bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Philosophical and Religious Idea of Fear and Flutter in Russian Language Consciousness
Authors: V. Erofeeva Irina , V. Kislyakov Alexander , A. Pilgun Maria
Published: November 2018

This article was dedicated to the study of concepts of “fear” and “flutter” in ethical-philosophy and ethnic-linguistic exposure. Here, traced stages of “fear” development and important shifts in semantic content of this concept related to the impact of Christian worldview are noted. The highest manifestation of fear - “fear of God” - emerges namely due to expansion of orthodox Christianity; this, in its term, leads to its special form - flutter. These concepts have different semantics in routine and philosophic discourses. Use of cognitive interpretation method, accounting of language semantics and national concept-sphere interaction also allowed the transition from contents of meaning to contents of concepts in the course of study. Studying methods for representation of “fear” and “flutter” concepts in contexts of works of known Russian Philosophers - Berdyayev, Solovyov, and Shestov - gives an opportunity to most complete characterization of their conceptual essence. In this article, different forms of fear manifestation were detected and described via complying to standard (pathological fear, anxiety), duration (scare, phobia, cowardice), and degree of intensity (panic, horror). The fact that in Russian consciousness, fear is clearly delineated in routine and religious senses was related to main conclusions. Fear was also associated with the present and it performed adaptive and social functions. Within philosophic understanding, Flutter was a derivative of fear, but it was more related to the future, since it was directed at achievement of piety and inspiration. The result so f this work could make contribution to the elaboration of the issues of ethnic-linguistic, linguoculturological, and cognitive science.
Information Support Control by Human Resources Construction Cluster Region
Authors: V. Udovenko Irina , V. Mamatov Aleksandr , A. Ivashchuk Olga , P. Putivzeva Natalia , J. Uzharinskiy Anton
Published: November 2018

In the present paper, effective factors in the imbalance between labor markets and educational services in the construction industry were identified on the basis of expert assessments. A model was developed as a system of equations that made it possible to determine the direction of influence of selected factors with subsequent graphic interpretation. Graphical visualization of models was also presented in the form of graphs. On this basis, scenarios of socio-economic development of region were defined in this area (optimistic, realistic and pessimistic scenarios).
Financial Performance Analysis of Bank Rakyat Indonesia Using CAMEL Model
Authors: Susanti Yulita Fairina , Daryanto Wiwiek Mardawiyah
Published: November 2018

The assessment of inancial performance is becoming increasingly important. The Regulation of the Central Bank of IndonesiaNo.13/24/DPNP/2011 provides the mandatory of measuring Health Level Assessment System of Commercial Banks in Indonesia. Thepurpose ofthis study is to measure inancial performances ofPT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero), Tbk (BRI) for the period 2011 to 2015,and to determine the strongest correlation among inancial ratios in the component ofCAMEL. The method used is a CAMEL model, whichis divine to Capital (C), Assets Quality (A), Management (M), Earnings (E) and Liquidity (L), and also a statistical method, namely coeficientcorrelation calculation. The aspects of one another are interrelated and inseparable. The data is collected from the Audited FinancialReports of BRI for the periods of 2011-2015. The result of the study shows that over the last ive years, the inancial performance achievedby BRI was a healthy predicate respectively. All of the financial ratio performances have complied and achieved above the standards oftheCentral Bank of Indonesia. And based on coeficient correlation calculation among inancial ratios in the CAMEL components, itreveals that between Return on Asset (ROA) and Operating Expense to Operating Income (BOPO) has a strong negative correlation. Theive-year trend shows that if the BOPO decrease followed by the increase ofROA, and vice versa.
AKILLI TURİZM UYGULAMALARI
Authors: YALÇINKAYA Pınar , ATAY Lütfi , KARAKAŞ Ezgi
Published: November 2018

Değişen turist
profili, müşteri memnuniyetinin ve rekabet üstünlüğünün önemi gibi nedenlerle
turizm, teknolojinin doğrudan etkilediği sektörlerden biri olarak ön plana
çıkmaktadır.  Teknolojinin turizmde
yaygın kullanımı sonucunda teknolojiye, kaliteye ve çevreye dayalı yeni bir
yaklaşım olarak akıllı turizmin ortaya çıktığı gözlenmektedir. Literatürde
çeşitli tanımlar olmasına rağmen akıllı turizm kavramı için ortak bir tanımın henüz
oluşmadığı görülmektedir. Bu kapsamda, akıllı turizm için yapılan tanımlar ve
açıklamalar doğrultusunda bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri, akıllı destinasyon
ve akıllı otel ifadelerinin ön plana çıktığı görülmüştür. Literatür derlemesi
niteliğindeki bu çalışmanın amacı, akıllı turizm kavramına ilişkin literatürü
ve turizm sektöründeki uygulamaları inceleyerek özellikle Türkçe literatüre
katkı sağlamaktır. Bu çalışmada ilk
olarak, literatür detaylı olarak incelenerek; akıllı turizme yönelik
literatürde bulunan farklı tanımlamalara yer verilmiş, literatürde ön plana
çıkan akıllı destinasyon ve akıllı otel kavramları da incelenmiştir. Daha sonra
ise, akıllı turizm kavramının daha iyi anlaşılabilmesi amacı ile turizm
sektöründeki akıllı uygulamalara örnekler verilmiş ve akıllı turizm kavramı
güçlendirilmeye çalışılmıştır.
Bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri kapsamında değerlendirilen akıllı turizm
tanımlarında daha yoğun olarak mobil uygulamalar, akıllı telefonlar, sosyal
medya ve internet üzerinde durulduğu, çevreci anlayışın göz ardı edildiği
tespit edilmiştir. Çalışma dâhilinde
incelenen akıllı turizm uygulamalarının, Dünya Turizm Örgütü tarafından yapılan
tanımla uyumlu olduğu ancak akademik yazında çevreye duyarlılığın yeterli
düzeyde vurgulanmadığı tespit edilmiştir.
MANİSA'NIN ŞARAP TURİZMİ İLE MARKALAŞMASINDA ÜZÜM ÜRETİCİLERİNİN TUTUMU
Authors: ARSLAN AYAZLAR Reyhan , ÖNGİDER Mert Umur
Published: November 2018

Turizm
endüstrisinde değişen tüketici davranışları destinasyonları alternatif turizm
türlerine yönlendirmektedir. Bir destinasyondaki yiyecek içecek öğeleri
destinasyonun markalaşmasında etkili olabilecek unsurlar arasında yer
almaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı Manisa’da faaliyet gösteren üzüm
üreticilerinin destinasyonun şarap turizmi ile markalaşmasına yönelik tutumunu
belirlemektir. Araştırmada nitel bir yaklaşım benimsenmiştir. Araştırma
kapsamında yirmi üzüm üreticisinden görüşme yoluyla veri elde edilmiştir. Bulgulara
göre katılımcılar Manisa’nın şarap turizmi ile markalaşmasına olumlu yönde
bakmaktadır. Bununla birlikte yeterli sayıda fabrika ve kooperatif olmayışı ve
gerekli alt yapının eksik oluşu markalaşmayı önleyen olumsuz unsurlar olarak
değerlendirilmektedir.
Calming the Waters in the West African Region: The Case of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
Authors: Yiallourides Constantinos
Published: November 2018

On 23 September 2017, a Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) unanimously fixed the course of the maritime boundary between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire and, thus, ended a long-standing dispute between the two West African neighbours. In addition to maritime delimitation, the legal reasoning and conclusions drawn in the judgment – especially in view of the Special Chamber's Provisional Measures Order of 25 April 2017 – are significant, in that they shed light on states' rights and obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in respect of undelimited maritime areas, and also on the potential to respond meaningfully to unilateral resource-related activities in disputed waters through recourse to provisional measures of protection. The present article examines the key aspects of the Special Chamber's ruling and highlights some issues of practical significance for the future conduct of unilateral petroleum activities in disputed maritime areas.
Dual-Specificity Phosphatase CDC25B Was Inhibited by Natural Product HB-21 Through Covalently Binding to the Active Site
Authors: Zhang Shoude , Jia Qiangqiang , Gao Qiang , Fan Xueru , Weng Yuxin , Su Zhanhai
Published: November 2018

Cysteine 473, within the active site of the enzyme, Cdc25B, is catalytically essential for substrate activation. The most well-reported inhibitors of Cdc25 phosphatases, especially quinone-type inhibitors, function by inducing irreversible oxidation at this active site of cysteine. Here, we identified a natural product, HB-21, having a sesquiterpene lactone skeleton that could irreversibly bind to cys473 through the formation of a covalent bond. This compound inhibited recombinant human Cdc25B phosphatase with an IC50 value of 24.25 μM. Molecular modeling predicted that HB-21 not only covalently binds to cys473 of Cdc25B but also forms six hydrogen bonds with residues at the active site. Moreover, HB-21 can dephosphorylate cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1), the natural substrate of Cdc25b, and inhibit cell cycle progression. In summary, HB-21 is a new type of Cdc25B inhibitor with a novel molecular mechanism.
RETRACTED: A Strain of an Emerging Indian Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae Pathotype Defeats the Rice Bacterial Blight Resistance Gene xa13 Without Inducing a Clade III SWEET Gene and Is Nearly Identical to a Recent Thai Isolate
Authors: Carpenter Sara C. D. , Mishra Prashant , Ghoshal Chandrika , Dash Prasanta K. , Wang Li , Midha Samriti , Laha Gouri S. , Lore Jagjeet S. , Kositratana Wichai , Singh Nagendra K. , Singh Kuldeep , Patil Prabhu B. , Oliva Ricardo , Patarapuwadol Sujin , Bogdanove Adam J. , Rai Rhitu
Published: November 2018

The rice bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) injects transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) that bind and activate host “susceptibility” (S) genes important for disease. Clade III SWEET genes are major S genes for bacterial blight. The resistance genes xa5, which reduces TALE activity generally, and xa13, a SWEET11 allele not recognized by the cognate TALE, have been effectively deployed. However, strains that defeat both resistance genes individually were recently reported in India and Thailand. To gain insight into the mechanism(s), we completely sequenced the genome of one such strain from each country and examined the encoded TALEs. Strikingly, the two strains are clones, sharing nearly identical TALE repertoires, including a TALE known to activate SWEET11 strongly enough to be effective even when diminished by xa5. We next investigated SWEET gene induction by the Indian strain. The Indian strain induced no clade III SWEET in plants harboring xa13, indicating a pathogen adaptation that relieves dependence on these genes for susceptibility. The findings open a door to mechanistic understanding of the role SWEET genes play in susceptibility and illustrate the importance of complete genome sequence-based monitoring of Xoo populations in developing varieties with effective disease resistance.
Crack Growth in a Range of Additively Manufactured Aerospace Structural Materials
Authors: Iliopoulos Athanasios , Jones Rhys , Michopoulos John , Phan Nam , Singh Raman R. K.
Published: November 2018

The aerospace industry is now beginning to adopt Additive Manufacturing (AM), both for new aircraft design and to help improve aircraft availability (aircraft sustainment). However, MIL-STD 1530 highlights that to certify airworthiness, the operational life of the airframe must be determined by a damage tolerance analysis. MIL-STD 1530 also states that in this process, the role of testing is merely to validate or correct the analysis. Consequently, if AM-produced parts are to be used as load-carrying members, it is important that the d a / d N versus ΔK curves be determined and, if possible, a valid mathematical representation determined. The present paper demonstrates that for AM Ti-6Al-4V, AM 316L stainless steel, and AM AerMet 100 steel, the d a / d N versus ΔK curves can be represented reasonably well by the Hartman-Schijve variant of the NASGRO crack growth equation. It is also shown that the variability in the various AM d a / d N versus Δ K curves is captured reasonably well by using the curve determined for conventionally manufactured materials and allowing for changes in the threshold and the cyclic fracture toughness terms.
Comparative Effects of Coenzyme Q10 or n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Retinal Angiogenesis in a Rat Model of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy
Authors: Beharry Kay D. , Cai Charles L. , Siddiqui Faisal , Chowdhury Sara , D’Agrosa Christina , Valencia Gloria B. , Aranda Jacob V.
Published: November 2018

Neonatal intermittent hypoxia (IH) or apnea afflicts 70% to 90% of all preterm infants <28 weeks gestation, and is associated with severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We tested the hypotheses that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) supplementation during neonatal IH reduces the severity of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Newborn rats were exposed to two IH paradigms: (1) 50% O2 with brief hypoxia (12% O2); or (2) 21% O2 with brief hypoxia, until postnatal day 14 (P14), during which they received daily oral CoQ10 in olive oil, n-3 PUFAs in fish oil, or olive oil only and compared to room air (RA) treated groups. Pups were examined at P14, or placed in RA until P21. Retinal angiogenesis, histopathology, and morphometry were determined. Both IH paradigms produced severe OIR, but these were worsened with 50/12% O2 IH. CoQ10 and n-3 PUFAs reduced the severity of OIR, as well as ocular growth factors in both IH paradigms, but CoQ10 was more effective in 50/12% O2 IH. Supplementation with either CoQ10 or n-3 PUFAs targeting IH-induced retinal injury is individually effective for ameliorating specific characteristics consistent with ROP. Given the complexity of ROP, further studies are needed to determine whether combined CoQ10 and n-3 PUFAs supplementation would optimize their efficacy and result in a better outcome.
Robot Navigation Based on Human Trajectory Prediction and Multiple Travel Modes
Authors: Chen Zhixian , Song Chao , Yang Yuanyuan , Zhao Baoliang , Hu Ying , Liu Shoubin , Zhang Jianwei
Published: November 2018

For a mobile robot, navigation skills that are safe, efficient, and socially compliant in crowded, dynamic environments are essential. This is a particularly challenging problem as it requires the robot to accurately predict pedestrians’ movements, analyse developing traffic situations, and plan its own path or trajectory accordingly. Previous approaches still exhibit low accuracy for pedestrian trajectory prediction, and they are prone to generate infeasible trajectories under complex crowded conditions. In this paper, we develop an improved socially conscious model to learn and predict a pedestrian’s future trajectory. To generate more efficient and safer trajectories in a changing crowed space, an online path planning algorithm considering pedestrians’ predicted movements and the feasibility of the candidate trajectories is proposed. Then, multiple traffic states are defined to guide the robot finding the optimal navigation strategies under changing traffic situations in a crowded area. We have demonstrated the performance of our approach outperforms state-of-the-art approaches with public datasets, in low-density and simulated medium-density crowded scenarios.
Generation of Complete SAR Geometric Distortion Maps Based on DEM and Neighbor Gradient Algorithm
Authors: Chen Xiaohong , Sun Qian , Hu Jun
Published: November 2018

Radar-specific imaging geometric distortions (including foreshortening, layover, and shadow) that occur in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired over mountainous areas have a negative impact on the suitability of the interferometric SAR (InSAR) technique to monitor landslides. To address this issue, many distortion simulation methods have been presented to predict the areas in which distortions will occur before processing the SAR image. However, the layover and shadow regions are constituted by active as well as passive subregions. Since passive distortions are caused by active distortions and can occur in the flat area, it is difficult to distinguish the transition zone between passive distortion and non-distortion areas. In addition, passive distortion could cover part of the foreshortening or active layover/shadow areas but has generally been ignored. Therefore, failure to simulate passive distortion leads to incomplete simulated distortions. In this paper, an algorithm to define complete SAR geometric distortions and correct the boundaries among different distortions is presented based on the neighbor gradient between the passive and active distortions. It is an image-processing routine applied to a digital elevation model (DEM) of the terrain to be imaged by the available SAR data. The performance of the proposed method has been validated by the ascending and descending Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images acquired over the Chongqing mountainous area of China. Through the investigation of passive distortion, we can have a deeper understanding of the formation and characteristics of these distortions. Moreover, it provides very meaningful information for research on areas such as landslide monitoring.
The Heterochromatin Landscape in Migrating Cells and the Importance of H3K27me3 for Associated Transcriptome Alterations
Authors: Segal Tamar , Salmon-Divon Mali , Gerlitz Gabi
Published: November 2018

H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H4K20me1 are epigenetic markers associated with chromatin condensation and transcriptional repression. Previously, we found that migration of melanoma cells is associated with and dependent on global chromatin condensation that includes a global increase in these markers. Taken together with more recent reports by others suggests it is a general signature of migrating cells. Here, to learn about the function of these markers in migrating cells, we mapped them by ChIP-seq analysis. This analysis revealed that induction of migration leads to expansion of these markers along the genome and to an increased overlapping between them. Significantly, induction of migration led to a higher increase in H3K9me3 and H4K20me1 signals at repetitive elements than at protein-coding genes, while an opposite pattern was found for H3K27me3. Transcriptome analysis revealed 182 altered genes following induction of migration, of which 33% are dependent on H3K27me3 for these changes. H3K27me3 was also required to prevent changes in the expression of 501 other genes upon induction of migration. Taken together, our results suggest that heterochromatinization in migrating cells is global and not restricted to specific genomic loci and that H3K27me3 is a key component in executing a migration-specific transcriptional plan.
Introduction of DMD Method to Study the Dynamic Structures of a Three-Dimensional Centrifugal Compressor with and without Flow Control
Authors: Hong Shuli , Huang Guoping , Yang Yuxuan , Liu Zepeng
Published: November 2018

The flow structures around the blade tip, mainly large-scale leakage vortex, exert a great influence on compressor performance. By applying unsteady jet control technology at the blade tip in this study, the performance of the compressor can be greatly improved. A numerical simulation is conducted to study the flow characteristics of a centrifugal compressor with and without a flow control. The complex flow structures cause great difficulties in the analysis of the dynamic behavior and flow control mechanism. Thus, we introduced a dynamic flow field analysis technology called dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). The global spectrums with different global energy norms and the coherent structures with different scales can be obtained through the DMD analysis of the three-dimensional controlled and uncontrolled compressors. The results show that the coherent structures are homogeneous in the controlled compressor. The leakage vortex is weakened, and its influence range of unsteady fluctuation is reduced in the controlled compressor. The effective flow control created uniform vortex structures and improved the overall order of the flow field in the compressor. This research provides a feasible direction for future flow control applications, such as transferring the energy of the dominant vortices to small-scale vortices.
Anticancer Activity of Natural Compounds from Plant and Marine Environment
Authors: Lichota Anna , Gwozdzinski Krzysztof
Published: November 2018

This paper describes the substances of plant and marine origin that have anticancer properties. The chemical structure of the molecules of these substances, their properties, mechanisms of action, their structure–activity relationships, along with their anticancer properties and their potential as chemotherapeutic drugs are discussed in this paper. This paper presents natural substances from plants, animals, and their aquatic environments. These substances include the vinca alkaloids, mistletoe plant extracts, podophyllotoxin derivatives, taxanes, camptothecin, combretastatin, and others including geniposide, colchicine, artesunate, homoharringtonine, salvicine, ellipticine, roscovitine, maytanasin, tapsigargin, and bruceantin. Compounds (psammaplin, didemnin, dolastin, ecteinascidin, and halichondrin) isolated from the marine plants and animals such as microalgae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, invertebrates (e.g., sponges, tunicates, and soft corals) as well as certain other substances that have been tested on cells and experimental animals and used in human chemotherapy.
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPAR)γ Agonists as Master Modulators of Tumor Tissue
Authors: Heudobler Daniel , Rechenmacher Michael , Lüke Florian , Vogelhuber Martin , Pukrop Tobias , Herr Wolfgang , Ghibelli Lina , Gerner Christopher , Reichle Albrecht
Published: November 2018

In most clinical trials, thiazolidinediones do not show any relevant anti-cancer activity when used as mono-therapy. Clinical inefficacy contrasts ambiguous pre-clinical data either favoring anti-tumor activity or tumor promotion. However, if thiazolidinediones are combined with additional regulatory active drugs, so-called ‘master modulators’ of tumors, i.e., transcriptional modulators, metronomic low-dose chemotherapy, epigenetically modifying agents, protein binding pro-anakoinotic drugs, such as COX-2 inhibitors, IMiDs, etc., the results indicate clinically relevant communicative reprogramming of tumor tissues, i.e., anakoinosis, meaning ‘communication’ in ancient Greek. The concerted activity of master modulators may multifaceted diversify palliative care or even induce continuous complete remission in refractory metastatic tumor disease and hematologic neoplasia by establishing novel communicative behavior of tumor tissue, the hosting organ, and organism. Re-modulation of gene expression, for example, the up-regulation of tumor suppressor genes, may recover differentiation, apoptosis competence, and leads to cancer control—in contrast to an immediate, ‘poisoning’ with maximal tolerable doses of targeted/cytotoxic therapies. The key for uncovering the therapeutic potential of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonists is selecting the appropriate combination of master modulators for inducing anakoinosis: Now, anakoinosis is trend setting by establishing a novel therapeutic pillar while overcoming classic obstacles of targeted therapies, such as therapy resistance and (molecular-)genetic tumor heterogeneity.
Theory and Practice in Digital Behaviour Change: A Matrix Framework for the Co-Production of Digital Services That Engage, Empower and Emancipate Marginalised People Living with Complex and Chronic Conditions
Authors: Kayser Lars , Nøhr Christian , Bertelsen Pernille , Botin Lars , Villumsen Sidsel , Showell Chris , Turner Paul
Published: November 2018

Background: The WHO framework on integrated people-centred health services promotes a focus on the needs of people and their communities to empower them to have a more active role in their own health. It has advocated five strategies including: Engaging and empowering people and communities; co-ordinating services within and across sectors; and, creating an enabling environment. Any implementation of these strategies needs to occur at individual, community, and health service levels. Useful steps to reorganising health service provision are already being guided by existing models of care linked to increased adoption and use of digital technologies with examples including: Wagner’s Chronic Care Model (CCM); Valentijn’s Rainbow Model of Integrated Care (RMIC); and Phanareth’s et al.’s Epital Care Model (ECM). However, what about individuals and the communities they live in? How will strategies be implemented to address known inequities in: the social determinants of health; access to, and use of digital technologies, and individual textual, technical, and health literacies? Proposal of a matrix framework: This paper argues that people with complex and chronic conditions (PwCCC) living in communities that are at risk of being under-served or marginalised in health service provision require particular attention. It articulates a step-by-step process to identify these individuals and co-produce mechanisms to engage, empower and ultimately emancipate these individuals to become activated in living with their conditions and in their interactions with the health system and community. This step-by-step process focuses on key issues related to the design and role of digital services in mitigating the effects of the health service inequity and avoiding the creation of an e-health divide amongst users when advocating digital behaviour change initiatives. This paper presents a matrix framework providing a scaffold across three inter-related levels of the individual; the provider, and the health and care system. The matrix framework supports examination of and reflection on the design and role of digital technologies in conjunction with pre-existing motivational instruments. This matrix framework is illustrated with examples from practice. Conclusion: It is anticipated that the matrix framework will evolve and can be used to map and reflect on approaches and practices aiming to enrich and stimulate co-production activities supported by digital technology focused on enhancing people-centred health services for the marginalised.
Equipment and Technology for Combined Ion–Plasma Strengthening of Cutting Tools
Authors: Grigoriev Sergey , Metel Alexander , Melnik Yury , Volosova Marina
Published: November 2018

A combined strengthening of cutting tools for finishing has been carried out in glow discharge plasma filling a process vacuum chamber. At the first stage, reamers rotating around the axis distanced from the magnetron targets at 8 cm were bombarded by fast argon atoms produced due to charge exchange collisions of ions accelerated in space charge sheathes between the plasma and a negatively biased to 3 kV grid with a 25 cm radius of its concave surface curvature. The reamer bombardment by fast neutral atoms led to a reduction of its cutting-edge radius from ~7 μm to ~2 μm. At the second stage, the reamer surface was nitrided within 1 h at a temperature of 500 °C stabilized by regulation of the negative bias voltage accelerating the nitrogen ions. At the third stage, a 3 μm thick TiN coating has been synthesized on the reamer bombarded by pulsed beams of 3 keV neutral atoms at a 50 Hz repetition rate of 50 μs wide pulses. After the combined strengthening, the cutting edge radius of the coated reamer amounted to ~5 μm and the roughness of the area machined by the reamer holes in blanks made of structural steel reduced by about 1.5 times.
Investigative Study on Nitric Oxide Production in Human Dermal Fibroblast Cells under Normal and High Glucose Conditions
Authors: P. Kwesiga Maria , Cook Emily , Hannon Jennifer , Wayward Sarah , Gwaltney Caroline , Rao Smitha , C. Frost Megan
Published: November 2018

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a major health problem associated with diabetes mellitus. Impaired nitric oxide (NO) production has been shown to be a major contributor to the dysregulation of healing in DFU. The level of impairment is not known primarily due to challenges with measuring NO. Herein, we report the actual level of NO produced by human dermal fibroblasts cultured under normal and high glucose conditions. Fibroblasts produce the extracellular matrix, which facilitate the migration of keratinocytes to close wounds. The results show that NO production was significantly higher in normal glucose compared to high glucose conditions. The real-time NO detected was compared to the nitrite present in the culture media and there was a direct correlation between real-time NO and nitrite in normal glucose conditions. However, real-time NO detection and nitrite measurement did not correlate under high glucose conditions. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme responsible for NO production was upregulated in normal and high glucose conditions and the proliferation rate of fibroblasts was not statistically different in all the treatment groups. Relying only on nitrite to assess NO production is not an accurate determinant of the NO present in the wound bed in pathological states such as diabetes mellitus.
An Overview of Authigenic Magnesian Clays
Authors: Pozo Manuel , Calvo José
Published: November 2018

Clay authigenesis mostly concerns: (a) the formation of clays by direct precipitation from solution, called “neoformation” and (b) development of clays by transformation of precursor minerals. Precipitation from solution implies that a new mineral structure crystallizes, so that a prior mineral structure is not inherited. Transformation of precursor detrital minerals, a process also termed “neoformation by addition”, can be conducted whether throughout precipitation on pre-existing natural surfaces or transformation and reaction on pre-existing surfaces. Both processes have been recognized as effective mechanisms in the formation of Mg-clays, which mostly include 2:1 clay minerals, such as talc-kerolite and Mg-smectites, as well as fibrous clays (sepiolite, palygorskite). Authigenic Mg-clay minerals occur in both modern and ancient marine and non-marine depositional environments, although formation of these clays in hydrothermal continental and seafloor settings must be also outlined. Most favourable conditions for the formation of Mg-clays on earth surface are found in evaporitic depositional environments, especially where parent rocks are enriched in ferromagnesian minerals. In these settings, Mg-clays are important constituent of weathering profiles and soils and can form thick deposits of significant economic interest. Based on this review of authigenic clay deposits, we propose three geochemical pathways, mainly related to continental environments, for the origin of authigenic Mg-clays: formation of Al-bearing Mg-clays (pathway 1), formation of Al-free Mg clays (pathway 2) and formation of sepiolite from other Mg-clay minerals (pathway 3).
Investigation of New Orexin 2 Receptor Modulators Using In Silico and In Vitro Methods
Authors: Janockova Jana , Dolezal Rafael , Nepovimova Eugenie , Kobrlova Tereza , Benkova Marketa , Kuca Kamil , Konecny Jan , Mezeiova Eva , Melikova Michaela , Hepnarova Vendula , Ring Avi , Soukup Ondrej , Korabecny Jan
Published: November 2018

The neuropeptides, orexin A and orexin B (also known as hypocretins), are produced in hypothalamic neurons and belong to ligands for orphan G protein-coupled receptors. Generally, the primary role of orexins is to act as excitatory neurotransmitters and regulate the sleep process. Lack of orexins may lead to sleep disorder narcolepsy in mice, dogs, and humans. Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder of alertness characterized by a decrease of ability to manage sleep-wake cycles, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other symptoms, such as cataplexy, vivid hallucinations, and paralysis. Thus, the discovery of orexin receptors, modulators, and their causal implication in narcolepsy is the most important advance in sleep-research. The presented work is focused on the evaluation of compounds L1–L11 selected by structure-based virtual screening for their ability to modulate orexin receptor type 2 (OX2R) in comparison with standard agonist orexin-A together with their blood-brain barrier permeability and cytotoxicity. We can conclude that the studied compounds possess an affinity towards the OX2R. However, the compounds do not have intrinsic activity and act as the antagonists of this receptor. It was shown that L4 was the most potent antagonistic ligand to orexin A and displayed an IC50 of 2.2 µM, offering some promise mainly for the treatment of insomnia.
Enhanced In Vitro Antitumor Activity of GnRH-III-Daunorubicin Bioconjugates Influenced by Sequence Modification
Authors: Schuster Sabine , Biri-Kovács Beáta , Szeder Bálint , Buday László , Gardi János , Szabó Zsuzsanna , Halmos Gábor , Mező Gábor
Published: November 2018

Receptors for gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) are highly expressed in various human cancers including breast, ovarian, endometrial, prostate and colorectal cancer. Ligands like human GnRH-I or the sea lamprey analogue GnRH-III represent a promising approach for the development of efficient drug delivery systems for targeted tumor therapy. Here, we report on the synthesis and cytostatic effect of 14 oxime bond-linked daunorubicin GnRH-III conjugates containing a variety of unnatural amino acids within the peptide sequence. All compounds demonstrated a reduced cell viability in vitro on estrogen receptor α (ERα) positive and ERα negative cancer cells. The best candidate revealed an increased cancer cell growth inhibitory effect compared to our lead-compound GnRH-III-[4Lys(Bu),8Lys(Dau=Aoa)]. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy studies showed that the cellular uptake of the novel conjugate is substantially improved leading to an accelerated delivery of the drug to its site of action. However, the release of the active drug-metabolite by lysosomal enzymes was not negatively affected by amino acid substitution, while the compound provided a high stability in human blood plasma. Receptor binding studies were carried out to ensure a high binding affinity of the new compound for the GnRH-receptor. It was demonstrated that GnRH-III-[2ΔHis,3d-Tic,4Lys(Bu),8Lys(Dau=Aoa)] is a highly potent and promising anticancer drug delivery system for targeted tumor therapy.
Dielectric Trapping of Biopolymers Translocating through Insulating Membranes
Authors: Buyukdagli Sahin , Sarabadani Jalal , Ala-Nissila Tapio
Published: November 2018

Sensitive sequencing of biopolymers by nanopore-based translocation techniques requires an extension of the time spent by the molecule in the pore. We develop an electrostatic theory of polymer translocation to show that the translocation time can be extended via the dielectric trapping of the polymer. In dilute salt conditions, the dielectric contrast between the low permittivity membrane and large permittivity solvent gives rise to attractive interactions between the c i s and t r a n s portions of the polymer. This self-attraction acts as a dielectric trap that can enhance the translocation time by orders of magnitude. We also find that electrostatic interactions result in the piecewise scaling of the translocation time τ with the polymer length L. In the short polymer regime L ≲ 10 nm where the external drift force dominates electrostatic polymer interactions, the translocation is characterized by the drift behavior τ ∼ L 2 . In the intermediate length regime 10 nm ≲ L ≲ κ b − 1 where κ b is the Debye–Hückel screening parameter, the dielectric trap takes over the drift force. As a result, increasing polymer length leads to quasi-exponential growth of the translocation time. Finally, in the regime of long polymers L ≳ κ b − 1 where salt screening leads to the saturation of the dielectric trap, the translocation time grows linearly as τ ∼ L . This strong departure from the drift behavior highlights the essential role played by electrostatic interactions in polymer translocation.
Improving Worst-Case Delay Analysis for Traffic of Additional Stream Reservation Class in Ethernet-AVB Network
Authors: Zhao Lin , He Feng , Li Ershuai , Xiong Huagang
Published: November 2018

With the increase in the number of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and future requirements for vehicle functions, two SR (Stream Reservation) traffic classes may not be sufficient to ensure fulfilment of constraints for multiple traffic types with individual timing requirements transmitted in the Ethernet-AVB (Audio Video Bridging) networks. The goal of this paper is to determine the worst-case delay for an additional SR traffic class under the CBS (Credit-Based Shaper) algorithm. Delay evaluation is based on the impact analysis of CBS on different priority flows, particularly depending on when the credits of both SR class A and B drain from the worst-case perspective. More specifically, both the impact of CBS and the evolution trends of credit on different priority class flows are first analyzed from the worst-case perspective. Then, for an additional SR class, two types of worst-case delay models are established with the CBS configuration suggestions. Finally, an approach to calculate the worst-case queuing delay is proposed. Moreover, the worst-case end-to-end delay is determined by the network calculus approach and simulation. Numerical results show that the delay bounds of our models are tighter than those of other models, which is beneficial to the development of Ethernet-AVB for in-vehicle networking.
An Intelligent Fault Diagnosis Method for Bearings with Variable Rotating Speed Based on Pythagorean Spatial Pyramid Pooling CNN
Authors: Guo Sheng , Yang Tao , Gao Wei , Zhang Chen , Zhang Yanping
Published: November 2018

Deep learning methods have been introduced for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Most methods have good performance when processing bearing data at a certain rotating speed. However, most rotating machinery in industrial practice has variable working speed. When processing the bearing data with variable rotating speed, the existing methods have low accuracies, or need complex parameter adjustments. To solve this problem, a fault diagnosis method based on continuous wavelet transform scalogram (CWTS) and Pythagorean spatial pyramid pooling convolutional neural network (PSPP-CNN) is proposed in this paper. In this method, continuous wavelet transform is used to decompose vibration signals into CWTSs with different scale ranges according to the rotating speed. By adding a PSPP layer, CNN can process CWTSs in different sizes. Then the fault diagnosis of variable rotating speed bearing can be carried out by a single CNN model without complex parameter adjustment. Compared with a spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) layer that has been used in CNN, a PSPP layer locates as front layer of CNN. Thus, the features obtained by PSPP layer can be delivered to convolutional layers for further feature extraction. According to experiment results, this method has higher diagnosis accuracy for variable rotating speed bearing than other methods. In addition, the PSPP-CNN model trained by data at some rotating speeds can be used to diagnose bearing fault at full working speed.
Critical Mineral Security in China: An Evaluation Based on Hybrid MCDM Methods
Authors: Zhang Long , Bai Wuliyasu , Yu Jing , Ma Linmao , Ren Jingzheng , Zhang Weishi , Cui Yuanzheng
Published: November 2018

With economic globalization, the supply-and-demand gap of China’s minerals is becoming increasingly sharp, and the degree of dependence on imports is climbing, which poses a severe threat to the resource security for the country. From the perspectives of system and sustainable development, this paper develops a conceptual framework of mineral security, which is composed of five dimensions: availability, accessibility, technology and efficiency, sociability and governance, and environmental sustainability. Based on this framework, it constructs the evaluating metrics for measuring mineral security. Moreover, it employs the hybrid multiple criteria decision-making methods of Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) to assess the security performance for China’s several critical minerals, namely iron, copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, and nickel, with respect to the period of 2001 to 2015. The result indicates that the critical minerals of China were at a low to moderate level of security. Iron, copper, and nickel were in an unsecure situation for their short supply in China, and showed a downswing trend. On the other hand, as the preponderant minerals, lead and zinc were at a relatively secure position and uprising; however, they were exhausting their superiority for the huge and rapid-growth economic demand. Aluminum, as a mineral that China seriously depends on for imports, also demonstrated an upward trend due to the successful management of diversity of importing sources.
Threshold Effects of New Energy Consumption Transformation on Economic Growth
Authors: Xie Fangming , Liu Chuanzhe , Chen Huiying , Wang Ning
Published: November 2018

This study uses data from seven countries with high energy consumption levels in 1997–2016 (i.e., the US, China, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Germany, and France) to establish a panel threshold model and analyze the multiple threshold effects of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth. Research results show the non-linear impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth. On the one hand, the transformation of new energy consumption will occasionally bring economic costs, thereby resulting in a negative impact on economic growth. On the other hand, economic cost occasionally disappears, thereby resulting in the positive impact of the transformation of new energy consumption on economic growth. This study proposes that economic cost is affected by the levels of research and development (R&D), economic development, and traditional energy dependence, therefore, we use these three variables as threshold variables. Threshold variable is essential in a panel threshold model. The behavioral varies of model can be predicted when threshold variable is at different ranges of levels. In other words, the behavior of panel threshold model may change as the level of threshold variable changes. In particular, when the R&D level is used as a threshold variable, the impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth will change from negative to positive as the level of R&D increases. We present a similar conclusion when the level of economic development is used as a threshold variable. However, when the level of traditional energy dependence is used as the threshold variable, the impact of new energy consumption transformation on economic growth will change from positive to negative as the level of traditional energy dependence increases.
Can Creating Shared Value (CSV) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Collaborate for a Better World? Insights from East Asia
Authors: Kim Rebecca Chunghee
Published: November 2018

Little is known regarding how and to what extent the emerging concept of creating shared value (CSV) can be integrated into unique Asian market dynamics. In this paper, we conduct a comparative content analysis of 240 sustainability reports on Japan, Korea, and China, spanning the period of 2012–2105. We find that CSV in Asia is a discrepant phenomenon with little theoretical and empirical support. Each country has a disorderly approach toward CSV mainly because of unique cultural and institutional contexts. More substantively, in Korea, CSV—although in decline—is seen as a popular alternative to philanthropy, while the Japanese remain cautious. In China, there is little interest in CSV. Thus, there is a possibility of CSV disappearing altogether because of scant theoretical and empirical support. To address this gap, we propose a “CSV–SDGs Collaborative Model of East Asia” (where SDGs refer to sustainable development goals). This model could contribute to early-stage CSV–SDGs collaboration for sustainable development in Asia.
Sustainable Winner Determination for Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Projects in Multi-Attribute Reverse Auctions
Authors: Gao Guang-Xin
Published: November 2018

Selection of a sustainable private partner (contractor) is significant to ensure the success of public-private partnership (PPP) projects. In recent years, multi-attribute reverse auctions (MARAs) are widely used in public procurement to select the desirable contractor. However, the MARA mechanism is neglected in the existing studies. The purpose of this paper is to present a MARA framework for selecting a sustainable contractor in PPP infrastructure projects, in which the MARA rules and an integrated winner determination method are involved. In particular, the sustainability considerations are incorporated in the MARA rules, which can make the potential contractors have incentives to improve their sustainable performance. Within the MARA rules, based on the trapezoidal fuzzy linguistic representation model and the classical two-additive Choquet (TAC) integral operator, a winner determination method is developed to evaluate and rank potential contractors, in which both the bid evaluation and the interrelationships among bid evaluation attributes are considered. Finally, the potential of the proposed method is shown through an illustrative case of a PPP project of a subway construction in China. The MARA framework investigated helps governments make reliable decisions in sustainable procurement and thereby facilitates successful project delivery.
Generation of Numerical Models of Anisotropic Columnar Jointed Rock Mass Using Modified Centroidal Voronoi Diagrams
Authors: Meng Qingxiang , Yan Long , Chen Yulong , Zhang Qiang
Published: November 2018

A columnar joint network is a natural fracture pattern with high symmetry, which leads to the anisotropy mechanical property of columnar basalt. For a better understanding the mechanical behavior, a novel modeling method for columnar jointed rock mass through field investigation is proposed in this paper. Natural columnar jointed networks lies between random and centroidal Voronoi tessellations. This heterogeneity of columnar cells in shape and area can be represented using the coefficient of variation, which can be easily estimated. Using the bisection method, a modified Lloyd’s algorithm is proposed to generate a Voronoi diagram with a specified coefficient of variation. Modelling of the columnar jointed rock mass using six parameters is then presented. A case study of columnar basalt at Baihetan Dam is performed to demonstrate the feasibility of this method. The results show that this method is applicable in the modeling of columnar jointed rock mass as well as similar polycrystalline materials.