bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deveres Fundamentais: Conceito, Estrutura e Regime
Authors: Gradvohl Michel André Bezerra Lima
Published: September 2018

A temática dos deveres fundamentais, apesar de ser uma das menos desenvolvidas pela doutrina constitucional nacional e alienígena, tem relevância ímpar em razão de, juntamente com os direitos fundamentais, compor a (sub)constituição do indivíduo, entendido como um ser livre e responsável pelos demais componentes da sociedade e pela estrutura criada para melhor desenvolvê-la, o Estado. Sendo uma categoria jurídico-constitucional autônoma, os deveres fundamentais experimentam uma evolução histórica semelhante à dos direitos fundamentais. Os deveres de conteúdo cívico-político são relacionados ao Estado liberal, enquanto os de caráter social, econômico e cultural, mais ligados aos direitos fundamentais, são tidos como vinculados ao Estado Social. Obedecendo ao princípio da tipicidade constitucional, explícita ou implícita, os deveres fundamentais dirigem-se primordialmente ao legislador a quem cabe, regra geral, concretizá-los. A eles é aplicável o regime geral do estatuto do indivíduo, erroneamente entendido como sendo apenas dos direitos fundamentais.
Processo de participação popular na Gestão Municipal: estudo do orçamento participativo no município de Sobral - CE
Authors: Silva Evanice Andrade da , Pereira Ana Roberta da Silva Pimentel , Costa Fernanda Pinheiro da , Macedo Francisca Francivânia Rodrigues Ribeiro
Published: September 2018

Este estudo tem por objetivo conhecer como e quando se deu o processo de implementação do Orçamento Participativo no município de Sobral, analisar seu êxito, bem como observar a concepção da população diante dessa nova forma de administração. A metodologia utilizada foi a de um estudo de caso, cujos dados foram obtidos na Prefeitura Municipal de Sobral. Ao analisá-los, pode-se perceber que na cidade houve uma boa aceitação, pois a população participou ativamente de todas as plenárias realizadas para a formação do orçamento e as ações pensadas nesse documento foram implementadas. Ficou evidente a importância desse instrumento de planejamento, que se apresenta como um excelente modelo de democracia participativa, onde há uma aproximação entre o poder público e a sociedade.
Relativizando o Parágrafo Único do art. 21 da Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal
Authors: Sousa Filho José Ivan Rodrigues de
Published: September 2018

A investigação avante condensada objetiva demonstrar que a vedação do parágrafo único do art. 21 da LRF, absoluta no plano da forma, é relativa no plano do conteúdo. O télos de tal dispositivo – elemento basilar e preponderante de sua interpretação e aplicação – traduz o critério necessário e suficiente para o desvelamento do autêntico alvo de sua hostilidade e, portanto, para a detecção casuística de fenômenos que dela se esquivam. Agrilhoar-se aqui ao plano da forma, doutra perspectiva, redundaria em monumental desproporcionalidade – logo é a interpretação teleológica aqui coincidente com a interpretação conforme a Constituição.
Prescrição no Âmbito dos Tribunais de Contas
Authors: Marian Karisa Carolina Teixeira de Sousa
Published: September 2018

A matéria aqui tratada é de alta complexidade e de muitas controvérsias. O presente estudo tem por finalidade suscitar alguns questionamentos sobre a aplicabilidade do instituto da prescrição quinquenal aos processos afetos aos Tribunais de Contas, analisando a aplicação analógica com as regras do direito civil ou com as regras do direito administrativo, avaliando a prescrição como elemento do devido processo legal, necessário à resolução de conflitos, com a consequente pacificação social.
Uma Nova Forma de Organização Econômica e Social
Authors: Gomes Ana Paula de Oliveira
Published: September 2018

O presente trabalho - mediante pesquisa bibliográfica – estuda a economia solidária que concretiza um espaço de sobrevivência comunitária nas economias capitalistas contemporâneas. Aborda – de modo interdisciplinar - os pressupostos fundamentais desse tipo de organização social, elenca algumas experiências de êxito, problemas e formas de superação. A conclusão da pesquisa é que cabe ao Poder Público estimular comportamentos solidários via mecanismos eficientes de crédito e apoio técnico. À rede solidária cabe articular-se politicamente a fi m de obter tratamento condizente com a finalidade social desenvolvida.
Controle Democrático de Contas Públicas: A Importância da Sinergia entre os Tribunais de Contas e a Sociedade
Authors: Elias Gustavo Terra
Published: September 2018

Tem sido objeto de investigação e estudos do Direito Público e de outras ciências sociais, a formulação de concepções de gestão pública que possibilitem o exercício de funções públicas em parceria com a sociedade. Contudo, o foco desses estudos tem-se concentrado na esfera dos Poderes Legislativo e Executivo, com vistas a analisar a participação da sociedade nas tarefas de construção e execução das políticas públicas. Assim, há lacunas na literatura jurídica em se investigar a necessidade e viabilidade da sociedade civil se integrar nas atividades desempenhadas pelos tribunais de contas. Diante desse cenário, esta pesquisa realizou estudo com propósito de buscar fundamentação teórica para sustentar a hipótese teórica de que a inclusão da participação popular apresenta-se fundamental ao aprimoramento e legitimação dos tribunais de contas. Constatou-se que a legitimação dos tribunais de contas, sob o modelo do Estado Democrático, decorre de sua abertura à participação popular, porquanto para ser democrático o controle externo da administração pública não pode se reduzir exclusivamente nos subsídios produzidos pelos órgãos estatais de controle. Ademais, a pesquisa demonstrou que, além de simplesmente legitimar as cortes de contas, a participação popular, desde que estabelecidos canais abertos para sua efetiva institucionalização, tem condições de qualificar os procedimentos de controle externo. Referida qualificação consiste em que, além de sindicar a legalidade dos atos da administração, mediante sua interlocução com a sociedade, os procedimentos de controle dos tribunais de contas fortalecem sua capacidade de verificar se a despesa pública foi legítima, ou seja, se ela efetivamente cumpriu a finalidade social com base na qual foi realizada.
Aritenoidektomi intralaring pada paralisis abduktor bilateral
Authors: Rahardjo Sutji Pratiwi
Published: September 2018

Background: Bilateral abductor paralysis is a condition caused by recurrent laryngeal nerve injuryso that the abductor muscles innervated by the nerve are paralyzed and narrowing the rima glottis. Thiscondition is very rare, but could be fatal from asphyxia. Clinical features included dyspnoea, inspiratorystridor and hoarseness. The diagnosis is based on anamnesis, physical examinations, indirect anddirect laryngoscopy, neurology, serology examinations, and radiological imaging. Purpose: To showthat bilateral abductor paralysis needs a management which provides good airway passage withoutphonation dysfunction. Case:  A patient complained of dyspnea since three month after undergoingstrumectomy and thyroid ablation in 2006. Flexible endoscopy revealed bilateral abductor paralysis.Case management: The patient underwent tracheostomy with right arytenoidectomy and right posteriorintralaryngeal cordectomy by microlaryngeal surgery approach. Conclusion: Optimal treatment willprovide adequate function of the airway and restore the function of voice.  Key words: bilateral abductor paralysis, recurrens laryngeal nerve, arytenoidectomy. Abstrak : Latar belakang: Paralisis abduktor bilateral adalah keadaan yang ditimbulkan oleh cedera nervuslaringis rekuren, sehingga otot-otot abduktor yang dipersarafinya tidak dapat berkontraksi dan rimaglotis menyempit. Kelainan ini jarang dijumpai, namun dapat menimbulkan akibat yang fatal berupaasfiksia. Gejala yang sering timbul pada paralisis abduktor bilateral adalah keluhan sesak napas disertaidengan stridor inspiratoir dan suara serak. Diagnosis paralisis abduktor bilateral ini dapat ditegakkandengan anamnesis, pemeriksaan fisik, laringoskopi indirek maupun laringoskopi direk, pemeriksaanneurologi, serologi, dan pemeriksaan radiologi. Tujuan: Untuk mempresentasikan penatalaksanaanyang baik pada paralisis abduktor bilateral untuk mendapatkan jalan napas yang baik dan juga tidakterlalu mengganggu fungsi bicara. Kasus: Pasien datang dengan keluhan sesak napas sejak tiga bulansetelah dilakukan operasi strumektomi dan ablasi tiroid pada tahun 2006. Pada pemeriksaan endoskopifleksibel didapatkan hasil paralisis abduktor bilateral. Penatalaksanaan: Dilakukan trakeostomi danaritenoidektomi dekstra dan kordektomi posterior dekstra intralaring dengan pendekatan bedah laringmikroskopik. Kesimpulan: Dengan penatalaksanaan yang baik didapatkan hasil fungsi pernapasanadekuat dan fungsi bicara cukup baik.Kata kunci: paralisis abduktor bilateral, saraf laringeal rekuren, aritenoidektomi.
Pengaruh pengobatan konservatif terhadap “mucociliar clearance” tuba Eustachius penderita OMSK benigna aktif
Authors: Hadiningsih Chintriany , Sedjawidada Raden , Kodrat Linda , Kadir Abdul
Published: September 2018

Background: Mucociliary clearance is one of the defense mechanism of Eustachian tube mucosa.Eustachian tube disfunction is an important predisposing factor in the pathogenesis of recurrent otitismedia. Purpose: To find out the change of mucociliary clearence in active benign chronic suppurativeotitis media after conservative therapy. Method:Prospective experimental study in active benign CSOMwith sacharine 5% test, for the evaluation of mucociliary clearance time on day 1 and day 7 conservativetherapy. Result: The mean difference of mucociliary clearance time in the Eustachian tube was 608.94± 626.35 seconds (p<0.05) on day 7 of conservative therapy. Conclusion: The conservative therapy inbenign CSOM has shortened mucociliary clearance time.Key words: mucociliary clearance, mucociliary clearance time, chronic suppurative otitis media. Abstrak : Latar belakang: Mucociliar clearance merupakan salah satu bagian dari pertahanan mukosa tubaEustachius. Gangguan tuba Eustachius dapat merupakan faktor predisposisi penyebab otitis media yangberulang. Tujuan:Mengetahui perubahan waktu transpor mukosilia tuba Eustachius penderita otitismedia supuratif kronik (OMSK) benigna aktif, setelah pengobatan konservatif. Metode:Penelitianeksperimental prospektif pada penderita OMSK benigna aktif. Sampel penelitian mendapatkan perlakuanberupa tes sakarin 5% untuk menilai waktu transpor mukosilia tuba Eustachius pada hari pertama danketujuh pengobatan konservatif. Hasil: Perbedaan rata-rata transpor mukosilia tuba Eustachius sebelumdan sesudah pengobatan adalah 608,94±626,35 detik (p<0,05). Kesimpulan:Pengobatan konservatifdapat memperpendek waktu transpor mukosilia tuba Eustachius pada penderita OMSK benigna aktifyang berbeda secara signifikan.Kata kunci: mucociliar clearance, waktu transpor mukosilia, otitis media supratifkronik.
Gangguan pendengaran sensorineural pada gagal ginjal kronis yang dilakukan hemodialisis
Authors: Muyassaroh Muyassaroh , Ulfa Loriana
Published: September 2018

Latar belakang: Etiologi gangguan pendengaran sensorineural (Sensorineural Hearing Loss/SNHL) yang berhubungan dengan gagal ginjal kronis (GGK) dan hemodialisis masih kontroversi. Mekanisme yang mungkin terjadi adalah perubahan osmotik yang mengakibatkan hilangnya sel-sel rambut, kolaps ruang endolimfatik, edema dan atrofi sel-sel penunjang, serta kemungkinan paparan dari membran selulose asetat dari dializer yang digunakan menyebabkan produk degradasi asetat masuk ke aliran darah. Tujuan: Kasus ini diajukan untuk mengilustrasikan kejadian kurang pendengaran sensorineural dapat diakibatkan oleh GGK dan/ataupenatalaksanaannya (hemodialisis). Kasus: Dilaporkan dua kasus kurang pendengaran terkait dengan GGK yang dilakukan hemodialisis. Satu kasus usia 53 tahun mengalami SNHL bilateral berat setelah 26 sesi dan satu kasus usia 54 tahun mengalami tuli campur (mixed hearing loss = MHL) bilateral setelah 14 sesi. Penatalaksanaan: Pemasangan alat bantu dengar (ABD) dan hemodialisis. Satu kasus pendengaran lebih jelas dengan pemakaianABD satu kasus tidak ada perubahan. Kesimpulan: Kurang pendengaran pada kedua kasus yang dilaporkan ini kemungkinan disebabkan akibat hemodialisis.Kata kunci: Gangguan pendengaran sensorineural, gagal ginjal kronis, hemodialisis.
H∞ Robust Load Frequency Control for Multi-Area Interconnected Power System with Hybrid Energy Storage System
Authors: Yan Wenxu , Sheng Lina , Xu Dezhi , Yang Weilin , Liu Qian
Published: September 2018

To enhance the quality of output power from regional interconnected power grid and strengthen the stability of overall system, a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) is applied to traditional multi-area interconnected power system to improve the performance of load frequency control. A novel topology structure of interconnected power system with the HESS is proposed. Considering the external disturbances of the system and the interconnected factors between each control area, the dynamic mathematical model of each area in the new topology is established in the form of state-space equation. Combining the state feedback robust control theory with linear matrix inequality (LMI) theory, the controller is designed to calculate how much power the HESS should provide to power grid in real time, according to the load change of system. Taking the four-area interconnected power system as study object, the simulation results obtained by MATLAB prove that the application of HESS can well improve the frequency stability of multi-area interconnected system and the H∞ robust controller proposed in this paper is effective.
Energy Trading with Electric Vehicles in Smart Campus Parking Lots
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed A. , Kim Young-Chon
Published: September 2018

Energy trading with electric vehicles provides opportunities to eliminate the high peak demand for electric vehicle charging while providing cost saving and profits for all participants. This work aims to design a framework for local energy trading with electric vehicles in smart parking lots where electric vehicles are able to exchange energy through buying and selling prices. The proposed architecture consists of four layers: the parking energy layer, data acquisition layer, communication network layer, and market layer. Electric vehicles are classified into three different types: seller electric vehicles (SEVs) with an excess of energy in the battery, buyer electric vehicles (BEVs) with lack of energy in the battery, and idle electric vehicles (IEVs). The parking lot control center (PLCC) plays a major role in collecting all available offer/demand information among parked electric vehicles. We propose a market mechanism based on the Knapsack Algorithm (KPA) to maximize the PLCC profit. Two cases are considered: electric vehicles as energy sellers and the PLCC as an energy buyer, and electric vehicles as energy buyers and the PLCC as an energy seller. A realistic parking pattern of a parking lot on a university campus is considered as a case study. Different scenarios are investigated with respect to the number of electric vehicles and amount of energy trading. The proposed market mechanism outperforms the conventional scheme in view of costs and profits.
Power Prediction of Bifacial Si PV Module with Different Reflection Conditions on Rooftop
Authors: Cha Hae Lim , Bhang Byeong Gwan , Park So Young , Choi Jin Ho , Ahn Hyung Keun
Published: September 2018

A bifacial solar module has a structure that allows the rear electrode to be added to the existing silicon photovoltaic module structure. Thus, it can capture energy from both the front and rear sides of the module. In this paper, modeling is suggested to estimate the amount of energy generated from the rear of the bifacial photovoltaic module. After calculating the amount of irradiance from the rear side, the estimated power generation is compared with the real power output from the rear side of the module. The experiments were performed using four different environments with different albedos. The theoretical prediction of the model shows a maximum of 5% and average of 1.86% error in the measurement data. Based on the nature of the bifacial solar module, which receives additional irradiance from the rear side, this study compared the output amounts with respect to different rear environments. Recently, installation of floating Photovoltaic has been increasing. As the reflection of irradiation from the water surface occurs, the positive influence of the installation with the bifacial photovoltaic can be expected. We are confident that this research will contribute to zero energy construction by designing systems based on bifacial PV module with high performance ratio when applying solar power in a microgrid environment, which is the future energy.
Wind Turbine Power Curves Based on the Weibull Cumulative Distribution Function
Authors: Bokde Neeraj , Feijóo Andrés , Villanueva Daniel
Published: September 2018

The representation of a wind turbine power curve by means of the cumulative distribution function of a Weibull distribution is investigated in this paper, after having observed the similarity between such a function and real WT power curves. The behavior of wind speed is generally accepted to be described by means of Weibull distributions, and this fact allows researchers to know the frequency of the different wind speeds. However, the proposal of this work consists of using these functions in a different way. The goal is to use Weibull functions for representing wind speed against wind power, and due to this, it must be clear that the interpretation is quite different. This way, the resulting functions cannot be considered as Weibull distributions, but only as Weibull functions used for the modeling of WT power curves. A comparison with simulations carried out by assuming logistic functions as power curves is presented. The reason for using logistic functions for this validation is that they are very good approximations, while the reasons for proposing the use of Weibull functions are that they are continuous, simpler than logistic functions and offer similar results. Additionally, an explanation about a software package has been discussed, which makes it easy to obtain Weibull functions for fitting WT power curves.
Analyzing and Comparing the Performance of National Biometric eID Card in Heavy Cryptographic Applications
Authors: Krasniqi Gazmend , Rama Petrit , Rexha Blerim
Published: September 2018

Today, we are witnessing increased demand for more speed and capacity in the Internet, and more processing power and storage in every end user device. Demand for greater performance is present in every system. Electronic devices and their hosted applications need to be fast, but not to lose their main security features. Authentication and encryption are the main processes in the security aspect, and are required for a secure communication. These processes can be executed in different devices, among them PCs, microprocessors, microcontrollers, biometric cards or mobile devices. Biometric identity cards are becoming increasingly popular, challenging traditional PC devices. This paper compares two processing systems, the efficiency of encryption and signatures on the data executed in national identity biometric card versus PC, known also as the match-on-card versus the match-off-card. It considers how different parameters impact the process and the role they play on the overall process. The results, executed with a predefined set of test vectors, determine which processing system to use in a certain situation. Final conclusions and recommendations are given taking into consideration the efficiency and security of the data.
Catalytic Hydrogenation, Hydrodeoxygenation, and Hydrocracking Processes of a Lignin Monomer Model Compound Eugenol over Magnetic Ru/C–Fe2O3 and Mechanistic Reaction Microkinetics
Authors: Bjelić Ana , Grilc Miha , Gyergyek Sašo , Kocjan Andraž , Makovec Darko , Likozar Blaž
Published: September 2018

Conversion of waste lignocellulosic (LC) biomass, a widely-available low-cost feedstock, into value-added biobased chemicals (and biofuels) has been gaining much attention recently. Therefore, the present lignin valorisation study was aimed at developing magnetically-separable highly-active catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), also proposing surface chemical kinetics. Five carbonaceous substrate-deposited Ru were synthesised and tested for the HDO of monomer moiety eugenol. Their annealing temperatures differed, specifically between 300 and 750 °C, while one was not subjected to calcination. Experiments revealed the substantial influence of annealing temperature on the product distribution. Namely, fresh nonannealed nanocomposites were not active for hydrogenolysis. By further pretreatment increase, hydrogenation and, exclusively, the deoxygenation of saturated cyclic species, were enhanced, these being more promoted considering rates and yields than commercial carbon-supported ruthenium. Over 80 mol% of 4-propyl-cylohexanol and propyl-cyclohexane could be formed over the samples, treated at 500 and 600 °C, for 100 and 125 min, respectively, under 275 °C and 5 MPa of reactor hydrogen pressure. Interestingly, a notable 4-propyl-phenol amount was produced upon 750 °C pretreating. The intrinsic microkinetic model, developed previously, was applied to determine relevant turnover parameters. Calculated modelling results indicated a 47- and 10-fold greater demethoxylation and dehydroxylation mechanism ability upon the reheatingpreheating at 600 °C in comparison to industrial (heterogeneous) Ru/C.
New Breeding Techniques for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mitigation: Plants May Express Nitrous Oxide Reductase
Authors: Demone Jordan J. , Wan Shen , Nourimand Maryam , Hansen Asbjörn Erik , Shu Qing-yao , Altosaar Illimar
Published: September 2018

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG). Although it comprises only 0.03% of total GHGs produced, N2O makes a marked contribution to global warming. Much of the N2O in the atmosphere issues from incomplete bacterial denitrification processes acting on high levels of nitrogen (N) in the soil due to fertilizer usage. Using less fertilizer is the obvious solution for denitrification mitigation, but there is a significant drawback (especially where not enough N is available for the crop via N deposition, irrigation water, mineral soil N, or mineralization of organic matter): some crops require high-N fertilizer to produce the yields necessary to help feed the world’s increasing population. Alternatives for denitrification have considerable caveats. The long-standing promise of genetic modification for N fixation may be expanded now to enhance dissimilatory denitrification via genetic engineering. Biotechnology may solve what is thought to be a pivotal environmental challenge of the 21st century, reducing GHGs. Current approaches towards N2O mitigation are examined here, revealing an innovative solution for producing staple crops that can ‘crack’ N2O. The transfer of the bacterial nitrous oxide reductase gene (nosZ) into plants may herald the development of plants that express the nitrous oxide reductase enzyme (N2OR). This tactic would parallel the precedents of using the molecular toolkit innately offered by the soil microflora to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture.
Current Trends in the Development of Microwave Reactors for the Synthesis of Nanomaterials in Laboratories and Industries: A Review
Authors: Dąbrowska Sylwia , Chudoba Tadeusz , Wojnarowicz Jacek , Łojkowski Witold
Published: September 2018

Microwave energy has been in use for many applications for more than 50 years, from communication, food processing, and wood drying to chemical reactions and medical therapy. The areas, where microwave technology is applied, include drying, calcination, decomposition, powder synthesis, sintering, and chemical process control. Before the year 2000, microwaves were used to produce ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, and inorganic materials; in next years, some new attempts were made as well. Nowadays, it has been found that microwave sintering can also be applied to sintered powder and ceramics and is more effective than conventional sintering. Particularly interesting is its use for the synthesis of nanomaterials. This review identifies the main sources of microwave generation, the delivery mechanisms of microwave energy, and the typical designs and configurations of microwave devices, as well as the measurement and construction material problems related to microwave technology. We focus our attention on the configurations, materials, optimized geometries, and solvents used for microwave devices, providing examples of products, especially nanoparticles and other nanomaterials. The identified microwave devices are divided into four groups, depending on the scale, the maximum pressure developed, the highest temperature for sintering, or other special multi-functions. The challenges of using microwave energy for the synthesis of nanopowders have been identified as well. The desirable characteristics of microwave reactors in the synthesis of nanostructures, as well as their superiority over conventional synthetic methods, have been presented. We have also provided a review of the commercial and self-designed microwave reactors, digestors, and sintering furnaces for technology for synthesis of nanomaterials and other industries.
Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Fluid Flow Characteristics in a Rock Micro-Fracture Based on the Pseudo-Potential Model
Authors: Wang Pengyu , Wang Zhiliang , Shen Linfang , Xin Libin
Published: September 2018

Slip boundary has an important influence on fluid flow, which is non-negligible in rock micro-fractures. In this paper, an improved pseudo-potential multi-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), which can achieve a large density ratio, is introduced to simulate the fluid flow in a micro-fracture. The model is tested to satisfy thermodynamic consistency and simulate Poiseuille flow in the case of large liquid-gas density ratio. The slip length is used as an index for evaluating the flow characteristics, and the effects of wall wettability, micro-fracture width, driving pressure and liquid-gas density ratio on the slip length are discussed. The results demonstrate that the slip length increases significantly with the increase of the wall contact angle in rock micro-fracture. And the liquid-gas density ratio has an important impact on the slip length, especially for the hydrophobic wall. Moreover, under the laminar flow regime the driving pressure and the micro-fracture width has little effect on the slip length.
Numerical Validation of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Scaled Rotors for Surge Motion
Authors: Sivalingam Krishnamoorthi , Martin Steven , Singapore Wala Abdulqadir Aziz
Published: September 2018

Aerodynamic performance of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is significantly influenced by platform surging motions. Accurate prediction of the unsteady aerodynamic loads is imperative for determining the fatigue life, ultimate loads on key components such as FOWT rotor blades, gearbox and power converter. The current study examines the predictions of numerical codes by comparing with unsteady experimental results of a scaled floating wind turbine rotor. The influence of platform surge amplitude together with the tip speed ratio on the unsteady aerodynamic loading has been simulated through unsteady CFD. It is shown that the unsteady aerodynamic loads of FOWT are highly sensitive to the changes in frequency and amplitude of the platform motion. Also, the surging motion significantly influences the windmill operating state due to strong flow interaction between the rotating blades and generated blade-tip vortices. Almost in all frequencies and amplitudes, CFD, LR-BEM and LR-uBEM predictions of mean thrust shows a good correlation with experimental results.
Investigation of Thermal Stress of Cement Sheath for Geothermal Wells during Fracturing
Authors: Xu Honglin , Peng Nian , Ma Tianshou , Yang Bin
Published: September 2018

Geothermal energy development has increasingly been studied in recently decades because of its renewable and sustainable features. It can be divided into two categories: traditional geothermal (hydrothermal) systems and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) based on the type of exploitation. The hot dry rock (HDR) in the EGS incorporates about 80% of all thermal energy, and its value is about 100–1000 times that of fossil energy. It is pivotal for geothermal wells to improve the flow conductivity of the HDR mass, enhance the communication area of natural fractures, and constitute the fracture network between injection and production wells by hydraulic treatments. While the wellbore temperature significantly decreases because of fracturing, fluid injection will induce additional thermal stresses in the cement sheath, which will aggravate its failure. Considering the radial nonuniform temperature change, this paper proposes a new thermal stress model for a casing-cement sheath-formation combined system for geothermal wells during fracturing based on elastic mechanics and thermodynamics theory. This model is solved by the Gaussian main elimination method. Based on the analytical model, the thermal stresses of cement sheath have been analyzed. The effects of the main influencing parameters on thermal stresses have also been investigated. Results show that the radial and axial tensile thermal stresses are both obviously larger than tangential tensile thermal stress. The maximum radial and axial thermal stresses always occur at the casing interface while the location of the maximum tangential thermal stress varies. Generally, thermal stresses are more likely to induce radial and axial micro cracks in the cement sheath, and the cement sheath will fail more easily at the casing interface in fracturing geothermal wells. For integrity protection of the cement sheath, a proper decrease of casing wall thickness, casing linear thermal expansion coefficient, cement sheath elasticity modulus, and an increase of the fracturing fluid temperature has been suggested.
Galectins in Cancer and Translational Medicine: From Bench to Bedside
Authors: Bartolazzi Armando
Published: September 2018

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Chlorophyll Composition, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Grain Yield Change in esl Mutant Rice
Authors: Lin Weiwei , Guo Xiaodong , Pan Xinfeng , Li Zhaowei
Published: September 2018

To evaluate the effect of changes in chlorophyll (Chl) composition and fluorescence on final yield formation, early senescence leaf (esl) mutant rice and its wild-type cultivar were employed to investigate the genotype-dependent differences in Chl composition, Chl fluorescence, and yield characteristics during the grain-filling stage. However, the temporal expression patterns of key genes involved in the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center in the leaves of two rice genotypes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results showed that the seed-setting rate, 1000-grain weight, and yield per plant remarkably decreased, and the increase in the 1000-grain weight during the grain-filling stage was retarded in esl mutant rice. Chl composition, maximal fluorescence yield (Fm), variable fluorescence (Fv), a maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) in esl mutant rice considerably decreased, thereby indicating the weakened abilities of light energy harvesting and transferring in senescent leaves. The esl mutant rice showed an increase in the minimal fluorescence yield (F0) and 1 − Fv/Fm and decreases in the expression levels of light-harvesting Chl a/b binding protein (Cab) and photosystem II binding protein A (PsbA), PsbB, PsbC, and PsbD encoding for the reaction center of the PSII complex during the grain-filling stage. These results indicated the PSII reaction centers were severely damaged in the mesophyll cells of senescent leaves, which resulted in the weakened harvesting quantum photon and transferring light energy to PSI and PSII for carbon dioxide assimilation, leading to enhanced heat dissipation of light energy and a decrease in Pn.
Expression of the O-Glycosylation Enzyme GalNAc-T3 in the Equatorial Segment Correlates with the Quality of Spermatozoa
Authors: Nygaard Marie B. , Herlihy Amy S. , Jeanneau Charlotte , Nielsen John E. , Bennett Eric Paul , Jørgensen Niels , Clausen Henrik , Mandel Ulla , Rajpert-De Meyts Ewa , Almstrup Kristian
Published: September 2018

We question whether the expression of GalNAc-T3, the only known O-GalNAc-transferase present in germ cells, is correlated with qualitative and functional parameters of spermatozoa. We investigated the expression of GalNAc-T3 in ejaculated spermatozoa with immunocytochemistry in swim-up purified and acrosome-reacted spermatozoa from quality-control semen donors and in semen samples from 206 randomly selected men representing a broad spectrum of semen quality. Using donor ejaculates and immunofluorescence detection we found that expression of GalNAc-T3 and the presence of the immature O-glycans Tn and T localized to the equatorial segment of spermatozoa. The proportion of GalNAc-T3-positive spermatozoa in the ejaculate increased after swim-up and appeared unaffected by induction of acrosomal exocytosis. The fraction of spermatozoa with equatorial expression of GalNAc-T3 correlated with classical semen parameters (concentration p = 9 × 10−6, morphology p = 7 × 10−8, and motility p = 1.8 × 10−5) and was significantly lower in men with oligoteratoasthenozoospermia (p = 0.0048). In conclusion, GalNAc-T3 was highly expressed by motile spermatozoa and the expression correlated positively with the classical semen parameters. Therefore, GalNAc-T3 expression seems related to the quality of the spermatozoa, and we propose that reduced expression of GalNAc-T3 may lead to impaired O-glycosylation of proteins and thereby abnormal maturation and reduced functionality of the spermatozoa.
Adaptive Evolution of the Eda Gene and Scales Loss in Schizothoracine Fishes in Response to Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zhang Cunfang , Tong Chao , Ludwig Arne , Tang Yongtao , Liu Sijia , Zhang Renyi , Feng Chenguang , Li Guogang , Peng Zuogang , Zhao Kai
Published: September 2018

Schizothoracine is the predominant wild fish subfamily of the Tibetan plateau (TP). Their scales, pharyngeal teeth and barbels have gradually regressed with increasing altitude. Schizothoracine have been divided into three groups: primitive, specialized and highly specialized. Ectodysplasin-A (Eda) has been considered as a major gene that contributes to the development of skin appendages. The present study cloned the Eda genes of 51 Schizothoracine fish species which represent the three groups and five Barbinae species. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that Eda may have acted as the genetic trigger for scale loss in the Schizothoracine. Furthermore, 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two deletions (18 bp and 6 bp in size), were also detected in the Eda coding sequence of the highly specialized group compared to the primitive group. The same SNPs and two indels result in four non-synonymous and two G-X-Y and 1 XY motif indels, which possibly contribute to significant structure changes in the Eda gene. The domain including (G-X-Y)n motif in the Eda gene is relatively conserved amongst teleosts. Based on the above results, we hypothesize that the evolution of Eda gene might be associated with the scale loss in Schizothoracine fishes in response to the phased uplift of the TP.
Inhibitory Antibodies against Activin A and TGF-β Reduce Self-Supported, but Not Soluble Factors-Induced Growth of Human Pulmonary Arterial Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Kudryashova Tatiana V. , Shen Yuanjun , Pena Andressa , Cronin Emily , Okorie Evelyn , Goncharov Dmitry A. , Goncharova Elena A.
Published: September 2018

Increased growth and proliferation of distal pulmonary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (PAVSMC) is an important pathological component of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily plays a critical role in PAH, but relative impacts of self-secreted Activin A, Gremlin1, and TGF-β on PAH PAVSMC growth and proliferation are not studied. Here we report that hyper-proliferative human PAH PAVSMC have elevated secretion of TGF-β1 and, to a lesser extent, Activin A, but not Gremlin 1, and significantly reduced Ser465/467-Smad2 and Ser423/425-Smad3 phosphorylation compared to controls. Media, conditioned by PAH PAVSMC, markedly increased Ser465/467-Smad2, Ser423/425-Smad3, and Ser463/465-Smad1/5 phosphorylation, up-regulated Akt, ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK, and induced significant proliferation of non-diseased PAVSMC. Inhibitory anti-Activin A antibody reduced PAH PAVSMC growth without affecting canonical (Smads) or non-canonical (Akt, ERK1/2, p38 MAPK) effectors. Inhibitory anti-TGF-β antibody significantly reduced P-Smad3, P-ERK1/2 and proliferation of PAH PAVSMC, while anti-Gremlin 1 had no anti-proliferative effect. PDGF-BB diminished inhibitory effects of anti-Activin A and anti-TGF-β antibodies. None of the antibodies affected growth and proliferation of non-diseased PAVSMC induced by PAH PAVSMC-secreted factors. Together, these data demonstrate that human PAH PAVSMC have secretory, proliferative phenotype that could be targeted by anti-Activin A and anti-TGF-β antibodies; potential cross-talk with PDGF-BB should be considered while developing therapeutic interventions.
Alterations in Gastric Mucosal Expression of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptides, Vanilloid Receptors, and Heme Oxygenase-1 Mediate Gastroprotective Action of Carbon Monoxide against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Mucosal Lesions
Authors: Magierowska Katarzyna , Wojcik Dagmara , Chmura Anna , Bakalarz Dominik , Wierdak Mateusz , Kwiecien Slawomir , Sliwowski Zbigniew , Brzozowski Tomasz , Magierowski Marcin
Published: September 2018

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been reported to contribute to the maintenance of gastric mucosal integrity, gastroprotection, and ulcer healing. However, involvement of transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor type 1 (TRPV1) located on afferent sensory fibers endings and sensory neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in CO-mediated gastroprotection against ethanol-induced gastric damage has not been explored. Male Wistar rats with and without denervation of afferent sensory neurons induced by capsaicin (total dose 125 mg/kg within 3 days) were pretreated with vehicle, CO donor tricarbonyldichlororuthenium (II) dimer (CORM-2, 5 mg/kg i.g.), administered alone or with CGRP-α (10 μg/kg i.p.) or TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine (5 mg/kg i.g.), followed 30 min later by intragastric (i.g.) administration of 75% ethanol. The area of gastric damage and gastric blood flow (GBF) were assessed planimetrically and by laser flowmetry, respectively. Microscopic evaluation of ethanol-induced gastric lesions was performed after haematoxylin/eosin (H&E) or alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff/alcian blue (AB/PAS) staining. Gastric mucosal mRNA fold change for heme oxygenase (HMOX)-1, HMOX-2, CGRP-α, CGRP-β, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial (e)NOS, neuronal (n)NOS, cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, COX-2, and protein expression for HMOX-1 and TRPV1 was determined by real-time PCR or Western blot, respectively. Pretreatment with CORM-2 combined or not with CGRP reduced ethanol-induced gastric lesions and elevated GBF. Capsaicin-denervation or co-treatment with capsazepine or CGRP and CORM-2 in capsaicin-denervated animals failed to affect these beneficial effects of CO donor. In rats with intact sensory nerves, CORM-2 increased gastric mRNA level for HMOX-1 and CGRP-α. In capsaicin-denervated rats, CORM-2 increased eNOS mRNA fold change and TRPV1 protein expression while capsaicin denervation itself decreased HMOX-1 protein expression and eNOS mRNA level. We conclude that CO prevents gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced lesions due to activation of TRPV1/CGRP-α system and accompanying increase in gastric microcirculation but independently on afferent sensory nerve activity despite the stimulation of TRPV1 protein and CGRP-α mRNA expression.
Multifunctional Cargo-Free Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Wang Ying , Yang Pengfei , Zhao Xinrui , Gao Di , Sun Na , Tian Zhongmin , Ma Tianyou , Yang Zhe
Published: September 2018

Nanocarriers encapsulating multiple chemotherapeutics are a promising strategy to achieve combinational chemotherapy for cancer therapy; however, they generally use exotic new carriers without therapeutic effect, which usually suffer from carrier-related toxicity issues, as well as having to pass extensive clinical trials to be drug excipients before any clinical applications. Cargo-free nanomedicines, which are fabricated by drugs themselves without new excipients and possess nanoscale characteristics to realize favorable pharmacokinetics and intracellular delivery, have been rapidly developed and drawn much attention to cancer treatment. Herein, we discuss recent advances of cargo-free nanomedicines for cancer treatment. After a brief introduction to the major types of carrier-free nanomedicine, some representative applications of these cargo-free nanomedicines are discussed, including combination therapy, immunotherapy, as well as self-monitoring of drug release. More importantly, this review draws a brief conclusion and discusses the future challenges of cargo-free nanomedicines from our perspective.
Can Aluminum Tolerant Wheat Cultivar Perform Better under Phosphate Deficient Conditions?
Authors: Karim Mohammad Rezaul , Dong Xiaoying , Zheng Lu , Shen Renfang , Lan Ping
Published: September 2018

Low availability of inorganic phosphate (Pi), together with aluminum (Al), is a major constraint for plant growth and development in acidic soils. To investigate whether or not Al-resistant cultivars can perform better under Pi deficiency, we chose two wheat cultivars with different Al-responses—Atlas 66, being Al-tolerant, and Scout 66, which is Al-sensitive—and analyzed their responses to Pi deficiency. Results showed that, unexpectedly, the Al-sensitive cultivar Scout 66 contained comparatively higher amount of soluble phosphate (Pi) and total phosphorus (P) both in the roots and in the shoots than Atlas 66 under P deficiency. In addition, Scout 66 exhibited higher root biomass, root volume, and root tip numbers, compared with Atlas 66. The expression of Pi-responsive marker genes, TaIPS1, TaSPX3, and TaSQD2 was strongly induced in both cultivars, but the extents of induction were higher in Scout 66 than in Atlas 66 under long-term Pi starvation. Taken together, our results suggest that the Al-sensitive cultivar Scout 66 performed much better under sole Pi starvation, which sets the following experimental stage to uncover the underlying mechanisms of why Scout 66 can display better under Pi deficiency. Our study also raises an open question whether Al-resistant plants are more sensitive to Pi deficiency.
Multi-User Searchable Symmetric Encryption with Dynamic Updates for Cloud Computing
Authors: Guo Chen , Fu Xingbing , Mao Yaojun , Wu Guohua , Li Fagen , Wu Ting
Published: September 2018

With the advent of cloud computing, more and more users begin to outsource encrypted files to cloud servers to provide convenient access and obtain security guarantees. Searchable encryption (SE) allows a user to search the encrypted files without leaking information related to the contents of the files. Searchable symmetric encryption (SSE) is an important branch of SE. Most of the existing SSE schemes considered single-user settings, which cannot meet the requirements for data sharing. In this work, we propose a multi-user searchable symmetric encryption scheme with dynamic updates. This scheme is applicable to the usage scenario where one data owner encrypts sensitive files and shares them among multiple users, and it allows secure and efficient searches/updates. We use key distribution and re-encryption to achieve multi-user access while avoiding a series of issues caused by key sharing. Our scheme is constructed based on the index structure where a bit matrix is combined with two static hash tables, pseudorandom functions and hash functions. Our scheme is proven secure in the random oracle model.
Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material in Green Infrastructure and Living Architecture to Improve Resilience of Lake Erie
Authors: Bhairappanavar Shruti , Liu Rui , Coffman Reid
Published: September 2018

To maintain the navigational depth, 1.15 million cubic meters (1.5 million cubic yards) of sediment is dredged out from the federal harbors every year from Lake Erie, Ohio Coast. Treating this huge amount of dredged material is a major challenge due to the mobilization of potential contaminants causing depreciation in water quality and depletion of valuable land. Rather than treating the dredged material as a waste, we suggest investigating alternative ways to recycle and reuse the material within Green Infrastructure (GI) and living architecture applications. This study identifies potential applications of the dredged material in bioretention and vegetative roof systems, and examines the role of dredged material in these edaphic conditions. The paper discusses the beneficial uses of dredged material in GI by investigating the quality of dredged material and performances of GI built using dredged material through laboratory and field-testing. Preliminary results of a growth media using dredged material for the vegetative roof have been developed in lab/field studies that possess the performance values comparable to the current commercial product. The growth media containing lightweight aggregate, made from the dredged material, is observed to have high water retention capacity and high unit weight in comparison to a commercial product. The growth media leachate water test demonstrated the water quality to be comparable to the drained water from the commercial product. The growth media overwintered and advanced a rare plant species, Viola pedatifida, which is similar to conventional media. The beneficial uses of dredged material in the GI will help maintain the economic viability of harbors and ports along the shoreline of Lake Erie in Ohio and GIs, which were built using dredged material that can help address storm water management issues in urban areas due to extensive impervious surfaces.
CXCR4 Based Therapeutics for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
Authors: Wald Ori
Published: September 2018

Lung cancer is the second most common malignancy. Unfortunately, despite advances in multimodality therapeutics for the disease, the overall five-year survival rate among newly diagnosed lung cancer patients remains in the range region of 15%. In addition, although immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly being incorporated into lung cancer treatment protocols, the proportion of patients that respond to these agents remains low and the duration of response is often short. Therefore, novel methodologies to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer are highly desirable. Chemokines are small chemotactic cytokines that interact with their 7 transmembrane G-protein–coupled receptors, to guide immune cell trafficking in the body under both physiologic and pathologic conditions. Tumor cells highjack a small repertoire of the chemokine/chemokine receptor system and utilize it in a manner that benefits local tumor growth and distant spread. The chemokine receptor, CXCR4 is expressed in over 30 types of malignant tumors and, through interaction with its ligand CXCL12, was shown exert pleotropic pro-tumorigenic effects. In this review, the pathologic roles that CXCL12/CXCR4 play in lung cancer propagation are presented. Furthermore, the challenges and potential benefits of incorporating drugs that target CXCL12/CXCR4 into immune-based lung cancer therapeutic protocols are discussed.