bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of Eugenol-Based Silicon-Containing Benzoxazines and Their Applications as Bio-Based Organic Coatings
Authors: Dai Jinyue , Yang Shimin , Teng Na , Liu Yuan , Liu Xiaoqing , Zhu Jin , Zhao Jun
Published: February 2018

In this work, several bio-based main-chain type benzoxazine oligomers (MCBO) were synthesized from eugenol derivatives via polycondensation reaction with paraformaldehyde and different diamine. Afterwards, their chemical structures were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR). The curing reaction was monitored by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and FT-IR. The polybenzoxazine films were prepared via thermal ring-opening reaction of benzoxazine groups without solvent, and their thermodynamic properties, thermal stability, and coating properties were investigated in detail. Results indicated that the cured films exhibited good thermal stability and mechanical properties, showing 10% thermal weight loss (Td10%) temperature as high as 408 °C and modulus at a room temperature of 2100 MPa as well as the glass transition temperature of 123 °C. In addition, the related coatings exhibited high hardness, excellent adhesion, good flexibility, low moisture absorption, and outstanding solvent resistance.
Growth and Dielectric Properties of Ta-Doped La2Ti2O7 Single Crystals
Authors: Wang Hui , Li Qin , Wang Chaoyue , He Huan , Yu Jianding , Xu Jiayue
Published: February 2018

High-quality Ta-doped La2Ti2O7 (Ta-LTO) single crystal of about 40 mm in length and 5 mm in diameter was successfully prepared by the optical floating zone method. An X-ray rocking curve reveals that the crystal of LTO has excellent crystalline quality. As-grown crystals were transparent after annealing in air and the transmittance is up to 76% in the visible and near-infrared region. X-ray diffraction showed that this compound possessed a monoclinic structure with P21 space group. The dielectric properties were investigated as functions of temperature (0~300 °C) and frequency (102 Hz~105 Hz). Dielectric spectra indicated an increase in the room-temperature dielectric constant accompanied by a drop in the loss tangent as a result of the Ta doping. One relaxation was observed in the spectra of electric modulus, which was ascribed to be related to the oxygen vacancy. The dielectric relaxation with activation energy of 1.16 eV is found to be the polaron hopping caused by the oxygen vacancies.
Less Is More in Biosignal Analysis: Compressed Data Could Open the Door to Faster and Better Diagnosis
Authors: Elgendi Mohamed
Published: February 2018

In the digital medicine field, biosignals, such as those of an electrocardiogram (ECG), are collected regularly for screening and diagnosis, and there continues to be an increasingly substantial shift towards collecting long-term ECG signals for remote monitoring, e.g., in smart homes. ECG signal collection is quite simple and only requires the use of inexpensive sensors, an active Internet connection, and a mobile device that acts as the medium between the sensors and the Internet (e.g., a mobile phone or laptop). Despite the ease and convenience of remote ECG data collection and transmission, the amount of time and energy required for the related remote computational processes remains a major limitation. This short note discusses a biosignal approach that uses fewer biomedical data for screening and diagnosis that is, compared to current data collection methods, equally, if not more, efficient.
Development of a Wall-Sticking Drone for Non-Destructive Ultrasonic and Corrosion Testing
Authors: Mattar Rami , Kalai Remy
Published: February 2018

Refineries’ structures require constant inspection, maintenance of their structural health condition, and safety of the users; however, accessing these structures is getting more and more difficult due to their enormous height and size. In order to deal with this problem, many researchers have developed several robots for wall crawling, yet there is no guaranteed solution. One of the critical reasons why existing wall-crawling robots have not been available in the field is the risk of accidental fall due to operational failure from the harsh environment, like strong wind and the surface’s unpredictable condition. Therefore, we attempted to develop a wall-sticking aerial robot platform that can approach any place of the structure by flying and sticking to the target place. The robot is equipped with electro-magnetic hold mount elements to stick the sensor probe on the surface of the structure. This paper deals with installing the wall-sticking mechanism on the aerial robot.
Changes in Natural Disaster Risk: Macroeconomic Responses in Selected Latin American Countries
Authors: Isoré Marlène
Published: February 2018

This paper studies the theoretical effects of changes in disaster risk on macroeconomic variables in five Latin American economies. It compares country-specific variants of the New Keynesian model with disaster risk developed by Isoré and Szczerbowicz (2017). Countries with higher price flexibility, such as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, are found to be relatively less vulnerable to disaster risk shocks, as compared to Chile and Colombia in particular. Overall, the analysis suggests that increases in the probability of natural disasters over time may have significant macroeconomic effects, beyond the direct impact of actual disaster occurrences themselves.
Evaluating a Novel Instructional Sequence for Conceptual Change in Physics Using Interactive Simulations
Authors: Fan Xinxin , Geelan David , Gillies Robyn
Published: February 2018

This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel inquiry-based instructional sequence using interactive simulations for supporting students’ development of conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning. The study, conducted in Beijing, involved two teachers and 117 students in four classes. The teachers participated in professional learning and were supported in enacting one of two different instructional approaches the Interactive Simulations Instructional Approach (ISIA) (experimental group) or conventional instruction (control group). Each student group completed pre-tests and post-tests, and classroom observations were conducted to ensure that the implementation of the intervention was consistent. Our findings reveal that students in the ISIA group demonstrated significantly greater gains in conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning than their peers in the conventional instruction group. Neither students’ sex nor their levels of academic achievement showed main effects on students’ achievement in any of the three outcome types (understanding, skill, confidence). This study demonstrates that the combination of interactive simulations and inquiry-based learning can enhance the development of students’ conceptual understanding, inquiry process skills and confidence in learning.
A Compact In-Line Waveguide-to-Microstrip Transition in the Q-Band for Radio Astronomy Applications
Authors: Simone Marco , Fanti Alessandro , Valente Giuseppe , Montisci Giorgio , Ghiani Riccardo , Mazzarella Giuseppe
Published: February 2018

A microstrip-to-waveguide transition has been realized for radio astronomy applications, designed to operate in the Q-band (33–50 GHz). As part of an array radio frequency (RF) receiver, the main requirement of such a transition is the reduction of transverse space occupation for the integration in the entire receiver chain, so an in-line configuration has been developed. Moreover, the high frequency band implies that an easy fabrication is a critical requirement if a good match between the two guiding structures is to be obtained in the desired band (with a relative bandwidth of 40%). The combination of CAD software and an optimization tool allows the device to achieve a good return loss over the entire band.
A Voltage and Frequency Control Strategy for Stand-Alone Full Converter Wind Energy Conversion Systems
Authors: Peña Asensio Andrés , Arnaltes Gómez Santiago , Rodriguez-Amenedo Jose , García Plaza Manuel , Eloy-García Carrasco Joaquín , Alonso-Martínez de las Morenas Jaime
Published: February 2018

This paper addresses the design and analysis of a voltage and frequency control (VFC) strategy for full converter (FC)-based wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) and its applicability for the supply of an isolated load. When supplying an isolated load, the role of the back-to-back converters in the FC must change with respect to a grid-connected application. Voltage and frequency are established by the FC line side converter (LSC), while the generator side converter (GSC) is responsible for maintaining constant voltage in the DC link. Thus, the roles of the converters in the WECS are inverted. Under such control strategies, the LSC will automatically supply the load power and hence, in order to maintain a stable operation of the WECS, the wind turbine (WT) power must also be controlled in a load-following strategy. The proposed VFC is fully modelled and a stability analysis is performed. Then, the operation of the WECS under the proposed VFC is simulated and tested on a real-time test bench, demonstrating the performance of the VFC for the isolated operation of the WECS.
Identifying the Optimal Offshore Areas for Wave Energy Converter Deployments in Taiwanese Waters Based on 12-Year Model Hindcasts
Authors: Shih Hung-Ju , Chang Chih-Hsin , Chen Wei-Bo , Lin Lee-Yaw
Published: February 2018

A 12-year sea-state hindcast for Taiwanese waters, covering the period from 2005 to 2016, was conducted using a fully coupled tide-surge-wave model. The hindcasts of significant wave height and peak period were employed to estimate the wave power resources in the waters surrounding Taiwan. Numerical simulations based on unstructured grids were converted to structured grids with a resolution of 25 × 25 km. The spatial distribution maps of offshore annual mean wave power were created for each year and for the 12-year period. Waters with higher wave power density were observed off the northern, northeastern, southeastern (south of Green Island and southeast of Lanyu) and southern coasts of Taiwan. Five energetic sea areas with spatial average annual total wave energy density of 60–90 MWh/m were selected for further analysis. The 25 × 25 km square grids were then downscaled to resolutions of 5 × 5 km, and five 5 × 5 km optimal areas were identified for wave energy converter deployments. The spatial average annual total wave energy yields at the five optimal areas (S1)–(S5) were estimated to be 64.3, 84.1, 84.5, 111.0 and 99.3 MWh/m, respectively. The prevailing wave directions for these five areas lie between east and northeast.
A Dual Monitoring Technique to Detect Power Quality Transients Based on the Fourth-Order Spectrogram
Authors: González-de-la-Rosa Juan-José , Agüera-Pérez Agustín , Palomares-Salas José-Carlos , Florencias-Oliveros Olivia , Sierra-Fernández José-María
Published: February 2018

This paper presents a higher-order statistics-based approach of detecting transients that uses the fourth-order discrete spectrogram to monitor the power supply in a node of the domestic smart grid. Taking advantage of the mixed time–frequency domain information, the method allows for the transient detection and the subsequent identification of the potential area in which the fault takes place. The proposed method is evaluated through real power-line signals from the Spanish electrical grid. Thanks to the peakedness enhancement capability of the higher-order spectra, the results show that the procedure is able to detect low-level transients, which are likely ignored by the traditional detection procedures, where the concern pertains to power reliability (not oriented to micro grids), and this, by analyzing the duration and frequency content of the electrical perturbation, may indicate prospective faulty states of elements in a grid. Easy to implement in a hand-held instrument, the computational strategy has a 5 Hz resolution in the range 0–500 Hz and a 50 Hz resolution in the range of 0–5 kHz, and could be consequently used by technicians in order to allocate new types of transients originated by the distributed energy resources. Four real-life case-studies illustrate the performance.
Do Customers Choose Proper Tariff? Empirical Analysis Based on Polish Data Using Unsupervised Techniques
Authors: Nafkha Rafik , Gajowniczek Krzysztof , Ząbkowski Tomasz
Published: February 2018

Individual electricity customers that are connected to low voltage network in Poland are usually assigned to the most common G11 tariff group with flat prices for the whole year, no matter the usage volume. Given the diversity of customers’ behavior inside the same specific group, we aim to propose an approach to assign the customers based on some objective factors rather than subjective fixed assignment. With the smart metering data and statistical methods for clustering we can explore and recommend each customer the most suitable tariff to benefit from lower prices thus generate the savings. Further, the paper applies hierarchical, k-means and Kohonen approaches to assign the customers to the proper tariff, assuming that the customer can gain the biggest expenses reduction from the tariff switch. The analysis was conducted based on the Polish dataset with an hourly energy readings among 197 entities.
Ecoregional and Archetypical Considerations for National Responses to Food Security under Climate Change
Authors: Lin Yu-Pin , Settele Josef , Petway Joy
Published: February 2018

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Contamination of Plants from Amazonia by Environmental Pollution
Authors: Sebastiani Bartolomeo , Falcinelli Stefano
Published: February 2018

Analytical data concerning the contamination on three officinal plants due to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), as organochlorine pesticides, are reported and discussed. Analyzed vegetation—“Graviola” (Annona muricata), “Mullaca” (Physalis angulata) and “Balsamina” (Impatiens balsamina)—comes from the Peruvian Amazonian forest, and are well known for their numerous therapeutic properties. A portion of each vegetable sample (leaves) was submitted to extraction procedure with hexane-acetone (1:1, v/v) solution by using a continuous solid-liquid extraction. The extracts were analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and Multi Reaction Monitoring (MRM) techniques. Obtained results show the presence of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and its breakdown products, as DDD (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane) and DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene), while the hexachlorobenzene was found only in the “Graviola” (0.041 ng/g of dry weight (d.w.) net matter). The total POPs quantities were detected in the concentration range of ppb, varying from 0.349 and 0.614 ng/g d.w. for “Mullaca” and “Graviola”, respectively, up to 1.329 ng/g d.w. in the case of “Balsamina”. Recorded concentration trace values in the case of hexachlorobenzene could be an indication of a contamination of plants due to a probable short-range atmospheric transport pollution. The DDT contamination could be due to the use of DDT against malaria during the years 1992–1997 or to a probable usage of dicoflos and rothane insecticide in the harvesting area. Our analytical determinations exclude the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in all three investigated plant materials.
Sharply Reduced but Still Heavy Self-Harm Burdens in Hubei Province, China, 1990–2015
Authors: Pan Jingju , Zhang Lan , Tang Yumeng , Li Qian , Yu Chuanhua , He Tianjing
Published: February 2018

The aims of this study were to describe fatal and non-fatal self-harm burdens, as well as burdens from the main preventable risk factors, and to investigate the different suicide methods in Hubei province in central China utilizing data from both Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 and Hubei Disease Surveillance Points system. All self-harm burdens including mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) consistently demonstrated downward trends in Hubei from 1990 to 2015, with a bigger decline gap observed among females and narrower decreasing amplitudes among the elderly. Hubei experienced much higher age-standardized rates for self-harm mortality (22.0 per 100,000), YLLs (560.1 per 100,000) and DALYs (563.9 per 100,000) than the national (9.0, 292.3 and 295.0 per 100,000 respectively) and global levels (11.5, 453.3 and 457.9 per 100,000 respectively) in 2015. Self-harm burdens have begun shifting from females to males and the elderly suffered more self-harm burdens than other age groups. Alcohol use accounted for 20.9% of all self-harm DALYs for males, whereas intimate partner violence accounted for 24.4% of all self-harm DALYs for females. Poisoning, mainly pesticide self-poisoning, was still the most common method of suicide. Effective interventions by multi-sectoral collaboration are urgently needed to reduce the alarmingly heavy self-harm burdens in Hubei.
Stress-Preventive Management Competencies, Psychosocial Work Environments, and Affective Well-Being: A Multilevel, Multisource Investigation
Authors: Toderi Stefano , Balducci Cristian
Published: February 2018

The Management Competencies for Preventing and Reducing Stress at Work framework represents one of the few tailored models of leadership for work stress prevention purposes, but it has never been empirically evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether supervisors’ stress-preventive management competencies, as measured by the Stress Management Competencies Indicator Tool (SMCIT), are related to employees’ affective well-being through psychosocial work environmental factors. To this end, multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) was developed and tested, including data provided by both supervisors and employees. Supervisors (n = 84) self-assessed their stress-preventive management competencies (i.e., being respectful and responsible, managing and communicating existing and future work, reasoning and managing difficult situations, and managing the individual within the team) with a previously validated reduced version of the SMCIT. The supervised employees (n = 584) rated job content (e.g., job demands) and work context (e.g., role clarity) psychosocial factors and their job-related affective well-being. Supervisors’ job-related affective well-being was also included in the tested model. The results revealed that the stress-preventive competencies factor was related to employees’ affective well-being through the psychosocial work environment only when the latter was operationalized by means of contextual work factors. Supervisors’ affective well-being was related to their stress-preventive competencies, but it was not related to employees’ affective well-being. We discuss the implications of the results obtained.
The Cost of Inadequate Sleep among On-Call Workers in Australia: A Workplace Perspective
Authors: Vincent Grace , Kinchin Irina , Ferguson Sally , Jay Sarah
Published: February 2018

On-call or stand-by is becoming an increasingly prevalent form of work scheduling. However, on-call arrangements are typically utilised when workloads are low, for example at night, which can result in inadequate sleep. It is a matter of concern that on-call work is associated with an increased risk of workplace injury. This study sought to determine the economic cost of injury due to inadequate sleep in Australian on-call workers. The prevalence of inadequate sleep among on-call workers was determined using an online survey, and economic costs were estimated using a previously validated costing methodology. Two-thirds of the sample (66%) reported obtaining inadequate sleep on weekdays (work days) and over 80% reported inadequate sleep while on-call. The resulting cost of injury is estimated at $2.25 billion per year ($1.71–2.73 billion). This equates to $1222 per person per incident involving a short-term absence from work; $2.53 million per incident classified as full incapacity, and $1.78 million for each fatality. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to quantify the economic cost of workplace injury due to inadequate sleep in on-call workers. Well-rested employees are critical to safe and productive workplace operations. Therefore, it is in the interest of both employers and governments to prioritise and invest far more into the management of inadequate sleep in industries which utilise on-call work arrangements.
Correlation between Changes in Local Earth’s Magnetic Field and Cases of Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Jaruševičius Gediminas , Rugelis Tautvydas , McCraty Rollin , Landauskas Mantas , Berškienė Kristina , Vainoras Alfonsas
Published: February 2018

The impact of changes in the geomagnetic field on the human body remains the subject of studies across the world, yet there is no consensus. Current studies are observing effects that require further work by researchers in order to find out the mechanisms that would allow a proper assessment of the correlations between the Earth‘s magnetic field variations and changes in human organisms. The main purpose of this study was to investigate possible correlations between the strength of time-varying aspects of the local Earth’s magnetic field and incidence of myocardial infarctions. Study participants included 435 males and 268 females who had diagnosis of myocardial infarction during the period of 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 and attended the Department of Cardiology at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LUHS), Kauno klinikos. Time varying magnetic field data was collected at the magnetometer site located in Lithuania. After mathematical analysis, the results support the hypothesis that the Earth’s magnetic field has a relationship between the number of acute myocardial infarction with ST segment elevation (STEMI) cases per week and the average weekly geomagnetic field strength in different frequency ranges. Correlations varied in different age groups as well as in males and females, which may indicate diverse organism sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field.
Using Individual GPS Trajectories to Explore Foodscape Exposure: A Case Study in Beijing Metropolitan Area
Authors: Wei Qiujun , She Jiangfeng , Zhang Shuhua , Ma Jinsong
Published: February 2018

With the growing interest in studying the characteristics of people’s access to the food environment and its influence upon individual health, there has been a focus on assessing individual food exposure based on GPS trajectories. However, existing studies have largely focused on the overall activity space using short-period trajectories, which ignores the complexity of human movements and the heterogeneity of the spaces that are experienced by the individual over daily life schedules. In this study, we propose a novel framework to extract the exposure areas consisting of the localized activity spaces around daily life centers and non-motorized commuting routes from long-term GPS trajectories. The newly proposed framework is individual-specific and can incorporate the internal heterogeneity of individual activities (spatial extent, stay duration, and timing) in different places as well as the dynamics of the context. A pilot study of the GeoLife dataset suggests that there are significant variations in the magnitude as well as the composition of the food environment in different parts of the individual exposure area, and residential environment is not representative of the overall foodscape exposure.
Burden of Injuries in Bangladesh: A Population-Based Assessment
Authors: Agrawal Priyanka , Hyder Adnan
Published: February 2018

Injuries claim over 5 million lives, with more than 90% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICS) [...]
Cys Site-Directed Mutagenesis of the Human SLC1A5 (ASCT2) Transporter: Structure/Function Relationships and Crucial Role of Cys467 for Redox Sensing and Glutamine Transport
Authors: Scalise Mariafrancesca , Pochini Lorena , Console Lara , Pappacoda Gilda , Pingitore Piero , Hedfalk Kristina , Indiveri Cesare
Published: February 2018

The human plasma membrane transporter ASCT2 is responsible for mediating Na- dependent antiport of neutral amino acids. New insights into structure/function relationships were unveiled by a combined approach of recombinant over-expression, site-directed mutagenesis, transport assays in proteoliposomes and bioinformatics. WT and Cys mutants of hASCT2 were produced in P. pastoris and purified for functional assay. The reactivity towards SH reducing and oxidizing agents of WT protein was investigated and opposite effects were revealed; transport activity increased upon treatment with the Cys reducing agent DTE, i.e., when Cys residues were in thiol (reduced) state. Methyl-Hg, which binds to SH groups, was able to inhibit WT and seven out of eight Cys to Ala mutants. On the contrary, C467A loses the sensitivity to both DTE activation and Methyl-Hg inhibition. The C467A mutant showed a Km for Gln one order of magnitude higher than that of WT. Moreover, the C467 residue is localized in the substrate binding region of the protein, as suggested by bioinformatics on the basis of the EAAT1 structure comparison. Taken together, the experimental data allowed identifying C467 residue as crucial for substrate binding and for transport activity modulation of hASCT2.
Hazard Screening Methods for Nanomaterials: A Comparative Study
Authors: Sheehan Barry , Murphy Finbarr , Mullins Martin , Furxhi Irini , Costa Anna , Simeone Felice , Mantecca Paride
Published: February 2018

Hazard identification is the key step in risk assessment and management of manufactured nanomaterials (NM). However, the rapid commercialisation of nano-enabled products continues to out-pace the development of a prudent risk management mechanism that is widely accepted by the scientific community and enforced by regulators. However, a growing body of academic literature is developing promising quantitative methods. Two approaches have gained significant currency. Bayesian networks (BN) are a probabilistic, machine learning approach while the weight of evidence (WoE) statistical framework is based on expert elicitation. This comparative study investigates the efficacy of quantitative WoE and Bayesian methodologies in ranking the potential hazard of metal and metal-oxide NMs—TiO2, Ag, and ZnO. This research finds that hazard ranking is consistent for both risk assessment approaches. The BN and WoE models both utilize physico-chemical, toxicological, and study type data to infer the hazard potential. The BN exhibits more stability when the models are perturbed with new data. The BN has the significant advantage of self-learning with new data; however, this assumes all input data is equally valid. This research finds that a combination of WoE that would rank input data along with the BN is the optimal hazard assessment framework.
Messenger RNA Life-Cycle in Cancer Cells: Emerging Role of Conventional and Non-Conventional RNA-Binding Proteins?
Authors: Coppin Lucie , Leclerc Julie , Vincent Audrey , Porchet Nicole , Pigny Pascal
Published: February 2018

Functional specialization of cells and tissues in metazoans require specific gene expression patterns. Biological processes, thus, need precise temporal and spatial coordination of gene activity. Regulation of the fate of messenger RNA plays a crucial role in this context. In the present review, the current knowledge related to the role of RNA-binding proteins in the whole mRNA life-cycle is summarized. This field opens up a new angle for understanding the importance of the post-transcriptional control of gene expression in cancer cells. The emerging role of non-classic RNA-binding proteins is highlighted. The goal of this review is to encourage readers to view, through the mRNA life-cycle, novel aspects of the molecular basis of cancer and the potential to develop RNA-based therapies.
Phenotyping of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Based on the Integration of Metabolomes and Clinical Characteristics
Authors: Kilk Kalle , Aug Argo , Ottas Aigar , Soomets Ursel , Altraja Siiri , Altraja Alan
Published: February 2018

Apart from the refined management-oriented clinical stratification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the molecular pathologies behind this highly prevalent disease have remained obscure. The aim of this study was the characterization of patients with COPD, based on the metabolomic profiling of peripheral blood and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) within the context of defined clinical and demographic variables. Mass-spectrometry-based targeted analysis of serum metabolites (mainly amino acids and lipid species), untargeted profiles of serum and EBC of patients with COPD of different clinical characteristics (n = 25) and control individuals (n = 21) were performed. From the combined clinical/demographic and metabolomics data, associations between clinical/demographic and metabolic parameters were searched and a de novo phenotyping for COPD was attempted. Adjoining the clinical parameters, sphingomyelins were the best to differentiate COPD patients from controls. Unsaturated fatty acid-containing lipids, ornithine metabolism and plasma protein composition-associated signals from the untargeted analysis differentiated the Global Initiative for COPD (GOLD) categories. Hierarchical clustering did not reveal a clinical-metabolomic stratification superior to the strata set by the GOLD consensus. We conclude that while metabolomics approaches are good for finding biomarkers and clarifying the mechanism of the disease, there are no distinct co-variate independent clinical-metabolic phenotypes.
The Evolution of Contextual Information Processing in Informatics
Authors: Mylonas Phivos
Published: February 2018

After many decades of flourishing computer science it is now rather evident that in a world dominated by different kinds of digital information, both applications and people are forced to seek new, innovative structures and forms of data management and organization. Following this blunt observation, researchers in informatics have strived over the recent years to tackle the non-unique and rather evolving notion of context, which aids significantly the data disambiguation process. Motivated by this environment, this work attempts to summarize and organize in a researcher-friendly tabular manner important or pioneer related research works deriving from diverse computational intelligence domains: Initially, we discuss the influence of context with respect to traditional low-level multimedia content analysis and search, and retrieval tasks and then we advance to the fields of overall computational context-awareness and the so-called human-generated contextual elements. In an effort to provide meaningful information to fellow researchers, this brief survey focuses on the impact of context in modern and popular computing undertakings of our era. More specifically, we focus to the presentation of a short review of visual context modeling methods, followed by the depiction of context-awareness in modern computing. Works dealing with the interpretation of context by human-generated interactions are also discussed herein, as the particular domain gains an ever-increasing proportion of related research nowadays. We then conclude the paper by providing a short discussion on (i) the motivation behind the included context type categorization into three main pillars; (ii) the findings and conclusions of the survey for each context category; and (iii) a couple of brief advices derived from the survey for both interested developers and fellow researchers.
J—A Multidisciplinary Open Access Journal to Accelerate Scientific Communication
Authors: Rittman Martyn , Vazquez Franck
Published: February 2018

At its best, academic publishing facilitates the communication of the latest research results, accelerates sharing new and verified knowledge, and creates synergies between researchers in answering society’s most fundamental questions.[...]
The Effect of Music on Exercise Intensity among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
Authors: Woodman Ashley , Breviglia Emily , Mori Yumiko , Golden Rebecca , Maina John , Wisniewski Hannah
Published: February 2018

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for obesity, commonly have sleep disorders, and exhibit stereotypic behaviors that disrupt their learning. Vigorous levels of exercise have been shown to ameliorate these issues in children with ASD, but little research exists to provide techniques for motivating children with ASD to engage in exercise. The present study examined the effect of music on exercise intensity in a group of 13 elementary school students with ASD. Data were collected across six days during structured (e.g., verbal and physical prompts) and unstructured (e.g., minimal prompting) exercise periods. During these exercise periods, three music conditions were randomized: no music, slow-tempo music, and fast-tempo music. Exercise intensity, measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Tasks by triaxial accelerometers, was greatest during the structured exercise periods and during the slow music condition. Student characteristics moderated the impact of music condition on exercise intensity, such that students with high levels of adaptive behavior or lower levels of maladaptive behavior displayed greater exercise intensity during the fast music condition.
Physical Fitness Evaluation of School Children in Southern Italy: A Cross Sectional Evaluation
Authors: Thomas Ewan , Palma Antonio
Published: February 2018

The aim of this work was to evaluate the fitness levels of different physical components in schoolchildren in southern Italy and identify age-related effects of physical performance. One hundred and fifty-four schoolchildren with ages ranging between 6 and 10 years (age 8.1 ± 1.45 years; 33.70 ± 10.25 kg; 131.50 ± 13.60 cm) were recruited for the investigation. Each scholar underwent a fitness-test battery composed of five elements. A Hand-Grip Strength Test to assess the strength of the hand muscles, a Standing Broad Jump Test to assess lower body explosive strength, a Sit-Up Test to exhaustion to evaluate abdominal muscular endurance, a 4 × 10-m Shuttle Run Test to assess agility, and a 20-m sprint test to assess speed. Cross-sectional analysis revealed that boys perform better than girls and that age affects performance. Lower limb measures show a significant increase after 8 years of age, whereas upper limb measures show a significant increase at 7 and 10 years of age. No age-related differences were found in muscular endurance measures. It is possible to consider age-related performance measures to program exercise interventions that follow the growth characteristics of schoolchildren.
Smart Sensing System for Early Detection of Bone Loss: Current Status and Future Possibilities
Authors: Afsarimanesh Nasrin , Alahi Md , Mukhopadhyay Subhas , Kruger Marlena
Published: February 2018

Bone loss and osteoporosis is a serious health problem worldwide. The impact of osteoporosis is far greater than many other serious health problems, such as breast and prostate cancers. Statistically, one in three women and one in five men over 50 years of age will experience osteoporotic fractures in their life. In this paper, the design and development of a portable IoT-based sensing system for early detection of bone loss have been presented. The CTx-I biomarker was measured in serum samples as a marker of bone resorption. A planar interdigital sensor was used to evaluate the changes in impedance by any variation in the level of CTx-I. Artificial antibodies were used to introduce selectivity to the sensor for CTx-I molecule. Artificial antibodies for CTx-I molecules were created using molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) technique in order to increase the stability of the system and reduce the production cost and complexity of the assay procedure. Real serum samples collected from sheep blood were tested and the result validation was done by using an ELISA kit. The PoC device was able to detect CTx-I concentration as low as 0.09 ng/mL. It exhibited an excellent linear behavior in the range of 0.1–2.5 ng/mL, which covers the normal reference ranges required for bone loss detection. Future possibilities to develop a smart toilet for simultaneous measurement of different bone turnover biomarkers was also discussed.
Bond–Slip Relationship for CFRP Sheets Externally Bonded to Concrete under Cyclic Loading
Authors: Li Ke , Cao Shuangyin , Yang Yue , Zhu Juntao
Published: February 2018

The objective of this paper was to explore the bond–slip relationship between carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets and concrete under cyclic loading through experimental and analytical approaches. Modified beam tests were performed in order to gain insight into the bond–slip relationship under static and cyclic loading. The test variables are the CFRP-to-concrete width ratio, and the bond length of the CFRP sheets. An analysis of the test results in this paper and existing test results indicated that the slope of the ascending segment of the bond–slip curve decreased with an increase in the number of load cycles, but the slip corresponding to the maximum shear stress was almost invariable as the number of load cycles increased. In addition, the rate of reduction in the slope of the ascending range of the bond–slip curve during cyclic loading decreased as the concrete strength increased, and increased as the load level or CFRP-to-concrete width ratio enhanced. However, these were not affected by variations in bond length if the residual bond length was longer than the effective bond length. A bilinear bond–slip model for CFRP sheets that are externally bonded to concrete under cyclic loading, which considered the effects of the cyclic load level, concrete strength, and CFRP-to-concrete ratio, was developed based on the existing static bond–slip model. The accuracy of this proposed model was verified by a comparison between this proposed model and test results.
Critical Current Simulation and Measurement of Second Generation, High-Temperature Superconducting Coil under External Magnetic Field
Authors: Yu Dongmin , Liu Huanan , Zhang Xinhe , Gong Taorong
Published: February 2018

This paper studies the critical current of second generation, high temperature superconducting coils under an external magnetic field experimentally and numerically. Two identical coils with different coated conductors are fabricated and tested under a direct current (DC) magnetic field along the axis of the coil. Then, a numerical model in cylindrical coordinates based on a sheet current model is built by taking the measured magnetic field dependency to analyze the current distribution and magnetic field distribution. The simulated critical currents of the coils under the DC magnetic field have good agreement with the measured results. We find that under the in-phase field, the critical current decreases as the magnetic field in the innermost turn is enhanced by the external field. Meanwhile, the anti-phase external field increases the critical current a bit at first, then decreases the critical current. We further discuss the critical current criteria of the coils, showing that the parallel field plays a more important role in critical current determination.
Comparison of Six Different Silicones In Vitro for Application as Glaucoma Drainage Device
Authors: Windhövel Claudia , Harder Lisa , Bach Jan-Peter , Teske Michael , Grabow Niels , Eickner Thomas , Hinze Ulf , Chichkov Boris , Nolte Ingo
Published: February 2018

Silicones are widely used in medical applications. In ophthalmology, glaucoma drainage devices are utilized if conservative therapies are not applicable or have failed. Long-term success of these devices is limited by failure to control intraocular pressure due to fibrous encapsulation. Therefore, different medical approved silicones were tested in vitro for cell adhesion, cell proliferation and viability of human Sclera (hSF) and human Tenon fibroblasts (hTF). The silicones were analysed also depending on the sample preparation according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The surface quality was characterized with environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and water contact angle measurements. All silicones showed homogeneous smooth and hydrophobic surfaces. Cell adhesion was significantly reduced on all silicones compared to the negative control. Proliferation index and cell viability were not influenced much. For development of a new glaucoma drainage device, the silicones Silbione LSR 4330 and Silbione LSR 4350, in this study, with low cell counts for hTF and low proliferation indices for hSF, and silicone Silastic MDX4-4210, with low cell counts for hSF and low proliferation indices for hTF, have shown the best results in vitro. Due to the high cell adhesion shown on Silicone LSR 40, 40,026, this material is unsuitable.
Fabrication of Completely Polymer-Based Solar Cells with p- and n-Type Semiconducting Block Copolymers with Electrically Inert Polystyrene
Authors: Tomita Eri , Kanehashi Shinji , Ogino Kenji
Published: February 2018

It is widely recognized that fullerene derivatives show several advantages as n-type materials in photovoltaic applications. However, conventional [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) exhibits weak absorption in the visible region, and poor morphological stability, due to the facile aggregation. For further improvement of the device performance and durability, utilization of n-type polymeric materials instead of PCBM is considered to be a good way to solve the problems. In this study, we fabricated completely polymer-based solar cells utilizing p- and n-type block copolymers consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly{[N,N′-bis(2-octyldodecyl)naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene)} [P(NDI2OD-T2)], respectively, containing common polystyrene (PSt) inert blocks, which decreased the size of phase separated structures. Electron mobility in synthesized P(NDI2OD-T2)-b-PSt film enhanced by a factor of 8 compared with homopolymer. The root mean square roughness of the blend film of two block copolymers (12.2 nm) was decreased, compared with that of the simple homopolymers blend (18.8 nm). From the current density-voltage characteristics, it was confirmed that the introduction of PSt into both P3HT and P(NDI2OD-T2) improves short-circuit current density (1.16 to 1.73 mA cm−2) and power-conversion efficiency (0.24% to 0.32%). Better performance is probably due to the uniformity of the phase separation, and the enhancement of charge mobility.
A Facile Strategy to Enhance the Dielectric and Mechanical Properties of MWCNTs/PVDF Composites with the Aid of MMA-co-GMA Copolymer
Authors: Song Shixin , Xia Shan , Jiang Shangkun , Lv Xue , Sun Shulin , Li Quanming
Published: February 2018

A facile strategy is adopted to prepare carboxylic functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (c-MWCNT) modified high dielectric constant (high-k) poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites with the aid of methyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (MG). The MG is miscible with PVDF and the epoxy groups of the copolymer can react with the carboxylic groups of c-MWCNT, which induce the uniform dispersion of c-MWCNT and a form insulator layer on the surface of c-MWCNT. The c-MWCNTs/MG/PVDF composites with 8 vol % c-MWCNT present excellent dielectric properties with high dielectric constant (~448) and low dielectric loss (~2.36) at the frequency of 1 KHz, the dielectric loss is much lower than the c-MWCNT/PVDF composites without MG. The obvious improvement in dielectric properties ascribes to the existence of MG, which impede the direct contact of c-MWCNTs and PVDF and avoid the formation of conductive network. Therefore, we propose a practical and simple strategy for preparing composites with excellent dielectric properties, which are promising for applications in electronics devices.
Fabrication and Anti-Oxidation Ability of SiC-SiO2 Coated Carbon Fibers Using Sol-Gel Method
Authors: Yang Guangyuan , Huang Zhixiong , Wang Xu , Wang Bo
Published: February 2018

The paper proposed a method to improve the anti-oxidation performance of carbon fibers (CF) at high temperature environment by coating silicon dioxide (SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC). The modified sol-gel method had been used to ensure the proper interface between fibers and coating. We used polydimethylsiloxane and ethyl orthosilicate to make stable emulsion to uniformly disperse SiC nanoparticles. The modified SiO2/SiC coating had been coated on CF successfully. Compared with the untreated CF, the coated fibers started to be oxidized around 900 °C and the residual weight was 57% at 1400 °C. The oxidation mechanism had been discussed. The structure of SiC/SiO2 coated CF had been characterized by scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction analysis. Thermal gravimetric analysis was used to test the anti-oxidation ability of CF with different coatings.
Modal Coupling in Presence of Dry Friction
Authors: De Simone Marco , Guida Domenico
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we analyze the behavior of a single pad system in the presence of dry friction. The goal is to investigate the path that leads a stable mechanical system to unstable behavior. In doing so, we studied the behavior of a discrete three DOF model, a continuous model and a finite element model of the pad. The numerical results are consistent with the experimental investigation conducted on a brake disk for railway application.
C*-Ternary Biderivations and C*-Ternary Bihomomorphisms
Authors: Park Choonkil
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we investigate C * -ternary biderivations and C * -ternary bihomomorphism in C * -ternary algebras, associated with bi-additive s-functional inequalities.
Briaviolides K–N, New Briarane-Type Diterpenoids from Cultured Octocoral Briareum violaceum
Authors: Xu Jing-Hao , Lai Kuei-Hung , Su Yin-Di , Chang Yu-Chia , Peng Bo-Rong , Backlund Anders , Wen Zhi-Hong , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: February 2018

Four new briarane diterpenoids, briaviolides K–N (1–4), have been obtained from the cultured-type octocoral Briareum violaceum. Using a spectroscopic approach, the structures of briaranes 1–4 were identified. This study employed an in vitro model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line, and found that among the four briaranes, briarane 2 possessed anti-inflammatory activity against inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expressions in cells. In addition, principal component analysis using the chemical global positioning system (ChemGPS) for natural products (ChemGPS-NP) was employed in order to analyze the structure-activity relationship (SAR), and the results indicated that the ring conformation of the compound has a leading role in suppressing the expressions of pro-inflammatory iNOS and COX-2 proteins in macrophages.