bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolic Interactions between Bacteria and Fungi in Commensal Oral Biofilms
Authors: Lof Marloes , Janus Marleen , Krom Bastiaan
Published: July 2017

Oral health is more than just the absence of disease. The key to oral health is a diverse microbiome in an ecological balance. The oral microbiota is one of the most complex and diverse microbial communities in the human body. To maintain oral health, balance between the human host and the intrinsic microorganisms is essential. The healthy oral cavity is represented by a great microbial diversity, including both bacteria and fungi. The bacterial microbiome is very well studied. In contrast, fungi inhabiting the oral cavity are often overlooked. All microbial species in the oral cavity form communities which establish a variety of micro-niches and inter- and intra-species interactions. These interactions can be classified into three main groups: physical, chemical and metabolic interactions. Different metabolic interactions are reviewed in this report, among which are the metabolism of sugars, carbon, lactate and oxygen. This review set out with the aim of assessing the importance of metabolic interactions between fungi and bacteria in the healthy oral cavity.
1,2,3,4-Tetra-O-Acetyl-β-d-Mannuronic Acid
Authors: Beswick Laura , Miller Gavin
Published: July 2017

1,2,3,4-Tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-mannuronic acid was synthesized in three steps from commercial d-mannose in 21% yield. Regioselective 6-O-tritylation followed by per-acetylation and 6-OTr removal using HBr/AcOH gave the required primary alcohol substrate, which was then oxidised to the target compound using TEMPO/BAIB. None of the synthetic steps required column chromatography and the product was fully characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2D NMR, MS and IR.
On Operating a Nanofiltration Membrane for Olive Mill Wastewater Purification at Sub- and Super-Boundary Conditions
Authors: Stoller Marco , Ochando-Pulido Javier , Field Robert
Published: July 2017

In the last decades, membrane processes have gained a significant share of the market for wastewater purification. Although the product (i.e., purified water) is not of high added value, these processes are feasible both technically and from an economic point of view, provided the flux is relatively high and that membrane fouling is strongly inhibited. By controlling membrane fouling, the membrane may work for years without service, thus dramatically reducing operating costs and the need for membrane substitution. There is tension between operating at high permeate fluxes, which enhances fouling but reduces capital costs, and operating at lower fluxes which increases capital costs. Operating batch membrane processes leads to increased difficulties, since the feed fed to the membrane changes as a function of the recovery value. This paper is concerned with the operation of such a process. Membrane process designers should therefore avoid membrane fouling by operating membranes away from the permeate flux point where severe fouling is triggered. The design and operation of membrane purification plants is a difficult task, and the precision to properly describe the evolution of the fouling phenomenon as a function of the operating conditions is a key to success. Many reported works have reported on the control of fouling by operating below the boundary flux. On the other hand, only a few works have successfully sought to exploit super-boundary operating conditions; most super-boundary operations are reported to have led to process failures. In this work, both sub- and super-boundary operating conditions for a batch nanofiltration membrane process used for olive mill wastewater treatment were investigated. A model to identify a priori the point of transition from a sub-boundary to a super-boundary operation during a batch operation was developed, and this will provide membrane designers with a helpful tool to carefully avoid process failures.
Evodiamine Exerts an Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Activity through a WWOX-Dependent Pathway
Authors: Hu Che-Yuan , Wu Hung-Tsung , Su Yu-Chu , Lin Ching-Han , Chang Chih-Jen , Wu Chao-Liang
Published: July 2017

Evodiamine is one of the main components isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa, and it has been reported to exert inhibitory effects on cancers by anti-proliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities. Although the anti-cancer activity of evodiamine has been identified, the precise mechanisms of this action remain obscure. While previous studies indicated that evodiamine exerts anti-tumor effects through inhibiting β-catenin activity, and WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) regulates β-catenin accumulation in cytoplasm, the effects of evodiamine on the expression of WWOX are still unknown. In this study, we provide evidence that evodiamine dose- and time-dependently inhibits both Mus musculus and Homo sapiens hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, as well as Hepa1-6 and HepG2 cell proliferation. We further tested the therapeutic effects of evodiamine in Hepa1-6 hepatoma-bearing mice, and we found that treatment of evodiamine by oral gavage significantly decreased the tumor size of the mice. Moreover, the expressions of WWOX were dose-dependently increased in HCC cell lines as well as in Hepa1-6 hepatoma-bearing mice after the treatment with evodiamine. Knockdown of WWOX in HepG2 and Hepa1-6 cells diminished the effects of evodiamine on the inhibitory effect of cancer cell growth, indicating that evodiamine induced anti-cancer activity through a WWOX-dependent pathway. As such, evodiamine activated WWOX to exert an anti-HCC activity, and might be a potential therapeutic or preventive candidate for HCC treatment.
Prediction of Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Mexican Propolis by 1H-NMR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Data Analysis
Authors: Rivero-Cruz J. , Rodríguez de San Miguel Eduardo , Robles-Obregón Sergio , Hernández-Espino Circe , Rivero-Cruz Blanca , Pedraza-Chaverri José , Esturau-Escofet Nuria
Published: July 2017

A feasibility study to predict antimicrobial and antioxidant activity properties of propolis extracts using 700-MHz 1H-NMR spectra and multivariate regression data analysis is presented. The study was conducted with thirty-five propolis samples to develop a rapid and reliable method for the evaluation of their quality. The extracts have been evaluated by measuring phenolic and flavonoid contents; the antioxidant activity; and the antimicrobial activity. The obtained spectral data were submitted to multivariate calibration (partial least squares (PLS) and orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS)) to correlate the relative intensity and position of NMR resonance peaks with the metabolites contents and biological activities. The developed PLS and OPLS model were successfully applied to the determination of the target properties for proof of the concept. The OPLS observed vs. predicted properties plots indicate the absence of systematic errors with determination coefficients between the ranges 0.7207 to 0.9990. Up to 86.1% of explication of variation in the spectral data and 99.9% in the measured properties were attained with 88.6% of prediction capabilities in the best case (S. mutans activity) according to the cross-validation procedure. The figures of merit of the developed PLS and OPLS methods were evaluated and compared as well.
Is Sweet Taste Perception Associated with Sweet Food Liking and Intake?
Authors: Jayasinghe Shakeela , Kruger Rozanne , Walsh Daniel , Cao Guojiao , Rivers Stacey , Richter Marilize , Breier Bernhard
Published: July 2017

A range of psychophysical taste measurements are used to characterize an individual’s sweet taste perception and to assess links between taste perception and dietary intake. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between four different psychophysical measurements of sweet taste perception, and to explore which measures of sweet taste perception relate to sweet food intake. Forty-four women aged 20–40 years were recruited for the study. Four measures of sweet taste perception (detection and recognition thresholds, and sweet taste intensity and hedonic liking of suprathreshold concentrations) were assessed using glucose as the tastant. Dietary measurements included a four-day weighed food record, a sweet food-food frequency questionnaire and a sweet beverage liking questionnaire. Glucose detection and recognition thresholds showed no correlation with suprathreshold taste measurements or any dietary intake measurement. Importantly, sweet taste intensity correlated negatively with total energy and carbohydrate (starch, total sugar, fructose, glucose) intakes, frequency of sweet food intake and sweet beverage liking. Furthermore, sweet hedonic liking correlated positively with total energy and carbohydrate (total sugar, fructose, glucose) intakes. The present study shows a clear link between sweet taste intensity and hedonic liking with sweet food liking, and total energy, carbohydrate and sugar intake.
A Proposed Currency System for Academic Peer Review Payments Using the BlockChain Technology
Authors: Spearpoint Michael
Published: July 2017

Peer review of scholarly papers is seen to be a critical step in the publication of high quality outputs in reputable journals. However, it appears that there are few incentives for researchers to agree to conduct suitable reviews in a timely fashion and in some cases unscrupulous practices are occurring as part of the production of academic research output. Innovations in internet-based technologies mean that there are ways in which some of the challenges can be addressed. In particular, this paper proposes a new currency system using the BlockChain as its basis that provides a number of solutions. Potential benefits and problems of using the technology are discussed in the paper and these will need further investigation should the idea develop further. Ultimately, the currency could be used as an alternative publication metric for authors, institutions and journals.
High-Resolution Remote Sensing Image Retrieval Based on CNNs from a Dimensional Perspective
Authors: Xiao Zhifeng , Long Yang , Li Deren , Wei Chunshan , Tang Gefu , Liu Junyi
Published: July 2017

Because of recent advances in Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), traditional CNNs have been employed to extract thousands of codes as feature representations for image retrieval. In this paper, we propose that more powerful features for high-resolution remote sensing image representations can be learned using only several tens of codes; this approach can improve the retrieval accuracy and decrease the time and storage requirements. To accomplish this goal, we first investigate the learning of a series of features with different dimensions using a few tens to thousands of codes via our improved CNN frameworks. Then, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is introduced to compress the high-dimensional remote sensing image feature codes learned by traditional CNNs. Comprehensive comparisons are conducted to evaluate the retrieval performance based on feature codes of different dimensions learned by the improved CNNs as well as the PCA compression. To further demonstrate the powerful ability of the low-dimensional feature representation learned by the improved CNN frameworks, a Feature Weighted Map (FWM), which can perform feature visualization and provides a better understanding of the nature of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) frameworks, is explored. All the CNN models are trained from scratch using a large-scale and high-resolution remote sensing image archive, which will be published and made available to the public. The experimental results show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art CNN frameworks in terms of accuracy and storage.
Novel Selective Detection Method of Tumor Angiogenesis Factors Using Living Nano-Robots
Authors: Al-Fandi Mohamed , Alshraiedeh Nida , Oweis Rami , Alshdaifat Hala , Al-Mahaseneh Omamah , Al-Tall Khadijah , Alawneh Rawan
Published: July 2017

This paper reports a novel self-detection method for tumor cells using living nano-robots. These living robots are a nonpathogenic strain of E. coli bacteria equipped with naturally synthesized bio-nano-sensory systems that have an affinity to VEGF, an angiogenic factor overly-expressed by cancer cells. The VEGF-affinity/chemotaxis was assessed using several assays including the capillary chemotaxis assay, chemotaxis assay on soft agar, and chemotaxis assay on solid agar. In addition, a microfluidic device was developed to possibly discover tumor cells through the overexpressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Various experiments to study the sensing characteristic of the nano-robots presented a strong response toward the VEGF. Thus, a new paradigm of selective targeting therapies for cancer can be advanced using swimming E. coli as self-navigator miniaturized robots as well as drug-delivery vehicles.
A Pulse Rate Detection Method for Mouse Application Based on Multi-PPG Sensors
Authors: Lin Shu-Tyng , Chen Wei-Hao , Lin Yuan-Hsiang
Published: July 2017

Heart rate is an important physiological parameter for healthcare. Among measurement methods, photoplethysmography (PPG) is an easy and convenient method for pulse rate detection. However, as the PPG signal faces the challenge of motion artifacts and is constrained by the position chosen, the purpose of this paper is to implement a comfortable and easy-to-use multi-PPG sensor module combined with a stable and accurate real-time pulse rate detection method on a computer mouse. A weighted average method for multi-PPG sensors is used to adjust the weight of each signal channel in order to raise the accuracy and stability of the detected signal, therefore reducing the disturbance of noise under the environment of moving effectively and efficiently. According to the experiment results, the proposed method can increase the usability and probability of PPG signal detection on palms.
Modeling the 0-1 Knapsack Problem in Cargo Flow Adjustment
Authors: Lin Boliang , Liu Siqi , Lin Ruixi , Wu Jianping , Wang Jiaxi , Liu Chang
Published: July 2017

China’s railway network is one of the largest railway networks in the world. By the end of 2016, the total length of railway in operation reached 124,000 km and the annual freight volume exceeded 3.3 billion tons. However, the structure of network does not completely match transportation demand, i.e., there still exist a few bottlenecks in the network, which forces some freight flows to travel along non-shortest paths. At present, due to the expansion of the high-speed railway network, more passengers will travel by electric multiple unit (EMU) trains running on the high-speed railway. Therefore, fewer passenger trains will move along the regular medium-speed lines, resulting in more spare capacity for freight trains. In this context, some shipments flowing on non-shortest paths can shift to shorter paths. And consequently, a combinatorial optimization problem concerning which origin-destination (O-D) pairs should be adjusted to their shortest paths will arise. To solve it, mathematical models are developed to adjust freight flows between their shortest paths and non-shortest paths based on the 0-1 knapsack problem. We also carry out computational experiments using the commercial software Gurobi and a greedy algorithm (GA), respectively. The results indicate that the proposed models are feasible and effective.
Validation of the HUMAC Balance System in Comparison with Conventional Force Plates
Authors: Koltermann Jan , Gerber Martin , Beck Heidrun , Beck Michael
Published: July 2017

In recent years, there has been intensified development of cost-effective alternatives to conventional force plates, such as those of Kistler and AMTI, in clinical and scientific research. To our knowledge, the evidence for existing validity and reliability of the HUMAC Balance System has so far been lacking. Over the course of the study, the HUMAC Balance System, which is based on the WII Balance Board technology, was tested. 26 HUMAC Balance Systems in conjunction with 2 force plates, each from the manufacturers Kistler and AMTI, were examined and their properties under static and dynamic conditions were evaluated. Under static conditions, the HUMAC Balance System revealed a relatively constant and comparatively small margin of displacement error. However, tests of the force plates under dynamic conditions revealed contrasting results. The conventional force plates, with a margin of error of 2.5%, proved to have a smaller margin of error compared to the HUMAC Balance System, which had margins of error of 8.6% and 6.1% in x and y directions, respectively. A calibration method was developed to overcome these systematic deviations. After applying the calibration, the Balance Board margin of error was reduced to an acceptable maximum of 0.18%.
FACTORS AFFECTING CONTRACTOR’S BIDDING SUCCESS FOR INTERNATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: AZNAR Beltrán , PELLICER Eugenio , DAVIS Steven , BALLESTEROS-PÉREZ Pablo
Published: July 2017

This paper examines the effects of different factors on the success or failure of bids for infrastructure projects in Australia. Logistic regression analysis was used to empirically determine which factors have the largest effect on bid­ding success. Data was collected from 123 bids submitted by several infrastructure companies with subsidiaries in Aus­tralia. The analysis found that having a competitive advantage and a local partner, and also not competing against a local company were the most important factors; as they significantly increase the chances of success. However, four other factors, having relevant expertise, resource availability, a previous relationship with the client, and a previous relation­ship with consortium members, are ‘essential’ to be able to compete; as the absence of any of these four factors results in bid failure, although having them is not a guarantee of success. Results of this paper provide valuable information for any company considering the opportunity of entering into Australia’s infrastructure market as well as for companies that are already present in that country and are considering whether to bid for a specific project.
AN INTEGRATED FUZZY MCGDM APPROACH FOR SUPPLIER SELECTION PROBLEM
Authors: POLAT Gul , ERAY Ekin , BINGOL Befrin Neval
Published: July 2017

Materials constitute a large proportion of the total project cost and the absence of right materials in the right quantities and quality on site when needed is one of the most commonly experienced causes of delays in construction projects. Although supplier selection is a strategic issue, contractors generally select suppliers based on their past experi­ences, which may result in selecting wrong suppliers. Supplier selection decision is generally made by multiple decision makers and is affected by several criteria. Therefore, selecting the right supplier among many alternatives considering several compromising and conflicting criteria is a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem. This paper proposes an integrated fuzzy MCGDM approach, which employs fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) together, for the supplier selection problem. In the proposed approach, fuzzy AHP is used to analyse the structure of the supplier selection problem and to determine the weights of the criteria, and the fuzzy TOPSIS method is employed to rank the alternative suppliers. The proposed approach is applied to a problem of selecting the most appropriate rail supplier and company management found the proposed decision approach satisfactory and implementable in future supplier selection problems.
Direction-dependent Corrections in Polarimetric Radio Imaging. I. Characterizing the Effects of the Primary Beam on Full-Stokes Imaging
Authors: Jagannathan P. , Bhatnagar S. , Rau U. , Taylor A. R.
Published: July 2017

Next generation radio telescope arrays are being designed and commissioned to accurately measure polarized intensity and rotation measures (RMs) across the entire sky through deep, wide-field radio interferometric surveys. Radio interferometer dish antenna arrays are affected by direction-dependent (DD) gains due to both instrumental and atmospheric effects. In this paper, we demonstrate the effect of DD errors of the parabolic dish antenna array on the measured polarized intensities of radio sources in interferometric images. We characterize the extent of polarimetric image degradation due to the DD gains through wide-band VLA simulations of representative point-source simulations of the radio sky at L band (1–2 GHz). We show that at the 0.5 gain level of the primary beam there is significant flux leakage from Stokes I to Q, U amounting to 10% of the total intensity. We further demonstrate that while the instrumental response averages down for observations over large parallactic angle intervals, full-polarization DD correction is required to remove the effects of DD leakage. We also explore the effect of the DD beam on the RM signals and show that while the instrumental effect is primarily centered around 0 rad-m−2, the effect is significant over a broad range of RM requiring full polarization DD correction to accurately reconstruct the RM synthesis signal.
An Investigation of the Formation and Line Properties of MgH in 3D Hydrodynamical Model Stellar Atmospheres
Authors: Thygesen Anders O. , Kirby Evan N. , Gallagher Andrew J. , Ludwig Hans-G. , Caffau Elisabetta , Bonifacio Piercarlo , Sbordone Luca
Published: July 2017

Studies of the isotopic composition of magnesium in cool stars have so far relied upon the use of 1D model atmospheres. Since the isotopic ratios derived are based on asymmetries of optical MgH lines, it is important to test the impact from other effects affecting line asymmetries, like stellar convection. Here, we present a theoretical investigation of the effects of including self-consistent modeling of convection. Using spectral syntheses based on 3D hydrodynamical CO5BOLD models of dwarfs (4000 K ≲ T
eff ≲ 5160 K, 4.0 ≤ 

 ≤ 4.5,

) and giants (T
eff ∼ 4000 K,

= 1.5,

), we perform a detailed analysis comparing 3D and 1D syntheses. We describe the impact on the formation and behavior of MgH lines from using 3D models, and perform a qualitative assessment of the systematics introduced by the use of 1D syntheses. Using 3D model atmospheres significantly affect the strength of the MgH lines, especially in dwarfs, with 1D syntheses requiring an abundance correction of up to +0.69 dex, with the largest for our 5000 K models. The corrections are correlated with T
eff and are also affected by the metallicity. The shape of the strong 24MgH component in the 3D syntheses is poorly reproduced in 1D. This results in 1D syntheses underestimating 25Mg by up to ∼5 percentage points and overestimating 24Mg by a similar amount for dwarfs. This discrepancy increases with decreasing metallicity. 26Mg is recovered relatively well, with the largest difference being ∼2 percentage points. The use of 3D for giants has less impact, due to smaller differences in the atmospheric structure and a better reproduction of the line shape in 1D.
Polarimetry and Photometry of Gamma-Ray Bursts with RINGO2
Authors: Steele I. A. , Kopač D. , Arnold D. M. , Smith R. J. , Kobayashi S. , Jermak H. E. , Mundell C. G. , Gomboc A. , Guidorzi C. , Melandri A. , Japelj J.
Published: July 2017

We present a catalog of early-time (

s) photometry and polarimetry of all gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical afterglows observed with the RINGO2 imaging polarimeter on the Liverpool Telescope. Of the 19 optical afterglows observed, the following nine were bright enough to perform photometry and attempt polarimetry: GRB 100805A, GRB 101112A, GRB 110205A, GRB 110726A, GRB 120119A, GRB 120308A, GRB 120311A, GRB 120326A, and GRB 120327A. We present multiwavelength light curves for these 9 GRBs, together with estimates of their optical polarization degrees and/or limits. We carry out a thorough investigation of detection probabilities, instrumental properties, and systematics. Using two independent methods, we confirm previous reports of significant polarization in GRB 110205A and 120308A, and report the new detection of

% in GRB101112A. We discuss the results for the sample in the context of the reverse- and forward-shock afterglow scenario, and show that GRBs with detectable optical polarization at early time have clearly identifiable signatures of reverse-shock emission in their optical light curves. This supports the idea that GRB ejecta contain large-scale magnetic fields, and it highlights the importance of rapid-response polarimetry.
The Role of Horses in the Politics of Late Medieval South Arabia
Authors: Mahoney Daniel
Published: July 2017

Horses played a significant role in the social life, economy, and politics of the Rasulid court in late medieval South Arabia. The care and concern for horses as revealed through various administrative documents and chronicle reports, the celebration of great horsemen and the qualities associated with them, and the prominent appearance of horses in public and more private ceremonies all demonstrate the great extent to which they were valued. While previous research has focused upon the breeding and sale of horses by the Rasulids, this paper more deeply explores the ways in which they were used in the political machinations of the sultans. In this way, both the bestowal of horses as gifts in exchanges with foreign and local parties, as well as the confiscation and redistribution of horses among various groups within South Arabia, served as powerful means of mediation for the sultans to negotiate their political relations.
À la recherche de la race arabe : cheval et voyage en Arabie centrale au XIXe siècle
Authors: Pouillon François
Published: July 2017

L’Arabie centrale est restée très tardivement à l’écart des entreprises d’exploration qui, au XIXe siècle, s’attachent méthodiquement à sillonner la planète. Ceux qui l’entreprirent finalement, Carlo Guarmani et les Blunt notamment, étaient particulièrement attachés à rechercher des chevaux de pure race arabe, et ceux‑ci constituent donc un vecteur important de ces explorations. Le caractère un peu paradoxal de cette quête — car le cheval ne survit pas facilement dans un environnement d’aridité extrême — dénote en outre une évolution des mentalités concernant la représentation du désert qui, en ces temps postromantiques, n’est plus perçu comme une marge hostile et répulsive mais comme une entité géographique positive : un foyer d’où sortent des races — le concept prend alors tout son autorité — nobles aux vertus particulières.
Social Media Data Analysis in Urban e-Planning
Authors: Nummi Pilvi
Published: July 2017

Computational social media data analysis (SMDA) is opening up new possibilities for participatory urban planning. The aim of this study is to analyse what kind of computational methods can be used to analyse social media data to inform urban planning. A descriptive literature review of recent case study articles reveal that in this context SMDA has been applied mainly to location based social media data, such as geo-tagged Tweets, photographs and check-in data. There were only a few studies concerning the use of non-place-based data. Based on this review SMDA can provide planners with local knowledge about people's opinions, experiences, feelings, behaviour, and about the city structure. However, integration of this knowledge in planning and decision-making has not been completely successful in any of the cases. By way of a conclusion, a planning-led categorization of the SMDA method's tools and analysis results is suggested.
Hadoop Map Only Job for Enciphering Patient-Generated Health Data
Authors: Jain Arushi , Bhatnagar Vishal
Published: July 2017

Today, Big Data is being leveraged in many industries from criminal justice to health care to real estate with powerful outcomes. Organizations are using Big Data to predict the future in turn making them smarter and efficient. All the health care data such as discharge and transfer patient data maintained in Computer based Patient Records (CPR), Personal Health Information (PHI), and Electronic Health Records (EHR). The use of Big Data analytics is becoming increasingly popular at health care centres, in clinical research, and consumer based medical product development. The biggest challenge with implementation of big data is that the nature of information of public health sector is of very sensitive nature and needs to be protected from unauthorized access and release of contents. Therefore, to provide solution to the deidentifying personal health big data in this paper we author make use of only mapper job framework for data encryption.
Virtual Reality Using Smart-Devices in Educational Frameworks
Authors: Navarro Isidro , de Reina Oriol , Fonseca David , Gómez Macarena , Ferrer Álvaro
Published: July 2017

The main aim of this study is to improve the understanding of historical buildings through the use of advanced visual technologies. The main innovative features of the project are focused on the use of mobile and wearable technologies, the indoor location, and their mixed assessment an educational project. We will use smartphones, virtual reality and indoor positioning systems. Both the devices and the users' experience will be assessed with a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The proposal seeks to complement, the real experience of visiting an emblematic space (our case study: the Casa Batlló Museum, 1904-1906, Antonio Gaudí, Barcelona, Spain), in order to improve the spatial skills of architecture students and general visitors of this type of architectural landmarks.
Multi-Agent based Production Management Decision System Modelling for the Textile Enterprise
Authors: Wang Jinfu
Published: July 2017

To extract useful information from massive production processing data, firstly, production process and business workflow of the textile processing were analyzed, and the complex relationship and high dimensional feature of the stored data were studied. Secondly, a production management structure model based on multi-Agent was proposed by using the Multi-agent technology, relationship model, fuzz C means clustering algorithm (FCM) and expert system. And then, the rationality of the model was introduced, working principle, data computation process and message communication of multiple agents were elaborated, and finally a textile production process management system was designed. As verified by the application, the system the author proposed is superior to the existing textile production management system, and its functions strengthen the interactivity role both the user and the system, meet the requirements of the production management, intelligent decision and personalized service, and realize the heterogeneous integration among the different databases.
Robust Watermarking of Polygonal Meshes Based on Vertex Norms Variance Distortion
Authors: Ben Amar Yesmine , Trabelsi Imen , Dey Nilanjan , Shi Fuqian , Satapathy Suresh Chandra , Bouhlel Med Salim
Published: July 2017

The three-dimensional (3D) mesh is moderately novel media type that realizes a rising success in various applications through data transfer via the Internet, which requires security approaches. Technological copyright protection of digital contents has become a challenging task in the current digital epoch. In this work, a robust watermarking algorithm of polygonal meshes for copyright protection purposes is proposed. The watermark insertion was achieved by quantization of the vertex norms variance in order to insert the watermark bits. In addition, this method is based on a blind detection scheme, so the watermark can be extracted without referring to the original mesh. The experimental results established the quality of the watermarked object as well as the inserted watermark robustness against various types of attacks, which were evaluated to prove the validity of the proposed algorithm. The results proved the proposed method efficiency in terms of robustness and imperceptibility against several signal processing distortions. A comparison with other reported method with similar purposes is also provided. The comparison depicted the outstanding robustness of the proposed method compared to the other reported method.
EEECARP
Authors: Sarella Venkata Ramana , Reddy P.V.G.D. Prasad , Rao S. Krishna , Padala Preethi
Published: July 2017

WSN is a promising approach for variety of different real time applications. Different Routing protocols for WSNs are very effective challenge in present days because of scalability, efficient energy utilization and robustness in large number of wireless sensor networks with consists of more number of sensor nodes. LEATCH is a traditional routing protocol for energy optimization in WSNs. However, LEATCH cannot scale performance for large scale wireless sensor networks and difficulty to apply effective utilization of real time wireless sensor networks. So, in this paper the authors propose to develop a novel Energy Efficiency and Event Clustering Adaptive Routing Protocol (EEECARP) for WSN. The main designing feature of their proposed approach is as follows: Energy Efficiency, Dynamic Event Clustering and multi hop relay configuration with residual energy available on relay nodes in wireless sensor networks. The simulation results show that authors' routing protocol achieves convenient and effective better performance in formation of clusters with relay sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks.
Formation of Nanosized Coatings in Hybrid Plasma Reactor Combining Magnetron or Arc Deposition with RF Plasma Assistance
Authors: Kralkina Elena A. , Nekludova Polina A. , Nikonov Alexander M. , Airapetov Alexandr A. , Sologub Vadim A. , Dyuzhev Nikolay A.
Published: July 2017

The hybrid plasma reactor is based on the combined magnetron or arc discharge and radio-frequency inductive discharge located in the external magnetic field. Magnetron or arc discharge provides the generation of atoms and ions of the target materials while the flow of accelerated ions used for the ion assistance is provided by the RF inductive discharge. An external magnetic field is used to optimize the power input to the discharge, to increase the ion current density in the realm of substrate and to enhance the area of uniform plasma. The high value of the ion flow bombarding the substrate gives the possibility to organize the effective ion assistance to the films growth in case of high rate deposition by the arc sources.The deposition of Ti, Al, Si and permalloy films showed that the presence of ion assistance leads to the substantial change of the films structure and properties.
Synthesis of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Zirconia Composite and Bovine Serum Albumin Adsorption Characteristics
Authors: Bozgeyik Kadriye , Kopac Turkan
Published: July 2017

Multi-walled carbon nanotube-zirconia composite (MWNT-ZrO2) was synthesized by a simple in situ chemical precipitation method. Adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from aqueous solution on the MWNT-ZrO2 composite was studied using batch technique at different pH and temperatures. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data were analzed using different models. The adsorption isotherm data could be described by both of the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order rate model. MWNT loading improved the surface and the BSA adsorptive characteristics of zirconia.
Preparation, Characterization and Photostability Study of Biocomposites Comprising Quantum Dots for Bioimaging Application
Authors: Abu Norhidayah , Ismail Najihah , Ahmad Zubir Zuhana , Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mohd Azmi
Published: July 2017

Cadmium based quantum dots (Cd QDs) is well established and extensively used for various applications, but found limiting usage in bioimaging application, due to its high toxicity and insolubility in aqueous solution. Passivation and/or encapsulation of the Cd QDs with a non-toxic and biocompatible polymer are common practice to overcome the drawback. In our work, CdSe is synthesized as a core and encapsulated with ZnS to produce a hydrophobic colloidal core/shell CdSe/ZnS QD. Then, a biocompatible PEGylated amphiphilic polymer as matrices is used to encapsulate CdSe/ZnS QD for converting it into water dispersible property which required for in-vitro imaging applications. The cell viability and cellular uptake of the biocomposite were studied against cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Also, peak of emission spectrum was recorded to determine the photostability of this biocomposites under continuous UV light illumination up to 100 minutes.
Synthesis of Hybrid Carbon Nanoparticles Using Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Fullerene via Self-Assembly
Authors: Karthik Paneer Selvam , Lin Zaw , Korada Venkata Abhinav , Hada Masaki , Nishikawa Takeshi , Hayashi Yasuhiko
Published: July 2017

This report deals with a simple and efficient method to develop hybrid carbon nanoparticles (Nps) employing Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Fullerene nps. Fullerene nps were self-assembled via Ultrasonicated Liquid-Liquid Precipitation. Surface treated MWCNTs were entangled with fullerene nps during the process of assembling of the fullerene nps. Fullerene nps are formed by reaction between two solutions, one is the saturated solution which contains dissolved fullerene and other solution is a rough alcohol. This reaction increases the concentration of carbon in the solution and leads to super saturate hence self-assembling into nanoparticles. The obtained hybrid nanoparticles sizes were in the range of 100 nm to 300 nm with entangled mwcnts and were confirmed by characterization using SEM, Raman, UV-Vis, XRD, and DLS.
Preliminary Study on the Manufacturing Process of a Membrane Filtration for Protein Concentration from the Recycled Materials
Authors: Chung Tsair Wang , Hsu Shih Hong , Chen Chao Kai , Lin Yi Feng , Lin Yung Sen
Published: July 2017

Jatropha curcas oil has become an important raw material in manufacturing biodiesel fuel because of its non-edible and rich-oil characteristics. After oil pressing, the recycled press cake of Jatropha curcas seed residue exhibited ample protein, and could be applied in bio-medical, bio-resources, or food industrial products. Protein concentration process using membrane module system combined with the control design has a significant advantage on energy saving compared to the heat drying of protein solution. However, fouling, large membrane area and frequent membrane cleaning will increase the energy consumption and operation cost for the protein concentration process with filter membrane. In this study, the membrane filtration for protein concentration will be conducted. The discussion of control factors, membrane pore size (X1), pH value (X2) and transmembrane pressure (X3), for protein concentration process with response surface methodology (RSM) were discussed. The results showed that R2R2 value for each model was close to one. Future investigation on the mechatronics integration of the membrane separation and purification system will be needed for commercial applications.
Surface and Interface Engineering of Tungsten Oxide for Highly-Efficient Catalysis
Authors: Song Jia Jia , Huang Zhen Feng , Zou Ji Jun
Published: July 2017

The catalytic performance strongly relies on the composition, structure, and property of the material used. Earth-abundant tungsten oxides family (WOx≤3) has received considerable attention in photocatalysis, electrochemistry and catalytic hydrogenation due to its highly tunable structure and unique physicochemical properties. Substantial efforts have been made by us to improve the photocatalytic activity of WOx≤3 by enhancing light harvesting, charge transfer and separation, including defect engineering, morphology control, and hetero-junction construction. Additionally, the semiconductor-to-metal transition of WOx≤3 has been found with the increase of defect concentration, suggesting H2 can be activated on them in a similar way of a metal catalyst. As a result, WO2.72 also can function as a versatile and efficient catalyst for the saturation of olefins and selective transform of nitroarenes to anilines.
Effect of Nitrogen Flux on the Properties of N-Doped Zn1-xMgxO Thin Films
Authors: Liu Weiwei , Liu Cheng Lin , Chen Hong Xia , Wang Rong
Published: July 2017

Different Mg content in Zn1-xMgxO was also obtained by varying N2 flux. UV emission peak in photoluminescence (PL) spectra shift from 350 nm to 360 nm, and then to 352 nm, which is consistent with the result of absorption spectra of the Zn1-xMgxO:N films grown at different N2 flux. The emission intensity of the Zn1-xMgxO:N band edge peak was drastically reduced with increasing N2 flux, which was attributed to the concentration of nonradiative recombination centers increased with increasing N2 flux. The carrier concentration of N-doped Zn1-xMgxO increased with increasing N2 flux below 0.8 sccm, while those above 0.8 sccm decreased. The p-type Zn1-xMgxO:N with the maximum hole concentration 3.97×1017 cm-3 was obtained by optimizing growth conditions.
Synthesis of Fe3O4/TiO2-Co Nanocomposite as Model of Photocatalyst with Magnetic Properties
Authors: Ramadhan Muhammad , Pradipta Adya Rizky , Kunarti Eko Sri
Published: July 2017

Synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4/TiO2-Co as magnetic photocatalyst had been done. The research was started with the preparation of magnetite through co-precipitation and sonication system, followed by preparation of Co-dopedTiO2 using sol-gel method and then mixed both of them with a ratio of Fe3O4:TiO2 1:3; 1:9; 1:15 (FT3, FT9, FT15) and ended by calcination. The product was characterised by using Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometer (SEM-EDX), UV-Specular reflectance spectrophotometer (SR-UV) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The resulting material showed a maximum value of band gap energy at 2.83 eV in FT3. The effect of Fe3O4:TiO2 ratio known can be affected the magnetic moment and showed the optimum result 2.0 emu/g in FT3. The magnetic character of Fe3O4/TiO2-Co also known can be affected by the magnetite crystalline size from the composites composition.
Micro and Nano Silver-Graphene Composite Manufacturing via Horizontal Vapor Phase Growth (HVPG) Technique
Authors: Muflikhun Muhammad Akhsin , Castillon Gwen B. , Santos Gil Nonato C. , Chua Alvin Y.
Published: July 2017

In this study, nanosilver-graphene composites were successfully manufactured via the horizontal vapor phase growth (HVPG) technique. A quartz tube loaded with the starting material, equal masses silver (Ag) powder and multi-layer graphene (Ge), was evacuated to ~10-6 Torr, sealed, and then baked at 1200°C for 6 hours, with its orientation such that a horizontal temperature gradient was generated across the tube. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis revealed variations in the structure and composition of the nanomaterials deposited on different regions of the tube, and the diameter of the nanomaterials was found to decrease with decreasing temperature.
Oxidative Stress: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Placental Malaria
Authors: Sarr Demba , Cooper Caitlin A , Bracken Tara C , Martinez-Uribe Omar , Nagy Tamas , Moore Julie M
Published: July 2017

Placental malaria, characterized by sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum in the maternal placental blood space and associated inflammatory damage, contributes to poor birth outcomes and ∼200,000 infant deaths annually. Specific mechanisms that contribute to placental damage and dysfunction during malaria are not completely understood. To investigate a potential role for oxidative stress, antioxidant genes and markers for oxidative damage were assessed by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry in Plasmodium chabaudi AS-infected pregnant mice. Widespread evidence of lipid peroxidation was observed and was associated with higher antioxidant gene expression in conceptuses of infected mice. To assess the extent to which this oxidative damage might contribute to poor birth outcomes and be amenable to therapeutic intervention, infected pregnant mice were treated with N-acetylcysteine, a free radical scavenger, or tempol, an intracellular superoxide dismutase mimetic. The results show that mice treated with N-acetylcysteine experienced malaria induced–pregnancy loss at the same rate as control animals and failed to mitigate placental oxidative damage. In contrast, tempol-treated mice exhibited subtle improvement in embryo survival at gestation day 12. Although lipid peroxidation was not consistently reduced in the placentas of these mice, it was inversely related to embryo viability. Moreover, reduced IFN-γ and CCL2 plasma levels in treated mice were associated with midgestational embryo viability. Thus, although oxidative stress is remarkable in placental malaria and its mitigation by antioxidant therapy may improve pregnancy outcomes, the underlying mechanistic basis and potential therapeutic strategies require additional investigation.
Adult antiretroviral therapy guidelines 2017
Authors: Meintjes Graeme , Moorhouse Michelle A. , Carmona Sergio , Davies Natasha , Dlamini Sipho , Van Vuuren Cloete , Manzini Thandekile , Mathe Moeketsi , Moosa Yunus , Nash Jennifer , Nel Jeremy , Pakade Yoliswa , Woods Joana , Van Zyl Gert , Conradie Francesca , Venter Francois
Published: July 2017

These guidelines are intended as an update to those published in the Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine in 2014 and the update on when to initiate antiretroviral therapy in 2015. Since the release of the previous guidelines, the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in southern Africa has continued. New antiretroviral drugs have become available with improved efficacy, safety and robustness. The guidelines are intended for countries in the southern African region, which vary between lower and middle income.
Bilateral vocal cord paralysis with acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Nasrat Taofik , Jouni Ali , Aresene Camelia , Norris Gregory
Published: July 2017

Vocal cords receive nerve supply from recurrent laryngeal nerve which is a branch of the vagus nerve. Cerebral motor cortex projects corticobulbar tracts to the motor nucleus (nucleus ambiguous) of the vagus found in medulla. Vagus nerve leaves the skull through jugular foramen and travels through the carotid sheath. The left vagus gives rise to left recurrent laryngeal nerve at the aortic arch, whereas the right vagus gives rise to right recurrent laryngeal nerve at the subclavian artery. Any disruption of this pathway by any entity will cause unilateral vocal cord paralysis. Strokes that affect the motor cortex do not cause unilateral vocal cord paralysis since vagus nerve nucleus receives corticobulbar tract from both sides of the brain. We present an unusual case of bilateral vocal cord paralysis caused by unilateral right insular stroke which is not related to this pathway.