bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dosimetric comparison of level II lymph nodes between mono-isocentric and dual-isocentric approaches in 3D-CRT and IMRT techniques in breast radiotherapy of mastectomy patients
Authors: Nadi Saba , Abedi-Firouzjah Razzagh , Banaei Amin , Bijari Salar , Elahi Mahdi
Published: September 2019

Aim:

To evaluate the dosimetric parameters of level II lymph nodes in chest wall three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of mastectomy patients using dual-isocentric (DIT) and mono-isocentric techniques (MIT).

Materials and methods:

Computed tomography (CT) images of 20 mastectomy patients undergoing chest wall external radiotherapy were used as the input data for the abovementioned techniques. Selected dosimetric parameters were calculated for the axillary level I–III lymph nodes, chest wall, heart and lung. Paired t-test statistical analysis was used for comparing the results of MIT and DIT in both 3D-CRT and IMRT methods.

Results:

There were significant differences in Dmin (minimum dose), Dmax (maximum dose) and maximum–minimum dose between MIT and DIT techniques (13, −8·6, −52·2% differences for Dmin, Dmax and maximum–minimum, respectively) in IMRT. There were also significant differences for Dmean (mean dose), Dmax and maximum–minimum dose (7·8, −11·4, −44·6% differences in Dmean, Dmax and maximum–minimum, respectively) in 3D-CRT (p < 0·05). In addition, there were not any differences in the dosimetric parameters for heart, lung and level I and III lymph nodes.

Conclusion:

In both 3D-CRT and IMRT methods, level II lymph node dose distribution in MIT was closer to the prescribed dose compared with DIT due to the position of these nodes in the field junction area. To achieve a better dose homogeneity, it could be recommended to use MIT instead of DIT in 3D-CRT and IMRT for mastectomy patients.
Awareness of cardiovascular risk factors among university students in Turkey
Authors: Güneş F. Esra , Bekiroglu Nural , Imeryuz Neşe , Agirbasli Mehmet
Published: September 2019

Aim:

To determine the awareness of cardiovascular risk factors among university students in Turkey.

Background:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in developed countries. The use of tobacco products and unhealthy diet are prominent habits that increase the risk of CVD.

Methods:

Healthy university students (n = 2450) aged between 18 and 22 years in Istanbul filled out the questionnaire about the awareness of CVD risk factors and participated in this cross-sectional study. They were asked several questions with regard to the importance of CVD risk factors.

Findings:

The leading responses for men and women were, respectively, high cholesterol (58.3; 72.3%), stress (58.8; 71.8%), hypertension (50; 64.2%), smoking (53.1; 58.7%), obesity (46.8; 64.3%), diabetes (41.7; 52.7%), inactivity (43.3; 47.8%), and CVD in family history (31.8; 44.4%). Unhealthy diet (9.7; 15.3%), exposure to second-hand cigarette smoking (24.4; 34%), and poor socioeconomic status (22.6; 22.3%) were also considered to be important. The study also revealed that men disregard the risk factors more frequently. Another comparison between body mass index groups revealed that obese subjects gave significantly lower importance to cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusion:

Observations indicate that awareness levels of CVD risk factors have to be improved among university students. It is emphasized that primary healthcare workers are very important in the screening of CVD risk factors in an opportunistic and systematic way and in providing consultancy on changing risky behaviors (diet, smoking, etc.). Therefore, it is of utmost importance that primary healthcare workers make interventions to reduce the risk level by determining the CVD risk.
Consequences of microbial diversity in forest nitrogen cycling: diverse ammonifiers and specialized ammonia oxidizers
Authors: Isobe Kazuo , Ise Yuta , Kato Hiroyu , Oda Tomoki , Vincenot Christian E , Koba Keisuke , Tateno Ryunosuke , Senoo Keishi , Ohte Nobuhito
Published: September 2019

We tested the ecosystem functions of microbial diversity with a focus on ammonification (involving diverse microbial taxa) and nitrification (involving only specialized microbial taxa) in forest nitrogen cycling. This study was conducted on a forest slope, in which the soil environment and plant growth gradually changed. We measured the gross and net rates of ammonification and nitrification, the abundance of predicted ammonifiers and nitrifiers, and their community compositions in the soils. The abundance of predicted ammonifiers did not change along the soil environmental gradient, leading to no significant change in the gross ammonification rate. On the other hand, the abundance of nitrifiers and the gross nitrification rate gradually changed. These accordingly determined the spatial distribution of net accumulation of ammonium and nitrate available to plants. The community composition of predicted ammonifiers gradually changed along the slope, implying that diverse ammonifiers were more likely to include taxa that were acclimated to the soil environment and performed ammonification at different slope locations than specialized nitrifiers. Our findings suggest that the abundance of ammonifiers and nitrifiers directly affects the corresponding nitrogen transformation rates, and that their diversity affects the stability of the rates against environmental changes. This study highlights the role of microbial diversity in biogeochemical processes under changing environments and plant growth.
Extreme inbreeding in a European ancestry sample from the contemporary UK population
Authors: Yengo Loic , Wray Naomi R. , Visscher Peter M.
Published: September 2019

In most human societies, there are taboos and laws banning mating between first- and second-degree relatives, but actual prevalence and effects on health and fitness are poorly quantified. Here, we leverage a large observational study of ~450,000 participants of European ancestry from the UK Biobank (UKB) to quantify extreme inbreeding (EI) and its consequences. We use genotyped SNPs to detect large runs of homozygosity (ROH) and call EI when >10% of an individual’s genome comprise ROHs. We estimate a prevalence of EI of ~0.03%, i.e., ~1/3652. EI cases have phenotypic means between 0.3 and 0.7 standard deviation below the population mean for 7 traits, including stature and cognitive ability, consistent with inbreeding depression estimated from individuals with low levels of inbreeding. Our study provides DNA-based quantification of the prevalence of EI in a European ancestry sample from the UK and measures its effects on health and fitness traits.
Publisher Correction: Measuring the ionisation fraction in a jet from a massive protostar
Authors: Fedriani R. , Caratti o Garatti A. , Purser S. J. D. , Sanna A. , Tan J. C. , Garcia-Lopez R. , Ray T. P. , Coffey D. , Stecklum B. , Hoare M.
Published: September 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: Fcmr regulates mononuclear phagocyte control of anti-tumor immunity
Authors: Kubli Shawn P. , Vornholz Larsen , Duncan Gordon , Zhou Wenjing , Ramachandran Parameswaran , Fortin Jerome , Cox Maureen , Han SeongJun , Nechanitzky Robert , Nechanitzky Duygu , Snow Bryan E. , Jones Lisa , Li Wanda Y. , Haight Jillian , Wakeham Andrew , Bray Mark R. , Mak Tak W.
Published: September 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
A two-step strategy for high-efficiency fluorescent dye removal from wastewater
Authors: Gui Wanyuan , Lin Junpin , Liang Yongfeng , Qu Yuhai , Zhang Laiqi , Zhang Hui , Li Xiaochun
Published: September 2019

Conventional circulating activated sludge techniques (CASS) are time consuming (72 h) and energy intensive, all of which greatly limits their use. Although advanced oxidation techniques (e.g., photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis UV/•OH, and Electro-Fenton) can reduce the treatment time by several hours, the slow generation and fast coupling of electron and hole make the low degradation efficiency. In this work, an intact route using a two-step strategy is developed to eliminate organic dyes from wastewater in only a few minutes. The electron and hole exhibit “fast generation and slow coupling” by using the new technique via electrolytic discharge plasma (EDP) combined with a core-shell structure Au@SiO2 nanocatalyst for [Rhodamine (RhB)/Eosin yellowish (EY)] dyes degradation in wastewater. Results demonstrate that the synergy of EDP and Au@SiO2 nanocatalyst enhances degradation kinetics, and it is effective in degrading different concentrations of RhB and EY dyes in the range of 50–1.5 mg/L. Then, the Au@SiO2 nanocatalyst (over 99%) and carbon impurities are filtered by a porous nanocomposite ultrafiltration membrane. Favorable contributions of the two-step strategy are further ascertained based on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and relative removal efficiency. This two-step strategy provides an unprecedented rapid approach for industrial wastewater treatment.
A “human knockout” model to investigate the influence of the α-actinin-3 protein on exercise-induced mitochondrial adaptations
Authors: Papadimitriou I. D. , Eynon N. , Yan X. , Munson F. , Jacques M. , Kuang J. , Voisin S. , North K. N. , Bishop D. J.
Published: September 2019

Research in α-actinin-3 knockout mice suggests a novel role for α-actinin-3 as a mediator of cell signalling. We took advantage of naturally-occurring human “knockouts” (lacking α-actinin-3 protein) to investigate the consequences of α-actinin-3 deficiency on exercise-induced changes in mitochondrial-related genes and proteins, as well as endurance training adaptations. At baseline, we observed a compensatory increase of α-actinin-2 protein in ACTN3 XX (α-actinin-3 deficient; n = 18) vs ACTN3 RR (expressing α-actinin-3; n = 19) participants but no differences between genotypes for markers of aerobic fitness or mitochondrial content and function. There was a main effect of genotype, without an interaction, for RCAN1-4 protein content (a marker of calcineurin activity). However, there was no effect of genotype on exercise-induced expression of genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis, nor post-training physiological changes. In contrast to results in mice, loss of α-actinin-3 is not associated with higher baseline endurance-related phenotypes, or greater adaptations to endurance exercise training in humans.
Electro-osmotic Treatment of Dredged Sediment by Different Power Supply Modes: Energy Consumption and Electro-osmotic Transport Volume
Authors: Zheng Lingwei , Zhu Xiada , Xie Xinyu , Li Jinzhu
Published: September 2019

Laboratory model tests were conducted in constant-voltage mode and constant-current mode for the one-dimensional electro-osmotic treatment of dredged sediment, with an approximately consistent initial electric power. The voltage, current, drainage rate, electro-osmotic transport volume, and energy consumption coefficient during the electro-osmotic process were measured and calculated. After treatment, the final soil moisture at designated positions in the test samples was measured to investigate the effects of different power supply modes. Further, the divergent phenomena observed with constant voltage and constant current were discussed. Based on an analysis of the measured energy consumption coefficients with time, we obtained a linear relationship between the applied/equivalent voltage and energy consumption coefficient. Furthermore, the electro-osmotic processes are divided into four stages by equal drainage quantity to obtain the energy consumption and electro-osmotic transport volume under different working conditions. The results reveal that the energy consumption of electro-osmosis is mainly determined by the applied voltage or the equivalent voltage for dredged sediment, while the value of electro-osmotic transport volume depends mainly on the change in soil water content rather than power supply modes. The drainage rate in constant-current mode was observed to be relatively steady, maintaining an approximately constant rate until the soil moisture was dramatically reduced. In other words, constant-current mode shows the advantages of being powerful and persistent in electro-osmotic treatment.
Nb-induced stabilisation of p53 in HPV-infected cells
Authors: Steels Anneleen , Vannevel Laura , Zwaenepoel Olivier , Gettemans Jan
Published: September 2019

Cervical cancer is caused by a persistent infection of the mucosal epithelia with high-risk human papilloma viruses (HPVs). The viral oncoprotein E6 is responsible for the inactivation of the tumour suppressor p53 and thus plays a crucial role in HPV-induced tumorigenesis. The viral E6 protein forms a trimeric complex with the endogenous E3 ubiquitine ligase E6AP and the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of p53, which results in the polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of p53. We have developed nanobodies (Nbs) against the DBD of p53, which substantially stabilise p53 in HeLa cells. The observed effect is specific for HPV-infected cells, since similar effects were not seen for U2OS cells. Despite the fact that the stabilised p53 was strongly nuclear enriched, its tumour suppressive functions were hampered. We argue that the absence of a tumour suppressive effect is caused by inhibition of p53 transactivation in both HPV-infected and HPV-negative cells. The inactivation of the transcriptional activity of p53 was associated with an increased cellular proliferation and viability of HeLa cells. In conclusion, we demonstrate that p53 DBD Nbs positively affect protein stability whilst adversely affecting protein function, attesting to their ability to modulate protein properties in a very subtle manner.
Few-cycle Regime Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: López-Guerra Enrique A. , Somnath Suhas , Solares Santiago D. , Jesse Stephen , Ferrini Gabriele
Published: September 2019

Traditionally, dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques are based on the analysis of the quasi-steady state response of the cantilever deflection in terms of Fourier analysis. Here we describe a technique that instead exploits the often disregarded transient response of the cantilever through a relatively modern mathematical tool, which has caused important developments in several scientific fields but that is still quite unknown in the AFM context: the wavelet analysis. This tool allows us to localize the time-varying spectral composition of the initial oscillations of the cantilever deflection when an impulsive excitation is given (as in the band excitation method), a mode that we call thefew-cycle regime. We show that this regime encodes very meaningful information about the tip-sample interaction in a unique and extremely sensitive manner. We exploit this high sensitivity to gain detailed insight into multiple physical parameters that perturb the dynamics of the AFM probe, such as the tip radius, Hamaker constant, sample’s elastic modulus and height of an adsorbed water layer. We validate these findings with experimental evidence and computational simulations and show a feasible path towards the simultaneous retrieval of multiple physical parameters.
Early life determinants induce sustainable changes in the gut microbiome of six-year-old children
Authors: Gschwendtner Silvia , Kang Hyena , Thiering Elisabeth , Kublik Susanne , Fösel Bärbel , Schulz Holger , Krauss-Etschmann Susanne , Heinrich Joachim , Schöler Anne , Schloter Michael , Standl Marie
Published: September 2019

While the association between early life determinants and the development of the gut microbiome composition in infancy has been widely investigated, a potential persistent influence of early life determinants on the gut microbial community after its stabilization at later childhood remains largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to identify the association between several early life determinants and the gut microbiome composition in six-year-old children from the LISA birth cohort. A total number of 166 fecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene-based barcoding to assess bacterial diversity pattern. The bacterial profiles were investigated for their association with maternal smoking during pregnancy, mode of delivery, breastfeeding, antibiotic treatment between one and two years of age, gender and socioeconomic status (SES). While alpha and beta diversity of the infants’ gut microbiome remained unaffected, amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) annotated to Firmicutes and Actinobacteria responded to early life determinants, mostly to feeding practice and antibiotics use. ASVs associated to Bacteriodetes remained unaffected. Our findings indicate that early life determinants could have a long-term sustainable effect on the gut microflora of six-year-old children, however, associations with early life determinates are weaker than reported for infants.
Molecular-scale modeling of light emission by combustion: An ab initio study
Authors: Miyamoto Yoshiyuki , Komatsu Tokutaro
Published: September 2019

Despite the advanced understanding of combustion, the mechanisms of subsequent light emission have not attracted much attention. In this work, we model the light emission as electronic excitation throughout the oxidation reaction. We examined the simple dynamics of the collision of an oxygen molecule (O2) with a kinetic energy of 4, 6, or 10 eV with a stationary target molecule (Mg2, SiH4 or CH4). Time-dependent density functional theory was used to monitor electronic excitation. For a collision between O2 and Mg2, the electronic excitation energy increased with the incident kinetic energy. In contrast, for a collision between O2 and SiH4 molecules, a substantial electronic excitation occurred only at an incident kinetic energy of 10 eV. The electronic excitation was qualitatively reproduced by analysis using complete active space self-consistent field method. On the other hand, collision between O2 and CH4 molecules shows reflection of these molecules indicating that small-mass molecules could show neither oxidation nor subsequent electronic excitation upon collision with an O2 molecule. We believe that this work provides a first step toward understanding the light-emission process during combustion.
Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B catalyzed synthesis of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications
Authors: Lu Yao , Lv Qijun , Liu Bo , Liu Jie
Published: September 2019

Biomedical applications of biodegradable polymers synthesized via the catalysis of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB).
Antimicrobial peptide HPA3NT3-A2 effectively inhibits biofilm formation in mice infected with drug-resistant bacteria
Authors: Lee Jong-Kook , Mereuta Loredana , Luchian Tudor , Park Yoonkyung
Published: September 2019

Bacterial biofilms formed through secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been implicated in many serious infections and can increase antibiotic resistance by a factor of more than 1000.
Ternary metal selenide/MWCNT/PANI: potential n-type nanohybrids for room-temperature thermoelectric applications
Authors: Kshirsagar Anuraj S. , More Priyesh V. , Dey Abhijit , Khanna Pawan K.
Published: September 2019

A room-temperature thermoelectric study of nanohybrids prepared by combining ternary metal selenides with MWCNTs and PANI is presented.
Unsymmetrical nonplanar ‘push–pull’ β-octasubstituted porphyrins: facile synthesis, structural, photophysical and electrochemical redox properties
Authors: Rathi Pinki , Butcher Ray , Sankar Muniappan
Published: September 2019

β-Octasubstituted porphyrins having three different substituents (Ph, Br and NO2) have been synthesized. They exhibited highly red-shifted absorption spectral features with tunable redox properties leading to a very low HOMO–LUMO gap as compared to MTPPs.
Formation of calcium phosphate nanoparticles mediated by animal protein hydrolysates enhances calcium absorption by murine small intestineex vivo
Authors: Yang Yisheng , Zhu Suqin , Guo Wei , Feng Yinong , Guo Tengjiao , Wu Haohao
Published: September 2019

Animal protein intake appears to deliver available nanosized calcium to intestine.
Artificial intelligence identified peptides modulate inflammation in healthy adults
Authors: Rein Dietrich , Ternes Philipp , Demin Rodion , Gierke Jürgen , Helgason Thrandur , Schön Christiane
Published: September 2019

Dietary bioactive peptides have been, among many functionalities, associated with immune modulation and thereby may improve resolution of inflammation.
Preparation of compressible polymer monoliths that contain mesopores capable of rapid oil–water separation
Authors: Chae Ji Ae , Oh Yuree , Kim Hea Ji , Choi Go Bong , Lee Kyoung Min , Jung Doyoung , Kim Yoong Ahm , Kim Hyungwoo
Published: September 2019

A bottom-up design enables the preparation of a mesoporous, compressible, polymer monolith that shows rapid separation of oil–water mixture.
Correction: Expedient synthesis of eumelanin-inspired 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylate ethyl ester derivatives
Authors: Aebly Andrew H. , Levy Jeffrey N. , Steger Benjamin J. , Quirke Jonathan C. , Belitsky Jason M.
Published: September 2019

Correction for ‘Expedient synthesis of eumelanin-inspired 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylate ethyl ester derivatives’ by Andrew H. Aebly et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 28323–28328.
Use of microaspiration to study the mechanical properties of polymer gel microparticles
Authors: Gangotra Ankita , Biviano Matthew , Dagastine Raymond R. , Berry Joseph D. , Willmott Geoff R.
Published: September 2019

The mechanical properties of polyacrylamide (PA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microparticle populations have been measured using microaspiration, a recently developed experimental technique.
Azobenzene based inorganic salts for light modulated ionic conductivity in aqueous solution
Authors: Kang Ning , Li Peiqi , Tan Shuai , Wang Caihong
Published: September 2019

Azobenzene based inorganic salts demonstrated light modulated ionic conductivity behaviors in aqueous solutions.
Ti-based electrode materials for electrochemical sodium ion storage and removal
Authors: Zhai Haifa , Xia Bao Yu , Park Ho Seok
Published: September 2019

The key factors of designing the architectural concepts, synthesis methods, and microstructural and compositional control of Ti-based electrodes are described for applications in electrochemical sodium ion storage and removal.
An MXene/CNTs@P nanohybrid with stable Ti–O–P bonds for enhanced lithium ion storage
Authors: Zhang Shixue , Liu Huan , Cao Bin , Zhu Qizhen , Zhang Peng , Zhang Xin , Chen Renjie , Wu Feng , Xu Bin
Published: September 2019

A Ti3C2Tx/CNTs@P nanohybrid with stable Ti–O–P bonds is simply fabricated, which exhibits high capacity, excellent long-term cycling stability and superior rate capability as an anode for lithium ion batteries.
Impact of end groups on the performance of non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cell applications
Authors: Suman Suman , Singh Surya Prakash
Published: September 2019

Non-fullerene organic solar cells employing small molecule acceptors have recently crossed the PCE of 17% through the design and synthesis of efficient acceptor materials.
A selective cascade reaction-based probe for colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence detection of benzoyl peroxide in food and living cells
Authors: Wu Xiaoli , Zeng Lintao , Chen Bao-Quan , Zhang Ming , Rodrigues João , Sheng Ruilong , Bao Guang-Ming
Published: September 2019

A colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent probe (Cou-BPO) was prepared for food analysis and cell imaging; it showed high selectivity, sensitivity, visible and fast response towards BPO via a selective oxidation cleavage-induced cascade reaction.
Effects of oligopeptide simulating DMP-1/mineral trioxide aggregate/agarose hydrogel biomimetic mineralisation model for the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity
Authors: Ling Ziji , He Yalin , Huang Haowen , Xie Xiaoqi , Li Quan-li , Cao Chris Ying
Published: September 2019

Occlusion of dentinal tubules and regeneration of enamel-like tissue were achieved by oligopeptide simulating DMP-1/mineral trioxide aggregate/agarose hydrogel biomimetic mineralisation model to treat dentine hypersensitivity.
Monoclinic gallium selenide: an AgGaS2-type structure variant with balanced infrared nonlinear optical performance
Authors: Xu Qian-Ting , Sun Zong-Dong , Chi Yang , Xue Huai-Guo , Guo Sheng-Ping
Published: September 2019

Monoclinic Ga2Se3 displays a large nonlinear optical effect, high laser-induced damage threshold, and wide transparent infrared window, and it is phase matchable.
Asymmetric thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters with 5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho[3,2,1-de]anthracene (OBA) as the acceptor and highly efficient blue-emitting OLEDs
Authors: Song Dongdong , Yu Yue , Yue Ling , Zhong Daokun , Zhang Yindi , Yang Xiaolong , Sun Yuanhui , Zhou Guijiang , Wu Zhaoxin
Published: September 2019

With 5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho[3,2,1-de]anthracene (OBA) as the acceptor, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters adopting an asymmetric configuration can achieve highly efficient blue-emitting OLEDs.
Altitude ambiguity suppression method based on dual‐frequency interfering and multi‐frequency averaging for sparse baseline TomoSAR
Authors: Li Mofan , Xiang Yin , Chen Xinliang , Wang Yan , Lu Yiling , Ding Zegang
Published: September 2019

Tomography SAR (TomoSAR) imaging can achieve three‐dimensional (3D) imaging, which is significant for urban 3D mapping. When the baseline of TomoSAR is sparse, the scattering centres of several different altitudes in the same resolution unit are aliased together, which affects the accuracy of TomoSAR imaging. To solve this problem, an altitude ambiguity suppression method based on dual‐frequency interfering and multi‐frequency averaging is proposed. Firstly, dual‐frequency interfering is used to obtain the radar cross‐section (RCS) of targets and the sum of the results of the cross interference between targets and ambiguities in different positions. Then multi‐frequency averaging is used to suppress the power of the cross‐interference, and finally the RCS of target is accurately obtained. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
On IoT applications: a proposed SDP framework for MQTT
Authors: Refaey A. , Sallam A. , Shami A.
Published: September 2019

In this work, the software‐defined perimeter (SDP) is considered for the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol framework in the Internet of Things (IoT) applications. In fact, the SDP provides an additional layer of security with or without SSL/TLS by replacing the traditional login method (username/password) with a single‐packet authorisation (SPA) process. This will blacken the end devices, by cloaking and causing them to be inaccessible by attackers. Consequently, this prevents the log‐in information from being compromised in the absence of encryption. Eventually, the framework is evaluated through an implementation testbed and system proved to be secure against denial of service active and off‐line dictionary types of attacks, even with the use of weak login credentials. All the while, achieving measurable efficiency over the traditional use of MQTT.
Robust dissipative observer‐based control design for discrete‐time switched systems with time‐varying delay
Authors: Regaieg Mohamed Amin , Kchaou Mourad , Bosche Jérôme , El‐Hajjaji Ahmed , Chaabane Mohamed
Published: September 2019

This study deals with ‐ ‐dissipative output feedback control design for a class of switched systems with time‐varying delay and unmeasurable states. The purpose is to design an observer‐based controller and a switching rule to ensure both exponential stability and strict dissipativity of the resulting closed‐loop switched systems. Using an augmented switched Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional with triple sum and the improved reciprocally convex combination approach, new sufficient conditions are developed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation examples are included to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed design technique.
Layered management and hybrid control strategy based on hybrid automata and random forest for microgrid
Authors: Dou Chunxia , Teng Shengqi , Zhang Tengfei , Zhang Bo , Ma Kai
Published: September 2019

A layered management and hybrid control strategy based on hybrid automata and random forest for the microgrid is proposed in this study. It is used to realise energy management and multi‐modal coordinated switching of microgrid system to ensure high security, stability and high efficiency. Management and control strategies are implemented through a three‐layer microgrid architecture based on multi‐agent system theory. An energy management strategy is designed for the microgrid system in the upper layer agent structure. A coordinated control strategy is designed in the middle layer agent structure. A local control strategy is designed into the bottom layer agent structure. In the middle layer coordinated control strategy, the hybrid automata is used to characterise the complex logical features of each underlying unit and trigger the switching of working modes according to the condition change. The random forest algorithm is used to analyse the running state and reduce the number of switching. Finally, the simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in different scenarios.
Ground‐based radar data processing based on pseudo‐polar coordinate system
Authors: Tan Weixian , Li Xiaohong , Huang Pingping , Xu Wei , Hong Wen
Published: September 2019

Ground‐based radar can make high‐precision and real‐time monitoring of micro changes in the observation area. It has been actually applied in various industries such as land, open‐pit mines, water conservancy dams, and highway bridges. The basic principle of the ground‐based radar is to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals in the distance direction and to perform pulse compression, a synthetic aperture is formed in the azimuth using the motion of the platform, and the electromagnetic wave signals are coherently accumulated to form a two‐dimensional image. In this article, a fast and efficient pseudo‐polar coordinate format imaging algorithm is proposed. First, in order to prevent defocusing, the authors use the Taylor approximation and the accuracy difference of the phase change due to the distance approximation is analysed. Second, the 2‐D fast Fourier transform effectively achieves uniform sampling of data. The technique is validated with numerical simulations.
Investigation of different target's micro‐vibration feature based on a coherent shot‐noise limited LIDAR
Authors: Xu Chi , Huang Huixin , Xia Linghao , Dong Shen
Published: September 2019

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) has facilitated extraordinary advances in various areas such as remote‐sensing, topography, atmospheric/ecological environment studies etc. Benefiting from the much higher carrier frequency than Radar, LIDARs are extremely Doppler‐sensitive, making them quite capable for micro‐vibration and precise velocity measurements. Here, the authors investigate the micro‐vibration feature of different targets through a coherent CW LIDAR whose noise performance is dominated by the shot‐noise of light. The complexity of the micro‐vibration feature observed in the one‐dimensional velocity spectrum raises challenge to the matched filtering process for range detection, while on the other hand may offer extra characteristics for target classification and recognition.
UAV target detection and parameter estimation in non‐homogeneous clutter
Authors: Huang Rui , Du Xiao‐Yong , Hu Wei‐Dong
Published: September 2019

Aiming at the problem of UAV target detection and parameter estimation in non‐homogeneous clutter with STLFMCW radar, a SK‐CFAR detector is proposed based on the local spectrum refinement. By using zoom‐FFT, the two‐dimensional spectrum of the received signal is extracted for local template matching. Subsequently, the two‐dimensional SK‐CFAR detector and CLEAN technique are applied to decide whether there exist some targets in the region of interest. Compared with Radon–Fourier transform (RFT) and moving target detection (MTD), the proposed estimator based on local speed compensation is a good choice for the trade‐off of high performance and low computational load even though the input signal‐to‐clutter ratio approaches to −24 dB.
SAR deceptive jamming target‐detection method based on multi‐angle SAR images
Authors: Li Gen , Li Zengliang , Zhang Tianyi , Ke Meng , Ding Zegang
Published: September 2019

Deceptive jamming is an effective jamming method for synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Time‐delay repeater jamming, which is an important method of deceptive jamming because of its simplicity and effectiveness, can generate false targets in the SAR image and further affect the image interpretation. To detect the false target, this study first establishes the multi‐angle SAR jamming signal model. Subsequently, the representations of the false targets and real targets in SAR image are analysed. Based on the aforementioned analysis, a SAR deceptive jamming target detection method based on multi‐angle SAR images is proposed. Through the registration of multi‐angle SAR images and the change detection, the false targets generated by the time‐delay repeater jamming can be detected, and the SAR anti‐jamming can be realised correspondingly. Computer simulation verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A stochastic maximum principle for switching diffusions using conditional mean-fields with applications to control problems
Authors: Nguyen Son L. , Nguyen Dung T. , Yin George
Published: September 2019

This paper obtains a maximum principle for switching diffusions with mean-field interactions. The motivation stems from a wide range of applications for networked control systems in which large-scale systems are encountered and mean-field interactions are involved. Because of the complexity due to the switching, little has been done for the associate control problems with mean-field interactions. The main ingredient of this work is the use of conditional mean-fields, which is distinct from the existing literature. Using the maximum principle, optimal controls of linear quadratic Gaussian controls with mean-field interactions for switching diffusions are carried out. Numerical examples are also provided for demonstration.
Narzissmus in Partnerschaft und Paartherapie
Authors: Benecke Hilmar
Published: September 2019

Ein narzisstischer Partner schafft zu Beginn einer Beziehung über die Betonung des Besonderen und Einzigartigen eine schnell abhängig machende Intimität. Die
auf Dauer in der Partnerschaft kaum stillbaren narzisstischen Bedürfnisse führen oft zu einer Flucht in Affären und Nebenbeziehungen – nicht selten der
Anlass für eine Paartherapie. Hier ist es oft hilfreich, narzisstische Persönlichkeitsanteile über die Betrachtung der Elternbeziehung zu
thematisieren.
Mentalisierungsbasierte Therapie bei Narzisstischer Persönlichkeitsstörung
Authors: Stalujanis Esther , Euler Sebastian
Published: September 2019

Die Behandlung von Patienten mit Narzisstischer Persönlichkeitsstörung (NPS) stellt für Psychotherapeuten eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Bisher ist die
Mentalisierungsbasierte Therapie (MBT) v. a. zur Behandlung der Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung etabliert und evidenzbasiert, jedoch bietet sie auch einen
vielversprechenden Ansatz zur Behandlung der NPS 1.
A Prospective Study to Evaluate Effectiveness of a Tinnitus Relief Device in a Clinical Setup
Authors: Aggarwal Nitin , Gupta Soniya , Goyal Prashant
Published: September 2019

Introduction Tinnitus has been shown to decrease the quality of life of a person. Being a less understood domain of the medical field, there are no definitive established therapies that can be applied to all patients of tinnitus. The current study is an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tinnitus Relief device in the patients of tinnitus.

Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of Tinnitus Relief device TRx in treatment of tinnitus.

Methods A prospective study involving 67 participants suffering from tinnitus was conducted in a clinical setup at Delhi, Chandigarh, and Mumbai. These participants were subjected to pure tone audiometry (PTA) and an interview using Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire. These participants were advised to use Tinnitus Relief device TR201, TR301, TR401 for more than 6 to 10 months. Improvement in tinnitus in terms of percentage, questions pertaining to THI, and overall improvement in life (subjective) were evaluated after discontinuation of the use of the device in each participant.

Results It was found that there was significant improvement in mean THI score, following treatment with Tinnitus Relief TRx. This device was also able to completely alleviate 5 out of 12 associated complaints of tinnitus. No association could be found between the use of Tinnitus Relief therapy and hearing loss.

Conclusion Tinnitus Relief TRx can emerge as an effective tool for treatment of the tinnitus and can improve the life of the sufferer.
Contribution of Ultra-processed Food to the Daily Food Intake of HIV-positive and HIV-Negative Women during Pregnancy
Authors: Agostini Clarissa de Oliveira , Zoche Ester , Corrêa Rafaela da Silveira , Chaves Eunice Beatriz Martin , Corleta Helena von Eye , Bosa Vera Lúcia
Published: September 2019

Objective To assess the daily dietary intake and energy contribution of ultra-processed foods among women who are positive and negative for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during pregnancy.

Methods This case–control study included 77 HIV-positive and 79 HIV-negative puerperal women between 2015 and 2016. The socioeconomic and maternal demographic data were assessed, and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) adapted for pregnant women was applied. The Fisher exact test and the Mann-Whitney test were applied to detect differences between the groups. Linear regression was used to assess the associations between the intake of ultra-processed food and energy, macro- and micronutrients, with values of p < 0.05 considered significant.

Results The HIV-positive group was older (p < 0.001) and had lower income (p = 0.016) and level of schooling (p < 0.001) than the HIV-negative group. Both groups presented similar average food intake: 4,082.99 Kcal/day and 4,369.24 Kcal/day for the HIV-positive and HIV-negative women respectively (p = 0.258).The HIV-positive group consumed less protein (p = 0.048), carbohydrates (p = 0.028) and calcium (p = 0.001), and more total fats (p = 0.003). Ultra-processed foods accounted for 39.80% and 40.10% of the HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups' caloric intake respectively (p = 0.893). The intake of these foods was associated with a higher consumption of carbohydrates (p < 0.001), trans fat (p = 0.013) and sodium (p < 0.001), as well as lower protein (p < 0.001) and fiber intake (p = 0.022).

Conclusion These findings demonstrate that the energy consumption and ultra-processed food intake were similar in both groups, which reinforces the trend toward a high intake of ultra-processed food in the general population. The intake of ultra-processed food was positively associated with the consumption of carbohydrates, trans fat and sodium, and negatively associated with the consumption of protein and fiber.
Report of the Phenotype of a Patient with Roberts Syndrome and a Rare ESCO2 Variant
Authors: da Costa Almeida Carla Bastos , Welter Amanda Thum , Abech Gabriel Dotta , Brandão Gabriela Rangel , Flores José Antônio Monteiro , Schüle Birgitt , Francke Uta , Fiegenbaum Marilu , Zen Paulo Ricardo Gazzola , Rosa Rafael Fabiano Machado
Published: September 2019

Roberts syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disease. In this report, we report a Brazilian patient with a rare ESCO2 variant. The patient manifested a broad range of clinical findings including the significant, bilateral shortening of the extremities. He deteriorated and passed away at 20 days of age. High-resolution GTG-banded karyotype showed lack of centromeric constriction in some chromosomes, premature centromere separation in others, and repulsion of the heterochromatin regions. Molecular analysis of the ESCO2 gene revealed a deletion of 4 bp involving exon 4 in homozygosity (NM_00107420.2:c.875_878delACAG), which causes loss of ESCO2 function. We describe the clinical presentation caused by a rare ESCO2 variant.
Mixed convective heat transfer analysis for the peristaltic transport of viscoplastic fluid: Perturbation and numerical study
Authors: Asghar Zaheer , Ali Nasir
Published: September 2019

Mixed convective peristaltic flow of incompressible viscoplastic fluid is investigated in a two-dimensional symmetric channel. The rheology of viscoplastic material is characterized by the constitutive equation for Bingham plastic model. The coupling between momentum and energy equations is achieved through Boussinesq approximation. The coupled nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed in wave frame using Galilean transformation and then simplified under realistic assumptions of long wavelength and low Reynolds number. Approximate solution is obtained using regular perturbation method which is restricted to the smaller values of Grashof and Bingham numbers. The validity of approximate solution is established by comparing it with the numerical solution obtained via Matlab built-in routine bvp4c. Based on the numerical solution an extensive analysis is performed in order to analyze the effects of various parameters of interest on flow characteristics, pumping and trapping phenomena. It is found that velocity decreases at the center by increasing Bingham number showing a boundary layer character for large values. However, it increases by increasing Brinkman and Grashof numbers. Moreover, pressure rise per wavelength increases with Bingham number, Brinkman number and Grashof number, in the pumping region. The result further indicate that larger values of Bingham number circumvent bolus growth.
Land–atmosphere feedbacks exacerbate concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity
Authors: Zhou Sha , Williams A. Park , Berg Alexis M. , Cook Benjamin I. , Zhang Yao , Hagemann Stefan , Lorenz Ruth , Seneviratne Sonia I. , Gentine Pierre
Published: September 2019

Significance

Soil drought and atmospheric aridity can be disastrous for ecosystems and society. This study demonstrates the critical role of land–atmosphere feedbacks in driving cooccurring soil drought and atmospheric aridity. The frequency and intensity of atmospheric aridity are greatly reduced without the feedback of soil moisture to atmospheric temperature and humidity. Soil moisture can also impact precipitation to amplify soil moisture deficits under dry conditions. These land–atmosphere processes lead to high probability of concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity. Compared to the historical period, models project future frequency and intensity of concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity to be further enhanced by land–atmosphere feedbacks, which may pose large risks to ecosystem services and human well-being in the future.
What’s the Problem with the Cosmological Constant?
Authors: Schneider Mike D.
Published: September 2019

The “Cosmological Constant Problem” (CCP) is widely considered a crisis in contemporary theoretical physics. Unfortunately, the search for its resolution is hampered by open disagreement about what is, strictly, the problem. This disagreement stems from the observation that the CCP is not a problem within any of our current theories, and nearly all of the details of those future theories for which the CCP could be made a problem are up for grabs. Given this state of affairs, I discuss how one ought to make sense of the role of the CCP in physics and generalize some lessons from it.
The Small Number System
Authors: Margolis Eric
Published: September 2019

I argue that the human mind includes an innate domain-specific system for representing precise small numerical quantities. This theory contrasts with object-tracking theories and with domain-general theories that only make use of mental models. I argue that there is a good amount of evidence for innate representations of small numerical quantities and that such a domain-specific system has explanatory advantages when infants’ poor working memory is taken into account. I also show that the mental models approach requires previously unnoticed domain-specific structure and consequently that there is no domain-general alternative to an innate domain-specific small number system.
VO2 thin films for smart windows: Numerical study of the optical properties and performance improvement
Authors: Derkaoui I , Khenfouch M , Benkhali M , Rezzouk A
Published: September 2019

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) have attracted tremendous interest in recent years due to their semiconductor-metal transition near room temperature. In this work, we report numerical simulation of the optical properties of VO2 thin layers which include the index of refraction, the coefficient of extinction, the reflectance and the transmittance. In this sense, we used the Model of Drude-Lorentz for calculating coefficients at from the optical parameters n and k using the determination of the dielectric constant ε (ω, T). Knowing that the semiconductor-metal transition temperature of VO2 is 68 °C, the thickness effect on the optical properties of VO2 thin films has been studied by transmittance simulations. Our results revealed a significant changes in optical properties of VO2 thin layers, which produces many interesting applications especially for smart windows.
Characterization of ZnO thin films elaborated by cathodic sputtering with different oxygen percentages: investigation of surface energy.
Authors: Najih Y , Adar M , Charafih Y , Rahmani K , Khouch Z , Bengourram J , Kouider N , Mabrouki M
Published: September 2019

In this work, transparent thin films of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) were elaborated by RF sputtering with different oxygen percentages (10%, 20%, 30%, 50%). A structural (X-ray Diffraction) and morphological (Atomic Force Microscopy) study was carried out to investigate the influence of the elaboration conditions. A high roughness was obtained for the ZnO film deposited with 50% of O2 under 100w RF power, and the roughness increased with increasing O2 rate. The physicochemical properties were characterized by the calculation of surface energy, the results showed that the surface of the ZnO thin films are governed by short-range forces, i.e. the dispersive component (LW) is larger than the polar component (AB). The calculation of the interaction energy (ΔG
iwi
) has shown that the surfaces of ZnO films are hydrophobic (ΔG
iwi
<0) and the degree of hydrophobicity increases with increasing oxygen percentage.