bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The clinicopathology of foot and mouth disease and molecular epidemiology of the viruses circulated in cattle of Pabna district, Bangladesh
Authors: Nazneen MR , Islam MS , Rima UK , Biswas D , Afroze R , Hossain MM , Khan Mahna
Published: April 2018

This study investigated outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle in Pabna district, Bangladesh, during August-September 2015. Out of 100 cattle, 45 were infected with FMD virus, of which five young and two adult cattle died and the postmortem changes in internal organs were recorded. Oral tissue samples from infected cattle (n = 20) of four Upazillas (Sub-district) of Pabna district were collected for viral RNA extraction and serotype identification using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR). Gross and histopathological changes in oral, pedal and mammary tissues were typical of FMD. Characteristics lesion of 'tiger heart disease' was seen in heart muscle of young and adult cattle. There was thickening of interlobular septum of lungs and characteristics of interstitial pneumonia. The uniplex and multiplex RT-PCR detected FMD viruses (430 bp) and FMD viral serotypes “O” (402 bp) and “Asia 1” (292 bp). Cattle of Sujanagar, Chatmahar and Isshardi Upazillas of Pabna district were infected with FMD viral serotype “O” and responsible for mortality of three young and two adult cattle. FMD viral serotype “Asia 1” causing death of two young cattle at Pabna Sadar. The fragment (485 bp) of Vp1 gene of FMD viral serotype “O” sequenced showed mutation in main antigenic sites. The phylogenetic analysis carried out with the Vp1 gene of FMD viral serotype “O” showed the viruses belonging to ME-SA topotype. The death of young and adult cattle was probably due to cardiac and/or respiratory failure. The adapted RTPCR protocol can be used in practice for detecting FMD viruses and its serotyping. Larger samples sizes require investigating to identify existing FMD viral serotypes and topotypes in order to design future preventive strategies.Bangl. vet. 2016. Vol. 33, No. 2, 39-50
Quality of ram spermatozoa separated with modified swim up method
Authors: Hossain A , Islam MM , Naznin F , Ferdousi RN , Bari FY , Juyena NS
Published: April 2018

Semen was collected from four rams, using artificial vagina and viability%, motility% and plasma membrane integrity% were measured. Fresh ejaculates (n = 32) were separated by modified swim-up separation using modified human tubal fluid medium. Four fractions of supernatant were collected at 15-minute intervals. The mean volume, mass activity, concentration, motility%, viability%, normal morphology and membrane integrity% (HOST +ve) of fresh semen were 1.0 ± 0.14, 4.1 ± 0.1 × 109 spermatozoa/ml, 85.0 ± 1.3, 89.4 ± 1.0, 85.5 ± 0.7, 84.7 ± 0.5 respectively. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in fresh semen quality parameters between rams. The motility%, viability% and HOST +ve % of first, second, third and fourth fractions were 53.4 ± 0.5, 68.2 ± 0.3, 74.8 ± 0.3 and 65.5 ± 0.4; 55.5 ± 0.4, 66.2 ± 0.4, 74.5 ± 0.3 and 73.6 ± 0.3 and 66.7 ± 0.5, 66.8 ± 0.5, 65.2 ± 0.4 and 74.7 ± 0.5 respectively. The motility%, viability% and membrane integrity% of separated semen samples differed significantly (P<0.05) between four fractions. The mean motility% and viability% were significantly higher (P<0.05) in third fraction (74.8 ± 0.3%), whereas the mean HOST +ve% was significantly higher (P<0.05) in fourth fraction (74.7 ± 0.5). All quality parameters of separated spermatozoa were significantly (P<0.05) lower than that of fresh semen. The pregnancy rates were higher with fresh semen (71%) in comparison to that of separated sample (57%).Bangl. vet. 2016. Vol. 33, No. 2, 62-70
A Heuristic Approach to Solving the Train Traffic Re-Scheduling Problem in Real Time
Authors: Gholami Omid , Törnquist Krasemann Johanna
Published: April 2018

Effectiveness in managing disturbances and disruptions in railway traffic networks, when they inevitably do occur, is a significant challenge, both from a practical and theoretical perspective. In this paper, we propose a heuristic approach for solving the real-time train traffic re-scheduling problem. This problem is here interpreted as a blocking job-shop scheduling problem, and a hybrid of the mixed graph and alternative graph is used for modelling the infrastructure and traffic dynamics on a mesoscopic level. A heuristic algorithm is developed and applied to resolve the conflicts by re-timing, re-ordering, and locally re-routing the trains. A part of the Southern Swedish railway network from Karlskrona centre to Malmö city is considered for an experimental performance assessment of the approach. The network consists of 290 block sections, and for a one-hour time horizon with around 80 active trains, the algorithm generates a solution in less than ten seconds. A benchmark with the corresponding mixed-integer program formulation, solved by commercial state-of-the-art solver Gurobi, is also conducted to assess the optimality of the generated solutions.
The Public Safety Zones around Small and Medium Airports
Authors: Di Mascio Paola , Perta Giuseppe , Cantisani Giuseppe , Loprencipe Giuseppe
Published: April 2018

Proper planning around airports safeguards the surrounding territory from risks of air accidents. Many countries have defined Public Safety Zones (PSZs) beyond the runway thresholds as a result of targeted risk assessment methods. Therefore, national aviation Authorities could limit building construction and industrial development in order to contain the risk for dwellers to be involved in aircraft accidents. The number of people who live, work or congregate in these areas should be limited. The procedure to set Public Safety Zones is based on advanced technical analyses for major infrastructures. For smaller airports, simplified schemes are used, but, sometimes, they are not as effective when considering the actual safety conditions. This article aims to identify the shape and size of the Public Safety Zones for small and medium one-runway airports. The influence of the volume and mix of traffic on the PSZ geometry has been evaluated using the program named SARA (Sapienza Airport Risk Analysis); the results are correlated with the current Risk Plans generally adopted in Italy. According to the air traffic, the Risk Plans are characterized by a dynamic definition and fit the results obtained from risk assessment.
The Effect of Community-Based Soil and Water Conservation Practices on Abundance and Diversity of Soil Macroinvertebrates in the Northern Highlands of Ethiopia
Authors: Welemariam Mengistu , Kebede Fassil , Bedadi Bobe , Birhane Emiru
Published: April 2018

Soil and water conservation (SWC) practices in the northern highlands of Ethiopia have important implications for land restoration and biodiversity recovery. The present study determined soil macroinvertebrate (SMI) abundance and diversity in response to spatial conditions i.e., generated by different conservation practices, soil depth, and temporal seasonality with the wet and dry season. The SWC practices considered were exclosure + terrace, exclosure alone, terraces, and non-conserved grazing lands. Each SWC measure was selected in three sites that were considered as replications due to low heterogeneity in terms of human and livestock disturbances and biophysical factors. Soil macroinvertebrates were collected using a monolith according to tropical soil biology and fertility (TSBF) method. The highest density (55%) of SMI was found in exclosures followed by terraces 26%. Non-conserved communal grazing lands account for only 19% of the total. Shannon diversity index was significantly (P < 0.05) higher (1.21) in the exclosures supported with terraces and the lowest (0.9) was observed in the non-conserved communal grazing lands. Diversity was also significantly (P < 0.05) higher (1.26) in wet than dry season (0.70). The highest (41%) Sorensen similarity index among SMI was found between exclosures with terraces and exclosures alone during the wet season. The lowest (20%) Sorensen similarity index was found between terraces alone and exclosures with terraces in dry season. Soil macroinvertebrate abundance was higher in upper (0–10 cm) than lower (10–20 and 20–30 cm) soil depth. Soil macroinvertebrate abundance was positively and strongly correlated with soil moisture (R2 = 0.85) and soil organic carbon stock (R2 = 0.95). However, it was negatively (R2 = −0.71) correlated with bulk density. Generally, the abundance and diversity of SMI increased as exclosures and communal grazing lands are supported with terraces.
Lyapunov Equivalent Representation Form of Forced, Damped, Nonlinear, Two Degree-of-Freedom Systems
Authors: Elías-Zúñiga Alex , Palacios-Pineda Luis M. , Olvera-Trejo Daniel , Martínez-Romero Oscar
Published: April 2018

The aim of this paper focuses on finding equivalent representation forms of forced, damped, two degree-of-freedom, nonlinear systems in the sense of Lyapunov by using a nonlinear transformation approach that provides decoupled, forced, damped, nonlinear equations of the Duffing type, under the assumption that the driving frequency and the external forces are equal in both systems. The values of Lyapunov characteristic exponents (LCEs), Lyapunov largest exponents (LLE), and time-amplitude and frequency-amplitude curves computed from numerical integration solutions, indicate that the decoupled Duffing-type equations are equivalent, in the sense of Lyapunov, to the original dynamic system, since both set of motion equations tend to have the same qualitative and quantitative behaviors.
Rapid High-Resolution Wavenumber Extraction from Ultrasonic Guided Waves Using Adaptive Array Signal Processing
Authors: Okumura Shigeaki , Nguyen Vu-Hieu , Taki Hirofumi , Haïat Guillaume , Naili Salah , Sato Toru
Published: April 2018

Quantitative ultrasound techniques for assessment of bone quality have been attracting significant research attention. The axial transmission technique, which involves analysis of ultrasonic guided waves propagating along cortical bone, has been proposed for assessment of cortical bone quality. Because the frequency-dependent wavenumbers reflect the elastic parameters of the medium, high-resolution estimation of the wavenumbers is required at each frequency with low computational cost. We use an adaptive array signal processing method and propose a technique that can be used to estimate the numbers of propagation modes that exist at each frequency without the need for time-consuming calculations. An experimental study of 4-mm-thick copper and bone-mimicking plates showed that the proposed method estimated the wavenumbers accurately with estimation errors of less than 4% and a calculation time of less than 0.5 s when using a laptop computer.
External Field Response and Applications of Metal Coated Hemispherical Janus Particles
Authors: Aizawa So , Seto Keisuke , Tokunaga Eiji
Published: April 2018

Hemispherical Janus particles that were coated with silver or nickel on the equatorial plane of hemispherical polymer microparticles were prepared and dispersed in water and the responses to AC electric and stationary magnetic fields applied were investigated. Both of the particles are so oriented that the equatorial plane is parallel to the AC electric field, owing to electric-field induced dipole orientation, which is the response proportional to the quadratic electric field. The nickel coated particles are self-assembled to make a chain-like structure aligned in the direction of the stationary magnetic field. In addition, when both AC electric and stationary magnetic fields are applied, the orientation of a nickel-coated hemispherical particle is uniquely determined in such a way that the equatorial plane is parallel to both electric and magnetic fields. Because the particle is magnetized on the plane, its direction is reversed when the magnetic field is reversed, which is the response that is proportional to the magnetic field. Utilizing these features, mirrors are fabricated that can switch the transmittance and reflectance with electric and magnetic fields. Such features of the Janus particles as to be controlled by an electric and magnetic fields will find wide applications in the fields of microoptics and microfluidics.
D.S. Sense’s “On My Detroit Everything”: Self-Articulating Black Girl Magic
Authors: Hay Kellie D. , Farrugia Rebekah , Smith Deidre “D.S. Sense”
Published: April 2018

Long before the hashtag #BlackGirlMagic was popularized on social network sites Black women in Detroit have been employing art in their processes of self-articulation and efforts to deal with the complexities and challenges of life in the city. The scripts of African American women that dominate the commercial hip hop industry and their impacts on girls and women have received thorough analysis in academia; yet, the practices, representations, and discursive articulations of independent, Black women hip hop artists remain underexplored. In particular, this essay draws on Deidre “D.S. Sense” Smith’s spoken word poem “On My Detroit Everything” to illuminate the counter-narratives and scripts that Black women have been creating to document, validate, and voice their experiences at a critical point in Detroit’s history as it underwent and continues to deal with the after effects of bankruptcy. Hip hop artists who use cultural production to accomplish grass roots community-building offer alternative visions of what it means to do political work. More than a strategy, we argue that such practices serve as the foundation for a movement that is significant and worthy of documentation in the contemporary neoliberal moment where in policies are accelerating the continued disenfranchisement of people of color in cities such as Detroit.
PM2.5 Characteristics and Regional Transport Contribution in Five Cities in Southern North China Plain, During 2013–2015
Authors: Wang Lili , Li Wenjie , Sun Yang , Tao Minghui , Xin Jinyuan , Song Tao , Li Xingru , Zhang Nan , Ying Kang , Wang Yuesi
Published: April 2018

PM2.5 data from major cities in the southern North China Plain during 2013–2015 were comprehensively analyzed relative to variation features, meteorology effects, and regional transport contributions. The annual average ranged from 87 to 123 μg m−3, with the highest in Baoding and Shijiazhuang, the moderate in Handan and Hengshui, and the lowest in Cangzhou, which revealed an evident concentration gradient with distance from the mountains. PM2.5 pollution indicated significantly regional characteristics and high correlations in daily PM2.5 changes and similar seasonal and diurnal variations in five cities. The highest concentrations mainly occurred in the winter, then autumn, spring, and summer, and the diurnal variations were bimodal with peaks during the morning rush hours and at night, which were mostly dominated by the differences in source emissions and the boundary layer. The PM2.5 concentrations were significantly positively correlated with relative humidity, especially during winter. The highest PM2.5 concentrations in all cities were associated with the south, southeast, and southwest pathways, while the short northwest pathway in the winter for Baoding and Shijiazhuang experienced the highest concentration. Regional contributions ranged from 19.6 to 33.7% annually, with the largest in Baoding and Shijiazhuang. These results provide a scientific basis for pollution forecasting and control in these heavily polluted cities.
Matrix Methods for Solving Hartree-Fock Equations in Atomic Structure Calculations and Line Broadening
Authors: Gomez Thomas , Nagayama Taisuke , Fontes Chris , Kilcrease Dave , Hansen Stephanie , Montgomery Mike , Winget Don
Published: April 2018

Atomic structure of N-electron atoms is often determined by solving the Hartree-Fock equations, which are a set of integro-differential equations. The integral part of the Hartree-Fock equations treats electron exchange, but the Hartree-Fock equations are not often treated as an integro-differential equation. The exchange term is often approximated as an inhomogeneous or an effective potential so that the Hartree-Fock equations become a set of ordinary differential equations (which can be solved using the usual shooting methods). Because the Hartree-Fock equations are an iterative-refinement method, the inhomogeneous term relies on the previous guess of the wavefunction. In addition, there are numerical complications associated with solving inhomogeneous differential equations. This work uses matrix methods to solve the Hartree-Fock equations as an integro-differential equation. It is well known that a derivative operator can be expressed as a matrix made of finite-difference coefficients; energy eigenvalues and eigenvectors can be obtained by using linear-algebra packages. The integral (exchange) part of the Hartree-Fock equation can be approximated as a sum and written as a matrix. The Hartree-Fock equations can be solved as a matrix that is the sum of the differential and integral matrices. We compare calculations using this method against experiment and standard atomic structure calculations. This matrix method can also be used to solve for free-electron wavefunctions, thus improving how the atoms and free electrons interact. This technique is important for spectral line broadening in two ways: it improves the atomic structure calculations, and it improves the motion of the plasma electrons that collide with the atom.
Analysis of Mycotoxins in Peruvian Evaporated Cow Milk
Authors: Flores-Flores Myra Evelyn , González-Peñas Elena
Published: April 2018

Mycotoxins—toxic secondary fungi metabolites—reach humans through food, producing several effects on their health and economic losses. Mycotoxin co-occurrence is common in food due to the co-presence of different fungi species, each of which may produce different toxins. A survey regarding the presence of 22 mycotoxins (aflatoxins M1, B1, B2, G1, G2; ochratoxins A and B; fumonisins B1, B2 and B3; HT-2 and T-2 toxins; nivalenol; deoxynivalenol; deepoxy-deoxynivalenol; 3 and 15 acetyl-deoxynivalenol; diacetoxyscirpenol; fusarenon X; neosolaniol; sterigmatocystin; and zearalenone) in 30 Peruvian evaporated cow milk samples is presented for the first time. Analysis was carried out by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, which was based on two previously validated methods for quantification of these toxic compounds in liquid cow milk, and further validated for the new matrix. The only detected mycotoxin was ochratoxin A, which was found in four samples, although at levels below its limit of quantification (0.2 ng/mL). This initial study indicates that the presence of mycotoxins in evaporated milk is low in Peru. However, we recommend the analysis of more samples and more milk types obtained from urban and rural areas, in order to obtain more data that will allow further risk assessments to be carried out.
Hypoxia and Chromatin: A Focus on Transcriptional Repression Mechanisms
Authors: Batie Michael , Del Peso Luis , Rocha Sonia
Published: April 2018

Hypoxia or reduced oxygen availability has been studied extensively for its ability to activate specific genes. Hypoxia-induced gene expression is mediated by the HIF transcription factors, but not exclusively so. Despite the extensive knowledge about how hypoxia activates genes, much less is known about how hypoxia promotes gene repression. In this review, we discuss the potential mechanisms underlying hypoxia-induced transcriptional repression responses. We highlight HIF-dependent and independent mechanisms as well as the potential roles of dioxygenases with functions at the nucleosome and DNA level. Lastly, we discuss recent evidence regarding the involvement of transcriptional repressor complexes in hypoxia.
Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Rhus coriaria Extract in a Mouse Model of Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
Authors: Khalilpour Saba , Behnammanesh Ghazaleh , Suede Fouad , Ezzat Mohammed , Muniandy Jayadhisan , Tabana Yasser , Ahamed Mohamed , Tamayol Ali , Majid Amin , Sangiovanni Enrico , Dell’Agli Mario , Majid Aman
Published: April 2018

Modulating oxidative stresses and inflammation can potentially prevent or alleviate the pathological conditions of diseases associated with the nervous system, including ischemic optic neuropathy. In this study we evaluated the anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective activities of Rhus coriaria (R. coriaria) extract in vivo. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for DPPH, ABTS and β–carotene were 6.79 ± 0.009 µg/mL, 10.94 ± 0.09 µg/mL, and 6.25 ± 0.06 µg/mL, respectively. Retinal ischemia was induced by optic nerve crush injury in albino Balb/c mice. The anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of R. coriaria (ERC) and linoleic acid (LA) on ocular ischemia was monitored using Fluorescence Molecular Tomography (FMT). Following optic nerve crush injury, the mice treated with 400 mg/kg of ERC and LA exhibited an 84.87% and 86.71% reduction of fluorescent signal (cathepsin activity) respectively. The results of this study provide strong scientific evidence for the neuroprotective activity of the ERC, identifying LA as one of the main components responsible for the effect. ERC may be useful and worthy of further development for its adjunctive utilization in the treatment of optic neuropathy.
Development and Characterization of Biomimetic Carbonated Calcium-Deficient Hydroxyapatite Deposited on Carbon Fiber Scaffold
Authors: Picard Quentin , Olivier Florian , Delpeux Sandrine , Chancolon Jérôme , Warmont Fabienne , Bonnamy Sylvie
Published: April 2018

Calcium phosphate and derivatives have been known for decades as bone compatible biomaterials. In this work, the chemical composition, microtexture, and structure of calcium phosphate deposits on carbon cloths were investigated. Three main types of deposits, obtained through variation of current density in using the sono-electrodeposition technique, were elaborated. At low current densities, the deposit consists in a biomimetic, plate-like, carbonated calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDA), likely resulting from the in situ hydrolysis of plate-like octacalcium phosphate (OCP), while at higher current densities the synthesis leads to a needle-like carbonated CDA. At intermediate current densities, a mixture of plate-like and needle-like carbonated CDA is deposited. This established that sono-electrodeposition is a versatile process that allows the coating of the carbon scaffold with biomimetic calcium phosphate while tuning the morphology and chemical composition of the deposited particles, thereby bringing new insights in the development of new biomaterials for bone repair.
Responses to the Selective Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) Inhibitor Tirabrutinib (ONO/GS-4059) in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Cell Lines
Authors: Kozaki Ryohei , Vogler Meike , Walter Harriet , Jayne Sandrine , Dinsdale David , Siebert Reiner , Dyer Martin , Yoshizawa Toshio
Published: April 2018

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a key regulator of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, and aberrant B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling has been implicated in the survival of malignant B-cells. However, responses of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) to inhibitors of BTK (BTKi) are infrequent, highlighting the need to identify mechanisms of resistance to BTKi as well as predictive biomarkers. We investigated the response to the selective BTKi, tirabrutinib, in a panel of 64 hematopoietic cell lines. Notably, only six cell lines were found to be sensitive. Although activated B-cell type DLBCL cells were most sensitive amongst all cell types studied, sensitivity to BTKi did not correlate with the presence of activating mutations in the BCR pathway. To improve efficacy of tirabrutinib, we investigated combination strategies with 43 drugs inhibiting 34 targets in six DLBCL cell lines. Based on the results, an activated B-cell-like (ABC)-DLBCL cell line, TMD8, was the most sensitive cell line to those combinations, as well as tirabrutinib monotherapy. Furthermore, tirabrutinib in combination with idelalisib, palbociclib, or trametinib was more effective in TMD8 with acquired resistance to tirabrutinib than in the parental cells. These targeted agents might be usefully combined with tirabrutinib in the treatment of ABC-DLBCL.
Action of the Metalloproteinases in Gonadal Remodeling during Sex Reversal in the Sequential Hermaphroditism of the Teleostei Fish Synbranchus marmoratus (Synbranchiformes: Synbranchidae)
Authors: Mazzoni Talita Sarah , Lo Nostro Fabiana Laura , Antoneli Fernanda Natália , Quagio-Grassiotto Irani
Published: April 2018

Teleostei present great plasticity regarding sex change. During sex reversal, the whole gonad including the germinal epithelium undergoes significant changes, remodeling, and neoformation. However, there is no information on the changes that occur within the interstitial compartment. Considering the lack of information, especially on the role played by metalloproteinases (MMPs) in fish gonadal remodeling, the aim of this study was to evaluate the action of MMPs on gonads of sex reversed females of Synbranchus marmoratus, a fresh water protogynic diandric fish. Gonads were processed for light microscopy and blood samples were used for the determination of plasma sex steroid levels. During sex reversal, degeneration of the ovaries occurred and were gradually replaced by the germinal tissue of the male. The action of the MMPs induces significant changes in the interstitial compartment, allowing the reorganization of germinal epithelium. Leydig cells also showed an important role in female to male reversion. The gonadal transition coincides with changes in circulating sex steroid levels throughout sex reversion. The action of the MMPs, in the gonadal remodeling, especially on the basement membrane, is essential for the establishment of a new functional germinal epithelium.
Designing Domain-Specific Heterogeneous Architectures from Dataflow Programs
Authors: Savas Süleyman , Ul-Abdin Zain , Nordström Tomas
Published: April 2018

The last ten years have seen performance and power requirements pushing computer architectures using only a single core towards so-called manycore systems with hundreds of cores on a single chip. To further increase performance and energy efficiency, we are now seeing the development of heterogeneous architectures with specialized and accelerated cores. However, designing these heterogeneous systems is a challenging task due to their inherent complexity. We proposed an approach for designing domain-specific heterogeneous architectures based on instruction augmentation through the integration of hardware accelerators into simple cores. These hardware accelerators were determined based on their common use among applications within a certain domain.The objective was to generate heterogeneous architectures by integrating many of these accelerated cores and connecting them with a network-on-chip. The proposed approach aimed to ease the design of heterogeneous manycore architectures—and, consequently, exploration of the design space—by automating the design steps. To evaluate our approach, we enhanced our software tool chain with a tool that can generate accelerated cores from dataflow programs. This new tool chain was evaluated with the aid of two use cases: radar signal processing and mobile baseband processing. We could achieve an approximately 4 × improvement in performance, while executing complete applications on the augmented cores with a small impact (2.5–13%) on area usage. The generated accelerators are competitive, achieving more than 90% of the performance of hand-written implementations.
Comparing the Cost of Protecting Selected Lightweight Block Ciphers against Differential Power Analysis in Low-Cost FPGAs
Authors: Diehl William , Abdulgadir Abubakr , Kaps Jens-Peter , Gaj Kris
Published: April 2018

Lightweight block ciphers are an important topic in the Internet of Things (IoT) since they provide moderate security while requiring fewer resources than the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Ongoing cryptographic contests and standardization efforts evaluate lightweight block ciphers on their resistance to power analysis side channel attack (SCA), and the ability to apply countermeasures. While some ciphers have been individually evaluated, a large-scale comparison of resistance to side channel attack and the formulation of absolute and relative costs of implementing countermeasures is difficult, since researchers typically use varied architectures, optimization strategies, technologies, and evaluation techniques. In this research, we leverage the Test Vector Leakage Assessment (TVLA) methodology and the FOBOS SCA framework to compare FPGA implementations of AES, SIMON, SPECK, PRESENT, LED, and TWINE, using a choice of architecture targeted to optimize throughput-to-area (TP/A) ratio and suitable for introducing countermeasures to Differential Power Analysis (DPA). We then apply an equivalent level of protection to the above ciphers using 3-share threshold implementations (TI) and verify the improved resistance to DPA. We find that SIMON has the highest absolute TP/A ratio of protected versions, as well as the lowest relative cost of protection in terms of TP/A ratio. Additionally, PRESENT uses the least energy per bit (E/bit) of all protected implementations, while AES has the lowest relative cost of protection in terms of increased E/bit.
Skin Regenerative and Anti-Cancer Actions of Copper Peptides
Authors: Pickart Loren , Margolina Anna
Published: April 2018

Topical remedies capable of protecting skin from damage and supporting its regeneration can improve skin’s health as well as its appearance. Small copper peptides have an excellent safety record and are widely used in cosmetic products. The most studied copper peptide is GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine), a small copper-binding peptide, naturally present in human plasma. Since its discovery in 1973, in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that GHK-Cu possesses a wealth of health-positive actions including improving wound contraction and epithelization, and increasing the production of growth factors and activity of antioxidant enzymes. Recently, gene expression profiling shed new light on diverse biological actions of GHK-Cu. The present paper discusses evidence of GHK-Cu and other small copper peptides possessing potent anti-cancer properties.
Ferroelectric Relaxor Quantum Crystals
Authors: Scott J. F.
Published: April 2018

A discussion is given of ferroelectrics (FEs) that have their Curie temperatures Tc very near absolute zero. These have differences in their dynamics in comparison with higher-temperature systems, since domain wall motion occurs via quantum mechanical tunneling and not by thermally activated diffusion. Emphasis in the present paper is on FEs that have relaxor characteristics. In such systems, the temperature at which the isothermal electric susceptibility ε(T,f) peaks is a strong function of frequency, and it decreases with decreasing frequency. This is due to glassy viscosity and is symbolic of non-equilibrium dynamics, usually described by a Vogel-Fulcher equation. It permits an extra dimension with which to examine the transitions. The second half of this paper reviews domain wall instabilities and asks about their presence in QCP ferroelectrics, which has not yet been reported and may be unobservable due to the absence of thermal diffusion of walls near T = 0; in this respect, we note that diffusion does exist in ferroelectric relaxors, even at T = 0, by virtue of their glassy, viscous dynamics.
Growth of Metal Halide Perovskite, from Nanocrystal to Micron-Scale Crystal: A Review
Authors: Ma Haijiao Harsan , Imran Muhammad , Dang Zhiya , Hu Zhaosheng
Published: April 2018

Metal halide perovskite both in the form of nanocrystal and thin films recently emerged as the most promising semiconductor material covering a huge range of potential applications from display technologies to photovoltaics. Colloidal inorganic and organic–inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have received tremendous attention due to their high photoluminescence quantum yields, while large grain perovskite films possess fewer defects, and a long diffusion length providing high-power conversion efficiency in planar devices. In this review, we summarize the different synthesis routes of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals and the recent methodologies to fabricate high-quality micron scale crystals in the form of films for planar photovoltaics. For the colloidal synthesis of halide perovskite NCs, two methods including ligand-assisted reprecipitation and hot injection are mainly applied, and the doping of metal ions in NCs as well as anion exchange reactions are widely used to tune their optical properties. In addition, recent growth methods and underlying mechanism for high-quality micron size crystals are also investigated, which are summarized as solution-process methods (including the anti-solvent method, solvent vapor annealing technology, Ostwald ripening, additive engineering and geometrically-confined lateral crystal growth) and the physical method (vapor-assisted crystal growth).
Cumulative Human Impacts on Coral Reefs: Assessing Risk and Management Implications for Brazilian Coral Reefs
Authors: Magris Rafael A. , Grech Alana , Pressey Robert L.
Published: April 2018

Effective management of coral reefs requires strategies tailored to cope with cumulative disturbances from human activities. In Brazil, where coral reefs are a priority for conservation, intensifying threats from local and global stressors are of paramount concern to management agencies. Using a cumulative impact assessment approach, our goal was to inform management actions for coral reefs in Brazil by assessing their exposure to multiple stressors (fishing, land-based activities, coastal development, mining, aquaculture, shipping, and global warming). We calculated an index of the risk to cumulative impacts: (i) assuming uniform sensitivity of coral reefs to stressors; and (ii) using impact weights to reflect varying tolerance levels of coral reefs to each stressor. We also predicted the index in both the presence and absence of global warming. We found that 16% and 37% of coral reefs had high to very high risk of cumulative impacts, without and with information on sensitivity respectively, and 42% of reefs had low risk to cumulative impacts from both local and global stressors. Our outputs are the first comprehensive spatial dataset of cumulative impact on coral reefs in Brazil, and show that areas requiring attention mostly corresponded to those closer to population centres. We demonstrate how the relationships between risks from local and global stressors can be used to derive strategic management actions.
Concomitant Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Large-Vessel Vasculitis Visualized on 18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Maestri Brittain Jane , Gormsen Lars Christian , Von Benzon Eric , Andersen Kim Francis
Published: April 2018

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) are related rheumatic diseases which are occasionally present concomitantly. PMR is characterized by synovitis and bursitis. In LVV, inflammation of the blood vessel wall is seen. Both disorders can be difficult to diagnose since patients often present non-specific symptoms and results of blood tests. The non-specific symptoms cannot always be distinguished from symptoms indicating an occult malignancy. We present a case of PMR and LVV in a Scandinavian man visualized on [18F]-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) with the presentation of typically affected sites of joints and arteries and with the same imaging modality ruling out occult malignancy.
Use of Leukocyte Platelet (L-PRF) Rich Fibrin in Diabetic Foot Ulcer with Osteomyelitis (Three Clinical Cases Report)
Authors: Crisci Alessandro , Marotta Giuseppe , Licito Anna , Serra Edda , Benincasa Giulio , Crisci Michela
Published: April 2018

In this study, the use of fibrin rich in leukocytes and platelets (L-PRF) was explored to heal osteomyelitis ulcers in a diabetic foot. The goal was to standardize the utilization of L-PRF in patients with osteomyelitis to direct it for healing. L-PRF was obtained autologously from the peripheral blood of the diabetic patients (n = 3) having osteomyelitis and skin lesions for at least six months. The L-PRF and supernatant serum were inserted into the skin lesion to the bone after a surgical debridement. The evolution of lesions over time was analyzed. All three patients showed positivity to the Probe-to-Bone test and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance detected cortico-periosteal thickening and/or outbreaks of spongy cortical osteolysis in adjacency of the ulcer. The infections were caused by Cocci Gram-positive bacteria, such as S. Aureus, S. β-hemolytic, S. Viridans and Bacilli; and Gram-negative such as Pseudomonas, Proteus, Enterobacter; and yeast, Candida. The blood count did not show any significant alterations. To date, all three patients have healed skin lesions (in a patient for about two years) with no evidence of infection. These preliminary results showed that L-PRF membranes could be a new method of therapy in such problematic diseases. Overall, the L-PRF treatment in osteomyelitis of a diabetic foot seems to be easy and cost-effective by regenerative therapy of chronic skin lesions. In addition, it will improve our understanding of wound healing.
On the Reduction of Computational Complexity of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Maji Partha , Mullins Robert
Published: April 2018

Deep convolutional neural networks (ConvNets), which are at the heart of many new emerging applications, achieve remarkable performance in audio and visual recognition tasks. Unfortunately, achieving accuracy often implies significant computational costs, limiting deployability. In modern ConvNets it is typical for the convolution layers to consume the vast majority of computational resources during inference. This has made the acceleration of these layers an important research area in academia and industry. In this paper, we examine the effects of co-optimizing the internal structures of the convolutional layers and underlying implementation of fundamental convolution operation. We demonstrate that a combination of these methods can have a big impact on the overall speedup of a ConvNet, achieving a ten-fold increase over baseline. We also introduce a new class of fast one-dimensional (1D) convolutions for ConvNets using the Toom–Cook algorithm. We show that our proposed scheme is mathematically well-grounded, robust, and does not require any time-consuming retraining, while still achieving speedups solely from convolutional layers with no loss in baseline accuracy.
Balancing Non-Equilibrium Driving with Nucleotide Selectivity at Kinetic Checkpoints in Polymerase Fidelity Control
Authors: Long Chunhong , Yu Jin
Published: April 2018

High fidelity gene transcription and replication require kinetic discrimination of nucleotide substrate species by RNA and DNA polymerases under chemical non-equilibrium conditions. It is known that sufficiently large free energy driving force is needed for each polymerization or elongation cycle to maintain far-from-equilibrium to achieve low error rates. Considering that each cycle consists of multiple kinetic steps with different transition rates, one expects that the kinetic modulations by polymerases are not evenly conducted at each step. We show that accelerations at different kinetic steps impact quite differently to the overall elongation characteristics. In particular, for forward transitions that discriminate cognate and non-cognate nucleotide species to serve as kinetic selection checkpoints, the transition cannot be accelerated too quickly nor retained too slowly to obtain low error rates, as balancing is needed between the nucleotide selectivity and the non-equilibrium driving. Such a balance is not the same as the speed-accuracy tradeoff in which high accuracy is always obtained at sacrifice of speed. For illustration purposes, we used three-state and five-state models of nucleotide addition in the polymerase elongation and show how the non-equilibrium steady state characteristics change upon variations on stepwise forward or backward kinetics. Notably, by using the multi-step elongation schemes and parameters from T7 RNA polymerase transcription elongation, we demonstrate that individual transitions serving as selection checkpoints need to proceed at moderate rates in order to sustain the necessary non-equilibrium drives as well as to allow nucleotide selections for an optimal error control. We also illustrate why rate-limiting conformational transitions of the enzyme likely play a significant role in the error reduction.
Private Sector Credit and Inflation Volatility
Authors: Katusiime Lorna
Published: April 2018

This paper investigates the effect of inflation volatility on private sector credit growth. The results indicate that private sector credit growth is positively linked to the one period lagged inflation volatility. Given that past monetary policy actions continue to affect the targeted variables due to the substantial lags in the transmission mechanism, the positive response of private sector credit growth to past inflation volatility suggests a credible monetary policy regime in Uganda, which has led to a reduction in the level of macroeconomic uncertainty and the restoration of favorable economic conditions and prospects, thus increasing the demand for credit. Further, the study finds that the lagged private sector credit growth, nominal exchange rate, and inflation have a statistically significant effect on private sector credit growth while financial innovation, interest rates, and GDP growth appear not to be important determinants of private sector credit growth. The robustness of our findings is confirmed by sensitivity checks.
Medical Student Research during a Longitudinal Community-Based Placement Can Provide Opportunities for Learning about Public Health
Authors: Weston Kathryn , Mullan Judy , Rich Warren , McLennan Peter
Published: April 2018

While ‘public health medicine’ is a specialised field, most medical practitioners practice ‘public health’ to some extent, e.g., undertaking preventative screening tests or advising individuals about lifestyle interventions. While requirements to demonstrate capability in public health are common to medical education around the world, medical programs face a challenge to integrate public health education and promote health advocacy in an environment where the doctor: patient relationship is at the core of learning. Students who spend part of their medical education working within general practice or community settings have an opportunity to observe and identify issues of public health importance, and to see how they impact at both a personal and a population level. This paper aims to illustrate how a year-long research project can provide an opportunity for medical students to learn about public health issues and methods to investigate them. Analysis was undertaken of the research topics chosen by eight successive cohorts of medical students, representing 519 students, who successfully completed a research project. Over half of the student research projects (51.8%) directly related to Australian national health priority areas of dementia, obesity, arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, asthma, diabetes, mental health, injury prevention and control, cardiovascular health and cancer control, and a further 28.5% of projects had a specific public health focus, within domains that include lifestyles and health, communicable disease, and healthy growth and development. Researching public health topics in the community setting represents a practical way to engage medical students in learning about public health, and can help to develop their potential to become ‘clinician researchers’, investigating and understanding issues relevant to their communities.
Response Optimization of a Chemical Gas Sensor Array using Temperature Modulation
Authors: Durán Cristhian , Benjumea Juan , Carrillo Jeniffer
Published: April 2018

This paper consists of the design and implementation of a simple conditioning circuit to optimize the electronic nose performance, where a temperature modulation method was applied to the heating resistor to study the sensor’s response and confirm whether they are able to make the discrimination when exposed to different volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). This study was based on determining the efficiency of the gas sensors with the aim to perform an electronic nose, improving the sensitivity, selectivity and repeatability of the measuring system, selecting the type of modulation (e.g., pulse width modulation) for the analytes detection (i.e., Moscatel wine samples (2% of alcohol) and ethyl alcohol (70%)). The results demonstrated that by using temperature modulation technique to the heating resistors, it is possible to realize the discrimination of VOC’s in fast and easy way through a chemical sensors array. Therefore, a discrimination model based on principal component analysis (PCA) was implemented to each sensor, with data responses obtaining a variance of 94.5% and accuracy of 100%.
A Novel Intelligent Method for the State of Charge Estimation of Lithium-Ion Batteries Using a Discrete Wavelet Transform-Based Wavelet Neural Network
Authors: Cui Deyu , Xia Bizhong , Zhang Ruifeng , Sun Zhen , Lao Zizhou , Wang Wei , Sun Wei , Lai Yongzhi , Wang Mingwang
Published: April 2018

State of charge (SOC) estimation is becoming increasingly important, along with electric vehicle (EV) rapid development, while SOC is one of the most significant parameters for the battery management system, indicating remaining energy and ensuring the safety and reliability of EV. In this paper, a hybrid wavelet neural network (WNN) model combining the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) method and adaptive WNN is proposed to estimate the SOC of lithium-ion batteries. The WNN model is trained by Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) algorithm, whose inputs are processed by discrete wavelet decomposition and reconstitution. Compared with back-propagation neural network (BPNN), L-M based BPNN (LMBPNN), L-M based WNN (LMWNN), DWT with L-M based BPNN (DWTLMBPNN) and extend Kalman filter (EKF), the proposed intelligent SOC estimation method is validated and proved to be effective. Under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), the mean absolute error and maximum error can be reduced to 0.59% and 3.13%, respectively. The characteristics of high accuracy and strong robustness of the proposed method are verified by comparison study and robustness evaluation results (e.g., measurement noise test and untrained driving cycle test).
Investigation of Cooling Performances of a Non-Film-Cooled Turbine Vane Coated with a Thermal Barrier Coating Using Conjugate Heat Transfer
Authors: Prapamonthon Prasert , Yooyen Soemsak , Sleesongsom Suwin , Dipasquale Daniele , Xu Huazhao , Wang Jianhua , Ke Zhaoqing
Published: April 2018

The aim of this paper is to numerically investigate cooling performances of a non-film-cooled turbine vane coated with a thermal barrier coating (TBC) at two turbulence intensities (Tu = 8.3% and 16.6%). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with conjugate heat transfer (CHT) analysis is used to predict the surface heat transfer coefficient, overall and TBC effectiveness, as well as internal and average temperatures under a condition of a NASA report provided by Hylton et al. [NASA CR-168015]. The following interesting phenomena are observed: (1) At each Tu, the TBC slightly dampens the heat transfer coefficient in general, and results in the quantitative increment of overall cooling effectiveness about 16–20%, but about 8% at the trailing edge (TE). (2) The protective ability of the TBC increases with Tu in many regions, that is, the leading edge (LE) and its neighborhoods on the suction side (SS), as well as the region from the LE to the front of the TE on the pressure side (PS), because the TBC causes the lower enhancement of the heat transfer coefficient in general at the higher Tu. (3) Considering the internal and average temperatures of the vane coated with two different TBCs, although the vane with the lower thermal conductivity protects more effectively, its role in the TE region reduces more significantly. (4) For both TBCs, the increment of Tu has a relatively small effect on the reduction of the average temperature of the vane.