bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Very degenerate elliptic equations under almost critical Sobolev regularity
Authors: Clop Albert , Giova Raffaella , Hatami Farhad , Passarelli di Napoli Antonia
Published: August 2020

We prove the local Lipschitz continuity and the higher differentiability of local minimizers of functionals of the form

𝔽
⁢

(
u
,
Ω
)

=

∫
Ω

(

F
⁢

(
x
,

D
⁢
u
⁢

(
x
)

)

+

f
⁢

(
x
)

⋅
u

⁢

(
x
)

)

⁢

d
⁢
x

\mathbb{F}(u,\Omega)=\int_{\Omega}(F(x,Du(x))+f(x)\cdot u(x))\mathop{}\!dx

with non-autonomous integrand

F
⁢

(
x
,
ξ
)

{F(x,\xi)}

which is degenerate convex with respect to the gradient variable.
The main novelty here is that the results are obtained assuming that the partial map

x
↦

D
ξ

⁢
F
⁢

(
x
,
ξ
)

{x\mapsto D_{\xi}F(x,\xi)}

has weak derivative in the almost critical Zygmund class

L
n

⁢

log
α

⁡
L

{L^{n}\log^{\alpha}L}

and the datum f is assumed to belong to the same Zygmund class.
An improved technique for low-loss material complex permittivity and permeability determination from transmission-only measurements
Authors: Yang Chuang , Wang Jian , Feng Feng
Published: August 2020

In this paper, a novel technique based on transmission-only measurements is proposed to determine complex permittivity and permeability of low-loss materials. The proposed method removes the influences of the sample thickness and avoids the resonances in the extracted parameters. Both the experiment and simulation are applied to present the advantages of the proposed method. Compared with the well-known Nicolson–Ross–Weir (NRW) method, the proposed method shows a good performance in resonance avoidance. Compared with the conventional method based on the transmission-only measurements, the proposed method shows a good performance in accuracy.
Shadow banks and the risk-taking channel of monetary policy transmission in the euro area
Authors: Wischnewsky Arina , Neuenkirch Matthias
Published: August 2020

We provide evidence for a risk-taking channel of monetary policy transmission in the euro area that works through an increase in shadow banks’ total asset growth and their risk assets ratio. Our dataset covers the period 2000Q1–2018Q3 and includes, in addition to the standard variables for real GDP growth, inflation, and the monetary policy stance, the aforementioned two indicators for the shadow banking sector. Based on vector autoregressive models for the euro area as a whole, we find a portfolio reallocation effect towards riskier assets and evidence for a general expansion of assets. Both effects last for roughly six quarters in the case of conventional monetary policy shocks, whereas for unconventional monetary policy shocks the responses are significant for two quarters only. Country-specific as well as sector-specific estimations confirm these findings for most of the euro area countries and all non-bank types, but also reveal some heterogeneity in the reaction of financial institutions.
Admissible Galois Structures on the categories dual to some varieties of universal algebras
Authors: Zangurashvili Dali
Published: August 2020

The subject of the paper is suggested by G. Janelidze and motivated by his earlier result giving a positive answer to the question posed by S. MacLane whether the Galois theory of homogeneous linear ordinary differential equations over a differential field (which is Kolchin–Ritt theory and an algebraic version of Picard–Vessiot theory) can be obtained as a particular case of G. Janelidze’s Galois theory in categories.
One ground category in the Galois structure involved in this theory is dual to the category of commutative rings with unit, and another one is dual to the category of commutative differential rings with unit.
In the present paper, we apply the general categorical construction, the particular case of which gives this Galois structure, by replacing “commutative rings with unit” by algebras from any variety

V

\mathscr{V}

of universal algebras satisfying the amalgamation property and a certain condition (of the syntactical nature) for elements of amalgamated free products which was introduced earlier, and replacing “commutative differential rings with unit” by

V

\mathscr{V}

-algebras equipped with additional unary operations which satisfy some special identities to construct a new Galois structure.
It is proved that this Galois structure is admissible.
Moreover, normal extensions with respect to it are characterized in the case where

V

\mathscr{V}

is any of the following varieties: abelian groups, loops and quasigroups.
Individual and combined effects of GIP and xenin on differentiation, glucose uptake and lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes
Authors: English Andrew , Craig Sarah L. , Flatt Peter R. , Irwin Nigel
Published: August 2020

The incretin hormone glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), released postprandially from K-cells, has established actions on adipocytes and lipid metabolism. In addition, xenin, a related peptide hormone also secreted from K-cells after a meal, has postulated effects on energy regulation and lipid turnover. The current study has probed direct individual and combined effects of GIP and xenin on adipocyte function in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, using enzyme-resistant peptide analogues, (d-Ala2)GIP and xenin-25-Gln, and knockdown (KD) of receptors for both peptides. (d-Ala2)GIP stimulated adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes over 96 h, with xenin-25-Gln evoking similar effects. Combined treatment significantly countered these individual adipogenic effects. Individual receptor KD impaired lipid accumulation and adipocyte differentiation, with combined receptor KD preventing differentiation. (d-Ala2)GIP and xenin-25-Gln increased glycerol release from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but this lipolytic effect was significantly less apparent with combined treatment. Key adipogenic and lipolytic genes were upregulated by (d-Ala2)GIP or xenin-25-Gln, but not by dual peptide culture. Similarly, both (d-Ala2)GIP and xenin-25-Gln stimulated insulin-induced glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but this effect was annulled by dual treatment. In conclusion, GIP and xenin possess direct, comparable, lipogenic and lipolytic actions in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. However, effects on lipid metabolism are significantly diminished by combined administration.
Biosynthesis and function of cell-surface polysaccharides in the social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
Authors: Pérez-Burgos María , Søgaard-Andersen Lotte
Published: August 2020

In bacteria, cell-surface polysaccharides fulfill important physiological functions, including interactions with the environment and other cells as well as protection from diverse stresses. The Gram-negative delta-proteobacteriumMyxococcus xanthusis a model to study social behaviors in bacteria.M. xanthussynthesizes four cell-surface polysaccharides, i.e., exopolysaccharide (EPS), biosurfactant polysaccharide (BPS), spore coat polysaccharide, and O-antigen. Here, we describe recent progress in elucidating the three Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathways for EPS, BPS and spore coat polysaccharide biosynthesis and the ABC transporter-dependent pathway for O-antigen biosynthesis. Moreover, we describe the functions of these four cell-surface polysaccharides in the social life cycle ofM. xanthus.
Dynamic continuous cooling transformation, microstructure and mechanical properties of medium-carbon carbide-free bainitic steel
Authors: Chen Xi , Wang Fuming , Li Changrong , Zhang Jing
Published: August 2020

The effects of the cooling rate after hot deformation on phase transformation, the microstructure of the designed nonquenched and tempered medium-carbon carbide-free bainitic steel have been investigated during the dynamic continuous cooling process. The results show that with the increase of the cooling rate, the morphology of the carbide-free bainite of the experimental steel evolves from granular bainite to lath bainite. Meanwhile, the hardness increases, and the amount of the retained austenite decreases with the increase of the cooling rate. Besides, the morphology evolution of the retained austenite from block to film is revealed by EBSD. Moreover, 0.5°C/s is considered to be the favorable cooling rate to obtain the best strength–toughness matching. Furthermore, the semi-industrial experimental results proved that the tensile strength, yield strength and Charpy impact energy were 1,298 MPa, 847 MPa and 38 J, respectively.
Approaches to subjective poverty in economic and sociological research
Authors: Lačný Martin
Published: August 2020

Poverty is a complex phenomenon which has been the subject of research across the social sciences. There have been varying approaches to defining and measuring poverty, especially with regard to research focus. In economic and sociological research, the concept of subjective poverty, which is particularly interesting in terms of psychological research into poverty, represents an alternative to the predominant objective measures of poverty. This article reviews the approaches to poverty used in economic and sociological research, paying special regard to representative approaches to subjective poverty, including subjective poverty lines and outlines the aspects relevant to psychological research into poverty.
Ex Machina. Die Gestaltung der Utopie in der Arbeitswelt des britischen Frühsozialisten Robert Owen
Authors: Ahlheim Hannah
Published: August 2020

Der Artikel führt die oft als utopisch beschriebenen Gesellschaftsentwürfe und -projekte des Frühsozialisten Robert Owen zusammen mit seinen Erfahrungen als Fabrikherr und Baumwollfabrikant. Der Text geht der Frage nach, ob und an welchen Punkten Alltagspraktiken der frühen Industrialisierung Spuren hinterließen in der Art und Weise, wie Owen seine Welt wahrnahm, verstand und verändern wollte. Grundüberlegung ist, dass der „radikale Verwirklichungswille“, der Owens Gesellschaftsprojekte auszeichnete, besser verständlich wird vor dem Hintergrund seiner Begegnung mit der ganz konkreten Veränderungskraft der neuen Arbeitsmaschinen, die die Fabrikhallen füllten. Die ständige Wartung und Justierung dieser Maschinen und die erfolgreiche Verbesserung von Verarbeitungstechniken „in practice“ waren zentrale Bestandteile seiner Arbeit. Im Einklang mit dieser Erfahrung beschrieb Owen die von ihm erträumte neue „rationale“ Gesellschaft als „new machine“, die Menschen als form- und verbesserbares Material. So wie die einzelnen Teile der realen Maschinen nur durch Ausprobieren und Nachjustieren aufeinander eingestellt werden konnten, wollte Owen auch seine neue Gesellschaft „in practice“ nachbessern und vollenden. Der Blick auf die alltäglichen Erfahrungen mit der „Arbeitsmaschine“ ermöglicht damit ein besseres Verständnis von der Überzeugungskraft utopischer Vorstellungen und Projekte in der konkreten historischen Situation.
New Digital Realities – Blending our Reality with Virtuality
Authors: Steinicke Frank , Wolf Katrin
Published: August 2020

New digital reality as a spectrum of technologies and experiences that digitally simulate and extend reality in one way or another across different human senses has received considerable attention in recent years. In particular, we have witnessed great advances in mixed reality (MR) technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology, which provide enormous potential for application domains like training, simulation, education, entertainment, health, and sports. However, also other forms of digitally enhanced reality (XR) supports novel forms of immersion and experiences while generating, visualizing and interacting with digital content either displayed in fully-immersive virtual environments or superimposed into our view of the real world, and will significantly change the way we work, travel, play, and communicate. Consequently, we face dramatic changes in interactive media creation, access, and perception. In this special issue, we solicit work that addresses novel interaction design, interfaces, and implementation of new digital reality in which our reality is blended with the virtuality with a focus on users’ needs, joy, and visions.
Electrochemical recovery of Ni metallic in molten salts from spent lithium-ion battery
Authors: Liang Jinglong , Wang Jing , Li Hui , Li Chenxiao , Yan Hongyan , Cao Weigang , Wang Hongli , Wang Le , Reddy Ramana G.
Published: August 2020

Massive deployment of lithium-ion battery inevitably causes a large amount of solid waste. To be sustainably implemented, technologies capable of reducing environmental impacts and recovering resources from spent lithium-ion battery have been an urgent task. The electrochemical reduction of LiNiO2 to metallic nickel has been reported, which is a typical cathode material of lithium-ion battery. In this paper, the electrochemical reduction behavior of LiNiO2 is studied at 750 °C in the eutectic NaCl-CaCl2 molten salt, and the constant cell voltage electrolysis of LiNiO2 is carried out. The results show that Ni(III) is reduced to metallic nickel by a two-step process, Ni(III) → Ni(II) → Ni, which is quasi-reversible controlled by diffusion and electron transfer. After electrolysis for 6 h at 1.4 V, the surface of LiNiO2 cathode is reduced to metallic nickel, with NiO and a small amount of Li0.4Ni1.6O2 detected inside the partially reduced cathode. After prolonging the electrolysis time to 12 h, LiNiO2 is fully electroreduced to metallic nickel, achieving a high current efficiency of 98.60%. The present work highlights that molten salt electrolysis could be an effective protocol for reclamation of spent lithium-ion battery.
Frozen kinetics models for sensory, chemical, and microbial spoilage of preserved razor clam (Sinonovacula constricta) at different temperatures
Authors: Li Ziyin , Li Luqian , Zhang Yangcong , He Qi
Published: August 2020

Refrigerated treatment offers an effective avenue to delay spoilage process of aquatic products during storage, while none or less study has been reported for bivalve species. This work aims to investigate the variations in different storage freshness of frozen razor clam samples, by which an effective evaluation system based on frozen kinetics models was established. In this study, fresh razor clam samples were preserved at the temperature of 268, 258, and 248 K for 40 days, respectively. The spoilage process was determined by a series of freshness assays, including sensory score (SS), electric conduction (EC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), K-value, and total colonies counts (TCC). On this basis, the variations in these indexes were fitted by zero-, first- and second- order kinetic models. Results showed that zero -order kinetic model was more suitable to fit each freshness trend. Accordingly, the shelf life of razor clam was predicted as 47∼54, 79∼84, and 121∼154 days when the samples were preserved at 268, 258, and 248 K, respectively. This study revealed the general trends of the frozen decay process of bivalve species, which is instructive to establish applicative models for the real distribution chain.
Control of spoilage fungi in yogurt using MicroGARD 200™, Lyofast-FPR2™ and HOLDBAC-YMC™ as bioprotectants
Authors: Serna-Jiménez Johanna Andrea , Uribe-Bohórquez María Angélica , Rodríguez-Bernal Jenny Marcela , Klotz-Ceberio Bernadette , Quintanilla-Carvajal María Ximena
Published: August 2020

The aim of this study was to assess the inhibitory effect of three commercial bioprotectant agents on the growth of yogurt-spoiling fungi. Mucor circinelloides, Mucor racemosus, Penicillium spp., Saccharomyces exiguus, and Candida intermedia, commonly involved in the spoilage of dairy products, were isolated from spoiled yogurt and were fully characterized using molecular and phenotypic methods. HOLDBAC-YMC™, Lyofast-FPR2™ and MicroGARD 200™ were used as antifungal products. An optimized experimental mixture design was applied to determine the proportion of each bioprotectant in terms of growth-inhibition response against the fungal strains in standard laboratory media. The results of the challenge tests showed that the application of bioprotectants inhibited the growth of the moulds in the range of 85–100% and the growth of yeast between 1.23 and 5.40 log cycles. The optimal combination of the bioprotectants was determined, tested in standard laboratory media and found to inhibit fungal growth. The antifungal effect of the optimal combination of the bioprotectants was validated in yogurt against the most resistant fungal species of the study, M. circinelloides and C. intermedia. The bioprotectants elicited antifungal effect in yogurt by completely inhibiting all of the tested fungi compared to controls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a mixture of commercial bioprotectants has been tested on yogurt as a potential alternative for the biopreservation of yogurt in order to reduce spoilage of fermented dairy products and economic losses.
Utilization of novel and rapid techniques for characterization of neem Azadirachta indica seed oil and palm oil blends
Authors: Mulla Mehrajfatema , Ahmed Jasim , Alagarsamy Surendraraj , K Habeebullah Sabeena Farvin
Published: August 2020

The authentication of neem oil and its blending with inexpensive vegetable oil, such as, palm oil is a common practice in the neem oil industry. This study was conducted to investigate the neem kernel (Azadirachta indica) oil (NKO) by blending with palm oil and characterize it by studying its effect on the physicochemical properties, dielectric properties and fatty acid profiles of the blend. Blending significantly influenced the color, dielectric, structural and antimicrobial properties of the virgin oil. The NKO was rich in oleic (44.97%), stearic (21.27%), palmitic (16.88%) and linoleic acids (14.08%). The addition of palm oil into NKO significantly influenced the fatty acids profile , which was further confirmed by the FTIR spectra and the dielectric data. Overall, determination of moisture content, palmitic and stearic acid content, color parameter "a" and dielectric measurements were found to be fastest and precise way to detect the NKO and PO blends.
A multivariate spectral quasi-linearization method for the solution of (2+1) dimensional Burgers’ equations
Authors: Dlamini Phumlani G. , Magagula Vusi M.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we introduce the multi-variate spectral quasi-linearization method which is an extension of the previously reported bivariate spectral quasi-linearization method. The method is a combination of quasi-linearization techniques and the spectral collocation method to solve three-dimensional partial differential equations. We test its applicability on the (2 + 1) dimensional Burgers’ equations. We apply the spectral collocation method to discretize both space variables as well as the time variable. This results in high accuracy in both space and time. Numerical results are compared with known exact solutions as well as results from other papers to confirm the accuracy and efficiency of the method. The results show that the method produces highly accurate solutions and is very efficient for (2 + 1) dimensional PDEs. The efficiency is due to the fact that only few grid points are required to archive high accuracy. The results are portrayed in tables and graphs.
Periodic solutions for stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural networks with time-varying delays
Authors: Wu Wanqin , Yang Li , Ren Yaping
Published: August 2020

This paper is concerned with the periodic solutions for a class of stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural networks with time-varying delays. Since there is a non-linearity in the leakage terms of stochastic Cohen–Grossberg neural networks, some techniques are needed to overcome the difficulty in dealing with the nonlinearity. By applying fixed points principle and Gronwall–Bellman inequality, some sufficient conditions on the existence and exponential stability of periodic solution for the stochastic neural networks are established. Moreover, a numerical example is presented to validate the theoretical results. Our results are also applicable to the existence and exponential stability of periodic solution for the corresponding deterministic systems.
Lie symmetries and singularity analysis for generalized shallow-water equations
Authors: Paliathanasis Andronikos
Published: August 2020

We perform a complete study by using the theory of invariant point transformations and the singularity analysis for the generalized Camassa-Holm (CH) equation and the generalized Benjamin-Bono-Mahoney (BBM) equation. From the Lie theory we find that the two equations are invariant under the same three-dimensional Lie algebra which is the same Lie algebra admitted by the CH equation. We determine the one-dimensional optimal system for the admitted Lie symmetries and we perform a complete classification of the similarity solutions for the two equations of our study. The reduced equations are studied by using the point symmetries or the singularity analysis. Finally, the singularity analysis is directly applied on the partial differential equations from where we infer that the generalized equations of our study pass the singularity test and are integrable.
Update of hypothyroidism and its management in Unani medicine
Authors: Alam Md. Anzar , Quamri Mohd Aleemuddin , Sofi Ghulamuddin , Ansari Shabnam
Published: August 2020

Hypothyroidism is a clinical syndrome caused by thyroid hormone deficiency due to reduced production, deranged distribution, or lack of effects of thyroid hormone. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in developed countries is around 4–5%, whereas it is about 11% in India, only 2% in the UK, and 4·6% in the USA. It is more common in women than in men. Hypothyroidism has multiple etiologies and manifestations. The most common clinical manifestations are weight gain, loss of hair, cold intolerance, lethargy, constipation, dry skin, and change in voice. The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism differ with age, gender, severity of condition, and some other factors. The diagnosis is based on clinical history, physical examination and serum level of FT3, FT4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, imaging studies, procedures, and histological findings. The treatment of choice for hypothyroidism is levothyroxine, however; in this review article, we have discussed the epidemiology, etiology, clinical sign and symptoms, diagnosis, complications, and management of hypothyroidism in modern medicine and a comparative treatment by the Unani system of medicine (USM). In the USM, the main emphasis of the principle of treatment (Usool-e-Ilaj) is to correct the abnormal constitution (Su-e-Mizaj) and alter the six prerequisites for existence (Asbab-e-Sitta Zarooriya) to restore normal health. It is a packaged treatment, that is, different components of treatment are given as a package form which includes different drugs, dosages form, and regimens.
The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey
Authors: Watson Nicole , Wooden Mark
Published: August 2020

This paper provides a brief summary of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a nationally representative household panel survey. It describes the survey’s key design features, provides an overview of its content, and reports on response rates and sample sizes. It also highlights a few examples of research utilising the data, discusses two challenges currently facing the study, and provides details on how to access the data.
Screening chemical inhibitors for alpha-amylase from leaves extracts of Murraya koenigii (Linn.) and Aegle marmelos L.
Authors: Sangilimuthu Alagar Yadav , Sivaraman Thirunavukkarasu , Chandrasekaran Rajkuberan , Sundaram Karpagavalli Meenatchi , Ekambaram Gayathiri
Published: August 2020

Objectives

Aqueous leaves extracts of Murraya koenigii (M. koenigii) and Aegle marmelos (A. marmelos) were prepared and effect of the extracts on inhibiting alpha-amylase playing essential roles on converting starch into glucose have been examined using in vitro assays.

Methods

Alpha amylase inhibitory assay was used to asses the in vitro antidiabetic activity of the extracts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify the volatile molecules of the extracts. Identified molecule were converted as ligand and docked against human pancreatic α-amylase (0.95 Å; PDB ID: 5U3A) using Autodock tool.

Results

The data analyzes suggested that the alpha-amylase inhibition potential of the extract obtained from M. koenigii was stronger than that of the A. marmelos at low concentrations (<1 mg/mL), whereas both the extracts depicted similar inhibition effects on the enzyme at high concentration (>1 mg/mL). The phytochemicals present in both the plant extracts were identified by using their respective GC-MS data and the data analyzes revealed that the extracts of M. koenigii and A. Marmelos seemed to consist of about 20 and 24 diverse chemical molecules, respectively. Through the molecular docking studies, azulene of M. koenigii and hydroxycyclodecadiene of A. marmelos showed higher binding affinity on alpha-amylase.

Conclusions

Concentration-dependent alpha-amylase inhibition effects of the extracts were observed and M. koenigii contains more alpha-amylase inhibitory effects due to the presence of azulene. This is primary lead to find out the better anti diabetic natural based drug to the society after clinical trial.
On the Pragmatic Turn in Political Philosophy
Authors: Skoble Aeon J.
Published: August 2020

Imagine some policy P about which a scholar said “The best way to help people escape from poverty would be P.” Is this a claim about political philosophy or economics? On the one hand, it seems to be an empirical statement, but there is a normative component as well. Besides the obvious normativity of “best,” there is the tacit implication that poverty is bad and that this is at least some reason to endorse P. But the fact that one can easily imagine either a political philosopher or an economist making the claim points to one reason for the recent growth of programs in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), programs of study which emphasize the interdisciplinary connection between political philosophy and the social sciences. Political philosophy is, of course, philosophy, which means it is a combination of analytic and normative tools, but since its subject matter involves human behavior and social institutions, empirical study of those seems like it should be relevant as well. Since political philosophy addresses questions about the social order, findings from the social sciences are surely relevant, chiefly from economics and political science. At first glance this seems directly analogous to the way philosophy of cognitive science would find relevance from work in neurology. But social scientists are themselves often beholden to normative priors which frame their methodology. The increased popularity of and growth of programs in PPE is therefore definitely beneficial both to the philosophers and to the social scientists who explore these issues. However, while the empirical is relevant, and, I would argue, essential, to good work in political philosophy, I would resist the suggestion that the empirical is exhaustive and that the philosophical is either superfluous or unwarranted.
Convergence analysis of a variational quasi-reversibility approach for an inverse hyperbolic heat conduction problem
Authors: Khoa Vo Anh , Dao Manh-Khang
Published: August 2020

We study a time-reversed hyperbolic heat conduction problem based upon the Maxwell–Cattaneo model of non-Fourier heat law. This heat and mass diffusion problem is a hyperbolic type equation for thermodynamics systems with thermal memory or with finite time-delayed heat flux, where the Fourier or Fick law is proven to be unsuccessful with experimental data. In this work, we show that our recent variational quasi-reversibility method for the classical time-reversed heat conduction problem, which obeys the Fourier or Fick law, can be adapted to cope with this hyperbolic scenario. We establish a generic regularization scheme in the sense that we perturb both spatial operators involved in the PDE. Driven by a Carleman weight function, we exploit the natural energy method to prove the well-posedness of this regularized scheme. Moreover, we prove the Hölder rate of convergence in the mixed

L
2

{L^{2}}

–

H
1

{H^{1}}

spaces.
PETTLEP imagery and tennis service performance: an applied investigation
Authors: Cherappurath Nafih , Elayaraja Masilamani , Kabeer Dilshith A. , Anjum Amila , Vogazianos Paris , Antoniades Athos
Published: August 2020

Tennis is one of the most popular and widely played sports enjoyed by players of different age groups and genders as a profession as well as a mode of recreation. A novel method, PETTLEP imagery combines both conventional and non-conventional style of training of an athlete and improves one’s performance. This study aimed to analyze the tennis service performance of junior tennis players based on PETTLEP imagery training. Forty-four junior male tennis players (M
age=13.22 years, SD=0.42) were selected for the study. The investigator handed over the MIQ-R questionnaire to all the participants in which they scored 16 and above points as per previous research. The participants were equally divided (n=11) into three experimental groups (E1, E2, and E3) and a control group. The service performance outcomes of all the players were compared before and after a training session. The three experimental groups were assigned with service-specific training, service-specific training combined with PETTLEP imagery training, and PETTLEP imagery training alone, respectively, for three days per week for 12 weeks. They were tested on their service accuracy based on the International tennis number (ITN) manual on-court assessment test. The data were assessed for normality and analyzed using non-parametric methods to reveal main effects (each training method alone) as well as to calculate the combined effect of PETTLEP and service-specific training. Certain significant improvements in tennis service were observed with service-specific training alone. Though it marginally outperformed the PETTLEP imagery method, the most improved services were observed with both PETTLEP and service-specific training utilized together. This implies an additive effect when both methods are used together.
Effect of sintered electrode on microhardness and microstructure in electro discharge deposition of magnesium alloy
Authors: Elaiyarasan U. , Satheeshkumar V. , Senthilkumar C.
Published: August 2020

In this study, an endeavour have been made to depositing the electrode materials over the surface of the magnesium alloy using electrical discharge machining (EDM) with WC-Cu powder compacted sintered electrode. Various process parameters such as compaction load, discharge current and pulse on time are selected to carry out the experiment in order to attain the maximum material migration rate (MMR) or deposition rate and microhardness (MH). It was concluded that the MMR and MH increased with increase in discharge current and pulse on time at low compacted electrode but it is decreased at lower discharge current and pulse on time. Highest MMR and MH were attained successfully at partial sintered low compaction load electrode. Microstructure evaluation has been carried out on deposited surface using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and presence of electrode element in the deposited surface was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Defects mechanism such as globules and craters are formed during EDC with high current and pulse on time respectively, which diminishes the surface roughness. It was observed that the compaction load is the influence parameter on the MMR and MH.
Proactive link handover deploying coordinated transmission for indoor visible light communications (VLC) networks
Authors: Tran Cong-Nam , Hoang Trong-Minh , Nguyen Nam-Hoang
Published: August 2020

Visible Light Communications (VLC) is considered as an emerging technology for indoor wireless communications to achieve high-speed and secure data transmission. Instead of using radio frequency (RF) spectrum, VLC uses the visible light spectrum to perform lighting and communications functions simultaneously. Multiple access points VLC (multi-AP VLC) networks use ceiling access point (ceiling-AP) and desk access point (desk-AP) to provide both uniform and spot lighting in order to achieve full coverage and high spectral efficiency. Because mobile user equipment (UE) require seamless connectivity when moving, fast link handover between VLC access points (VLC-AP) has to be supported in the VLC networks. In this paper, we present a coordinated multi-channel transmission method (CMcT) used to improve quality of service (QoS) of cell-edge UEs and propose a novel proactive link handover scheme deploying the CMcT method for multi-AP VLC networks. Performance results obtained by computer simulation show that the proactive link handover scheme deploying the CMcT method can significantly improve user throughput and packet delay comparing with those of other link handover schemes.
Design and optimization of all-optical demultiplexer using photonic crystals for optical computing applications
Authors: Sankar Rao Dalai Gowri , Fathima Mohammed Simran , Manjula Paila , Swarnakar Sandip
Published: August 2020

In this work, photonic crystal (PhC) based all-optical 1 × 2 demultiplexer is designed for optical computing and optical signal processing. The structure is implemented with two-dimensional PhCs using T-shaped waveguides with an optimized silicon rod radius of 0.2a. Performance of the proposed structure is verified and analyzed by using the finite-difference time-domain method. The design of all-optical demultiplexer is operated based on optical interference effect at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Proposed design occupies less area of 8.4 × 5.4 µm, provides a contrast ratio of 18.53 dB, 94.52% of minimum and 100% of maximum transmission ratio and it has less insertion loss of 0.017 dB; therefore, the proposed device is suitable for photonic integrated devices.
Analysis the flat gain/noise figure using RAMAN-Reflective Semiconductor Hybrid Optical Amplifier in C + L + U triple band for super dense wavelength division multiplexing system
Authors: Kumar Chakresh , Kumar Ghanendra
Published: August 2020

Nonlinearity, flat gain and noise figure are the prime concern for super dense wavelength division multiplexing (SD-WDM) systems which have been resolved from RAMAN-RSOA hybrid optical amplifier (HOA) for the first time in this paper. Channel capacity is taken up to 400 with data rate of 10 Gbps. Performances are evaluated with respect to C + L + U band for 1520–1680 nm and 1520 to 1640 nm. RSOA is operated at 40–120 mA bias current to attain best rating flat gain of 34.07 dB with variation of 3.5 dB than the others HOAs (RAMAN-EDFA, RAMAN-SOA and EDFA-SOA). Moreover, the impact of EDFA-SOA is not acceptable in terms of noise figure for SD-WDM optical communication system.
C-reactive protein as a predictor of meningitis in early onset neonatal sepsis: a single unit experience
Authors: Durrani Naveed Ur Rehman , Dutta Sourabh , Rochow Niels , el Helou Salhab , el Gouhary Enas
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To determine whether there is a cut off value of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) associated with a higher risk of meningitis in suspected early onset sepsis (EOS) (onset birth to 7 days of life).

Methods

A retrospective cohort study on neonates admitted in neonatal intensive care unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital from January 2010 to 2017 and had lumbar puncture (LP) and CRP for workup of EOS. Included subjects had either (a) non-traumatic LP or (b) traumatic LP with cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction or gram stain or culture-positive or had received antimicrobials for 21 days. Excluded were CSF done for metabolic errors, before cytomegalovirus (CMV) treatment; from ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunts; missing data and contamination. Neonates were classified into definite and probable meningitis and on the range of CRP. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for CRP values; and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve.

Results

Out of 609 CSF samples, 184 were eligible (28 cases of definite or probable meningitis and 156 controls). Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and AUROC were too low to be of clinical significance to predict meningitis in EOS.

Conclusions

Serum CRP values have poor discriminatory power to distinguish between subjects with and without meningitis, in symptomatic EOS.
Furcate insertion of the umbilical cord: pathological and clinical characteristics in 132 cases
Authors: Kosian Philipp , Henrich Wolfgang , Entezami Michael , Weichert Alexander
Published: August 2020

Objectives

Furcate cord insertion is a rare abnormality affecting approximately 0.1% of all pregnancies. Macroscopically, the umbilical vessels separate before reaching the placenta, lose their Wharton’s jelly, and insert at the placenta centrally, eccentrically, or marginally. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of furcate cord insertion more accurately, the pathological characteristics, and clinical outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study of 132 cases of furcate insertion of the umbilical cord using the pathological database of the Charité University Hospital Berlin, Germany, between 1993 and 2016. This included 99 cases, including one termination of pregnancy within our institution and 33 cases from external hospitals. An analysis of the pathological features of the 132 cases and the perinatal outcome of the 98 cases within our institution were performed.

Results

Furcate cord insertion occurred in 0.16% pregnancies. Of the 132 cases, seven cases of intrauterine fetal deaths were observed. Three of those could be linked to the furcate cord insertion. In two of those cases, single umbilical vessel rupture was identified as the cause of fetal death.

Conclusions

In most cases of furcate cord insertion, the outcome is good; however, intrauterine fetal death occurs in approximately 1.02% of cases.
Functional ratings in sports
Authors: Lowery Brad , Slater Abigail , Thies Kaison
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we present a new model for ranking sports teams. Our model uses all scoring data from all games to produce a functional rating by the method of least squares. The functional rating can be interpreted as a team average point differential adjusted for strength of schedule. Using two team’s functional ratings we can predict the expected point differential at any time in the game. We looked at three variations of our model accounting for home-court advantage in different ways. We use the 2018–2019 NCAA Division 1 men’s college basketball season to test the models and determined that home-court advantage is statistically important but does not differ between teams.
Transparency in the Management of Spanish Public University Libraries Through the Internet
Authors: Martin Carina Rey , Rodriguez-Parada Concepción , Pacios Ana R. , Vianello Osti Maria , Bravo Blanca Rodriguez
Published: August 2020

Transparency in the management of 50 Spanish public university libraries was analysed using information available on their websites. The method consisted of checking the websites to identify a set of 18 evaluation indicators associated with the specific case of libraries and the Spanish Transparency Act, notably the chapter on active publishing. The indicators have been used in previous studies with the same objective. The results of the analysis revealed shortcomings, although there were also examples of good practises for each indicator, identified with libraries that have introduced quality systems for management. The indicators that were found most frequently in the sample were regulations, specific regulations for some services and service charters. However, the sample lacked some indicators that are vital to understand the reasons behind the development and management of information resources, such as the policy or programme of collection management. We found a need to review the quantity and quality of information that can be consulted on libraries’ websites, and the presentation and format of some types of information so that they can be reused.
Understanding population baselines: status of mountain ungulate populations in the Central Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Khanyari Munib , Zhumabai uulu Kubanychbek , Luecke Suraiya , Mishra Charudutt , Suryawanshi Kulbhushansingh Ramesh
Published: August 2020

We assessed the density of argali (Ovis ammon) and ibex (Capra sibirica) in Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve and its neighbouring Koiluu valley. Sarychat is a protected area, while Koiluu is a human-use landscape which is a partly licenced hunting concession for mountain ungulates and has several livestock herders and their permanent residential structures. Population monitoring of mountain ungulates can help in setting measurable conservation targets such as appropriate trophy hunting quotas and to assess habitat suitability for predators like snow leopards (Panthera uncia). We employed the double-observer method to survey 573 km2of mountain ungulate habitat inside Sarychat and 407 km2inside Koiluu. The estimated densities of ibex and argali in Sarychat were 2.26 (95% CI 1.47–3.52) individuals km−2and 1.54 (95% CI 1.01–2.20) individuals km−2, respectively. Total ungulate density in Sarychat was 3.80 (95% CI 2.47–5.72) individuals km−2. We did not record argali in Koiluu, whereas the density of ibex was 0.75 (95% CI 0.50–1.27) individuals km−2. While strictly protected areas can achieve high densities of mountain ungulates, multi-use areas can harbour meaningful though suppressed populations. Conservation of mountain ungulates and their predators can be enhanced by maintaining Sarychat-like “pristine” areas interspersed within a matrix of multi-use areas like Koiluu.
Sequential change-point detection in a multinomial logistic regression model
Authors: Li Fuxiao , Chen Zhanshou , Xiao Yanting
Published: August 2020

Change-point detection in categorical time series has recently gained attention as statistical models incorporating change-points are common in practice, especially in the area of biomedicine. In this article, we propose a sequential change-point detection procedure based on the partial likelihood score process for the detection of changes in the coefficients of multinomial logistic regression model. The asymptotic results are presented under both the null of no change and the alternative of changes in coefficients. We carry out a Monte Carlo experiment to evaluate the empirical size of the proposed procedure as well as its average run length. We illustrate the method by using data on a DNA sequence. Monte Carlo experiments and real data analysis demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.
Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions for a class of robust optimization problems with an interval-valued objective function
Authors: Zhao Jing , Bin Maojun
Published: August 2020

In this article, we study the nonlinear and nonsmooth interval-valued optimization problems in the face of data uncertainty, which are called interval-valued robust optimization problems (IVROPs). We introduce the concept of nondominated solutions for the IVROP. If the interval-valued objective function f and constraint functions

g

i

{g}_{i}

are nonsmooth on Banach space E, we establish a nonsmooth and robust Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality theorem.
Estimating marginal likelihoods from the posterior draws through a geometric identity
Authors: Reichl Johannes
Published: August 2020

This article develops a new estimator of the marginal likelihood that requires only a sample of the posterior distribution as the input from the analyst. This sample may come from any sampling scheme, such as Gibbs sampling or Metropolis–Hastings sampling. The presented approach can be implemented generically in almost any application of Bayesian modeling and significantly decreases the computational burdens associated with marginal likelihood estimation compared to existing techniques. The functionality of this method is demonstrated in the context of probit and logit regressions, on two mixtures of normals models, and also on a high-dimensional random intercept probit. Simulation results show that the simple approach presented here achieves excellent stability in low-dimensional models, and also clearly outperforms existing methods when the number of coefficients in the model increases.
Constructing a confidence interval for the ratio of normal distribution quantiles
Authors: Malekzadeh Ahad , Mahmoudi Seyed Mahdi
Published: August 2020

In this paper, to construct a confidence interval (general and shortest) for quantiles of normal distribution in one population, we present a pivotal quantity that has non-central t distribution. In the case of two independent normal populations, we propose a confidence interval for the ratio of quantiles based on the generalized pivotal quantity, and we introduce a simple method for extracting its percentiles, based on which a shorter confidence interval can be created. Also, we provide general and shorter confidence intervals using the method of variance estimate recovery. The performance of five proposed methods will be examined by using simulation and examples.
Combination of chest CT and clinical features for diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia
Authors: Wang Xin , Wen Peng , Sun Zhi-Gang , Xing Chun-Yan , Li Yun
Published: August 2020

In December 2019, novel coronavirus pneumonia-19 (COVID-19) was discovered in the viral pneumonia cases that occurred in Wuhan, China, and then quickly spread around the world. This report described the clinical course of two COVID-19 patients and the purpose of the study was to discuss the combination of chest CT and clinical features for diagnosis of COVID-19. The first case was a typical COVID-19 case. A 66-year-old female presented to our hospital with a 3-day history of fever. She had contact with a COVID-19 patient. Chest CT showed a typical COVID-19 appearance. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 by a positive nucleic acid test. The second case was a 50-year-old male with a 2-day history of fever. He denied having been to Wuhan. Chest CT also showed typical features of COVID-19 pneumonia. COVID-19 nucleic acid tests were repeated up to seven times and the results remained controversial. Eventually, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Our study shows that chest CT has high sensitivity for diagnosis of COVID-19 in clinical practice, particularly when the nucleic acid test is negative. The chest CT should be considered as a diagnostic tool for the COVID-19 screening, comprehensive evaluation, and follow-up and patients would benefit from effective treatments in time.
Hemoperitoneum caused by spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic liver. A case report and systematic review
Authors: Tartaglia Nicola , Di Lascia Alessandra , Cianci Pasquale , Fersini Alberto , Pacilli Mario , Pavone Giovanna , Ambrosi Antonio
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer. Spontaneous rupture of HCC is an acute complication with a high mortality rate. The HCC principally arises in the background of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver. In the last few years, the rising incidence of HCC in noncirrhotic liver suggests the presence of other factors that may play a role in liver carcinogenesis.

Methods

We reviewed all cases treated at the University Surgical Department of Ospedali Riuniti of Foggia from 2009 to 2018. Only a single case of hemoperitoneum caused by spontaneous rupture of HCC in noncirrhotic liver was found. An extensive search of the relevant literature was carried out using MEDLINE, and a total of 58 published studies were screened from the sources listed.

Conclusions

The management of this devastating emergency should be carefully analyzed, with stabilization of vital signs as soon as possible. Patient with ruptured HCC and hemoperitoneum without a prior history of cirrhosis and viral infections benefited from the role of transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) as the preliminary treatment in order to have a more precise diagnosis and an optimal stabilization of the patient. Delayed or staged hepatectomy after TAE represents the definitive treatment.