bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pengaruh Citra Merek dan Kualitas Produk Terhadap Minat Beli Snack Coklat Tobelo Pada PT. Bumi Tangerang Coklat Utama
Authors: Aprian Bernadus Alvin , Hidayat Adrian
Published: November 2018

Banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi perilaku pembelian seseorang terhadap suatu produk. Tiap individu mempunyai keinginan dan selera yang berbeda-beda. Citra Merek dan Kualitas Produk merupakan faktor yang sangat berpengaruh terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen. Selain kedua faktor tersebut, masih terdapat faktor lainnya yang dapat mempengaruhi minat pembelian. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui besar pengaruh dari citra merek dan kualitas produk terhadap minat beli. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode survey. Ruang lingkup dalam penelitian ini adalah lingkungan Universitas Buddhi Dharma. Pengambilan sampel dengan jumlah 100 orang responden dilakukan dengan teknik sampling insidental. Analisis data dilakukan dengan uji hipotesis, uji validitas, uji reabilitas, analisis regresi sederhana dan berganda, analisis korelasi sederhana dan berganda, dan analisis koefesien determinasi (R²) dalam mengetahui seberapa besar pengaruh dan signifikansi Citra Merek dan Kualitas Produk Terhadap Minat Beli Konsumen Tobelo di PT. Bumi Tangerang Coklat Utama, serta mengetahui variabel yang mempunyai pengaruh paling dominan. Berdasarkan analisis data yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini, dapat disimpulkan bahwa variable (X1) yaitu citra merek, berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap variable (Y) yaitu minat beli konsumen dengan nilai koefiesien sebesar 0,860 (cukup kuat). Variabel (X2) yaitu kualitas produk berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap variable (Y) minat beli dengan nilai koefisien sebesar 0,760 (cukup kuat). Variabel (X1) citra merek dan variable (X2) kualitas produk berpengaruh positif dan signifikan dengan nilai signifikan keduanya yang cukup kuat. Dari hasil uji F, model 1 didapat nilai 277.111 dan model 2 didapat nilai 162.894, dimana nilai tersebut lebih besar dari F tabel sebesar 3,09, maka Ho ditolak dan Ha diterima, artinya terdapat hubunga positif antara variabel Citra Merek terhadap Minat beli konsumen. Dari hasil uji t didapat thitung Citra merek sebesar 9,028 dan thitung Kualitas produk sebesar 3.668, dimana nilai tersebut lebih besar dari 1,98447, maka Ho ditolak dan Ha diterima, artinya terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara citra merek dan kualitas produk terhadap minat beli konsumen.
‘Blest’ or ‘t’othered’: Alternative Graveyards in Bleak House, Reynolds, and Walker
Authors: Doherty Ruth
Published: November 2018

This article proposes an alternative reading of Charles Dickens's Bleak House (1852–3), by attempting to recreate the reading experience of the first audience of this now well-studied novel. A comparison is made between key scenes in Bleak House and similar scenes in the first volume of George William Macarthur Reynolds's The Mysteries of London (1844), to demonstrate the differing literary styles of these two popular writers. The article draws on contemporary non-fiction, including George Alfred Walker's Gatherings from Grave Yards (1839) and several news articles, as well as more recent scholarship on Dickens to place the representations of graveyards in the novels of Reynolds and Dickens within the larger discussion of the necessity of sanitary reform in London at the time. The article argues that a proper consideration of this context enriches our understanding of the thematic structure of Bleak House.
Dickens's Gothic Double: A Tale of Two Cities and Watts Phillips's The Dead Heart
Authors: Crofts Matthew
Published: November 2018

Dickens's extraordinary literary reputation and close associations with the Victorian period can be seen in action through the lasting comparisons between his most read novel, A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and a now obscure play by the writer Watts Phillips: The Dead Heart (1859). While the facts surrounding any deliberate act of plagiarism between these two works have been critically discussed, the treatment of the subject by the popular presses that continued decades after the issue arose has been neglected. Using the motif of doubling that features prominently in A Tale of Two Cities, this article will explore how The Dead Heart became inextricably linked to Dickens's more famous novel, despite its own contemporary acclaim. Such resemblances were unlikely to be resolved as professional writers had more pressing concerns than partial resemblances to other works, with unlicensed international publications leading to a severe loss of revenue. Coincidental timing and a hierarchical, reputation-obsessed society trapped one text in the other's shadow, demonstrating a harmful tendency for works to be continually compared at the expense of exploring what led to such common ground.
The Consequences of AMR Education and Awareness Raising: Outputs, Outcomes, and Behavioural Impacts of an Antibiotic-Related Educational Activity in Lao PDR
Authors: Haenssgen Marco J. , Xayavong Thipphaphone , Charoenboon Nutcha , Warapikuptanun Penporn , Khine Zaw Yuzana
Published: November 2018

Education and awareness raising are the primary tools of global health policy to change public behaviour and tackle antimicrobial resistance. Considering the limitations of an awareness agenda, and the lack of social research to inform alternative approaches, our objective was to generate new empirical evidence on the consequences of antibiotic-related awareness raising in a low-income country context. We implemented an educational activity in two Lao villages to share general antibiotic-related messages and also to learn about people’s conceptions and health behaviours. Two rounds of census survey data enabled us to assess the activity’s outputs, its knowledge outcomes, and its immediate behavioural impacts in a difference-in-difference design. Our panel data covered 1130 adults over two rounds, including 58 activity participants and 208 villagers exposed indirectly via conversations in the village. We found that activity-related communication circulated among more privileged groups, which limited its indirect effects. Among participants, the educational activity influenced the awareness and understanding of “drug resistance”, whereas the effects on attitudes were minor. The evidence on the behavioural impacts was sparse and mixed, but the range of possible consequences included a disproportionate uptake of antibiotics from formal healthcare providers. Our study casts doubt on the continued dominance of awareness raising as a behavioural tool to address antibiotic resistance.
Impact of Cubic Symmetry on Optical Activity of Dielectric 8-srs Networks
Authors: Goi Elena , Cumming Benjamin P. , Gu Min
Published: November 2018

Photonic crystals are engineered structures able to control the propagation and properties of light. Due to this ability, they can be fashioned into optical components for advanced light manipulation and sensing. For these applications, a particularly interesting case study is the gyroid srs-network, a three-dimensional periodic network with both cubic symmetry and chirality. In this work we present the fabrication and characterization of three-dimensional cubically symmetric 8-srs photonic crystals derived from combination of eight individual gyroid srs-networks. We numerically and experimentally investigate optical properties of these photonic crystals and study in particular, the impact of cubic symmetry on transmission and optical activity (OA). Gyroid photonic crystals fabricated in this work can lead to the development of smaller, cheaper, and more efficient optical components with functionalities that go beyond the concept of lenses.
Isolation and Properties of Enterobacter sp. LX3 Capable of Producing Indoleacetic Acid
Authors: Chi Qingshan , Tang Wenzhu , Liu Lu , Meng Jun , Dong Xiaoli , Chen Wenfu , Li Xianzhen
Published: November 2018

Indoleacetic acid (IAA) can act as a phytohormone to modulate plant growth and development, thus persistent search for IAA-producing microbes is underway for a potential application in promoting plant growth. In this paper, an IAA-producing bacterium was obtained from maize rhizosphere in biochar-amending field. This strain is a Gram-negative and facultative anaerobic rod. Phenotypic examination and 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggest that this strain is a new strain of the Enterobacter species. We designated this strain LX3. LX3 produced up to 200 mg/L of IAA in nutrient broth and promoted barley development and increased plant chlorophyll level. This suggests that LX3 has potential as a biofertilizer.
A Novel WLAN Vehicle-To-Anything (V2X) Channel Access Scheme for IEEE 802.11p-Based Next-Generation Connected Car Networks
Authors: Ahn Jinsoo , Kim Young Yong , Kim Ronny Yongho
Published: November 2018

To support a massive number of connected cars, a novel channel access scheme for next-generation vehicle-to-anything (V2X) systems is proposed in this paper. In the design of the proposed scheme, two essential aspects are carefully considered: backward compatibility and massive V2X support. Since IEEE 802.11p-based V2X networks are already being deployed and used for intelligent transport systems, next-generation V2X shall be designed considering IEEE 802.11p-based V2X networks to provide backward compatibility. Since all future cars are expected to be equipped with a V2X communication device, a dense V2X communication scenario will be common and massive V2X communication support will be required. In the proposed scheme, IEEE 802.11-based extension is employed to provide backward compatibility and the emerging IEEE 802.11ax standard-based orthogonal frequency-division multiple access is adopted and extended to provide massive V2X support. The proposed scheme is further extended with a dedicated V2X channel and a scheduled V2X channel access to ensure high capacity and low latency to meet the requirements of the future V2X communication systems. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme thoroughly and rigorously, the proposed scheme is mathematically analyzed using a Markov model and extensive simulations are performed. In the dense V2X communication networks of the future, the proposed V2X communication scheme will provide high performance and reliability.
Biomedical Photoacoustic Imaging Optimization with Deconvolution and EMD Reconstruction
Authors: Guo Chengwen , Chen Yingna , Yuan Jie , Zhu Yunhao , Cheng Qian , Wang Xueding
Published: November 2018

A photoacoustic (PA) signal of an ideal optical absorbing particle is a single N-shape wave. PA signals are a combination of several individual N-shape waves. However, the N-shape wave basis leads to aliasing between adjacent micro-structures, which deteriorates the quality of final PA images. In this paper, we propose an image optimization method by processing raw PA signals with deconvolution and empirical mode decomposition (EMD). During the deconvolution procedure, the raw PA signals are de-convolved with a system dependent deconvolution kernel, which is measured in advance. EMD is subsequently adopted to further process the PA signals adaptively with two restrictive conditions: positive polarity and spectrum consistency. With this method, signal aliasing is alleviated, and the micro-structures and detail information, previously buried in the reconstructing images, can now be revealed. To validate our proposed method, numerical simulations and phantom studies are implemented, and reconstructed images are used for illustration.
Sub-Pixel Chessboard Corner Localization for Camera Calibration and Pose Estimation
Authors: Yang Tianlong , Zhao Qiancheng , Wang Xian , Zhou Quan
Published: November 2018

This work describes a novel approach to localize sub-pixel chessboard corners for camera calibration and pose estimation. An ideally continuous chessboard corner model is established, as a function of corner coordinates, rotation and shear angles, gain and offset of grayscale, and blurring strength. The ideal model is evaluated by a low-cost and high-similarity approximation for sub-pixel localization, and by performing a nonlinear fit to input image. A self-checking technique is also proposed by investigating qualities of the model fits, for ensuring the reliability of addressing perspective-n-point problem. The proposed method is verified by experiments, and results show that it can share a high performance. It is also implemented and examined in a common vision system, which demonstrates that it is suitable for on-site use.
An Improved Product Code-Based Data Hiding Scheme
Authors: Zhang Wen-Rong , Huang Yuh-Ming
Published: November 2018

This paper explores the data hiding schemes which are based on the principle of matrix embedding. Under the same embedding rate, the efficiency of each data hiding scheme is evaluated by the metric of average embedding efficiency. In the literature, both the row-column embedding and the weight approximation embedding algorithms are sub-optimal solutions for the product code-based data hiding problem. For the former, it is still based on the concept of one-dimensional (1-D) toggle syndrome, and the concept of two-dimensional (2-D) toggle syndrome is directly adopted for the latter one. Data hiding with multiple embedding channels is the practice of hiding messages into hidden media many times. Here, two multi-channel embedding-based data hiding techniques—one is the 1-D toggle syndrome-based embedding scheme (1DTS-1), and the other is the improved weight approximation-based embedding scheme (2DTS-1), are presented. In the former, the proposed one-off decision technique is used to determine the locations of the required modification bits, and the amount of modification will be reduced through utilizing the characteristics of the linear code. With the technique of the former, in the latter, the amount of modification bits can be further reduced because that a toggle array with better structure is generated, which is more suitable for being assigned as the initial toggle array while applying the weight approximation approach. The experimental results show our proposed hybrid 1-D/2-D toggle syndrome-based embedding scheme (2DTS-1) has increased the embedding efficiency by 0.1149 when compared to the weight approximation embedding algorithm. Further, the embedding efficiency of the latter one can be further and significantly enhanced through the Hamming+1 technique.
Exploring the Influence of Personal Motivations, Beliefs and Attitudes on Students’ Post-Graduation Migration Intentions: Evidence from Three Major Romanian Universities
Authors: Plopeanu Aurelian-Petruș , Homocianu Daniel , Mihăilă Alin Adrian , Crișan Emil Lucian , Bodea Gabriela , Bratu Renate-Doina , Airinei Dinu
Published: November 2018

Nowadays, when there is much concern about the demographic decline of Europe and the stringent need for public policies that support intelligent, sustainable, and inclusive growth in times of population ageing, this study aims to validate several hypotheses regarding the post-graduation migration intentions of students in economics. To analyse these intentions in the context of Romanian yearly increases of out-migration flows to Western countries, the answers to the questionnaire used for this study were obtained from three important Romanian universities. Using georeferencing, neural networks-based data mining, and two types of regression analysis, the results represent a relevant contribution to the limited body of literature. They empirically show that motivations and attitudes towards a meritocratic environment for professional advancement, and individual freedom are positive key factors for students’ migration intentions after graduation. In addition, the paper emphasises the secondary role of religiosity and intergenerational transfer of parental migration experience. It also finds that, although the income level has some influence on these intentions, its role is far less important than the one emphasised in the specific literature, which leads us to the conclusion that non-economic motivations matter more than the economic ones for the potential decision to migrate after graduation.
Data Governance in the Health Industry: Investigating Data Quality Dimensions within a Big Data Context
Authors: Juddoo Suraj , George Carlisle , Duquenoy Penny , Windridge David
Published: November 2018

In the health industry, the use of data (including Big Data) is of growing importance. The term ‘Big Data’ characterizes data by its volume, and also by its velocity, variety, and veracity. Big Data needs to have effective data governance, which includes measures to manage and control the use of data and to enhance data quality, availability, and integrity. The type and description of data quality can be expressed in terms of the dimensions of data quality. Well-known dimensions are accuracy, completeness, and consistency, amongst others. Since data quality depends on how the data is expected to be used, the most important data quality dimensions depend on the context of use and industry needs. There is a lack of current research focusing on data quality dimensions for Big Data within the health industry; this paper, therefore, investigates the most important data quality dimensions for Big Data within this context. An inner hermeneutic cycle research approach was used to review relevant literature related to data quality for big health datasets in a systematic way and to produce a list of the most important data quality dimensions. Based on a hierarchical framework for organizing data quality dimensions, the highest ranked category of dimensions was determined.
Evaluation of HLA-G Expression in Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Vitrified Wharton’s Jelly Tissue
Authors: Mallis Panagiotis , Boulari Dimitra , Michalopoulos Efstathios , Dinou Amalia , Spyropoulou-Vlachou Maria , Stavropoulos-Giokas Catherine
Published: November 2018

Background: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) from Wharton’s Jelly (WJ) tissue express HLA-G, a molecule which exerts several immunological properties. This study aimed at the evaluation of HLA-G expression in MSCs derived from vitrified WJ tissue. Methods: WJ tissue samples were isolated from human umbilical cords, vitrified with the use of VS55 solution and stored for 1 year at −196 °C. After 1 year of storage, the WJ tissue was thawed and MSCs were isolated. Then, MSCs were expanded until reaching passage 8, followed by estimation of cell number, cell doubling time (CDT), population doubling (PD) and cell viability. In addition, multilineage differentiation, Colony-Forming Units (CFUs) assay and immunophenotypic analyses were performed. HLA-G expression in MSCs derived from vitrified samples was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR/PCR, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and immunofluorescence. MSCs derived from non-vitrified WJ tissue were used in order to validate the results obtained from the above methods. Results: MSCs were successfully obtained from vitrified WJ tissues retaining their morphological and multilineage differentiation properties. Furthermore, MSCs from vitrified WJ tissues successfully expressed HLA-G. Conclusion: The above results indicated the successful expression of HLA-G by MSCs from vitrified WJ tissues, thus making them ideal candidates for immunomodulation.
Enhancing Anaerobic Digestion: The Effect of Carbon Conductive Materials
Authors: González Judith , Sánchez Marta E. , Gómez Xiomar
Published: November 2018

Anaerobic digestion is a well-known technology which has been extensively studied to improve its performance and yield biogas from substrates. The application of different types of pre-treatments has led to an increase in biogas production but also in global energy demand. However, in recent years the use of carbon conductive materials as supplement for this process has been studied resulting in an interesting way for improving the performance of anaerobic digestion without greatly affecting its energy demand. This review offers an introduction to this interesting approach and covers the different experiences performed on the use of carbon conductive materials proposing it as a feasible alternative for the production of energy from biomass, considering also the integration of anaerobic digestion and thermal valorisation.
Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy in Synovial Sarcoma: A Systematic Review
Authors: Riedel Richard , Jones Robin , Italiano Antoine , Bohac Chet , Thompson Juliette , Mueller Kerstin , Khan Zaeem , Pollack Seth , Van Tine Brian
Published: November 2018

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is an aggressive malignancy which accounts for approximately 5–10% of all soft-tissue sarcomas. SS has pathologic and genomic characteristics that define it as a distinct subtype of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). STS subtypes continue to be recognized as distinct entities with specific characteristics, including differential chemo-sensitivity. The objective of this study was to conduct a descriptive review of current data on survival outcomes of systemic anti-cancer therapy specific to SS. A systematic literature review was conducted, using a custom search strategy to search EMBASE, Medline and CENTRAL for clinical trials and observational studies reporting overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and/or response for cohorts of at least 50 SS patients. We identified 28 studies meeting these criteria, 25 of which were retrospective studies. Only three prospective studies were identified. Survival reports varied widely between studies based on the population, in particular on the disease stage, and reporting was heterogeneous in terms of the time points reported on. For patients with localized disease, reports of five-year PFS ranged from 26% to 80.7% and five-year OS from 40% to 90.7%, whereas five-year OS for patients with metastatic disease was very low at around 10%; and in one case, 0% was reported. Only four of the included publications reported outcomes by type of systemic anti-cancer therapy received. Our study draws attention to the fact that additional prospective studies to better define the most appropriate treatment for SS in all stages and lines of therapy are still needed.
Design of a New Solar Thermal Collector with Ceramic Materials Integrated into the Building Facades
Authors: Roviras Miñana Jordi , Sarrablo Moreno Vicente
Published: November 2018

The work presented here aims to demonstrate the technical, architectural, and energy viability of solar thermal collectors made with ceramic materials and their suitability for domestic hot water (DHW) and building heating systems in the Mediterranean climate. The proposal is for the design of a ceramic shell, formed by collector and non-collecting panels, which forms part of the building system itself, and is capable of responding to the basic requirements of a building envelope and harnessing solar energy. Ceramics considerably reduce the final cost of the collector system and offer the new system a variety of compositional and chromatic finishes, occupying the entire building surface and achieving a high degree of architectural integration, although less energy-efficient compared to a conventional metallic collector.
Thermographic Study of the Orofacial Structures Involved in Clarinetists Musical Performance
Authors: Barros Ana , Mendes Joaquim , Moreira André , Vardasca Ricardo , Pais Clemente Miguel , Pinhão Ferreira Afonso
Published: November 2018

Introduction: Wind instrumentalists like clarinetists, may present a muscular hyperactivity on certain groups of the cranio-cervico-mandibular complex, due to their musical activity. Therefore, the use of infrared thermography can be used to assess and characterize the orofacial structures involved in clarinet performance. Aim: The objective of this study was to analyze and record the thermal patterns using the thermographic camera Flir® E60sc to evaluate anatomically and physiologically certain orofacial structures of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex, such as the masticatory muscles and the region of the temporomandibular joint. Methodology: A sample of 30 clarinetists completed an individual questionnaire composed of two components (musical and clinical history of the participant), and were subjected to a clinical examination. Four thermographic images were taken of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex at a rest position with frontal, right lateral, left lateral and anterior dentoalveolar components views. Each musician performed a piece of music for an uninterrupted period of 10 min. New thermographic images were captured with the same incidences, after the performance, respecting the same protocol. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the areas corresponding to the left temporal muscle, the orbicularis muscle (labial component), the left and right perioral teguments, as well as in the upper central incisors. There was also statistical evidence regarding the initial and final temperature asymmetries regarding temporal muscle and orbicular muscles (labial and marginal components). Conclusion: Infrared thermography has been shown to be an effective complementary diagnostic tool in the monitorization of the cranio-cervical-mandibular complex of clarinetists.
Analysis and Simulations of Hybrid Memory Scheme Based on Memristors
Authors: Mladenov Valeri
Published: November 2018

The investigation of new memory schemes is significant for future generations of electronic devices. The purpose of this research is to present a detailed analysis of the processes in the memory elements of a memory section with memristors and isolating Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistors. For the present analysis, a modified window function previously proposed by the author in another memristor model is used. The applied model is based on physical nonlinear current-voltage and state-voltage characteristics. It is suitable for illustration of the processes in the memristors for both writing and reading procedures. The memory scheme is simulated using a nonlinear drift model with an improved window function. The used model was previously adjusted according to the reference Pickett model. The memory circuit is analyzed for writing and reading information procedures. The memristor current-voltage relationship is compared to physical experimental characteristics and to results acquired by the use of basic window functions. A satisfactory coincidence between the corresponding results is established. For the used logical signals, the memory elements operate in a state near to hard-switching mode. It is confirmed that the memristor model with a modified window function applied here is suitable for investigating complex memristor circuits for a general operating mode.
Wireless LAN-Based CSI Monitoring System for Object Detection
Authors: Murakami Tomoki , Miyazaki Masahiko , Ishida Shigemi , Fukuda Akira
Published: November 2018

Sensing services for the detection of humans and animals by analyzing the environmental changes of wireless local area network (WLAN) signals have attracted attention in recent years. In object detection using WLAN signals, a widely known technique is the use of time changes in received signal strength indicators that are easily measured between WLAN devices. Utilizing channel response, including power and phase values per subcarrier on multiple input multiple output (MIMO), the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing transmission was researched as channel state information (CSI) to further improve detection accuracy. This paper describes a WLAN-based CSI monitoring system that efficiently acquires the CSI of multiple links in a target area where multiple CSI measuring stations are distributed. In the system, a novel CSI monitoring station captures wireless packets sent within the area and extracts CSI by analyzing the packets on the sounding protocol, specified by IEEE 802.11ac. The paper also describes the system configuration and shows that indoor experimental measurements confirmed the system’s feasibility.
Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes of Individuals at High Risk for Pancreatic Cancer: A Descriptive Analysis from a Comprehensive Cancer Center
Authors: McNamara Griffin P. J. , Ali Karla N. , Vyas Shraddha , Huynh Tri , Nyland Monica , Almanza Deanna , Laronga Christine , Klapman Jason , Permuth Jennifer B.
Published: November 2018

Pancreatic cancer (PC), a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage. To improve survival, there is an unmet need to detect pre-malignant lesions and early invasive disease. Prime populations to study for early detection efforts include cohorts of high risk individuals (HRI): those with increased risk to develop pre-malignant pancreatic cysts and PC because of a familial or hereditary predisposition to the disease and those in the general population of sporadic cases who are incidentally found to harbor a pre-malignant pancreatic cyst. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and clinical outcomes of cohorts of HRI identified at Moffitt Cancer Center. We set out to determine the uptake of screening, the prevalence and characteristics of solid and cystic pancreatic lesions detected via screening or as incidental findings, and the age at which lesions were detected. Of a total of 329 HRI, roughly one-third were found to have pancreatic lesions, most of which constituted pre-malignant cysts known as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms. Individuals with the highest genetic risk for PC were found to have smaller cysts at a much earlier age than sporadic cases with incidental findings; however, many individuals at high genetic risk did not have abdominal imaging reports on file. We also identified a subset of HRI at moderate genetic risk for PC that were found to have cystic and solid pancreatic lesions as part of a diagnostic work-up rather than a screening protocol. These findings suggest the pancreatic research community should consider expanding criteria for who should be offered screening. We also emphasize the importance of continuity of care between cancer genetics and gastrointestinal oncology clinics so that HRI are made aware of the opportunities related to genetic counseling, genetic testing, and screening.
Efficient Public Key Encryption with Disjunctive Keywords Search Using the New Keywords Conversion Method
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Yin , Wang Yifan
Published: November 2018

Public key encryption with disjunctive keyword search (PEDK) is a public key encryption scheme that allows disjunctive keyword search over encrypted data without decryption. This kind of scheme is crucial to cloud storage and has received a lot of attention in recent years. However, the efficiency of the previous scheme is limited due to the selection of a less efficient converting method which is used to change query and index keywords into a vector space model. To address this issue, we design a novel converting approach with better performance, and give two adaptively secure PEDK schemes based on this method. The first one is built on an efficient inner product encryption scheme with less searching time, and the second one is constructed over composite order bilinear groups with higher efficiency on index and trapdoor construction. The theoretical analysis and experiment results verify that our schemes are more efficient in time and space complexity as well as more suitable for the mobile cloud setting compared with the state-of-art schemes.
Aquatic versus Terrestrial Insects: Real or Presumed Differences in Population Dynamics?
Authors: Lancaster Jill , Downes Barbara
Published: November 2018

The study of insect populations is dominated by research on terrestrial insects. Are aquatic insect populations different or are they just presumed to be different? We explore the evidence across several topics. (1) Populations of terrestrial herbivorous insects are constrained most often by enemies, whereas aquatic herbivorous insects are constrained more by food supplies, a real difference related to the different plants that dominate in each ecosystem. (2) Population outbreaks are presumed not to occur in aquatic insects. We report three examples of cyclical patterns; there may be more. (3) Aquatic insects, like terrestrial insects, show strong oviposition site selection even though they oviposit on surfaces that are not necessarily food for their larvae. A novel outcome is that density of oviposition habitat can determine larval densities. (4) Aquatic habitats are often largely 1-dimensional shapes and this is presumed to influence dispersal. In rivers, drift by insects is presumed to create downstream dispersal that has to be countered by upstream flight by adults. This idea has persisted for decades but supporting evidence is scarce. Few researchers are currently working on the dynamics of aquatic insect populations; there is scope for many more studies and potentially enlightening contrasts with terrestrial insects.
Piezoelectric Energy Generators Based on Spring and Inertial Mass
Authors: Yoon Sanghyun , Kim Jinhwan , Cho Kyung-Ho , Ko Young-Ho , Lee Sang-Kwon , Koh Jung-hyuk
Published: November 2018

In this study, inertial mass-based piezoelectric energy generators with and without a spring were designed and tested. This energy harvesting system is based on the shock absorber, which is widely used to protect humans or products from mechanical shock. Mechanical shock energies, which were applied to the energy absorber, were converted into electrical energies. To design the energy harvester, an inertial mass was introduced to focus the energy generating position. In addition, a spring was designed and tested to increase the energy generation time by absorbing the mechanical shock energy and releasing a decreased shock energy over a longer time. Both inertial mass and the spring are the key design parameters for energy harvesters as the piezoelectric materials, Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics were employed to store and convert the mechanical force into electric energy. In this research, we will discuss the design and performance of the energy generator system based on shock absorbers.
The Modelling, Simulation and FPGA-Based Implementation for Stepper Motor Wide Range Speed Closed-Loop Drive System Design
Authors: Lai Chiu-Keng , Ciou Jhang-Shan , Tsai Chia-Che
Published: November 2018

Owing to the benefits of programmable and parallel processing of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), they have been widely used for the realization of digital controllers and motor drive systems. Furthermore, they can be used to integrate several functions as an embedded system. In this paper, based on Matrix Laboratory (Matlab)/Simulink and the FPGA chip, we design and implement a stepper motor drive. Generally, motion control systems driven by a stepper motor can be in open-loop or closed-loop form, and pulse generators are used to generate a series of pulse commands, according to the desired acceleration/run/deceleration, in order to the drive system to rotate the motor. In this paper, the speed and position are designed in closed-loop control, and a vector control strategy is applied to the obtained rotor angle to regulate the phase current of the stepper motor to achieve the performance of operating it in low, medium, and high speed situations. The results of simulations and practical experiments based on the FPGA implemented control system are given to show the performances for wide range speed control.
Application of Pd-Based Membrane Reactors: An Industrial Perspective
Authors: Palo Emma , Salladini Annarita , Morico Barbara , Palma Vincenzo , Ricca Antonio , Iaquaniello Gaetano
Published: November 2018

The development of a chemical industry characterized by resource efficiency, in particular with reference to energy use, is becoming a major issue and driver for the achievement of a sustainable chemical production. From an industrial point of view, several application areas, where energy saving and CO2 emissions still represent a major concern, can take benefit from the application of membrane reactors. On this basis, different markets for membrane reactors are analyzed in this paper, and their technical feasibility is verified by proper experimentation at pilot level relevant to the following processes: (i) pure hydrogen production; (ii) synthetic fuels production; (iii) chemicals production. The main outcomes of operations in the selected research lines are reported and discussed, together with the key obstacles to overcome.
New Uranyl Open Framework and Sheet Compounds Formed via In-Situ Protonation of Piperazine by Phosphorous Acid
Authors: Villa Eric M. , Cross Justin N. , Albrecht-Schmitt Thomas E.
Published: November 2018

Two new uranyl compounds were hydrothermally synthesized employing piperazine as an organic templating agent. The piperazine was protonated in-situ by phosphorous acid, forming the piperazinium dication featured in these compounds. The two new structures presented here are a uranyl phosphite 2D sheet and a 3D uranyl mixed phosphite–phosphate network with cation occupied channels. Both included strong hydrogen bonding from the piperazinium cation to the uranyl phosphite or mixed phosphite–phosphate network. These two structures can be reliably formed through careful control of pH of the starting solution and the reaction duration. The piperazinium uranyl phosphite compound was the latest in a family of uranyl phosphites, and demonstrates the structural versatility of this combination. The mixed phosphite–phosphate compound builds on hydrothermal redox chemistry, illustrating the variety of compounds that can be isolated by exploiting in-situ redox processes to elucidate new uranium structure types.
A Further Investigation of NH4+ Removal Mechanisms by Using Natural and Synthetic Zeolites in Different Concentrations and Temperatures
Authors: Chen Huei-Fen , Lin Yi-Jun , Chen Bo-Hong , Yoshiyuki Iizuka , Liou Sofia Ya-Hsuan , Huang Rong-Tan
Published: November 2018

We investigated the ammonium removal abilities of natural and synthetic zeolites with distinct Si/Al ratios and various surface areas to study how adsorption and ion exchange processes in zeolites perform under different ammonium concentrations and different temperatures. Five zeolites—natural mordenite, chabazite, erionite, clinoptilolite, and synthetic merlinoite—were immersed in 20, 50, and 100 mg/kg ammonium solutions. The results demonstrate that zeolites under high ammonium concentrations (100 mg/kg) possess higher physical adsorption capacity (0.398–0.468 meq/g), whereas those under lower ammonium concentrations (20 mg/kg) possess greater ion exchange properties (64–99%). The ion exchange ability of zeolites is extremely dependent on the cation content of the zeolites, and the cation content is affected by the Si/Al ratio. The surface area of zeolites also has a partial influence on its physical adsorption ability. When the surface area is less than 100 m2/g, the adsorption ability of zeolite increases obviously with surface area; however, adsorption ability is saturated as the surface area becomes larger than this critical value of 100 m2/g. When we placed the zeolites in 50 mg/kg ammonium concentration at different temperatures (5–50 °C), we found that the zeolites exhibited the highest ammonium removal ability at 30 °C and the potassium release was enhanced at 30–40 °C.
Authigenic and Detrital Minerals in Peat Environment of Vasyugan Swamp, Western Siberia
Authors: Rudmin Maxim , Ruban Aleksey , Savichev Oleg , Mazurov Aleksey , Dauletova Aigerim , Savinova Olesya
Published: November 2018

Studies of mineral-forming processes in modern peat bogs can shed light on metal concentrations and their cycling in similar environments, especially in geological paleoanalogs. In terms of the mineralogical and geochemical evolution of peat bog environments, the Vasyugan Swamp in Western Siberia is a unique scientific object. Twelve peat samples were collected from the Vasyugan Swamp up to the depth of 275 cm at 25 cm intervals. The studied peat deposit section is represented by oligotrophic (0–100 cm), mesotrophic (100–175 cm), and eutrophic (175–275 cm) peat, and this is underlain by basal sediments (from 275 cm). About 30 minerals were detected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The observed minerals are divided into detrital, clay, and authigenic phases. The detrital minerals found included quartz, feldspar, ilmenite, rutile, magnetite, zircon, and monazite. When passing from basal to oligotrophic bog sediments, the clay minerals changed from illite-smectite to kaolinite. Authigenic minerals are represented by carbonates (calcite and dolomite), iron (hydro-)oxides, galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, Zn-Pb-S mineral, barite, baritocelestine, celestine, tetrahedrite, cassiterite, REE phosphate, etc. The regular distribution of mineral inclusions in peat is associated with the (bio)geochemical evolution of the environment. The formation of authigenic Zn, Pb and Sb sulfides is mainly confined to anaerobic conditions that exist in the eutrophic peat and basal sediments. The maximum amount of pyrite is associated with the interval of 225–250 cm, which is the zone of transition from basal sediments to eutrophic peat. The formation of carbonate minerals and the decreasing concentration of clay in the association with local sulfide formation (galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, stibnite) begins above this interval. The peak of specific carbonation appears in the 125–150 cm interval of the mesotrophic peat, which is characterized by pH 4.9–4.5 of pore water. Kaolinite is the dominant clay mineral in the oligotrophic peat. Gypsum, galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and relicts of carbonate are noted in association with kaolinite. Changes in oxygen concentrations are reflected in newly formed mineral associations in corresponding intervals of the peat. This can be explained by the activity of microbiological processes such as the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR), expressed in specific carbonatization (100–225 cm) and sulfidization (175–250 cm), respectively.
Simulated and Experimental Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectra of the Intersystem Crossing Dynamics in 2-Thiouracil
Authors: Mai Sebastian , Mohamadzade Abed , Marquetand Philipp , González Leticia , Ullrich Susanne
Published: November 2018

We report time-dependent photoelectron spectra recorded with a single-photon ionization setup and extensive simulations of the same spectra for the excited-state dynamics of 2-thiouracil (2TU) in the gas phase. We find that single-photon ionization produces very similar results as two-photon ionization, showing that the probe process does not have a strong influence on the measured dynamics. The good agreement between the single-photon ionization experiments and the simulations shows that the norms of Dyson orbitals allow for qualitatively describing the ionization probabilities of 2TU. This reasonable performance of Dyson norms is attributed to the particular electronic structure of 2TU, where all important neutral and ionic states involve similar orbital transitions and thus the shape of the Dyson orbitals do not strongly depend on the initial neutral and final ionic state. We argue that similar situations should also occur in other biologically relevant thio-nucleobases, and that the time-resolved photoelectron spectra of these bases could therefore be adequately modeled with the techniques employed here.
Effects of Osthol Isolated from Cnidium monnieri Fruit on Urate Transporter 1
Authors: Tashiro Yuusuke , Sakai Ryo , Hirose-Sugiura Tomoko , Kato Yukio , Matsuo Hirotaka , Takada Tappei , Suzuki Hiroshi , Makino Toshiaki
Published: November 2018

(1) Background: Crude drugs used in traditional Japanese Kampo medicine or folk medicine are major sources of new chemical entities for drug discovery. We screened the inhibitory potential of these crude drugs against urate transporter 1 (URAT1) to discover new drugs for hyperuricemia. (2) Methods: We prepared the MeOH extracts of 107 different crude drugs, and screened their inhibitory effects on URAT1 by measuring the uptake of uric acid by HEK293/PDZK1 cells transiently transfected with URAT1. (3) Results: We found that the extract of the dried mature fruit of Cnidium monnieri inhibited urate uptake via URAT1. We isolated and identified osthol as the active ingredient from this extract. Osthol noncompetitively inhibited URAT1 with an IC50 of 78.8 µM. We evaluated the effects of other coumarins and found that the prenyl group, which binds at the 8-position of coumarins, plays an important role in the inhibition of URAT1. (4) Conclusions: Cnidium monnieri fruit may be useful for the treatment of hyperuricemia or gout in traditional medicine, and its active ingredient, osthol, is expected to be a leading compound for the development of new drugs for hyperuricemia.
E46K Mutant α-Synuclein Is Degraded by Both Proteasome and Macroautophagy Pathway
Authors: Yan Jia-qing , Yuan Yu-he , Chu Shi-feng , Li Guo-hui , Chen Nai-hong
Published: November 2018

Genetic studies have revealed that rare mutations and multiplications of the gene locus in α-synuclein (α-syn) are implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the pathological effects of α-syn are still obscure. The neurotoxicity of α-syn is mainly determined by its protein levels, which depend on a balance between synthesis and degradation. Therefore, verifying the possible routes contributing to the clearance of α-syn is important for PD therapy. In this study, we established stable lines overexpressing human wild-type (WT) and E46K mutant α-syn in rat PC12 cells and investigated the degradation pathways of α-syn by using a panel of inhibitors and inducers of lysosome and proteasome function. We also monitored the degradation kinetics of α-syn by using cycloheximide to block protein synthesis. Our data showed that both proteasome and chaperon-mediated autophagy (CMA) are responsible for the degradation of the WT α-syn. Meanwhile, E46K mutant α-syn is mainly degraded by the proteasome and macroautophagy pathway. Compared with the WT protein, E46K mutant α-syn turned over more slowly in PC12 cells. In addition, overexpression of E46K mutant α-syn increased vulnerability of PC12 cells to apoptosis insults when compared with WT α-syn. Our findings may verify the possible routes contributing to the degradation of the E46K mutant α-syn.