bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cincuenta años de la economía del Cesar: de la agroindustria del algodón a la extracción del carbón
Authors: Bonet-Morón Jaime , Aguilera-Díaz María
Published: February 2020

El Cesar es uno de los cuatro departamentos del Caribe colombiano que se constituyeron en la década de los sesenta del siglo xx. En los cincuenta años transcurridos desde su creación, su economía experimentó cambios estructurales ya que pasó de ser una región primordialmente agropecuaria a ser una economía minera. Este estudio analiza la historia económica cesarence basada en tres etapas de su desarrollo: (i) los primeros 12 años correspondieron a una bonanza económica generada por la agroindustria del algodón, en la que tuvo un alto crecimiento económico y alcanzó uno de los mayores ingresos per cápita del país; (ii) luego, entró durante dos décadas en una etapa de estancamiento, por la crisis algodonera que afectó otras actividades como la ganadería y, además, fue un periodo de inseguridad en el campo por las acciones de grupos al margen de la ley; y (iii) en los últimos 17 años la minería de carbón se ha convertido en la actividad que genera el mayor porcentaje de su producto interno bruto y provee regalías que han incrementado las arcas de los presupuestos municipales y departamental.

Cesar is one of the four departments in the Colombian Caribbean region that were created in the 1960’s. During the last five decades its economy has undergone important structural changes, such as going from an agricultural to a mining-dependent economy. This paper analyzes the economic history of the department based on three stages of its development. The first 12 years corresponded to the boom of the cotton agroindustry, where the main characteristic was a high economic and population growth, with one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. Then, the department went through a two-decade stagnation period mainly caused by a fall in cotton production, which also affected some other primary sector activities. On top of that, it was a period of increasing violence due to the terrorist actions of illegal armed groups. The last period of analysis covers the past 17 years, with the rise of coal mining, today the largest sector in Cesar’s gdp and an important source of income to the departmental and local governments.
Interpretasi Kritis atas Sistem Sosial dan Sejarah Pendidikan Islam Modern Pasca Tragedi 11 September 2001
Authors: Syahrul Syahrul , Syalviana Evie
Published: February 2020

This study aims to analyze and uncover Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi's arguments which say that acts of terrorism committed by Muslims are not only related to doctrine, but also related to the historical, social, economic and political roots of the States. Arabic and countries which are predominantly Muslim. This research is literature research by analyzing a book written by Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi. This research found that the Islamic world is facing complex problems in the social, ethnic and cultural fields. These problems are influenced by the existence of three factors; modernization, nationalization, and religious movements.
Analysis of tax-spend nexus for Russian regional budgets
Authors: Gurvich Evsey T. , Krasnopeeva Natalia A.
Published: February 2020

We study the tax-spend nexus for Russian regional budgets. Causal relationship running from taxing to spending is found, thus supporting the concept “tax and spend” suggested by M. Friedman. Next, elasticity of expenditure by revenue is estimated for a panel of 80 regional budgets basing on data for 2000—2017. Estimates are in the range of 0.72 to 0.78 (depending on the econometric technique), which exceeds elasticity for the federal budget more than twice. This evidences that fiscal policy at the sub-federal (as distinct from the federal) level has clear pro-cyclical nature. Besides, the largest sensitivity of expenditure to revenue shocks is found for the item “national economy”, implying marked adverse implications for economic growth. We suggest to mitigate this effect by modifying fiscal rules for sub-federal budgets. They are currently aimed primarily at enhancing fiscal discipline, with less emphasis on countercyclical policy, insulating economy from fiscal shocks.
Russian Stock Index volatility: Oil and sanctions
Authors: Aganin Artem D.
Published: February 2020

Since 2014, the Russian stock market has been under pressure due to both sanctions and a sharp drop in oil prices, which led to its increased volatility. This paper analyzes the impact of the price volatility of Brent oil and sanctions on the volatility of the Russian stock index RTS. Under volatility the paper understands both its parametric estimate obtained from the GARCH model estimation as well as non-parametric estimate — realized volatility. To estimate the effect of oil price volatility and sanctions, several cointegrated regressions were analyzed. The robustness of the results in relation to the choice of volatility assessment is demonstrated. The results show that RTS index volatility still depends on oil prices volatility in 2007—2018. This dependence is most pronounced in the periods of crisis. The paper also demonstrates the adjustment of the Russian stock market to the previous sanctions, which calls into question their long-term efficiency.
Maternal Referral at Kalabahi General Hospital : A Descriptive Study
Authors: Saddam Fuad , Purbawa Putu A. A.
Published: February 2020

Abstract

Objective: To find out the profile of cesarean section in dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital since the BPJS era.Methods: This study was a descriptive-observational with retrospective design. The data were obtained in March-April 2017. We collected 3656 data from medical record period January 1st, 2014 - December 31st, 2016.Results: The finding showed there were 1,669 vaginal deliveries (45.65%) and 1,987 cesarean sections (54.35%). The most frequent causes to cesarean sections were induction failure (49.77%), cephalopelvic disproportion (14.33%), pregnancy-induced hypertension (11.21%), malpresentation (8.91), and antepartum haemorrhage (4.33%).Conclusions: The incidence of cesarean sections in dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital since the BPJS era was 54.35%, increased by 13.29% than the year of 2011-2013 (41.06%) with the most frequent cause is induction failure (49.77%).Keywords: antepartum haemorrhage, BPJS, cesarean section, induction failure, pregnancy-induced hypertension, tertiary referral hospital.

Abstrak

Tujuan: Mengetahui profil persalinan seksio sesarea di RSUD dr. Zainoel Abidin Banda Aceh pada era BPJS.Metode: Penelitian deskriptif-observasional dengan desain studi retrospektif. Pengambilan data dimulai dari bulan Maret-April 2017. Sebanyak 3656 data dikumpulkan dari rekam medik periode 1 Januari 2014 - 31 Desember 2016.Hasil: Terdapat 1.669 kasus persalinan pervaginam (45,65%) dan 1.987 kasus seksio sesarea (54,35%). Indikasi terbanyak yang menyertai seksio sesarea adalah gagal induksi (49,77%), cephalopelvic disproportion (14,33%), hipertensi dalam kehamilan (11,21%), malpresentasi (8,91%), dan perdarahan antepartum (4,33%).Kesimpulan: Angka seksio sesarea di RSUD dr. Zainoel Abidin meningkat 13,29% sejak berlakunya BPJS (1 Januari 2014-31 Desember 2016) mencapai 54,35% dibandingkan tahun 2011-2013 (41,07%) dengan indikasi terbanyak gagal induksi (49,77%).Kata kunci: BPJS, gagal Induksi, hipertensi dalam kehamilan, perdarahan antepartum, RS rujukan tersier, seksio sesarea.
Coefficient Estimates for Generalized Analytic Bi-Univalent Functions
Authors: Makinde Deborah Olufunmilayo
Published: February 2020

For the normalized analytic functions of the form..... .We obtain the initial coefficient estimates for the subclassThe relationship with some coefficient estimates in the literature with that of the subclass above was also considered.
Correlations Between Effective Teachers’ Clusters System and Enhanced Classroom Practices in South Africa
Authors: Ayodele Ajani Oluwatoyin
Published: February 2020

In-service professional development of teachers plays prominent roles in determining quality education in any country. Professional development of teachers has become fundamental to education system in developing African countries. This study evaluated the use of clusters system as one of the in-service professional development approaches for teachers in South African high school. Andragogy theory was used as theoretical framework to underpin the study. Questionnaire was administered with 40 teachers; 3 Heads of Departments were engaged in semi-structured individual interviews while 5 teachers were engaged in a focus group interview. Findings revealed that clusters system existed among the various subject-teachers, and these clusters were beneficial to teachers; classroom practices were enhanced, and teachers could be supported by experienced colleagues. However, findings revealed that contents of these meeting were not relevant to the teachers, there was no proper monitoring or follow-up on the teachers’ activities there. The study therefore recommends that clusters system should be well structured to attend to classroom needs of the teachers, while proper follow-up mechanisms should be put in place.
Nitric Oxide Elevation in Polytrauma is Driven by Oxygen Radicals
Authors: BEITL E. , BAŇASOVÁ A. , MIKOVÁ D. , HAMPL V.
Published: February 2020

A common problem in management of polytrauma – a simultaneous injury to more than one organ or organ system, at least one of them lethal without intervention – is a discrepancy between a relatively good initial state and a serious subsequent development. Since nitric oxide (NO) is produced in high quantities during tissue injury, we assumed that serum levels of NO (and its oxidation products, NOx) might serve as a prognostic marker of polytrauma severity. However, we found recently that NOx was increased in polytrauma, but not in the most severe cases. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that serum NOx is reduced in severe polytrauma by concomitant overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Polytrauma was induced in rats under anesthesia by bilateral fracture of femurs and tibiae plus incision of the right liver lobe through laparotomy. Serum NOx was measured by chemiluminescence after hot acidic reduction. The role of ROS was assessed by treatment with an antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). Experimental polytrauma elevated NOx from 11.0±0.7 to 23.8±4.5 ppb. This was completely prevented by NAC treatment (9.1±2.2 ppb). Serum NOx is elevated in severe polytrauma, and this is not reduced by ROS. On the contrary, ROS are necessary for the NOx elevation, probably because ROS produced by inflammatory cells activated by the polytrauma induce massive NO production.
Effect of Climate and Roasting on Polyphenols and Tocopherols in the Kernels and Skin of Six Hazelnut Cultivars (Corylus avellana L.)
Authors: Król Katarzyna , Gantner Magdalena , Piotrowska Anna , Hallmann Ewelina
Published: February 2020

Poland is one of the largest producers of hazelnuts in Europe; however, information about the contents of biologically active compounds in hazelnuts grown in Poland is limited. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the concentrations of phenolic acids, flavonols, and tocopherols in raw and roasted hazelnut kernels and their skin, in addition to determining the effect of the cultivar and year of cultivation. The experiment was carried out in 2016–2018, and the nuts of six hazelnut cultivars were used for research purposes. Among the detected phenolic acids, p-coumaric acid was the most abundant in roasted and unroasted kernels, whereas the apigenin content represented 43%–45% of the total flavonols. The harvest year had a significant effect on the polyphenol content of hazelnuts, whereas roasting had a minor impact. The hazelnut skin contained 168- to 378- fold higher contents of total phenolic compounds than the raw and roasted nuts. Gallic acid was the most abundant phenolic acid in hazelnut skin, contributing 95.0% of the total polyphenols on average. α-Tocopherol was the most abundant tocopherol in the hazelnut cultivars, followed by β + ƴ-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol in hazelnut cultivars. The statistical analysis showed that roasting and year of cultivation did not affect the tocopherol contents of the investigated samples.
Soil and Water Quality Indicators of Diversified Farming Systems in a Saline Region of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Authors: Tan Lam Van , Tran Thanh , Loc Ho Huu
Published: February 2020

Saltwater intrusion, a consequence of climate change and decreased water levels, has been increasingly severe in the Mekong Delta region. Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre Province, Vietnam, is a coastal region where agricultural production and local livelihood have been impaired by saltwater intrusion, resulting in the adoption of multiple coping strategies, including rotations and intercropping. This study aims to measure and evaluate soil and water quality indicators of multiple farming systems in Thanh Phu district and contributes to developing suitable cropping patterns. Soil indicators were pH, electrical conductivity, and exchangeable Na+. Water quality characteristics include pH, salinity, dissolved N and P, alkalinity, H2S, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The results indicated that water pH and salinity were at suitable levels to support the growth of prawn but were below the critical level required to grow black tiger shrimp and white-legged shrimp. Water alkalinity, dissolved N, P, and COD were not constraining for the growth of shrimps. However, a significant concentration of H2S may cause disadvantages for shrimp growth.
Evaluation of Alternative Annular Denuder Systems for the Collection of Fine Aerosol Particulate Matter
Authors: Spencer Jennifer , Osborne Vern , Van Heyst Bill
Published: February 2020

Due to the complex manner in which secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAs) form, a need exists to develop a methodology to measure PM2.5 emissions from agricultural operations to better understand the contribution of SIAs to the PM2.5 fraction. When sampling particulate matter (PM), annular denuder systems (ADS) are a United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) approved system used to measure both gaseous and particulate components of aerosols. While collecting basic gases, such as ammonia, using nine denuders was feasibly demonstrated in poultry housing units but the ability of additional denuders to accurately collect the SIAs on the filters is yet to be demonstrated. An experiment was designed to assess particle deposition behaviors throughout three different ADS configurations. It was determined that the nine denuder configuration resulted in particles being impacted and retained, mainly in the U-bend junctions, prior to reaching the filters with only 87.2% of PM2.5 reaching the filter pack. The US EPA-prescribed ADS configuration had 99.4% of PM2.5 reaching the filters, indicating that there is an impact due to the U-Bend addition to the system. It was further demonstrated that having additional denuders in series with no U-Bend had no significant impact on PM2.5 deposition on the filters with 98.9% of PM2.5 being collected.
An Ammoniated Straw Incorporation Increased Biomass Production and Water Use Efficiency in an Annual Wheat-Maize Rotation System in Semi-Arid China
Authors: Zou Yufeng , Feng Hao , Wu Shufang , Dong Qin’ge , Siddique Kadambot H. M.
Published: February 2020

Water shortage and excessive chemical fertilizers application result in low soil water and nutrient availability and limit crop production in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. Ammoniated straw incorporation with N fertilization may be an efficient strategy to maintain agricultural sustainability. However, the interactive effects of straw incorporation and N fertilizer on the biomass water use efficiency (WUE) in the winter wheat–summer maize rotation system remain unclear. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of combining ammoniated straw incorporation and N fertilizer on soil water, biomass yield and biomass water use efficiency (WUE) in an annual summer maize (Zea mays L.)—Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rotation system. There were three treatments: (i) long straw (5 cm) mulching with N fertilizer (CK), (ii) long straw with N fertilizer plowed into the soil (LP), and (iii) ammoniated long straw with N fertilizer plowed into the soil (ALP). Compared with the CK treatment, LP and ALP led to a similar soil water storage capacity. ALP improved summer maize biomass yield and winter wheat biomass yield at the jointing-maturity stage. ALP improved summer maize WUE at the ten-leaf collar-tasseling stage and winter wheat WUE from the tillering stage to the maturity stage. Also, the ALP treatment increased the total water use efficiency (TWUE) of winter wheat by 4.1–22.0%. Overall, ammoniated straw incorporation produced the most favorable biomass yield and WUE in the summer maize—Winter wheat rotation system in the Loess Plateau of China.
The Impact of Eggshell Colour on the Quality of Table and Hatching Eggs Derived from Japanese Quail
Authors: Drabik Kamil , Batkowska Justyna , Vasiukov Kostiantyn , Pluta Adrian
Published: February 2020

The aim of the study was to evaluate table and hatching eggs of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) depending on the eggshell colour. The research was carried out in two stages, in terms of table eggs’ quality and their biological value as hatching eggs depending on the eggshell colour. In both stages, 300 Japanese quail eggs were used in each (600 in total) divided into two equal groups: with a brown-spotted shell, with a uniform shell in shades of blue. In the 1st stage, quality characteristics of the whole egg (weight, specific gravity, proportions of particular elements), yolk (weight, colour, index), albumen (weight, height) and shell (colour, strength, weight, thickness, density) were evaluated. In the 2nd stage, eggs were incubated under standard conditions and following biological characteristics were analyzed: eggs fertility, embryo mortality, hatchability of fertile and set eggs, body weight of hatchlings and their proportion in egg weight. The shell colour, “blue” or spotted, of Japanese quail eggs, does not appear to influence their quality if they are intended for consumption. However, the hatching results and body weight of obtained chicks of Japanese quail may be affected by the eggshell colour.
A Radial Flow Contactor for Ambient Air CO2 Capture
Authors: Yu Qian , Brilman Wim
Published: February 2020

Direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 can address CO2 emissions from distributed sources and produce CO2 from air virtually anywhere that it is needed. In this paper, the performance of a new radial flow reactor (RFR) for CO2 adsorption from ambient air is reported. The reactor uses a supported amine sorbent and is operated in a batch mode of operation or semi-continuously, respectively without or with sorbent circulation. The radial flow reactor, containing 2 kg of the adsorbent, is successfully scaled up from the experimental results obtained with a fixed bed reactor using only 1 g of the adsorbent. In the batch operation mode, the sorbent in the annular space of the RFR is regenerated in situ. With sorbent circulation, the RFR is loaded and unloaded batchwise and only used as an adsorber. A sorbent batch loaded with CO2 is transported to and regenerated in an external (fluid bed) regenerator. The RFR unit is characterized by a low contacting energy (0.7–1.5 GJ/ton-CO2) and a relatively short adsorption time (24–43 min) compared to other DAC processes using the same types of sorbents. The contactor concept is ready for further scale-up and continuous application.
Complete Benzene Oxidation over Mono and Bimetallic Pd—Au Catalysts on Alumina-Supported Y-Doped Ceria
Authors: Tabakova Tatyana , Ilieva Lyuba , Petrova Petya , Venezia Anna Maria , Karakirova Yordanka , Liotta Leonarda Francesca , Avdeev Georgi
Published: February 2020

The protection of environment and human health stimulates intensive research for abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. Complete catalytic oxidation is an efficient, environmentally friendly and economically feasible method for elimination of VOCs. This study aims to design high performing and cost-effective catalytic formulations by exploration of appropriate and economically viable supports. Alumina-supported ceria (30 wt.%) and Y2O3 (1 wt.%)-doped ceria were prepared by mechanical mixing and were used as support of mono Au (2 wt.%) and Pd (1 wt.%) and bimetallic Pd-Au catalysts. The characterization by textural measurements, X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) was carried out in order to clarify the relationship between catalyst composition, textural, structural and surface properties, reducibility and catalytic performance for complete benzene oxidation. Among all studied catalysts, Pd-based catalysts exhibited the best combustion activity. In particular, monometallic Pd on alumina supported Y-doped ceria attained 100% of complete benzene conversion at 180 °C. These catalytic materials have potential to meet stringent emission regulations in an economical and effective way.
Students’ Acceptance and Tracking of a New Container-Based Virtual Laboratory
Authors: Tobarra Llanos , Robles-Gómez Antonio , Pastor Rafael , Hernández Roberto , Duque Andrés , Cano Jesús
Published: February 2020

Presently, the ever-increasing use of new technologies helps people to acquire additional skills for developing an applied critical thinking in many contexts of our society. When it comes to education, and more particularly in any Engineering subject, practical learning scenarios are key to achieve a set of competencies and applied skills. In our particular case, the cybersecurity topic with a distance education methodology is considered and a new remote virtual laboratory based on containers will be presented and evaluated in this work. The laboratory is based on the Linux Docker virtualization technology, which allows us to create consistent realistic scenarios with lower configuration requirements for the students. The laboratory is comparatively evaluated with our previous environment, LoT@UNED, from both the points of view of the students’ acceptance with a set of UTAUT models, and their behavior regarding evaluation items, time distribution, and content resources. All data was obtained from students’ surveys and platform registers. The main conclusion of this work is that the proposed laboratory obtains a very high acceptance from the students, in terms of several different indicators (perceived usefulness, estimated effort, social influence, attitude, ease of access, and intention of use). Neither the use of the virtual platform nor the distance methodology employed affect the intention to use the technology proposed in this work.
Analyzing the Association between Candida Prevalence, Species Specificity, and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis— Candida and OSCC
Authors: Patil Shankargouda
Published: February 2020

The present review is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the overall prevalence of Candida, and its species specificity in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched using the keywords ‘Candida and oral squamous cell carcinoma’. Only case-control observational studies in the English language evaluating the prevalence and species specificity of Candida in OSCC were included. 297 articles were identified (PubMed-106, Scopus-148, Web of Science-43) using the keywords. After screening the titles and abstracts, 206 articles were removed as they were duplicates (118) or irrelevant to the topic (88). Full text of the remaining 91 articles was assessed using the inclusion criteria, based on which only seven articles were included in the systematic review. For the quantitative analysis, the odds ratio and confidence interval were assessed and a forest plot was generated. Based on the meta-analysis, there is an association between the total Candida, Candida albicans (CA) and OSCC, while the association with non-Candida albicans (NCA) is relatively weak. The number of studies included in the meta-analysis was relatively low (four to five). Further, at least one of the studies included in the meta-analysis for the association of CA., NCA and total Candida with OSCC had a Newcastle–Ottawa score below 7. Thus, although the results showed an association, the quality and quantity of the evidence may not be sufficient for conclusive inference.
Smart Nanocomposites for Nanosecond Signal Control: The Nano4waves Approach
Authors: Mederos-Henry Francisco , Mesfin Henok , Danlée Yann , Jaiswar Rajkumar , Delcorte Arnaud , Bailly Christian , Hermans Sophie , Huynen Isabelle
Published: February 2020

The NANO4WAVES project has demonstrated the potential of a clever organization of nanoscale inclusions in polymer matrices or inks, e.g., carbon nanotubes, graphene, metallic nanoparticles, for controlling the electromagnetic propagation at wavelengths ranging from micrometers up to tenths of centimeters, with a particular focus on broadband absorption. This paper illustrates the versatility of our approach, encompassing the synthesis of various nano-objects, their dispersion and organization at the macroscopic level, and their state-of-the-art characterization for the realization of efficient novel microwave absorbers.
Effective Management System for Solar PV Using Real-Time Data with Hybrid Energy Storage System
Authors: Kumar G. V. Brahmendra , Kaliannan Palanisamy , Padmanaban Sanjeevikumar , Holm-Nielsen Jens Bo , Blaabjerg Frede
Published: February 2020

This paper proposes an effective management system for stand-alone solar photovoltaic (PV) using real-time data with Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS). The abrupt movement of fleeting clouds often gives rise to PV power output fluctuations which in turn affect the power quality and system stability due to scattered solar radiation reception. These variations can limit through a ramp-limit controller and employing a DC link controller to maintain the stable DC link voltage. The battery is used in the system for continuous power application and the sudden variations in charging and discharging of battery power can create stress on the battery. These sudden changes in a battery will be removed by the super-capacitor (SC) unit and achieves a fast DC link voltage regulation. Hence, the high energy and power density devices such as battery and SC units will deliver more stable power into the system. The control scheme is tested in Matlab/Simulink and validated by Real-Time Hardware-in-Loop (HIL) simulator using periodic one-minute data for one year from the solar PV power plant from real-time.
Quasi-Static Load Sharing Characteristics of a Planetary Gear Set with Planet Journal Bearings
Authors: Guo Zhiqiang , Li Shenlong , Wu Wei , Zhang Liuyang
Published: February 2020

The quasi-static load sharing characteristics of a planetary gear set with planet journal bearings are numerically investigated. The application of journal bearings instead of rolling bearings in planetary gear sets is an alternative to increase the rotation speed. Therefore, an effective analysis method is needed to estimate the dynamic performance of a planetary gear set with planet journal bearings. Here, an available load sharing factor computation method is developed considering the effect of the variable journal bearing stiffness. Results of an experiment are used to validate the effectiveness of the computation method. Furthermore, the load sharing characteristics of a planetary gear set with planet journal bearings are influenced by bearing parameters and operating conditions significantly due to the changing bearing stiffness of journal bearings. The effects on the load sharing factor and the bearing stiffness are studied in detail simultaneously based on the proposed analysis method. The load sharing factor of a planetary gear set with planet journal bearings has a similar variation with the bearing support stiffness under the same load. These researches provide a theoretical basis for the application of journal bearings in planetary gear sets.
Simulation of Electronic Quantum Devices: Failure of Semiclassical Models
Authors: Iotti Rita Claudia , Rossi Fausto
Published: February 2020

To simplify the design and optimization of new-generation nanomaterials and related electronic and optoelectronic quantum devices, energy dissipation versus decoherence phenomena are often simulated via local models based on the Wigner-function formalism. Such a local description is, however, intrinsically incompatible with the fully quantum-mechanical (i.e., non-local) nature of the dissipation-free carrier dynamics. While the limitations of such hybrid treatments have already been pointed out in the past in diverse contexts, the spirit of the present work is to provide a more cohesive and critical review. To this aim, we focus on the fundamental link between the Wigner-function picture and the density-matrix formalism. In particular, we show that, starting from well-established density-matrix-based models, the resulting Wigner-function dissipation and/or thermalization dynamics is necessarily non-local. This leads to the conclusion that the use of local Wigner function models borrowed from the semiclassical Boltzmann theory is formally not justified and may produce unreliable results, and that such simplified local treatments should be replaced by fully non-local quantum models derived, e.g., via the density-matrix formalism.
Forced Swim Alters the Radiolabeling of Blood Constituents from Wistar Rats
Authors: Fonseca Adenilson S. da , Rocha Gabrielle S. , Pereira Márcia O. , Cardoso André L. B. D. , Frederico Eric H. F. F. , Moura-Fernandes Márcia C. , Batouli-Santos Daniel , Meirelles Alexandre G. , Santos-Fernandes Carmem , Eduardo-Santos Tiago , Gama Marco A. S. , Paineiras-Domingos Laisa L. , Sá-Caputo Danúbia C. , Taiar Redha , Asad Nasser R. , Bernardo-Filho Mario
Published: February 2020

The present study investigated the effects of forced swimming on the technetium-99m (99mTc) labeling of blood constituents (BloCs). Rats (Wistar) were submitted to forced swim. In previous experiments, swimming animals would recover for different periods of time. Animals not submitted to swimming were used as control. Blood samples were obtained and the 99mTc labeling of BloCs was carried out. Blood cells (BCs), plasma (P), insoluble fractions (IF-P and IF-BCs), and soluble fractions (SF-P and SF-BC) were isolated. Radioactivity was determined, and the percentage of 99mTc incorporated (%ATI) was calculated in each fraction. Results showed that forced swimming decreased the percentage of 99mTc incorporated (%ATI) in IF-P (p < 0.05). It is suggested that the 99mTc labeling of BloCs could be used to verify the effects of the stress conditions on BloCs and that the radionuclide fixation on plasma proteins might be altered in rats submitted to acute stress induced by forced swimming, returning to control levels after recovery.
Pollution Transport Patterns Obtained Through Generalized Lagrangian Coherent Structures
Authors: Nolan Peter J. , Foroutan Hosein , Ross Shane D.
Published: February 2020

Identifying atmospheric transport pathways is important to understand the effects of pollutants on weather, climate, and human health. The atmospheric wind field is variable in space and time and contains complex patterns due to turbulent mixing. In such a highly unsteady flow field, it can be challenging to predict material transport over a finite-time interval. Particle trajectories are often used to study how pollutants evolve in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, individual trajectories are sensitive to their initial conditions. Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs) have been shown to form the template of fluid parcel motion in a fluid flow. LCSs can be characterized by special material surfaces that organize the parcel motion into ordered patterns. These key material surfaces form the core of fluid deformation patterns, such as saddle points, tangles, filaments, barriers, and pathways. Traditionally, the study of LCSs has looked at coherent structures derived from integrating the wind velocity field. It has been assumed that particles in the atmosphere will generally evolve with the wind. Recent work has begun to look at the motion of chemical species, such as water vapor, within atmospheric flows. By calculating the flux associated with each species, a new effective flux-based velocity field can be obtained for each species. This work analyzes generalized species-weighted coherent structures associated with various chemical species to find their patterns and pathways in the atmosphere, providing a new tool and language for the assessment of pollutant transport and patterns.
Multimodal Affective State Assessment Using fNIRS + EEG and Spontaneous Facial Expression
Authors: Sun Yanjia , Ayaz Hasan , Akansu Ali N.
Published: February 2020

Human facial expressions are regarded as a vital indicator of one’s emotion and intention, and even reveal the state of health and wellbeing. Emotional states have been associated with information processing within and between subcortical and cortical areas of the brain, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between spontaneous human facial affective expressions and multi-modal brain activity measured via non-invasive and wearable sensors: functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) signals. The affective states of twelve male participants detected via fNIRS, EEG, and spontaneous facial expressions were investigated in response to both image-content stimuli and video-content stimuli. We propose a method to jointly evaluate fNIRS and EEG signals for affective state detection (emotional valence as positive or negative). Experimental results reveal a strong correlation between spontaneous facial affective expressions and the perceived emotional valence. Moreover, the affective states were estimated by the fNIRS, EEG, and fNIRS + EEG brain activity measurements. We show that the proposed EEG + fNIRS hybrid method outperforms fNIRS-only and EEG-only approaches. Our findings indicate that the dynamic (video-content based) stimuli triggers a larger affective response than the static (image-content based) stimuli. These findings also suggest joint utilization of facial expression and wearable neuroimaging, fNIRS, and EEG, for improved emotional analysis and affective brain–computer interface applications.
Ethno-National Attitudes as Intercultural Competence Predictors in University Students: Gender Differences
Authors: Novikova Irina A. , Gridunova Marina V. , Novikov Alexey L. , Shlyakhta Dmitriy A.
Published: February 2020

The search for predictors of intercultural competence (ICC) development is one of the important challenges of modern psychology in connection with globalization in all the spheres of modern life, including university education. The purpose of the present research is to show that the ethno-national attitudes (ENA), which Khukhlaev et al. consider as an individual’s predisposition to assess the nationality/ethnicity can determine the severity of ICC features in male and female university students. The sample includes 219 (75% female) first–third year Russian university students. ICC was measured with the author’s modification of the intercultural sensitivity scale (ISS) by Khuhlaev and Chibisova. ISS is based on the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, (DMIS) by Bennett and includes 4 subscales: Minimization, Absolutization, Ambivalence, Acceptance. ENA (Nationalistic, Patriotic, Neutral, Negativistic) were determined with the “Scale of ethno-national attitudes” by Khukhlaev, Kuznetsov, and Tkachenko. Descriptive statistics methods, Wilcoxon W-test, and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis in the R software environment, version 3.5.2. The findings of our research showed that Nationalistic and Patriotic ENA are the strongest predictors of studied ICC scales and have an opposite negative impact on Acceptance and Absolutization in both male and female students. This fact should be taken into account in the context of ICC developments.
Indoor and Outdoor Concentrations of Particulate Matter in an Airport Terminal Building: A Pilot Study at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia
Authors: Kim Amy , Medal Lysandra , Wang Shuoqi , Larson Timothy
Published: February 2020

The air quality inside airport terminal buildings is a lesser studied area compared to ambient air quality at the airport. The contribution of outdoor particulate matter (PM), aircraft traffic, and passenger traffic to indoor PM concentration is not well understood. Using the largest airport in Southeast Asia as the study site (extends 17.9 square kilometers), the objective of this paper is to conduct a preliminary analysis to examine the mass concentrations of fine particles, including PM1 and PM2.5, and coarse particles PM2.5–10 inside a four-story terminal building spanning 400,000 square meters in Jakarta, Indonesia. The results showed the indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratio of 0.42 for PM1 with 15-min time lag and 0.33 for PM2.5 with 30-min time lag. The aircraft traffic appeared to have a significant impact on indoor PM1 and PM2.5, whereas the passenger traffic showed an influence on indoor PM2.5–10.
Controversy in the Use of CD38 Antibody for Treatment of Myeloma: Is High CD38 Expression Good or Bad?
Authors: Plesner Torben , van de Donk Niels W. C. J. , Richardson Paul G.
Published: February 2020

During a time span of just a few years, the CD38 antibody, daratumumab, has been established as one of the most important new drugs for the treatment of multiple myeloma, both in the relapsed/refractory setting and, more recently, as a first-line treatment. Although much is known about the pleiotropic modes of action of daratumumab, we are still not sure how to use it in an optimal manner. Daratumumab targets CD38 on myeloma cells and a high level of CD38 expression facilitates complement-mediated cytotoxicity (CDC), antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). Since the expression of CD38 by myeloma cells is downregulated during treatment with daratumumab, it may seem reasonable to introduce a wash-out period and retreat with daratumumab at a later time point when CD38 expression has recovered in order to gain the maximum benefit of daratumumab’s capacity to kill myeloma cells by CDC, ADCC and ADCP. In other aspects, CD38 seems to serve as a survival factor for myeloma cells by facilitating protective myeloma cell–stromal-cell interactions, contributing to the formation of nanotubes that transfer mitochondria from the stromal cells to myeloma cells, boosting myeloma cell proliferation and survival and by generation of immunosuppressive adenosine in the bone marrow microenvironment. In addition, continuous exposure to daratumumab may keep immune suppressor cells at a low level, which boosts the anti-tumor activity of T-cells. In fact, one may speculate if in the early phase of treatment of a myeloma patient, the debulking effects of daratumumab achieved by CDC, ADCC and ADCP are more important while at a later stage, reprogramming of the patient’s own immune system and certain metabolic effects may take over and become more essential. This duality may be reflected by what we often observe when we watch the slope of the M-protein from myeloma patients responding to daratumumab: A rapid initial drop followed by a slow decline of the M-protein during several months or even years. Ongoing and future clinical trials will teach us how to use daratumumab in an optimal way.
Mechanistic Roles of Matrilin-2 and Klotho in Modulating the Inflammatory Activity of Human Aortic Valve Cells
Authors: The Erlinda , Yao Qingzhou , Zhang Peijian , Zhai Yufeng , Ao Lihua , Fullerton David A. , Meng Xianzhong
Published: February 2020

Background: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Soluble extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins can act as damage-associated molecular patterns and may induce valvular inflammation. Matrilin-2 is an ECM protein and has been found to elevate the pro-osteogenic activity in human aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs). Klotho, an anti-aging protein, appears to have anti-inflammatory properties. The effect of matrilin-2 and Klotho on AVIC inflammatory responses remains unclear. Methods and Results: Isolated human AVICs were exposed to matrilin-2. Soluble matrilin-2 induced the production of ICAM-1, MCP-1, and IL-6. It also induced protein kinase R (PKR) activation via Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 4. Pretreatment with PKR inhibitors inhibited NF-κB activation and inflammatory mediator production induced by matrilin-2. Further, recombinant Klotho suppressed PKR and NF-κB activation and markedly reduced the production of inflammatory mediators in human AVICs exposed to matrilin-2. Conclusions: This study revealed that soluble matrilin-2 upregulates AVIC inflammatory activity via activation of the TLR-PKR-NF-κB pathway and that Klotho is potent to suppress AVIC inflammatory responses to a soluble ECM protein through inhibiting PKR. These novel findings indicate that soluble matrilin-2 may accelerate the progression of CAVD by inducing valvular inflammation and that Klotho has the potential to suppress valvular inflammation.
The Role of TRPC1 in Modulating Cancer Progression
Authors: Elzamzamy Osama M , Penner Reinhold , Hazlehurst Lori A
Published: February 2020

Calcium ions (Ca2+) play an important role as second messengers in regulating a plethora of physiological and pathological processes, including the progression of cancer. Several selective and non-selective Ca2+-permeable ion channels are implicated in mediating Ca2+ signaling in cancer cells. In this review, we are focusing on TRPC1, a member of the TRP protein superfamily and a potential modulator of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) pathways. While TRPC1 is ubiquitously expressed in most tissues, its dysregulated activity may contribute to the hallmarks of various types of cancers, including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, lung cancer, hepatic cancer, multiple myeloma, and thyroid cancer. A range of pharmacological and genetic tools have been developed to address the functional role of TRPC1 in cancer. Interestingly, the unique role of TRPC1 has elevated this channel as a promising target for modulation both in terms of pharmacological inhibition leading to suppression of tumor growth and metastasis, as well as for agonistic strategies eliciting Ca2+ overload and cell death in aggressive metastatic tumor cells.
Tools to Ease the Choice and Design of Protein Crystallisation Experiments
Authors: Rosa Nicholas , Ristic Marko , Thorburn Luke , Abrahams Gabriel , Marshall Bevan , Watkins Christopher , Kruger Alex , Khassapov Alex , Newman Janet
Published: February 2020

The process of macromolecular crystallisation almost always begins by setting up crystallisation trials using commercial or other premade screens, followed by cycles of optimisation where the crystallisation cocktails are focused towards a particular small region of chemical space. The screening process is relatively straightforward, but still requires an understanding of the plethora of commercially available screens. Optimisation is complicated by requiring both the design and preparation of the appropriate secondary screens. Software has been developed in the C3 lab to aid the process of choosing initial screens, to analyse the results of the initial trials, and to design and describe how to prepare optimisation screens.
Separate Track Impact Factor Application Depending on Track Types through Correlative Analysis with Track Support Stiffness
Authors: Lee Jae-Ik , Oh Kyu-Hwan , Park Yong-Gul
Published: February 2020

Track impact factor (TIF) is a coefficient for estimating the increase of train dynamic load and is a major factor for the evaluation of dynamic stability of railway tracks. Many kinds of TIF in ballasted and ballast-less slab tracks consider only speed as a variable in different regions of the world. Because of this lack of clarification, nations such as Korea and those in the Middle East, and South East Asia are implementing overly simplified calculation methods for TIF, resulting in inconsistent maintenance of different railway track types. A comparative analysis of theoretically track support stiffness (TSS) and trackside measurement calculated TSS at wheel-rail contact point shows different values (depending on speed) between ballasted and ballast-less slab tracks. Based on this finding, this paper investigates a TIF formulation method that considers both dynamic wheel load and speed as variables, and a separate application of TIF formulation depending on track types is proposed. A clarified distinction of how these parameters (TSS and TIF) interact differently between ballasted and ballast-less slab track structures can be an important factor in case of track designing and maintenance aspects.
Liquation Cracking Tendency of Novel Al-Mg-Zn Alloys with a Zn/Mg Ratio below 1.0 during Fusion Welding
Authors: Zhang Di , Zhao Xin , Pan Yanlin , Li Hongxiang , Zhou Li , Zhang Jishan , Zhuang Linzhong
Published: February 2020

The main obstacle for the application of high strength 7××× series aluminum alloys is that these alloys are susceptible to hot cracking during fusion welding. This study presents the liquation cracking susceptibility of the novel T-Mg32(AlZn)49 phase strengthened Al-Mg-Zn alloy with a Zn/Mg ratio below 1.0 by a circular-patch welding test, and compared the liquation cracking tendency with η-MgZn2 phase strengthened 7××× series alloys whose Zn/Mg ratios are above 1.0. It was found that all these novel Al-Mg-Zn alloys still have as low a liquation cracking susceptibility as traditional 5××× series alloys, surpassing that of traditional 7××× series alloys substantially. It was noticed that the increase of the Zn/Mg ratio will result in a larger difference between the fraction solids of the fusion zone and the partially melted zone during the terminal solidification stage, which can lead to a wider crack healing disparity between these two areas and thus result in different liquation cracking susceptibilities in different alloys.
Distribution of Transition Temperatures in Magnetic Transformations: Sources, Effects and Procedures to Extract Information from Experimental Data
Authors: Manchón-Gordón Alejandro F. , López-Martín Raúl , Vidal-Crespo Antonio , Ipus Jhon J. , Blázquez Javier S. , Conde Clara F. , Conde A.
Published: February 2020

The presence of a distribution of transition temperatures (DTT) is ubiquitous in materials science. It is common to ascribe deviations from theoretical pure-phase behavior to this fact. To adapt the different pure phase models to systems with a DTT, the parameters of such distribution must be known or at least estimated. In this review, the different sources for the existence of such distributions and their effects on magnetothermal properties are summarized. In addition, different models proposed to extract the parameters of the corresponding DTT are discussed and extended, starting from Weiss model, to account for other phenomenologies. Experimental results on amorphous Fe-Nb-B and intermetallic MnCo(Fe)Ge systems are also reported.