bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Instant Controlled Pressure-Drop (DIC), Cooking and Germination on Non-Nutritional Factors of Common Vetch (Vicia sativa spp.)
Authors: Hernandez-Aguirre Angel I. , Téllez-Pérez Carmen , San Martín-Azócar Alejandra , Cardador-Martínez Anaberta
Published: January 2020

Legumes are widely consumed by humans, being an important source of nutrients; however, they contain non-nutritional factors (NNFs), such as phytic acid (IP6), raffinose, stachyose, total phenolic compounds, condensed tannins, and flavonoids, that have negative effects on human health. Although vetches (Vicia sativa) are widely cultivated, they are not intended for human feeding due to their contents of NNF. Usually, the NNF are removed by cooking or germinating; however, germination is a process that requires extended time, and cooking may compromise the viability of some nutrients. To promote vetches for human consumption, the effect of the Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (DIC) process was studied as an alternative to cooking and germinating to decrease NNF contents. Results showed that compared to raw vetches, DIC treatment reduced total phenolic compounds (48%), condensed tannins (28%), flavonoids (65%), IP6 (92%), raffinose (77%), and stachyose (92%). These results are very similar to the ones achieved by traditional ways of removing NNF.
A Rapid and Highly Efficient Method for the Identification of Soybean Seed Varieties: Hyperspectral Images Combined with Transfer Learning
Authors: Zhu Shaolong , Zhang Jinyu , Chao Maoni , Xu Xinjuan , Song Puwen , Zhang Jinlong , Huang Zhongwen
Published: January 2020

Convolutional neural network (CNN) can be used to quickly identify crop seed varieties. 1200 seeds of ten soybean varieties were selected, hyperspectral images of both the front and the back of the seeds were collected, and the reflectance of soybean was derived from the hyperspectral images. A total of 9600 images were obtained after data augmentation, and the images were divided into a training set, validation set, and test set with a 3:1:1 ratio. Pretrained models (AlexNet, ResNet18, Xception, InceptionV3, DenseNet201, and NASNetLarge) after fine-tuning were used for transfer training. The optimal CNN model for soybean seed variety identification was selected. Furthermore, the traditional machine learning models for soybean seed variety identification were established by using reflectance as input. The results show that the six models all achieved 91% accuracy in the validation set and achieved accuracy values of 90.6%, 94.5%, 95.4%, 95.6%, 96.8%, and 97.2%, respectively, in the test set. This method is better than the identification of soybean seed varieties based on hyperspectral reflectance. The experimental results support a novel method for identifying soybean seeds rapidly and accurately, and this method also provides a good reference for the identification of other crop seeds.
Structural Bases for the Fitness Cost of the Antibiotic-Resistance and Lethal Mutations at Position 1408 of 16S rRNA
Authors: Kondo Jiro , Koganei Mai
Published: January 2020

To understand a structural basis for the fitness cost of the A1408G antibiotic-resistance mutation in the ribosomal A-site RNA, we have determined crystal structures of its A1408C and A1408U lethal mutants, and made comparison with previously solved structures of the wild type and the antibiotic-resistant mutant. The A-site RNA containing an asymmetric internal loop functions as a molecular switch to discriminate a single cognate tRNA from several near-cognate tRNAs by its conformational ON/OFF switching. Overall structures of the “off” states of the A1408C/U lethal mutants are very similar to those of the wild type and the A1408G antibiotic-resistant mutant. However, significant differences are found in local base stacking interactions including the functionally important A1492 and A1493 residues. In the wild type and the A1408G antibiotic-resistant mutant “off” states, both adenines are exposed to the solvent region. On the other hand, one of the corresponding adenines of the lethal A1408C/U mutants stay deeply inside their A-site helices by forming a purine-pyrimidine AoC or A-U base pair and is sandwiched between the upper and lower bases. Therefore, the ON/OFF switching might unfavorably occur in the lethal mutants compared to the wild type and the A1408G antibiotic-resistant mutant. It is probable that bacteria manage to acquire antibiotic resistance without losing the function of the A-site molecular switch by mutating the position 1408 only from A to G, but not to pyrimidine base C or U.
Production and Characterization of Bioplastic by Polyhydroxybutyrate Accumulating Erythrobacter aquimaris Isolated from Mangrove Rhizosphere
Authors: Mostafa Yasser S. , Alrumman Sulaiman A. , Otaif Kholod A. , Alamri Saad A. , Mostafa Mohamed S. , Sahlabji Taher
Published: January 2020

The synthesis of bioplastic from marine microbes has a great attendance in the realm of biotechnological applications for sustainable eco-management. This study aims to isolate novel strains of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)-producing bacteria from the mangrove rhizosphere, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, and to characterize the extracted polymer. The efficient marine bacterial isolates were identified by the phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA genes as Tamlana crocina, Bacillus aquimaris, Erythrobacter aquimaris, and Halomonas halophila. The optimization of PHB accumulation by E. aquimaris was achieved at 120 h, pH 8.0, 35 °C, and 2% NaCl, using glucose and peptone as the best carbon and nitrogen sources at a C:N ratio of 9.2:1. The characterization of the extracted biopolymer by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) proves the presence of hydroxyl, methyl, methylene, methine, and ester carbonyl groups, as well as derivative products of butanoic acid, that confirmed the structure of the polymer as PHB. This is the first report on E. aquimaris as a PHB producer, which promoted the hypothesis that marine rhizospheric bacteria were a new area of research for the production of biopolymers of commercial value.
Iridoids and Amino Acid Derivatives from the Paraguayan Crude Drug Adenocalymma marginatum (ysypó hû)
Authors: Schmeda-Hirschmann Guillermo , Burgos-Edwards Alberto , Jiménez-Aspee Felipe , Mieres-Castro Daniel , Theoduloz Cristina , Pormetter Lisa , Fogel Ramon , Céspedes Claudia , Soria Nelida , Valdez Sintya
Published: January 2020

The crude drug ysypó hû (Adenocalymma marginatum DC., Bignoniaceae) is used traditionally by the Guarani of Eastern Paraguayan as a male sexual enhancer. The aim of the present study was to identify the main constituents of the crude drug and to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory activity towards the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5). The main compounds were isolated by counter-current chromatography (CCC). The metabolites were identified by spectroscopic and spectrometric means. The chemical profiling of the extracts was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The crude extract and main isolated compounds were tested for their PDE-5 inhibitory activity using commercial kits. The iridoid theviridoside and 4-hydroxy-1-methylproline were isolated as the main constituent of the crude drug. Four chlortheviridoside hexoside derivatives were detected for the first time as natural products. Chemical profiling by HPLC-MS/MS led to the tentative identification of nine iridoids, six phenolics, and five amino acids. The crude extracts and main compounds were inactive towards PDE-5 at concentrations up to 500 µg/mL. Iridoids and amino acid derivatives were the main compounds occurring in the Paraguayan crude drug. The potential of ysypó hû as a male sexual enhancer cannot be discarded, since other mechanisms may be involved.
Optimization of Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE) of Kinsenoside Compound from Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl by Response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Authors: Yang Biyun , Zhang Mengyuan , Weng Haiyong , Xu Yong , Zeng Lihui
Published: January 2020

The purpose of this study was to establish an extraction method for the kinsenoside compound from the whole plant Anoectochilus roxburghii. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method were used to extract and determine the content of kinsenoside, while response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction process. The best possible range for methanol concentration (0–100%), the liquid-solid ratio (5:1–30:1 mL/g), ultrasonic power (240–540 W), duration of ultrasound (10–50 min), ultrasonic temperature (10–60 °C), and the number of extractions (1–4) were obtained according to the single factor experiments. Then, using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) of response surface analysis, the optimum extraction conditions were obtained with 16.33% methanol concentration, the liquid-solid ratio of 10.83:1 mL/g and 35.00 °C ultrasonic temperature. Under these conditions, kinsenoside extraction yield reached 32.24% dry weight. The best conditions were applied to determine the kinsenoside content in seven different cultivation ages in Anoectochilus roxburghii.
Characterization of Phosphorus Species in Human Dentin by Solid-State NMR
Authors: Tsai Yi-Ling , Kao Meng-Wei , Huang Shing-Jong , Lee Yuan-Ling , Lin Chun-Pin , Chan Jerry Chun Chung
Published: January 2020

The rat has been considered as an appropriate animal model for the study of the mineralization process in humans. In this work, we found that the phosphorus species in human dentin characterized by solid-state NMR spectroscopy consist mainly of orthophosphate and hydrogen phosphate. Some orthophosphates are found in a disordered phase, where the phosphate ions are hydrogen-bonded to structural water, some present a stoichiometric apatite structure, and some a hydroxyl-depleted apatite structure. The results of this study are largely the same as those previously obtained for rat dentin. However, the relative amounts of the various phosphorus species in human and rat dentin are dramatically different. In particular, stoichiometric apatite is more abundant in human dentin than in rat dentin, whereas the converse is true for disordered-phase orthophosphates. Furthermore, spatial proximity among all phosphorus species in human dentin is identical within experimental error, in contrast to what observed for rat dentin. Although it is not clear how these spectroscopic data could relate to the hierarchical structure or the mechanical properties of teeth, our data reveal that the molecular structures of human and rat dentin at different growth stages are not exactly the same.
In Depth Analysis of Photovoltaic Performance of Chlorophyll Derivative-Based “All Solid-State” Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Chevrier Michèle , Fattori Alberto , Lasser Laurent , Kotras Clément , Rose Clémence , Cangiotti Michela , Beljonne David , Mehdi Ahmad , Surin Mathieu , Lazzaroni Roberto , Dubois Philippe , Ottaviani Maria Francesca , Richeter Sébastien , Bouclé Johann , Clément Sébastien
Published: January 2020

Chlorophyll a derivatives were integrated in “all solid-state” dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with a mesoporous TiO2 electrode and 2′,2′,7,7′-tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]-9,9′-spirobifluorene as the hole-transport material. Despite modest power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) between 0.26% and 0.55% achieved for these chlorin dyes, a systematic investigation was carried out in order to elucidate their main limitations. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the parameters (structure, nature of the anchoring group, adsorption …) and their relationship with the PCEs, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, optical and photovoltaic studies and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis exploiting the 4-carboxy-TEMPO spin probe were combined. The recombination kinetics, the frontier molecular orbitals of these DSSCs and the adsorption efficiency onto the TiO2 surface were found to be the key parameters that govern their photovoltaic response.
Mentha Rhizomes as an Alternative Source of Natural Antioxidants
Authors: Bittner Fialová Silvia , Kurin Elena , Trajčíková Eva , Jánošová Lucia , Šušaníková Ivana , Tekeľová Daniela , Nagy Milan , Mučaji Pavel
Published: January 2020

Unlike its aerial parts, the underground parts of Mentha have so far been studied only marginally. By examining the polyphenolic fingerprint, the antioxidant efficacy and the mutual antioxidant behaviour of mixtures of mint rhizomes, our study presents a modest contribution to addressing this gap. Firstly, we examined the composition of the mint rhizomes: Mentha × piperita cv. ‘Perpeta’ (MPP), M. longifolia (ML), and M. × villosa cv. ‘Snežna’ (MVS). Our LC-MS-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten compounds belonging to groups of phenolic acids and flavonoids, of which the rosmarinic acid (RA) and lithospermic were most strongly represented. Secondly, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of rhizome infusions by DPPH and ABTS and on NIH/3T3 cell lines by DCFH-DA. Thirdly, we determined, examined, and explained the mutual interactions of rhizome infusions mixtures. While most of the combinations acted additive, synergy was observed in ternary infusion mixtures. The synergic action was also detected in the combination of MPP rhizome infusion and RA in the DCFH-DA test. The combinations of mint rhizomes and rosmarinic acid displayed a high dose-reduction index. This leads to beneficial dose reduction at a given antioxidant effect level in mixtures, compared to the dose of the parts used alone. So far, the pharmaceutical and food industry has not used mint rhizomes in commercial products. Hence, our study draws attention to further applications of the Mentha rhizomes as a valuable alternative source of natural antioxidants.
A Pair of CoII Supramolecular Isomers Based on Flexible Bis-Pyridyl-Bis-Amide and Angular Dicarboxylate Ligands
Authors: Chhetri Pradhumna Mahat , Wu Ming-Hao , Hsieh Chou-Ting , Yang Xiang-Kai , Wu Chen-Ming , Yang En-Che , Wang Chih-Chieh , Chen Jhy-Der
Published: January 2020

Thermal reactions of cobalt(II) salts with flexible N,N′-bis(pyrid-3-ylmethyl)adipoamide (L) and angular 4,4′-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) in H2O and CH3OH afforded a pair of supramolecular isomers: [Co2(L)(SDA)2], 1, and [Co2(L)(SDA)2]⋅CH3OH⋅H2O, 2. The structure of complex 1 can be simplified as a one-dimensional (1D) looped chain with L ligands penetrating into the middles of squares, forming a new type of self-catenated net with the (42⋅54)(4)2(5)2 topology, whereas complex 2 displays a 2-fold interpenetrated 2D net with the rare (42⋅68⋅8⋅104)(4)2-2,6L1 topology. While both complexes 1 and 2 display antiferromagnetism with strong spin-orbital coupling, the antiferromagnetism of 2 is accompanied by a cross-over behavior and probably a spin canting phenomenon.
8-Oxo-7,8-Dihydro-2′-Deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8-Hydroxy-2′-Deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as a Potential Biomarker for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Development
Authors: Urbaniak Sandra K. , Boguszewska Karolina , Szewczuk Michał , Kaźmierczak-Barańska Julia , Karwowski Bolesław T.
Published: January 2020

The growing clinical and epidemiological significance of gestational diabetes mellitus results from its constantly increasing worldwide prevalence, obesity, and overall unhealthy lifestyle among women of childbearing age. Oxidative stress seems to be the most important predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus development. Disturbances in the cell caused by oxidative stress lead to different changes in biomolecules, including DNA. The nucleobase which is most susceptible to oxidative stress is guanine. Its damage results in two main modifications: 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosineor 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine. Their significant level can indicate pathological processes during pregnancy, like gestational diabetes mellitus and probably, type 2 diabetes mellitus after pregnancy. This review provides an overview of current knowledge on the use of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosineand/or 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine as a biomarker in gestational diabetes mellitus and allows us to understand the mechanism of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosineand/or 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine generation during this disease.
Evaluation of Isoflavones as Bone Resorption Inhibitors upon Interactions with Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand (RANKL)
Authors: Zakłos-Szyda Małgorzata , Budryn Grażyna , Grzelczyk Joanna , Pérez-Sánchez Horacio , Żyżelewicz Dorota
Published: January 2020

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) is a cytokine responsible for bone resorption. It binds its receptor RANK, which activates osteoporosis. High levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) competitively binding RANKL limit formation of ligand-receptor complexes and enable bone mass maintenance. The new approach to prevent osteoporosis is searching for therapeutics that can bind RANKL and support OPG function. The aim of the study was to verify the hypothesis that isoflavones can form complexes with RANKL limiting binding of the cytokine to its receptor. Interactions of five isoflavones with RANKL were investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), by in silico docking simulation and on Saos-2 cells. Daidzein and biochanin A showed the highest affinity for RANKL. Among studied isoflavones coumestrol, formononetin and biochanin A showed the highest potential for Saos-2 mineralization and were able to regulate the expression of RANKL and OPG at the mRNA levels, as well as osteogenic differentiation markers: alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type 1, and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2). Comparison of the osteogenic activities of isoflavones showed that the use of physicochemical techniques such as ITC or in silico docking are good tools for the initial selection of substances showing a specific bioactivity.
Real-World and Virtual-World Practices for Virtual Reality Games: Effects on Spatial Perception and Game Performance
Authors: Ho Jeffrey C. F.
Published: January 2020

Researchers have been investigating ways to improve users’ spatial perception in virtual environments. Very limited studies have focused on the context of virtual reality (VR) games. Tutorials with practices, a common element in games, are good opportunities to implement measures that improve players’ spatial perception. Using an experiment, this paper investigates how two types of practices (real-world and virtual-world practices) influence players’ spatial perception, game performance, and immersion in VR games. Given that spatial perception is viewed as an essential aspect of VR applications, the moderating role of spatial perception on the effect of practices in game performance is also explored. The results demonstrate that virtual-world practice is effective in improving players’ spatial perception of the virtual environment of VR games. Real-world practice is suggested to be effective in enhancing spatial perception when it is averaged over multiple sessions. The results also suggest that spatial perception moderates the effects of practices on game performance. The results imply that practices in game tutorial can be a transitional environment for new players to enter a VR game.
Assessment of Habitat Change Processes within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri Network of Protected Areas in Togo (West Africa) from 1987 to 2013 Using Decision Tree Analysis
Authors: Polo-Akpisso Aniko , Wala Kperkouma , Soulemane Ouattara , Folega Fousseni , Akpagana Koffi , Tano Yao
Published: January 2020

Biodiversity conservation planning is highly important in the current context of global change. Biodiversity conservation can be achieved by understanding changes in land use at the landscape scale. Such understanding is needed to reverse the unprecedented pressure on natural resources that has been reported by many studies conducted on biodiversity conservation within the Oti-Keran-Mandouri protected areas. Land cover maps reflecting different dates (1987, 2000, and 2013) and depicting different management systems, with overall accuracy ranging from 73% to 79%, were analyzed to understand the processes that lead to habitat degradation within these protected areas. The nature of change, within a given land cover class, was determined by comparing land cover maps on different dates using a decision tree algorithm that compares the number of patches, their areas, and their perimeters at different time periods (T1 and T2). Specifically, two time-periods were considered for this analysis: 1987–2000 and 2000–2013. Croplands and settlements increased at an average of 108.13% and 5.45%, respectively, from 1987 to 2000. From 2000 to 2013, croplands gained from all other land categories and continued to increase at a rate of 11.77% per year, whereas forests and savannas decreased at an annual average rate by 5.79% and 2.32%, respectively. The dominant processes of habitat change from 1987 to 2000 were the creation of forests, dissection of savannas, attrition of wetlands, and creation of croplands. Meanwhile, from 2000 to 2013, there was attrition of forests, as well as attrition of savannas, dissection of wetlands, and aggregation of croplands. In general, from 1987 to 2013, natural habitats regressed and were replaced by croplands; forests, savannas, and wetlands decreased at an average annual percentage 5.74%, 3.94%, and 2.02%, respectively, whereas croplands increased at an average annual rate of 285.39% of their own area. Aggregation, attrition, dissection, and creation were the main habitat change processes identified for the overall period from 1987 to 2013. There was habitat loss in forests and savannas and habitat fragmentation in wetland due to attrition and dissection, respectively. Identifying and understanding habitat change processes would enable the taking of appropriate biodiversity conservation actions.
Word Vector Models Approach to Text Regression of Financial Risk Prediction
Authors: Yeh Hsiang-Yuan , Yeh Yu-Ching , Shen Da-Bai
Published: January 2020

Linking textual information in finance reports to the stock return volatility provides a perspective on exploring useful insights for risk management. We introduce different kinds of word vector representations in the modeling of textual information: bag-of-words, pre-trained word embeddings, and domain-specific word embeddings. We apply linear and non-linear methods to establish a text regression model for volatility prediction. A large number of collected annually-published financial reports in the period from 1996 to 2013 is used in the experiments. We demonstrate that the domain-specific word vector learned from data not only captures lexical semantics, but also has better performance than the pre-trained word embeddings and traditional bag-of-words model. Our approach significantly outperforms with smaller prediction error in the regression task and obtains a 4%–10% improvement in the ranking task compared to state-of-the-art methods. These improvements suggest that the textual information may provide measurable effects on long-term volatility forecasting. In addition, we also find that the variations and regulatory changes in reports make older reports less relevant for volatility prediction. Our approach opens a new method of research into information economics and can be applied to a wide range of financial-related applications.
HIV Care Cascade among Prisoners of the Mandalay Central Prison in Myanmar: 2011–2018
Authors: Nom Nang A Mwe , Kyaw Khine Wut Yee , Kumar Ajay M. V. , Hone San , Thida Thida , Nwe Thet Wai , Soan Pyae , Htun Thurain , Oo Htun Nyunt
Published: January 2020

Prisoners have a higher HIV prevalence and higher rates of attrition from care as compared with the general population. There is no published evidence on this issue from Myanmar. We assessed (1) HIV test uptake, HIV positivity, and enrollment in care among newly admitted prisoners between 2017 and 18 (2) Treatment outcomes among HIV-positive prisoners enrolled in care between 2011 and 18. This was a cohort study involving secondary analysis of program data. Among 26,767 prisoners admitted to the Mandalay Central Prison between 2017 and 2018, 10,421 (39%) were HIV-tested, 547 (5%) were HIV-positive, and 376 (69%) were enrolled in care. Among the 1288 HIV-positive prisoners enrolled in care between 2011 and 2018, 1178 (92%) were started on antiretroviral therapy. A total of 883 (69%) were transferred out (post-release) to other health facilities, and among these, only 369 (42%) reached their destination health facilities. The final outcomes (censored on 30 June 2019) included the following: (i) Alive and in care 495 (38%), (ii) death 138 (11%), (iii) loss to follow-up 596 (46%), and (iv) transferred out after reaching the health facilities 59 (5%). We found major gaps at every step of the HIV care cascade among prisoners, both inside and outside the prison. Future research should focus on understanding the reasons for these gaps and designing appropriate interventions to fill these gaps.
Clinical Study on the Melarsoprol-Related Encephalopathic Syndrome: Risk Factors and HLA Association
Authors: Seixas Jorge , Atouguia Jorge , Josenando Teófilo , Vatunga Gedeão , Miaka Mia Bilenge Constantin , Lutumba Pascal , Burri Christian
Published: January 2020

Melarsoprol administration for the treatment of late-stage human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is associated with the development of an unpredictable and badly characterized encephalopathic syndrome (ES), probably of immune origin, that kills approximately 50% of those affected. We investigated the characteristics and clinical risk factors for ES, as well as the association between the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) complex and the risk for ES in a case-control study. Late-stage Gambiense HAT patients treated with melarsoprol and developing ES (69 cases) were compared to patients not suffering from the syndrome (207 controls). Patients were enrolled in six HAT treatment centres in Angola and in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Standardized clinical data was obtained from all participants before melarsoprol was initiated. Class I (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-Cw) and II (HLA-DR) alleles were determined by PCR-SSOP methods in 62 ES cases and 189 controls. The principal ES pattern consisted in convulsions followed by a coma, whereas ES with exclusively mental changes was not observed. Oedema, bone pain, apathy, and a depressed humour were associated with a higher risk of ES, while abdominal pain, coma, respiratory distress, and a Babinski sign were associated with higher ES-associated mortality. Haplotype C*14/B*15 was associated with an elevated risk for ES (OR: 6.64; p-value: 0.008). Haplotypes A*23/C*14, A*23/B*15 and DR*07/B*58 also showed a weaker association with ES. This result supports the hypothesis that a genetically determined peculiar type of immune response confers susceptibility for ES.
The Evolution of the Pulvinar Complex in Primates and Its Role in the Dorsal and Ventral Streams of Cortical Processing
Authors: Kaas Jon H. , Baldwin Mary K. L.
Published: January 2020

Current evidence supports the view that the visual pulvinar of primates consists of at least five nuclei, with two large nuclei, lateral pulvinar ventrolateral (PLvl) and central lateral nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIcl), contributing mainly to the ventral stream of cortical processing for perception, and three smaller nuclei, posterior nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIp), medial nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIm), and central medial nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIcm), projecting to dorsal stream visual areas for visually directed actions. In primates, both cortical streams are highly dependent on visual information distributed from primary visual cortex (V1). This area is so vital to vision that patients with V1 lesions are considered “cortically blind”. When the V1 inputs to dorsal stream area middle temporal visual area (MT) are absent, other dorsal stream areas receive visual information relayed from the superior colliculus via PIp and PIcm, thereby preserving some dorsal stream functions, a phenomenon called “blind sight”. Non-primate mammals do not have a dorsal stream area MT with V1 inputs, but superior colliculus inputs to temporal cortex can be more significant and more visual functions are preserved when V1 input is disrupted. The current review will discuss how the different visual streams, especially the dorsal stream, have changed during primate evolution and we propose which features are retained from the common ancestor of primates and their close relatives.
Coupled Multifield Response to Coordinate Mining of Coal and Uranium: A Case Study
Authors: Zhang Tong , Yuan Liang , Wei Zhen , Liu Yang
Published: January 2020

The coordinate mining of stack resources in the Ordos Basin, which involves the coupling effects of stress fracture, seepage, and reactive solute transport, plays an important role in resource exploration and environment protection. A coupled multiphysical–chemical model, involving a modified non-Darcy flow model, a leaching solution reaction, and a reactive solute transport model, was developed in this study. The Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua -Computational Fluid Dynamics (FLAC3D-CFD) simulator coupled with the developed models was used to investigate the evolution and morphology of mining-induced multifield coupling for the scenarios of concurrent mining and asynchronous mining of coal and uranium. As mining advanced to 160 m, the maximum principle stress characterized by a stress shell was observed. As mining progressed to 280 m, a rupture occurred, and a new stress shell was generated as a rear skewback was formed by the concentrated stress of the stope. An “arch-shaped” fracture field combined with a “saddle-shaped” seepage field was identified in the destressed zone of the stress shell. In the coordinated mining of uranium prior to coal, “funnel-shaped” and “asymmetric saddle-shaped” morphologies of the leaching solution were found during coal mining for ventilation in the stope and mining face. By contrast, “saddle-shaped”, “inclined funnel-shaped”, and “horizontal” morphologies of the leaching solution were observed for a short period for ventilation of the stope and mining face for coal mining prior to uranium mining, uranium mining prior to coal mining, and synchronized coal and uranium mining. A dynamic stress response was obtained in the coal seam, followed by the conglomerate aquifer and the uranium deposits. The diffusion depth of the solution was negatively correlated with the injection velocity and the pumping ratio and positively correlated with the diffusion coefficient. A dynamic increase in diffusion depth was observed as the diffusion coefficient increased to 1 × 10−4 m2/s.
Core Competencies for Clinical Ethics Support Services*
Authors: SEO Minjeong , KIM Yune Kyong
Published: January 2020

Clinical Ethics Support Services (CESS) aim to assist those confronting ethical issues that arise in the course patient treatment. CESS enhances the quality of health care by identifying and resolving ethical issues in a systematic fashion. In Korea, while the function of Institutional Ethics Committees varies somewhat from one institution to the next, most committees focus mainly on administrative services related to life-sustaining treatment. Due to improvements in medical technology and a rapidly changing social environment, a multidisciplinary approach is essential to assisting medical personnel in the area of clinical ethics. This study examines the key participants and core competencies of CESS providers and considers what knowledge or skills could improve them. It is argued that the core competencies for CESS are the ability to investigate and evaluate ethical issues and the ability to reach agreements by means of arbitration and conciliation in the case of disputes. Understanding the suffering of individual patients and recognizing the uniqueness of each patient are also essential to effective mediation on critical life-related issues. CESS providers should be trained to understand the difficulties that patients facing existential problems experience and to advocate for those patients.
Is It Feasible to Include Ready-Made Garments Sector in Badajoz Zone under Science and Technology Park of Extremadura, Spain?
Authors:   Senior Lecturer (MIS), Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh,, Alam* Samsul , Debnath Gouranga Chandra ,   PhD, Associate Professor, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Islam Md. Ariful ,   Assistant Professor, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Published: January 2020

The Ready-Made Garments (RMG) might have a remarkable contribution to a country’s economy once it possesses an understandable application of technology and innovation in its style attractiveness, healthier aspects of body and its environmental settings. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the relevance of including RMG sector in the Science and Technology Park of Extremadura (PCTEx) in Badajoz province of Spain. For this purpose, a case study based on face to face interview method is followed where primary data was collected through an unstructured open ended questionnaire. The author’s observation in this case is also used. The findings of this qualitative study support that it is relevant to include the sector in this particular zone. It concludes with the statement that PCTEx has the opportunity to include the sector in this area which can ensure greater impact in social and financial gain in this region. The findings also support that if this proposal is implemented and is supervised by the PCTEx authority in Badajoz, with the influence of this non-government association, it will flourish with its superior performance and in turn will contribute to the development of the region by creating employment opportunity for a number of unemployed people especially for women as well as to the country economy as a whole. The availability of low cost human resources especially high tech infrastructure and industry-friendly environment all work behind the motivation of the sector inclusion in this region.
Productivity Metric Estimation: Comprehensive Examine of Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value Based Metrics
Authors:   Department of Computer Engineering and Technology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India., Kaur* Harmandeep , Saini Munish ,   Assitant Professor in Department of Computer Engineering and technology, Guru Nanak Dev University,Amritsar ,India.
Published: January 2020

The successful software project estimation is critically dependent upon measurement of productivity. The overall goal of productivity metric is to improve the ability and performance of information system evaluation as well as maintenance, moreover determine the performance of the information technology (IT) performance in business applications. The activities corresponding to productivity metrics vary at distinct management levels. The activities used within project management leads to dynamic framework that could be opted in changing or dynamic environments. At the project management level, productivities activities concentrates on effectiveness. For instance, during estimation of effort required to reproduce a system, assumption must be manufacture regarding the ability that could lead to successful development of software project and this is fetched from past projects. This paper focuses on identifying the productivity metrics that are essential and appropriate for project management process.
Technological Issues and Innovative Solutions of Learning Ruba’is of Amir Khusrow Dehlavi
Authors:   Associate professor, PhD in Philological Sciences, International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan., Alimullayevna* Nizamova Feruza
Published: January 2020

The following article provides information on the manuscripts of Amir Khusrow Dehlavi’s heritage, especially the manuscripts stored at the Institute of Oriental Studies named after Abu Rayhan Biruni under Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and their research on rubai's. The manuscript that we have reviewed shows the origin of the ghazals. However, no mention is made of where ruba’is came from. The order of giving of the ruba’is is not based on any principle in many manuscripts. It can be seen that only a few of them are in alphabetical order, either by the first letter of ruba’i, or by the last letter of the rhyme. It is worth noting that the mixed circulation of the ruba’is of the five devans in the manuscript may be attributed to the long-standing tendency of the poet's devotees to try to fit into one collection.
Framework for Infotainment System for Processing Massive Data Stream of Critical Online Services
Authors:   Assistant Professor, Dept. of CS&E , Global Academy of Technology, Bangalore, India, S* Reshma , Prakash Chetana ,   Professor, Department of CS&E, B.I.E.T.,Davanagere, India, Rafi Mohammed ,   Professor, Department of CS&E, U.B.D.T.C.E, Davanagere, India, B Poornima ,   Professor, Department of IS&E, B.I.E.T.,Davanagere, India
Published: January 2020

Usage and adoption of infotainment system calls for reliable and sustaining communication scheme which should offer better connectivity along with the mobility of the vehicle. Such forms of connection also demands cost effectiveness as well as error free transmission too. Review of existing scheme towards infotainment system is just in its infancy stage and there are many developments to carry forward. Therefore, this manuscript presents a discussion of a novel framework of the infotainment system that is capable of processing massive stream of data when used with the vehicular network as well as adhoc-based networks too. The idea is also to offer quality data while attempting accessing of data/services towards any critical online services. The simulated outcome of the study is analyzed in MATLAB to find that it offers better throughput and reduced delay with the increasing scope of the grid.
Lpg Gas Leakage Detection and Prevention System using Nodemcu
Authors:   Associate Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Vaddeswaram, AP, India, Karthick* S. , Shankar M. Veera Bhavani ,   pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Department of ECE, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Vaddeswaram, AP, India, Venkatesh M. ,   pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Department of ECE, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Vaddeswaram, AP, India, Jethendra V. ,   pursuing Bachelor of Technology in Department of ECE, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation Vaddeswaram, AP, India
Published: January 2020

For lives security and satisfaction of social obligations, and keeping in center the dangerous examples of impacts and wounds because of spillage of gas in enterprises, vehicles and houses, a gas spillage framework has been structured whereby utilization of installed frameworks and association of Internet of things (IoT) in it, a framework is gotten that empowers us not exclusively to advise the concerned individual yet additionally hold onto any spillage of gas. In the paper, a framework has been proposed which diminish the odds of accidents and guarantee security by the virtue of existing electronics and technology.
Abrasive Wear Behaviour of Plasma Sprayed Al2O3 / TiO2 Coatings
Authors:   Department of Mechanical Engineering, CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, India., T* Arunkumar. , C Jebasingh ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Narayanaguru College of Engineering, Kanyakumari, India, P Venkatachalam ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, MVJ College of Engineering, Bengaluru, India., J B Sajin ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sree Buddha College of engineering, Patoor Kerala, India, M Anish. ,   School of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India.
Published: January 2020

Premature failure due to abrasive wear is observed in high powered engine in recent decades, despite of stringent maintenance procedures comparative to older engine. Plasma spray coatings are recurrently used to circumvent the abrasive wear in aerospace, defense and certain automotive applications like piston pump, cylinder bore etc. This work is to identify the most influencing wear parameters namely sliding speed (SS), applied load (AL) and sliding distance (SD) of the composite coated steel. Initially the surface morphology and elemental analysis was carried out to analyze the surface roughness and homogeneous distribution of the composites. Furthermore wear analyzes results indicates that the composite coating has high wear resistance and specific wear rates are ranging from 0.52346 × 10-5 m3 / N-m to 3.25711× 10-5 m3 / N-m.
Policy Assessment Investment Appeal Of Innovation Projects Enterprises
Authors:   Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Professor Department of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship, SHEE «Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman», Kyiv, Ukraine, Kateryna* Andriushchenko , Tepliuk Mariia ,   Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship, SHEE «Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman», Kyiv, Ukraine,, Vinichenko Igor ,   Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Head of Department of the Economic, Faculty of Management and Marketing, Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Dnipro, Ukraine,, Nesterenko Olena ,   Candidate of Juridical Sciences, Senior lecturer of the Department of Public Administration and law, Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University, Melitopol, Zaporozhye region, Yefimenko Ljudmyla ,   Candidate of Public Administration, Senior lecturer of the Department of Public Administration and law, Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University, Melitopol, Zaporozhye region,, Budiaiev Maksym ,   Candidate of Economic Sciences, Senior Lector of the Department of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship, SHEE «Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman», Kyiv, Ukraine,
Published: January 2020

The aim of the article is to summarize theoretical principles and practical experience regarding the relationship between the investment attractiveness of innovative projects and economic growth. The methods of correlation and regression analysis, extrapolation and modeling are used. The subject of the study was the features and patterns of the formation, use and regulation of the policy for assessing the investment attractiveness of company’s innovative projects in modern economic conditions. In the course of the study, an algorithm was developed to assess the size and level of investment attractiveness of the algorithm is based on the allocation of components of the enterprise’s potential. It is indicated that models for evaluating efficiency and cost should take into account not only future cash flows, but also non-financial indicators. Are proposed the construction of a multivariate model based on regression analysis. The essence of this model is to combine the traditional method of correlation analysis with least squares. This approach has the main advantage - relatively high accuracy and low costs in the construction and forecasting. The proposed model of a system for ensuring the investment attractiveness of innovative projects of companies consists of two main subsystems - information-analytical and implementation-control. These blocks provide results that allow you to increase investment attractiveness, as well as timely determine the external and internal risks of the enterprise.
Synthesis and Characterization of Lixfepo4/C-Ppy Composite Cathode Material with Excess of Li+ Doping
Authors:   Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana 133207, India., Sehrawat* Dr Rajeev , Mittal Dr Rashmi ,   Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana 133207, India., Tyagi Dr Deepak Kr ,   Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana 133207, India., Bera Dr Milan Kr ,   Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana 133207, India., Sharma Dr Anil Kr ,   Department of Physics, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana 133207, India.
Published: January 2020

In-situ Polypyrrole (PPy) coating was performed on the surface of LixFePO4/C (x=0.95 to 1.20) particles using iron (III) tosylate as oxidizer. The composite material LixFePO4/C (x=0.95 to 1.20) was synthesized by two step method. FePO4/polyaniline particles were first synthesized by chemical precipitation and were further heat treated with lithium acetate and sucrose under reduced atmosphere. XRD pattern confirms that Li+ addition to LiFePO4 has increased interplaner spacing and of the unit cell size. Impurity phase appears with x=1.15 and 1.20 which further disappears after polymer coating. After polymerization process the XRD pattern shows Li0.05FePO4 and LiFePO4 phases and both the phases have same electrochemical behavior. Morphology of the LixFePO4/C and LixFePO4/C-PPy was studied by using FE-SEM and it was found that particles are spherical with size range below 200nm. Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) also confirms that LixFePO4/C isolated particles were well encapsulated within the polymer matrix
Computational Fluid Dynamics of Roof Top using PCM for Efficient Thermal Management
Authors:   Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Mission Research Foundation, (Deemed to be University)., Prakash* S. , Saravanan M. ,   Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Mission Research Foundation, (Deemed to be University)., Victoria A.K Austin ,   UG Scholars, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Mission’S Research Foundation (Deemed to be University)., Kumar Dhinesh ,   UG Scholars, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Mission’S Research Foundation (Deemed to be University)., Kumar kishore ,   UG Scholars, Aarupadai Veedu Institute of Technology, Vinayaka Mission’S Research Foundation (Deemed to be University).
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a simulated parametric study to investigate the thermal management of the roof panel using phase change materials (PCM). The warmth engrossing and expelling ability of PCM is utilized to regulate the warmth produced in the room. A single and double layer of the PCM was kept between the roof and concrete. The energy saving level has noted on particular time without PCM materials, the same method as performed with single layer PCM and double layer PCM. Along these lines, it's exceedingly important to improve the warm presentation, so as to accomplish the objective of vitality sparing. So the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is perhaps the most ideal approaches to improve thermal execution of building. The major classifications of the heat energy storage are practical and dormant. This paper is focused on one point such as PCM materials with to reduce the heat generated inside the room. CFD is seen as a superior substitute in present day ventures and has the capacity of taking care of such difficult issues. From the assistance of CFD, relative examinations are produced to consider the accompanying cases, for example, Case 1: Concrete piece with rooftop top section off without PCM. Case 2: Concrete slab with roof top slab off with single layer PCM. Case 3: Concrete slab with roof top slab off with Double layer PCM. The relative temperature design inside the room is utilized to comprehend the warm solace in the room and the upsides of utilizing PCM.