bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nilai-Nilai Jurnalistik Islami dalam Surat Kabar Harian Bengkulu Ekspress
Authors: Fadli Rohmad
Published: September 2018

Daily Newspaper “Bengkulu Express” is the largest daily newspaper in the province of Bengkulu. In this research the newspaper “Bengkulu Ekspress” is analyzed by seeing Islamic Journalistic values consisting of 1) A Journalist must be truthful, 2) Thoughtful and full of good advice, 3)Tabyyun, 4) Not insulting, mocking, and ridiculing, 5) Avoid Suuzhan. The result of this qualitative descriptive study with  type of research library research shows 58 news is applying Islamic Journalistic values; 53 news is about politic and 5 news is about socio religious. From those politic news edition June, July, and August occurred  9 news were applying the Islamic Journalistic value; A Journalist must be truthful, 19 news were applying the value; Thoughtful and full of good advice, 8 news were about value; Tabyyun, 4 news were adjusting the value; Not insulting, mocking, and ridiculing, also 13 news were about value; Avoid Suuzhan. The last 5 news about socio religious edition June; 4 news were found the value; Thoughtful and full of good advice, and 1 news was about the value; Not insulting, mocking, and ridiculing.
Komunikasi Penyiaran Islam Masa Pemerintahan Umar Bin Khattab: Perspektif Sejarah
Authors: Patmawati Patmawati
Published: September 2018

Islamic communication started since the Messenger of Allah get command to convey Allah's message. Surat al-Mudatsir 1-7, asy-Syu'ara 214 and al-Hijr 94. Rasulullah carried out Islamic communication in two phases namely the phase of Mecca and the phase of Medina for approximately 23 years, and has spread throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Furthermore, the Islamic communication carried out by Abu Bakar for 2 more years. Then continued by Umar bin Khattab for 10 years. Umar ibn Khattab's values of Islamic teachings are not only in the Arabian Peninsula but Umar did his futuhat to the surrounding area. The focus of research: how is the history of Islamic communication? how is the communication of Islam of Umar bin khattab? This research is library research with qualitative method. Sources of data of the Qur'an, al-hadith, books of general communication and communication of Islam, the history of the Prophet Muhammad and Umar ibn al-Khattab. The result of this research is the history of Islamic communication starting from Rasulullah saw. with communication strategy: sirriyah communication, semi-sirriyah, open, agreement, hijrah, and ar-minutes. The Islamic communication of Umar bin Khattab through futuhat with the approach of irshad, tabligh, tadbir, and tamkin.
Competence of Trial Panel in accordance with the provisions of Vietnam Criminal Procedure Code
Authors: Le Thanh Ngoc
Published: September 2018

This article aims to present some contents related to trial panel in addition to analyzing some of their competence in criminal court session such as competence to issue a decision to institute a criminal case, to adjudicate jurisdiction of the trial panel when procurators withdraw the whole prosecution decision. The author also highlights some shortcomings in the implementation of legislation on and proposes some contents in the Criminal Procedure Code that need revising and supplementing.
Mapping soil erosion in the Da Dang river basin, Lam Dong province
Authors: Pham Hung , Vo Phu Le , Le Trung Van
Published: September 2018

The Da Dang river basin, located in the Upper Part of Dong Nai River, plays a crucial role to protect water resources in the downstream parts. The purpose of this study is to assess and develop a soil erosion map in the Da Dang river basin by using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) combined with remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS). The factors used in the RUSLE equation (R, K, LS, C, and P) were computed by using data obtained from local meteorological stations, topographic maps, soil surveys, and satellite images. The data on water quality (TSS) of 75 surface water samples was deployed at 15 monitoring sites in the river basin in the period of 2012 – 2016, provided by DONRE of Lam Dong. The results showed that 14.41% of the basin area is subjected to a high erosion rate with an extent of 10 tons/ha/year or more. Furthermore, the study also indicated that TSS concentration has a closely correlation with land use practices and the the spatial distribution of soil erosion. These findings are essential information and practical implications for local authorities in formulating provincial planning policy for land use and the management practices of soil and water protection in the Da Dang river basin, a sensitively mountainous area, in the context of climate change.
Application of multivariate statistical analysis in the assessment of groundwater quality of Tan Thanh district, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province
Authors: Nguyen Au Hai , Phan Ngan Thi Khanh , Hoang Thuy Thi Thanh , Phan Ngoc Nguyen Hong
Published: September 2018

In the present study, Multivariate Statistical Analysis (MSA) such as Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) were applied to determine the temporal and spatial variations of groundwater quality in Tan Thanh district, Ba Ria – Vung Tau province. Groundwater samples were collected from 18 monitoring wells in April (dry season) and October (wet season) during the year 2012. Fifteen parameters (pH, TH, TDS, Cl-, F-, NO3-, SO42-, Cr6+, Cu2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, HCO3- and Fe2+) were selected for MSA. PCA identified a reduced number of mean three latent factors of groundwater quality. Three factors called salinization, water-rock interaction and anthropogenic pollution explanined 70,5% (dry season) and 71.28% (wet season) of the variances. Cluster analysis revealed two main different groups of similarities between the sampling sites. This study presents the necessity of MSA in order to extract more precise information from a huge minitoring data, which will be usefull to groundwater quality management.
Shaping Plant Adaptability, Genome Structure and Gene Expression through Transposable Element Epigenetic Control: Focus on Methylation
Authors: Galindo-González Leonardo , Sarmiento Felipe , Quimbaya Mauricio A.
Published: September 2018

In plants, transposable elements (TEs) represent a large fraction of the genome, with potential to alter gene expression and produce genomic rearrangements. Epigenetic control of TEs is often used to stop unrestricted movement of TEs that would result in detrimental effects due to insertion in essential genes. The current review focuses on the effects of methylation on TEs and their genomic context, and how this type of epigenetic control affects plant adaptability when plants are faced with different stresses and changes. TEs mobilize in response to stress elicitors, including biotic and abiotic cues, but also developmental transitions and ‘genome shock’ events like polyploidization. These events transitionally lift TE repression, allowing TEs to move to new genomic locations. When TEs fall close to genes, silencing through methylation can spread to nearby genes, resulting in lower gene expression. The presence of TEs in gene promoter regions can also confer stress inducibility modulated through alternative methylation and demethylation of the TE. Bursts of transposition triggered by events of genomic shock can increase genome size and account for differences seen during polyploidization or species divergence. Finally, TEs have evolved several mechanisms to suppress their own repression, including the use of microRNAs to control genes that promote methylation. The interplay between silencing, transient TE activation, and purifying selection allows the genome to use TEs as a reservoir of potential beneficial modifications but also keeps TEs under control to stop uncontrolled detrimental transposition.
Pattern Recognition of Human Postures Using the Data Density Functional Method
Authors: Huang Shin-Jhe , Wu Chi-Jui , Chen Chien-Chang
Published: September 2018

In this paper, we propose a new approach to recognize the motional patterns of human postures by introducing the data density functional method. Under the framework of the proposed method, sensed time signals will be mapped into specific physical spaces. The most probable cluster number within the specific physical space can be determined according to the principle of energy stability. Then, each corresponding cluster boundary can be measured by searching for the local lowest energy level. Finally, the configuration of the clusters in the space will characterize the most probable states of the motional patterns. The direction of state migration and the corresponding transition region between these states then constitute a significant motional feature in the specific space. Differing from conventional methods, only a single tri-axial gravitational sensor was employed for data acquirement in our hardware scheme. By combining the motional feature and the sensor architecture as prior information, experimental results verified that the most probable states of the motional patterns can be successfully classified into four common human postures of daily life. Furthermore, error motions and noise only offer insignificant influences. Eventually, the proposed approach was applied on a simulation of turning-over situations, and the results show its potential on the issue of elderly and infant turning-over monitoring.
Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Red Blood Cell Cytoplasmic Viscosity Contrasts on Single Cell and Bulk Transport Behaviour
Authors: De Haan Mike , Zavodszky Gabor , Azizi Victor , Hoekstra Alfons G.
Published: September 2018

In-silico cellular models of blood are invaluable to gain understanding about the many interesting properties that blood exhibits. However, numerical investigations that focus on the effects of cytoplasmic viscosity in these models are not very prevalent. We present a parallelised method to implement cytoplasmic viscosity for HemoCell, an open-source cellular model based on immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann methods, using an efficient ray-casting algorithm. The effects of the implementation are investigated with single-cell simulations focusing on the deformation in shear flow, the migration due to wall induced lift forces, the characteristic response time in periodic stretching and pair collisions between red blood cells and platelets. Collective transport phenomena are also investigated in many-cell simulations in a pressure driven channel flow. The simulations indicate that the addition of a viscosity contrast between internal and external fluids significantly affects the deformability of a red blood cell, which is most pronounced during very short time-scale events. Therefore, modelling the cytoplasmic viscosity contrast is important in scenarios with high velocity deformation, typically high shear rate flows.
Optimization and Application of Electrochemical Transducer for Detection of Specific Oligonucleotide Sequence for Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Corrêa Ricardo A. M. S. , Da Cruz Filipe S. , Santos Cátia C. , Pimenta Thiago C. , Franco Diego L. , Ferreira Lucas F.
Published: September 2018

In this study, the electropolymerization of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4-HPA) over graphite electrodes (GE) was optimized, aiming its application as a functionalized electrochemical platform for oligonucleotides immobilization. It was investigated for the number of potential cycles and the scan rate influence on the monomer electropolymerization by using cyclic voltammetry technique. It was observed that the polymeric film showed a redox response in the region of +0.53/+0.38 V and the increase in the number of cycles produces more electroactive platforms because of the better electrode coverage. On the other hand, the decrease of scan rate produces more electroactive platforms because of the occurrence of more organized coupling. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the number of potential cycles influences the coverage and morphology of the electrodeposited polymeric film. However, the images also showed that at different scan rates a more organized material was produced. The influence of these optimized polymerization parameters was evaluated both in the immobilization of specific oligonucleotides and in the detection of hybridization with complementary target. Poly(4-HPA)/GE platform has shown efficient and sensitive for oligonucleotides immobilization, as well as for a hybridization event with the complementary oligonucleotide in all investigated cases. The electrode was modified with 100 cycles at 75 mV/s presented the best responses in function of the amplitude at the monitored peak current values for the Methylene Blue and Ethidium Bromide intercalators. The construction of the genosensor to detect a specific oligonucleotide sequence for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus confirmed the results regarding the poly(4-HPA)/GE platform efficiency since it showed excellent sensitivity. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification was found to be 0.56 (±0.05) μM and 8.6 (±0.7) μM, respectively operating with very low solution volumes (15 µL of probe and 10 µL target). The biosensor development was possible with optimization of the probe adsorption parameters and target hybridization, which led to an improvement in the decrease of the Methylene Blue (MB) reduction signal from 14% to 34%. In addition, interference studies showed that the genosensor has satisfactory selectivity since the hybridization with a non-specific probe resulted in a signal decrease (46% lower) when compared to the specific target.
Weight Loss Maintenance: Have We Missed the Brain?
Authors: Poulimeneas Dimitrios , Yannakoulia Mary , Anastasiou Costas A. , Scarmeas Nikolaos
Published: September 2018

Even though obese individuals often succeed with weight loss, long-term weight loss maintenance remains elusive. Dietary, lifestyle and psychosocial correlates of weight loss maintenance have been researched, yet the nature of maintenance is still poorly understood. Studying the neural processing of weight loss maintainers may provide a much-needed insight towards sustained obesity management. In this narrative review, we evaluate and critically discuss available evidence regarding the food-related neural responses of weight loss maintainers, as opposed to those of obese or lean persons. While research is still ongoing, available data indicate that following weight loss, maintainers exhibit persistent reward related feeling over food, similar to that of obese persons. However, unlike in obese persons, in maintainers, reward-related brain activity appears to be counteracted by subsequently heightened inhibition. These findings suggest that post-dieting, maintainers acquire a certain level of cognitive control which possibly protects them from weight regaining. The prefrontal cortex, as well as the limbic system, encompass key regions of interest for weight loss maintenance, and their contributions to long term successful weight loss should be further explored. Future possibilities and supportive theories are discussed.
The Value of Tactical Adaptation to El Niño–Southern Oscillation for East Australian Wheat
Authors: Zheng Bangyou , Chapman Scott , Chenu Karine
Published: September 2018

El Niño–Southern Oscillation strongly influences rainfall and temperature patterns in Eastern Australia, with major impacts on frost, heat, and drought stresses, and potential consequences for wheat production. Wheat phenology is a key factor to adapt to the risk of frost, heat, and drought stresses in the Australian wheatbelt. This study explores broad and specific options to adapt wheat cropping systems to El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and more specifically, to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) phases ahead of the season (i.e., April forecast) in Eastern Australia, when wheat producers make their most crucial management decisions. Crop model simulations were performed for commercially-grown wheat varieties, as well as for virtual genotypes representing possible combinations of phenology alleles that are currently present in the Australian wheat germplasm pool. Different adaptation strategies were tested at the site level, across Eastern Australia, for a wide range of sowing dates and nitrogen applications over long-term historical weather records (1900–2016). The results highlight that a fixed adaptation system, with genotype maturities, sowing time, and nitrogen application adapted to each location would greatly increase wheat productivity compared to sowing a mid-maturity genotype, mid-season, using current practices for nitrogen applications. Tactical adaptation of both genotype and management to the different SOI phases and to different levels of initial Plant Available Water (‘PAW & SOI adaptation’) resulted in further yield improvement. Site long-term increases in yield and gross margin were up to 1.15 t·ha−1 and AU$ 223.0 ha−1 for fixed adaptation (0.78 t·ha−1 and AU$ 153 ha−1 on average across the whole region), and up to an extra 0.26 t·ha−1 and AU$ 63.9 ha−1 for tactical adaptation. For the whole eastern region, these results correspond to an annual AU$ 440 M increase for the fixed adaptation, and an extra AU$ 188 M for the PAW & SOI tactical adaptation. The benefits of PAW & SOI tactical adaptation could be useful for growers to adjust farm management practices according to pre-sowing seasonal conditions and the seasonal climate forecast.
Position Estimation of Automatic-Guided Vehicle Based on MIMO Antenna Array
Authors: Chen Zhimin , He Xinyi , Cao Zhenxin , Jin Yi , Li Jingchao
Published: September 2018

The existing positioning methods for the automatic guided vehicle (AGV) in the port can not achieve high location precision, Therefore, a novel multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna radar positioning scheme is proposed in this paper. The positioning problem for AGV is considered, and the joint estimation problem for direction of departure (DoD) and direction of arrival (DoA) is addressed in the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system. With the radar detect the transponder and estimate the DoA/DoD, the relative location between the transponder and the AGV can be obtained. The corresponding Cramér–Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for the target parameters are also derived theoretically. Finally, we compare the positioning accuracy of the traditional global position system (GPS) with the proposed MIMO radar system. Simulation results show that the proposed method can achieve better performance than the traditional GPS.
A Novel Pilot Protection Principle Based on Modulus Traveling-Wave Currents for Voltage-Sourced Converter Based High Voltage Direct Current (VSC-HVDC) Transmission Lines
Authors: Pei Xiangyu , Tang Guangfu , Zhang Shengmei
Published: September 2018

Protection for transmission lines is one of crucial problems that urgently to be solved in constructing the future high-voltage and large-capacity voltage-sourced converter based high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) systems. In order to prevent the DC line fault from deteriorating further due to the failure of main protection, a novel pilot protection principle for VSC-HVDC transmission lines is proposed in this paper. The proposed protection principle is based on characteristics of modulus traveling-wave (TW) currents. Firstly, the protection starting-up criterion is constructed by using the absolute value of the 1-mode TW current gradient. Secondly, the fault section identification is realized by comparing the polarities of wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) of 1-mode initial TW currents acquired from both terminals of the DC line. Then, the selection of fault line is actualized according to the polarity of WTMM of local 0-mode initial reverse TW current. A four-terminal VSC-based DC grid electromagnetic transient model based on the actual engineering parameters is built to assess the performance of the proposed pilot protection principle. Simulation results for different cases prove that the proposed pilot protection principle is excellent in reliability, selectivity, and robustness. Moreover, the data synchronization is not required seriously. Therefore, the proposed novel pilot protection principle can be used as a relatively perfect backup protection for VSC-HVDC transmission lines.
Influencing Factors and Scenario Forecasts of Carbon Emissions of the Chinese Power Industry: Based on a Generalized Divisia Index Model and Monte Carlo Simulation
Authors: Zhu Lin , He Lichun , Shang Peipei , Zhang Yingchun , Ma Xiaojun
Published: September 2018

The power industry is the industry with the most direct uses of fossil fuels in China and is one of China’s main carbon industries. A comprehensive and accurate analysis of the impacts of carbon emissions by the power industry can reveal the potential for carbon emissions reductions in the power industry to achieve China’s emissions reduction targets. The main contribution of this paper is the use of a Generalized Divisia Index Model for the first time to factorize the change of carbon emissions in China’s power industry from 2000 to 2015, and gives full consideration to the influence of the economy, population, and energy consumption on the carbon emissions. At the same time, the Monte Carlo method is first used to predict the carbon emissions of the power industry from 2017 to 2030 under three different scenarios. The results show that the output scale is the most important factor leading to an increase in carbon emissions in China’s power industry from 2000 to 2015, followed by the energy consumption scale and population size. Energy intensity levels have always promoted carbon emissions reduction in the power industry, where energy intensity and carbon intensity effects of energy consumption have great potential to mitigate carbon levels. By setting the main factors affecting carbon emissions in the future three scenarios, this paper predicts the carbon emissions of China’s power industry from 2017 to 2030. Under the baseline scenario, the maximum probability range of the potential annual growth rate of carbon emissions by the power industry in China from 2017 to 2030 is 1.9–2.2%. Under the low carbon scenario and technological breakthrough scenario, carbon emissions in China’s power industry continue to decline from 2017 to 2030. The maximum probability range of the potential annual drop rate are measured at 1.6–2.1% and 1.9–2.4%, respectively. The results of this study show that China’s power industry still has great potential to reduce carbon emissions. In the future, the development of carbon emissions reduction in the power industry should focus on the innovation and development of energy saving and emissions reduction technology on the premise of further optimizing the energy structure and adhering to the low-carbon road.
Changes in Phylogenetic Community Structure of the Seedling Layer Following Hurricane Disturbance in a Human-Impacted Tropical Forest
Authors: Comita Liza S. , Uriarte María , Forero-Montaña Jimena , Kress W. John , Swenson Nathan G. , Thompson Jill , Umaña María Natalia , Zimmerman Jess K.
Published: September 2018

Disturbance plays a key role in shaping forest composition and diversity. We used a community phylogeny and long-term forest dynamics data to investigate biotic and abiotic factors shaping tropical forest regeneration following both human and natural disturbance. Specifically, we examined shifts in seedling phylogenetic and functional (i.e., seed mass) community structure over a decade following a major hurricane in a human-impacted forest in Puerto Rico. Phylogenetic relatedness of the seedling community decreased in the first five years post-hurricane and then increased, largely driven by changes in the abundance of a common palm species. Functional structure (based on seed mass) became increasingly clustered through time, due to canopy closure causing small-seeded, light-demanding species to decline in abundance. Seedling neighbor density and phylogenetic relatedness negatively affected seedling survival, which likely acted to reduce phylogenetic relatedness within seedling plots. Across the study site, areas impacted in the past by high-intensity land use had lower or similar phylogenetic relatedness of seedling communities than low-intensity past land use areas, reflecting interactive effects of human and natural disturbance. Our study demonstrates how phylogenetic and functional information offer insights into the role of biotic and abiotic factors structuring forest recovery following disturbance.
Surface Changes of Selected Hardwoods Due to Weather Conditions
Authors: Kubovský Ivan , Oberhofnerová Eliška , Kačík František , Pánek Miloš
Published: September 2018

The study is focused on the surface changes of five hardwoods (oak, black locust, poplar, alder and maple) that were exposed to natural weathering for 24 months in the climatic conditions of Central Europe. Colour, roughness, visual and chemical changes of exposed surface structures were examined. The lowest total colour changes (ΔE*) were found for oak (23.77), the highest being recorded for maple (34.19). Roughness differences after 24-month exposure (ΔRa) showed minimal changes in poplar wood (9.41); the highest changes in roughness were found on the surface of alder (22.18). The presence of mould and blue stains was found on the surface of maple, alder and poplar. Chemical changes were characterized by lignin and hemicelluloses degradation. Decreases of both methoxy and carbonyl groups, cleavage of bonds in lignin and hemicelluloses, oxidation reaction and formation of new chromophores were observed. In the initial phases of the degradation process, the discoloration was related to chemical changes; in the longer period, the greying due to settling of dust particles and action of mould influenced the wood colour. The data were confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The obtained results revealed degradation processes of tested hardwood surfaces exposed to external environmental factors.
Phenology and Synchrony of Scymnus coniferarum (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) with Multiple Adelgid Species in the Puget Sound, WA, USA
Authors: Darr Molly , Brooks Rachel , Havill Nathan , Hoebeke E. , Salom Scott
Published: September 2018

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae, is an invasive pest of Tsuga spp. in eastern North America. Scymnus coniferarum is a predaceous beetle that was collected from HWA in the western United States. Limited knowledge of this insect in its native habitat led to studies to evaluate its potential for biological control of HWA. Seasonal abundance was sampled at six sites in Tacoma, WA, twice monthly, for one year on different host trees of potential adelgid prey. Tree species included Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus contorta, Pinus monticola, and Tsuga heterophylla. Scymnus coniferarum adults were found on all conifer species, except P. menziesii. Each conifer species supported a different adelgid species, suggesting S. coniferarum feeds on multiple adelgid species. More S. coniferarum were found on pine than hemlock. DNA barcoding of S. coniferarum found two distinct clusters that differed by 6% divergence. Beetles in each cluster were co-habiting the same conifer species, and they could not be distinguished morphologically. Further taxonomic studies are needed to understand the significance of DNA barcode sequence divergence. Because S. coniferarum was more frequently associated with pine adelgids than HWA, and because of remaining taxonomic uncertainty, S. coniferarum may not be suitable for HWA biological control.
Cooperation of Pairs
Authors: Sass Markus , Timme Florian , Weimann Joachim
Published: September 2018

To examine the stability of prosocial behavior in groups and pairs, we use an indirect approach. We conducted linear public good experiments with two and four subjects repeatedly three times at intervals of one week. All experiments were carried out without providing feedback and used a payment mechanism promoting stable behavior. We study the dynamics of behavior in repeated sessions and find that pairs are much better at establishing and stabilizing cooperation than groups of four. Furthermore, we conducted all experiments in a partner and a stranger design. As is known from the literature, cooperation in a stranger design should be lower than in a partner design. Once again, we are interested in the differences of the strength of this cooperation reducing effect between pairs and groups. Unlike pairs, groups show very low contributions to the public good in the stranger treatment and display a strong tendency to decrease cooperation in the partner treatment. The results in all treatments demonstrate that decreasing cooperation is a stable pattern of behavior in dynamic social dilemma contexts. Finally, we conducted a norm elicitation experiment using a method introduced by Krupka and Weber (2013) and find that in pairs symmetric behavior plays a very important role.
Correction of a Splicing Mutation Affecting an Unverricht-Lundborg Disease Patient by Antisense Therapy
Authors: Matos Liliana , Duarte Ana Joana , Ribeiro Diogo , Chaves João , Amaral Olga , Alves Sandra
Published: September 2018

Unverricht-Lundborg disease (ULD) is a common form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy caused by mutations in the cystatin B gene (CSTB) that encodes an inhibitor of several lysosomal cathepsins. Presently, only pharmacological treatment and psychosocial support are available for ULD patients. To overcome the pathogenic effect of the ULD splicing mutation c.66G>A (exon 1), we investigated whether an antisense oligonucleotide therapeutic strategy could correct the defect in patient cells. A specific locked nucleic acid (LNA) antisense oligonucleotide was designed to block a cryptic 5′ss in intron 1. Overall, this approach allowed the restoration of the normal splicing pattern. Furthermore, the recovery was both sequence and dose-specific. In general, this work provides a proof of principle on the correction of a CSTB gene defect causing ULD through a mutation-specific antisense therapy. It adds evidence to the feasibility of this approach, joining the many studies that are paving the way for translating antisense technology into the clinical practice. The insights detailed herein make mutation-based therapy a clear candidate for personalized treatment of ULD patients, encouraging similar investigations into other genetic diseases.
Characterization of Temporal and Spatial Variability of Phosphorus Loading to Lake Erie from the Western Basin Using Wavelet Transform Methods
Authors: Sharma Suresh , Nalley Deasy , Subedi Naba
Published: September 2018

The characterization of temporal and spatial patterns in phosphorus (P) loading in Lake Erie is essential in order to continue monitoring the excessive P condition that comes from the western Lake Erie Basin. This study aims to perform such a characterization using the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) methods. These wavelet transformations were conducted on streamflow data, TP loads, and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) of six stations located near Lake Erie of Northern Ohio. These stations are located near the outlet of Cuyahoga, Grand, Maumee, Vermilion, Raisin, and Sandusky watersheds. Long-term continuous P loading data, in which some dated back to 1970, were used in the analysis. The results obtained from the CWT and DWT approaches were found to complement each other. Streamflow had significant mixed variability at 1, 2, and 4 years. The variability for SRP was limited to 1 and 2 years while the TP variability was only seen at the 1-year scale. It was interesting to find that strong temporal patterns of SRP were observed in most of the watersheds only after the mid-1990s. The CWT wavelet spectra also reflected the land use characteristics of each watershed. For example, the wavelet spectra of surface runoff and TP for the agricultural watersheds (i.e., Raisin, Sandusky, and Maumee Rivers) were similar and characterized by significant variability primarily at the annual scale and at the two to four-year periodicities. The urbanized watershed (i.e., Cuyahoga River) did not show any association between either phosphorus (TP or SRP) with surface runoff and baseflow, which indicates that P in the urbanized watershed was not driven by the flow.
Municipal Bond Pricing: A Data Driven Method
Authors: Raman Natraj , Leidner Jochen L.
Published: September 2018

Price evaluations of municipal bonds have traditionally been performed by human experts based on their market knowledge and trading experience. Automated evaluation is an attractive alternative providing the advantage of an objective estimation that is transparent, consistent, and scalable. In this paper, we present a statistical model to automatically estimate U.S municipal bond yields based on trade transactions and study the agreement between human evaluations and machine generated estimates. The model uses piecewise polynomials constructed using basis functions. This provides immense flexibility in capturing the wide dispersion of yields. A novel transfer learning based approach that exploits the latent hierarchical relationship of the bonds is applied to enable robust yield estimation even in the absence of adequate trade data. The Bayesian nature of our model offers a principled framework to account for uncertainty in the estimates. Our inference procedure scales well even for large data sets. We demonstrate the empirical effectiveness of our model by assessing over 100,000 active bonds and find that our estimates are in line with hand priced evaluations for a large number of bonds.
Geospatial Assessment of the Post-Earthquake Hazard of the 2017 Pohang Earthquake Considering Seismic Site Effects
Authors: Kim Han-Saem , Sun Chang-Guk , Cho Hyung-Ik
Published: September 2018

The 2017 Pohang earthquake (moment magnitude scale: 5.4) was South Korea’s second strongest earthquake in decades, and caused the maximum amount of damage in terms of infrastructure and human injuries. As the epicenters were located in regions with Quaternary sediments, which involve distributions of thick fill and alluvial geo-layers, the induced damages were more severe owing to seismic amplification and liquefaction. Thus, to identify the influence of site-specific seismic effects, a post-earthquake survey framework for rapid earthquake damage estimation, correlated with seismic site effects, was proposed and applied in the region of the Pohang earthquake epicenter. Seismic zones were determined on the basis of ground motion by classifying sites using the multivariate site classification system. Low-rise structures with slight and moderate earthquake damage were noted to be concentrated in softer sites owing to the low focal depth of the site, topographical effects, and high frequency range of the mainshocks.
Synthesis and Characterisation of Linear and Towards Cyclic Diferrocenes with Alkynyl Spacers
Authors: Wilson Lucy E. , Jian Xueying , White Andrew J. P. , Long Nicholas J.
Published: September 2018

Ferrocenediyl systems offer a motif that incorporates multiple functionality and redox-active centers, enabling these units to be used as molecular scaffolds in linear and cyclic compounds. Herein, we discuss a new modular methodology for the synthesis and incorporation of ferrocenediyl motifs within extended conjugated systems. We have synthesized a family of compounds featuring ferrocenediyl-ethynyl units with various para-substituted aromatic linkages. Extended linear, open-chain species have been isolated and understanding towards the analogous cyclic compounds gained. The new compounds have been probed using NMR, mass spectrometry, cyclic voltammetry and X-ray crystallography to gain further understanding of their structural and electronic properties.
High-Throughput Synthesis of Pillared-Layered Magnesium Tetraphosphonate Coordination Polymers: Framework Interconversions and Proton Conductivity Studies
Authors: Colodrero Rosario M.P. , Salcedo Inés R. , Bazaga-García Montse , Barouda Eleni , Papadaki Maria , Papathanasiou Konstantinos E. , Hernández-Alonso Daniel , Rius Jordi , Aranda Miguel A.G. , Losilla Enrique R. , Olivera-Pastor Pascual , Demadis Konstantinos D. , Cabeza Aurelio
Published: September 2018

Novel pillared-layered framework materials were synthesized by high-throughput or microwave-assisted methodology that contain Mg2+ and the zwitterionic linker HDTMP (hexamethylenediamine-N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(methylenephosphonic acid)). Three compounds were structurally characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. In the compound {Mg[(HO3PCH2)2N(CH2)6N(CH2PO3H2)2]·(H2O)}n(1), obtained at 140 °C by hydrothermal or microwave-assisted reaction, the layers are built by isolated Mg2+ octahedra coordinated by oxygen atoms from six different zwitterionic HDTMP ligands. Each amino-bis(methylenephosphonate) moiety links three Mg2+ ions, bridging two of them through one phosphonate group and connecting the third polyhedron in a monodentate fashion. In Compound 2, {Mg[(HO3PCH2)2N(CH2)6N(CH2PO3H2)2]}n, hydrothermally synthesized at 180 °C, the layers are composed of bidentate amino-bis(methylenephosphonate) moieties connected to three Mg2+ ions, with one of the phosphonate groups acting as a bridging ligand. Various subtle structural changes are noted for the other two compounds. Thermodiffraction of 1 reveals that a crystalline-to-crystalline phase transformation occurs concomitantly with its dehydration, leading to a new anhydrous phase, namely, {Mg[(HO3PCH2)2N(CH2)6N(CH2PO3H2)2]}n(1deh). This process is fully reversible upon equilibrating the solid at room temperature. The reported compounds can adsorb ammonia and CO2. Compound 1 exhibits a moderate proton conductivity, ~1.5 × 10−5 S·cm−1 at 80 °C and 95% RH, that increases a half order of magnitude after experiencing a complete dehydration/rehydration process, 1→1deh→1.
Risk Assessment of Two Insecticides on Encarsia formosa, Parasitoid of Whitefly Bemisia tabaci
Authors: He Zhan , Liu Yuan , Wang Lei , Guo Qiu , Ali Shaukat , Chen Xiao-Sheng , Qiu Bao-Li
Published: September 2018

The assessment of acute toxicity to insect natural enemies is very important for insecticide selection used within integrated pest management (IPM). The acute toxicity of abamectin and imidacloprid against Encarsia formosa, a parasitoid of Bemisia tabaci, was investigated. Abamectin had a high toxicity risk to E. formosa, while imidacloprid showed a medium toxicity risk. When treated with the lethal concentration 30 (LC30) of abamectin, the dwelling time of E. formosa in B. tabaci infested-plant-area (IPA) was significantly lower than in non-infested plant areas (non-IPA). In addition, the frequency of E. formosa entering into the two areas was not significantly different in the LC10 and LC30 treatments. Within the IPA, LC10, and LC30 treatments decreased the dwelling time and entering frequency of parasitoid significantly. For imidacloprid treatments, E. formosa stayed a longer time in the non-IPA than in the IPA when treated with LC30. The frequency of E. formosa entering into the two areas was only slightly different in the LC1, LC10, and LC30 treatments. Within the IPA, LC10 and LC30 treatments were significantly decreased in the dwelling time and the entering frequency of E. formosa. The results indicate that abamectin and imidacloprid have high or medium acute toxicity against E. formosa and a negative sublethal effect on its searching behaviour.
Nematobacterial Complexes and Insect Hosts: Different Weapons for the Same War
Authors: Brivio Maurizio , Mastore Maristella
Published: September 2018

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are widely used as biological control agents against insect pests, the efficacy of these organisms strongly depends on the balance between the parasitic strategies and the immune response of the host. This review summarizes roles and relationships between insect hosts and two well-known EPN species, Steinernema feltiae and Steinernema carpocapsae and outlines the main mechanisms of immune recognition and defense of insects. Analyzing information and findings about these EPNs, it is clear that these two species use shared immunosuppression strategies, mainly mediated by their symbiotic bacteria, but there are differences in both the mechanism of evasion and interference of the two nematodes with the insect host immune pathways. Based on published data, S. feltiae takes advantage of the cross reaction between its body surface and some host functional proteins, to inhibit defensive processes; otherwise, secretion/excretion products from S. carpocapsae seem to be the main nematode components responsible for the host immunosuppression.
Cyber Physical Energy Systems Modules for Power Sharing Controllers in Inverter Based Microgrids
Authors: Macana Carlos A. , Abdou Ahmed F. , Pota Hemanshu R. , Guerrero Josep M. , Vasquez Juan C.
Published: September 2018

The Microgrids (MGs) are an effective way to deal with the smart grid challenges, including service continuity in the event of a grid interruption, and renewable energy integration. The MGs are compounded by multiple distributed generators (DGs), and the main control goals are load demand sharing and voltage and frequency stability. Important research has been reported to cope with the implementation challenges of the MGs including the power sharing control problem, where the use of cybernetic components such as virtual components, and communication systems is a common characteristic. The use of these cybernetic components to control complex physical systems generates new modeling challenges in order to achieve an adequate balance between complexity and accuracy in the MG model. The standardization problem of the cyber-physical MG models is addressed in this work, using a cyber-physical energy systems (CPES) modeling methodology to build integrated modules, and define the communication architectures that each power sharing control strategy requires in an AC-MG. Based on these modules, the control designer can identify the signals and components that eventually require a time delay analysis, communication requirements evaluation, and cyber-attacks’ prevention strategies. Similarly, the modules of each strategy allow for analyzing the potential advantages and drawbacks of each power sharing control technique from a cyber physical perspective.
Fibrosis Staging Using Direct Serum Biomarkers is Influenced by Hepatitis Activity Grading in Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Authors: Fujita Koji , Kuroda Noriyuki , Morishita Asahiro , Oura Kyoko , Tadokoro Tomoko , Nomura Takako , Yoneyama Hirohito , Arai Takeshi , Himoto Takashi , Watanabe Seishiro , Masaki Tsutomu
Published: September 2018

Background: Chronic liver diseases (CLDs) generally progress from inflammation to fibrosis and finally to carcinogenesis. Staging of liver fibrosis progression is inevitable for the management of CLD patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic abilities of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2 binding protein (WFA-M2BP), Enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) score, Fibrosis-4 index, and AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) based on histopathological analysis of liver biopsy samples, from patients with positive Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Methods: Japanese patients with HCV infection who underwent liver biopsy examinations were enrolled in this study. WFA-M2BP levels and ELF scores were calculated using preserved serum samples. The fibrosis staging and activity grading were assessed using a modified METAVIR score. Results: A total of 122 patients were enrolled; the cohort included 27 patients with stage 1, 66 with stage 2, 20 with stage 3, and nine with stage 4 fibrosis. All four biomarkers distinguished stage 3 and stage 2 fibrosis. ROC curves revealed that all four fibrosis biomarkers presented AUC values greater than 0.8. Each of the four biomarkers in stage 2 was significantly different between the activity grade 1 and 2 groups. Conclusion: Fib-4 index and APRI were comparable with WFA-M2BP and ELF score in the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis in Japanese patients with HCV infection. All four biomarkers of liver fibrosis were influenced by histopathological activity grading, which implies that liver biopsy should be the gold standard to evaluate liver fibrosis staging even though several noninvasive biomarkers have been investigated well.
Use of Linagliptin for the Management of Medicine Department Inpatients with Type 2 Diabetes in Real-World Clinical Practice (Lina-Real-World Study)
Authors: Pérez-Belmonte Luis , Gómez-Doblas Juan , Millán-Gómez Mercedes , López-Carmona María , Guijarro-Merino Ricardo , Carrasco-Chinchilla Fernando , De Teresa-Galván Eduardo , Jiménez-Navarro Manuel , Bernal-López M. , Gómez-Huelgas Ricardo
Published: September 2018

The use of noninsulin antihyperglycaemic drugs in the hospital setting has not yet been fully described. This observational study compared the efficacy and safety of the standard basal-bolus insulin regimen versus a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (linagliptin) plus basal insulin in medicine department inpatients in real-world clinical practice. We retrospectively enrolled non-critically ill patients with type 2 diabetes with mild to moderate hyperglycaemia and no injectable treatments at home who were treated with a hospital antihyperglycaemic regimen (basal-bolus insulin, or linagliptin-basal insulin) between January 2016 and December 2017. Propensity score was used to match patients in both treatment groups and a comparative analysis was conducted to test the significance of differences between groups. After matched-pair analysis, 227 patients were included per group. No differences were shown between basal-bolus versus linagliptin-basal regimens for the mean daily blood glucose concentration after admission (standardized difference = 0.011), number of blood glucose readings between 100–140 mg/dL (standardized difference = 0.017) and >200 mg/dL (standardized difference = 0.021), or treatment failures (standardized difference = 0.011). Patients on basal-bolus insulin received higher total insulin doses and a higher daily number of injections (standardized differences = 0.298 and 0.301, respectively). Basal and supplemental rapid-acting insulin doses were similar (standardized differences = 0.003 and 0.012, respectively). There were no differences in hospital stay length (standardized difference = 0.003), hypoglycaemic events (standardized difference = 0.018), or hospital complications (standardized difference = 0.010) between groups. This study shows that in real-world clinical practice, the linagliptin-basal insulin regimen was as effective and safe as the standard basal-bolus regimen in non-critical patients with type 2 diabetes with mild to moderate hyperglycaemia treated at home without injectable therapies.
A Comparative Study on the Mechanical Properties of a Polymer-Infiltrated Ceramic-Network Material Used for the Fabrication of Hybrid Abutment
Authors: Ongun Salim , Kurtulmus-Yilmaz Sevcan , Meriç Gökçe , Ulusoy Mutahhar
Published: September 2018

Polymer-infiltrated ceramic-network (PICN) material is a new type of material used for the hybrid abutments of dental implants. This study aimed to compare flexural strength, bond strengths, and fracture-resistance values of PICN with lithium disilicate ceramic (LDS) and to evaluate the effect of thermocycling on the tested parameters. Twenty specimens were fabricated using computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology for each material according to three-point bending (n = 10), microshear bond strength (µSBS), and a fracture-resistance test (hybrid abutment, n = 10). All specimens of each test group were divided into two subgroups, thermocycled or nonthermocycled. Hybrid abutments were cemented on titanium insert bases and then fixed on implants to compare fracture resistance. Failure loads were recorded for each test and data were statistically analyzed. Thermocycling decreased bond strength to the resin luting agent and the fracture-resistance values of both materials (p < 0.001), whereas flexural-strength values were not affected. LDS ceramic showed significantly higher flexural strength, bond strength, and fracture-resistance values than PICN material (p < 0.001). Within the limitations of this study, LDS may be a preferable hybrid-abutment material to PICN in terms of mechanical and bonding properties.