmers were weak. The low level of business sustainability is supported by the weak ability of non-technical farmers. Economic sustainability is positively related to technical ability and entrepreneurship. Ecological sustainability has positively related to technical and managerial capabilities. Whereas social sustainability relates negatively to technical, managerial and entrepreneurial abilities. Enhancing technical capabilities is needed to support business sustainability. A significant relationship between technical capabilities, entrepreneurship, managerial and economic, ecological and social sustainability can be followed up by giving attention to these capabilities in the implementation of extension activities.
Миколаївський піклувальний про тюрми комітет як орган управління тюремним господарством та опіки над в’язнями
Authors: Левченко Л.
Published: January 2020

На підставі документів архівних фондів досліджується історія та діяльності Миколаївського піклувального про тюрми комітету. Визначено його роль та вплив на стан справ у миколаївських в’язницях. Діяльність Миколаївського піклувального про тюрми комітету, незважаючи на недоліки, у цілому справляла позитивний вплив на стан тюремних закладів у Миколаєві.
Удосконалення діяльності Державної податкової служби як суб’єкта здійснення контролю та нагляду за підприємницькою діяльністю
Authors: Віннік С.
Published: January 2020

У статті, на основі аналізу наукових поглядів вчених, а також норм чинного законодавства України, визначено та охарактеризовано напрями вдосконалення діяльності Державної податкової служби, як суб’єкта здійснення контролю та нагляду за підприємницькою діяльністю. Серед таких напрямів названо: по-перше, поліпшення кадрової політики та кадрової роботи у системі органів ДПС, а по-друге, подальший розвиток системи оцінювання якості та ефективності діяльності даної служби; по-третє, удосконалення її організаційно-управлінської структури.
Luminosidad escritural artificial en las instalaciones de arte
Authors: Martínez Musiño Celso
Published: January 2020

Estudio descriptivo, cuyos objetivos son, investigar los antecedentes de investigaciones recientes que abordan la presencia de la escritura en las obras de arte, y describir los materiales y las manifestaciones escriturales, como caso específico, las instalaciones que usan iluminación artificial. Se visitaron museos y galerías de arte en el periodo 2014-2016. Posteriormente se procedió a la redacción de los resultados y las conclusiones. Como resultado, 114 entidades culturales fueron visitadas y seleccionadas 13 obras de arte que expresan alguna forma de escritura. Mediante el ensamblaje conceptual entre los términos de uso común y los conceptos técnicos de la ciencia de la información es posible ejercer una propuesta de análisis de la presencia escritural en las instalaciones. Entre las conclusiones destacadas, podemos decir que, después de más de cinco mil años, la escritura gana espacios y formas de expresión en las piezas de arte presentadas específicamente para interiores de los museos o las galerías de arte. Este hallazgo incentiva el estudio del fenómeno, es decir, la presencia de la información escrita en las obras de arte.
El libro digital universitario propuesta de un modelo de negocio
Authors: Gama Ramírez Miguel
Published: January 2020

El documento está organizado en seis apartados: Introducción; Sector editorial del libro digital; el libro digital universitario; un modelo de negocio para el libro digital universitario; conclusiones y bibliografía. En la introducción se anota que el campo editorial está determinado por un entramado de relaciones entre el editor, el autor y el librero, arropados por el Derecho de Autor, como medio para regular la relación mercantil entre los actores antes mencionados...
ALGUNOS USOS DE TÉCNICAS DE ISÓTOPOS ESTABLES EN CIENCIA FORESTAL
Authors: Argentel-Martínez Leandris , Garatuza-Payán Jaime , Yépez-González Enrico A. , Garrido-Salina Marco , Acevedo-Hinojosa Edmundo
Published: January 2020

Para muchas latitudes en todo el mundo, se prevén cambios significativos en las variables climáticas, que incluyen principalmente fluctuaciones en los patrones de precipitación, aumentos de temperatura y concentraciones de CO2; tales eventos, comúnmente conocidos como cambio climático, afectan el metabolismo de las especies forestales, que debido a su importancia en la tierra han recibido especial atención por parte de la comunidad científica, especialmente en lo referente a la descripción de los mecanismos fisiológicos y bioquímicos involucrados en la respuesta de las plantas y la adaptación al estrés abiótico. Varios estudios se han desarrollado sobre este aspecto, algunos de ellos han utilizado técnicas de isótopos estables, lo que ha permitido una mejor comprensión de procesos como la eficiencia en el uso de agua y el intercambio de gases en las plantas, fenómenos relacionados con el balance de carbono y agua de los ecosistemas. La presente revisión tiene como objetivo recopilar algunos de los principales avances en el uso de isótopos estables en la ciencia forestal. Si bien los avances en este tema han sido significativos en aspectos tales como la descripción del origen de la absorción de agua por parte de las plantas, su ruta fotosintética, los cambios en la tasa de transpiración de las especies forestales, los factores climáticos que afectan el crecimiento diferencial de sus tejidos y el origen del nitrógeno durante la nutrición mineral, en el futuro tales estudios permitirán un cálculo y modelado de la fotosíntesis, una mejor comprensión de las variaciones en la transpiración y la eficiencia de la nutrición con nitrógeno a través del tiempo.
Estimation With Artificial Neural Network on Electronic Word of Mouth: Opinion Searching
Authors: TOPAL İbrahim
Published: January 2020

Today's consumers see social media as a reliable
source of information and make electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on this
platform by talking about products and services. In social media, e-WOM is used
in three different ways: “opinions searching”(being the most common), “opinion
giving”, and “opinion forwarding”. Identifying factors that motivate consumers
for opinion searching can make a significant contribution to the achievement of
marketing objectives of corporations. For this reason, e-WOM has been discussed
in the recent literature with various motivation factors and analysis methods.
This study differs from other research by combining motivation factors and
detailing e-WOM behavior as well as using artificial neural networks. Facebook,
most widely used social media site, was used for this study. Motivation factors
were estimated by artificial neural network method. Bayesian Regulation method
was used for the analysis. As a result showed that the performance values were
acceptable and the success rate was 90%.