bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crónica del Comité de Ministros del Consejo de Europa (Enero-mayo de 2003)
Authors: Torres Ugena Nila
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: Introducción. -1. Cuestiones Políticas. Países no miembros. - II. Derechos Humanos. - III. Cuestiones jurídicas y penales. - IV. Economía, Agricultura y Alimentación. - V. Cuestiones Sociales y de Sanidad. - VI. Educación, Ciencia, Tecnología y Cultura. - VIL Medio Ambiente y Administración Local. -VIII. Población, Refugiados, Formación Profesional. - IX. Cuestiones Administrativas y Reglas de Procedimiento.
Las Cortes Generales y los nuevos modos de organización política
Authors: Pérez Calvo Alberto
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: 1. Caracteres del Estado del que las Cortes Generales constituyen un órgano. a. Estado de Derecho. b. Estado democrático. c. Estado social. d. Estado autonómico. e. Estado comunitario o miembro de la Unión Europea. 2. El lugar de las Cortes Generales en el Estado autonómico y comunitario: el policentrismo organizativo. a. ¿A quién representan las Cortes españolas? b. Las Cortes Generales no agotan la organización política de los españoles. c. Un balance de la capacidad de las Cortes Generales.
Aspectos jurídico-políticamente incorrectos de un juez
Authors: Pérez-Serrano Jáuregui Nicolás
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: 1. elogio del juez y refutación de algunos de sus lenguajes.- 2. La justicia es norma, aplicación de la norma, y es derecho, aplicación del derecho.- 3. Diez cuadros (con estrambote) para una «exposición de la Judicatura». Parafraseo de Mussorgsky y Hartmann.- 4. Una curiosa omisión constitucional. A la busca de la imprescindible -y nunca bien ponderada- imparcialidad.- 5. Un lenguaje sólo trabado o embargado por el imperio de la ley.- 6. Innecesarias disensiones entre profesiones de juristas. La disputa Juez/Abogado.- 7. Hacia una nueva configuración de la independencia judicial. Un caso de «impudor»: justificación de. Una decisión de un tribunal superior de Justicia por «razones éticas, estéticas y de lealtad a la sala».
Sobre la extensión y alcance de la inviolabilidad parlamentaria en los Parlamentos democráticos del siglo XXI
Authors: Català i Bas Alexandre H.
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: 1. Introducción. 2. La crisis de las prerrogativas parlamentarias. 3. La inviolabilidad parlamentaria hoy. 4. El caso jon Salaberría: STSJ País Vasco de 5 de septiembre de 2003 y STS 21 de diciembre de 2004. 5. El caso Atutxa: STSJ País Vasco de 20 de mayo de 2005. 6. EL abuso de la prerrogativa. LA necesidad de revisar la extensión de la inviolabilidad parlamentaria.
El Parlamento Europeo y su nueva circunstancia
Authors: Figueruelo Burrieza Ángela
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: Introducción. - 1. Naturaleza Jurídica. - 2. Elecciones y composición del Parlamento Europeo. - 3. El Estatuto de los Parlamentarios. - 4. estrucura y funcionamiento del Parlamento Europeo. - 5. Las funciones del Parlamento Europeo. 5.1. Funciones de control democrático. 5.2. La capacidad, de iniciativa legislativa. 5.3. Funciones en el proceso formativo. 5.4. Funciones presupuestarias. - A modo de Conclusión. - Bibliografía de referencia.
La elaboración y el examen de las leyes británicas a la luz del Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos
Authors: Bouazza Ariño Omar
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: I. El impacto ex post y ex ante del derecho de estrasburgo. - II. EL principio de soberanía o supremacía legislativa del parlamento: 1. Origen del principio. 2. El principio de soberanía parlamentaria hoy. - III. La European Com-munities ACT 1972. - IV. La Devolution 1998. -V. La Human Rights ACT 1998: 1. Notas preliminares. 2. La interpretación conforme de las leyes con el Derecho de Estrasburgo ex artículo 3 HRA: 2.1. Significado del artículo 3 HRA. 2.2. El caso Ghaidan v Godin-Mendoza. 2.3. La declaración judicial de incompatibilidad de las Leyes del Parlamento ex artículo 4 HRA. 3. El examen previo de la legislación británica a la luz del sistema europeo de Derechos Humanos: 3.1. La declaración de compatibilidad de los proyectos de ley con el sistema de Estrasburgo. 3.2. La Comisión Parlamentaria Mixta de Derechos Humanos (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights). - VI. Conclusión.
La incidencia del proceso decisorio comunitario en las relaciones entre los Parlamentos y los Gobiernos de los Estados miembros
Authors: Amérigo Alonso José
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: Introducción.- Parte Primera: El planteamiento de la cuestión. I. Acerca de la naturaleza del proceso comunitario. II. El poder de decisión en el ámbito comunitario. 1. Tratado constitutivo de la Comunidad Económica Europea. 2. Acta Única Europea. 3. Tratado de la Unión Europea. 4. Tratado de Ámsterdam. 5. Tratado de Niza. 6. Tratado por el que se establece una Constitución para Europa. III. Delimitación del problema. Parte Segunda: Las soluciones. I. Soluciones comunitarias. I. Técnicas orgánicas. 2. Técnicas funcionales. 3. Eficacia de las técnicas comunitarias. II. Soluciones constitucionales. 1. La europeización de las Constituciones nacionales. 2. Estudio de las previsiones constitucionales. Alemania, Austria, Dinamarca, Francia, Reino Unido. Otros países: Eslovenia, Finlandia, Grecia, Lituania, Portugal, República Checa, Suecia. 3. Análisis comparado. 4. Conclusión. Parte Tercera: El caso español. I. Generalidades. II. La solución nacional. III. Una propuesta de revisión constitucional. Bibliografía.
González-Trevijano Sánchez, Pedro: «La España Constitucional» (Recensión)
Authors: Arnaldo Alcubilla Enrique
Published: December 2019

Recensiones sobre la obra: González-Trevijano Sánchez, Pedro, La España Constitucional, Tirant Lo Blanch. Valencia, 2006. 350 pp.
Mandato imperativo y procura de los representantes en las Cortes Castellanas y en los Parlamentos de los Reinos Históricos de Italia
Authors: Criado de Diego Marcos
Published: December 2019

Notas sobre el mandato imperativo y procura de los representantes den las Cortes castellanas y en los parlamentos de los Reinos históricos de Italia
Torres Muro, Ignacio: “La autonomía universitaria. Aspectos constitucionales” (Recensión)
Authors: Fernández Riveira Rosa María
Published: December 2019

Recensión sobre la obra: Torres Muro, Ignacio, La autonomía universitaria, aspectos constitucionales, Col. estudios constitucionales, Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales, Madrid, 2005
Reforma de la Constitución: reforma de los Estatutos de Autonomía y configuración constitucional del orden de competencias
Authors: Biglino Campos Paloma
Published: December 2019

SUMARIO: I. Introducción. II. El Orden Constitucional de Competencias y sus Transformaciones. 1. Las características iniciales del modelo: apertura y flexibilidad. 2. La evolución del modelo y la aportación del Tribunal Constitucional. III. Reforma de los Estatutos de Autonomía, Reforma de la Constitución y distribución de competencias. 1. La Reforma de los Estatutos y el «blindaje de las competencias» de las Comunidades Autónomas. 2. Reforma de la Constitución y cierre del modelo autonómico.
Why women do not seek professional help for anxiety and depression symptoms during pregnancy or throughout the postpartum period? Barriers and facilitators of the help-seeking process
Authors: Silva Sheila , Canavarro Maria Cristina , Fonseca Ana
Published: December 2019

Goals: This study examined Portuguese women’s help-seeking intentions to address their emotional problems during pregnancy andthe first 12 months after childbirth, and the relative influence of main attitudinal and knowledge barriers and facilitators (prior experienceand encouragement from the partner).Methods: Pregnant women or women within the first 12 months postpartum answered to a cross-sectional online survey that includedself-reported questionnaires to assess depressive and anxiety symptoms, depression literacy, attitudes towards help-seeking and intentionsto seek professional help.Results: Women’s (N = 243) have a greater intention to resort to informal sources of help than to formal sources of help. Women withclinically relevant psychopathological symptoms reported less positive attitudes towards help-seeking and a poorer perception of theirpartner’s support in seeking professional help. Both stigma and the perceived encouragement from the partner to seek professionalhelp were strong predictors of formal help-seeking intentions.Discussion: These results elucidate the importance of including the partner in the women´s help-seeking process and recovery, as wellas the important role of the media and health professionals in reducing the stigma about perinatal depression.
Cognitive Performance in Non-Psychotic Non-Suicidal Unipolar Depressed Patients
Authors: Moniz Marco
Published: December 2019

Background: Cognitive impairment is central in depression and executive dysfunctions in patients with depression are frequent. However, little attention has been paid to the specificities of executive changes in patients with unipolar depression, though these modifications may have serious implications for psychosocial functions and treatment of these patients.Goals: To compare neuropsychological performance, regarding executive functions, of two adult groups: non-psychotic non-suicide attempters with unipolar depression and healthy individuals.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with data collected in an outpatient clinic of mental health service of a general hospital. Wecompared a group of non-psychotic non-suicidal unipolar depressed patients to a group of individuals without depression. Depressed subjects were controlled for prior suicidal attempts, and their neuropsychological profile was assessed using a range of measures of attention, verbal fluency, memory, psychomotor speed, and executive functioning (planning, decision making, set shifting, response inhibition, and inhibitory control).Results: The group with depression (n=23) was significantly outperformed by the group of healthy individuals (n=23) in all measures. Also, differences in the executive functions of planning, decision making, set shifting, and inhibitory control were confirmed. We were unable to identify differences between non-suicidal individuals with depression and individuals without depression in terms of response inhibition, as has been the case in previous studies with samples with suicidal unipolar depressive patients.Discussion: These results reinforce the hypothesis that there are specific alterations in patients with depression and highlight the need to develop specific cognitive rehabilitation programs for this population.
The Identity of Psychology
Authors: Ricou Miguel , Cordeiro Silvia Amado , Franco Amanda , Lobo Cristina Costa
Published: December 2019

Background: Today, psychology benefits from widespread acknowledgement, being taken into account and used in a growing number of spheres of society. Nonetheless, not always does this profession follow such acknowledgment, which becomes a real employabilityproblem for psychologists who are looking for a job in Portugal. Moreover, in an ever more specialized and flexible world in what concerns professional identities and careers, the development of psychology as a profession demands the establishment of guidelinesand limits, besides an introspective attitude about the current psychological practice. Otherwise, psychology as a profession risks losing its identity, shrinking with the pressure that is imposed on it by its different specialties and areas of action.Goals: We characterized the perceptions of Portuguese psychologists about the exclusive goal of psychological intervention, the tasks that are exclusively performed by psychologists and, also, the tasks that are performed by psychologists but which may also be performedby other professionals who are not psychologists. This analysis aimed to reveal if psychologists share a common and clear standing on this matter.Methods: We used a three open-answer question questionnaire, which was specifically designed for this study. Data analysis was performed using thematic categorical content analysis.Results: Our results stress that psychologists lack agreement concerning the three questions under study, which created a significant number of subcategories. Furthermore, we found answers that are clearly incorrect regarding these three issues, as well as a lack ofresponse from a few participants.Discussion: We discuss the potential implications of the results for psychologists’ professional practice, as well as for the construction of a solid identity that may promote the general public’s trust in psychologists. Also, we reflect on the need to define a single andexclusive goal for psychological intervention, one that is able to integrate the diversity of interventions in the field of psychology.
Changes in STIM Isoforms Expression and Gender-Specific Alterations in Orai
Expression in Human Heart Failure
Authors: ČENDULA R. , DRAGÚN M. , GAŽOVÁ A. , KYSELOVIČ J. , HULMAN M. , MÁŤUŠ M.
Published: December 2019

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is one of regulatory mechanisms which regulates Ca2+ cycling in the heart. SOCE alterations in pathological conditions contribute to progression of heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy by multiple signaling pathways such as Cn/NFAT and CaMKII/MEF2. Several components mediating SOCE have been identified, such as STIM and Orai. Different isoforms of both Orai and STIM have been detected in animal studies, exhibiting distinct functional properties. This study is focused on the analysis of STIM and Orai isoforms expression in the end-stage human failing myocardium. Left ventricle samples isolated from 43 explanted hearts from patients undergoing heart transplant and from 5 healthy donor hearts were used to determine the mRNA levels of Orai1, Orai2 and Orai3, STIM1, STIM2 and STIM2.1 by qRT-PCR. The expression was further analyzed for connection with gender, related co-morbidities, pathoetiology, clinical data and biochemical parameters. We show that Orai1 expression is decreased by 30 % in failing myocardium, even though we detected no significant changes in expression of Orai2 or Orai3. Interestingly, this decrease in Orai1 was gender-specific and was present only in men, with no change in women. The ratio Orai1/Orai3 was significantly lower in males as well. The novel STIM2.1 isoform was detected both in healthy and failing human myocardium. In the end-stage heart failure, the expression of STIM2.1 was significantly decreased. The lower ratio of STIM2.1/STIM2 in failing hearts indicates a switch from SOCE-inhibiting STIM2.1 isoform to stimulatory STIM2.2. STIM1 mRNA levels were not significantly changed. These observed alterations in Orai and STIM expression were independent of functional heart parameters, clinical or biochemical patient characteristics. These results provide detailed insight into the alterations of SOCE regulation in human failing myocardium. Gender-specific change in Orai1 expression might represent a possible mechanism of cardioprotective effects of estrogens. The switch from STIM2.1 to STIM2.2 indicates an amplification of SOCE and could contribute to the hypertrophy development in the filing heart.
¿Adónde va la democracia española?
Authors: Barros Carlos
Published: December 2019

Recebido:  19/06/2019 Aprovado:  05/07/2019Publicado: 10/07/2019Análisis desde la historia de la situación política en España, marcada por la inestabilidad política y la existencia de movimientos sociopolíticos de fondo (memoria histórica, indignados e independentismo catalán) que rebasan los límites de la transición a la democracia, entre 1977 y 1978, bajo la bota militar. Así como las alternativas de progreso y regreso en formación. Palabras-clave: Memoria. Indignados. Democracia. Cataluña. Transición.
História da educação, humanidades digitais e divulgação científica: a biblioteca digital de História da Educação
Authors: Fraga Vilas-Bôas Ester , Dos Santos Alves Josué
Published: December 2019

Recebido:   10/05/2019 Aprovado:   02/07/2019Publicado:  10/07/2019Na perspectiva da História Cultural, este texto insere-se na História da Educação e na História do Livro e sua relação com as tecnologias digitais. O referencial teórico-metodológico ancora-se em Ginzburg (2007), com o método indiciário, em Nascimento (2007), para tratar de instituições protestantes e, em Faria Filho (2000), por tratar da relação da História da Educação com as novas tecnologias. O presente texto discorre acerca da criação da Biblioteca Digital de História da Educação, disponibilizando impressos que circularam no Brasil oitocentista, a difusão de títulos, os temas abordados, editoras e ano de publicação, bem como a importância da ação de protestantes na produção, circulação e usos de impressos e, consequente circulação de ideias, e sua relação com a educação brasileira. Palavras-chave: Biblioteca Digital de História da Educação, humanidades digitais, divulgação científica, impressos, tecnologias digitais.
Improving the Conservation and Use of Traditional Germplasm through Breeding for Local Adaptation: The Case of the Castellfollit del Boix Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landrace
Authors: Casals Joan , Rivera Ana , Rull Aurora , Romero del Castillo Roser , Sabaté Josep , Sans Silvia , Soler Salvador , Díez María José , Casañas Francesc , Prohens Jaime , Simó Joan
Published: December 2019

The dramatic reduction in the diversity of crops in the last century is often attributed to the consolidation of scientific breeding, probably because the two processes have occurred at the same time. We carried out a breeding program to enhance the Castellfollit del Boix landrace of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in a low-input environment to determine the effects of breeding on a landrace at risk of disappearing. The program increased the number of accessions conserved ex situ and obtained more efficient genotypes that are less likely to be abandoned by farmer without altering the characteristics that consumers appreciate most. As a result, the availability of the product, its promotion, and its use have increased. We propose a Conservation Potential Index to measure the impact of changes in the crop’s epiphenotype, and also apply it to a set of landraces from several crops. We argue that scientific breeding and information gathered in the context of genetic improvement programs can help to conserve biodiversity when they aim to adapt materials to different local environments, rather than having a negative impact on the biodiversity of crops. This approach contrasts with the genetic erosion that results from efforts to homogenize environments by increasing inputs, so that a few improved varieties adapted to these environments can be grown.
Assessment of Sustainability in Agriculture of the European Union Countries
Authors: Nowak Anna , Krukowski Artur , Różańska-Boczula Monika
Published: December 2019

This paper aimed at evaluating the level of sustainability in agriculture in 28 member states of the European Union. The surveys were carried out based on a synthetic technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS)-based measure. This method synthesizes factors of various nature and assigns them a synthetic aggregate measure. The analysis made it possible to develop a ranking of EU member states according to a differentiated level of measures and assign them to one of four groups characterized by different levels of sustainability in agriculture. The group of member states representing the highest level of sustainability in agriculture included two countries from Central and Eastern Europe, i.e., Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The group of countries with a greater than average level of sustainability comprised 14 member states of the European Union, including seven countries admitted to the community after 2004. The group with a low level of sustainability consisted of eight EU member states, six of them from the group of old EU member states, i.e., Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Denmark and the United Kingdom, and two new members, i.e., Romania and Slovenia. On the other hand, the lowest level of sustainability was characteristic of two “old EU” member states, i.e., The Netherlands and Belgium, and two “new EU” member states, i.e., Cyprus and Malta. The differentiated synthetic measure values showed disparities in the level of sustainability in agriculture among the member states of the European Union. They are a result of the varied level of development of this sector, production intensity and the resulting environmental impact.
Cladobotryum mycophilum as Potential Biocontrol Agent
Authors: Santos Mila , Diánez Fernando , Moreno-Gavíra Alejandro , Sánchez-Montesinos Brenda , Gea Francisco J.
Published: December 2019

A study was conducted to explore the efficacy of potential biocontrol agent Cladobotryum mycophilum against different phytopathogenic fungi. The growth rates of 24 isolates of C. mycophilum were determined, and their antagonistic activity was analysed in vitro and in vivo against Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cucumerinum, Fusarium solani, Phytophthora parasitica, Phytophthora capsici, Pythium aphanidermatum and Mycosphaerella melonis. Most isolates grow rapidly, reaching the opposite end of the Petri dish within 72–96 h. Under dual-culture assays, C. mycophilum showed antagonistic activity in vitro against all phytopathogenic fungi tested, with mycelial growth inhibition ranging from 30 to 90% against all the different phytopathogens tested. Similarly, of all the selected isolates, CL60A, CL17A and CL18A significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the disease incidence and severity in the plant assays compared to the controls for the different pathosystems studied. Based on these results, we conclude that C. mycophilum can be considered as a potential biological control agent in agriculture. This is the first study of Cladobotryum mycophilum as a biological control agent for different diseases caused by highly relevant phytopathogens in horticulture.
Phenolic Constituents of Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. Leaf Down-Regulate TGF-β Expression and Ameliorate CCl4-Induced Liver Fibrosis: Evidence from In Vivo and In Silico Studies
Authors: El-Hawary Seham S. El-Din , El Zalabani Soheir M. , Selim Nabil M. , Ibrahim Marwa A. , Wahba Fatma A. , El Badawy Shymaa A. , Mahdy Nariman El Sayed , Yasri Aziz , Sobeh Mansour
Published: December 2019

The prevalence of hepatic diseases globally and in Egypt particularly necessitates an intensive search for natural hepatoprotective candidates. Despite the traditional use of Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. and C. cainito L. leaves in the treatment of certain ailments, evidence-based reports on their bioactivities are limited. In this work, in vivo and in silico studies were conducted to evaluate their methanol extracts potential to alleviate liver damage in CCl4-intoxicated rats, in addition to their antioxidant activity and identifying the molecular mechanisms of their phenolic constituents. The extracts restored the altered total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), alanine aminotransferase ALT, aspartate aminotransferase AST, total protein, and albumin. Histopathological architecture, DNA fragmentation, and mRNA expression level of TGF-β1 also confirmed the anti-fibrotic activity of the two extracts. The total phenolic content (TPC) in C. oliviforme ethanol extract exceeded that in C. caimito. Additionally, the malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels assured the antioxidant potential. Seven phenolics; quercetin, isoquercitrin, myricetin, kaempferol, and caffeic, trans-ferulic, and gallic acids were isolated from the ethanol extract of C. oliviforme. The molecular docking of isolated compounds revealed a low binding energy (kcal/mol with TGF-β1, thus confirming the hepatoprotctive activity of the extracts. In conclusion, the C. oliviforme leaves could be considered as potent safe raw material for the production of herbal formulations to alleviate hepatic toxicity after preclinical safety study.
Pattern Discovery in White Etching Crack Experimental Data Using Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Azzam Baher , Harzendorf Freia , Schelenz Ralf , Holweger Walter , Jacobs Georg
Published: December 2019

White etching crack (WEC) failure is a failure mode that affects bearings in many applications, including wind turbine gearboxes, where it results in high, unplanned maintenance costs. WEC failure is unpredictable as of now, and its root causes are not yet fully understood. While WECs were produced under controlled conditions in several investigations in the past, converging the findings from the different combinations of factors that led to WECs in different experiments remains a challenge. This challenge is tackled in this paper using machine learning (ML) models that are capable of capturing patterns in high-dimensional data belonging to several experiments in order to identify influential variables to the risk of WECs. Three different ML models were designed and applied to a dataset containing roughly 700 high- and low-risk oil compositions to identify the constituting chemical compounds that make a given oil composition high-risk with respect to WECs. This includes the first application of a purpose-built neural network-based feature selection method. Out of 21 compounds, eight were identified as influential by models based on random forest and artificial neural networks. Association rules were also mined from the data to investigate the relationship between compound combinations and WEC risk, leading to results supporting those of previous analyses. In addition, the identified compound with the highest influence was proved in a separate investigation involving physical tests to be of high WEC risk. The presented methods can be applied to other experimental data where a high number of measured variables potentially influence a certain outcome and where there is a need to identify variables with the highest influence.
Automatic Segmentation of Coronary Arteries in X-ray Angiograms using Multiscale Analysis and Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Cervantes-Sanchez Fernando , Cruz-Aceves Ivan , Hernandez-Aguirre Arturo , Hernandez-Gonzalez Martha Alicia , Solorio-Meza Sergio Eduardo
Published: December 2019

This paper presents a novel method for the automatic segmentation of coronary arteries in X-ray angiograms, based on multiscale analysis and neural networks. The multiscale analysis is performed by using Gaussian filters in the spatial domain and Gabor filters in the frequency domain, which are used as inputs by a multilayer perceptron (MLP) for the enhancement of vessel-like structures. The optimal design of the MLP is selected following a statistical comparative analysis, using a training set of 100 angiograms, and the area under the ROC curve ( A z ) for assessment of the detection performance. The detection results of the proposed method are compared with eleven state-of-the-art blood vessel enhancement methods, obtaining the highest performance of A z = 0.9775 , with a test set of 30 angiograms. The database of 130 X-ray coronary angiograms has been outlined by a specialist and approved by a medical ethics committee. On the other hand, the vessel extraction technique was selected from fourteen binary classification algorithms applied to the multiscale filter response. Finally, the proposed segmentation method is compared with twelve state-of-the-art vessel segmentation methods in terms of six binary evaluation metrics, where the proposed method provided the most accurate coronary arteries segmentation with a classification rate of 0.9698 and Dice coefficient of 0.6857 , using the test set of angiograms. In addition to the experimental results, the performance in the detection and segmentation steps of the proposed method have also shown that it can be highly suitable for systems that perform computer-aided diagnosis in X-ray imaging.
Phase Transitions in Wireless MESH Networks and Their Application in Early Detection of Network Coherence Loss
Authors: Paszkiewicz Andrzej , Bolanowski Marek , Zapała Przemysław
Published: December 2019

The paper focuses on the phenomenon of phase transitions related to changes taking place directly in a network structure; i.e., in physical topology. Although these changes are related to the physical layer, they directly affect the functioning of higher layers, and thus the quality and efficiency of network transmission. The research presented herein was focused in particular on phase transformations in MESH type wireless topologies. The dependence between the values of radius (transmitter power) nodes and the coherence of the MESH network is presented. These considerations are important for understanding the dynamics of processes occurring in topological structures, and for optimizing the use of power sources for individual nodes. The paper also presents the use of phase transition analysis for early detection of network coherence loss at the physical layer level. A new mechanism for assessing the level of network communication and an active method of preventing its failure using the arbiter and a set of limited diagnostic information are described. The solution presented can be used both in Internet of Things (IoT) systems and Industry 4.0 to create a high level of reliability wireless connection infrastructure between mobile and fixed devices.
Computational Screening of New Perovskite Materials Using Transfer Learning and Deep Learning
Authors: Li Xiang , Dan Yabo , Dong Rongzhi , Cao Zhuo , Niu Chengcheng , Song Yuqi , Li Shaobo , Hu Jianjun
Published: December 2019

As one of the most studied materials, perovskites exhibit a wealth of superior properties that lead to diverse applications. Computational prediction of novel stable perovskite structures has big potential in the discovery of new materials for solar panels, superconductors, thermal electric, and catalytic materials, etc. By addressing one of the key obstacles of machine learning based materials discovery, the lack of sufficient training data, this paper proposes a transfer learning based approach that exploits the high accuracy of the machine learning model trained with physics-informed structural and elemental descriptors. This gradient boosting regressor model (the transfer learning model) allows us to predict the formation energy with sufficient precision of a large number of materials of which only the structural information is available. The enlarged training set is then used to train a convolutional neural network model (the screening model) with the generic Magpie elemental features with high prediction power. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of our transfer learning model and screening model compared to the baseline models. We then applied the screening model to filter out promising new perovskite materials out of 21,316 hypothetical perovskite structures with a large portion of them confirmed by existing literature.
Improving the Adhesiveness of Cemented Glass Components by DBD Plasma Pre-Treatment at Atmospheric Pressure
Authors: Gerhard Christoph , Mielke Gerrit , Brückner Stephan , Wermann Olaf
Published: December 2019

Cemented optical components and groups are essential devices for the realisation of modern systems and apparatuses used in a broad range of different applications such as telecommunications, imaging and even surgery. However, various parameters may affect the stability of cemented connections. In this context, the impact of dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure on the adhesiveness of cemented glass components was evaluated in the present work. For this purpose, the plasma-induced change in surface wettability and energy as well as the cement’s adhesive pull strength was measured. Investigations were performed on samples, which were subject to different procedures of artificial ageing. It is shown that the adhesive pull strength of cemented glass components was notably increased after a short-term plasma treatment of merely 10 s due to an enhanced wettability of the applied UV-curing optical cement. The pull strength, i.e., the adhesiveness of cemented glasses was increased by a factor of 2.1 to 4.6, depending on the particularly applied artificial ageing procedure. The results and findings finally demonstrate the high potential of the applied short-term plasma treatment as a cleaning and surface activation step in optics manufacturing on an industrial scale.
Fatigue Performance of Tunnel Invert in Newly Designed Heavy Haul Railway Tunnel
Authors: Liu Cong , Peng Limin , Lei Mingfeng , Shi Chenghua , Liu Ning
Published: December 2019

The Haoji railway in China is the longest heavy haul railway in the world, including 235 tunnels located along the 1837 km railway. With the increasing axle load of the new line and the basal deterioration of the existing heavy haul railway in China, studying the fatigue performance of the newly designed tunnel structure is essential. To study the coupling effect of the surrounding rock pressure and 30 t axle load train, in this study, we combined three-dimensional numerical simulation and three-point bending fatigue tests to investigate the fatigue performance of the basal structures. The results of numerical simulation indicate that the center of the inverted arch secondary lining is the position vulnerable to fatigue in the lower tunnel structures; the surrounding rock pressure performance exerts a stronger influence on the stress state of the vulnerable position than the dynamic train loads. The S–N formula obtained from the experiment showed that the fatigue life of tunnel bottom structures decreases with increasing surrounding rock pressure and dynamic load. In typical grade V surrounding rock and 30 t axle loads, fatigue failure will not occur in the newly designed tunnel bottom structures within 100 years if bedrock defects are lacking and pressure of surrounding rock is not excessive.
Study on the Chemical Composition, Enzyme Inhibition and Antioxidant Activity of Ziziphora taurica subsp. cleonioides
Authors: Sarikurkcu Cengiz , Kakouri Eleni , Sarikurkcu Rifat Tayyib , Tarantilis Petros A.
Published: December 2019

Ziziphora is a plant used in Turkish and Iran traditional medicine for its antibacterial activity, sedative and stomach soothing properties. Although the chemical profile of the essential oil of different Ziziphora species is well documented, data regarding plant extracts are incomplete. In this study extracts from Ziziphora taurica subsp. cleonioides were obtained using ethyl acetate, methanol and water and the chemical profile of the aerial part of the plant was elucidated. Among the compounds identified, rosmarinic acid was the most abundant (3375.67 ± 38.02 μg/mL), at the extract of methanol, followed by chlorogenic acid (3225.10 ± 16.44). Enzyme inhibition activity against α-amylase and tyrosinase was also estimated. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest α-amylase activity (1.95 ± 0.04 mg/mL), while the best anti-tyrosinase activity was calculated for the methanolic extract (1.25 ± 0.01 mg/mL). In addition, total phenolic, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity were evaluated. According to our results, bioactivity of the plant is of great interest, nonetheless, at the same time, it is strongly depended on the solvent used during the extraction process. Our data suggest that the plant under study may be an important source to consider against metabolic, skin pigmentation and oxidative stress related disorders.
Numerical and Statistical Analyses of Tsunami Heights with the L-Moments Method
Authors: Kang Cheol , Park Koo-Yong , Cho Yong-Sik
Published: December 2019

As devastating and unpredictable tsunamis generated by underwater earthquakes are occurring more frequently, the need for tsunami disaster prevention measures is rapidly increasing. In this study, tsunami heights were estimated, and the best-fit distribution was examined through a combination of numerical analyses and statistical methods. A numerical model was employed to estimate the tsunami heights, and the parameters were estimated using the method of L-moments applied to the estimated tsunami heights. The best-fit distribution was determined by applying the estimated parameters to the L-moment ratio diagram. The study areas were the Imwon Port and the Sadong Port located in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula. The tsunami height distribution was represented by a log-normal distribution for the Imwon Port, whereas the distribution was represented by a generalized Pareto distribution for the Sadong Port. The study indicates that the distribution most commonly suggested by previous studies, i.e., the log-normal distribution, is not always accurate. Therefore, when performing statistical analysis on tsunami heights, the assumption of a log-normal distribution should be considered carefully.
Developing a New Haptic Passcode for User Authentication with a Personal ID Tag to Prevent Copying Attacks
Authors: Lee Seongil , Song Kyohyun , Kim Sangmin
Published: December 2019

We designed a haptic authentication system with a personal identification (ID) tag equipped with an embedded acceleration sensor and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that can be used in automated security systems. In the suggested system, users generate a passcode by haptic manipulation of an ID tag instead of typing in passwords using a keypad. An ID tag may be an ideal personalized gadget for ID authentication in many circumstances. The core of the proposed haptic authentication system is the activity-recognizable process that can be manipulated by the probabilistic model we developed and generate a much more secure passcode for authentication. With the system learning a total of 250 trials by 50 users for each haptic gesture, the average successful classification rate for the four-digit haptic passcode authentication was 88.9% using the probabilistic model we developed. Some haptic gestures, such as vertical upward flipping of the ID tag, showed lower accuracy than others due to the difficulty in haptic manipulation of the ID tag. From a copying attack experiment to examine the reliability of our haptic passcode scheme, it was proved that the haptic gestures with enough digits, apparently at least 6, were difficult enough to resist being copied by attackers. The same authentication scheme can also be applied for other personal devices that can be manipulated by hands for making haptic gestures, such as a mobile phone.
Dynamic and Stability Analysis of Multibolt Plane Joints under Normal Forces
Authors: Li Zhenyuan , Zhang Yimin , Li Changyou , Tan Zhi
Published: December 2019

In this paper, a stiffness model of contact surfaces based on a modified three-dimensional fractal contact model is built, which is in accordance with the experiment results. Additionally, the static, dynamic, and stable behaviors of the bolt joint between the spindle box and the machine bed are analyzed. The mathematical relationship between fractal parameters of the surface topography and the stiffness of the system was established to accurately study its static behaviors. Asymmetric curves are observed from the load–deflection results and the nonlinear stiffness characteristic is also presented. It is shown that both the stress and the stiffness increase with the increase of the displacement near the static equilibrium position. Meanwhile, a simplified model without the consideration of roughness is compared with joint interfaces composed from milling, scraping, and grinding surfaces. Numerical calculation was employed to investigate effects of design parameters on the system under harmonic excitation when the processing method, excitation force, bolt pre-tightening force, topography parameters, and other structural parameters, i.e., nominal contact area, joint thickness and bolt number, are eventually regarded as the control parameters. The aim of the article is to analysis the influence of these parameters, including surface morphology, on nonlinear characteristics of the bolt interface with fractal contact surfaces andto provide some references to improve the characteristics.
Predicting Students Success in Blended Learning—Evaluating Different Interactions Inside Learning Management Systems
Authors: Buschetto Macarini Luiz Antonio , Cechinel Cristian , Batista Machado Matheus Francisco , Faria Culmant Ramos Vinicius , Munoz Roberto
Published: December 2019

Algorithms and programming are some of the most challenging topics faced by students during undergraduate programs. Dropout and failure rates in courses involving such topics are usually high, which has raised attention towards the development of strategies to attenuate this situation. Machine learning techniques can help in this direction by providing models able to detect at-risk students earlier. Therefore, lecturers, tutors or staff can pedagogically try to mitigate this problem. To early predict at-risk students in introductory programming courses, we present a comparative study aiming to find the best combination of datasets (set of variables) and classification algorithms. The data collected from Moodle was used to generate 13 distinct datasets based on different aspects of student interactions (cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence) inside the virtual environment. Results show there are no statistically significant difference among models generated from the different datasets and that the counts of interactions together with derived attributes are sufficient for the task. The performances of the models varied for each semester, with the best of them able to detect students at-risk in the first week of the course with AUC ROC from 0.7 to 0.9. Moreover, the use of SMOTE to balance the datasets did not improve the performance of the models.
Synthesis of CuO for Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis of Biomass
Authors: Paz-García Eri J. , Paredes-Carrera Silvia P. , Flores-Valle Sergio O. , Rodríguez-Clavel Isis S. , Sánchez-Ochoa Jesús C. , Pérez-Gutiérrez Rosa M.
Published: December 2019

In this study, CuO was synthesized as a microwave absorber in the pyrolysis of a biomass model (sugarcane bagasse). CuO was synthesized for 5 min of irradiation using the following techniques: microwave (MW), ultrasound (US), combined mode (MW-US), and conduction heating (CH) as a reference material. The use of these treatments promotes changes in the morphology, as MW and US generate leaves and monolithic faceted morphologies, respectively. Changes were also generated in some textural characteristics such as crystal size, surface area, and volume-pore size. They were produced as a consequence of changes in the conditions during the crystallization stage produced by the different irradiation types. The microwave-assisted pyrolysis was performed aiming for the maximum liquid fraction (bio-oil) in the products. The reaction time, the size of the biomass, and the CuO synthesis method were also analyzed. The following particle size (ps) intervals were studied: ps < 0.5 mm, 0.5 mm < ps < 1.7 mm, 1.7 mm < ps < 3.5 mm. The best conditions at 1160 Watts in the microwave were: 4 min of reaction, particle size lower than 0.5 mm, and CuO synthesized by US. The use of CuO in the pyrolysis almost triples the amount of the obtained liquid fraction, when compared with the pyrolysis without the use of a microwave absorbent. The CuO was reduced to Cu2O and Cu after the pyrolysis. In this work, a reduction in the reaction times from hours to minutes was achieved during the synthesis of CuO and the pyrolysis biomass. The liquid fraction (bio-oil) can be raw material to obtain value-added chemical products or biofuels.
Discontinuities in the Ozone Concentration Time Series from MERRA 2 Reanalysis
Authors: Krizan Peter , Kozubek Michal , Lastovicka Jan
Published: December 2019

Artificial discontinuities in time series are a great problem for trend analysis because they influence the values of the trend and its significance. The aim of this paper is to investigate their occurrence in the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA 2) ozone concentration data. It is the first step toward the utilization of the MERRA 2 ozone data for trend analysis. We use the Pettitt homogeneity test to search for discontinuities in the ozone time series. We showed the data above 4 hPa are not suitable for trend analyses due to the unrealistic patterns in an average ozone concentration and due to the frequent occurrence of significant discontinuities. Below this layer in the stratosphere, their number is much smaller, and mostly, they are insignificant, and the patterns of the average ozone concentration are explainable. In the troposphere, the number of discontinuities increases, but they are insignificant. The transition from Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Radiometer (SBUV) to Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura data in 2004 is visible only above 1 hPa, where the data are not suitable for trend analyses due to other reasons. We can conclude the MERRA 2 ozone concentration data can be used in trend analysis with caution only below 4 hPa.
The Relationship between the Wintertime Cold Extremes over East Asia with Large-Scale Atmospheric and Oceanic Teleconnections
Authors: Yang Ye , Xie Naru , Gao Meng
Published: December 2019

The influence of large-scale teleconnection patterns, Western Pacific (WP), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), on the minimum surface air temperature (Tmin) anomalies and extremes over East Asia during the boreal winter from 1979 to 2017 were investigated by the composite analysis in terms of atmospheric and oceanic processes. The relationship between the Tmin and the geopotential height at 500 hPa (Z500) as well as sea surface temperature (SST) were first examined. Then we explored and estimated the contribution of the teleconnection patterns to the occurrence of extremely cold days and months quantitatively, and discussed other key factors in relation to the cold extremes. The WP and AO patterns play an important part in the prevalence of significant Tmin variability, whereas the effect of ENSO is relatively weak. Most of the cold extremes tend to appear in the negative phase of teleconnections, while there some extremes that occur in the opposite phase. In addition, the extreme months are more related to the preferred phase of the dominant pattern when compared to days. We conclude that the daily extremes are primarily triggered by the local-synoptic atmospheric circulations embedded in the large-scale teleconnection patterns, while the monthly extremes have a closer relationship with these low-frequency patterns.
High-Fat Diet Affects Ceramide Content, Disturbs Mitochondrial Redox Balance, and Induces Apoptosis in the Submandibular Glands of Mice
Authors: Zalewska Anna , Maciejczyk Mateusz , Szulimowska Julita , Imierska Monika , Błachnio-Zabielska Agnieszka
Published: December 2019

This is the first study to investigate the relationship between ceramides, the mitochondrial respiratory system, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in the submandibular gland mitochondria of mice with insulin resistance (IR). The experiment was conducted on 20 male C57BL/6 mice divided into two equal groups: animals fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 60 kcal% fat) and animals fed a standard diet (10 kcal% fat). We have shown that feeding mice HFD induces systemic IR. We noticed that HFD feeding was accompanied by a significant increase in ceramide production (C18 1Cer, C18 Cer, C22 Cer, C24 1Cer, C24 Cer), higher activity of pro-oxidant enzymes (NADPH oxidase and xanthine oxidase), and weakened functioning of mitochondrial complexes in the submandibular glands of IR mice. In this group, we also observed a decrease in catalase and peroxidase activities, glutathione concentration, redox status, increased concentration of protein (advanced glycation end products, advanced oxidation protein products) and lipid (malondialdehyde, lipid hydroperoxide) peroxidation products, and enhanced production of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) as well as pro-apoptotic Bax in the submandibular gland mitochondria. In summary, HFD impairs salivary redox homeostasis and is responsible for enhanced oxidative damage and apoptosis in the submandibular gland mitochondria. The accumulation of some ceramides could boost free radical formation by affecting pro-oxidant enzymes and the mitochondrial respiratory chain.