bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some Notes on Maximum Entropy Utility
Authors: Kim Eun Young , Ahn Byeong Seok
Published: June 2019

The maximum entropy principle is effective in solving decision problems, especially when it is not possible to obtain sufficient information to induce a decision. Among others, the concept of maximum entropy is successfully used to obtain the maximum entropy utility which assigns cardinal utilities to ordered prospects (consequences). In some cases, however, the maximum entropy principle fails to produce a satisfactory result representing a set of partial preferences properly. Such a case occurs when incorporating ordered utility increments or uncertain probability to the well-known maximum entropy formulation. To overcome such a shortcoming, we propose a distance-based solution, so-called the centralized utility increments which are obtained by minimizing the expected quadratic distance to the set of vertices that varies upon partial preferences. Therefore, the proposed method seeks to determine utility increments that are adjusted to the center of the vertices. Other partial preferences about the prospects and their corresponding centralized utility increments are derived and compared to the maximum entropy utility.
Vertical Gardens: Sustainability, Youth Participation, and the Promotion of Change in a Socio-Economically Vulnerable Community in Brazil
Authors: do Valle Santos Waleska Carolina , Singh Diandra , Delgado Leandro da Cruz Livia , de Carvalho Piassi Luis Paulo , Reis Giuliano
Published: June 2019

This article is situated within the intersection of education for social transformation (EST) and ecojustice education (EJE). We have described the benefits of youth participation in an after-school science program offered to socio-economically vulnerable populations in São Paulo (Brazil). More specifically, we explored participants’ changing views of sustainability as they engaged in a 24-week project of their choice: The cultivation of a vertical herb garden. The analysis of our discussions and extensive field notes revealed that during the time participants cared for the garden, they developed: (a) A more accurate (refined) conceptualization of sustainability, (b) an appreciation for alternative and viable ways of producing food in urban settings, and (c) a stronger relationship with one another. In the end, involvement in the vertical garden project proved to be a powerful example of how science education can transform the livelihood of youth by expanding their views on human interconnectedness with all forms of life.
Wiener–Granger Causality Theory Supported by a Genetic Algorithm to Characterize Natural Scenery
Authors: Benavides-Álvarez César , Villegas-Cortez Juan , Román-Alonso Graciela , Avilés-Cruz Carlos
Published: June 2019

Image recognition and classification have been widely used for research in computer vision systems. This paper aims to implement a new strategy called Wiener-Granger Causality theory for classifying natural scenery images. This strategy is based on self-content images extracted using a Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) methodology (to obtain different texture features); later, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is implemented to select the most relevant natural elements from the images which share similar causality patterns. The proposed method is comprised of a sequential feature extraction stage, a time series conformation task, a causality estimation phase, causality feature selection throughout the GA implementation (using the classification process into the fitness function). A classification stage was implemented and 700 images of natural scenery were used for validating the results. Tested in the distribution system implementation, the technical efficiency of the developed system is 100% and 96% for resubstitution and cross-validation methodologies, respectively. This proposal could help with recognizing natural scenarios in the navigation of an autonomous car or possibly a drone, being an important element in the safety of autonomous vehicles navigation.
Reduced Complexity BER Calculations in Large Scale Spatial Multiplexing Multi-User MIMO Orientations in Frequency Selective Fading Environments
Authors: Gkonis Panagiotis K. , Kaklamani Dimitra I.
Published: June 2019

In this article, a computationally-efficient approach is presented for Bit Error Rate (BER) calculations in multi-user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) frequency selective fading environments, operating in spatial multiplexing transmission mode. To this end, theoretical expressions for the equivalent Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) per active user and transmission mode, as well as mean BER, are derived. The key idea is that all parameters related to BER calculations can be expressed as sums of identically distributed random variables (RVs). Hence, computational burden can be reduced, since summation formulas take into account the parameters of a standalone RV along with the correlation of an arbitrary pair of RVs. As results indicate, the proposed approach can accurately estimate mean BER in multiuser MIMO orientations with increased reception diversity order, for arbitrary number of transmit/receive antennas, a modulation scheme, and a number of resolvable multi-path components.
Intermittent Renewable Energy Sources: The Role of Energy Storage in the European Power System of 2040
Authors: Zsiborács Henrik , Baranyai Nóra Hegedűsné , Vincze András , Zentkó László , Birkner Zoltán , Máté Kinga , Pintér Gábor
Published: June 2019

Global electricity demand is constantly growing, making the utilization of solar and wind energy sources, which also reduces negative environmental effects, more and more important. These variable energy sources have an increasing role in the global energy mix, including generating capacity. Therefore, the need for energy storage in electricity networks is becoming increasingly important. This paper presents the challenges of European variable renewable energy integration in terms of the power capacity and energy capacity of stationary storage technologies. In this research, the sustainable transition, distributed generation, and global climate action scenarios of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for 2040 were examined. The article introduces and explains the feasibility of the European variable renewable energy electricity generation targets and the theoretical maximum related to the 2040 scenarios. It also explains the determination of the storage fractions and power capacity in a new context. The aim is to clarify whether it is possible to achieve the European variable renewable energy integration targets considering the technology-specific storage aspects. According to the results, energy storage market developments and regulations which motivate the increased use of stationary energy storage systems are of great importance for a successful European solar and wind energy integration. The paper also proves that not only the energy capacity but also the power capacity of storage systems is a key factor for the effective integration of variable renewable energy sources.
Radiation Tolerant Electronics
Authors: Leroux Paul
Published: June 2019

Research on radiation tolerant electronics has increased rapidly over the last few years, resulting in many interesting approaches to model radiation effects and design radiation hardened integrated circuits and embedded systems [...]
Characterization and Correction of the Geometric Errors in Using Confocal Microscope for Extended Topography Measurement. Part I: Models, Algorithms Development and Validation
Authors: Wang Chen , Gómez Emilio , Yu Yingjie
Published: June 2019

This work presents a method for characterizing and correcting the geometric errors of the movement of the lateral stage of Imaging Confocal Microscope (CM) in extended topography measurement. For an extended topography measurement, a defined number of 2D images are taken and stitched by correlation methods. Inaccuracies due to linear displacement, vertical and horizontal straightness errors, angular errors, and squareness errors based on the assumption of the rigid body kinematics are described. A mathematical model for the scale calibration of the X- and Y- coordinates is derived according to the system kinematics, the axis chain vector of CM, and the geometric error functions and their approximations by Legendre polynomials. The correction coefficients of the kinematic modelling are determined by the measured and certified data of a dot grid target standard artefact. To process the measurement data, algorithms for data partitions, fittings of cylinder centers, and determinations of coefficients are developed and validated. During which methods such as form removal, K-means clustering, linear and non-linear Least Squares are implemented. Results of the correction coefficients are presented in Part II based on the experimental studies. The mean residual reduces 29.6% after the correction of the lateral stage errors.
Age, Growth, and Natural Mortality of Graysby, Cephalophilis cruentata, from the Southeastern United States
Authors: Burton Michael L. , Potts Jennifer C. , Ostrowski Andrew D. , Shertzer Kyle W.
Published: June 2019

Graysby (Cephalophilis cruentata) (n = 1308) collected from the southeastern United States Atlantic coast from 2001 to 2016 were aged using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones formed February to June (peaking in April). Ages ranged from 2 to 21 years, and the largest fish measured 453 mm TL. Growth morph analysis revealed two regionally distinct growth trajectories: von Bertalanffy growth equations were Lt = 388 (1 − e−0.12(t+5.73)) for fish from North Carolina through southeast Florida (northern region), and Lt = 267 (1 − e−0.17(t+6.20)) for fish from the Florida Keys (southern region). When growth was re-estimated using a fixed t0 value of −0.75 to estimate for smaller fish, growth equations were Lt = 349 (1 − e−0.26(t+0.75)) and Lt = 250 (1 − e−0.43(t+0.75)) for fish from the northern and southern regions, respectively. The age-invariant estimate of natural mortality was M = 0.30 for all fish, while age-specific estimates ranged 0.88–0.28 y−1 for fish aged 1–21 from the northern region and 0.89–0.47 y−1 for fish aged 1–15 from the southern region. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of life-history parameters for graysby from the Atlantic waters off the southeastern United States, including specimens from both recreational and commercial fisheries.
The Dietary Lipid Content Affects the Tissue Gene Expression of Muscle Growth Biomarkers and the GH/IGF System of Pejerrey (Odontesthes bonariensis) Juveniles
Authors: Gómez-Requeni Pedro , Kraemer Mauricio Nestor , Canosa Luis Fabián
Published: June 2019

Gene expression of growth hormone receptors (GHRs), insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), myostatin (MSTN) and myogenin (MyoG) was analyzed in juveniles pejerrey fed with graded levels of lipids (L): 6% (L6), 10% (L10), 25% (L25). After 14 weeks, no changes were found in liver GHR-I GHR-II and IGF-II mRNA levels whereas IGF-I decreased in L10 and L25. Muscle GHR-I gene expression increased in L25 whereas GHR-II, IGF-II and MyoG were higher in L6. IGF-I and MSTN expression was not affected by the different diets. Adipose IGF-I mRNA levels decreased in L10. Correlations between body weight and members of GH/IGF system in liver and skeletal muscle were found only in L10 group. Correlations found in L10 group between both liver and skeletal muscle GHR-I and IGF-I were lost in either L6 or L25 groups. Thus, fish fed with apparently unbalanced dietary lipid contents (6% and 25%) exhibit a compensatory regulation of systemic and local components of the GH/IGF axis. Furthermore, the marked inhibition of muscle MyoG gene expression in L25 might limit excessive lipid deposition and fish growth. Our data suggest that a dietary lipid contents of 10% would promote a particular adjustment of the endocrine and autocrine/paracrine GH/IGF system, stimulating body growth and perhaps muscle hyperplasia. On the other hand, a higher dietary lipid content would uncouple the GH/IGF system, reducing hepatic IGF-I, while slightly increasing hepatic GHR-I, probably to prompt lipolysis.
What Can Students Learn While Solving Colebrook’s Flow Friction Equation?
Authors: Brkić Dejan , Praks Pavel
Published: June 2019

Even a relatively simple equation such as Colebrook’s offers a lot of possibilities to students to increase their computational skills. The Colebrook’s equation is implicit in the flow friction factor and, therefore, it needs to be solved iteratively or using explicit approximations, which need to be developed using different approaches. Various procedures can be used for iterative methods, such as single the fixed-point iterative method, Newton–Raphson, and other types of multi-point iterative methods, iterative methods in a combination with Padé polynomials, special functions such as Lambert W, artificial intelligence such as neural networks, etc. In addition, to develop explicit approximations or to improve their accuracy, regression analysis, genetic algorithms, and curve fitting techniques can be used too. In this learning numerical exercise, a few numerical examples will be shown along with the explanation of the estimated pedagogical impact for university students. Students can see what the difference is between the classical vs. floating-point algebra used in computers.
Regional Climate Change Recorded in Moss Oxygen and Carbon Isotopes from a Late Holocene Peat Archive in the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Stelling Jonathan M. , Yu Zicheng
Published: June 2019

The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) climate is characterized by a high degree of variability, which poses a problem when attempting to put modern change in the context of natural variation. Therefore, novel methods are required to disentangle sometimes conflicting climate records from the region. In recent years, the development of Antarctic moss-cellulose isotopes as a proxy for summer terrestrial growing conditions has become more widespread, with the isotopes Δ13C and δ18O reflecting moss productivity and peatbank moisture conditions, respectively. Here, we used a combined Δ13C and δ18O isotope analysis of moss Chorisodontium aciphyllum cellulose from a peatbank located on Litchfield Island in the western AP to document changes in climate over the last 1700 years. High Δ13C values (>15‰) indicate warm and productive conditions on Litchfield Island from 1600 to 1350 cal yr BP (350 to 600 AD) and over the last 100 years. The δ18O record shows two distinct intervals of dry conditions at 1350–1000 cal yr BP (600–950 AD) and at 500–0 cal yr BP (1450–1950 AD). Our record indicates that terrestrial ecosystems in the AP have responded to regional climate driven by atmospheric circulation, such as the southern annular mode (SAM) and, to a lesser extent, changes in ocean circulation.
The Role of African Emerging Space Agencies in Earth Observation Capacity Building for Facilitating the Implementation and Monitoring of the African Development Agenda: The Case of African Earth Observation Program
Authors: Kganyago Mahlatse , Mhangara Paidamwoyo
Published: June 2019

AU-Agenda 2063 was adopted at the 24th Ordinary Session of the African Heads of State and Government in 2015 as the blueprint for the future development of the continent. Built upon the continent’s past experiences, challenges, and successes, AU-Agenda 2063 comprehensively describes the strategic path for Africa’s future development in the next 50 years. Thus, the monitoring of its implementation in various African states is critical for ensuring sustainable development and track progress. However, the higher cost of collecting data for accurately and reliably monitoring the implementation of Agenda 2063 may hinder the progress towards achieving these goals. Satellite Earth observation provides ample data, and thus has provided opportunities for the development of novel products and services with the potential to support implementation, monitoring and reporting for AU-Agenda 2063 development imperatives. However, it has been limitedly exploited in Africa, as evidenced by lower research outputs and investments. This calls for increased capacity building in the use of available EO data and products for various users including decision makers to advance national, regional and continental priorities. The use of such data products is often hampered by the capability to understand the products and thus their value for addressing socio-economic challenges. This paper discusses the potential of Earth observation capacity building for supporting the implementation, monitoring of, and reporting towards achieving AU-Agenda 2063 development imperatives. Specifically, this paper identifies existing capacity building resources, including the role of open and free Earth observation data, open-source software, and product dissemination platforms that can be leveraged for supporting national development, service delivery and the achievement of AU-Agenda 2063 targets. Furthermore, the paper recognizes the importance of bilateral and multilateral partnerships in leveraging existing know-how, technology and other resources for advancing strategic goals of African emerging space agencies and promoting sustainable development, with examples from South African National Space Agency (SANSA). Then, the challenges and opportunities for capacity building and the wide adoption of EO in Africa are discussed in the context of AU-Agenda 2063. The paper thus concludes that EO capacity building is essential to address the skills and data gaps and increase the use of EO-based solutions for decision making in various sectors, critical for achieving AU-A2063.
Automatic Discovery of Railway Train Driving Modes Using Unsupervised Deep Learning
Authors: Zheng Han , Cui Zanyang , Zhang Xingchen
Published: June 2019

Driving modes play vital roles in understanding the stochastic nature of a railway system and can support studies of automatic driving and capacity utilization optimization. Integrated trajectory data containing information such as GPS trajectories and gear changes can be good proxies in the study of driving modes. However, in the absence of labeled data, discovering driving modes is challenging. In this paper, instead of classical models (railway-specified feature extraction and classical clustering), we used five deep unsupervised learning models to overcome this difficulty. In these models, adversarial autoencoders and stacked autoencoders are used as feature extractors, along with generative adversarial network-based and Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence-based networks as clustering models. An experiment based on real and artificial datasets showed the following: (i) The proposed deep learning models outperform the classical models by 27.64% on average. (ii) Integrated trajectory data can improve the accuracy of unsupervised learning by approximately 13.78%. (iii) The different performance rankings of models based on indices with labeled data and indices without labeled data demonstrate the insufficiency of people’s understanding of the existing modes. This study also analyzes the relationship between the discovered modes and railway carrying capacity.
Application of Remote Sensing to the Investigation of Rock Slopes: Experience Gained and Lessons Learned
Authors: Stead Doug , Donati Davide , Wolter Andrea , Sturzenegger Matthieu
Published: June 2019

The stability and deformation behavior of high rock slopes depends on many factors, including geological structures, lithology, geomorphic processes, stress distribution, and groundwater regime. A comprehensive mapping program is, therefore, required to investigate and assess the stability of high rock slopes. However, slope steepness, rockfalls and ongoing instability, difficult terrain, and other safety concerns may prevent the collection of data by means of traditional field techniques. Therefore, remote sensing methods are often critical to perform an effective investigation. In this paper, we describe the application of field and remote sensing approaches for the characterization of rock slopes at various scale and distances. Based on over 15 years of the experience gained by the Engineering Geology and Resource Geotechnics Research Group at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada), we provide a summary of the potential applications, advantages, and limitations of varied remote sensing techniques for comprehensive characterization of rock slopes. We illustrate how remote sensing methods have been critical in performing rock slope investigations. However, we observe that traditional field methods still remain indispensable to collect important intact rock and discontinuity condition data.
Adipose Tissue Stem Cells for Therapy: An Update on the Progress of Isolation, Culture, Storage, and Clinical Application
Authors: Chu Dinh-Toi , Nguyen Thi Phuong Thuy , Tien Nguyen Le Bao , Tran Dang Khoa , Minh Le Bui , Thanh Vo Van , Gia Anh Pham , Pham Van Huy , Thi Nga Vu
Published: June 2019

Adipose tissue stem cells (ASCs), known as multipotent stem cells, are most commonly used in the clinical applications in recent years. Adipose tissues (AT) have the advantage in the harvesting, isolation, and expansion of ASCs, especially an abundant amount of stem cells compared to bone marrow. ASCs can be found in stromal vascular fractions (SVF) which are easily obtained from the dissociation of adipose tissue. Both SVFs and culture-expanded ASCs exhibit the stem cell characteristics such as differentiation into multiple cell types, regeneration, and immune regulators. Therefore, SVFs and ASCs have been researched to evaluate the safety and benefits for human use. In fact, the number of clinical trials on ASCs is going to increase by years; however, most trials are in phase I and II, and lack phase III and IV. This systemic review highlights and updates the process of the harvesting, characteristics, isolation, culture, storage, and application of ASCs, as well as provides further directions on the therapeutic use of ASCs.
Impact of Transitory ROSC Events on Neurological Outcome in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Antonaglia Vittorio , Pegani Carlo , Caggegi Giuseppe Davide , Patsoura Athina , Xu Veronica , Zambon Marco , Sanson Gianfranco
Published: June 2019

In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the occurrence of temporary periods of return to spontaneous circulation (t-ROSC) has been found to be predictive of survival to hospital discharge. The relationship between the duration of t-ROSCs and OHCA outcome has not been explored yet. The aim of this prospective observational study was to analyze the duration of t-ROSCs during OHCA and its impact on outcome. Defibrillator-recorded OHCA events were analyzed via dedicated software. The number of t-ROSC episodes and their overall durations were recorded. The study endpoint was the good neurologic outcome at hospital discharge. Among 285 patients included in the study, 45 (15.8%) had one or more t-ROSCs. The likelihood of t-ROSC occurrence was higher in patients with a shockable rhythm (p = 0.009). The cumulative length of t-ROSC episodes was significantly higher for patients who achieved sustained ROSC (p < 0.001). The adjusted cumulative t-ROSC length was an independent predictor for good neurological outcome at hospital discharge (OR 1.588, 95% CI 1.017 to 2.481; p = 0.042). According to our findings and data from previous studies, t-ROSC episodes during OHCA should be considered as a favorable prognostic factor, encouraging continuing resuscitative efforts.
Numerical Simulation of Seakeeping Performance on the Preliminary Design of a Semi-Planing Craft
Authors: Lin Yu-Hsien , Lin Chia-Wei
Published: June 2019

This study established a seakeeping program to evaluate the motion responses of a high speed semi-planing craft and to develop a database for future route planning. A series 62 mono-hull was chosen for the test cases, comparing seakeeping performances with full-scale on-board measurements. The statistical results were obtained using spectral analysis, which combines the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) spectrum with the response amplitude operator (RAO) responses of each wave heading for a given sailing speed. The speed polar diagram was made to illustrate five degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion responses between sailing speeds and wave heading angles in a particular sea state. Although the craft has different trim angles at high speeds (because of dynamic lift) under various loading and draft conditions, this study only investigated the trim angles of 0° (even keel), 1° by the stern, and 2° by the stern, to understand the difference between their seakeeping performances. The results in this study provide a useful guideline for evaluating operational regulations and safety for high speed semi-planing crafts in the future.
Metaphor and Metonymy in Food Idioms
Authors: Negro Isabel
Published: June 2019

In recent decades, the development of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, put forward by Lakoff and other scholars. In this light, metaphor and metonymy have been found to provide a semantic motivation for a considerable number of idiomatic expressions. Within this framework, the present contribution explores the cognitive motivation of food idioms in English (e.g., ‘be a cup of tea,’ ‘bread and butter,’ ‘walking on eggshells’) and Spanish (e.g., darse pisto, tener mala uva, cortar el bacalao). The analysis reveals that idiomatic meaning often relies on metaphoric amalgams and metonymic chains, or on the interaction between metaphor and metonymy.
Rapid Access to Scalar Implicatures in Adjacency Pair Contexts: Experimental Evidence in Spanish
Authors: Loredo Rodrigo , Kamienkowski Juan E. , Jaichenco Virginia
Published: June 2019

A conversational implicature arises when there is a gap between the syntactically and semantically encoded meaning of a sentence and the pragmatic meaning that is inferred in an actual communicative situation. Several experimental studies have approached the processing of implicatures and examined the extent to which the derivation of the pragmatic meaning is effortful, especially in the case of generalized implicatures, where the inferred meaning seems to be the most frequent one. In this study, we present two experiments that explore the processing of scalar implicatures with algunos ‘some’ in adjacency pair contexts through an acceptability judgment task and a self-paced reading task. Our results support the claim that the access to the meaning of some as only some is context sensitive. Moreover, they also indicate that adjacency pair structure contributes to making that meaning rapidly available.
Polite Language Forms as Markers of an Emerging New Language Order in Nikkei-Brazilian Japanese
Authors: Yamashita Akemi
Published: June 2019

This paper presents the results from a linguistically-oriented discourse-completion questionnaire administered in Nikkei-Brazilian (Japanese Brazilian) communities, examining in particular: (1) the use of polite language forms, (2) terms used to address one’s spouse, as well as (3) the social characteristics and cultural backgrounds of the informants (e.g., age, sex, generation, nationality, place of birth, place of residence, whether they have lived in the Colonia (i.e., rural communities originally established as exclusively Japanese settlements), where their parents come from, education, and their first language). In this paper, I argue that the use of polite language forms in Nikkei-Brazilian Japanese reflects the different social histories that the two groups identified in this study have been through. The first group consists of those who have experience of Colonia society, whose characteristic use of polite language forms includes: (a) traditional Japanese spousal address terms, such as otoo-san or otoo-chan (father) when the wife addresses her spouse, and okaa-san or okaa-chan (mother) when the husband addresses his spouse; (b) the Western Japanese dialectal polite suffixes -reru/-rareru; and (c) exalting and humbling polite language forms which indicate the relative social positions of the addressees. The second group consists of those who reside in urban areas without experience of life in the Colonia, whose characteristic use of polite language forms includes: (a) Brazilian Portuguese spousal address terms; (b) the use of polite language forms which show the speaker’s friendliness and distance-reducing; and (c) a greater use of standard polite language forms, namely -desu, -masu.
State-of-the-Art Genetic Modalities to Engineer Cyanobacteria for Sustainable Biosynthesis of Biofuel and Fine-Chemicals to Meet Bio–Economy Challenges
Authors: Khan Aqib , Bilal Muhammad , Mehmood Shahid , Sharma Ashutosh , Iqbal Hafiz
Published: June 2019

In recent years, metabolic engineering of microorganisms has attained much research interest to produce biofuels and industrially pertinent chemicals. Owing to the relatively fast growth rate, genetic malleability, and carbon neutral production process, cyanobacteria has been recognized as a specialized microorganism with a significant biotechnological perspective. Metabolically engineering cyanobacterial strains have shown great potential for the photosynthetic production of an array of valuable native or non-native chemicals and metabolites with profound agricultural and pharmaceutical significance using CO2 as a building block. In recent years, substantial improvements in developing and introducing novel and efficient genetic tools such as genome-scale modeling, high throughput omics analyses, synthetic/system biology tools, metabolic flux analysis and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated nuclease (CRISPR/cas) systems have been made for engineering cyanobacterial strains. Use of these tools and technologies has led to a greater understanding of the host metabolism, as well as endogenous and heterologous carbon regulation mechanisms which consequently results in the expansion of maximum productive ability and biochemical diversity. This review summarizes recent advances in engineering cyanobacteria to produce biofuel and industrially relevant fine chemicals of high interest. Moreover, the development and applications of cutting-edge toolboxes such as the CRISPR-cas9 system, synthetic biology, high-throughput “omics”, and metabolic flux analysis to engineer cyanobacteria for large-scale cultivation are also discussed.
Approximate Conservation Laws of Nonvariational Differential Equations
Authors: Jamal Sameerah
Published: June 2019

The concept of an approximate multiplier (integrating factor) is introduced. Such multipliers are shown to give rise to approximate local conservation laws for differential equations that admit a small perturbation. We develop an explicit, algorithmic and efficient method to construct both the approximate multipliers and their corresponding approximate fluxes. Our method is applicable to equations with any number of independent and dependent variables, linear or nonlinear, is adaptable to deal with any order of perturbation and does not require the existence of a variational principle. Several important perturbed equations are presented to exemplify the method, such as the approximate KdV equation. Finally, a second treatment of approximate multipliers is discussed.
Agreement between 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines and Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee Guidelines to Estimate Prevalence of Postmenopausal Hypertension in a Rural Area of Bangladesh: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Barua Lingkan , Faruque Mithila , Banik Palash Chandra , Ali Liaquat
Published: June 2019

Background and objectives: Justification for application of 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines to detect hypertension (HTN) among Bangladeshi population is understudied. This prompted us to examine the level of agreement between 2017 ACC/AHA and Joint National Committee 7 (JNC 7) guidelines to detect postmenopausal HTN in a rural area of Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 265 postmenopausal women of 40–70 years of age who visited a rural primary health care centre of Bangladesh. HTN was diagnosed based on two definitions: the JNC 7 guidelines (SBP ≥ 140 or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg), and the 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines (SBP ≥ 130 mmHg, or DBP ≥ 80 mmHg). The prevalence of postmenopausal HTN, its sub-types and stages were reported and compared using frequency and percentage. Agreement was evaluated using Cohen’s Kappa (κ), Prevalence-Adjusted Bias-Adjusted Kappa (PABAK) and First-order Agreement Coefficient (AC1). Results: The prevalence of postmenopausal HTN was 67.5% and 41.9% using 2017 ACC/AHA and JNC 7 guidelines respectively. Among the HTN sub-types and stages, the new 2017 ACC/AHA guideline classified higher proportion of respondents as having isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) (42.6%) and stage 2 HTN (35.8%) compared to JNC 7 (28.7% and 6.8% respectively). On the other hand, the JNC 7 guideline identified more respondents as pre-hypertensive (32.5%) when compared with the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline (3.8%). Between two guidelines, highest agreement was observed for ISH (86.03%) and those had pre-hypertension/elevated blood pressure (71.3%). Similarly, Landis & Koch’s approach detected highest agreement for ISH (κ = 0.74, substantial; PABAK = 0.76, substantial; AC1 = 0.84, excellent; p < 0.001) and pre-hypertension/elevated blood pressure (κ= 0.12, slight; PABAK = 0.42, moderate; AC1 = 0.83, excellent; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The 2017 ACC/AHA HTN guideline reported high agreement and detected more participants as hypertensive when compared with JNC 7 guideline for Bangladeshi postmenopausal women that demands further large-scale study in general population to clarify the current findings more precisely.
Enhancement of Fatigue Endurance by Al-Si Coating in Hot-Stamping Boron Steel Sheet
Authors: Li Yuqiang , Tan Ning , Xu Zhishuai , Luo Zhiping , Han Ke , Zhai Qijie , Zheng Hongxing
Published: June 2019

Most structural components undertake cyclic loads in engineering and failures always cause catastrophic economic losses and casualties. In the present work, the phase evolution of Al-Si coating of high-strength boron steel during hot stamping was investigated. Two types of 1500 MPa grade boron steel sheets, one with Al-Si coating and the other without, were studied to reveal the effect on the high-cycle fatigue behavior. The as-received continuously hot-dip Al-Si coating was composed of α(Al), eutectic Al-Si and τ5. After hot stamping at 1193 K, three phases formed in this coating: β2, Fe(Al,Si)2 and α(Fe). The experimental results showed that the endurance limit of the coated steel sheet was 370 MPa under 107 fully reversed tension-compression loading cycles as opposed to 305 MPa in the uncoated sheet. Both the coated and the uncoated specimens showed surface-induced transgranular fatigue fractures. In the uncoated sheet, the fatigue cracks were generated from the decarburization surface, but the Al-Si coating effectively prevented the occurrence of near-surface decarburization during high-temperature hot stamping, and the only cracks in the coated steel sheet were initiated at wire-cutting surfaces.
Effect of Clearances in Mill Stands on Strip End Motion During Finishing Rolling
Authors: Hsu Han-Kai , Aoh Jong-Ning
Published: June 2019

The process stability of finishing mill is significantly influenced by the clearance between the chocks and housing in mill stands. The on-site data of a finishing mill had shown that the clearances in the finishing mill stands were clearly associated with the incidence of strip end flip. The aim of this work was to establish a numerical model to analyze the effect of the clearances on the deviation of the centerline of the strip and on the incidence of strip end flip. By adopting conditions from a particular strip, the numerical model not only predicted the strip end shape, but also visualized strip end flip, which would be otherwise invisible. Four different degrees of asymmetry regarding work rolls and backup rolls were postulated. It was found that the degradation of the work rolls’ clearance level was the most significant influence on the centerline deviation of the strip. Strip end flip was most susceptible to the degradation of the horizontal clearance of the work roll. The simultaneous degradation of the work rolls’ and backup rolls’ level of clearance led to larger reactions and enhanced the asymmetric wear on the liners. The superimposed axial clearances at the roll end provided an axial constraint to the work roll, and were able to reverse the trend of centerline deviation. The numerical results provided a guideline for designing a suitable maintenance strategy for clearances.
West Nile Virus and Usutu Virus Co-Circulation in Europe: Epidemiology and Implications
Authors: Zannoli Silvia , Sambri Vittorio
Published: June 2019

West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are neurotropic mosquito-borne flaviviruses that may infect humans. Although WNV is much more widespread and plays a much larger role in human health, the two viruses are characterized by similar envelope antigens, clinical manifestations, and present overlapping in terms of geographic range of transmission, host, and vector species. This review highlights some of the most relevant aspects of WNV and USUV human infections in Europe, and the possible implications of their co-circulation.
Spatial Distributions and Risk Assessment of the Natural Radionuclides in the Granitic Rocks from the Eastern Desert, Egypt
Authors: El-Gamal Hany , Sidique Essam , El-Haddad Mervat
Published: June 2019

This paper investigates the distribution of four natural radioisotopes 238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in one hundred twenty-five granitic samples covering sixteen mountainous areas situated at the northern, central and southern parts of the Eastern Desert of Egypt (EDE). The concentrations of the examined radioisotopes in the collected samples were recognized utilizing a HPGe detector based gamma spectrometry. The average concentrations of these radioisotopes were higher when compared with the worldwide reference values. The radiation risk indicators including the radium equivalent activity index (Raeq), external and internal hazard indicators (Hex and Hin), external and internal level indicators (Iα and Iγ), absorbed dose rate (ADR), annual effective dose rate (AEDR), annual gonadal dosage equivalent (AGDE), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), associated with these radioisotopes have been calculated and compared with their recommended global values and safety limits. These indicators showed that the granites from most studied areas exceeded the universal standards pointing to the difficulty of using them as building materials. This study together with future investigations will serve to develop an essential database for future environmental monitoring surveys.
Optimization of Parameters for the Dissolution of Mn from Manganese Nodules with the Use of Tailings in An Acid Medium
Authors: Toro Norman , Saldaña Manuel , Gálvez Edelmira , Cánovas Manuel , Trigueros Emilio , Castillo Jonathan , Hernández Pía C.
Published: June 2019

Manganese nodules are an attractive source of base metals and critical and rare elements and are required to meet a high demand of today’s industry. In previous studies, it has been shown that high concentrations of reducing agent (Fe) in the system are beneficial for the rapid extraction of manganese. However, it is necessary to optimize the operational parameters in order to maximize Mn recovery. In this study, a statistical analysis was carried out using factorial experimental design for the main parameters, including time, MnO2/Fe2O3 ratio, and H2SO4 concentration. After this, Mn recovery tests were carried out over time at different ratios of MnO2/Fe2O3 and H2SO4 concentrations, where the potential and pH of the system were measured. Finally, it is concluded that high concentrations of FeSO4 in the system allow operating in potential and pH ranges (−0.2 to 1.2 V and −1.8 to 0.1) that favor the formation of Fe2+ and Fe3+, which enable high extractions of Mn (73%) in short periods of time (5 to 20 min) operating with an optimum MnO2/Fe2O3 ratio of 1:3 and a concentration of 0.1 mol/L of H2SO4.
Optimization of Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Total Phenolics from Citrus aurantium L. Blossoms and Evaluation of Free Radical Scavenging, Anti-HMG-CoA Reductase Activities
Authors: Hao Kexin , Hu Wenzhong , Hou Mengyang , Cao Duo , Wang Yu , Guan Qingxin , Zhang Xiufu , Wang Aosheng , Yu Jiaoxue , Guo Binmei
Published: June 2019

The objective of this study was to develop an ultrasonic-assisted procedure for the extraction of total phenolics from Citrus aurantium L. blossoms (CAB) and evaluate the free radical scavenging activity and anti-HMG-CoA reductase activity of the total phenolics. In this work, a Box– Behnken design based on single-factor experiments was used to explore the optimum extraction process. Under the optimum conditions (extraction solvent 70.31% ethanol, extraction temperature 61.94 °C, extraction time 51.73 min, and liquid-to-solid ratio 35.63 mL/g), the extraction yield of total phenolics was 95.84 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dry matter (DM), which was highly consistent with the theoretical value (96.12 mg GAE/g DM). The higher contents of total phenolics and five main phenolic compounds obtained from the optimized ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) proved its efficiency when compared with conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE). The total phenolic extract showed excellent free radical scavenging properties against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH·), 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical (ABTS+·), hydroxyl radical (·OH) and superoxide anion radical (·O2−), with IC50 values of 197.007, 83.878, 218.643, and 158.885 μg/mL, respectively; the extracts also showed good inhibition of β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) activity, with an IC50 value of 117.165 μg/mL. Total phenolics from CAB could be a potential source of natural free radical scavenger and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.
Electrochemical Oxidation as a Tool for Generating Vitamin D Metabolites
Authors: Navarro Suarez Laura , Thein Sonja , Kallinich Constanze , Rohn Sascha
Published: June 2019

The electrochemical behavior of the vitamers cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol was investigated in order to determine whether it is possible to evaluate phase-I and phase-II metabolism of these steroids and yield metabolites that can serve as reference material. The vitamers were electrochemically-oxidized using an electrochemical system (ROXY™ EC system). The influence of pH value, solvent, and potential was evaluated. When using methanol or ethanol, the formation of artificial methoxy or ethoxy groups, respectively, was observed, while the use of acetonitrile did not show any formation of further functional groups. A neutral pH value and use of a constant potential led to the highest number of oxidation products with intensive signals. Additionally, a binding study between vitamin D and glucuronic acid as an example for phase-II conjugation was carried out. It was possible to detect adduct formation. Coupling mass spectrometry directly to electrochemistry (EC-MS) is a promising approach for generating vitamin D metabolites and/or yielding a number of metabolites without in vivo or in vitro test systems. It can support or even replace animal studies in the long-term and might be promising for yielding reference compounds.
Features of the Molecular Structure and Luminescence of Rare-Earth Metal Complexes with Perfluorinated (Benzothiazolyl)phenolate Ligands
Authors: Balashova Tatyana V. , Burin Mikhail E. , Ilichev Vasily A. , Starikova Alyona A. , Marugin Alexey V. , Rumyantcev Roman V. , Fukin Georgy K. , Yablonskiy Artem N. , Andreev Boris A. , Bochkarev Mikhail N.
Published: June 2019

A set of Sc, Nd, Sm, Eu, Ho, Gd, Er, Yb complexes with perfluorinated 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenolate ligands Ln(SONF)3(DME) were synthesized by the reactions of silylamides Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3 with phenol H(SONF). The structure of the initial phenol, Sc, and Er complexes was established using X-ray analysis, which revealed that the obtained compounds are mononuclear, in contrast to the binuclear non-fluorinated analogues [Ln(SON)3]2 synthesized earlier. All the obtained complexes, both in solid state and in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions, upon excitation by light with λex 395 or 405 nm show intense luminance of the ligands at 440–470 nm. The Eu complex also exhibits weak metal-centered emission in the visible region, while the derivatives of Sm luminesces both in the visible and in the infrared region, and Nd, Er, and Yb complexes emit in the near IR (NIR) region of high intensity. DFT (density functional theory) calculation revealed that energy of frontier orbitals of the fluorinated complexes is lower than that of the non-fluorinated counterparts. The level of highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) decreases to a greater extent than the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level.
New Insights into the Cystine-Sulfite Reaction
Authors: Zecchini Matteo , Lucas Robert , Le Gresley Adam
Published: June 2019

The mechanism by which cysteine-S-sulfate is formed from the reaction of sulfite with cystine in the absence of a dedicated oxidizing agent is investigated using high-resolution NMR. Changes to reactant ratio, pH, UV light exposure and temperature were evaluated to determine the most effective conditions to achieve the maximum yield of cysteine-S-sulfate without recourse to conventional oxidizing reagents. Herein evidence is provided for both nucleophilic and radical mechanisms, by which cysteine-S-sulfate can be generated with yields of up to 96%.
4-Azafluorenone and α-Carboline Fluorophores with Green and Violet/Blue Emission
Authors: Cigáň Marek , Danko Peter , Brath Henrich , Čakurda Matúš , Fišera Roman , Donovalová Jana , Filo Juraj , Weis Martin , Jakabovič Ján , Novota Miroslav , Gáplovský Anton
Published: June 2019

The emission properties of three 4-azafluorenone and five new α-carboline fluorophores in both solution and thin solid films were investigated. Fluorescence of the azafluorenone is clearly enhanced in thin solid films due to the presence of phenyl/biphenyl rotors, and these derivatives can be classified as green Aggregation-Induced Emission luminogens (AIEgens) with a non-emissive heteroaromatic core structure. Compared to azafluorenones, emission of α-carbolines is hypsochromically shifted to the blue region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and most of these derivatives exhibit strong violet-blue fluorescence in both solution and thin solid film layers. Further, the effective mobility and electroluminescence of new α-carbolines were investigated in prepared organic field-effect transistors and organic light-emitting diodes, respectively.