bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Steel Slag and Biochar Incorporation on Active Soil Organic Carbon Pools in a Subtropical Paddy Field
Authors: Wang Weiqi , Lai Derrick Yuk Fo , Abid Abbas Ali , Neogi Suvadip , Xu Xuping , Wang Chun
Published: August 2018

Industrial wastes and agricultural byproducts are increasingly used in crop production as fertilizers, but their impacts on soil carbon (C) sequestration remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of applying steel slag (SS), biochar (B), and a combination of these two materials (SS + B) on total soil organic C (SOC), active SOC fractions, and C pool management index (CPMI) in a subtropical paddy field in China. The treatments were applied at a rate of 8 t ha−1 to rice at the two (early and late) crop seasons in 2015. The SOC concentrations in the top 30 cm soils in the SS + B treatments were 28.7% and 42.2% higher in the early and late crops, respectively, as compared to the controls (p < 0.05). SOC was positively correlated with soil C:N ratio across the two crop seasons (r = 0.92–0.97, p < 0.01). As compared to the control, SS + B treatment had significantly higher carbon pool index (CPI) in both early (22.4%) and late (40.1%) crops. In the early crop, the C pool activity index (CPAI) was significantly lower in B and SS + B treatments by over 50% than in the control, while the soil C pool management index (CPMI) in the SS, B, and SS + B treatments was lower than that in the control by 36.7%, 41.6%, and 45.4%, respectively. In contrast, in the late crop, no significant differences in CPAI and CPMI were observed among the treatments. Our findings suggest that the addition of steel slag and biochar in subtropical paddy fields could decrease active SOC pools and enhance soil C sequestration only in the early crop, but not the late crop.
Microbial Endophytes that Live within the Seeds of Two Tomato Hybrids Cultivated in Argentina
Authors: López Silvina Marianela Yanil , Pastorino Graciela Noemi , Franco Mario Emilio Ernesto , Medina Rocio , Lucentini César Gustavo , Saparrat Mario Carlos Nazareno , Balatti Pedro Alberto
Published: August 2018

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is probably the most important vegetable consumed around the world, and like other produce is affected by stresses and diseases that reduce the yield and production. The purpose of this work was to study the phytobiome of the tomato seeds of two hybrids in order to understand first of all whether tomato cultivars host similar groups of organisms, as well as their effect on the community structure, particularly of those microbes with the potential to promote growth and/or control plant pathogens. Different cultivars of tomato (genotypes) host significantly different endophytic communities, which is also reflected at the order level. These communities are particularly rich in spore-forming bacteria that have the ability either to promote plant growth or synthetize antimicrobial compounds that deter plant pathogens. We conclude that the seeds of the tomato cultivars Elpida and Silverio are sources of endophytic bacteria capable of synthetizing antifungal substances that could potentially be used for biocontrol against plant-pathogenic fungi.
Associations of Blood Analysis with Feed Efficiency and Developmental Stage in Grass-Fed Beef Heifers
Authors: Cônsolo Nara R. B. , Munro Jasper C. , Bourgon Stéphanie L. , Karrow Niel A. , Fredeen Alan H. , Martell Janel E. , Montanholi Yuri R.
Published: August 2018

Proxies for feed efficiency, such as blood-based indicators, applicable across heifers varying in genetic makeup and developmental state are needed. Assessments of blood analytes and performance were made in heifer calves and pregnant heifers. Residual feed intake, a measure of feed efficiency, was used to categorize each population of heifers as either efficient or inefficient. Efficient heifer calves had lower mean cell hemoglobin, greater lymphocyte count, and fewer segmented neutrophils at the end of the test compared to inefficient calves. Efficient pregnant heifers had greater counts of lymphocytes with fewer segmented neutrophils at the end than inefficient pregnant heifers. Efficient heifer calves exhibited higher specific immunoglobulin M than inefficient calves. Throughout the test, efficient heifer calves had elevated potassium and phosphorus, and reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) compared to inefficient heifers. Efficient pregnant heifers showed greater ALP, non-esterified fatty acids and creatinine, but lower cholesterol and globulin than inefficient pregnant heifers. Levels of red and white blood cells, creatine kinase, cholesterol, glucose, potassium and phosphorus were higher in heifer calves compared with pregnant heifers. There is potential for blood analytes as proxies for feed efficiency; however, it is necessary to consider the inherent associations with feed efficiency and heifers’ developmental stage.
Risk Factors for Transport-Related Problem Behaviors in Horses: A New Zealand Survey
Authors: Padalino Barbara , Rogers Chris , Guiver Danielle , Bridges Janis , Riley Christopher
Published: August 2018

Transport-related problem behaviors (TRPBs) are common in horses and can cause injury to both the horses and their handlers. This study aimed to identify possible risk factors for TRPBs to inform approaches to mitigate TRPBs incidence and enhance horse welfare. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the prevalence of TRPBs and their association with human-, training- and transport management-related factors in New Zealand. The survey generated 1124 valid responses that were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and logistic regression analyses. Having at least one horse with TRPB was reported by 249/1124 (22.2%) respondents during the two previous years. Of these, 21/249 (8.4%) occurred during pre-loading, 78/249 (31.3%) during loading, 132/249 (53.0%) while travelling, and 18/249 (7.3%) during unloading. Our findings indicate that the use of negative reinforcement and positive punishment as training methods, using a whip or food for loading, and travelling in a straight load trailer/float while offering food were associated with a higher likelihood of TRPBs. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine causality and findings should be interpreted with caution, and evaluated in further experimental studies. The authors suggest that education on appropriate training methods for transport, and vehicle selection may mitigate the risk for TRPBs in horses.
Biogenic Nanosilver against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria (MDRB)
Authors: Barros Caio H. N. , Fulaz Stephanie , Stanisic Danijela , Tasic Ljubica
Published: August 2018

Multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) are extremely dangerous and bring a serious threat to health care systems as they can survive an attack from almost any drug. The bacteria’s adaptive way of living with the use of antimicrobials and antibiotics caused them to modify and prevail in hostile conditions by creating resistance to known antibiotics or their combinations. The emergence of nanomaterials as new antimicrobials introduces a new paradigm for antibiotic use in various fields. For example, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the oldest nanomaterial used for bactericide and bacteriostatic purposes. However, for just a few decades these have been produced in a biogenic or bio-based fashion. This review brings the latest reports on biogenic AgNPs in the combat against MDRB. Some antimicrobial mechanisms and possible silver resistance traits acquired by bacteria are also presented. Hopefully, novel AgNPs-containing products might be designed against MDR bacterial infections.
Demonstration of Subretinal Injection Using Common-Path Swept Source OCT Guided Microinjector
Authors: Kang Jin U. , Cheon Gyeong Woo
Published: August 2018

In this paper, we present the development of a handheld common-path swept source optical coherence tomography (CP-SSOCT) guided microinjector system and demonstrated its utility by precisely injecting fluorescein dye in the subretinal layer of ex vivo bovine eyes. The system enables precise subretinal injection with micron-level injection depth control. This was achieved by using a high-resolution CP-SSOCT distal sensor and signal processing using a graphics-processing unit (GPU), which made a real-time smart motion control algorithm possible. The microinjector performance was first evaluated using a gelatin phantom in terms of its ability for dynamic depth targeting and injection depth. This is followed by using an ex vivo bovine eye model to perform multiple consecutive subretinal injections of fluorescein dye. The results validated the OCT guided injector’s ability to precisely guide and lock in the needle tip to the target depth during injection. The ex vivo evaluation tests demonstrate that an OCT-guided injector can consistently guide the injecting needle to the desired depth and is able to maintain the position with 9.38 μm average root mean square error during the injections.
Impacts of Integration of Wind Farms on Power System Transient Stability
Authors: Xia Shiwei , Zhang Qian , Hussain S.T. , Hong Baodi , Zou Weiwei
Published: August 2018

To compensate for the ever-growing energy gap, renewable resources have undergone fast expansions worldwide in recent years, but they also result in some challenges for power system operation such as the static security and transient stability issues. In particular, as wind power generation accounts for a large share of these renewable energy and reduces the inertia of a power network, the transient stability of power systems with high-level wind generation is decreased and has attracted wide attention recently. Effectively analyzing and evaluating the impact of wind generation on power transient stability is indispensable to improve power system operation security level. In this paper, a Doubly Fed Induction Generator with a two-lumped mass wind turbine model is presented firstly to analyze impacts of wind power generation on power system transient stability. Although the influence of wind power generation on transient stability has been comprehensively studied, many other key factors such as the locations of wind farms and the wind speed driving the wind turbine are also investigated in detail. Furthermore, how to improve the transient stability by installing capacitors is also demonstrated in the paper. The IEEE 14-bus system is used to conduct these investigations by using the Power System Analysis Tool, and the time domain simulation results show that: (1) By increasing the capacity of wind farms, the system instability increases; (2) The wind farm location and wind speed can affect power system transient stability; (3) Installing capacitors will effectively improve system transient stability.
Sildenafil Citrate Liposomes for Pulmonary Delivery by Ultrasonic Nebulization
Authors: De Jesús Valle María , Gil González Pablo , Prata Ribeiro Maximiano , Araujo André , Sánchez Navarro Amparo
Published: August 2018

Technological advances in lipid vesicles facilitate optimization of their properties to achieve therapeutic goals and promote alternative drug administration routes. Sildenafil citrate (SC) is orally administered for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, but local release would be advantageous in terms of efficacy and safety. In the present study, liposomes from egg phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol loaded with SC, with and without d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (Vit E TPGS), were prepared by sonication of the components. A transmembrane pH gradient was applied for active loading of liposomes, and the size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency (EE%) were determined. The liposomes were lyophilized and then nebulized. The nebulized samples were collected and the EE% was determined. The transmembrane pH gradient produced a significant increase in the EE% (from 17.68 ± 4.25% to 89.77 ± 7.64%) and, after lyophilization, the EE% remained the same as that of the originals, but the size and zeta potential were modified. EE% of liposomes decreased upon nebulization, particularly for those with Vit E TPGS. Thus, the additives used for lyoprotection reduced the impact of nebulization. Additional studies are essential, but according to these results, SC-loaded liposomes can be considered as suitable and safe carriers for the local release of sildenafil in the pulmonary system.
Single-Pixel Color Imaging Method with a Compressive Sensing Measurement Matrix
Authors: Jia Tong , Chen Dongyue , Wang Ji , Xu Dong
Published: August 2018

Compressive sensing theory has addressed the limitations of traditional methods in the field of information technology, and led to a revolution. On the basis of compressive sensing theory research, this study utilized the exterior determinacy and inherent randomness of chaotic sequences, designed a pseudo-random circulant measurement matrix based on chaotic sequence. Compared with other deterministic measurement matrices, the restoration effect of the designed measurement matrix remarkably improved and showed advantages in hardware and storage. Then, this study developed a single-pixel imaging scheme that could accurately obtain color information. The proposed improved measurement matrix combined with the hardware system could accurately reconstruct color images and had good robustness according to various experimental data.
Discharge Characteristics and Plasma Erosion of Various Dielectric Materials in the Dielectric Barrier Discharges
Authors: Kim Junggil , Kim Sang-jin , Lee Young-Nam , Kim In-Tae , Cho Guangsup
Published: August 2018

The objective of this study is the investigation of dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) with the solid plates and the flexible polymer films. A high capacitance with a high dielectric constant and a small thickness is responsible for the discharge of a high plasma current with a low operation voltage; here, the thin flexible polyimide film ensured a high capacitance, and is comparable to the thick solid-plate alumina. In the long-duration test of the dielectric-surface plasma erosion, the solid plates show a high resistance against the plasma erosions, while the polymer films are vulnerable to the etching by the plasma-species chemical reaction. The polymer-film surface, however, was reinforced remarkably against the plasma erosion by the silicone-paste coating.
Acoustic Emission Method for Locating and Identifying Active Destructive Processes in Operating Facilities
Authors: Świt Grzegorz
Published: August 2018

Durability, safety, and usability are the three foundations of structural reliability, vital in the economic and social context. As the locating and tracking of potential damage and evaluating its impact on the condition of the structure are part of service life assessment, relevant methods should be developed that would detect the onset of the deterioration process and enable the monitoring of its progress within the entire volume of the structure, not only in the areas selected in a subjective way. The acoustic emission (AE) method relying on the analysis of active destructive processes can be the best choice. This article reports the results of the application of the AE method for identifying active destructive processes and tracking their development during the routine operation of various types of structures.
Characteristics of the Underestimation Error of Annual Maximum Rainfall Depth Due to Coarse Temporal Aggregation
Authors: Morbidelli Renato , Saltalippi Carla , Flammini Alessia , Picciafuoco Tommaso , Dari Jacopo , Corradini Corrado
Published: August 2018

This study analyzed all characteristics of the error committed in evaluating annual maximum rainfall depth, Hd, associated with a given duration, d, when data with coarse temporal aggregation, ta, were used. It is well known that when ta = 1 min, this error is practically negligible while coarser temporal aggregations can determine underestimation for a single Hd up to 50% and for the average value of sufficiently numerous series of Hd up to 16.67%. By using a mathematical relation between average underestimation error and the ratio ta/d, each Hd value belonging to a specific series could be corrected through deterministic or stochastic approaches. With a deterministic approach, an average correction was identically applied to all Hd values with the same ta and d while, for a stochastic correction, a thorough knowledge of the statistical characteristics of the underestimation error was required. Accordingly, in this work, rainfall data derived from many stations in central Italy were analyzed and it was assessed that single and average errors, which were both assumed as random variables, followed exponential and normal distributions, respectively. Furthermore, the single underestimation error was also found inversely correlated to the corresponding annual maximum rainfall depth.
Two-Component FAD-Dependent Monooxygenases: Current Knowledge and Biotechnological Opportunities
Authors: Heine Thomas , Van Berkel Willem J. H. , Gassner George , Van Pée Karl-Heinz , Tischler Dirk
Published: August 2018

Flavoprotein monooxygenases create valuable compounds that are of high interest for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries, among others. Monooxygenases that use flavin as cofactor are either single- or two-component systems. Here we summarize the current knowledge about two-component flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenases and describe their biotechnological relevance. Two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases catalyze hydroxylation, epoxidation, and halogenation reactions and are physiologically involved in amino acid metabolism, mineralization of aromatic compounds, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The monooxygenase component of these enzymes is strictly dependent on reduced FAD, which is supplied by the reductase component. More and more representatives of two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases have been discovered and characterized in recent years, which has resulted in the identification of novel physiological roles, functional properties, and a variety of biocatalytic opportunities.
In-Plane Strength and Stiffness of Cross-Laminated Timber Shear Walls
Authors: Shahnewaz Md , Alam Shahria , Tannert Thomas
Published: August 2018

The research presented herein investigated the in-plane performance of cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear walls for platform-type buildings under lateral loading. Finite element models of CLT connections (i.e., brackets, hold-downs and self-tapping screws) were developed in OpenSees and calibrated against experimental tests to represent the connections’ hysteresis behaviour under cyclic tension and shear loading. The results were incorporated into models of CLT single and coupled shear walls. The results in terms of peak displacement, peak load and energy dissipation were in good agreement when compared to full-scale shear wall tests. Subsequently, a parametric study of 56 single and 40 coupled CLT shear walls was conducted with varying numbers and types of connectors (wall-to-floor and wall-to-wall) for evaluating their seismic performance. It was found that the strength, stiffness and energy dissipation of the single and coupled CLT shear walls increased with an increase in the number of connectors. Single shear walls with hold-downs and brackets performed better under seismic loading compared to walls with brackets only. Similarly, coupled shear walls with four hold-downs performed better compared to walls with two hold-downs. Finally, ductility of coupled shear walls was found to be 31% higher compared to that of single shear walls. The findings from this research are useful for engineers to efficiently design CLT shear walls in platform-type construction.
Plasma Oxidation of H2S over Non-stoichiometric LaxMnO3 Perovskite Catalysts in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor
Authors: Xuan Kejie , Zhu Xinbo , Cai Yuxiang , Tu Xin
Published: August 2018

In this work, plasma-catalytic removal of H2S over LaxMnO3 (x = 0.90, 0.95, 1, 1.05 and 1.10) has been studied in a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The non-stoichiometric effect of the LaxMnO3 catalysts on the removal of H2S and sulfur balance in the plasma-catalytic process has been investigated as a function of specific energy density (SED). The integration of the plasma with the LaxMnO3 catalysts significantly enhanced the reaction performance compared to the process using plasma alone. The highest H2S removal of 96.4% and sulfur balance of 90.5% were achieved over the La0.90MnO3 catalyst, while the major products included SO2 and SO3. The missing sulfur could be ascribed to the sulfur deposited on the catalyst surfaces. The non-stoichiometric LaxMnO3 catalyst exhibited larger specific surface areas and smaller crystallite sizes compared to the LaMnO3 catalyst. The non-stoichiometric effect changed their redox properties as the decreased La/Mn ratio favored the transformation of Mn3+ to Mn4+, which contributed to the generation of oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surfaces. The XPS and H2-TPR results confirmed that the Mn-rich catalysts showed the higher relative concentration of surface adsorbed oxygen (Oads) and lower reduction temperature compared to LaMnO3 catalyst. The reaction performance of the plasma-catalytic oxidation of H2S is closely related to the relative concentration of Oads formed on the catalyst surfaces and the reducibility of the catalysts.
The Precision Control of Autophagic Flux and Vesicle Dynamics—A Micropattern Approach
Authors: Du Toit André , De Wet Sholto , Hofmeyr Jan-Hendrik S. , Müller-Nedebock Kristian K. , Loos Ben
Published: August 2018

Autophagy failure is implicated in age-related human disease. A decrease in the rate of protein degradation through the entire autophagy pathway, i.e., autophagic flux, has been associated with the onset of cellular proteotoxity and cell death. Although the precision control of autophagy as a pharmacological intervention has received major attention, mammalian model systems that enable a dissection of the relationship between autophagic flux and pathway intermediate pool sizes remain largely underexplored. Here, we make use of a micropattern-based fluorescence life cell imaging approach, allowing a high degree of experimental control and cellular geometry constraints. By assessing two autophagy modulators in a system that achieves a similarly raised autophagic flux, we measure their impact on the pathway intermediate pool size, autophagosome velocity, and motion. Our results reveal a differential effect of autophagic flux enhancement on pathway intermediate pool sizes, velocities, and directionality of autophagosome motion, suggesting distinct control over autophagy function. These findings may be of importance for better understanding the fine-tuning autophagic activity and protein degradation proficiency in different cell and tissue types of age-associated pathologies.
CFD Simulation of Ethanol Steam Reforming System for Hydrogen Production
Authors: Davidy Alon
Published: August 2018

Hydrogen could be a promising source fuel, and is often considered as a clean energy carrier as it can be produced by ethanol. The use of ethanol presents several advantages, because it is a renewable feedstock, easy to transport, biodegradable, has low toxicity, contains high hydrogen content, and easy to store and handle. Reforming ethanol steam occurs at relatively lower temperatures, compared with other hydrocarbon fuels, and has been widely studied due to the high yield provided for the formation of hydrogen. A new computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model of the ethanol steam reforming (ESR) has been developed in this work. The reforming system model is composed from an ethanol burner and a catalytic bed reactor. The liquid ethanol is burned inside the firebox, then the radiative heat flux from burner is transferred to the catalytic bed reactor for transforming the ethanol steam mixture to hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The proposed computational model is composed of two phases—Simulation of ethanol burner by using Fire Dynamics Simulator software (FDS) (version 5.0) and a multi-physics simulation of the steam reforming process occurring inside the reformer. COMSOL multi-physics software (version 4.3b) has been applied in this work. It solves simultaneously the fluid flow, heat transfer, diffusion with chemical reaction kinetics equations, and structural analysis. It is shown that the heat release rate produced by the ethanol burner, can provide the necessary heat flux required for maintaining the reforming process. It has been found out that the mass fractions of the hydrogen and carbon dioxide mass fraction are increased along the reformer axis. The hydrogen mass fraction increases with enhancing the radiation heat flux. It was shown that Von Mises stresses increases with heat fluxes. Safety issues concerning the structural integrity of the steel jacket are also addressed. This work clearly shows that by using ethanol which has low temperature conversion, the decrease in structural strength of the steel tube is low. The numerical results clearly indicate that under normal conditions of the ethanol reforming (The temperature of the steel is about 600 °C or 1112 °F), the rupture time of the HK-40 steel alloy increases considerably. For this case the rupture time is greater than 100,000 h (more than 11.4 years).
Measuring Vapor and Liquid Concentrations for Binary and Ternary Systems in a Microbubble Distillation Unit via Gas Sensors
Authors: Abdulrazzaq Nada N. , Al-Sabbagh Baseem H. , Rees Julia M. , Zimmerman William B.
Published: August 2018

A cost effective, fast, and accurate technique was needed to measure the vapor composition of a binary system (ethanol-water) and also that of a liquid composition in a ternary system (acetic acid-acetol–water) in a microbubble distillation unit. Cheap TGS-series gas sensors were used for this purpose with both calibrations and measurements carried out in a specially designed chamber. A single parameter polynomial regression was fitted to the binary system, and a two parameter polynomial with an interaction term was fitted to the ternary system. The correlation coefficient, R-squared, was found to be greater than 0.99 for both systems, thus validating the implementation of this novel sensor.
Regional Variations in Physical Fitness and Activity in Healthy and Overweight Ecuadorian Adolescents
Authors: Howe Cheryl A. , Casapulla Sharon , Shubrook Jay H. , Lopez Pablo , Grijalva Mario , Berryman Darlene E.
Published: August 2018

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) and excessive sedentary behavior (SB) are the main contributors to adolescent obesity. However, it is uncertain whether recent economic growth and urbanization in Ecuador are contributing to an obesogenic environment. This study assessed the relationships among fitness, PA, SB, and perceived social support for PA in adolescents from urban (Quito) and rural (Loja) Ecuador. Methods: Fitness was estimated using 3-min step test and PA and SB participation and social support for PA were self-reported in 407 adolescents. T-tests and analysis of variance assessed differences by sex, obesity status, and region of Ecuador. Pearson correlations assessed relationships among PA, SB, fitness, and social support. Results: Males and rural adolescents (48.3 ± 9.4 and 47.1 ± 9.6 mL/kg/min) were more fit than females and urban adolescents (41.1 ± 7.5 and 39.7 ± 6.1 mL/kg/min). Fitness was negatively correlated with obesity only in rural Ecuador. Few adolescents reported ≥60 min/day of PA (8.4%) or ≤2 h/day of SB (30.2%), with greater SB participation in rural Ecuador. Weak correlations were observed among fitness, PA, SB, and parental/peer support for PA (r = −0.18 to 0.19; p < 0.05). Conclusion: While fitness varied by sex, weight status, and region, SB participation and parent/peer support for PA, not PA participation itself, predicted fitness in rural Ecuadorean adolescents.
FPGA-Based Architectures for Acoustic Beamforming with Microphone Arrays: Trends, Challenges and Research Opportunities
Authors: Da Silva Bruno , Braeken An , Touhafi Abdellah
Published: August 2018

Over the past decades, many systems composed of arrays of microphones have been developed to satisfy the quality demanded by acoustic applications. Such microphone arrays are sound acquisition systems composed of multiple microphones used to sample the sound field with spatial diversity. The relatively recent adoption of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to manage the audio data samples and to perform the signal processing operations such as filtering or beamforming has lead to customizable architectures able to satisfy the most demanding computational, power or performance acoustic applications. The presented work provides an overview of the current FPGA-based architectures and how FPGAs are exploited for different acoustic applications. Current trends on the use of this technology, pending challenges and open research opportunities on the use of FPGAs for acoustic applications using microphone arrays are presented and discussed.
Effect of Climatic Conditions and Land Cover on Genetic Structure and Diversity of Eunica tatila (Lepidoptera) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Authors: Cavanzón-Medrano Laura Elena , Machkour-M’Rabet Salima , Chablé-Iuit Landy Rubí , Pozo Carmen , Hénaut Yann , Legal Luc
Published: August 2018

Fragmentation is the third cause of the biodiversity declination. Population genetic studies using Lepidoptera as the model species in the context of loss of habitat are scarce, particularly for tropical areas. We chose a widespread butterfly from Mexico as the model species to explore how changes of habitat characteristics (undisturbed forest, anthropogenic disturbances, and coastal areas), and climatic conditions affect genetic diversity and population structure. The Nymphalidae Eunica tatila is a common species in the Yucatan Peninsula considered to be a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest, with migratory potential and a possible sex-biased dispersal. We genotyped 323 individuals collected in eight undisturbed areas, using four Inter Simple Sequence Repeats primers. Results show a high genetic diversity and no population structure. Temperature and shrub density present a positive and significant relationship with polymorphism values. Furthermore, our results show the positive effect of surrounding forest habitat on genetic diversity, confirming that E. tatila is a bio-indicator of undisturbed tropical forest. We found evidence of sex-biased dispersal. This paper represents one of the few studies on population genetics of tropical butterfly in a fragmented landscape and is, therefore, an important step in understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on the risk of a butterflies’ decline.
A Novel Technique for Intraoral Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration of Peritonsillar Abscess
Authors: Todsen Tobias , Stage Mads Georg , Holst Hahn Christoffer
Published: August 2018

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a common complication to acute tonsillitis. The treatment is drainage of the abscess, but many needle aspirations are unsuccessful due to a low diagnostic accuracy based on oral examination only. In this article, we describe how intraoral ultrasound can be added to improve the diagnostic work-up of PTA and present a novel technique for ultrasound-guided aspiration of PTA, using a small pencil-shaped transducer. We present our first clinical experiences with this technique and describe how it could be integrated in a clinical setting to guide safe and successful needle aspirations of PTA.
Inhibitory Effects of Pulse Bioactive Compounds on Cancer Development Pathways
Authors: Rao Shiwangni , Chinkwo Kenneth A. , Santhakumar Abishek B. , Blanchard Christopher L.
Published: August 2018

Previous studies suggest that pulses may have the potential to protect against cancer development by inhibiting pathways that result in the development of cancer. These pathways include those that result in inflammation, DNA damage, cell proliferation, and metastasis. Other studies have demonstrated extracts from pulses have the capacity to induce apoptosis specifically in cancer cells. Compounds reported to be responsible for these activities have included phenolic compounds, proteins and short chain fatty acids. The majority of the studies have been undertaken using in vitro cell culture models, however, there are a small number of in vivo studies that support the hypothesis that pulse consumption may inhibit cancer development. This review highlights the potential benefit of a diet rich in pulse bioactive compounds by exploring the anti-cancer properties of its polyphenols, proteins and short chain fatty acids.
Successful Regenerative Endodontic Procedure of a Nonvital Immature Permanent Central Incisor Using Amniotic Membrane as a Novel Scaffold
Authors: Suresh Nandini , Arul Buvaneshwari , Kowsky Dinesh , Natanasabapathy Velmurugan
Published: August 2018

Successful regenerative endodontic procedure was performed in nonvital immature permanent central incisor (Stage-4 root development) using human amniotic membrane (HAM) as a novel scaffold. The treatment was performed according to the American Association of Endodontics guidelines with minimal canal instrumentation, 1% Sodium hypochlorite as irrigant and calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicament. During the second appointment, HAM was placed as a scaffold and Biodentine™ was layered over the HAM with glass ionomer cement and resin composite as coronal seal. Preoperative and post-operative cone beam computed tomography (at three years) was taken to assess the treatment outcome. The resolution of disease process and increase in canal width, as well as positive response to pulp sensitivity tests, were observed by the end of three years. There was approximately 78–86% reduction in the volume of periapical lesion size. This case report confirms that HAM can be used as a scaffold material for successful regenerative endodontic procedure (REP).
Realist Review of Literature on Catering for Different Instructional Needs with Preteaching and Extended Instruction
Authors: Smets Wouter , Struyven Katrien
Published: August 2018

This literature review focuses on achieving educational equity through catering for differences in students’ instructional needs. In heterogeneous classes the need for tailored direct teacher instruction is dependent upon students’ instructional needs. Realist review methodology is used to study how instructional strategies can add to catering for students’ different needs. The focus lies on two proactive strategies in which teachers cater for these differences, namely preteaching and extended instruction. The aim of this realist review is to verify how preteaching and extended instruction may contribute to catering for students’ different instructional needs. It is noticed that the complexity of differentiated teaching is not always reflected in studies on preteaching and extended instruction. The focus of many studies lies in measuring learning progress in a linear and fixed way for a selected group of students which is not aligned with theory on differentiated instruction which suggests cyclical teaching processes. To respond to students’ needs ongoing monitoring of cognitive and affective indicators of learning is needed. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
A Pipelined FFT Processor Using an Optimal Hybrid Rotation Scheme for Complex Multiplication: Design, FPGA Implementation and Analysis
Authors: Nguyen Hung Ngoc , Khan Sheraz Ali , Kim Cheol-Hong , Kim Jong-Myon
Published: August 2018

The fast Fourier transform (FFT) is the most prevalent algorithm for the spectral analysis of acoustic emission signals acquired at ultra-high sampling rates to monitor the condition of rotary machines. The complexity and cost of the associated hardware limit the use of FFT in real-time applications. In this paper, an efficient hardware architecture for FFT implementation is proposed based on the radix-2 decimation in frequency algorithm (R2DIF) and a feedback pipelined technique (FB) that allows effective sharing of storage between the input and output data at each stage of the FFT process via shift registers. The proposed design uses an optimal hybrid rotation scheme by combining the modified coordinate rotation digital computer (m-CORDIC) algorithm and a binary encoding technique based on canonical signed digit (CSD) for replacing the complex multipliers in FFT. The m-CORDIC algorithm, with an adaptive iterative monitoring process, improves the convergence of computation, whereas the CSD algorithm optimizes the multiplication of constants using a simple shift-add method. Therefore, the proposed design does not require the large memory typically entailed by existing designs to carry out twiddle factor multiplication in large-point FFT implementations, thereby reducing its area on the chip. Moreover, the proposed pipelined FFT processor uses only distributed logic resources and does not require expensive dedicated functional blocks. Experimental results show that the proposed design outperforms existing state-of-the-art approaches in speed by about 49% and in resource utilization by around 51%, while delivering the same accuracy and utilizing less chip area.
Energy Consumption Optimization for the Formation of Multiple Robotic Fishes Using Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Xu Dong , Yu Luo , Lv Zhiyu , Zhang Jiahuang , Fan Di , Dai Wei
Published: August 2018

The traditional leader-follower formation algorithm can realize the formation of multiply robotic fishes, but fails to consider the energy consumption during the formation. In this paper, the energy optimized leader-follower formation algorithm has been investigated to solve this problem. Considering that the acceleration of robotic fish is tightly linked to the motion state and energy consumption, we optimize the corresponding control parameters of the acceleration to reduce energy consumption during the formation via particle swarm algorithm. The whole process has been presented as follows: firstly we realize the formation on the base of the kinematic model with leader-follower formation algorithm; then the energy consumption on the base of dynamical model are derived; finally we seek the optimal control parameters based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The dynamics simulation of the energy optimization scheme is conducted to verify the functionality of the proposed energy optimized leader-follower formation algorithm via MATLAB. The optimized results demonstrate that the proposed approach, reducing energy consumption during the formation, is superior to the traditional leader-follower formation algorithm and can reduce energy consumption during the formation. The novelty of the work is that we can reduce the energy consumption during the process of formation by considering the energy consumption, which is a gap in the current research field.
Rural Landscape Planning and Forest Management in Tuscany (Italy)
Authors: Agnoletti Mauro , Santoro Antonio
Published: August 2018

The article analyzes the relationships between landscape planning and forests in Italy with a specific focus on Tuscany. For the Tuscan region landscape represents a fundamental value from the cultural, economic, environmental and social point of view. This is why it was the first region of Italy to develop a landscape plan in 2014, according to the National Code for Cultural Heritage, setting up a Landscape Observatory to monitor the application of the plan in 2016. The plan is the main instrument providing a vision for the development model of the region and guidelines for the planning of rural areas also affecting forest management. The construction of the plan has caused an intense debate, due to the strict limitations imposed to soil consumption, to agricultural and forest activities. Forests cover more than the half of the regional surface, but 30% of them is the result of the abandonment of farmed land occurred in the last decades, while 50% of the forests are currently managed. The article examines how the values connected to the forests have been identified an assessed in the plan, the strict limitations for their protection but also the decision to allow the restoration of farmed land to maintain a balance between farmed and forest land in the landscape. Landscape and forest is the topic of the chapter about Italy in the FAO SOFO 2018.
Applications of a Particular Four-Dimensional Projective Geometry to Galactic Dynamics
Authors: Rubin Jacques
Published: August 2018

Relativistic localizing systems that extend relativistic positioning systems show that pseudo-Riemannian space-time geometry is somehow encompassed in a particular four-dimensional projective geometry. The resulting geometric structure is then that of a generalized Cartan space (also called Cartan connection space) with projective connection. The result is that locally non-linear actions of projective groups via homographies systematically induce the existence of a particular space-time foliation independent of any space-time dynamics or solutions of Einstein’s equations for example. In this article, we present the consequences of these projective group actions and this foliation. In particular, it is shown that the particular geometric structure due to this foliation is similar from a certain point of view to that of a black hole but not necessarily based on the existence of singularities. We also present a modified Newton’s laws invariant with respect to the homographic transformations induced by this projective geometry. Consequences on galactic dynamics are discussed and fits of galactic rotational velocity curves based on these modifications which are independent of any Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) or dark matter theories are presented.
Analysis of Multiple Shell Planetary Nebulae Based on HST/WFPC2 Extended 2D Diagnostic Diagrams
Authors: Barría Daniela , Kimeswenger Stefan
Published: August 2018

The investigation of gaseous nebulae, emitting in forbidden lines, is often based extensively on diagnostic diagrams. The special physics of these lines often allows for disentangling with a few line ratios normally coupled thermodynamic parameters like electron temperature, density and properties of the photo-ionizing radiation field. Diagnostic diagrams are usually used for the investigation of planetary nebulae as a total. We investigated the extension of such integrated properties towards spatially resolved 2D diagnostics, using Hubble Space Telescope/Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (HST/WFPC2) narrow band images. For this purpose, we also derived a method to isolate pure Hα emission from the [N ii] contamination as normally suffering in the F656N HST/WFPC2 filter.
An Integrated Approach for Identifying Molecular Subtypes in Human Colon Cancer Using Gene Expression Data
Authors: Wang Wen-Hui , Xie Ting-Yan , Xie Guang-Lei , Ren Zhong-Lu , Li Jin-Ming
Published: August 2018

Identifying molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer (CRC) may allow for more rational, patient-specific treatment. Various studies have identified molecular subtypes for CRC using gene expression data, but they are inconsistent and further research is necessary. From a methodological point of view, a progressive approach is needed to identify molecular subtypes in human colon cancer using gene expression data. We propose an approach to identify the molecular subtypes of colon cancer that integrates denoising by the Bayesian robust principal component analysis (BRPCA) algorithm, hierarchical clustering by the directed bubble hierarchical tree (DBHT) algorithm, and feature gene selection by an improved differential evolution based feature selection method (DEFSW) algorithm. In this approach, the normal samples being completely and exclusively clustered into one class is considered to be the standard of reasonable clustering subtypes, and the feature selection pays attention to imbalances of samples among subtypes. With this approach, we identified the molecular subtypes of colon cancer on the mRNA gene expression dataset of 153 colon cancer samples and 19 normal control samples of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. The colon cancer was clustered into 7 subtypes with 44 feature genes. Our approach could identify finer subtypes of colon cancer with fewer feature genes than the other two recent studies and exhibits a generic methodology that might be applied to identify the subtypes of other cancers.
Development of a New Simulation Tool Coupling a 2D Finite Volume Overland Flow Model and a Drainage Network Model
Authors: Fernández-Pato Javier , García-Navarro Pilar
Published: August 2018

Numerical simulation of mixed flows combining free surface and pressurized flows is a practical tool to prevent possible flood situations in urban environments. When dealing with intense storm events, the limited capacity of the drainage network conduits can cause undesirable flooding situations. Computational simulation of the involved processes can lead to better management of the drainage network of urban areas. In particular, it is interesting to simultaneuously calculate the possible pressurization of the pipe network and the surface water dynamics in case of overflow. In this work, the coupling of two models is presented. The surface flow model is based on two-dimensional shallow water equations with which it is possible to solve the overland water dynamics as well as the transformation of rainfall into runoff through different submodels of infiltration. The underground drainage system assumes mostly free surface flow that can be pressurized in specific situations. The pipe network is modeled by means of one-dimensional sections coupled with the surface model in specific regions of the domain, such as drains or sewers. The numerical techniques considered for the resolution of both mathematical models are based on finite volume schemes with a first-order upwind discretization. The coupling of the models is verified using laboratory experimental data. Furthermore, the potential usefulness of the approach is demonstrated using real flooding data in a urban environment.
Screening Methods for Age-Related Hearing Loss in Older Patients with Cancer: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Lycke Michelle , Lefebvre Tessa , Cool Lieselot , Van Eygen Koen , Boterberg Tom , Schofield Patricia , Debruyne Philip R.
Published: August 2018

As people grow older, they may experience loss in hearing sensitivity. Age-related hearing loss may negatively affect the patient’s quality of life as it may lead to social isolation. In older patients with cancer, hearing loss can seriously interfere with the patient’s ability to deal properly with all aspects of their disease, and may have a cumulative effect on their already decreased quality of life. Therefore, the proper screening of those conditions is essential in order to optimise the patient’s comfort during and after treatment. This review article aims at providing a concise image of the nature of age-related hearing loss, and provides an overview of the screening methods that could be used in older patients with cancer.