bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bioactive Steroid and Triterpenoids from Bridelia stipularis (L) Blume
Authors: Anjum Adeeba , Sultan Md Zakir , Sikder Md Al Amin , Hasan Choudhury M , Mansoor Muhammad Abdullah Al , Rashid Mohammad A
Published: January 2017

Fractionation and purification of stem bark extract of Bridelia stipularis growing in Bangladesh afforded glut-5(6)-en-3-one (1), glut-5(6)-en-3?-ol (2), and (22E)-7-hydroxy-28-methylcholesta-4,22-dien-3-one (3). Compound 3 appears to be new, while compounds 1 and 2 have never been reported from this plant. The isolated compounds isolated exhibited cytotoxic activity against brine shrimp nauplii having significant LC50 and LC90 and moderate to strong antimicrobial activity against 13 Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains and 3 fungi. Here, compound 1 demonstrated highest inhibition of growth of microorganisms with zone of inhibition of 22.7 mm against Escherichia coli and compound 2 displayed zone of inhibition of 20.8 mm against Candida albicans. Compounds 1-2 also revealed moderate free radical scavenging activity in the DPPH method.Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 15(2): 221-225, 2016 (December)
Dependent Shrink of Transitions for Calculating Firing Frequencies in Signaling Pathway Petri Net Model
Authors: Mizuta Atsushi , Ge Qi-Wei , Matsuno Hiroshi
Published: January 2017

Despite the recent rapid progress in high throughput measurements of biological data, it is still difficult to gather all of the reaction speed data in biological pathways. This paper presents a Petri net-based algorithm that can derive estimated values for non-valid reaction speeds in a signaling pathway from biologically-valid data. In fact, these reaction speeds are reflected based on the delay times in the timed Petri net model of the signaling pathway. We introduce the concept of a “dependency relation” over a transition set of a Petri net and derive the properties of the dependency relation through a structural analysis. Based on the theoretical results, the proposed algorithm can efficiently shrink the transitions with two elementary structures into a single transition repeatedly to reduce the Petri net size in order to eventually discover all transition sets with a dependency relation. Finally, to show the usefulness of our algorithm, we apply our algorithm to the IL-3 Petri net model.
Improvement of Faba Bean Yield Using Rhizobium/Agrobacterium Inoculant in Low-Fertility Sandy Soil
Authors: Youseif Sameh , Abd El-Megeed Fayrouz , Saleh Saleh
Published: January 2017

Soil fertility is one of the major limiting factors for crop’s productivity in Egypt and the world in general. Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) has a great importance as a non-polluting and a cost-effective way to improve soil fertility through supplying N to different agricultural systems. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most efficient nitrogen-fixing legumes that can meet all of their N needs through BNF. Therefore, understanding the impact of rhizobial inoculation and contrasting soil rhizobia on nodulation and N2 fixation in faba bean is crucial to optimize the crop yield, particularly under low fertility soil conditions. This study investigated the symbiotic effectiveness of 17 Rhizobium/Agrobacterium strains previously isolated from different Egyptian governorates in improving the nodulation and N2 fixation in faba bean cv. Giza 843 under controlled greenhouse conditions. Five strains that had a high nitrogen-fixing capacity under greenhouse conditions were subsequently tested in field trials as faba bean inoculants at Ismaillia Governorate in northeast Egypt in comparison with the chemical N-fertilization treatment (96 kg N·ha−1). A starter N-dose (48 kg N·ha−1) was applied in combination with different Rhizobium inoculants. The field experiments were established at sites without a background of inoculation under low fertility sandy soil conditions over two successive winter growing seasons, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. Under greenhouse conditions, inoculated plants produced significantly higher nodules dry weight, plant biomass, and shoot N-uptake than non-inoculated ones. In the first season (2012/2013), inoculation of field-grown faba bean showed significant improvements in seed yield (3.73–4.36 ton·ha−1) and seed N-yield (138–153 Kg N·ha−1), which were higher than the uninoculated control (48 kg N·ha−1) that produced 2.97 Kg·ha−1 and 95 kg N·ha−1, respectively. Similarly, in the second season (2013/2014), inoculation significantly improved seed yield (3.16–4.68 ton·ha−1) and seed N-yield (98–155 Kg N·ha−1) relative to the uninoculated control (48 kg N·ha−1), which recorded 2.58 Kg·ha−1 and 80 kg N·ha−1, respectively. Interestingly, faba bean inoculated with strain Rlv NGB-FR 126 showed significant increments in seed yield (35%–48%) and seed N-yield (34%–49%) compared to the inorganic N fertilizers treatment (96 kg N·ha−1) over the two cropping seasons, respectively. These results indicate that inoculation of faba bean with effective rhizobial strains can reduce the need for inorganic N fertilization to achieve higher crop yield under low fertility soil conditions.
Development and Testing of Cool-Season Grass Species, Varieties and Hybrids for Biomass Feedstock Production in Western North America
Authors: Larson Steven , Pearson Calvin , Jensen Kevin , Jones Thomas , Mott Ivan , Robbins Matthew , Staub Jack , Waldron Blair
Published: January 2017

Breeding of native cool-season grasses has the potential to improve forage production and expand the range of bioenergy feedstocks throughout western North America. Basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus) and creeping wildrye (Leymus triticoides) rank among the tallest and most rhizomatous grasses of this region, respectively. The objectives of this study were to develop interspecific creeping wildrye (CWR) × basin wildrye (BWR) hybrids and evaluate their biomass yield relative to tetraploid ‘Trailhead’, octoploid ‘Magnar’ and interploidy-hybrid ‘Continental’ BWR cultivars in comparison with other perennial grasses across diverse single-harvest dryland range sites and a two-harvest irrigated production system. Two half-sib hybrid populations were produced by harvesting seed from the tetraploid self-incompatible Acc:641.T CWR genet, which was clonally propagated by rhizomes into isolated hybridization blocks with two tetraploid BWR pollen parents: Acc:636 and ‘Trailhead’. Full-sib hybrid seed was also produced from a controlled cross of tetraploid ‘Rio’ CWR and ‘Trailhead’ BWR plants. In space-planted range plots, the ‘Rio’ CWR × ‘Trailhead’ BWR and Acc:641.T CWR × Acc:636 BWR hybrids displayed high-parent heterosis with 75% and 36% yield advantages, respectively, but the Acc:641.T CWR × ‘Trailhead’ BWR hybrid yielded significantly less than its BWR high-parent in this evaluation. Half-sib CWR × BWR hybrids of Acc:636 and ‘Trailhead’ both yielded as good as or better than available BWR cultivars, with yields similar to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), in the irrigated sward plots. These results elucidate opportunity to harness genetic variation among native grass species for the development of forage and bioenergy feedstocks in western North America.
Groundwater Mixing Process Identification in Deep Mines Based on Hydrogeochemical Property Analysis
Authors: Liu Bo , Malekian Reza , Xu Jinpeng
Published: January 2017

Karst collapse columns, as a potential water passageway for mine water inrush, are always considered a critical problem for the development of deep mining techniques. This study aims to identify the mixing process of groundwater deriving two different limestone karst-fissure aquifer systems. Based on analysis of mining groundwater hydrogeochemical properties, hydraulic connection between the karst-fissure objective aquifer systems was revealed. In this paper, piper diagram was used to calculate the mixing ratios at different sampling points in the aquifer systems, and PHREEQC Interactive model (Version 2.5, USGS, Reston, VA, USA, 2001) was applied to modify the mixing ratios and model the water–rock interactions during the mixing processes. The analysis results show that the highest mixing ratio is 0.905 in the C12 borehole that is located nearest to the #2 karst collapse column, and the mixing ratio decreases with the increase of the distance from the #2 karst collapse column. It demonstrated that groundwater of the two aquifers mixed through the passage of #2 karst collapse column. As a result, the proposed Piper-PHREEQC based method can provide accurate identification of karst collapse columns’ water conductivity, and can be applied to practical applications.
Assessing the Role of Emotional Associations in Mediating Crossmodal Correspondences between Classical Music and Red Wine
Authors: Wang Qian , Spence Charles
Published: January 2017

Several recent studies have demonstrated that people intuitively make consistent matches between classical music and specific wines. It is not clear, however, what governs such crossmodal mappings. Here, we assess the role of emotion—specifically different dimensional aspects of valence, arousal, and dominance—in mediating such mappings. Participants matched three different red wines to three different pieces of classical music. Subsequently, they made emotion ratings separately for each wine and each musical selection. The results revealed that certain wine–music pairings were rated as being significantly better matches than others. More importantly, there was evidence that the participants’ dominance and arousal ratings for the wines and the music predicted their matching rating for each wine–music pairing. These results therefore support the view that wine–music associations are not arbitrary but can be explained, at least in part, by common emotional associations.
A Traditional Turkish Fermented Non-Alcoholic Grape-Based Beverage, “Hardaliye”
Authors: Coskun Fatma
Published: January 2017

Hardaliye is a non-alcoholic fermented beverage produced in a traditional way in Thrace, the European part of Turkey. The nutritional value of hardaliye is derived from the grapes and the fermentation process. Health benefits of hardaliye are also related to etheric oils present in mustard seeds. Hardaliye is a lactic acid fermented traditional beverage produced from grape juice and crushed grapes with the addition of different concentrations of whole/ground or heat-treated mustard seeds and sour cherry leaves. The color of hardaliye reflects the original color of the grapes and has a characteristic aroma. Dark red grape is preferred. Benzoic acid is used as preservative during production. Benzoic acid inhibits or decreases alcohol production by affecting the yeast. Fermentation occurs at room temperature for 7–10 days. If the ambient temperature is low, fermentation process can be extended until 20 days. Once fermented, the hardaliye is stored at 4 °C for three to four months. The hardaliye is consumed either fresh or aged. If it is aged, hardaliye may contain alcohol. The industrial production is just in small-scale and it must be developed. More studies are required to determine characteristic properties of hardaliye. Identification of the product properties will supply improvement for industrial production.
The Protagonism of Biocatalysis in Green Chemistry and Its Environmental Benefits
Authors: Ferreira-Leitão Viridiana , Cammarota Magali , Gonçalves Aguieiras Erika , Vasconcelos de Sá Lívian , Fernandez-Lafuente Roberto , Freire Denise
Published: January 2017

The establishment of a bioeconomy era requires not only a change of production pattern, but also a deep modernization of the production processes through the implementation of novel methodologies in current industrial units, where waste materials and byproducts can be utilized as starting materials in the production of commodities such as biofuels and other high added value chemicals. The utilization of renewable raw resources and residues from the agro-industries, and their exploitation through various uses and applications through technologies, particularly solid-state fermentation (SSF), are the main focus of this review. The advocacy for biocatalysis in green chemistry and the environmental benefits of bioproduction are very clear, although this kind of industrial process is still an exception and not the rule. Potential and industrial products, such as biocatalysts, animal feed, fermentation medium, biofuels (biodiesel, lignocelulose ethanol, CH4, and H2), pharmaceuticals and chemicals are dealt with in this paper. The focus is the utilization of renewable resources and the important role of enzymatic process to support a sustainable green chemical industry.
N2O Direct Dissociation over MgxCeyCo1−x−yCo2O4 Composite Spinel Metal Oxide
Authors: Liu Ning , Chen Ping , Li Yingxia , Zhang Runduo
Published: January 2017

A series of Mg- and/or Ce-doped Co3O4 (MgxCo1−xCo2O4 CexCo1−xCo2O4, MgxCeyCo1−x−yCo2O4) composite spinel metal-oxide catalyst was prepared by a coprecipitation method and evaluated for N2O direct decomposition. The activity measurement results suggest that Mg0.025Ce0.05Co0.925Co2O4 with a Mg/Ce mole ratio of 0.5 exhibited the highest N2O conversion activity, achieving 100% N2O conversion at T = 250 °C (35 vol % N2O balanced by He, gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) = 30,000 h−1). Characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveal that there were three main reasons for the excellent catalytic behavior of Mg0.025Ce0.05Co0.925Co2O4: (a) Mg and Ce co-doping could reduce the grain size of composite spinel metal oxide, which thereby significantly increased the BET specific surface area of Mg0.025Ce0.05Co0.925Co2O4 (111.2 g·m2 with respect to that of 32.5 g·m−2 for Co3O4); (b) Mg and Ce co-doping could improve the redox ability of Mg0.025Ce0.05Co0.925Co2O4, including reductions of Co3+ → Co2+ and Co2+ → Co0; and (c) Mg and Ce co-doping not only could improve the migration ability of surface atomic O, but also could increase the concentrations of surface atomic O.
C-Homoscorpionate Oxidation Catalysts—Electrochemical and Catalytic Activity
Authors: Martins Luísa
Published: January 2017

A survey of the electrochemical properties of homoscorpionate tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane complexes is presented. The relationship between structural features and catalytic efficiency toward the oxidative functionalization of inexpensive and abundant raw-materials to added-value products is also addressed.
Recent Advances in the BiVO4 Photocatalyst for Sun-Driven Water Oxidation: Top-Performing Photoanodes and Scale-Up Challenges
Authors: Tolod Kristine , Hernández Simelys , Russo Nunzio
Published: January 2017

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, which is a type of artificial photosynthesis, is a sustainable way of converting solar energy into chemical energy. The water oxidation half-reaction has always represented the bottleneck of this process because of the thermodynamic and kinetic challenges that are involved. Several materials have been explored and studied to address the issues pertaining to solar water oxidation. Significant advances have recently been made in the use of stable and relatively cheap metal oxides, i.e., semiconducting photocatalysts. The use of BiVO4 for this purpose can be considered advantageous because this catalyst is able to absorb a substantial portion of the solar spectrum and has favourable conduction and valence band edge positions. However, BiVO4 is also associated with poor electron mobility and slow water oxidation kinetics and these are the problems that are currently being investigated in the ongoing research in this field. This review focuses on the most recent advances in the best-performing BiVO4-based photoanodes to date. It summarizes the critical parameters that contribute to the performance of these photoanodes, and highlights so far unresolved critical features related to the scale-up of a BiVO4-based PEC water-splitting device.
Lipase B from Candida antarctica Immobilized on a Silica-Lignin Matrix as a Stable and Reusable Biocatalytic System
Authors: Zdarta Jakub , Klapiszewski Lukasz , Jedrzak Artur , Nowicki Marek , Moszynski Dariusz , Jesionowski Teofil
Published: January 2017

A study was conducted of the possible use of a silica-lignin hybrid as a novel support for the immobilization of lipase B from Candida antarctica. Results obtained by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), as well as the determination of changes in porous structure parameters, confirmed the effective immobilization of the enzyme on the surface of the composite matrix. Based on a hydrolysis reaction, a determination was made of the retention of activity of the immobilized lipase, found to be 92% of that of the native enzyme. Immobilization on a silica-lignin matrix produces systems with maximum activity at pH = 8 and at a temperature of 40 °C. The immobilized enzyme exhibited increased thermal and chemical stability and retained more than 80% of its activity after 20 reaction cycles. Moreover immobilized lipase exhibited over 80% of its activity at pH range 7–9 and temperature from 30 °C to 60 °C, while native Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) exhibited the same only at pH = 7 and temperature of 30 °C.
First Principle Modelling of Materials and Processes in Dye-Sensitized Photoanodes for Solar Energy and Solar Fuels
Authors: Pastore Mariachiara
Published: January 2017

In the context of solar energy exploitation, dye-sensitized solar cells and dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthetic cells offer the promise of low-cost sunlight conversion and storage, respectively. In this perspective we discuss the main successes and limitations of modern computational methodologies, ranging from hybrid and long-range corrected density functionals, GW approaches and multi-reference perturbation theories, in describing the electronic and optical properties of isolated components and complex interfaces relevant to these devices. While computational modelling has had a crucial role in the development of the dye-sensitized solar cells technology, the theoretical characterization of the interface structure and interfacial processes in water splitting devices is still at its infancy, especially concerning the electron and hole transfer phenomena. Quantitative analysis of interfacial charge separation and recombination reactions in multiple metal-oxide/dye/catalyst heterointerfaces, thus, undoubtedly represents the compelling challenge in the field of modern computational material science.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Nonlinear Optical Properties of a New Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Carbonate RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8
Authors: Chen Qiaoling , Luo Min
Published: January 2017

A new nonlinear optical (NLO) material, RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8, has been synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8 crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system with space group P63mc (No. 186). The structure of RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8 can be described as the adjacent infinite [CaCO3]∞ layers lying in the a-b plane bridged through standing-on-edge [CO3] groups by sharing O atoms (two-fold coordinated) to build a framework with four types of tunnels running through the b-axis. The Rb, Na, and [Na0.67Ca0.33] atoms reside in these tunnels, respectively. The measurement of second harmonic generation (SHG) indicated that RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8 is a phase-matchable material, which had SHG responses of approximately 1×KH2PO4 (KDP). Meanwhile, the results from the UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study of the powder samples indicated that the UV cut-off edges of RbNa5Ca5(CO3)8 is about 203 nm.
Scanned Image Data from 3D-Printed Specimens Using Fused Deposition Modeling
Authors: Baumann Felix , Eichhoff Julian , Roller Dieter
Published: January 2017

This dataset provides high-resolution 2D scans of 3D printed test objects (dog-bone), derived from EN ISO 527-2:2012. The specimens are scanned in resolutions from 600 dpi to 4800 dpi utilising a Konica-Minolta bizHub 42 and Canon LiDE 210 scanner. The specimens are created to research the influence of the infill-pattern orientation; The print orientation on the geometrical fidelity and the structural strength. The specimens are printed on a MakerBot Replicator 2X 3D-printer using yellow (ABS 1.75 mm Yellow, REC, Moscow, Russia) and purple ABS plastic (ABS 1.75 mm Pink Lion&Fox, Hamburg, Germany). The dataset consists of at least one scan per specimen with the measured dimensional characteristics. For this, software is created and described within this work. Specimens from this dataset are either scanned on blank white paper or on white paper with blue millimetre marking. The printing experiment contains a number of failed prints. Specimens that did not fulfil the expected geometry are scanned separately and are of lower quality due to the inability to scan objects with a non-flat surface. For a number of specimens printed sensor data is acquired during the printing process. This dataset consists of 193 specimen scans in PNG format of 127 objects with unadjusted raw graphical data and a corresponding, annotated post-processed image. Annotated data includes the detected object, its geometrical characteristics and file information. Computer extracted geometrical information is supplied for the images where automated geometrical feature extraction is possible.
Misalignment Fault Diagnosis of DFWT Based on IEMD Energy Entropy and PSO-SVM
Authors: Xiao Yancai , Kang Na , Hong Yi , Zhang Guangjian
Published: January 2017

Misalignment is an important cause for the early failure of large doubly-fed wind turbines (DFWT). For the non-stationary characteristics of the signals in the transmission system of DFWT and the reality that it is difficult to obtain a large number of fault samples, Solidworks and Adams are used to simulate the different operating conditions of the transmission system of the DFWT to obtain the corresponding characteristic signals. Improved empirical mode decomposition (IEMD), which improves the end effects of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is used to decompose the signals to get intrinsic mode function (IMF), and the IEMD energy entropy reflecting the working state are extracted as the inputs of the support vector machine (SVM). Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the parameters of SVM to improve the classification performance. The results show that the proposed method can effectively and accurately identify the types of misalignment of the DFWT.
A New Feature Extraction Method Based on EEMD and Multi-Scale Fuzzy Entropy for Motor Bearing
Authors: Zhao Huimin , Sun Meng , Deng Wu , Yang Xinhua
Published: January 2017

Feature extraction is one of the most important, pivotal, and difficult problems in mechanical fault diagnosis, which directly relates to the accuracy of fault diagnosis and the reliability of early fault prediction. Therefore, a new fault feature extraction method, called the EDOMFE method based on integrating ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), mode selection, and multi-scale fuzzy entropy is proposed to accurately diagnose fault in this paper. The EEMD method is used to decompose the vibration signal into a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) with a different physical significance. The correlation coefficient analysis method is used to calculate and determine three improved IMFs, which are close to the original signal. The multi-scale fuzzy entropy with the ability of effective distinguishing the complexity of different signals is used to calculate the entropy values of the selected three IMFs in order to form a feature vector with the complexity measure, which is regarded as the inputs of the support vector machine (SVM) model for training and constructing a SVM classifier (EOMSMFD based on EDOMFE and SVM) for fulfilling fault pattern recognition. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by real bearing vibration signals of the motor with different loads and fault severities. The experiment results show that the proposed EDOMFE method can effectively extract fault features from the vibration signal and that the proposed EOMSMFD method can accurately diagnose the fault types and fault severities for the inner race fault, the outer race fault, and rolling element fault of the motor bearing. Therefore, the proposed method provides a new fault diagnosis technology for rotating machinery.
Thermal Conductivity of Suspension of Aggregating Nanometric Rods
Authors: Ammar Amine , Chinesta Francisco , Heyd Rodolphe
Published: January 2017

Enhancing thermal conductivity of simple fluids is of major interest in numerous applicative systems. One possibility of enhancing thermal properties consists of dispersing small conductive particles inside. However, in general, aggregation effects occur and then one must address systems composed of dispersed clusters composed of particles as well as the ones related to percolated networks. This papers analyzes the conductivity enhancement of different microstructures scaling from clusters dispersed into a simple matrix to the ones related to percolated networks exhibiting a fractal morphology.
Nonlinear Relaxation Phenomena in Metastable Condensed Matter Systems
Authors: Spagnolo Bernardo , Guarcello Claudio , Magazzù Luca , Carollo Angelo , Persano Adorno Dominique , Valenti Davide
Published: January 2017

Nonlinear relaxation phenomena in three different systems of condensed matter are investigated. (i) First, the phase dynamics in Josephson junctions is analyzed. Specifically, a superconductor-graphene-superconductor (SGS) system exhibits quantum metastable states, and the average escape time from these metastable states in the presence of Gaussian and correlated fluctuations is calculated, accounting for variations in the the noise source intensity and the bias frequency. Moreover, the transient dynamics of a long-overlap Josephson junction (JJ) subject to thermal fluctuations and non-Gaussian noise sources is investigated. Noise induced phenomena are observed, such as the noise enhanced stability and the stochastic resonant activation. (ii) Second, the electron spin relaxation process in a n-type GaAs bulk driven by a fluctuating electric field is investigated. In particular, by using a Monte Carlo approach, we study the influence of a random telegraph noise on the spin polarized transport. Our findings show the possibility to raise the spin relaxation length by increasing the amplitude of the external fluctuations. Moreover, we find that, crucially, depending on the value of the external field strength, the electron spin depolarization length versus the noise correlation time increases up to a plateau. (iii) Finally, the stabilization of quantum metastable states by dissipation is presented. Normally, quantum fluctuations enhance the escape from metastable states in the presence of dissipation. We show that dissipation can enhance the stability of a quantum metastable system, consisting of a particle moving in a strongly asymmetric double well potential, interacting with a thermal bath. We find that the escape time from the metastable region has a nonmonotonic behavior versus the system- bath coupling and the temperature, producing a stabilizing effect.
Financial Reforms and Determinants of FDI: Evidence from Landlocked Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Rjoub Husam , Aga Mehmet , Abu Alrub Ahmad , Bein Murad
Published: January 2017

The recognition of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as a source of funding to foster economic development in both developed and developing countries has been in ascendancy. The prime purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants of FDI for the “landlocked countries” in Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1995–2013. By employing panel data analysis, the result of the study revealed that domestic investment, trade (openness), human capital, political constraint, natural resource endowment and the market size (with the GDP growth as proxy) as having positive impact on determining FDI flow into the sample countries with only the countries’ tax policies seen otherwise. Our study not only contributes to existing literature on FDI determinants by investigating landlocked countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the first time but also includes natural resources that the landlocked countries are endowed with, tax policies and political constraints in such countries for the stipulated period.
Prognosis of the Remaining Useful Life of Bearings in a Wind Turbine Gearbox
Authors: Teng Wei , Zhang Xiaolong , Liu Yibing , Kusiak Andrew , Ma Zhiyong
Published: January 2017

Predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of critical subassemblies can provide an advanced maintenance strategy for wind turbines installed in remote regions. This paper proposes a novel prognostic approach to predict the RUL of bearings in a wind turbine gearbox. An artificial neural network (NN) is used to train data-driven models and to predict short-term tendencies of feature series. By combining the predicted and training features, a polynomial curve reflecting the long-term degradation process of bearings is fitted. Through solving the intersection between the fitted curve and the pre-defined threshold, the RUL can be deduced. The presented approach is validated by an operating wind turbine with a faulty bearing in the gearbox.
Theoretical Analysis of Shrouded Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Authors: Khamlaj Tariq , Rumpfkeil Markus
Published: January 2017

Numerous analytical studies for power augmentation systems can be found in the literature with the goal to improve the performance of wind turbines by increasing the energy density of the air at the rotor. All methods to date are only concerned with the effects of a diffuser as the power augmentation, and this work extends the semi-empirical shrouded wind turbine model introduced first by Foreman to incorporate a converging-diverging nozzle into the system. The analysis is based on assumptions and approximations of the conservation laws to calculate optimal power coefficients and power extraction, as well as augmentation ratios. It is revealed that the power enhancement is proportional to the mass stream rise produced by the nozzle diffuser-augmented wind turbine (NDAWT). Such mass flow rise can only be accomplished through two essential principles: the increase in the area ratios and/or by reducing the negative back pressure at the exit. The thrust coefficient for optimal power production of a conventional bare wind turbine is known to be 8/9, whereas the theoretical analysis of the NDAWT predicts an ideal thrust coefficient either lower or higher than 8/9 depending on the back pressure coefficient at which the shrouded turbine operates. Computed performance expectations demonstrate a good agreement with numerical and experimental results, and it is demonstrated that much larger power coefficients than for traditional wind turbines are achievable. Lastly, the developed model is very well suited for the preliminary design of a shrouded wind turbine where typically many trade-off studies need to be conducted inexpensively.
Pt-Ni and Pt-M-Ni (M = Ru, Sn) Anode Catalysts for Low-Temperature Acidic Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells: A Review
Authors: Antolini Ermete
Published: January 2017

In view of a possible use as anode materials in acidic direct alcohol fuel cells, the electro-catalytic activity of Pt-Ni and Pt-M-Ni (M = Ru, Sn) catalysts for methanol and ethanol oxidation has been widely investigated. An overview of literature data regarding the effect of the addition of Ni to Pt and Pt-M on the methanol and ethanol oxidation activity in acid environment of the resulting binary and ternary Ni-containing Pt-based catalysts is presented, highlighting the effect of alloyed and non-alloyed nickel on the catalytic activity of these materials.
Decomposition of Leaves, Stems and Roots of Transgenic Aspen with the Xyloglucanase (sp-Xeg) Gene under Laboratory Microcosm Conditions
Authors: Lebedev Vadim , Vidyagina Elena , Larionova Alla , Shestibratov Konstantin
Published: January 2017

The genetic transformation of trees by wood modification genes for the improvement of forest plantations results in shifts in plant litter quality. These alterations in plant chemistry lead to changes in decomposition rates, thus affecting the carbon and nitrogen cycling in ecosystems and nutrient availability for plants. To assess the environmental impacts of transgenic trees, we studied the decomposition of plant litter from aspen plants (Populus tremula L.) transformed with the xyloglucanase gene from Penicillium canescens. Mass, carbon and nitrogen losses in the leaves, stems and roots of greenhouse-grown plants were evaluated during incubation in laboratory microcosms. After 12 months of the decomposition experiment, leaves, stems, and roots lost on average 51%, 46%, and 37% of initial mass, respectively. Decomposition of the transgenic stems was not different from wild-type aspen, but we observed significant differences for the leaves (only at the end of the experiment) and the roots (at the early stage). These differences may be related to the nitrogen content and the C/N ratio in the initial samples. Since the litter decomposability determines the availability of nutrients, such alterations should be taken into consideration when cultivating transgenic trees.
Oxalate Content of Taro Leaves Grown in Central Vietnam
Authors: Du Thanh Hang , Phan Vu Hai , Vu Van Hai , Le Duc Ngoan , Le Minh Tuan , Savage Geoffrey
Published: January 2017

Leaves were harvested from four different cultivars of Colocasia esculenta and three cultivars of Alocasia odora that were growing on nine different farms in central Vietnam. The total, soluble and insoluble oxalate contents of the leaves were extracted and measured using HPLC chromatography. Total calcium determinations were also carried out on the same samples. The total oxalate content of the leaves ranged from 433.8 to 856.1 mg/100 g wet matter (WM) while the soluble oxalate ranged from 147.8 to 339.7 mg/100 g WM. The proportion of soluble oxalate ranged from 28% to 41% (overall mean 35%) of the total oxalate content of the leaves. The equivalent insoluble oxalate proportion ranged from 59% to 72% of the total (overall mean 65%). There was little difference between the Colocasia esculenta and Alocasia odora taro cultivars, although the total oxalate content was significantly higher in Alocasia odora cultivars. The overall mean total calcium content was 279.5 mg/100 WM and the percentage of insoluble calcium bound as calcium oxalate ranged from 31.7% to 57.3% of the total calcium content (overall mean 47.1%). The oxalate content in taro leaves is a major factor to consider when different cultivars of taro are recommended for human or animal consumption.
Rheometric Non-Isothermal Gelatinization Kinetics of Chickpea Flour-Based Gluten-Free Mufﬁn Batters with Added Biopolymers
Authors: Alvarez María , Cuesta Francisco , Herranz Beatriz , Canet Wenceslao
Published: January 2017

An attempt was made to analyze the elastic modulus (G0) of chickpea ﬂour (CF)-based mufﬁn batters made with CF alone and with added biopolymers (whey protein (WP), xanthan gum (XG), inulin (INL), and their blends) in order to evaluate their suitability to be a wheat ﬂour (WF) substitute in mufﬁns, and to model the heat-induced gelatinization of batters under non-isothermal heating condition from 25 ◦C to 90 ◦C. A rheological approach is proposed to determine the kinetic parameters (reaction order (n), frequency factor (k0), and activation energy (Ea)) using linearly-increasing temperature. Zero-order reaction kinetics adequately described batter gelatinization process, therefore assuming a constant rate independent of the initial G0 value. The change of the derivative of G0 with respect to time (dG0/dt) versus temperature is described by one exponential function with activation energies ranging from 118 to 180 kJ·mol−1. Control wheat gluten batter, with higher and lower starch and protein contents, respectively, than CF-based batters, exhibited the highest Ea value. Formulation of CF-based gluten-free batters with starch and protein contents closer to the levels of WF-based batter could be a strategy to decrease differences in kinetic parameters of mufﬁn batters and, therefore, in technological characteristics of baked mufﬁns.
Responsive Hydrogels from Associative Block Copolymers: Physical Gelling through Polyion Complexation
Authors: Papadakis Christine , Tsitsilianis Constantinos
Published: January 2017

The present review article highlights a specific class of responsive polymer-based hydrogels which are formed through association of oppositely charged polyion segments. The underpinning temporary three-dimensional network is constituted of hydrophilic chains (either ionic or neutral) physically crosslinked by ion pair formation arising from intermolecular polyionic complexation of oppositely charged repeating units (polyacid/polybase ionic interactions). Two types of hydrogels are presented: (i) hydrogels formed by triblock copolymers bearing oppositely charged blocks (block copolyampholytes), forming self-assembled networks; and (ii) hydrogels formed by co-assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte segments belonging to different macromolecules (either block copolymers or homopolyelectrolytes). Due to the weak nature of the involved polyions, these hydrogels respond to pH and are sensitive to the presence of salts. Discussing and evaluating their solution, rheological and structural properties in dependence on pH and ionic strength, it comes out that the hydrogel properties are tunable towards potential applications.
Investigation of Indoor Air Quality in Houses of Macedonia
Authors: Vilčeková Silvia , Apostoloski Ilija , Mečiarová Ľudmila , Burdová Eva , Kiseľák Jozef
Published: January 2017

People who live in buildings are exposed to harmful effects of indoor air pollution for many years. Therefore, our research is aimed to investigate the indoor air quality in family houses. The measurements of indoor air temperature, relative humidity, total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), particulate matters (PM) and sound pressure level were carried out in 25 houses in several cities of the Republic of Macedonia. Mean values of indoor air temperature and relative humidity ranged from 18.9 °C to 25.6 °C and from 34.1% to 68.0%, respectively. With regard to TVOC, it can be stated that excessive occurrence was recorded. Mean values ranged from 50 μg/m3 to 2610 μg/m3. Recommended value (200 μg/m3) for human exposure to TVOC was exceeded in 32% of houses. Mean concentrations of PM2.5 (particular matter with diameter less than 2.5 μm) and PM10 (diameter less than 10 μm) are determined to be from 16.80 μg/m3 to 30.70 μg/m3 and from 38.30 μg/m3 to 74.60 μg/m3 individually. Mean values of sound pressure level ranged from 29.8 dB(A) to 50.6 dB(A). Dependence between characteristics of buildings (Year of construction, Year of renovation, Smoke and Heating system) and data from measurements (Temperature, Relative humidity, TVOC, PM2.5 and PM10) were analyzed using R software. Van der Waerden test shows dependence of Smoke on TVOC and PM2.5. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance shows the effect of interaction of Renovation and Smoke.
New Insight into the Finance-Energy Nexus: Disaggregated Evidence from Turkish Sectors
Authors: Topcu Mert , Altay Bulent
Published: January 2017

Seeing that reshaped energy economics literature has adopted some new variables in energy demand function, the number of papers looking into the relationship between financial development and energy consumption at the aggregate level has been increasing over the last few years. This paper, however, proposes a new framework using disaggregated data and investigates the nexus between financial development and sectoral energy consumption in Turkey. To this end, panel time series regression and causality techniques are adopted over the period 1989–2011. Empirical results confirm that financial development does have a significant impact on energy consumption, even with disaggregated data. It is also proved that the magnitude of financial development is larger in energy-intensive industries than in less energy-intensive ones.
Effectiveness of Weather Derivatives as a Risk Management Tool in Food Retail: The Case of Croatia
Authors: Štulec Ivana
Published: January 2017

Non-catastrophic weather risk is gaining importance as climate change becomes more pronounced and economic crisis forces companies to strengthen their cost control. Recent literature proposes weather derivatives as flexible weather risk mitigating tools. Only a handful of studies analysed the feasibility of weather derivatives in industries other than agriculture and energy. The purpose of this paper is to review available weather risk management solutions in retail, present weather derivatives as non-catastrophic weather risk management tools, empirically demonstrate the process of designing weather derivatives and assess their effectiveness as risk mitigating tools in retail. Empirical analysis is performed on beverage sales in 60 large food stores in Croatia, and performance of monthly temperature put options during the summer season is examined. For weather sensitivity analysis of sales, the method of panel regression was used. Results show that weather has a statistically significant effect on beverage sales and that weather derivatives prove to be effective in beverage sales uncertainty reduction. Their effectiveness differs between covered periods and cities.
Administration of Zinc plus Cyclo-(His-Pro) Increases Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Rats during the Early Phase of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes
Authors: Choi Bo , Kim In , Kim Jin , Lee Bo , Lee Song , Kho A , Sohn Min , Suh Sang
Published: January 2017

The effects of zinc supplementation on hippocampal neurogenesis in diabetes mellitus have not been studied. Herein, we investigated the effects of zinc plus cyclo-(His-Pro) (ZC) on neurogenesis occurring in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus after streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. ZC (27 mg/kg) was administered by gavage once daily for one or six weeks from the third day after the STZ injection, and histological evaluation was performed at 10 (early phase) or 45 (late phase) days after STZ injection. We found that the proliferation of progenitor cells in STZ-induced diabetic rats showed an increase in the early phase. Additionally, ZC treatment remarkably increased the number of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and immature neurons in the early phase of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Furthermore, ZC treatment showed increased survival rate of newly generated cells but no difference in the level of neurogenesis in the late phase of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The present study demonstrates that zinc supplementation by ZC increases both NPCs proliferation and neuroblast production at the early phase of diabetes. Thus, this study suggests that zinc supplemented with a histidine/proline complex may have beneficial effects on neurogenesis in patients experiencing the early phase of Type 1 diabetes.
Unraveling Massive Crocins Transport and Accumulation through Proteome and Microscopy Tools during the Development of Saffron Stigma
Authors: Gómez-Gómez Lourdes , Parra-Vega Verónica , Rivas-Sendra Alba , Seguí-Simarro Jose , Molina Rosa , Pallotti Claudia , Rubio-Moraga Ángela , Diretto Gianfranco , Prieto Alicia , Ahrazem Oussama
Published: January 2017

Crocins, the glucosides of crocetin, are present at high concentrations in saffron stigmas and accumulate in the vacuole. However, the biogenesis of the saffron chromoplast, the changes during the development of the stigma and the transport of crocins to the vacuole, are processes that remain poorly understood. We studied the process of chromoplast differentiation in saffron throughout stigma development by means of transmission electron microscopy. Our results provided an overview of a massive transport of crocins to the vacuole in the later developmental stages, when electron dense drops of a much greater size than plastoglobules (here defined “crocinoplast”) were observed in the chromoplast, connected to the vacuole with a subsequent transfer of these large globules inside the vacuole. A proteome analysis of chromoplasts from saffron stigma allowed the identification of several well-known plastid proteins and new candidates involved in crocetin metabolism. Furthermore, expressions throughout five developmental stages of candidate genes responsible for carotenoid and apocarotenoid biogenesis, crocins transport to the vacuole and starch metabolism were analyzed. Correlation matrices and networks were exploited to identify a series of transcripts highly associated to crocetin (such as 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS), 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR), carotenoid isomerase (CRTISO), Crocetin glucosyltransferase 2 (UGT2), etc.) and crocin (e.g., ζ-carotene desaturase (ZDS) and plastid-lipid-associated proteins (PLAP2)) accumulation; in addition, candidate aldehyde dehydrogenase (ADH) genes were highlighted.
Genome-Wide Screen of miRNAs and Targeting mRNAs Reveals the Negatively Regulatory Effect of miR-130b-3p on PTEN by PI3K and Integrin β1 Signaling Pathways in Bladder Carcinoma
Authors: Lv Mengxin , Zhong Zhenyu , Chi Hong , Huang Mengge , Jiang Rong , Chen Junxia
Published: January 2017

miRNAs have emerged as promising markers for tumors. However, the underlying mechanism of specific miRNAs in bladder cancer (BC) remains largely unknown. Here, a comprehensive miRNA/mRNA expression profile was executed by microarray assay for four pairs of bladder carcinoma and para-carcinoma tissues from patients with grade 2 (G2) T2. A total of 99 miRNAs and 4416 mRNAs were discovered to be significantly differentially expressed in BC tissues compared with controls. Five microRNAs and two mRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR in 30 pairs of samples, including G1–G3/T1–T4. Subsequently, we constructed a network with the five miRNAs-target mRNAs; gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were utilized to recognize the functions and associated pathways. Moreover, we further found that miR-130b-3p was significantly up-regulated and negatively correlated with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression in bladder cancer tissues. Next, we demonstrated that miR-130b-3p might target PTEN through bioinformatics and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Finally, we showed that miR-130b-3p could down-regulate PTEN expression, which promoted proliferation, migration, invasion and rearranged cytoskeleton through the activation of the PI3K and integrin β1 signaling pathway in bladder cancer cells. Inversely, miR-130b-3p inhibitors induced apoptosis. Taken together, this research investigated, for the first time, miR-130b-3p by an incorporated analysis of microRNA/mRNA expressions of a genome-wide screen in BC. Our findings suggest that the miR-130b-3p/PTEN/integrin β1 axis could play a critical role in the progression and development of BC and that miR-130b-3p might be a valuable clinical marker and therapeutical target for BC patients.