bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Fluorescent Dansyl Derivatives of Methoxyamine and Diphenylhydrazine as Free Radical Precursors
Authors: Patrascu Bianca , Mocanu Sorin , Coman Anca , Madalan Augustin M. , Popescu Codruta , Paun Anca , Matache Mihaela , Ionita Petre
Published: May 2020

Starting from dansyl-chloride, in reaction with 1,1-diphenylhydrazine and methoxyamine, two new fluorescent derivatives 1 and 2 were obtained and characterized by NMR, IR, UV-Vis, HR-MS, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The single-crystal X-ray structure was obtained for compound 2. Both compounds generate free radicals by oxidation, as demonstrated by ESR spectroscopy. Compound 1 generates the corresponding hydrazyl-persistent free radical, evidenced directly by ESR spectroscopy, while compound 2 generates in the first instance the methoxyaminyl short-lived free radical, which decomposes rapidly with the formation of the methoxy radical, evidenced by the ESR spin-trapping technique. By oxidation of compounds 1 and 2, their fluorescence is quenched.
Adipokines and Obesity. Potential Link to Metabolic Disorders and Chronic Complications
Authors: Zorena Katarzyna , Jachimowicz-Duda Olga , Ślęzak Daniel , Robakowska Marlena , Mrugacz Małgorzata
Published: May 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as one of the top ten threats to human health. It is estimated that the number of obese and overweight people worldwide exceeds the number of those who are undernourished. Obesity is not only a state of abnormally increased adipose tissue in the body, but also of increased release of biologically active adipokines. Adipokines released into the circulating blood, due to their specific receptors on the surface of target cells, act as classic hormones affecting the metabolism of tissues and organs. What is more, adipokines and cytokines may decrease the insulin sensitivity of tissues and induce inflammation and development of chronic complications. Certainly, it can be stated that in an era of a global obesity pandemic, adipokines may gain more and more importance as regards their use in the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of diseases. An extensive search for materials on the role of white, brown and perivascular fatty tissue and obesity-related metabolic and chronic complications was conducted online using PubMed, the Cochrane database and Embase.
Early-Life Programming and Reprogramming of Adult Kidney Disease and Hypertension: The Interplay between Maternal Nutrition and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Hsu Chien-Ning , Tain You-Lin
Published: May 2020

Kidney disease and hypertension both have attained the status of a global pandemic. Altered renal programming resulting in kidney disease and hypertension can begin in utero. Maternal suboptimal nutrition and oxidative stress have important implications in renal programming, while specific antioxidant nutrient supplementations may serve as reprogramming strategies to prevent kidney disease and hypertension of developmental origins. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the interplay of maternal nutrition and oxidative stress in response to early-life insults and its impact on developmental programming of kidney disease and hypertension, covering two aspects. Firstly, we present the evidence from animal models supporting the implication of oxidative stress on adult kidney disease and hypertension programmed by suboptimal maternal nutrition. In the second part, we document data on specific antioxidant nutrients as reprogramming strategies to protect adult offspring against kidney disease and hypertension from developmental origins. Research into the prevention of kidney disease and hypertension that begin early in life will have profound implications for future health.
Fully-Unsupervised Embeddings-Based Hypernym Discovery
Authors: Atzori Maurizio , Balloccu Simone
Published: May 2020

The hypernymy relation is the one occurring between an instance term and its general term (e.g., “lion” and “animal”, “Italy” and “country”). This paper we addresses Hypernym Discovery, the NLP task that aims at finding valid hypernyms from words in a given text, proposing HyperRank, an unsupervised approach that therefore does not require manually-labeled training sets as most approaches in the literature. The proposed algorithm exploits the cosine distance of points in the vector space of word embeddings, as already proposed by previous state of the art approaches, but the ranking is then corrected by also weighting word frequencies and the absolute level of similarity, which is expected to be similar when measuring co-hyponyms and their common hypernym. This brings us two major advantages over other approaches—(1) we correct the inadequacy of semantic similarity which is known to cause a significant performance drop and (2) we take into accounts multiple words if provided, allowing to find common hypernyms for a set of co-hyponyms—a task ignored in other systems but very useful when coupled with set expansion (that finds co-hyponyms automatically). We then evaluate HyperRank against the SemEval 2018 Hypernym Discovery task and show that, regardless of the language or domain, our algorithm significantly outperforms all the existing unsupervised algorithms and some supervised ones as well. We also evaluate the algorithm on a new dataset to measure the improvements when finding hypernyms for sets of words instead of singletons.
Cone Dystrophies: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study
Authors: Toto Lisa , Battaglia Parodi Maurizio , D’Aloisio Rossella , Mercuri Stefano , Senatore Alfonso , Di Antonio Luca , Di Marzio Guido , Di Nicola Marta , Mastropasqua Rodolfo
Published: May 2020

Background: This study investigates the relationship between retinal vascularization and macular function in patients with cone dystrophies (CDs). Methods: Twenty CD patients (40 eyes) and 20 healthy controls (20 eyes) were enrolled in this prospective case-control study. Patients underwent full ophthalmological examination, microperimetry, full-field, pattern and multifocal electroretinogram (ERG, PERG, mfERG) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Main outcome measures were as follows: foveal and parafoveal inner and outer retinal thickness; microperimetry sensitivity in the central 4° and 8°, ERG b wave amplitudes and peak times, PERG P50 and N95 amplitudes and latencies, and mfERG N1 to P1 amplitudes; and superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP) and choriocapillary (CC) plexus vessel densities, divided into foveal and parafoveal region. Results: Retinal thickness, SCP and DCP densities were significantly related to PERG. A significant relationship was found between foveal and parafoveal retinal thicknesses and foveal SCP density (p < 0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively) and between parafoveal retinal thickness and parafoveal SCP density (p = 0.002). Foveal and parafoveal retinal thicknesses were significantly related to parafoveal DCP density (p = 0.007 and p < 0.001). Foveal and parafoveal retinal thicknesses, foveal SCP and parafoveal DPC densities were significantly reduced in CD patients compared to controls (p < 0.001; p = 0.010 and p = 0.008, respectively). PERG and mfERG amplitudes were significantly reduced in CD patients compared to controls (p < 0.01). Conclusions: CD eyes showed reduced retinal thickness significantly related to reduced vessel density, possibly caused by a decreased metabolic demand. In addition, vessel density significantly correlated with loss of function.
Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes in Triplet Pregnancies: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hager Marlene , Ott Johannes , Castillo Deirdre Maria , Springer Stephanie , Seemann Rudolf , Pils Sophie
Published: May 2020

Background: Over the last decades, there has been a substantial increase in the incidence of higher-order multiple gestations. Twin pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The literature on GDM rates in triplet pregnancies is scarce. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the prevalence of GDM in women with a triplet pregnancy. GDM was defined through an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A meta-analysis of GDM prevalence was also carried out. Results: A cohort of 60 women was included in the analysis. Of these, 19 (31.7%) were diagnosed with GDM. There were no differences in pregnancy outcomes between women with and without GDM. In the meta-analysis of 12 studies, which used a sound GDM definition, an estimated pooled prevalence of 12.4% (95% confidence interval: 6.9–19.1%) was found. In a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis, the estimated GDM prevalence ranged from 10.7% to 14.1%. Conclusion: The rate of GDM seems increased in women with triplets compared to singleton pregnancies. However, GDM did not impact short-term pregnancy outcomes.
Outcomes after Complicated and Uncomplicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injury at Three-and Six-Months Post-Injury: Results from the CENTER-TBI Study
Authors: Voormolen Daphne C. , Zeldovich Marina , Haagsma Juanita A. , Polinder Suzanne , Friedrich Sarah , Maas Andrew I. R. , Wilson Lindsay , Steyerberg Ewout W. , Covic Amra , Andelic Nada , Plass Anne Marie , Wu Yi-Jhen , Asendorf Thomas , von Steinbüechel Nicole , Participants Investigators CENTER-TBI
Published: May 2020

The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive examination of the relation of complicated and uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with multidimensional outcomes at three- and six-months after TBI. We analyzed data from the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research (CENTER-TBI) research project. Patients after mTBI (Glasgow Coma scale (GCS) score of 13–15) enrolled in the study were differentiated into two groups based on computed tomography (CT) findings: complicated mTBI (presence of any traumatic intracranial injury on first CT) and uncomplicated mTBI (absence of any traumatic intracranial injury on first CT). Multidimensional outcomes were assessed using seven instruments measuring generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (SF-36 and QOLIBRI), functional outcome (GOSE), and psycho-social domains including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (PCL-5), depression (PHQ-9), and anxiety (GAD-7). Data were analyzed using a multivariate repeated measures approach (MANOVA-RM), which inspected mTBI groups at three- and six-months post injury. Patients after complicated mTBI had significantly lower GOSE scores, reported lower physical and mental component summary scores based on the SF-36 version 2, and showed significantly lower HRQoL measured by QOLIBRI compared to those after uncomplicated mTBI. There was no difference between mTBI groups when looking at psychological outcomes, however, a slight improvement in PTSD symptoms and depression was observed for the entire sample from three to six months. Patients after complicated mTBI reported lower generic and disease specific HRQoL and worse functional outcome compared to individuals after uncomplicated mTBI at three and six months. Both groups showed a tendency to improve from three to six months after TBI. The complicated mTBI group included more patients with an impaired long-term outcome than the uncomplicated group. Nevertheless, patients, clinicians, researchers, and decisions-makers in health care should take account of the short and long-term impact on outcome for patients after both uncomplicated and complicated mTBI.
Subpixel Localization of Isolated Edges and Streaks in Digital Images
Authors: Renshaw Devin T. , Christian John A.
Published: May 2020

Many modern sensing systems rely on the accurate extraction of measurement data from digital images. The localization of edges and streaks in digital images is an important example of this type of measurement, with these techniques appearing in many image processing pipelines. Several approaches attempt to solve this problem at both the pixel level and subpixel level. While the subpixel methods are often necessary for applications requiring best-possible accuracy, they are often susceptible to noise, use iterative methods, or require pre-processing. This work investigates a unified framework for subpixel edge and streak localization using Zernike moments with ramp-based and wedge-based signal models. The method described here is found to outperform the current state-of-the-art for digital images with common signal-to-noise ratios. Performance is demonstrated on both synthetic and real images.
A Longitudinal Study of the Acquisition of the Polysemous Verb 打 dǎ in Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Chen Jidong , Wang Xinchun
Published: May 2020

Lexical ambiguity abounds in languages and multiple one-to-many form-function mappings create challenges for language learners. This study extends the theoretical approaches to the acquisition of polysemy to the Mandarin verb 打 dǎ, which is highly polysemous and among the earliest verbs in child speech. It analyzes longitudinal naturalistic data of nine children (1;05–3;10) from two Mandarin child speech corpora to explore the developmental trajectory of different senses of 打 dǎ and the role of input. The results support a continuous derivational and restricted monosemy approach: children initially extract a core feature of 打 dǎ, but only apply it in a restricted way, reflected in a small number of senses in a limited set of semantic domains and syntactic frames, revealing an early preference for initial unambiguous form-meaning mappings. Mandarin-speaking children’s production mirrors the semantic and syntactic distribution of the input, supporting the usage-based approach to the acquisition of polysemy that meaning is derived from the confluence of lexical and syntactic cues in the usage patterns in the input. Our research is the first longitudinal study of the emergence and development of polysemous verbs in Mandarin and has pedagogical implications for teaching Mandarin as a second language.
Identification of Differentially Expressed Gene Transcripts in Porcine Endometrium during Early Stages of Pregnancy
Authors: Pierzchała Mariusz , Pierzchała Dorota , Ogłuszka Magdalena , Poławska Ewa , Blicharski Tadeusz , Roszczyk Agnieszka , Nawrocka Agata , Urbański Pawel , Stepanow Kamila , Ciepłoch Aleksandra , Korwin-Kossakowska Agnieszka , te Pas Marinus F.W. , Slaska Brygida , Buszewska-Forajta Magdalena , Jaśkowski Jedrzej M. , Sachajko Mateusz , Herudzińska Magdalena , Jaśkowski Bartosz M. , Niżański Wojciech , Fraser Leyland , Czarnik Urszula , Kadarmideen Haja N. , Pareek Chandra S.
Published: May 2020

During the early stages of pregnancy, the uterine endometrium undergoes dramatic morphologic and functional changes accompanied with dynamic variation in gene expression. Pregnancy-stage specific differentially expressed gene (DEG)-transcript-probes were investigated and identified by comparing endometrium transcriptome at 9th day (9D), 12th day (12D) and 16th day (16D) of early pregnancy in Polish large-white (PLW) gilts. Endometrium comparisons between 9D-vs-12D, 9D-vs-16D and 12D-vs-16D of early pregnancy identified 6049, 374 and 6034 highly significant DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC). GO term enrichment analysis identified commonly shared upregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC), that were regulating the gene functions of anatomic structure development and transport (TG), DNA-binding and methyltransferase activity (ZBTB2), ion-binding and kinase activity (CKM), cell proliferation and apoptosis activity (IL1B). Downregulated DEG-transcript-probes (p < 0.001; >2 FC) were involved in regulating the gene functions of phosphatase activity (PTPN11), TC616413 gene-transcript and Sus-scrofa LOC100525539. Moreover, blastn comparison of microarray-probes sequences against sus-scrofa11 assembly identified commonly shared upregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (E < 0.06; >2 FC), that were regulating the gene functions of reproduction and growth (SELENOP), cytoskeleton organization and kinase activity (CDC42BPA), phosphatase activity (MINPP1), enzyme-binding and cell-population proliferation (VAV3), cancer-susceptibility candidate gene (CASC4), cytoskeletal protein-binding (COBLL1), ion-binding, enzyme regulator activity (ACAP2) Downregulated endometrial DEG-transcript-probes (E < 0.06; >2FC) were involved in regulating the gene functions of signal-transduction (TMEM33), catabolic and metabolic processes (KLHL15). Microarray validation experiment on selected candidate genes showed complementarity to significant endometrial DEG-transcript-probes responsible for the regulation of immune response (IL1B, S100A11), lipid metabolism (FABP3, PPARG), cell-adhesion (ITGAV), angiogenesis (IL1B), intercellular transmission (NMB), cell-adhesion (OPN) and response to stimuli (RBP4) was confirmed by RT-PCR. This study provides a clue that identified pregnancy-stage specific microarray transcript probes could be considered as candidate genes for recognition and establishment of early pregnancy in the pig.
Mechanism of Fatigue Crack Growth in Biomedical Alloy Ti-27Nb
Authors: Amjad Muhammad , Badshah Saeed , Rafique Amer Farhan , Adil Khattak Muhammad , Khan Rafi Ullah , Abdullah Harasani Wail Ismail
Published: May 2020

Implants are widely used in the human body for the replacement of affected bones. Fatigue failure is one of the serious concerns for implants. Therefore, understanding of the underlying mechanism leading to fatigue failure is important for the longevity of biomaterial implants. In this paper, the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth of titanium alloy biomaterial Ti-27Nb has been experimentally investigated. The Ti-27Nb material is tested for fatigue crack growth in different environmental conditions representing the ambient and in vitro environments for 504 hours and 816 hours, respectively. Fractography of the tested specimen is conducted using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results of the fatigue crack growth propagation of the ambient and in vitro samples are similar in the Paris crack growth region. However, in the threshold region, the crack growth rate is higher for the Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) treated specimen. The fracture surface morphology of in vitro samples shows brittle fracture as compared to ambient specimens with significant plasticity and striations marks. It is proposed that a similar investigation may be conducted with specimens treated in SBF for prolonged periods to further ascertain the findings of this study.
Modeling the Role of Epitaxial Grain Structure of the Prior β Phase and Associated Fiber Texture on the Strength Characteristics of Ti-6Al-4V Produced via Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Sangid Michael D. , Nicolas Andrea , Kapoor Kartik , Fodran Eric , Madsen John
Published: May 2020

Due to the rapid cooling and directional heat flow inherent in metal-based additive manufacturing, Ti-6Al-4V results in epitaxial grain growth and a fiber texture of the prior β phase. While Ti-6Al-4V produced via powder bed, electron beam melted processing can exhibit a range of strength characteristics, recent studies have shown superior strength properties, compared to similar orientations, of conventional plate material (AMS 4911) across a range of elevated temperatures (204 to 371 °C). To investigate this phenomenon, a series of crystal plasticity models was developed for the representative grain structures of Ti-6Al-4V to rationalize if the columnar, fiber texture produced by additive manufacturing (AM) was sufficient to explain the observed strength attributes. As a first step towards understanding this behavior, the grain structure was characterized via electron backscattering diffraction for AM material taken from four specimens (with different build directions), as well as material taken from baseline plate material (along and transverse to the rolling direction), and the resulting microstructures were modeled via a crystal plasticity framework. As expected, the results showed the AM material accounting for only the α grain structure was stronger in the vertical builds and weaker in the horizontal builds compared to the conventional plate counterparts. This suggested that grain morphology and α grain orientation alone provided some information about the relative strengths, but did not explain the overall trends observed from the experiments. To account for the role of texture, the characterized α phase was converted, via variant selection, to its prior β phase for use in the simulations. The results showed that each simulation of the AM prior β phase exhibited a higher strength compared to the baseline plate material, except for one specimen (horizontally built), which had large colonies of soft microtextured regions for the prior β structure. This suggests that some variability was experienced (as anticipated), but the texture (especially of the prior β macrozones) was a key contributor for the unusually high strength observed of the AM Ti-6Al-4V material.
An Experimental Study of Temperature Effect on Properties of Nitride Layers on X37CrMoV51 Tool Steel Used in Extrusion Aluminium Industry
Authors: Hubicki Rafał , Richert Maria , Wiewióra Marcel
Published: May 2020

The paper concerns the effect of annealing time and temperature on the properties of the nitride layer on X37CrMoV51 tool steel used in the extrusion aluminium industry. Samples made from X37CrMoV51 steel were hardened and tempered, and then nitrided at 530 °C. After nitriding, the samples were annealed in a furnace at 470 °C for 8 h, 12 h, 24 h, 30 h and 60 h, and additionally for 20 h at 270 °C. The samples were tested for structure, hardness and abrasion immediately after nitriding and again after annealing. It was found that annealing the nitrided samples leads to degradation of the nitride layer, accounting for the decrease of hardness. The annealing of the samples at 470 °C, over 12 h causes a decrease in mean hardness value from 1176 HV to 1103 HV, and annealing the samples over 30 h at this temperature leads to a decrease in hardness to 964 HV. The changes in nitrogen content in the white (compound) and diffusion layers and the resulting consequences of changes in phase composition and properties were evaluated. Annealing over 30 h at 470 °C caused the white layer to disappear and the average nitrogen content in the diffusion layer to decrease to the level of about 5–6 at%.
Commercially Available Fluoride-Releasing Restorative Materials: A Review and a Proposal for Classification
Authors: Francois Philippe , Fouquet Vincent , Attal Jean-Pierre , Dursun Elisabeth
Published: May 2020

Resin composite and glass ionomer cement (GIC) are the most commonly used dental materials to perform direct restorations. Both have specific characteristics that explain their popularity and their limits. More than 20 years ago, the first attempt (followed by others) to combine the advantages of these two families was performed with compomers, but it was not very successful. Recently, new formulations (also called ‘smart materials’) with claimed ion release properties have been proposed under different family names, but there are few studies on them and explanations of their chemistries. This comprehensive review aims to gather the compositions; the setting reactions; the mechanical, self-adhesive, and potential bulk-fill properties; and the ion release abilities of the large existing families of fluoride-releasing restorative materials and the new restorative materials to precisely describe their characteristics, their eventual bioactivities, and classify them for an improved understanding of these materials. Based on this work, the whole GIC family, including resin-modified and highly viscous formulations, was found to be bioactive. Cention N (Ivoclar Vivadent, AG, Schaan, Lietschentein) is the first commercially available bioactive resin composite.
Neutron Shielding Performance of 3D-Printed Boron Carbide PEEK Composites
Authors: Wu Yin , Cao Yi , Wu Ying , Li Dichen
Published: May 2020

Polyethylene is used as a traditional shielding material in the nuclear industry, but still suffers from low softening point, poor mechanical properties, and difficult machining. In this study, novel boron carbide polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) composites with different mass ratios were prepared and tested as fast neutron absorbers. Next, shielding test pieces with low porosity were rapidly manufactured through the fused deposition modeling (FDM)-3D printing optimization process. The respective heat resistances, mechanical properties, and neutron shielding characteristics of as-obtained PEEK and boron carbide PEEK composites with different thicknesses were then evaluated. At load of 0.45 MPa, the heat deformation temperature of boron carbide PEEK increased with the boron carbide content. The heat deformation temperature of 30% wt. boron carbide PEEK was recorded as 308.4 °C. After heat treatment, both tensile strength and flexural strength of PEEK and PEEK composites rose by 40%–50% and 65%–78%, respectively. Moreover, the as-prepared composites showed excellent fast neutron shielding performances. For shielding test pieces with thicknesses between 40 mm and 100 mm, the neutron shielding rates exhibited exponential variation as a function of boron carbide content. The addition of 5%–15% boron carbide significantly changed the curvature of the shielding rate curve, suggesting an optimal amount of boron carbide. Meanwhile, the integrated shielding/structure may effectively shield neutron radiation, thereby ensuring optimal shielding performances. In sum, further optimization of the proposed process could achieve lightweight materials with less consumables and small volume.
InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Microlasers Formed on Silicon Using Monolithic and Hybrid Integration Methods
Authors: Zhukov Alexey E. , Kryzhanovskaya Natalia V. , Moiseev Eduard I. , Dragunova Anna S. , Tang Mingchu , Chen Siming , Liu Huiyun , Kulagina Marina M. , Kadinskaya Svetlana A. , Zubov Fedor I. , Mozharov Alexey M. , Maximov Mikhail V.
Published: May 2020

An InAs/InGaAs quantum dot laser with a heterostructure epitaxially grown on a silicon substrate was used to fabricate injection microdisk lasers of different diameters (15–31 µm). A post-growth process includes photolithography and deep dry etching. No surface protection/passivation is applied. The microlasers are capable of operating heatsink-free in a continuous-wave regime at room and elevated temperatures. A record-low threshold current density of 0.36 kA/cm2 was achieved in 31 µm diameter microdisks operating uncooled. In microlasers with a diameter of 15 µm, the minimum threshold current density was found to be 0.68 kA/cm2. Thermal resistance of microdisk lasers monolithically grown on silicon agrees well with that of microdisks on GaAs substrates. The ageing test performed for microdisk lasers on silicon during 1000 h at a constant current revealed that the output power dropped by only ~9%. A preliminary estimate of the lifetime for quantum-dot (QD) microlasers on silicon (defined by a double drop of the power) is 83,000 h. Quantum dot microdisk lasers made of a heterostructure grown on GaAs were transferred onto a silicon wafer using indium bonding. Microlasers have a joint electrical contact over a residual n+ GaAs substrate, whereas their individual addressing is achieved by placing them down on a p-contact to separate contact pads. These microdisks hybridly integrated to silicon laser at room temperature in a continuous-wave mode. No effect of non-native substrate on device characteristics was found.
Feature Importance of Stabilised Rammed Earth Components Affecting the Compressive Strength Calculated with Explainable Artificial Intelligence Tools
Authors: Anysz Hubert , Brzozowski Łukasz , Kretowicz Wojciech , Narloch Piotr
Published: May 2020

Cement-stabilized rammed earth (CSRE) is a sustainable construction material. The use of it allows for economizing on the cost of a structure. These two properties of CSRE are based on the fact that the soil used for the rammed mixture is usually dug close to the construction site, so it has random characteristics. That is the reason for the lack of widely accepted prescriptions for CSRE mixture, which could ascertain high enough compressive strength. Therefore, assessing which components of CSRE have the highest impact on its compressive strength becomes an important issue. There are three machine learning regression tools, i.e., artificial neural networks, decision tree, and random forest, used for predicting the compressive strength based on the relative content of CSRE composites (clay, silt, sand, gravel, cement, and water content). The database consisted of 434 samples of CSRE, which were prepared and crushed for testing purposes. Relatively low prediction errors of aforementioned models allowed for the use of explainable artificial intelligence tools (drop-out loss, mean squared error reduction, accumulated local effect) to rank the influence of the ingredients on the dependent variable—the compressive strength. Consistent results from all above-mentioned methods are discussed and compared to some statistical analysis of selected features. This innovative approach, helpful in designing the construction material is a solid base for reliable conclusions.
A Data-Driven Learning Method for Constitutive Modeling: Application to Vascular Hyperelastic Soft Tissues
Authors: González David , García-González Alberto , Chinesta Francisco , Cueto Elías
Published: May 2020

We address the problem of machine learning of constitutive laws when large experimental deviations are present. This is particularly important in soft living tissue modeling, for instance, where large patient-dependent data is found. We focus on two aspects that complicate the problem, namely, the presence of an important dispersion in the experimental results and the need for a rigorous compliance to thermodynamic settings. To address these difficulties, we propose to use, respectively, Topological Data Analysis techniques and a regression over the so-called General Equation for the Nonequilibrium Reversible-Irreversible Coupling (GENERIC) formalism (M. Grmela and H. Ch. Oettinger, Dynamics and thermodynamics of complex fluids. I. Development of a general formalism. Phys. Rev. E 56, 6620, 1997). This allows us, on one hand, to unveil the true “shape” of the data and, on the other, to guarantee the fulfillment of basic principles such as the conservation of energy and the production of entropy as a consequence of viscous dissipation. Examples are provided over pseudo-experimental and experimental data that demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
The Effects of the Marine-Derived Polysaccharides Laminarin and Chitosan on Aspects of Colonic Health in Pigs Challenged with Dextran Sodium Sulphate
Authors: Rattigan Ruth , O’Doherty John V. , Vigors Stafford , Ryan Marion T. , Sebastiano Rocco S. , Callanan John J. , Thornton Kevin , Rajauria Gaurav , Margassery Lekha M. , Dobson Alan D. W. , O’Leary Niall D. , Sweeney Torres
Published: May 2020

This study examined the effects of dietary supplementation with laminarin or chitosan on colonic health in pigs challenged with dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). Weaned pigs were assigned to: (1) a basal diet (n = 22); (2) a basal diet + laminarin (n = 10); and (3) a basal diet + chitosan (n = 10). On d35, the basal group was split, creating four groups: (1) the basal diet (control); (2) the basal diet + DSS; (3) the basal diet + laminarin + DSS; and (4) the basal diet + chitosan + DSS. From d39–42, the pigs were orally challenged with DSS. On d44, colonic tissue/digesta samples were collected. The basal DSS group had reduced growth, higher pathology score and an increased expression of MMP1, IL13 and IL23 compared with the controls (p < 0.05); these parameters were similar between the DSS-challenged groups (p > 0.05). In the basal DSS group, the relative abundance of beneficial taxa including Prevotella and Roseburia were reduced while Escherichia/Shigella were increased, compared with the controls (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Escherichia/Shigella was reduced and the molar proportions of acetate were increased in the laminarin DSS group compared with the basal DSS group (p < 0.01), suggesting that laminarin has potential to prevent pathogen proliferation and enhance the volatile fatty acid profile in the colon in a porcine model of colitis.
Clinical Characteristics of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head
Authors: Lee Si-Wook , Lee Kyung-Jae , Kim Beom-Soo , Kwon Hyuk-Jun , Lee Jae-Ho
Published: May 2020

Background and objectives: Alterations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been observed and studied in various diseases. However, the clinical value of the mtDNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) alterations in osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether alterations in mtDNA-CNs are associated with clinicopathological parameters in ONFH. Materials and methods: MtDNA-CNs in the synovial tissue of 34 patients with ONFH and 123 control tissues (femoral neck fracture) were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The present study then analyzed the correlation between the mtDNA-CN and the clinicopathological characteristics of ONFH and fracture patients. Results: The average mtDNA-CN (mean ± standard deviation) was 23.82 ± 22.37 and 25.04 ± 24.27 in ONFH and control tissues, respectively, and was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.792). The mtDNA-CN was positively associated with age (27.7% vs. 45.9%, p = 0.018) and negatively associated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (11.8% vs. 39.7%, p = 0.024) in all of the samples. The study also found further associations with age (22.2% vs. 68.8%, p = 0.014), gender (30.0% vs. 64.3%, p = 0.048), and ESR (0% vs. 57.7%, p = 0.043) in ONFH. Conclusions: in this study, we demonstrated that mtDNA-CN might be a significant marker for predicting clinical characteristics in ONFH.
A 2D Convection-Diffusion Model of Anodic Oxidation of Organic Compounds Mediated by Hydroxyl Radicals Using Porous Reactive Electrochemical Membrane
Authors: Skolotneva Ekaterina , Trellu Clement , Cretin Marc , Mareev Semyon
Published: May 2020

In recent years, electrochemical methods utilizing reactive electrochemical membranes (REM) have been considered as a promising technology for efficient degradation and mineralization of organic compounds in natural, industrial and municipal wastewaters. In this paper, we propose a two-dimensional (2D) convection-diffusion-reaction model concerning the transport and reaction of organic species with hydroxyl radicals generated at a TiOx REM operated in flow-through mode. It allows the determination of unknown parameters of the system by treatment of experimental data and predicts the behavior of the electrolysis setup. There is a good agreement in the calculated and experimental degradation rate of a model pollutant at different permeate fluxes and current densities. The model also provides an understanding of the current density distribution over an electrically heterogeneous surface and its effect on the distribution profile of hydroxyl radicals and diluted species. It was shown that the percentage of the removal of paracetamol increases with decreasing the pore radius and/or increasing the porosity. The effect becomes more pronounced as the current density increases. The model highlights how convection, diffusion and reaction limitations have to be taken into consideration for understanding the effectiveness of the process.
Uncertainty Quantification in Small-Timescale Model-Based Fatigue Crack Growth Analysis Using a Stochastic Collocation Method
Authors: Tang Hesheng , Guo Xueyuan , Xue Songtao
Published: May 2020

Due to the uncertainties originating from the underlying physical model, material properties and the measurement data in fatigue crack growth (FCG) processing, the prediction of fatigue crack growth lifetime is still challenging. The objective of this paper was to investigate a methodology for uncertainty quantification in FCG analysis and probabilistic remaining useful life prediction. A small-timescale growth model for the fracture mechanics-based analysis and predicting crack-growth lifetime is studied. A stochastic collocation method is used to alleviate the computational difficulties in the uncertainty quantification in the small-timescale model-based FCG analysis, which is derived from tensor products based on the solution of deterministic FCG problems on sparse grids of collocation point sets in random space. The proposed method is applied to the prediction of fatigue crack growth lifetime of Al7075-T6 alloy plates and verified by fatigue crack-growth experiments. The results show that the proposed method has the advantage of computational efficiency in uncertainty quantification of remaining life prediction of FCG.
Evaluation of Non-Uniform Sampling 2D 1H–13C HSQC Spectra for Semi-Quantitative Metabolomics
Authors: Zhang Bo , Powers Robert , O’Day Elizabeth M.
Published: May 2020

Metabolomics is the comprehensive study of metabolism, the biochemical processes that sustain life. By comparing metabolites between healthy and disease states, new insights into disease mechanisms can be uncovered. NMR is a powerful analytical method to detect and quantify metabolites. Standard one-dimensional (1D) 1H-NMR metabolite profiling is informative but challenged by significant chemical shift overlap. Multi-dimensional NMR can increase resolution, but the required long acquisition times lead to limited throughput. Non-uniform sampling (NUS) is a well-accepted mode of acquiring multi-dimensional NMR data, enabling either reduced acquisition times or increased sensitivity in equivalent time. Despite these advantages, the technique is not widely applied to metabolomics. In this study, we evaluated the utility of NUS 1H–13C heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) for semi-quantitative metabolomics. We demonstrated that NUS improved sensitivity compared to uniform sampling (US). We verified that the NUS measurement maintains linearity, making it possible to detect metabolite changes across samples and studies. Furthermore, we calculated the lower limit of detection and quantification (LOD/LOQ) of common metabolites. Finally, we demonstrate that the measurements are repeatable on the same system and across different systems. In conclusion, our results detail the analytical capability of NUS and, in doing so, empower the future use of NUS 1H–13C HSQC in metabolomic studies.
Editorial of Special Issue “Tactile Sensing Technology and Systems”
Authors: Valle Maurizio
Published: May 2020

Human skin has remarkable features such as self-healing ability, flexibility, stretchability, high sensitivity and tactile sensing capability [...]
An Evaluation of the Potential for Determination of the Geographic Origin of Ruby and Sapphire Using an Expanded Trace Element Suite Plus Sr–Pb Isotope Compositions
Authors: Krebs Mandy , Hardman Matthew , Pearson David , Luo Yan , Fagan Andrew , Sarkar Chiranjeeb
Published: May 2020

The geographic origin of gem corundum has emerged as one of its major value factors. Combined with gemological observations, trace element analysis is a powerful tool for the determination of corundum provenance. However, owing to similar properties and features of gem corundum from different localities, but similar geological settings, and very low levels of many trace elements in gem corundum, the determination of geographic origin remains challenging. In this study, we present trace elements compositions determined by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for rubies and blue sapphires from several different localities of geologically similar deposits: high-Fe amphibolite-type rubies, low-Fe marble-type rubies, and metamorphic blue sapphires. In addition, we determined Sr and Pb isotopic ratios by offline laser ablation sampling followed by thermal ionization mass spectroscopy (TIMS). By applying new and existing elemental discrimination schemes and the multivariate statistical method linear discriminant analysis (LDA), we show that, in addition to the commonly used discriminators Mg, Fe, V, Ti, and Ga, the elements Ni, Zr, Cr, and Zn show potential for geographic origin determination. Amphibolite-type rubies from different localities can be discriminated using Sr and Pb isotope ratios, whereas the discrimination of marble-type ruby and metamorphic blue sapphires is limited. Our results re-emphasize the challenge of geographic origin determination and the need for a more powerful discriminatory tool.
Gold Mine Tailings: A Potential Source of Silica Sand for Glass Making
Authors: Okereafor Uchenna , Makhatha Mamookho , Mekuto Lukhanyo , Mavumengwana Vuyo
Published: May 2020

Mining of minerals such as gold, copper, and platinum has been one of several activities sustaining the economy of South Africa. However, the mining sector has contributed significantly to environmental contamination through the improper disposal of mine tailings which covers vast areas of land. Therefore, this study utilised a vitrification process to manufacture glass from gold mine tailings. X-ray fluorescence was used to determine the chemical composition of the tailings while X-ray diffraction was adopted for the mineralogy. The tailings were of granitic composition enriched in potentially toxic elements such as copper, cadmium, zinc, lead, arsenic, and chromium. A representative sample of gold mine wastes of sandy grain size was used in making the glass. Based on composition, the glass was formulated by adding an average 10.0 mass% of CaCO3 and 5.0 mass% of Na2CO3 to 35.0 mass% of SiO2, which resulted in the production of a green-coloured glass.
Highly Metalliferous Potential of Framboidal and Nodular Pyrite Varieties from the Oil-Bearing Jurassic Bazhenov Formation, Western Siberia
Authors: Ivanov Kirill S. , Maslennikov Valery V. , Artemyev Dmitry A. , Tseluiko Aleksandr S.
Published: May 2020

In the Bazhenov Formation, framboidal clusters and nodular pyrite formed in the dysoxic–anoxic interface within organic-rich sediments. Some nodule-like pyritized bituminous layers and pyrite nodules are similar to pyritized microbial mat fragments by the typical fine laminated structure. Framboidal pyrite of the Bazhenov Formation is enriched in redox-sensitive elements such as Mo, V, Au, Cu, Pb, Ag, Ni, Se, and Zn in comparison with the host shales and nodular pyrite. Nodular pyrite has higher concentrations of As and Sb, only. Strong positive correlations that can be interpreted as nano-inclusions of organic matter (Mo, V, Au), sphalerite (Zn, Cd, Hg, Sn, In, Ga, Ge), galena (Pb, Bi, Sb, Te, Ag, Tl), chalcopyrite (Cu, Se) and tennantite (Cu, As, Sb, Bi, Te, Ag, Tl) and/or the substitution of Co, Ni, As and Sb into the pyrite. On the global scale, pyrite of the Bazhenov Formation is very similar to pyrite from highly metalliferous bituminous black shales, associated, as a rule, with gas and oil-and-gas deposits. Enrichment with Mo and lower Co and heavy metals indicate a higher influence of seawater during formation of pyrite from the Bazhenov Formation in comparison to different styles of ore deposits. Transitional elements such as Zn and Cu in pyrite of the Bazhenov Formation has resulted from either a unique combination of the erosion of Cu–Zn massive sulfide deposits of the Ural Mountains from one side and the simultaneous manifestation of organic-rich gas seep activity in the West Siberian Sea from another direction.
Hydrothermal Alteration of Etna Ash and Implications for Mars
Authors: Bloise Andrea , Cannata Chiara Benedetta , Rosa Rosanna De
Published: May 2020

Volcanic activity represents one of the main factors controlling the geological evolution of Mars, whose morphology has remarkable counterparts on Earth. Studies on the Martian surface revealed the widespread occurrences of newly formed minerals originated by the hydrothermal alteration of volcanic rocks. In this work, we carried out a series of experiments to test the reactions occurring during the hydrothermal alteration of basaltic ash from Etna (Italy) as a possible similar reaction fully grown on the Martian rock. The volcanic ash used for the hydrothermal alteration experiments was collected during the eruption of Etna in 2001, and its composition shares similarities with Martian bedrocks. Ash was altered under hydrothermal conditions at initial pH 5 at two temperatures (150 and 200 °C) and reaction times of 5, 10, and 31 days. After a number of runs, we attained analcime NaAlSi2O6·H2O. Our findings are in line with the hypothesis that zeolite on Mars probably originated from a low-temperature hydrothermal environment. The conclusions accord with the assumption that the analcime crystals recognized on Mars formed under the same conditions as those of our experimental setups.
The Isotopic (δ18O, δ 2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, δ11B) Composition of Adige River Water Records Natural and Anthropogenic Processes
Authors: Marchina Chiara , Knöller Kay , Pennisi Maddalena , Natali Claudio , Dordoni Marlene , Di Giuseppe Paolo , Cidu Rosa , Bianchini Gianluca
Published: May 2020

The water composition of the river Adige displays a Ca–HCO3 hydrochemical facies, mainly due to rock weathering. Nitrate is the only component that has increased in relation to growing anthropogenic inputs. The aim of this paper was to identify the origin of the dissolved components in this river and to establish the relationship between these components and critical zone processes within an evolving framework where climatic and human impacts are influencing the riverine system. In particular, emphasis is given to a wide spectrum of isotope data (δ18O, δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, 87Sr/86Sr, δ11B), which is considered useful for determining water origin as well as natural and anthropogenic impacts on riverine geochemistry. Together with oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, which are strictly related to the climatic conditions (precipitation, temperature, humidity), the carbon, sulphur, strontium and boron signatures can describe the magnitude of rock weathering, which is in turn linked to the climatic parameters. δ13CDIC varies regularly along the riverine profile between −4.5‰ and −9.5‰, and δ34SSO4 varies regularly between +4.4‰ and +11.4‰. On the other hand, δ15NNO3 shows a more scattered distribution between +3.9‰ and +10.5‰, with sharp variations along the riverine profile. 87Sr/86Sr varies between 0.72797 in the upper part of the catchment and 0.71068 in the lower part. δ11B also shows a rough trend, with values approaching 7.6‰ in the upper part and 8.5‰ in the lower part. In our view, the comparatively low δ34S, δ11B, and high 87Sr/86Sr values, could be a proxy for increasing silicate weathering, which is a process that is sensitive to increases in temperature.