bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oxidative Potential Associated with Urban Aerosol Deposited into the Respiratory System and Relevant Elemental and Ionic Fraction Contributions
Authors: Manigrasso Maurizio , Simonetti Giulia , Astolfi Maria Luisa , Perrino Cinzia , Canepari Silvia , Protano Carmela , Antonucci Arianna , Avino Pasquale , Vitali Matteo
Published: December 2019

Size-segregated aerosol measurements were carried out at an urban and at an industrial site. Soluble and insoluble fractions of elements and inorganic ions were determined. Oxidative potential (OP) was assessed on the soluble fraction of Particulate Matter (PM) by ascorbic acid (AA), dichlorofluorescein (DCFH) and dithiothreitol (DTT) assays. Size resolved elemental, ion and OP doses in the head (H), tracheobronchial (TB) and alveolar (Al) regions were estimated using the Multiple-Path Particle Dosimetry (MPPD) model. The total aerosol respiratory doses due to brake and soil resuspension emissions were higher at the urban than at the industrial site. On the contrary, the doses of anthropic combustion tracers were generally higher at the industrial site. In general, the insoluble fraction was more abundantly distributed in the coarse than in the fine mode and vice versa for the soluble fraction. Consequently, for the latter, the percent of the total respiratory dose deposited in TB and Al regions increased. Oxidative potential assay (OPAA) doses were distributed in the coarse region; therefore, their major contribution was in the H region. The contribution in the TB and Al regions increased for OPDTT and OPDCFH.
Reexamination of the Madden–Julian Oscillation Effect on Wintertime Sea Ice Concentrations in the North Pacific
Authors: Hong Ja-Young , Kim Joo-Hong , Park Doo-Sun R.
Published: December 2019

In the Pacific sector of the Arctic, a noticeable dipole pattern of the sea ice concentration (SIC) between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea has been reported on timescales of weeks to months. The dipole pattern owes its existence to the large-scale circulation variability across the North Pacific. Meanwhile, it is well known that eastward propagating tropical convection on an intraseasonal timescale, the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), forms large-scale circulation anomalies in the North Pacific through the poleward-propagating Rossby waves that are stimulated by MJO-related tropical convection, which is often manifested as a Pacific–North American teleconnection pattern. Few studies, however, have focused on the lagged MJO influence on the SIC change in the high-latitude North Pacific by poleward-propagating waves. Thus, herein, we investigated the intraseasonal SIC variations associated with the MJO phases by considering the lagged circulation response. The dipole pattern in the composite daily SIC change map between the two seas becomes apparent after approximately one week of MJO phases 3 and 7. In the Bering Sea (the Sea of Okhotsk), the SIC increases after MJO phase 3 (phase 7), while it decreases in phase 7 (phase 3). The lagged anomalous circulation pattern in the North Pacific associated with the MJO leads to SIC changes primarily through the dynamic response in 10 m winds and the resultant sea ice motion.
Current Understanding of the Biomechanics of Ventricular Tissues in Heart Failure
Authors: Liu Wenqiang , Wang Zhijie
Published: December 2019

Heart failure is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the most common cause of heart failure is ventricular dysfunction. It is well known that the ventricles are anisotropic and viscoelastic tissues and their mechanical properties change in diseased states. The tissue mechanical behavior is an important determinant of the function of ventricles. The aim of this paper is to review the current understanding of the biomechanics of ventricular tissues as well as the clinical significance. We present the common methods of the mechanical measurement of ventricles, the known ventricular mechanical properties including the viscoelasticity of the tissue, the existing computational models, and the clinical relevance of the ventricular mechanical properties. Lastly, we suggest some future research directions to elucidate the roles of the ventricular biomechanics in the ventricular dysfunction to inspire new therapies for heart failure patients.
The Gametic Non-Lethal Gene Gal on Chromosome 5 Is Indispensable for the Transmission of the Co-Induced Semidwarfing Gene d60 in Rice
Authors: Tomita Motonori , Tanisaka Takatoshi
Published: December 2019

The gametic lethal gene gal in combination with the semidwarfing gene d60 causes complementary lethality in rice. Here, we attempted to ascertain the existence of gal and clarify male gamete abortion caused by d60 and gal. Through the F2 to F4 generations derived from the cross between D60gal-homozygous and d60Gal-homozygous, progenies of the partial sterile plants (D60d60Galgal) were segregated in a ratio of 1 semidwarf (1 d60d60GalGal):2 tall and quarter sterile (2 D60d60Galgal):6 tall (2 D60d60GalGal:1 D60D60GalGal:2 D60D60Galgal:1 D60D60galgal), which is skewed from the Mendelian ratio of 1 semidwarf:3 tall. However, the F4 generation was derived from fertile and tall heterozygous F2 plants (D60d60GalGal), which were segregated in the Mendelian ratio of 1[semidwarf (d60d60GalGal)]:2[1 semidwarf:3 tall (D60d60GalGal)]:1[tall (D60D60GalGal)]. The backcrossing of D60Gal-homozygous tall F4 plants with Hokuriku 100 resulted in fertile BCF1 and BCF2 segregated in a ratio of 1 semidwarf:3 tall, proving that d60 is inherited as a single recessive gene in the D60d60GalGal genetic background (i.e., in the absence of gal). Further, gal was localized on chromosome 5, which is evident from the deviated segregation of d1 as 1:8 and linkage with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Next-generation sequencing identified the candidate SNP responsible for Gal. In F1 and sterile F2, at the binucleate stage, partial pollen discontinued development. Degraded pollen lost vegetative nuclei, but second pollen mitosis raising two generative nuclei was observed. Thus, our study describes a novel genetic model for a reproductive barrier. This is the first report on such a complementary lethal gene, whose mutation allows the transmission of a co-induced valuable semidwarfing gene d60.
Evaluation of Mixed Deep Neural Networks for Reverberant Speech Enhancement
Authors: Gutiérrez-Muñoz Michelle , González-Salazar Astryd , Coto-Jiménez Marvin
Published: December 2019

Speech signals are degraded in real-life environments, as a product of background noise or other factors. The processing of such signals for voice recognition and voice analysis systems presents important challenges. One of the conditions that make adverse quality difficult to handle in those systems is reverberation, produced by sound wave reflections that travel from the source to the microphone in multiple directions. To enhance signals in such adverse conditions, several deep learning-based methods have been proposed and proven to be effective. Recently, recurrent neural networks, especially those with long short-term memory (LSTM), have presented surprising results in tasks related to time-dependent processing of signals, such as speech. One of the most challenging aspects of LSTM networks is the high computational cost of the training procedure, which has limited extended experimentation in several cases. In this work, we present a proposal to evaluate the hybrid models of neural networks to learn different reverberation conditions without any previous information. The results show that some combinations of LSTM and perceptron layers produce good results in comparison to those from pure LSTM networks, given a fixed number of layers. The evaluation was made based on quality measurements of the signal’s spectrum, the training time of the networks, and statistical validation of results. In total, 120 artificial neural networks of eight different types were trained and compared. The results help to affirm the fact that hybrid networks represent an important solution for speech signal enhancement, given that reduction in training time is on the order of 30%, in processes that can normally take several days or weeks, depending on the amount of data. The results also present advantages in efficiency, but without a significant drop in quality.
Russian Students’ Social Representations of Higher Education
Authors: Sachkova Marianna E. , Esina Galina K.
Published: December 2019

The ideas of the theory social representations proposed by Moscovici and developed in the structural approach by Abric were used in the research in order to reveal the structure and content of students’ social representations of higher education in a modern society. The total sample size was 572 students: of which 197 were secondary school students (average age of 16.7), 189 were undergraduate students (average age of 20.8) and 186 were master students (average age of 29.3). The methodology of Vergès for the analysis of the structure of social representations was used. We tested the hypothesis that the structure of social representations of higher education has general and specific features correlated to the age and educational level of students. It was found that the social representations of schoolchildren, undergraduate students and master’s students differ in a number of elements and content characteristics. Generally social representations of students with different education levels had similar characteristics. Students of secondary schools expanded the core performance, in contrast to students of universities, presumably because of their fewer social experiences, providing large “distance” to higher education as an “object”.
Associations of Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Sleep with Weight Loss Maintenance: A Preliminary Study of Japanese Adults
Authors: Wakaba Kyohsuke , Sasai Hiroyuki , Nakata Yoshio
Published: December 2019

Maintaining weight loss is considerably more challenging than losing weight. Most previous studies on weight loss maintenance have been conducted in Western countries and have assessed physical activity and sleep with the use of questionnaires. This preliminary study investigated the associations of objectively measured physical activity and sleep with weight loss maintenance among 25 Japanese adults who had intentionally lost ≥ 10% of their original weight. Participants wore tri-axial accelerometers on their waists and sleep monitors on their wrists for two weeks to measure their physical activity and sleep, respectively. A linear regression adjusted for sex, age, maximum weight, and time since losing weight was performed to investigate these associations. Participants had a mean body mass index of 23.4 kg/m2 and a median weight loss of 12.5%. Compared to those who maintained < 12.5% weight loss, those who maintained ≥ 12.5% weight loss slept longer (adjusted mean difference: 66.1 min/night, 95% confidence interval (CI): −14.0, 146.3 min/night, p = 0.10) and performed less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (adjusted mean difference: −21.7 min/day, 95% CI: −58.0, 14.5 min/day, p = 0.22). Though statistical power was limited, sleep behavior may be an important modifiable factor that facilitates weight loss maintenance. Our findings can be used to establish a well-designed study to confirm this association.
Multi-Criteria Analysis of Design Solutions in Architecture and Engineering: Review of Applications and a Case Study
Authors: Ogrodnik Karolina
Published: December 2019

The primary goal of this paper is to present the application potential of MCDM/MCDA (multi-criteria decision-making/multi-criteria decision analysis) methods in the field of architecture and urban planning and in energy efficient construction, especially in the context of sustainable development paradigm. The first part of this paper is devoted to literature studies pertaining to multi-criteria decision-making support in the selected fields. On the basis of the delivered review, it was demonstrated that the most popular methods belonging to the MCDM/MCDA group that have been used so far for the purpose of resolving selected decision-making challenges, is the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) method with modifications, TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) method, as well the up-and-coming COPRAS (complex proportional assessment) method. In addition, by reviewing the literature, it was found that MCDM/MCDA methods constitute an effective support tool at the stage of evaluating and selecting project solutions, and are especially helpful in framing various social, economic, environmental criteria that are permanently linked to the rule of sustainable development. The empirical section of this paper, through a case study, presents a comparative analysis of the classical AHP method with its extension onto fuzzy sets. The case study pertained to the criteria for the location of single-family residential buildings with solar installations.
Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields Induce Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Accompanied by Immunogenic Cell Death in Murine Models of Lymphoma and Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Rossi Alessandra , N. Pakhomova Olga , Mollica Peter A. , Casciola Maura , Mangalanathan Uma , G. Pakhomov Andrei , Muratori Claudia
Published: December 2019

Depending on the initiating stimulus, cancer cell death can be immunogenic or non-immunogenic. Inducers of immunogenic cell death (ICD) rely on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress for the trafficking of danger signals such as calreticulin (CRT) and ATP. We found that nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF), an emerging new modality for tumor ablation, cause the activation of the ER-resident stress sensor PERK in both CT-26 colon carcinoma and EL-4 lymphoma cells. PERK activation correlates with sustained CRT exposure on the cell plasma membrane and apoptosis induction in both nsPEF-treated cell lines. Our results show that, in CT-26 cells, the activity of caspase-3/7 was increased fourteen-fold as compared with four-fold in EL-4 cells. Moreover, while nsPEF treatments induced the release of the ICD hallmark HMGB1 in both cell lines, extracellular ATP was detected only in CT-26. Finally, in vaccination assays, CT-26 cells treated with nsPEF or doxorubicin equally impaired the growth of tumors at challenge sites eliciting a protective anticancer immune response in 78% and 80% of the animals, respectively. As compared to CT-26, both nsPEF- and mitoxantrone-treated EL-4 cells had a less pronounced effect and protected 50% and 20% of the animals, respectively. These results support our conclusion that nsPEF induce ER stress, accompanied by bona fide ICD.
A Novel Inhibitor of STAT5 Signaling Overcomes Chemotherapy Resistance in Myeloid Leukemia Cells
Authors: Brachet-Botineau Marie , Deynoux Margaux , Vallet Nicolas , Polomski Marion , Juen Ludovic , Hérault Olivier , Mazurier Frédéric , Viaud-Massuard Marie-Claude , Prié Gildas , Gouilleux Fabrice
Published: December 2019

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 5A and 5B (STAT5A and STAT5B) are crucial downstream effectors of tyrosine kinase oncogenes (TKO) such as BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and FLT3-ITD in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Both proteins have been shown to promote the resistance of CML cells to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as imatinib mesylate (IM). We recently synthesized and discovered a new inhibitor (17f) with promising antileukemic activity. 17f selectively inhibits STAT5 signaling in CML and AML cells by interfering with the phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of these proteins. In this study, the effects of 17f were evaluated on CML and AML cell lines that respectively acquired resistance to IM and cytarabine (Ara-C), a conventional therapeutic agent used in AML treatment. We showed that 17f strongly inhibits the growth and survival of resistant CML and AML cells when associated with IM or Ara-C. We also obtained evidence that 17f inhibits STAT5B but not STAT5A protein expression in resistant CML and AML cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that 17f also targets oncogenic STAT5B N642H mutant in transformed hematopoietic cells.
Highly Efficient N-Heterocyclic Carbene/Ruthenium Catalytic Systems for the Acceptorless Dehydrogenation of Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids: Effects of Ancillary and Additional Ligands
Authors: Wang Wan-Qiang , Cheng Hua , Yuan Ye , He Yu-Qing , Wang Hua-Jing , Wang Zhi-Qin , Sang Wei , Chen Cheng , Verpoort Francis
Published: December 2019

The transition-metal-catalyzed alcohol dehydrogenation to carboxylic acids has been identified as an atom-economical and attractive process. Among various catalytic systems, Ru-based systems have been the most accessed and investigated ones. With our growing interest in the discovery of new Ru catalysts comprising N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands for the dehydrogenative reactions of alcohols, we designed and prepared five NHC/Ru complexes ([Ru]-1–[Ru]-5) bearing different ancillary NHC ligands. Moreover, the effects of ancillary and additional ligands on the alcohol dehydrogenation with KOH were thoroughly explored, followed by the screening of other parameters. Accordingly, a highly active catalytic system, which is composed of [Ru]-5 combined with an additional NHC precursor L5, was discovered, affording a variety of acid products in a highly efficient manner. Gratifyingly, an extremely low Ru loading (125 ppm) and the maximum TOF value until now (4800) were obtained.
Cell-Free microRNAs as Potential Oral Cancer Biomarkers: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Authors: Rapado-González Óscar , López-López Rafael , López-Cedrún José Luis , Triana-Martínez Gabriel , Muinelo-Romay Laura , Suárez-Cunqueiro María Mercedes
Published: December 2019

Oral cavity cancer is the most frequent malignancy of the head and neck. Unfortunately, despite educational interventions for prevention and early diagnosis, oral cancer patients are often diagnosed in advanced stages associated with poor prognosis and life expectancy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find noninvasive biomarkers to improve early detection of this tumor. Liquid biopsy has emerged as a valuable tool in medical oncology which provides new horizons for improving clinical decision making. Notably, cell-free microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of short non-coding RNAs, are emerging as novel noninvasive cancer biomarkers. Here, we provide an overview of the potential clinical application of cell-free miRNAs as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers in oral cancer.
CD47-SIRPα Signaling Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Cancer Stemness and Links to a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Pai Shin , Bamodu Oluwaseun Adebayo , Lin Yen-Kuang , Lin Chun-Shu , Chu Pei-Yi , Chien Ming-Hsien , Wang Liang-Shun , Hsiao Michael , Yeh Chi-Tai , Tsai Jo-Ting
Published: December 2019

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), with high mortality rates, is one of the most diagnosed head and neck cancers. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the generation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) are two keys for therapy-resistance, relapse, and distant metastasis. Accumulating evidence indicates that aberrantly expressed cluster of differentiation (CD)47 is associated with cell-death evasion and metastasis; however, the role of CD47 in the generation of CSCs in OSCC is not clear. Methods: We investigated the functional roles of CD47 in OSCC cell lines SAS, TW2.6, HSC-3, and FaDu using the bioinformatics approach, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining, and assays for cellular migration, invasion, colony, and orosphere formation, as well as radiosensitivity. Results: We demonstrated increased expression of CD47 in OSCC patients was associated with an estimated poorly survival disadvantage (p = 0.0391) and positively correlated with the expression of pluripotency factors. Silencing CD47 significantly suppressed cell viability and orosphere formation, accompanied by a downregulated expression of CD133, SRY-Box transcription factor 2 (SOX2), octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4), and c-Myc. In addition, CD47-silenced OSCC cells showed reduced EMT, migration, and clonogenicity reflected by increased E-cadherin and decreased vimentin, Slug, Snail, and N-cadherin expression. Conclusion: Of therapeutic relevance, CD47 knockdown enhanced the anti-OSCC effect of radiotherapy. Collectively, we showed an increased CD47 expression promoted the generation of CSCs and malignant OSCC phenotypes. Silencing CD47, in combination with radiation, could provide an alternative and improved therapeutic efficacy for OSCC patients.
Plasma Spray Coatings of Natural Ores From Structural, Mechanical, Thermal, and Dielectric Viewpoints
Authors: Ctibor Pavel , Nevrlá Barbara , Neufuss Karel , Petrášek Jan , Sedláček Josef
Published: December 2019

Various natural materials, namely ilmenite, diopside, tourmaline, olivine, garnet, and basalt, were plasma-sprayed and analyzed. This paper summarizes the various achievements of our earlier research and adds new results—mainly dielectric and optical characterizations. Plasma spraying of all of the materials was rather easy with a high feed-rate plasma system, which could process many kilograms of powder per hour. For easier characterizations, the coatings were detached from substrates in order to remain self-supporting. The plasma-sprayed layers that were coated from all studied materials acted as medium-permittivity and low-loss dielectrics, antireflective optical materials, and medium quality anti-abrasive barriers. Phase composition and microhardness were evaluated in addition to microstructure observations. Some coatings were amorphous and crystallized after further heating. As the melting points were well above 1000 °C, all of them could also serve as thermal barriers for aluminum alloys and similar metals. The only material that was not easily sprayed was tourmaline, which gave very porous coatings without environmental barrier or dielectric characteristics.
Preparation and Performance Optimization of Two-Component Waterborne Polyurethane Locomotive Coating
Authors: Liu Haonan , Bi Zhijie , Wan Zhong , Wang Xianming , Wan Yong , Guo Xiangxin , Cai Zhongyu
Published: December 2019

This paper reports the effects of different formulas on the performance of waterborne polyurethane (WPU), including two-component WPU and curing agent, wetting dispersant, defoaming agent, and wetting agent. The optimization of rheological additives selection, through the optimization of coating physical properties and chemical properties, can make the film show uniform color and appearance without pinholes, bubbles, or wrinkles, and have a long probation period. Through the analysis of performance after a 1000-h quick ultraviolet (QUV) aging test, the light reduction rate is 23.19%, and the color difference is 1.9. As can be seen from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) image and the three-dimensional stereomicroscope, the film shows relatively uniform dispersion, good compactness, and smooth surface. The two-component WPU topcoat is found to have high gloss 87.1 (60°) and high weather resistance, which provides a positive indication for the modulation and production of waterborne locomotive paint.
The Problem of Copper Softening During Cold Gas Dynamic Spraying
Authors: Gershman Eugeniy , Gershman Iosif , Mironov Alexander , Peretyagin Pavel
Published: December 2019

The effect of the gas-dynamic (cold) spraying of the Cu-Al2O3-Zn powder mixture on the microstructure and strength of the copper substrate is investigated. A copper cold drawn contact wire was used as a substrate. We propose using gas-dynamic cold spraying to restore the local wear of the contact wire. The study of the microstructure using the electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) method showed the presence of grain orientation characteristics of the cold drawing of copper. Recrystallization of the surface layers of the contact wire during spraying does not occur. Using the microhardness measurement, the absence of softening of the layers of the contact wire with a depth of up to 2 mm is shown. The results of mechanical tests show that spraying does not lead to a decrease in the tensile strength of the contact wire. The results of creep tests show that spraying does not lead to a decrease in the heat resistance of the contact wire.
The Photothermal Stability Study of Quantum Dots Embedded in Sodium Chlorides
Authors: Huang Yu-Ming , Hsu Shun-Chieh , Li Ning , Yu Chung-Ping , Ke Li-Ann , Huang Chung-Ping , Chang Shu-Hsiu , Chueh Yu-Lun , Kuo Hao-Chung , Lin Chien-Chung
Published: December 2019

An efficient and useful method for the incorporation of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) into ionic matrices is demonstrated. We prepared three different synthesis methods, which are traditional saturated-salt water, methanol-assisted, and ethanol-assisted methods. The continuous thermal and photonic stress tests indicate that the high temperature, instead of photonic excitation stress, is more detrimental to the illumination capability of the quantum dots. While the traditional saturated-salt water synthesis and methanol-assisted method are quite effective in low temperature and low photon excitation intensity, the quantum dots sealed by the ethanol-assisted method cannot hold under all conditions. An over-1000-h aging test can provide crucial information for the longevity of these quantum dots, and more than 10,000 h of lifetime can be expected.
Growth of Nacre Biocrystals by Self-Assembly of Aragonite Nanoparticles with Novel Subhedral Morphology
Authors: Gao Ruohe , Wang Rize , Feng Xin , Zhang Gangsheng
Published: December 2019

Nacre has long served as a research model in the field of biomineralization and biomimetic materials. It is widely accepted that its basic components, aragonite biocrystals, namely, tablets, are formed by the nanoparticle-attachment pathway. However, the details of the nanoparticle morphology and arrangement in the tablets are still a matter of debate. Here, using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we observed the nanostructure of the growing tablets at different growth stages and found that: (1) the first detectable tablet looked like a rod; (2) tablets consisted of subhedral nanoparticles (i.e., partly bounded by crystal facets and partly by irregular non-crystal facets) that were made of aragonite single crystals with a width of 160–180 nm; and (3) these nanoparticles were ordered in orientation but disordered in position, resulting in unique subhedral and jigsaw-like patterns from the top and side views, respectively. In short, we directly observed the growth of nacre biocrystals by the self-assembly of aragonite nanoparticles with a novel subhedral morphology.
Crystallographic Studies of Enzymes
Authors: Kim T. Doohun , Kim Kyeong Kyu
Published: December 2019

Enzymes are biological catalysts, which work to accelerate chemical reactions at the molecular level in living organisms. They are major players in the control of biological processes such as replication, transcription, protein synthesis, metabolism, and signaling. Like inorganic catalysts, enzymes function by decreasing the activation energy of chemical reactions, thereby enhancing the rate of the reactions. Enzymes are widely used for chemical, food, pharmaceutical, medicinal, analytical, clinical, forensic, and environmental applications. Therefore, studies on their structure, mechanism, and function, using a wide range of experimental and computational methods, are necessary to understand better enzymes in biological processes. For this special issue, “Crystallographic Studies of Enzymes", we have collected research papers on enzymes with structural aspects and functional aspects; here we briefly discuss the contents of such research papers as follows, with the aim of suggesting new directions of investigation in the fields of enzyme research, protein engineering, and drug development.
Soil Bacterial Community and Soil Enzyme Activity Depending on the Cultivation of Triticum aestivum, Brassica napus, and Pisum sativum ssp. arvense
Authors: Wyszkowska Jadwiga , Borowik Agata , Olszewski Jacek , Kucharski Jan
Published: December 2019

This study aims to determine the effects of crops and their cultivation regimes on changes in the soil microbiome. Three plant species were selected for the study: Triticum aestivum, Brassica napus, and Pisum sativum ssp. arvense, that were cultivated in soils with a similar particle size fraction. Field experiments were performed on the area of the Iławski Lake District (north-eastern Poland) at the Production and Experimental Station ‘Bałcyny’ (53°35′49″ N, 19°51′20″ E). In soil samples counts, organotrophic bacteria and actinobacteria were quantified, and the colony development index (CD) and ecophysiological diversity index (EP) were computed. In addition, a 16S amplicon sequencing encoding gene was conducted based on the hypervariable region V3–V4. Further analyses included an evaluation of the basic physiochemical properties of the soil and the activities of dehydrogenases, catalase, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and β-glucosidase. Analyses carried out in the study demonstrated that the rhizosphere of Triticum aestivum had a more beneficial effect on bacteria development than those of Brassica napus and Pisum sativum ssp. arvense, as indicated by the values of the ecophysiological diversity index (EP) and OTU abundance calculated for individual taxa in the soils in which the studied crops were grown. More OTUs of the taxa Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Clostridia, Sphingomonadales, Rhodospirillales, Xanthomonadales, Streptomycetaceae, Pseudonocardiaceae, Acetobacteraceae, Solibacteraceae, Kaistobacter, Cohnella, Azospirillum, Cryptosporangium, Rhodoplanes, and Saccharopolyspora were determined in the bacteriome structure of the soil from Triticum aestivum cultivation than in the soils from the cultivation of Brassica napus and Pisum sativum ssp. arvense. Also, the activities of most of the analyzed enzymes, including urease, catalase, alkaline phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and arylsulfatase, were the higher in the soil sown with Triticum aestivum than in those with the other two plant species.
Population Growth and Insecticide Residues of Honey Bees in Tropical Agricultural Landscapes
Authors: Buchori Damayanti , Rizali Akhmad , Priawandiputra Windra , Sartiami Dewi , Johannis Midzon
Published: December 2019

Global decline of pollinators, especially bees, has been documented in many countries. Several causes such as land-use change and agricultural intensification are reported to be the main drivers of the decline. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of land use on honey bee and stingless bee populations. Research was conducted in Bogor and Malang to compare between two different geographical areas. Managed bees such as honey bees (Apis cerana and A. mellifera) and stingless bees (Tetragonula laeviceps) were investigated to examine the effect of agricultural intensification. Field experiments were conducted by placing beehives in selected habitats (i.e., beekeeper gardens, forests areas, and agriculture areas). Population growth and neonicotinoid residue analysis of bees in different hive locations were measured to study the effect of habitat type. Population growth of bees represents the forager abundance and colony weight. Based on the analysis, we found that habitat type affected forager abundance and colony weight of honey bees (p < 0.05), although the patterns were different between species, region, as well as season. Forests could support the stingless bee colony better than agriculture and home garden habitats. Insecticide (neonicotinoid) was barely recorded in both honey bees and stingless bees.
A Special Issue on Microorganisms from Extreme Environments in Memory of Luigi Michaud (1974–2014)
Authors: Lo Giudice Angelina , Gugliandolo Concetta
Published: December 2019

A special issue (SI) titled “Microbial Diversity in Extreme Environments: Implications for Ecological and Applicative Perspectives” has been launched with the aim of showcasing the diversity and biotechnological potential of extremophilic microorganisms. The issue includes 10 research papers and four reviews that mainly address prokaryotes inhabiting hyperarid, hypercold, hyperalkaline and hypersaline (or polyextreme) environments, spanning from deserts to meromictic and glacier lakes around the globe. Thermophilic prokaryotes from shallow hydrothermal vents and Antarctic geothermal soils are also treated. The ecology and biotechnological perspectives of eukaryotes are discussed in two review papers and one research paper. This special issue serves as a memorial to Dr. Luigi Michaud (1974–2014), who dramatically passed away in Antarctica during underwater sampling activities.
Classification of Soils into Hydrologic Groups Using Machine Learning
Authors: Abraham Shiny , Huynh Chau , Vu Huy
Published: December 2019

Hydrologic soil groups play an important role in the determination of surface runoff, which, in turn, is crucial for soil and water conservation efforts. Traditionally, placement of soil into appropriate hydrologic groups is based on the judgement of soil scientists, primarily relying on their interpretation of guidelines published by regional or national agencies. As a result, large-scale mapping of hydrologic soil groups results in widespread inconsistencies and inaccuracies. This paper presents an application of machine learning for classification of soil into hydrologic groups. Based on features such as percentages of sand, silt and clay, and the value of saturated hydraulic conductivity, machine learning models were trained to classify soil into four hydrologic groups. The results of the classification obtained using algorithms such as k-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine with Gaussian Kernel, Decision Trees, Classification Bagged Ensembles and TreeBagger (Random Forest) were compared to those obtained using estimation based on soil texture. The performance of these models was compared and evaluated using per-class metrics and micro- and macro-averages. Overall, performance metrics related to kNN, Decision Tree and TreeBagger exceeded those for SVM-Gaussian Kernel and Classification Bagged Ensemble. Among the four hydrologic groups, it was noticed that group B had the highest rate of false positives.
Severity of Anaemia Has Corresponding Effects on Coagulation Parameters of Sickle Cell Disease Patients
Authors: Antwi-Baffour Samuel , Kyeremeh Ransford , Annison Lawrence
Published: December 2019

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited condition characterized by chronic haemolytic anaemia. SCD is associated with moderate to severe anaemia, hypercoagulable state and inconsistent platelet count and function. However, studies have yielded conflicting results with regards to the effect of anaemia on coagulation in SCD. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of anaemia severity on selected coagulation parameters of SCD patients. Four millilitres of venous blood samples were taken from the participants (SCD and non-SCD patients) and used for analysis of full blood count and coagulation parameters. Data was analysed using SPSS version-16. From the results, it was seen that individuals with SCD had a prolonged mean PT, APTT and high platelet count compared to the controls. There was also significant difference in the mean PT (p = 0.039), APTT (p = 0.041) and platelet count (p = 0.010) in HbSS participants with severe anaemia. Mean APTT also showed significant difference (p = 0.044) with severe anaemia in HbSC participants. It can be concluded that SCD patients have prolonged PT, APTT and increased platelet count which might predispose them to bleeding episodes and thrombocytosis. Significant difference was also seen between severity of anaemia and mean PT, APTT and platelet count in HbSS individuals.
General Relativistic Wormhole Connections from Planck-Scales and the ER = EPR Conjecture
Authors: Tamburini Fabrizio , Licata Ignazio
Published: December 2019

Einstein’s equations of general relativity (GR) can describe the connection between events within a given hypervolume of size L larger than the Planck length L P in terms of wormhole connections where metric fluctuations give rise to an indetermination relationship that involves the Riemann curvature tensor. At low energies (when L ≫ L P ), these connections behave like an exchange of a virtual graviton with wavelength λ G = L as if gravitation were an emergent physical property. Down to Planck scales, wormholes avoid the gravitational collapse and any superposition of events or space–times become indistinguishable. These properties of Einstein’s equations can find connections with the novel picture of quantum gravity (QG) known as the “Einstein–Rosen (ER) = Einstein–Podolski–Rosen (EPR)” (ER = EPR) conjecture proposed by Susskind and Maldacena in Anti-de-Sitter (AdS) space–times in their equivalence with conformal field theories (CFTs). In this scenario, non-traversable wormhole connections of two or more distant events in space–time through Einstein–Rosen (ER) wormholes that are solutions of the equations of GR, are supposed to be equivalent to events connected with non-local Einstein–Podolski–Rosen (EPR) entangled states that instead belong to the language of quantum mechanics. Our findings suggest that if the ER = EPR conjecture is valid, it can be extended to other different types of space–times and that gravity and space–time could be emergent physical quantities if the exchange of a virtual graviton between events can be considered connected by ER wormholes equivalent to entanglement connections.
An Image Compression Method for Video Surveillance System in Underground Mines Based on Residual Networks and Discrete Wavelet Transform
Authors: Zhang Fan , Xu Zhichao , Chen Wei , Zhang Zizhe , Zhong Hao , Luan Jiaxing , Li Chuang
Published: December 2019

Video surveillance systems play an important role in underground mines. Providing clear surveillance images is the fundamental basis for safe mining and disaster alarming. It is of significance to investigate image compression methods since the underground wireless channels only allow low transmission bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a new image compression method based on residual networks and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to solve the image compression problem. The residual networks are used to compose the codec network. Further, we propose a novel loss function named discrete wavelet similarity (DW-SSIM) loss to train the network. Because the information of edges in the image is exposed through DWT coefficients, the proposed network can learn to preserve the edges better. Experiments show that the proposed method has an edge over the methods being compared in regards to the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM), particularly at low compression ratios. Tests on noise-contaminated images also demonstrate the noise robustness of the proposed method. Our main contribution is that the proposed method is able to compress images at relatively low compression ratios while still preserving sharp edges, which suits the harsh wireless communication environment in underground mines.
A Compact 3.3–3.5 GHz Filter Based on Modified Composite Right-/Left-Handed Resonator Units
Authors: Hu Shanwen , Hu Yunqing , Zheng Haiyu , Zhu Weiguang , Gao Yiting , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: December 2019

In the RF (Radio Frequency) front-end of a communication system, bandpass filters (BPFs) are used to send passband signals and reject stopband signals. Substrate-integrated waveguides (SIW) are widely used in RF filter designs due to their low loss and low cost and the flexibility of their integration properties. However, SIW filters under 6 GHz are still too large to meet the requirement of portable communication devices due to their long wavelength. In this paper, a very compact fully integrated SIW filter is proposed and designed with RT6010 dielectric material to meet the small size requirement of portable devices for next-generation sub-6 G applications. The proposed filter contains two sawtooth-shaped composite right-/left-handed (CRLH) resonator units, instead of traditional rectangular-shaped CRLH resonator units, which makes the filter more compact and cost effective. The filter is designed and fabricated on an RT6010 substrate, with a size of only 10 mm × 7.4 mm. The measurement results illustrated that the proposed BPF shows a passband covering the frequency range of 3.25–3.45 GHz; the minimum passband insertion loss is only 2.4 dB; the stopband rejection is better than −20 dB throughout the frequencies below 3.0 GHz and above 3.8 GHz; S11 is as low as −37 dB at 3.35 GHz; and the group delay variation is only 1.4 ns throughout the operation bandwidth.
Development of the Road Pavement Deterioration Model Based on the Deep Learning Method
Authors: Choi Seunghyun , Do Myungsik
Published: December 2019

In Korea, data on pavement conditions, such as cracks, rutting depth, and the international roughness index, are obtained using automatic pavement condition investigation equipment, such as ARAN and KRISS, for the same sections of national highways annually to manage their pavement conditions. This study predicts the deterioration of road pavement by using monitoring data from the Korean National Highway Pavement Management System and a recurrent neural network algorithm. The constructed algorithm predicts the pavement condition index for each section of the road network for one year by learning from the time series data for the preceding 10 years. Because pavement type, traffic load, and environmental characteristics differed by section, the sequence lengths (SQL) necessary to optimize each section were also different. The results of minimizing the root-mean-square error, according to the SQL by section and pavement condition index, showed that the error was reduced by 58.3–68.2% with a SQL value of 1, while pavement deterioration in each section could be predicted with a high coefficient of determination of 0.71–0.87. The accurate prediction of maintenance timing for pavement in this study will help optimize the life cycle of road pavement by increasing its life expectancy and reducing its maintenance budget.
Influence of Manufacturing and Assembly Defects and the Quality of Materials on the Performance of an Axial-Flux Switched Reluctance Machine
Authors: Andrada Pere , Blanqué Balduí , Martínez Eusebi , Perat José Ignacio , Sánchez José Antonio , Torrent Marcel
Published: December 2019

This paper investigated the influence of manufacturing and assembly defects and the quality of materials on the performance of an axial-flux switched reluctance machine (AFSRM). An AFSRM drive was designed and built for the in-wheel propulsion of an electric scooter. The motor was tested according to the standard IEC 60349-Part 1, but the obtained results were below the expected result. The causes of the discrepancy between the simulated and experimental results were analyzed. After an exhaustive study, manufacturing and assembly deficiencies and the quality of materials were identified as the main causes of the mentioned discrepancies. Static torque was used to assess the impact of the different causes in these discrepancies. Finally, some recommendations are proposed to improve the construction of this kind of machine.
A Power-Forecasting Method for Geographically Distributed PV Power Systems using Their Previous Datasets
Authors: Miyazaki Yosui , Kameda Yusuke , Kondoh Junji
Published: December 2019

The number of photovoltaic (PV) power systems being installed worldwide has been increasing. This has resulted in maintenance of an adequate balance between demand and supply becoming a great concern for power system operators. Forecasting PV power outputs is a promising countermeasure that has been garnering significant interest. Conventional methods for achieving this often use learning methods, such as neural networks and support vector regression. In contrast, this paper proposes a short-term power-forecasting method for geographically distributed PV systems that uses only their previous output power data. In the proposed method, first, the ratio of the power generation output to the maximum power output value for each observation instance in a designated period for each PV system at a certain date and time is obtained. Then, the future geographical distribution of the ratio is predicted from the temporal change (motion) of the preceding distribution. Finally, the predicted ratio is reconverted into the power output to perform short-term power forecasting. The results of total PV output power prediction in the Kanto area of Japan indicate that the proposed method has an average mean absolute percentage error of 4.23% and root mean square error of 0.69 kW, which verifies its efficacy.
Analysis of Influence of Ship Roll on Ship Power System with Renewable Energy
Authors: Cheng Peng , Liang Ning , Li Ruiye , Lan Hai , Cheng Qian
Published: December 2019

Renewable energy ship was regarded as one of the ship energy technologies with a good prospect. In order to study the application of solar and wind energy on ships in the marine environment and the impact of ship rolling on the system, the feasibility of applying solar energy and wind energy to ships was analyzed, and the structural composition of ship power system incorporating renewable energy source was studied. The model of the ship power system integrated with renewable energy was built in PSCAD/EMTDC simulation software. The layout of wind power generation system and photovoltaic power generation system was given for the actual ship, and the ship parameters and specific parameters of each simulation module were determined. It can be seen that the rolling of ship will cause fluctuations in the grid-connected power of the photovoltaic power generation system and the wind power generation system from the comparison of the simulation curves. Finally, a simulation experiment is provided to prove the access of the battery can well suppress the grid-connected power fluctuation caused by the rolling of the ship, which has an important impact on the stability of the ship power system with renewable energy.
Factors Affecting the Environmentally Induced, Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology in Dry Zonal Regions in Tropical Countries—Novel Findings
Authors: Wimalawansa Sunil J. , Dissanayake Chandra B.
Published: December 2019

A new form of chronic tubulointerstitial kidney disease (CKD) not related to diabetes or hypertension appeared during the past four decades in several peri-equatorial and predominantly agricultural countries. Commonalities include underground stagnation of drinking water with prolonged contact with rocks, harsh climatic conditions with protracted dry seasons, and rampant poverty and malnutrition. In general, the cause is unknown, and the disease is therefore named CKD of unknown aetiology (CKDu). Since it is likely caused by a combination of factors, a better term would be CKD of multifactorial origin (CKDmfo). Middle-aged malnourished men with more than 10 years of exposure to environmental hazards are the most vulnerable. Over 30 factors have been proposed as causative, including agrochemicals and heavy metals, but none has been properly tested nor proven as causative, and unlikely to be the cause of CKDmfo/CKDu. Conditions such as, having favourable climatic patterns, adequate hydration, and less poverty and malnutrition seem to prevent the disease. With the right in vivo conditions, chemical species such as calcium, phosphate, oxalate, and fluoride form intra-renal nanomineral particles initiating the CKDmfo. This article examines the key potential chemical components causing CKDmfo together with the risk factors and vulnerabilities predisposing individuals to this disease. Research findings suggest that in addition to drinking water from stagnant sources that contain high ionic components, more than 10 years of exposure to environmental nephrotoxins and micronutrient malnutrition are needed to contract this fatal disease.