bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
„Piękniej niż w bajce”. Obóz pionierski w Arteku w polskim reportażu lat 30–50. XX wieku
Authors: Żejmo Bożena
Published: February 2020

The objective of the article is to analyze the image of the pioneer camp Artek in the Polish reportage of the 1930s–50s in the XX century. At the beginning of the 1930s, only one account about Artek, by Michał Suryc, appeared on the Polish publishing market. From the second half of the 1940s, when the communist Polish authorities began intense Stalinization, the press was enthusiastically reporting the next batch of Polish children spending wonderful and unforgettable moments in the Crimea. The most idealized picture of Artek was created by Marian Brandys in his book Journey to Artek (1953), an ideologized communist fairy-tale.
"Пристрасті за ковбасою": соціальні та політичні наслідки продовольчого дефіциту в УРСР другої половини 1980-х – початку 1990-х рр.
Authors: Kuzmenko Y. V.
Published: February 2020

Пропонована стаття є спробою аналізу ковбаси як культового харчового продукту Радянського Союзу в контексті поєднання методологічних підходів двох сучасних напрямків історичної науки – історії повсякденності та food studies. Для мільйонів радянських людей ковбаса була символом статку та забезпеченості. У статті здійснено короткий аналіз історії становлення промислового виробництва ковбасних виробів та еволюції державних стандартів її виробництва в СРСР. Основна увага автора прикута до періоду перебудови, коли в умовах тотального дефіциту розгорнулися справжні "пристрасті за ковбасою". Їх прояви – довгі черги, падіння культури обслуговування, зниження якості товару, "блат", спекуляція тощо, дестабілізували суспільно-політичне життя в УРСР. Особливе невдоволення в українському суспільстві кінця 80-х рр. ХХ ст. викликала інформація про привілеї партійно-радянської номенклатури та їх доступ до дефіцитних категорій товарів. У статті описаний найяскравішийприклад суспільного заворушення на цьому ґрунті в історії УРСР – так звану "ковбасну революцію" в м. Чернігові, яка призвела до зміни майже всього партійного керівництва у місті. Автор приходить до висновку, що дослідження подібного характеру дають змогу проаналізувати кризу радянського ладу в усьому різноманітті її проявів.
Effects of the growth pattern of medulloblastoma on short-term neurological impairments after surgery: results from the prospective multicenter HIT-SIOP PNET 4 study
Authors: Schepke Elizabeth , Tisell Magnus , Kennedy Colin , Puget Stephanie , Ferroli Paolo , Chevignard Mathilde , Doz François , Pizer Barry , Rutkowski Stefan , Massimino Maura , Navajas Aurora , Schwalbe Edward , Hicks Debbie , Clifford Steven C. , Pietsch Torsten , Lannering Birgitta
Published: February 2020

OBJECTIVE

Extensive resection of a tumor in the posterior fossa in children is associated with the risk of neurological deficits. The objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the short-term neurological morbidity in children after medulloblastoma surgery and relate this to the tumor’s growth pattern and to the extent of resection.

METHODS

In 160 patients taking part in the HIT-SIOP PNET 4 (Hyperfractionated Versus Conventionally Fractionated Radiotherapy in Standard Risk Medulloblastoma) trial, neurosurgeons prospectively responded to questions concerning the growth pattern of the tumor they had resected. The extent of resection (gross, near, or subtotal) was evaluated using MRI. The patients’ neurological status before resection and around 30 days after resection was recorded.

RESULTS

Invasive tumor growth, defined as local invasion in the brain or meninges, cranial nerve, or major vessel, was reported in 58% of the patients. After surgery almost 70% of all patients were affected by one or several neurological impairments (e.g., impaired vision, impaired extraocular movements, and ataxia). However, this figure was very similar to the preoperative findings. Invasive tumor growth implied a significantly higher number of impairments after surgery (p = 0.03) and greater deterioration regarding extraocular movements (p = 0.012), facial weakness (p = 0.048), and ataxia in the arms (p = 0.014) and trunk (p = 0.025) compared with noninvasive tumor growth. This deterioration was not dependent on the extent of resection performed. Progression-free survival (PFS) at 5 years was 80% ± 4% and 76% ± 5% for patients with invasive and noninvasive tumor growth, respectively, with no difference in the 5-year PFS for extent of resection.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative neurological impairments and invasive tumor growth were strong predictors of deterioration in short-term neurological outcome after medulloblastoma neurosurgery, whereas the extent of resection was not. Neither tumor invasiveness nor extent of resection influenced PFS. These findings support the continuation of maximal safe resection in medulloblastoma surgery where functional risks are not taken in areas with tumor invasion.
Spinal column shortening versus revision detethering for recurrent adult tethered cord syndrome: a preliminary comparison of perioperative and clinical outcomes
Authors: Zhang Can , Chang Chih-Chang , Mummaneni Praveen V. , Yuan Chenghua , Dhall Sanjay , Jian Fengzeng , Gupta Nalin , Chou Dean
Published: February 2020

OBJECTIVE

Recurrent tethered cord syndrome (TCS), believed to result from tension on the distal portion of the spinal cord, causes a constellation of neurological symptoms. Detethering surgery has been the traditional treatment for TCS. However, in cases of recurrent TCS, there is a risk of new neurological deficits developing, and subsequent retethering is difficult to prevent. Spinal column shortening has been proposed as an alternative technique to reduce the tension on the spinal cord without incurring the morbidity of revision surgery on the spinal cord. The authors compared the perioperative outcomes and morbidity of patients who were treated with one or the other procedure.

METHODS

The medical records of 16 adult patients with recurrent TCS who were treated between 2005 and 2018 were reviewed. Eight patients underwent spinal column shortening, and 8 patients underwent revision detethering surgery. Patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and perioperative factors were analyzed. The authors include a video to illustrate their technique of spinal column shortening.

RESULTS

Within the spinal column shortening group, no patients experienced any complications, and all 8 patients either improved or stabilized with regard to lower-extremity and bowel and bladder function. Within the revision detethering group, 2 patients had worsening of lower-extremity strength, 3 patients had worsening of bowel and bladder function, and 1 patient had improvement in bladder function. Also, 3 patients had wound-related complications. The median estimated blood loss was 731 ml in the shortening group and 163 ml in the revision detethering group. The median operative time was 358 minutes in the shortening group and 226 minutes in the revision detethering group.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical outcomes were comparable between the groups, but none of the spinal column shortening patients experienced worsening, whereas 3 of the revision detethering patients did and also had wound-related complications. Although the operative times and blood loss were higher in the spinal column shortening group, this procedure may be an alternative to revision detethering in extremely scarred or complex wound revision cases.
Indirect bypass for maternal symptomatic moyamoya in the first trimester of pregnancy: case report
Authors: Fehnel Katie P. , McClain Craig D. , Smith Edward R.
Published: February 2020

There are no practice guidelines for the treatment of moyamoya disease in pregnant women. The need for such guidelines, however, is evidenced by the numerous case reports, case series, and systematic reviews in the literature highlighting an at-risk period for female moyamoya patients of childbearing age. Here the authors review and interpret the existing literature as it applies to their index patient and expand the literature in support of treating select patients during pregnancy. The authors describe what is to their knowledge the first case reported in the literature of a patient successfully treated with indirect surgical revascularization during the first trimester, who went on to deliver a healthy term baby without complications.
The Use of Turmeric (Extracts and Squeeze) to Detect Plaque on Teeth
Authors: Haryani Nike , Mahmiyah Erma , Ayatullah M. Ibraar
Published: February 2020

Primary school is a very strategic place for the prevention of dental and oral diseases. Delivering counseling material in learning oral health requires media. One of the media in dental and oral health education is through counseling using audio media. This audio media contains messages about dental health that are played at school every morning and can be exposed and heard every day so elementary school children can behave well in dental health. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of audio media outreach programs to the knowledge and level of dental and mouth hygiene of students at State Primary School 26 Kalimas Tengah, Kubu Raya Regency in 2019. This study was a quasi-experimental study with a Pre-Post observation research design. The samples of this study were 68 people which were class III, IV and V. The results showed the average rank of knowledge index before counseling with audio media was 8.928 and p was 0.020 (p<0.05) with index of dental and oral hygiene level was 0,00 and p of 0,000 (p<0.05). Meanwhile, after counseling with audio media was 9,500 and p of 0.020 (p<0.05) with a level of dental and oral hygiene of 35.00 and p of 0,000 (p<0,05). The conclusion of this study is counseling with audio media is more effective in increasing knowledge which can improve oral and dental hygiene
Normal Puberty Knowledge and Adolescent Menstrual Cycles
Authors: Putriyanti C. Ermayani , Ratnawati Eka
Published: February 2020

The degree of understanding of puberty is still very varied. It has an impact on the cleanliness of erroneous menstruation, which will have long-term effects on reproductive health. The study aims to identify adolescent knowledge about normal puberty and menstrual cycles. This research was a quantitative study of observational approach by using the knowledge survey of normal puberty and the menstrual cycle involving 55 students of State Junior High School (SMPN) 1 Parakan, Temanggung, Central Java. The technicality used descriptive statistics. The results of this study revealed that knowledge of the degree of normal paper and the menstrual cycle was still low (21.33%). The main sources of information about puberty and menstruation are thousands (85.5%). Teenagers do not know about the interval between the onset of puberty and menarche (87%), few adolescents understand the first sign of puberty (33%). Most teenagers have understood the normal menstrual cycle correctly (78%). There was no significant relationship between knowledge of the first sign of puberty with respondents' understanding of belief. Meanwhile, there was a significant relationship between menstrual status and knowledge about the menstrual cycle and the number of replacement pads. The results showed that students have a poor understanding of puberty, hence, health education must be given to students and their parents.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) of cystic renal lesions in comparison to CT and MRI in a multicenter setting
Authors: Lerchbaumer Markus Herbert , Putz Franz Josef , Rübenthaler Johannes , Rogasch Julian , Jung Ernst-Michael , Clevert Dirk-Andre , Hamm Bernd , Makowski Marcus , Fischer Thomas
Published: February 2020

PURPOSE: Contrast-enhanced-ultrasound (CEUS) has been frequently used in assessment of cystic renal lesions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the Bosniak classification in CEUS compared to CT and MRI in a multi-center setting. METHODS: Bosniak classification in CEUS examinations of cystic renal lesions were compared to imaging findings in computed-tomography (ceCT) and magnetic-resonance-imaging (ceMRI). Imaging results were correlated to histopathological reports. All examinations were performed by experts (EFSUMB level 3) using up-to-date CEUS examination-protocols. RESULTS: Overall, 173 cystic renal lesions were compared to subgroups CT (n = 87) and MRI (n = 86). Using Bosniak-classification 64/87 renal cysts (73.6%) were rated equal compared to CT with upgrade of four lesions (4.6%) and downgrade of 19 lesions (21.8%) by CT (Intra-class-correlation [ICC] coefficient of 0.824 [p < 0.001]). CEUS compared to MRI, presenting different scoring especially in classes Bosniak IIF (n = 16/31) and Bosniak III (n = 16/28) with an ICC coefficient of 0.651 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: CEUS can visualize even finest septal and small nodular wall enhancement, which may result in an upgrade of cystic lesions into a higher Bosniak class compared to CT or MRI. Thus, a modification of the Bosniak classification on CEUS may reduce unnecessary biopsies and surgery.
PENGARUH BAURAN PEMASARAN TERHADAP PROSES KEPUTUSAN PELANGGAN DALAM MEMILIH RAWAT INAP DI RUMAH SAKIT ISLAM IBNU SINA PADANG TAHUN 2012
Authors: Rachmawaty Sry , Semiarty Rima , Lita Ratni Prima
Published: February 2020

Proses keputusan untuk memilih rawat inap bagi pelanggan bukanlah hal yang mudah. Banyak faktor yang harus dipertimbangkan untuk rawat inap di suatu rumah sakit. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh bauran pemasaran terhadap keputusan pelanggan (pasien) dalam memilih rawat inap di Rumah Sakit Ibnu Sina Padang tahun 2012.

Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif dengan metode field survey. Penelitian dilakukan di Rumah Sakit Ibnu Sina pada bulan Januari dan Februari 2012. Data primer dikumpulkan dengan cara menyebarkan kuisioner yang kemudian diolah dengan regresi linier berganda dalam metode enter, dimana hasil yang tidak signifikan dikeluarkan satu-persatu sampai mendapatkan variabel yang paling signifikan mempengaruhi keputusan untuk memilih dirawat inap di Rumah Sakit Ibnu Sina.

Pada penelitian ini didapatkan bahwa semua variable bauran pemasaran mempengaruhi keputusan memilih sebesar 80,5%, sedangkan sisanya dipengaruhi oleh sebab lain yang tidak ikut diteliti. Namun dari ketujuh variabel pemasaran yang diuji, ada 3 (tiga) variabel yang sangat mempengaruhi pelanggan dalam memilih. variabel tersebut, yaitu: price, people, dan physical evidence. Diharapkan kepada Rumah Sakit  Ibnu Sina Padang untuk menurunkan biaya layanan bagi pasien sesuai dengan staus sosial ekonomi masyarakat disekitar wilayah Rumah Sakit dan meningkatkan kualitas bukti fisik layanan kesehatan seperti peralatan yang representatif, interior bangunan yang asri, eksterior bangunan, fasilitas parkir, kantin, bank, dan jaminan keamanan.
A Conceptual Framework for Winter Dormancy in Deciduous Trees
Authors: Fadón Erica , Fernandez Eduardo , Behn Helen , Luedeling Eike
Published: February 2020

The perennial life strategy of temperate trees relies on establishing a dormant stage during winter to survive unfavorable conditions. To overcome this dormant stage, trees require cool (i.e., chilling) temperatures as an environmental cue. Numerous approaches have tried to decipher the physiology of dormancy, but these efforts have usually remained relatively narrowly focused on particular regulatory or metabolic processes, recently integrated and linked by transcriptomic studies. This work aimed to synthesize existing knowledge on dormancy into a general conceptual framework to enhance dormancy comprehension. The proposed conceptual framework covers four physiological processes involved in dormancy progression: (i) transport at both whole-plant and cellular level, (ii) phytohormone dynamics, (iii) genetic and epigenetic regulation, and (iv) dynamics of nonstructural carbohydrates. We merged the regulatory levels into a seasonal framework integrating the environmental signals (i.e., temperature and photoperiod) that trigger each dormancy phase.
Effect of Agronomic Practices on Yield and Quality of Borage at Harvest and During Storage as Minimally-Processed Produce
Authors: Miceli Claudia , Moncada Alessandra , Vetrano Filippo , Iapichino Giovanni , D’Anna Fabio , Miceli Alessandro
Published: February 2020

Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a hairy pubescent herb known throughout the world for its folk medicinal uses, as well as for many culinary uses. There is still little information on the cultivation needs of this species, especially for its use as vegetable crop and as fresh-cut produce. Hence, the aim of the research was to study the effects of agronomic practices on yield and quality of borage and on the storability as minimally-processed product. Two experiments were carried out in two consecutive years in order to evaluate the effect of plant density and plastic mulching on yield and quality of two borage accessions at harvest and during storage as minimally-processed produce for 14 days at 4 °C. The highest plant density (8 plants m2) determined the highest yield of plants and minimally-processed leaves with good quality retention during storage. Mulching had a positive effect on earliness, yield, and shelf life of minimally-processed leaves but also increased nitrate accumulation and reduced ascorbic acid content. Borage plants with lower spacing grown on mulched soil showed the best yield of plants and minimally-processed leaves irrespective of the borage accession tested. Borage plants can be used to produce minimally-processed entire leaves with good quality characteristics.
Soil Water-Salt Dynamics and Maize Growth as Affected by Cutting Length of Topsoil Incorporation Straw under Brackish Water Irrigation
Authors: Zhang Zemin , Zhang Zhanyu , Lu Peirong , Feng Genxiang , Qi Wei
Published: February 2020

Brackish water has been utilized extensively in agriculture around the world to cope with the global water deficit, but soil salt accumulation caused by brackish water irrigation cannot be ignored. Straw incorporation has been confirmed an effective sustainable means to inhibit soil salt accumulation. An experiment was conducted in growth tanks over two consecutive growing seasons to investigate the effects of wheat straw incorporation on soil moisture and salinity under brackish water irrigation (5g NaCl L−1). Furthermore, the trial investigated the effects of three wheat straw cutting lengths (CK = 0 cm; L1 = 5 cm, L2 = 10 cm, and L3 = 20 cm) on soil water-salt dynamics and summer maize growth. The results showed that soil properties and maize yields were favorably and significantly affected by the shorter straw segments incorporated into the cultivated field (p < 0.05), as indicated in the decrease in soil bulk density (7.47%–7.79%) and the rise of soil organic matter (SOM) content (2.4–4.5g kg−1) and soil total porosity (4.34%–4.72%) under treatment L1. Meanwhile, treatment L1 produced the greatest dry above-ground biomass (14447 ± 571 kg ha−1), 100-grain weight (34.52 ± 1.20 g) and grain yield (7251 ± 204 kg ha−1) of summer maize. Soil water content in the cultivated layer increased 4.79%–25.44%, and the soil salt accumulation rate decreased significantly due to the straw incorporation and the highest value of soil moisture content (19.10%–21.84%), as well as the lowest value of soil salt accumulation rates (2.12–9.06) obtained at treatment L1. Straw incorporation with cutting length in 5 cm is the optimal choice for alleviating the adverse effects due to brackish water irrigation and improving soil properties, which could be helpful for agricultural mechanization and straw field-returning practices.
Adaptive Response of a Native Mediterranean Grapevine Cultivar Upon Short-Term Exposure to Drought and Heat Stress in the Context of Climate Change
Authors: Tzortzakis Nikolaos , Chrysargyris Antonios , Aziz Aziz
Published: February 2020

The impact of climate change on viticulture is of major importance. Several international and indigenous grapevine cultivars have been examined for their adaptive performance to drought and heat stresses. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not well known. In the present study we examined the short-term effects of light and moderate drought stress (DS) as well as heat stress (HS) on physiological and biochemical attributes in two grapevine cultivars: Chardonnay (international) and Xynisteri, an indigenous adapted to the specific Cypriot microclimate. Xynisteri plants exhibited decreasing leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate as well as increasing total phenols and antioxidant capacity under DS conditions. These reactions were concomitant to a rapid accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation in leaves, associated to an increase of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase activity. However, Chardonnay plants did not exhibit the same responses as Xynisteri against DS (i.e., stomatal closure, total phenolics and antioxidants) over the first four days. Additionally, Chardonnay showed leaf damage with increased lipid peroxidation levels and activation of catalase and peroxidase. Interestingly, HS increased leaf stomatal conductance and decreased total phenolic content, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity in Chardonnay after 20 d of stress. In both cultivars, HS had milder effects compared to DS, and again Xynisteri showed better performance than Chardonnay in terms of damage index and antioxidative activities. Overall, Xynisteri adaptation to DS and HS was higher than that of Chardonnay, and both cultivars reacted more to the short-term DS than to HS. Although the Xynisteri performances under stress conditions provide an important resource for adaptation to stressful conditions, the impacts on earliness, yield and grape quality remain to be explored.
Equal Neutralization Potency of Antibodies Raised against Abrin Subunits
Authors: Gal Yoav , Sapoznikov Anita , Falach Reut , Mazor Ohad , Alcalay Ron , Elhanany Eytan , Aftalion Moshe , Ehrlich Sharon , Kronman Chanoch , Sabo Tamar
Published: February 2020

Abrin and ricin are potent AB toxins, which are considered biological threats. To date, there are no approved treatments against abrin or ricin intoxications. Previously, we showed that the administration of polyclonal anti-abrin antibodies to mice that were intranasally exposed to abrin, even very late post-exposure, conferred an exceedingly high-level of protection, while following ricin intoxication, similar treatment with anti-ricin antibodies resulted in negligible survival rates. To probe this unexpected difference in protection ability, we first examined whether the efficient anti-abrin-induced protection was due to neutralization of the A-subunit responsible for the catalytic effect, or of the B-subunit, which enables binding/internalization, by evaluating the protection conferred by antibodies directed against one of the two subunits. To this end, we generated and immunized rabbits with chimeric toxins containing a single abrin subunit, AabrinBricin in which abrin A-subunit was linked to ricin B-subunit, and AricinBabrin in which ricin A-subunit is linked to abrin B-subunit. Here, we show that antibodies raised against either AabrinBricin or AricinBabrin conferred exceptionally high protection levels to mice following intranasal exposure to a a lethal dose of abrin, suggesting that the high level of protection conferred by anti-abrin antibodies is not related to the neutralization of a particular subunit.
Targeting Bacterial Cell Division: A Binding Site-Centered Approach to the Most Promising Inhibitors of the Essential Protein FtsZ
Authors: Casiraghi Andrea , Suigo Lorenzo , Valoti Ermanno , Straniero Valentina
Published: February 2020

Binary fission is the most common mode of bacterial cell division and is mediated by a multiprotein complex denominated the divisome. The constriction of the Z-ring splits the mother bacterial cell into two daughter cells of the same size. The Z-ring is formed by the polymerization of FtsZ, a bacterial protein homologue of eukaryotic tubulin, and it represents the first step of bacterial cytokinesis. The high grade of conservation of FtsZ in most prokaryotic organisms and its relevance in orchestrating the whole division system make this protein a fascinating target in antibiotic research. Indeed, FtsZ inhibition results in the complete blockage of the division system and, consequently, in a bacteriostatic or a bactericidal effect. Since many papers and reviews already discussed the physiology of FtsZ and its auxiliary proteins, as well as the molecular mechanisms in which they are involved, here, we focus on the discussion of the most compelling FtsZ inhibitors, classified by their main protein binding sites and following a medicinal chemistry approach.
IncI1 Plasmid Associated with blaCTX-M-2 Transmission in ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Healthy Thoroughbred Racehorse, Japan
Authors: Sukmawinata Eddy , Uemura Ryoko , Sato Wataru , Mitoma Shuya , Kanda Takuya , Sueyoshi Masuo
Published: February 2020

In our previous study, extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLEC) were isolated from healthy Thoroughbred racehorse feces samples in Japan. Some ESBL genes were predicted to be located on the conjugative plasmid. PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT) is a useful method to monitor and detect the association of replicons with specific plasmid-borne resistant genes. This study aimed to evaluate the plasmid replicon associated with ESBLEC isolated from healthy Thoroughbred racehorses at Japan Racing Association Training Centers in Japan. A total of 24 ESBLECs isolated from 23 (10.8%) individual Thoroughbred racehorse feces samples were used in this study. ESBL gene transfer was performed using a conjugation assay. Then, replicon types of ESBLEC isolates and their transconjugants were determined using PBRT. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to look at the clonality of the ESBLECs isolates. ESBLECs were detected from 10.8% of healthy Thoroughbred racehorses. The blaCTX-M-2 was identified as the dominant type of ESBL gene, followed by blaCTX-M-1 and blaTEM-116. In this study, only the blaCTX-M-2 and the IncI1 plasmid were transferred to transconjugants. The PFGE results showed that ESBL genes were distributed in diversity of ESBLECs. This finding suggested that the IncI1 plasmid was associated with the dissemination of blaCTX-M-2 in Thoroughbred racehorses in Japan.
Beneficial Effects of Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP®) Supplementation on Redox Balance and Aging in a Mouse Model
Authors: Logozzi Mariantonia , Di Raimo Rossella , Mizzoni Davide , Andreotti Mauro , Spada Massimo , Macchia Daniele , Fais Stefano
Published: February 2020

In recent decades much attention has been paid to how dietary antioxidants may positively affect the human health, including the beneficial effects of fermented foods and beverages. Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP®) has been shown to represent a valuable approach to obtain systemic antioxidants effect. In this study, we wanted to verify whether FPP® had a clear and scientifically supported in vivo anti-aging effect together with the induction of a systemic antioxidant reaction. To this purpose we daily treated a mouse model suitable for aging studies (C57BL/6J) with FPP®-supplemented water from either the 6th weeks (early treatment) or the 51th weeks (late treatment) of age as compared to mice receiving only tap water. After 10 months of FPP® treatment, we evaluated the telomerase activity, antioxidants and Reactive Oxygen Species ROS plasmatic levels and the telomeres length in the bone marrow and ovaries in both mice groups. The results showed that the daily FPP® assumption induced increase in telomeres length in bone marrow and ovary, together with an increase in the plasmatic levels of telomerase activity, and antioxidant levels, with a decrease of ROS. Early treatment resulted to be more effective, suggesting a potential key role of FPP® in preventing the age-related molecular damages.
The Effects of Tangential Ground–Lining Interaction on Segmental Lining Behavior Using the Beam-Spring Model
Authors: Pham Anh The , Sugimoto Mitsutaka
Published: February 2020

The shield tunneling method is widely used, especially in urban areas, since it is efficient for minimizing disturbances to surroundings. Although segmental lining is commonly used in this method, in both the research and practice of tunnel lining design, the interaction between the ground and lining in the tangential direction remains unclear; that is, the mobilizing shear stress due to load models and the degree of the bond in the tangential direction. Therefore, to clarify the effects and mechanism of the tangential ground–lining interaction on segmental lining behavior, a parameter study was carried out, taking tangential spring stiffness, load models, soil stiffness, and shallow and deep tunnels as parameters. The interaction conditions were based on the existing literature. It was found that (1) the tangential spring has small effects on lining behavior, (2) the load model significantly affects the sectional forces, (3) the initial tangential earth pressure and slip ground–lining boundary provide more safety from a design viewpoint, and (4) in the case of shallow tunnels in soft ground, tensile stress appears in the lining. Therefore, it is important to take the tangential ground–lining interaction conditions into consideration during tunnel lining analysis.
A High-Accuracy Mathematical Morphology and Multilayer Perceptron-Based Approach for Melanoma Detection
Authors: Sánchez-Reyes Luz-María , Rodríguez-Reséndiz Juvenal , Salazar-Colores Sebastián , Avecilla-Ramírez Gloria Nélida , Pérez-Soto Gerardo Israel
Published: February 2020

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), melanoma is the most severe type of skin cancer and is the leading cause of death from skin cancer worldwide. Certain features of melanoma include size, shape, color, or texture changes of a mole. In this work, a novel, robust and efficient method for the detection and classification of melanoma in simple and dermatological images is proposed. It is achieved by using HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) color space along with mathematical morphology and a Gaussian filter to detect the region of interest and estimate four descriptors: symmetry, edge, color, and size. Although these descriptors have been used for several years, the way they are computed for this proposal is one of the things that enhances the results. Subsequently, a multilayer perceptron is employed to classify between malignant and benign melanoma. Three datasets of simple and dermatological images commonly used in the literature were employed to train and evaluate the performance of the proposed method. According to k-fold cross-validation, the method outperforms three state-of-art works, achieving an accuracy of 98.5% and 98.6%, a sensitivity of 96.68% and 98.05%, and a specificity of 98.15%, and 98.01%, in simple and dermatological images, respectively. The results have proven that its use as an assistive device for the detection of melanoma would improve reliability levels compared to conventional methods.
Time-Gated Single-Photon Detection in Time-Domain Diffuse Optics: A Review
Authors: Dalla Mora Alberto , Di Sieno Laura , Re Rebecca , Pifferi Antonio , Contini Davide
Published: February 2020

This work reviews physical concepts, technologies and applications of time-domain diffuse optics based on time-gated single-photon detection. This particular photon detection strategy is of the utmost importance in the diffuse optics field as it unleashes the full power of the time-domain approach by maximizing performances in terms of contrast produced by a localized perturbation inside the scattering medium, signal-to-noise ratio, measurement time and dynamic range, penetration depth and spatial resolution. The review covers 15 years of theoretical studies, technological progresses, proof of concepts and design of laboratory systems based on time-gated single-photon detection with also few hints on other fields where the time-gated detection strategy produced and will produce further impact.
Spatial Proximity-Based Geographically Weighted Regression Model for Landslide Susceptibility Assessment: A Case Study of Qingchuan Area, China
Authors: Li Yange , Liu Xintong , Han Zheng , Dou Jie
Published: February 2020

Landslides pose a serious threat to the safety of human life and property in mountainous regions. Susceptibility assessment for landslides is critical in landslide management strategy. Recent studies indicate that the traditional assessment models in many previous studies commonly assume a fixed relationship between influencing factors and landslide occurrence within an area, resulting in an inadequate evaluation for the local landslides susceptibility. To address this issue, in this paper we propose a spatial proximity-based geographically weighted regression (S-GWR) model considering spatial non-stationarity of landslide data for assessing the landslide susceptibility. Spatial proximity is the basic input condition for the proposed S-GWR model. The challenge lies in defining the spatial proximity expression that shows the geographical features of landslides and therefore affects the model ability of S-GWR. Our solution chooses the slope unit as spatial adjacency, rather than the grid unit in DTM. The multicollinearity between landslide influencing factors is then eliminated through variance inflation factor (VIF) method and principal component analysis (PCA). The proposed model is subsequently validated by using data in Qingchuan County, southwestern China. Spatial non-stationary is identified for landslide data. A comparison with grid unit and four traditional evaluation models is conducted. Validation results using the area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve and success rate curve indicate that the spatial proximity-based GWR model with slope unit has the highest predictive accuracy (0.859 and 0.850 respectively).
Fault Diagnosis of Diesel Engine Valve Clearance Based on Variational Mode Decomposition and Random Forest
Authors: Zhao Nanyang , Mao Zhiwei , Wei Donghai , Zhao Haipeng , Zhang Jinjie , Jiang Zhinong
Published: February 2020

Diesel engines, as power equipment, are widely used in the fields of the automobile industry, ship industry, and power equipment. Due to wear or faulty adjustment, the valve train clearance abnormal fault is a typical failure of diesel engines, which may result in the performance degradation, even valve fracture and cylinder hit fault. However, the failure mechanism features mainly in the time domain and angular domain, on which the current diagnosis methods are based, are easily affected by working conditions or are hard to extract accurate enough from, as the diesel engine keeps running in transient and non-stationary processes. This work aimed at diagnosing this fault mainly based on frequency band features, which would change when the valve clearance fault occurs. For the purpose of extracting a series of frequency band features adaptively, a decomposition technique based on improved variational mode decomposition was investigated in this work. As the connection between the features and the fault was fuzzy, the random forest algorithm was used to analyze the correspondence between features and faults. In addition, the feature dimension was reduced to improve the operation efficiency according to importance score. The experimental results under variable speed condition showed that the method based on variational mode decomposition and random forest was capable to detect the valve clearance fault effectively.
Productivity Analysis of Documentation Based on 3D Model in Plant Facility Construction Project
Authors: Yoo Mooyoung , Ham Namhyuk
Published: February 2020

In off-site construction, production of fabrication drawings has a very important impact on productivity. Documentation using 3D model is one of the great advantages of using BIM. Despite the importance of documentation based on 3D model, productivity analysis studies compared to traditional 2D-drawing-based documentation method are difficult to find in existing studies. In addition, empirical research on the effects of recycling 3D model and libraries information is hard to find. The purpose of this study is to analyze the productivity of documentation using 3D model in the fabrication phase. First, productivity data for the 2D-drawing-based documentation method and 3D-model-based documentation method for steel frame prefabrication of EPC project were acquired for each module. Second, additional time for tasks—such as 3D modeling and document review—were investigated to conduct the comparative analysis on the productivity of the two documentation methods. The results quantitatively show the productivity of 3D-model-based documentation and the learning effect of recycling 3D libraries.
A Query Understanding Framework for Earth Data Discovery
Authors: Li Yun , Jiang Yongyao , Goldstein Justin C. , Mcgibbney Lewis J. , Yang Chaowei
Published: February 2020

One longstanding complication with Earth data discovery involves understanding a user’s search intent from the input query. Most of the geospatial data portals use keyword-based match to search data. Little attention has focused on the spatial and temporal information from a query or understanding the query with ontology. No research in the geospatial domain has investigated user queries in a systematic way. Here, we propose a query understanding framework and apply it to fill the gap by better interpreting a user’s search intent for Earth data search engines and adopting knowledge that was mined from metadata and user query logs. The proposed query understanding tool contains four components: spatial and temporal parsing; concept recognition; Named Entity Recognition (NER); and, semantic query expansion. Spatial and temporal parsing detects the spatial bounding box and temporal range from a query. Concept recognition isolates clauses from free text and provides the search engine phrases instead of a list of words. Name entity recognition detects entities from the query, which inform the search engine to query the entities detected. The semantic query expansion module expands the original query by adding synonyms and acronyms to phrases in the query that was discovered from Web usage data and metadata. The four modules interact to parse a user’s query from multiple perspectives, with the goal of understanding the consumer’s quest intent for data. As a proof-of-concept, the framework is applied to oceanographic data discovery. It is demonstrated that the proposed framework accurately captures a user’s intent.
Performance Analysis of the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Re-compression Brayton Cycle
Authors: Salim Mohammad Saad , Saeed Muhammad , Kim Man-Hoe
Published: February 2020

This paper presents performance analysis results on supercritical carbon dioxide ( s C O 2 ) re-compression Brayton cycle. Monthly exergy destruction analysis was conducted to find the effects of different ambient and water temperatures on the performance of the system. The results reveal that the gas cooler is the major source of exergy destruction in the system. The total exergy destruction has the lowest value of 390.1   kW when the compressor inlet temperature is near the critical point (at 35 °C) and the compressor outlet pressure is comparatively low ( 24   MPa ). The optimum mass fraction (x) and efficiency of the cycle increase with turbine inlet temperature. The highest efficiency of 49% is obtained at the mass fraction of x = 0.74 and turbine inlet temperature of 700 °C. For predicting the cost of the system, the total heat transfer area coefficient ( U A T o t a l ) and size parameter (SP) are used. The U A T o t a l value has the maximum for the split mass fraction of 0.74 corresponding to the maximum value of thermal efficiency. The SP value for the turbine is 0.212 dm at the turbine inlet temperature of 700 °C and it increases with increasing turbine inlet temperature. However the SP values of the main compressor and re-compressor increase with increasing compressor inlet temperature.
An Assemble Based on Clustering and Monte Carlo for the Wavelengths Selection of Excitation Emission Fluorescence Spectra
Authors: Hao Can , Wang Ying , Wang Guoming , Zhu Zhizhong
Published: February 2020

Excitation-emission fluorescence spectra is very effective to predict the concentration of organics in samples. However, redundant information and noises in the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) decrease the accuracy of the prediction concentration. Here we proposed a method to select more useful excitation and emission spectra from the EEM to increase the accuracy of prediction concentration and reduce the processing time. First, the excitation wavelengths were selected based on the clustering method to limit the redundant information in the EEM. Then the emission wavelengths were selected based on the Monte-Carlo method. To validate this method, we established the concentration prediction model with the spectra corresponding to the selected wavelengths by partial least square regression and predicted the multi component concentrations in the test samples. Our studies indicate that incorporation of this method increases the accuracy of the prediction concentration of organics and reduces the processing time.
Shear Band Characterization of Clayey Soils with Particle Image Velocimetry
Authors: Kwak Tae-Young , Park Ka-Hyun , Kim Joonyoung , Chung Choong-Ki , Baek Sung-Ha
Published: February 2020

Identifying the spatial distribution of deformation and shear band characteristics is important for accurately modeling soil behavior and ensuring the safety of nearby geotechnical structures. However, most research on the shear behavior of soils has focused on granular soil and clay-rich rocks, with little focus on clayey soil, and the entire shearing process from the initial state to failure has not been observed. This study evaluated the spatial distribution and evolution of deformation in clayey soils from the initial state to the post-failure state and the shear band characteristics. Plane strain tests were performed on normally consolidated and over-consolidated clay specimens, and digital images were captured through a transparent side wall for particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis. PIV was performed to evaluate the displacement and deformation of soil particles. The results show that the shear-strain behaviors of two clays during the shearing process could be divided into four stages: initial, peak, softening, and steady state. Shear bands were observed to form in the softening stage, and the shear band slopes were compared to values in the literature. These results can be used to characterize shear bands in clay as well as predict failure behavior and guide reinforcement at actual sites with soft ground.
Supervised Learning of Natural-Terrain Traversability with Synthetic 3D Laser Scans
Authors: Martínez Jorge L. , Morán Mariano , Morales Jesús , Robles Alfredo , Sánchez Manuel
Published: February 2020

Autonomous navigation of ground vehicles on natural environments requires looking for traversable terrain continuously. This paper develops traversability classifiers for the three-dimensional (3D) point clouds acquired by the mobile robot Andabata on non-slippery solid ground. To this end, different supervised learning techniques from the Python library Scikit-learn are employed. Training and validation are performed with synthetic 3D laser scans that were labelled point by point automatically with the robotic simulator Gazebo. Good prediction results are obtained for most of the developed classifiers, which have also been tested successfully on real 3D laser scans acquired by Andabata in motion.
Average Error Probability of an Optically Pre-Amplified Pulse-Position Modulation Multichannel Receiver under Malaga-ℳ Fading
Authors: Yiannopoulos Konstantinos , Sagias Nikos C. , Boucouvalas Anthony C.
Published: February 2020

We present analytical results on the average probability of error (PER) performance of an optically pre-amplified pulse-position modulation (PPM) receiver under Malaga- M fading. The results are in the form of a finite sum whose number of terms depends on the PPM modulation order and the noise modes of the amplifier, enabling the efficient calculation of the average PER. In addition, we utilized the presented analysis to evaluate the performance of a equal-gain-combining (EGC) diversity receiver that operates in conjunction with optical amplification and PPM. The results show that the utilization of diverse and relatively low PPM orders achieves a drastic reduction in the average PER.
Structural and Functional Comparison of Salmonella Flagellar Filaments Composed of FljB and FliC
Authors: Yamaguchi Tomoko , Toma Shoko , Terahara Naoya , Miyata Tomoko , Ashihara Masamichi , Minamino Tohru , Namba Keiichi , Kato Takayuki
Published: February 2020

The bacterial flagellum is a motility organelle consisting of a long helical filament as a propeller and a rotary motor that drives rapid filament rotation to produce thrust. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has two genes of flagellin, fljB and fliC, for flagellar filament formation and autonomously switches their expression at a frequency of 10−3–10−4 per cell per generation. We report here differences in their structures and motility functions under high-viscosity conditions. A Salmonella strain expressing FljB showed a higher motility than one expressing FliC under high viscosity. To examine the reasons for this motility difference, we carried out structural analyses of the FljB filament by electron cryomicroscopy and found that the structure was nearly identical to that of the FliC filament except for the position and orientation of the outermost domain D3 of flagellin. The density of domain D3 was much lower in FljB than FliC, suggesting that domain D3 of FljB is more flexible and mobile than that of FliC. These differences suggest that domain D3 plays an important role not only in changing antigenicity of the filament but also in optimizing motility function of the filament as a propeller under different conditions.
Integrated Analysis of Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Data Reveals the Mechanism by Which LED Light Irradiation Extends the Postharvest Quality of Pak-choi (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis (L.) Makino var. communis Tsen et Lee)
Authors: Yan Zhicheng , Zuo Jinhua , Zhou Fuhui , Shi Junyan , Xu Dongying , Hu Wenzhong , Jiang Aili , Liu Yao , Wang Qing
Published: February 2020

Low-intensity (10 μmol m−2 s−1) white LED (light-emitting diode) light effectively delayed senescence and maintained the quality of postharvest pakchoi during storage at 20 °C. To investigate the mechanism of LED treatment in maintaining the quality of pakchoi, metabolite profiles reported previously were complemented by transcriptomic profiling to provide greater information. A total of 7761 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in response to the LED irradiation of pak-choi during postharvest storage. Several pathways were markedly induced by LED irradiation, with photosynthesis being the most notable. More specifically, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism and glucosinolate biosynthesis were significantly induced by LED irradiation, which is consistent with metabolomics reported previously. Additionally, chlorophyllide a, chlorophyll, as well as total glucosinolate content was positively induced by LED irradiation. Overall, LED irradiation delayed the senescence of postharvest pak-choi mainly by activating photosynthesis, inducting glucosinolate biosynthesis, and inhibiting the down-regulation of porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism pathways. The present study provides new insights into the effect and the underlying mechanism of LED irradiation on delaying the senescence of pak-choi. LED irradiation represents a useful approach for extending the shelf life of pak-choi.