bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EKSISTENSI BURUH MIGRAN PEREMPUAN DAN GAMBARAN KEMISKINAN KABUPATEN PATI
Authors: Aeni Nurul
Published: March 2019

ENGLISHIndonesian migrant workers are dominated by women. It is an evidence of women participation in local development due to the remittance. This research aimed to describe the distribution of woman migrant workers in Pati District and to compare the poverty level between the subdistricts whose high concentration of woman migrant workers and their counterparts. It used qualitative research design with secondary data that were obtained from Employement and Transmigration Service as well ase Local Development Agency of Pati District. The result of reserach were: (1) The growth of woman migrant workers in Pati District during 2015-2016 was 24%. They mostly works in domestic sector with the main destination country is Taiwan. The highest consentration of woman migrant workers was Sukolilo Subdistrict and the lowest’s was Batangan Subdistrict. (2) Poverty is probably one of the international migration’s triggers. The subdistricts with high concentration of woman migrant workes tend to have higher percentage of poor families compare to their counterparts. INDONESIABuruh Migran Indonesia (BMI) dari Kabupaten Pati didominasi oleh perempuan. Hal tersebut menjadi bukti peran serta perempuan dalam pembangunan daerah berkaitan dengan pengiriman remitan. Tujuan penelitian adalah menggambarkan persebaran buruh migran perempuan di Kabupaten Pati dan membandingkan kondisi kemiskinan di kecamatan dengan jumlah buruh migran perempuan terbanyak dan tersedikit. Penelitian menggunakan desain kuantitatif dengan data sekunder yang didapatkan dari Disnakertrans, Bappeda Kabupaten Pati serta referensi lain yang relevan. Pengolahan data menggunakan analisis deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan: (1)Pertumbuhan buruh migran perempuan di Kabupate Pati periode 2015-2016 adalah sekitar 24%. Sebagian besar buruh migran tersebut bekerja di sektor domestik dengan destinasi utama Taiwan. Konsentrasi buruh migran tertinggi berada di Kecamatan Sukolilo dan terendah di Kecamatan Batangan. (2) kemiskinan diindikasikan menjadi salah satu faktor yang melandasi keputusan menjadi buruh migran. Bukti akan hal tersebut adalah kecamatan dengan jumlah buruh migran perempuan banyak memiliki persentase keluarga miskin yang lebih tinggi.
PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF MUSKMELON WINE: EFFECT OF DILUTION OF PULP, DAHP, PECTINESTERASE ENZYME AND CITRIC ACID ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND SENSORY QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: Joshi Vinod K. , Kumar Vikas , Chauhan Harmeet , Anwar Beenu
Published: March 2019

An attempt has been made to study the effect of dilution, addition of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAHP), pectinesterase enzyme and citric acid on the fermentability, physico-chemical and sensory quality characteristics of muskmelon wine. Initial physico-chemical characteristics of the muskmelon pulp showed that it is an average source of sugars and a good source of phenols, which make it more suitable as fermentation media. Out of the two dilutions, fermentation of 1:1 dilution of muskmelon pulp gave good fermentability, physico-chemical and sensory characteristics except fermentation efficiency and amino acid content. Fermentability, physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of muskmelon wine was found to be affected significantly by the addition of DAHP in the must. The addition of pectinesterase enzyme significantly effected fermentability, physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of the muskmelon wine except pH, titratable acidity and amino acid content. Addition of citric acid in the must did not show any drastic impact on the quality of muskmelon wine. Clustering of the data showed that muskmelon wine prepared using 1:1 dilution of pulp with the addition of DAHP and pectinesterase enzyme fell in one cluster, whereas, the rest of the wines fell in the other cluster. Physico-chemical characteristics and variables of muskmelon wine were reduced to two principal components using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that accounted for 89.02% and 98.03% variation respectively. It is concluded that 1:1 dilution of muskmelon pulp, with the addition of DAHP, pectinesterase enzyme and citric acid can be successfully used for the preparation of good quality muskmelon wine.
APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE- REVIEW ARTICLE
Authors: Khan Fasiha F. , Ahmad Kaleem , Ahmed Aleem , Haider Shujjah
Published: March 2019

Agricultural biotechnology plays a key role in research tools that scientists use to understand and manipulate the genetic makeup of organisms for use in agriculture: crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries. Biotechnology has vast application than genetic engineering; it also includes genomics and bioinformatics, markers-assisted selection, micropropagation, tissue culture, cloning, artificial insemination, embryo transfer and other technologies. However, genetic engineering, mainly in crop sector, is the area in which biotechnology is most directly affecting agriculture in developing countries and in which the most vital public concerns and policy issues have arisen.  Therefore, this review report tries to touches all the aspect of biotechnology in the field of agriculture.
VIRUS-INDUCED MANIPULATION PARADIGMS AND ALTERATIONS IN HOST PLANTS AND THEIR VECTORS
Authors: Hassan Zohaib Ul , Komaki Amanmohammad , Jafar Jahanzeb
Published: March 2019

This review focuses on virus-plant pathosystems, manipulation paradigms and alterations induced by viruses in their hosts and vectors. After forming a suitable cell environment viruses elude the defense mechanism of cell, having a transformative interaction with hosts and vectors urge the scientists to work on different molecular alterations and manipulations induced by viruses in their hosts and vectors. Different manipulation paradigms are regulated by viruses, that start after acquisition of viruses by corresponding vectors in adaptive manipulation and behavioral manipulation manners, which are generally known as “Host Manipulation Hypothesis” (HMH). Because of these mediated alterations, secondary chemistry of vector’s behavior can be affected. In the same way, plants are also extensively influenced by viruses which cause dramatic fluctuations in; genotype, phenotype, metabolism, systemic and hormones of the plants. The combination of viral proteins and host proteins evidenced efficacious viral infection. After viral infection defense system of plants is activated in the way of Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) that is (1) Rapid/ Extreme resistance (2) Slower host response or (hypersensitive response, HR) also known as programmed death of plant cells. Proteome-level alterations have been reported in phloem sap at the time of virus infection but this phenomenon needs to be investigated. Viruses have also been reported for making alterations in primary phytohormones of plants; Salicylic acid (SA), Abscisic acid (ABA), Jasmonic acid (JA), Ethylene (ET) actively involved in defense mechanism of the plant
OPTIMIZATION OF CELLULASE ENZYME PRODUCTION FROM Aspergillus oryzae FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Authors: Sher Hassan , Faheem Muhammad , Ghani Abdul , Mehmood Rashid , Rehman Hamza , Bokhari Syed A. I.
Published: March 2019

Cellulases are the hydrolytic group of enzymes, responsible for release of sugars in the bioconversion of the cellulosic biomass into a variety of value added industrial products. Fungal isolated cellulases are well studied and playing a significant role in various industrial processes. Enzymatic depolymerisation of cellulosic material has been done by the various fungal isolated enzymes. In the present study, the cultivation conditions for cellulase production from Aspergillus species were optimized. Optimization of scarification conditions such as time course, inoculum size, carbon source and concentration, nitrogen source, various pH levels were performed for the production of extracellular carboxymethyl cellulase and endoglucanase enzyme. The result exhibited, 15 % inoculums size, corncobs 2 % concentration, Urea and medium pH 7 at 30oC supported high yield of carboxymethyl cellulase (38.80 U/ml/min) and exoglucanase enzyme (10.94 U/ml/min) through a submerged fermentation (SmF). In future biotechnological applications in cellulase enzyme production attain a vital role to obtain high degradable yield.
EFFECT OF GAMMA IRRADIATION ON MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF MARIGOLD (Tagetes erecta L.)
Authors: Bhusari Arjun V. , Deshmukh Mangesh R. , Bhagat Surdesh R
Published: March 2019

Seeds of marigold cv. ‘Pusa Narangi Gainda’ were treated with different gamma irradiation treatments viz, control, 25 Gy, 50 Gy, 75 Gy, 100 Gy, 125 Gy and 150 Gy and evaluated for various morphological characters. Reduction in survival percentage, plant height, number of branches and plant spread was observed after irradiation and with increase in exposure of gamma rays. Early flower bud initiation and flower opening was observed in lower dose of gamma rays. Flower diameter, number of flowers and length of peduncle was significantly highest at the lowest dose of gamma irradiation. The stimulatory effect of gamma irradiation was observed at 25 Gy in almost all the characters, though the intensity of inhibition increased with increasing exposures of gamma rays. On the basis of present observation, it may be concluded that irradiation of gamma rays of 25 Gy was found to be beneficial for growth and flowering characters in African marigold cv. Pusa Narangi Gainda
EVALUATION OF POTATO CULTIVAR FOR GROWTH AND YIELD PARAMETER
Authors: Deshmukh Mangesh R. , Bansode Ganesh M. , Mahajan Pallavi
Published: March 2019

The present investigation on evaluation of varietal performance of various potato varieties under Pune Conditions was initiated in Oct 2012. Potato tubers of Kufri Lauvkar, Kufri Badshah, Kufri Pushkar, Kufri Surya, Kufri Khyati, Kufri Ashoka, Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Pukharaj were planted on ridges and furrows. The results revealed that Kufri Surya recorded significantly higher total tuber yield (20.67 t/ha) followed by Kufri Pukharaj (18.45 t/ha). However percent plant emergence and foliage senescence were found non-significant. Whereas results in respect of yield depicted that the variety Kufri Lauvkar produced the lowest tuber yield of 16.23 t/ha. Tuber dry matter (19.69%) was recorded to be the highest in Kufri Surya which was significantly superior in comparison to the remaining varieties. The least incidence of late blight (9.69%) was recorded on Kufri Khyati which was at par with K. Surya (9.74%). The least incidence of early blight (10.29%) was recorded on K. Lauvkar which too was at par with K. Surya. Keeping this in view K. Surya may be recommended as promising variety for Pune region
MORPHOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FUNGAL POST-HARVEST PATHOGENS OF PEACH (Prunus persica L)
Authors: Naeem Muhammd , Irshad Gulshan , Naz Farah , Noorin Sadia , Aslam Farooq , Rafay Abdul
Published: March 2019

The present study was designed to determine the fungal post-harvest pathogens of peach from fruit markets of Dhok kala khan, Raja Bazaar and Mandi Mor located in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. During the year 2016-17, 36 fruits from were collected randomly and morphological characterization of fungal isolates confirmed that Botrytis cineria, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolinifer and M. piriformis are causing post-harvest rot of peach. Among all these, R. stolinifer was found to be most prevalent pathogen. The essential oil of brassica, taramira and ginger were used for management of R. stolinifer with 0.05%, 0.5% and 5% concentration. Taramira oil at 5% concentration resisted the growth of R. stolinifer after 3 and 5 days while only 0.1 mm growth was recorded after 7 days.
Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Amphiphilic Peptide AP3 and Derivative Sequences
Authors: Chrom Christina L. , Renn Lindsay M. , Caputo Gregory A.
Published: March 2019

The continued emergence of new antibiotic resistant bacterial strains has resulted in great interest in the development of new antimicrobial treatments. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of many potential classes of molecules to help meet this emerging need. AMPs are naturally derived sequences, which act as part of the innate immune system of organisms ranging from insects through humans. We investigated the antimicrobial peptide AP3, which is originally isolated from the winter flounder Pleuronectes americanus. This peptide is of specific interest because it does not exhibit the canonical facially amphiphilic orientation of side chains when in a helical orientation. Different analogs of AP3 were synthesized in which length, charge identity, and Trp position were varied to investigate the sequence-structure and activity relationship. We performed biophysical and microbiological characterization using fluorescence spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, vesicle leakage assays, bacterial membrane permeabilization assays, and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the peptides bind to lipid bilayers to similar extents, while CD spectra show the peptides adopt helical conformations. All five peptides tested in this study exhibited binding to model lipid membranes, while the truncated peptides showed no measurable antimicrobial activity. The most active peptide proved to be the parent peptide AP3 with the highest degree of leakage and bacterial membrane permeabilization. Moreover, it was found that the ability to permeabilize model and bacterial membranes correlated most closely with the ability to predict antimicrobial activity.
Special Issue “Multi-Agent Systems”: Editorial
Authors: Mariani Stefano , Omicini Andrea
Published: March 2019

Multi-agent systems (MAS) allow and promote the development of distributed and intelligent applications in complex and dynamic environments. Applications of this kind have a crucial role in our everyday life, as witnessed by the broad range of domains they are deployed to—such as manufacturing, management sciences, e-commerce, biotechnology, etc. Despite heterogeneity, those domains share common requirements such as autonomy, structured interaction, mobility, and openness—which are well suited for MAS. Therein, in fact, goal-oriented processes can enter and leave the system dynamically and interact with each other according to structured protocols. This special issue gathers 17 contributions spanning from agent-based modelling and simulation to applications of MAS in situated and socio-technical systems.
Multi-Objective Interval Prediction of Load Based on the Conditional Copula Function
Authors: Zhang Gang , Li Zhixuan , Hou Jinwang , Zhang Kaoshe , Liu Fuchao , Zhang Xin
Published: March 2019

Compared with the point prediction, the interval prediction of the load could more effectively guarantee the safe operation of the power system. In view of the problem that the correlation between adjacent load data is not fully utilized so that the prediction accuracy is reduced, this paper proposes the conditional copula function interval prediction method, which could make full use of the correlation relationship between adjacent load data so as to obtain the interval prediction result. At the same time, there are the different prediction results of the method under different parameters, and the evaluation results of the two accuracy evaluation indicators containing PICP (prediction interval coverage probability) and the PIAW (prediction interval average width) are inconsistent, the above result that the optimal parameters and prediction results cannot be obtained, therefore, the NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II) multi-objective optimization algorithm is proposed to seek out the optimal solution set, and by evaluating the solution set, obtain the optimal prediction model parameters and the corresponding prediction results. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the three regions of Shaanxi Province, China to conduct ultra-short-term load prediction, and compare it with the commonly used load interval prediction method such as Gaussian process regression (GPR) algorithm, artificial neural network (ANN), extreme learning machine (ELM) and others, and the results show that the proposed method always has better prediction accuracy when applying it to different regions.
An Alternative Bilinear Interpolation Method Between Spherical Grids
Authors: Kim Ki-Hwan , Shim Pyoung-Seop , Shin Seoleun
Published: March 2019

In geoscientific studies, conventional bilinear interpolation has been widely used for remapping between logically rectangular grids on the surface of a sphere. Recently, various spherical grid systems including geodesic grids have been suggested to tackle the singularity problem caused by the traditional latitude–longitude grid. We suggest an alternative to pre-existing bilinear interpolation methods for remapping between any spherical grids, even for randomly distributed points on a sphere. This method supports any geometrical configuration of four source points neighboring a target point for interpolation, and provides remapping accuracy equivalent to the conventional bilinear method. In addition, for efficient search of neighboring source points, we use the linked-cell mapping method with a cubed-sphere as a reference frame. As a result, the computational cost is proportional to NlogN instead of N 2 (N being the number of grid points), even for the remapping of randomly distributed points on a sphere.
Stromal Vascular Fraction Cell Therapy for a Stroke Patient—Cure without Side Effects
Authors: Michalek Jaroslav , Vrablikova Alena , Heinrich Karl Georg , Dudasova Zuzana
Published: March 2019

A 48-year-old male, who suffered from a stroke resulting in cerebellum damage and occlusion of the left vertebral artery, underwent stromal vascular fraction therapy. The clinical status of the patient was monitored by a modified Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale before therapy and at 3, 9, 12, 18, 24, and 32 months after therapy. Three months after therapy, the patient felt a reduction in pain, vertigo, and fatigue. After 9 months, he was able to walk safely on his own. After 24 months, he was able to ride a bicycle. After 32 months, he felt completely healthy without any limitations or handicaps. Therefore, intravenous application of stromal vascular fraction cells represents a promising strategy for the treatment of patients after a stroke.
Paternal Preconception Every-Other-Day Ethanol Drinking Alters Behavior and Ethanol Consumption in Offspring
Authors: Beeler Erik , Nobile Zachary L. , Homanics Gregg E.
Published: March 2019

Alcohol use disorder is a devastating disease with a complex etiology. Recent preclinical studies have revealed that paternal preconception chronic intermittent ethanol (EtOH) exposure via vaporized EtOH altered drinking behaviors and sensitivity to EtOH selectively in male offspring. In the current study, we used a voluntary oral route of paternal preconception EtOH exposure, i.e., intermittent every-other-day two-bottle choice drinking, and tested offspring for behavioral alterations. Fifteen EtOH drinking sires and 10 control sires were mated to EtOH naïve females to produce EtOH-sired and control-sired offspring. These offspring were tested using the elevated plus maze, open field, drinking in the dark, and unlimited access two-bottle choice assays. We found that paternal preconception every-other-day two-bottle choice drinking resulted in reduced EtOH consumption selectively in male offspring in the drinking in the dark assay compared to control-sired offspring. No differences were detected in either sex in the unlimited access two-bottle choice and elevated plus maze assays. Open field analysis revealed complex changes in basal behavior and EtOH-induced behaviors that were sex specific. We concluded that paternal preconception voluntary EtOH consumption has persistent effects that impact the next generation. This study adds to a growing appreciation that one’s behavioral response to EtOH and EtOH drinking behavior are impacted by EtOH exposure of the prior generation.
Parametric Creative Design of Building Free-Forms Roofed with Transformed Shells Introducing Architect’s and Civil Engineer’s Responsible Artistic Concepts
Authors: Abramczyk Jacek , Prokopska Aleksandra
Published: March 2019

The article concerns a parametric description of unconventional building forms roofed with folded sheeting transformed elastically into shells. The description supports the designer in the search for attractive forms and a rational use of materials. The adoption of strictly defined sets of initial parameters determines the diversification of the designed architectural free-forms. An impact of selected proportions between these parameters on these forms is illustrated by an example of a single structure. Folded elevations and a segmented shell roof make each such structure internally coherent and externally sensitive. The mutual position and proportions of the shape of all elements, such as the roof, eaves, and façades, along with regular patterns in the same structure, determine this consistency of its form and sensitivity to harmonious incorporation into the natural or built environments. The study is a new insight into shaping free-forms of buildings in which the modern and ecological materials determine the important shape and mechanical limitations of these forms. With a skillful approach, the materials allow their extensive use in buildings. However, various interdisciplinary problems related to architectural shaping of free-forms and static and strength work thin-walled shell sheeting roofs must be solved. For effective design it is necessary to use relevant software applications, where spatial reasoning is crucial for ordering the three-dimensional space by means of simplified engineering models.
MHD Thin Film Flow and Thermal Analysis of Blood with CNTs Nanofluid
Authors: Alsagri Ali Sulaiman , Nasir Saleem , Gul Taza , Islam Saeed , Nisar K.S. , Shah Zahir , Khan Ilyas
Published: March 2019

Our main objective in the present work is to elaborate the characteristics of heat transport and magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) finite film flow of human blood with Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) nanofluids over a stretchable upright cylinder. Two kinds of CNTs nanoparticles, namely (i) SWCNTs (single walled carbon nanotubes) and (ii) MWCNTs (multi walled carbon nanotubes), are used with human blood as a base liquid. In addition, a uniform magnetic field (B) has been conducted perpendicularly to the motion of nanoliquid. The transformation of the partial differential structure into a non-linear ordinary differential structure is made by using appropriate dimensionless quantities. The controlling approach of the Homotopy analysis method (HAM) has been executed for the result of the velocity and temperature. The thickness of the coating film has been kept variable. The pressure distribution under the variable thickness of the liquid film has been calculated. The impacts of different variables and rate of spray during coating have been graphically plotted. The coefficient of skin friction and Nusselt number have been presented numerically. In addition, it is noticed that the thermal field of a nanoliquid elevates with rising values of ϕ and this increase is more in SWCNTs nanofluid than MWCNTs nanofluid.
Crystal Structure of a Cationic Bile Salt Derivative ([3β,5β,7α,12α]-3-(2-naphthyloylamino)-7,12-dihydroxycholan-24-triethylammonium iodide)
Authors: Meijide Francisco , Vázquez-Tato María , Seijas Julio , de Frutos Santiago , Trillo Novo Juan , Soto Victor , Vázquez Tato José
Published: March 2019

The crystal structure of the iodide salt of a quaternary ammonium derivative of cholic acid having a naphthalene group attached to the 3rd position of the steroid nucleus through an amide bond ([3β,5β,7α,12α]-3-(2-naphthyloylamino)-7,12-dihydroxycholan-24-triethylammonium iodide) has been resolved. The compound crystallizes in the P212121 orthorhombic space group (a/Å = 10.9458(3); b/Å = 12.1625(3); c/Å = 28.4706(7)). The lateral chain adopts a fully extended tttt conformation because the quaternary ammonium group cannot participate in the formation of hydrogen bonds. The iodide ion is involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds as well as the amide group and the two steroid hydroxy groups. Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms that these contacts, as well as the electrostatic interactions, stabilize the structure. The helixes around the 21 screw axis are right-handed ones.
The Fractal Calculus for Fractal Materials
Authors: Jafari Fakhri Khajvand , Asgari Mohammad Sadegh , Pishkoo Amir
Published: March 2019

The major problem in the process of mixing fluids (for instance liquid-liquid mixers) is turbulence, which is the outcome of the function of the equipment (engine). Fractal mixing is an alternative method that has symmetry and is predictable. Therefore, fractal structures and fractal reactors find importance. Using F α -fractal calculus, in this paper, we derive exact F α -differential forms of an ideal gas. Depending on the dimensionality of space, we should first obtain the integral staircase function and mass function of our geometry. When gases expand inside the fractal structure because of changes from the i + 1 iteration to the i iteration, in fact, we are faced with fluid mixing inside our fractal structure, which can be described by physical quantities P, V, and T. Finally, for the ideal gas equation, we calculate volume expansivity and isothermal compressibility.
A QGIS Tool for Automatically Identifying Asbestos Roofing
Authors: Tommasini Maurizio , Bacciottini Alessandro , Gherardelli Monica
Published: March 2019

Exposure to asbestos fibers implies a long-term risk for human health; therefore, the development of information systems that are able to detect the extent and status of asbestos over a certain territory has become a priority. This work presents a tool (based on the geographic information system open source software, QGIS) that is conceived for automatically identifying buildings with asbestos roofing. The area under investigation is the metropolitan area around Prato (Italy). The performance analysis of this system was carried out by classifying images that were acquired by the WorldView-3 sensor. These images are available at a low cost when compared with those obtained by means of aerial surveys, and they provide adequate resolution levels for roofing classification. The tool, a QGIS plugin, has shown fairly good performance in identifying asbestos roofing, with some false negatives and some false positives when applying a per-pixel classification. A performance improvement is obtainable when considering the percentage of asbestos pixels that are contained in each roof of the analyzed image. This value is also available with the plugin. In the future, this tool should make it possible to monitor the asbestos roof removal process over time in the area of interest, in accordance with other image data that give evidence of such removals.
Current Advances in Ejector Modeling, Experimentation and Applications for Refrigeration and Heat Pumps. Part 2: Two-Phase Ejectors
Authors: Aidoun Zine , Ameur Khaled , Falsafioon Mehdi , Badache Messaoud
Published: March 2019

Two-phase ejectors play a major role as refrigerant expansion devices in vapor compression systems and can find potential applications in many other industrial processes. As a result, they have become a focus of attention for the last few decades from the scientific community, not only for the expansion work recovery in a wide range of refrigeration and heat pump cycles but also in industrial processes as entrainment and mixing enhancement agents. This review provides relevant findings and trends, characterizing the design, operation and performance of the two-phase ejector as a component. Effects of geometry, operating conditions and the main developments in terms of theoretical and experimental approaches, rating methods and applications are discussed in detail. Ejector expansion refrigeration cycles (EERC) as well as the related theoretical and experimental research are reported. New and other relevant cycle combinations proposed in the recent literature are organized under theoretical and experimental headings by refrigerant types and/or by chronology whenever appropriate and systematically commented. This review brings out the fact that theoretical ejector and cycle studies outnumber experimental investigations and data generation. More emerging numerical studies of two-phase ejectors are a positive step, which has to be further supported by more validation work.
Effect of Thermomechanical Treatment on Acicular Ferrite Formation in Ti–Ca Deoxidized Low Carbon Steel
Authors: Wang Chao , Wang Xin , Kang Jian , Yuan Guo , Wang Guodong
Published: March 2019

Transformation behaviors and mechanical properties under thermomechanical treatment conditions of Ti–Ca deoxidized low carbon steel were studied in comparison to Al–Ca treated steel. A thermomechanical simulation and a hot rolling experiment were carried out. Inclusions and microstructures were characterized, and the transformation mechanism was analyzed. The results indicated that typical inclusions in Ti–Ca deoxidized steel were TiOx-MnS-Al2O3-CaO, TiOx-MnO-Al2O3-CaO, and TiOx-MnS, which were effective for acicular ferrite (AF) nucleation. Acicular ferrite formation temperature decreased with an increase in cooling rate. A fine AF dominant microstructure was formed under a high driving force for the transformation from austenite to ferrite at lower temperatures. A high deformation of 43–65% discouraged the formation of acicular ferrite because of the increase in austenite grain boundaries serving as nucleation sites. The fraction of high-angled grain boundaries that acted as obstacles to cleavage cracks was the highest in the sample cooled at 5 °C/s because of full AF structure formation. The hardness increased significantly as the cooling rate increased from 2 to 15 °C/s, whereas it decreased under the condition of deformation because of the formation of (quasi-)polygonal ferrite. By applying accelerated water cooling, the mechanical properties, particularly impact toughness, were significantly improved as a result of fine AF microstructure formation.
Prediction of Protein Subcellular Localization Based on Fusion of Multi-view Features
Authors: Li Bo , Cai Lijun , Liao Bo , Fu Xiangzheng , Bing Pingping , Yang Jialiang
Published: March 2019

The prediction of protein subcellular localization is critical for inferring protein functions, gene regulations and protein-protein interactions. With the advances of high-throughput sequencing technologies and proteomic methods, the protein sequences of numerous yeasts have become publicly available, which enables us to computationally predict yeast protein subcellular localization. However, widely-used protein sequence representation techniques, such as amino acid composition and the Chou’s pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC), are difficult in extracting adequate information about the interactions between residues and position distribution of each residue. Therefore, it is still urgent to develop novel sequence representations. In this study, we have presented two novel protein sequence representation techniques including Generalized Chaos Game Representation (GCGR) based on the frequency and distributions of the residues in the protein primary sequence, and novel statistics and information theory (NSI) reflecting local position information of the sequence. In the GCGR + NSI representation, a protein primary sequence is simply represented by a 5-dimensional feature vector, while other popular methods like PseAAC and dipeptide adopt features of more than hundreds of dimensions. In practice, the feature representation is highly efficient in predicting protein subcellular localization. Even without using machine learning-based classifiers, a simple model based on the feature vector can achieve prediction accuracies of 0.8825 and 0.7736 respectively for the CL317 and ZW225 datasets. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed encoding schemes, we introduce a multi-view features-based method to combine the two above-mentioned features with other well-known features including PseAAC and dipeptide composition, and use support vector machine as the classifier to predict protein subcellular localization. This novel model achieves prediction accuracies of 0.927 and 0.871 respectively for the CL317 and ZW225 datasets, better than other existing methods in the jackknife tests. The results suggest that the GCGR and NSI features are useful complements to popular protein sequence representations in predicting yeast protein subcellular localization. Finally, we validate a few newly predicted protein subcellular localizations by evidences from some published articles in authority journals and books.
Evolution and Biological Evaluation of Matrinic Derivatives with Amantadine Fragments As New Anti-Influenza Virus Agents
Authors: Niu Tianyu , Zhao Xiaoqiang , Jiang Jing , Yan Haiyan , Li Yinghong , Tang Sheng , Li Yuhuan , Song Danqing
Published: March 2019

A series of novel tricyclic matrinic derivatives with 11-adamantyl substitution were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their activities against Influenza A H3N2 virus, based on the privileged structure strategy. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis indicated that the introduction of an 11-adamantyl might be helpful for the potency. Among them, compounds 9f and 9j exhibited the promising anti-H3N2 activities with IC50 values of 7.2 μM and 10.2 μM, respectively, better than that of lead 1. Their activities were further confirmed at the protein level. Moreover, compound 9f displayed a high pharmacokinetic (PK) stability profile in whole blood and a safety profile in vivo. In primary mechanism, compound 9f could inhibit the virus replication cycle at early stage by targeting M2 protein, consistent with that of the parent amantadine. This study provided powerful information for further strategic optimization to develop these compounds into a new class of anti-influenza agents.
Differential Expression of Antimicrobial Peptides in Streptococcus pneumoniae Keratitis and STAT3-Dependent Expression of LL-37 by Streptococcus pneumoniae in Human Corneal Epithelial Cells
Authors: Sharma Prerana , Sharma Natalia , Mishra Priyasha , Joseph Joveeta , Mishra Dilip K. , Garg Prashant , Roy Sanhita
Published: March 2019

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of bacterial keratitis in the developing world with a growing trend of acquiring resistance against various antibiotics. In the current study, we determined the expression of different antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in response to S. pneumoniae in patients, as well as in primary and immortalized human corneal epithelial cells. We further focused on LL-37 and determined its expression in human cornea infected with S. pneumoniae and studied the killing ability of LL-37 against S. pneumoniae. The expression of AMPs was determined by quantitative PCR and the phosphorylation of signaling proteins was evaluated by immunoblot analysis. LL-37 expression was also determined by immunofluorescence and Western blot method and the killing ability of LL-37 against S. pneumoniae was determined by colony-forming units. Differential expression of antimicrobial peptides was observed in patients with S. pneumoniae keratitis. Although S. pneumoniae induced expression of the AMPs in human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC), it did not induce AMP expression in U937, a human monocyte cell line. S. pneumoniae also caused activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB)and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in corneal epithelial cells. LL-37 was found to be effective against both laboratory and clinical strains of S. pneumoniae. LL-37 induction by S. pneumoniae in human corneal epithelial cells was mediated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation, and inhibition of STAT3 activation significantly reduced LL-37 expression. Our study determines an extensive profile of AMPs expressed in the human cornea during S. pneumoniae infection, and suggests the potential of LL-37 to be developed as an alternative therapeutic intervention to fight increasing antibiotic resistance among bacteria.
Enhanced Oral Bioavailability, Anti-Tumor Activity and Hepatoprotective Effect of 6-Shogaol Loaded in a Type of Novel Micelles of Polyethylene Glycol and Linoleic Acid Conjugate
Authors: Zhang Huiyun , Wang Qilong , Sun Congyong , Zhu Yuan , Yang Qiuxuan , Wei Qiuyu , Chen Jiaxin , Deng Wenwen , Adu-Frimpong Michael , Yu Jiangnan , Xu Ximing
Published: March 2019

6-shogaol is a promising anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agent. However, the treatment effectiveness of 6-shogaol is limited by poor water solubility, poor oral absorption and rapid metabolism. Herein, 6-shogaol loaded in micelles (SMs) were designed to improve 6-shogaol’s solubility and bioavailability. The micelles of a PEG derivative of linoleic acid (mPEG2k-LA) were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method with a particle size of 76.8 nm, and entrapment of 81.6 %. Intriguingly, SMs showed a slower release in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (pH = 7.4) compared to free 6-shogaol while its oral bioavailability increased by 3.2–fold in vivo. More importantly, the in vitro cytotoxic effect in HepG2 cells of SMs was significantly higher than free 6-shogaol. Furthermore, SMs could significantly improve the tissue distribution of 6-shogaol, especially liver and brain. Finally, SMs showed a better hepatoprotective effect against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury in vivo than free 6-shogaol. These results suggest that the novel micelles could potentiate the activities of 6-shogaol in cancer treatment and hepatoprotection.
Fractional Prabhakar Derivative in Diffusion Equation with Non-Static Stochastic Resetting
Authors: dos Santos Maike A. F.
Published: March 2019

In this work, we investigate a series of mathematical aspects for the fractional diffusion equation with stochastic resetting. The stochastic resetting process in Evans–Majumdar sense has several applications in science, with a particular emphasis on non-equilibrium physics and biological systems. We propose a version of the stochastic resetting theory for systems in which the reset point is in motion, so the walker does not return to the initial position as in the standard model, but returns to a point that moves in space. In addition, we investigate the proposed stochastic resetting model for diffusion with the fractional operator of Prabhakar. The derivative of Prabhakar consists of an integro-differential operator that has a Mittag–Leffler function with three parameters in the integration kernel, so it generalizes a series of fractional operators such as Riemann–Liouville–Caputo. We present how the generalized model of stochastic resetting for fractional diffusion implies a rich class of anomalous diffusive processes, i.e., ⟨ ( Δ x ) 2 ⟩ ∝ t α , which includes sub-super-hyper-diffusive regimes. In the sequence, we generalize these ideas to the fractional Fokker–Planck equation for quadratic potential U ( x ) = a x 2 + b x + c . This work aims to present the generalized model of Evans–Majumdar’s theory for stochastic resetting under a new perspective of non-static restart points.
Bioactive Profile of Various Salvia officinalis L. Preparations
Authors: Jakovljević Martina , Jokić Stela , Molnar Maja , Jašić Midhat , Babić Jurislav , Jukić Huska , Banjari Ines
Published: March 2019

Salvia officinalis L., also known as the “Salvation Plant”, has been long used and well-documented in traditional medicine around the globe. Its bioactive compounds, and especially its polyphenol profile, have been extensively researched and reviewed. However, sage’s beneficial effects reach much further, and nowadays, with a range of new extraction techniques, we are discovering new components with new therapeutic effects, especially in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and various carcinomas. This review describes the bioactive profile of various sage preparations depending on the extraction techniques and extraction parameters, and this review lists the newest research findings on its health effects.
Online Rheometry Investigation of Flow/Slip Behavior of Powder Injection Molding Feedstocks
Authors: Sanetrnik Daniel , Hausnerova Berenika , Pata Vladimir
Published: March 2019

Wall slip in the flow of powder injection molding (PIM) compounds can be the cause of unrealistically low viscosity values, and can lead to a failure of flow simulation approaches. Regardless of its importance, it has been considered only scarcely in the rheological models applied to PIM materials. In this paper, an online extrusion rheometer equipped with rectangular slit dies was used to evaluate the slip velocity of commercial as well as in-house-prepared PIM feedstocks based on metallic and ceramic powders at close-to-processing conditions. The tested slit dies varied in their dimensions and surface roughness. The wall-slip effect was quantified using the Mooney analysis of slip velocities. The smaller gap height (1 mm) supported the wall-slip effect. It was shown that both the binder composition and the powder characteristic affect slip velocity. Slip velocity can be reduced by tailoring a powder particle size distribution towards smaller particle fractions. The thickness of the polymer layer formed at the channel wall is higher for water-soluble feedstocks, while in the case of the catalytic polyacetal feedstocks the effect of surface roughness was manifested through lower viscosity at smooth surfaces.
Influences of Hyperbranched Polyester Modification on the Crystallization Kinetics of Isotactic Polypropylene/Graphene Oxide Composites
Authors: Hao Zengheng , Li Lu , Yang Bo , Sheng Xingyue , Liao Xia , He Leilei , Liu Pan
Published: March 2019

In this study, the hyperbranched polyester grafted graphene oxide (GO-H202) was synthesized, and the isotactic polypropylene/graphene oxide (iPP/GO) composites were prepared. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the successful synthesis of GO-H202, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the weight ratio of grafting was about 35 wt %. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM) were carried out to investigate the role of GO and GO-H202 on the crystallization kinetics of the composites. Results suggested that the addition of GO enhanced the nucleation rate and crystallizability of the composites, while GO-H202 exhibited a higher crystallization acceleration effect compared to neat GO; results of isothermal crystallization kinetics and self-nucleation isothermal crystallization kinetics showed that both the overall crystallization rate and crystal growth rate increase after the addition of GO and GO-H202, and the crystallization acceleration of GO-H202 became evidently stronger compared to GO. Moreover, the variation trends of Avrami exponent n with the isothermal crystallization temperature TcISO changed significantly after the addition of GO or GO-H202, which might imply that the addition of GO and GO-H202 lead to different crystallization dimensionalities during the isothermal crystallization of the composites. The related mechanism was also discussed.
Introduction to the Special Issue ‘Religion, Ritual, and Ritualistic Objects’
Authors: Nugteren Albertina
Published: March 2019

If an object-centered volume on religious ritual is anything, it is a collection of contributions on material culture as a manifestation of structured symbolic practices (Fleming and Mann 2014; Grimes 2011; Keane 2008; Morgan 2008) [...]
Religiousness and Spirituality in the New Utopian Movements
Authors: León Gómez Javier
Published: March 2019

The aim of this article is the study and analysis of a set of revived utopian communities today, understood as contemporary spiritual heresies from theoretical perspectives close to postmodern critiques. Following ethnographic research over a series of years in different locations across the four continents, this socio-anthropological contribution highlights the characteristics, development and social image of this complex and largely unknown social and spiritual reality. The approach goes beyond the spatial—it includes not only the “being there” and living with the utopian individuals in their own communities for years—but also a temporal dimension, with emphasis placed on their continuity, on the existence of heterodox and heretical groups and communities throughout history. The new ethical critique, environmental problems, and the fear of an imminent sixth extinction guide us in the exploration of new millenarian beliefs emerging from the new spiritual movements born in what is called New Age. A detailed review by these cults—which appear to not follow any recognizable pattern—allows us to understand how some ideas are used in the post-capitalist era or—for the most critical—the eco-capitalist era. We approach the utopian communities understanding them as key strongholds of a counterculture that has aligned with the times, exploring their symbolic spaces and their idea of progress based, among other premises, on degrowth and voluntary simplicity. This is an approach to today’s heresies disguised as modernity. A look at religiousness turned spirituality in utopian movements of our time.
Modeling Competition between Countries in the Development of Arctic Resources
Authors: Konyukhovskiy Pavel , Holodkova Victoria , Titov Aleksander
Published: March 2019

The article is devoted to the approaches that can be applied in the distribution of Arctic resources between the main reference countries of this region. The objective economic nature of the problems that arise in this region makes it possible to characterize them as a competition of claims for a limited and potentially dynamically changing resource. At a formal level, this problem has a general nature and it is typical for many areas of modern economy. At the same time, it is impossible to deny its specifics, which imposes significant restrictions on possible methods of solution. In recent years, problems in the sphere of interstate cooperation under conditions of limited resources have significantly increased. In such a situation, scientific and practical research in the field of mechanisms for regulating the relations between the parties (economic entities) becomes interesting. In analyzing the mechanisms of distribution of limited resources, one can use the theory of cooperative games, mathematical models of resource rationing, as well as works on the study of problems of equitable distribution (s.c. Fair Divisions). In the framework of such tasks, the range of applicants for limited resources can be limited to countries or regions directly adjacent. The process can be include of “external players” who have sufficient investment potential. The subsequent development and analysis of the problems of regulating intercountry interaction are associated with mathematical formalization. Such formalization presupposes a description of the situation of competitive interaction between countries in the form of a stochastic cooperative game. An analysis of possible concepts for the solution of this game will lead to meaningful conclusions about specific schemes (mechanisms) of rationing.