bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Return of the Native: White Supremacy, Indigenous Rights and the Struggle for Britain
Authors: Attewell Nadine
Published: April 2018

This article enquires into the articulation of Britishness, whiteness and indigeneity in post-Second World War British discourses of race, nationality, citizenship, and immigration. Noting how frequently, in contemporary European far right discourse, the “fantasy of a ‘return’ to socially homogeneous societies that existed ‘before’ cultural difference” (Pitcher 2009: 2) is underwritten by (factitious) claims of indigeneity that permit the equation of “labour migration” with “colonization” (Caldwell 2009: 7), I work to eviscerate the indigenism of the anti-immigration British right, which aligns white supremacism with anti-colonial political movements in ways that are or should be profoundly anathematic to the latter, without gutting the project of Indigenous rights altogether. To this end, the article reflects on the use Indigenous cultural workers, such as the Aboriginal activist-artist Burnum Burnum and Maori poet Robert Sullivan, have made of the trope of “reverse colonization,” building on their counterhistorical fictions to expose and unsettle the toxic spatial stories that continue to condition debates about race, national identity, citizenship and immigration in a 21st-century Britain normatively supposed to be post-imperial.
Still Moving Images: Natality, Art and the Temporal Structure of Inheritance
Authors: Thrasher Laura J.
Published: April 2018

This article theorizes the temporal structure of inheritance through a close analysis of two art works that perform creative appropriations of a historical photograph. Drawing on Hannah Arendt’s concept of natality, I theorize three temporal modalities which I argue are central to the task of inheritance. I suggest that natality time provides a renewed temporal grounding for thinking about inheritance, and turn to works of art that reference the past as opportunities for engaging in more imaginative practices of inheritance.
Application of clean intermittent catheterization for neurogenic bladder in infants less than 1 year old
Authors: Li Yanwei , Wen Yibo , He Xiangfei , Li Yunlong , Wu Junwei , Feng Jinjin , Wang Qingwei , Wen Jianguo
Published: April 2018

BACKGROUND:

Neurogenic bladder (NB) is a common pediatric urological disease caused by a variety of neurological pathologies. Clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) has been the preferred method to empty bladder.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the effect of CIC on preserving bladder and upper urinary tract function in infants less than 1 year old with NB.

METHODS:

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 76 infants with NB. Patients were divided into two groups according to treatment initiation: the early CIC group (ECG) (<1 year old) and the late CIC group (LCG) (>3 years old).

RESULTS:

Bladder compliance (BC), safe bladder capacity (SBC) and maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) were significantly higher in the ECG than those in the LCG at 6 years of follow-up respectively ( P <  0.05). The frequencies of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and urinary tract infection (UTI) in the ECG were significantly lower than those in the LCG ( P <  0.05) at 6 years of follow-up. Two and nine patients exhibited mild renal damage in the ECG and LCG, respectively, resulting in a significant difference ( P <  0.05) at 6 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSION:

Early CIC plays an important role in preserving bladder function and preventing UTI and renal deterioration in infants with NB, especially in the first year of life.
Cardiac Myxoma- 17 Years Experience in a Tertiary Care Centre of Bangladesh
Authors: Mandal Subhash C , Islam Md Shafiqul , Rushel KSSZ , Talukder Md Saiful Hoque , Uddin Md Mesbah , Hossain Md Monzur , Rony Md Mujibur Rahman
Published: April 2018

Cardiac Myxoma is the most common benign intracardiac tumor of heart. We studied its incidence, clinical presentations, short term outcome, morbidity and mortality following surgery over a period of 17 years. The study was performed inthe department of cardiac surgery, National institute of Cadiovascular diseases (NICVD) Dhaka, over a period from 2000to 2016. NICVD is the tertiary hospital for cardiovascular surgery in the Government sector. Over this period of 17 years 11,923 open heart surgery was done of which 129 were cardiac myxoma patients. As a result, cardiac myxoma patients constituted 1.08%of all open heart surgery. Preoperative diagnosis was done on clinical presentations and 2D echocardiography, which is the most important tool for its diagnosis. Most of the patients presented at 4th to 5th decade of life. The patients presented with triad ofvalve obstructive features, embolic symptoms andconstitutional symptoms alone or in combination. Among all myxoma patients, majority(86.6%) had left atrial myxoma. Cardiac myxoma forms a very small percentage of all cardiac diseases requiring surgical treatment. Immediate surgical excision is indicated in all patients to avoid life-threatening complications. Outcome of surgical treatment was excellent.Bangladesh Heart Journal 2017; 32(2) : 85-88
Approximation Algorithms for the Geometric Firefighter and Budget Fence Problems
Authors: Klein Rolf , Levcopoulos Christos , Lingas Andrzej
Published: April 2018

Let R denote a connected region inside a simple polygon, P. By building barriers (typically straight-line segments) in

P
\
R

, we want to separate from R part(s) of P of maximum area. All edges of the boundary of P are assumed to be already constructed or natural barriers. In this paper we introduce two versions of this problem. In the budget fence version the region R is static, and there is an upper bound on the total length of barriers we may build. In the basic geometric firefighter version we assume that R represents a fire that is spreading over P at constant speed (varying speed can also be handled). Building a barrier takes time proportional to its length, and each barrier must be completed before the fire arrives. In this paper we are assuming that barriers are chosen from a given set B that satisfies certain conditions. Even for simple cases (e.g., P is a convex polygon and B the set of all diagonals), both problems are shown to be NP-hard. Our main result is an efficient ≈11.65 approximation algorithm for the firefighter problem, where the set B of allowed barriers is any set of straight-line segments with all endpoints on the boundary of P and pairwise disjoint interiors. Since this algorithm solves a much more general problem—a hybrid of scheduling and maximum coverage—it may find wider applications. We also provide a polynomial-time approximation scheme for the budget fence problem, for the case where barriers chosen from a set of straight-line cuts of the polygon must not cross.
Physiological Response of Wheat to Chemical Desiccants Used to Simulate Post-Anthesis Drought Stress
Authors: Kamal Nasrein , Gorafi Yasir , Mega Ryosuke , Tsujimoto Hisashi
Published: April 2018

Post-anthesis drought stress is one of the main constraints on the production of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Because field screening for post-anthesis drought tolerance is difficult, effective and validated methods to simulate drought in order to identify sources of tolerance can facilitate screening of breeding materials. Chemical desiccants are widely used to simulate post-anthesis drought stress. We aimed to identify physiological traits that respond to desiccants as they do to drought. We examined the responses of ‘Norin 61’ to six treatments in a greenhouse: irrigated control, drought after anthesis, and 2% or 4% potassium chlorate (KClO3) at anthesis (A) or grain filling (GF). We measured δ13C in leaves, aboveground fresh biomass, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, harvest index, and grain yield. Both 2% and 4% KClO3 at both A and GF simulated the effect of drought stress. Selection of drought-tolerant genotypes can be aided by chlorophyll content and δ13C measurement of leaves when 2% or 4% KClO3 is used to simulate drought.
Special Issue: Monoclonal Antibodies
Authors: Klein Christian
Published: April 2018

Monoclonal antibodies are utilized in clinical practice for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, autoimmunity, metabolic and infectious diseases [...]
Bio-Corrosion Behavior of Ceramic Coatings Containing Hydroxyapatite on Mg-Zn-Ca Magnesium Alloy
Authors: Ding Hong-Yan , Li Hong , Wang Guo-Qing , Liu Tao , Zhou Guang-Hong
Published: April 2018

Ceramic coatings containing hydroxyapatite (HA) were fabricated on a biodegradable Mg66Zn29Ca5 magnesium alloy through micro-arc oxidation by adding HA particles into the electrolytes. The phase composition and surface morphology of the coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses, respectively. Electrochemical experiments and immersion tests were performed in Hank’s solution at 37 °C to measure the corrosion resistance of the coatings. Blood compatibility was evaluated by in vitro blood platelet adhesion tests and static water contact angle measurement. The results show that the typical ceramic coatings with a porous structure were prepared on the magnesium alloy surface with the main phases of MgO and MgSiO3 and a small amount of Mg3(PO4)2 and HA. The optimal surface morphology appeared at HA concentration of 0.4 g/L. The electrochemical experiments and immersion tests reveal a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the ceramic coatings containing HA compared with the coatings without HA or bare Mg66Zn29Ca5 magnesium alloy. The static water contact angle of the HA-containing ceramic coatings is 18.7°, which is lower than that of the coatings without HA (40.1°). The in vitro blood platelet adhesion tests indicate that the HA-containing ceramic coatings possess improved blood compatibility compared with the coatings without HA. Utilizing HA-containing ceramic coatings may be an effective way to improve the surface biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys.
Probing Ferroic States in Oxide Thin Films Using Optical Second Harmonic Generation
Authors: Nordlander Johanna , De Luca Gabriele , Strkalj Nives , Fiebig Manfred , Trassin Morgan
Published: April 2018

Forthcoming low-energy consumption oxide electronics rely on the deterministic control of ferroelectric and multiferroic domain states at the nanoscale. In this review, we address the recent progress in the field of investigation of ferroic order in thin films and heterostructures, with a focus on non-invasive optical second harmonic generation (SHG). For more than 50 years, SHG has served as an established technique for probing ferroic order in bulk materials. Here, we will survey the specific new aspects introduced to SHG investigation of ferroelectrics and multiferroics by working with thin film structures. We show how SHG can probe complex ferroic domain patterns non-invasively and even if the lateral domain size is below the optical resolution limit or buried beneath an otherwise impenetrable cap layer. We emphasize the potential of SHG to distinguish contributions from individual (multi-) ferroic films or interfaces buried in a device or multilayer architecture. Special attention is given to monitoring switching events in buried ferroic domain- and domain-wall distributions by SHG, thus opening new avenues towards the determination of the domain dynamics. Another aspect studied by SHG is the role of strain. We will finally show that by integrating SHG into the ongoing thin film deposition process, we can monitor the emergence of ferroic order and properties in situ, while they emerge during growth. Our review closes with an outlook, emphasizing the present underrepresentation of ferroic switching dynamics in the study of ferroic oxide heterostructures.
Microgrids for Productive Uses of Energy in the Developing World and Blockchain: A Promising Future
Authors: Kyriakarakos George , Papadakis George
Published: April 2018

Currently, 1.06 billion people still do not have access to electricity, with the majority living in rural areas around the world[...]
Matched-Filter Thermography
Authors: Tabatabaei Nima
Published: April 2018

Conventional infrared thermography techniques, including pulsed and lock-in thermography, have shown great potential for non-destructive evaluation of broad spectrum of materials, spanning from metals to polymers to biological tissues. However, performance of these techniques is often limited due to the diffuse nature of thermal wave fields, resulting in an inherent compromise between inspection depth and depth resolution. Recently, matched-filter thermography has been introduced as a means for overcoming this classic limitation to enable depth-resolved subsurface thermal imaging and improving axial/depth resolution. This paper reviews the basic principles and experimental results of matched-filter thermography: first, mathematical and signal processing concepts related to matched-fileting and pulse compression are discussed. Next, theoretical modeling of thermal-wave responses to matched-filter thermography using two categories of pulse compression techniques (linear frequency modulation and binary phase coding) are reviewed. Key experimental results from literature demonstrating the maintenance of axial resolution while inspecting deep into opaque and turbid media are also presented and discussed. Finally, the concept of thermal coherence tomography for deconvolution of thermal responses of axially superposed sources and creation of depth-selective images in a diffusion-wave field is reviewed.
Energy Management Strategy for Rural Communities’ DC Micro Grid Power System Structure with Maximum Penetration of Renewable Energy Sources
Authors: Gunasekaran Maheswaran , Mohamed Ismail Hidayathullah , Chokkalingam Bharatiraja , Mihet-Popa Lucian , Padmanaban Sanjeevikumar
Published: April 2018

The AC and DC power system structures need to be modernized to meet consumer demands. DC microgrids are suitably admired due to their high efficiency, consistency, reliability, and load sharing performance, when interconnected to DC renewable and storage sources. The main control objective for any DC microgrid is providing proper load–power balancing based on the Distributed Generator (DG) sources. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, batteries play an important role in load–power balancing in a DC microgrid. The existing energy management strategy may be able to meet the load demand. However, that technique is not suitable forrural communities’ power system structure. This research offers an energy management strategy (EMS) for a DC microgrid to supply power to rural communities with solar, wind, fuel cell, and batteries as input sources. The proposed EMS performs the load–power balancing between each source (renewable and storage) in a DC microgrid for dynamic load variation. Here, the EMS handles two battery sources (one is used to deliver power to the priority load, and the other is utilized in the common DC bus) to meet the required demand. The proposed EMS is capable of handling load–power balancing using renewable energy sources with less consumption of non- conventional energy sources (such as a diesel generator). The performance of the system is analyzed based on different operating conditions of the input sources. The MATLAB/Simulink simulation model for the proposed DC microgrid with their EMS control system is developed and investigated, and their results are tabulated under different input and load conditions. The proposed EMS is verified through a laboratory real-time DC microgrid experimental setup, and the results are discussed.
High-Speed Visible Light Communications: Enabling Technologies and State of the Art
Authors: Ji Ruonan , Wang Shaowei , Liu Qingquan , Lu Wei
Published: April 2018

In the nearest decades, the rapidly increasing demand of wireless connectivity has resulted in the ubiquitous deployment of wireless systems as well as heavily congested wireless spectrum. Owing to the various inherent advantages, such as spectral and bandwidth relief, no healthy concern, high security, low cost, and low interference with Radio Frequency (RF) waves, visible light communication (VLC) has been an emerging optical wireless data transmission approach that can act as a good complement to and substitute for Radio Frequency. How to achieve a high-speed data transmission is a key problem to be solved in the VLC system. This review mainly focuses on the enabling technologies for high-speed VLC systems, including novel transmitter architectures, blue filters and advanced modulation, and equalization technologies. And the inherent advantages, potential applications, and some issues of VLC that need further study are presented as well. Finally, a comprehensive survey on the recent developments and the key contributions by research groups involved in the field of high-speed VLC is provided.
Freezing on a Chip—A New Approach to Determine Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation of Micrometer-Sized Water Droplets
Authors: Häusler Thomas , Witek Lorenz , Felgitsch Laura , Hitzenberger Regina , Grothe Hinrich
Published: April 2018

We are presenting a new approach to analyze the freezing behavior of aqueous droplets containing ice nucleating particles. The freezing chip consists of an etched and sputtered (15 × 15 × 1) mm gold-plated silicon or pure gold chip, enabling the formation of droplets with defined diameters between 20 and 80 µm. Several applications like an automated process control and an automated image evaluation were implemented to improve the quality of heterogeneous freezing experiments. To show the functionality of the setup, we compared freezing temperatures of aqueous droplets containing ice nucleating particles (i.e., microcline, birch pollen washing water, juniper pollen, and Snomax® solution) measured with our setup, with literature data. The ice nucleation active surface/mass site density (ns/m) of microcline, juniper pollen, and birch pollen washing water are shown to be in good agreement with literature data. Minor variations can be explained by slight differences in composition and droplet generation technique. The nm values of Snomax® differ by up to one order of magnitude at higher subzero temperatures when compared with fresh samples but are in agreement when compared with reported data of aged Snomax® samples.
Oasis Irrigation-Induced Hydro-Climatic Effects: A Case Study in the Hyper-Arid Region of Northwest China
Authors: Shan Nan , Shi Zhongjie , Yang Xiaohui , Guo Hao , Zhang Xiao , Zhang Zhiyong
Published: April 2018

The response of potential evapotranspiration (ET0) to widespread irrigation is important to fully understand future regional climate changes and to infer adaptive management of agricultural water resources. The quantitative impact of irrigation on ET0 from 1960 to 2013 was evaluated using historical time series data of daily meteorological observations in the hyper-arid region of northwest China. The decreasing trends in ET0 were accelerated for meteorological stations in regions with oasis agriculture, especially in the summer and during the growing season. Irrigation led to a cooling effect on temperature, increased relative humidity and precipitation. All of these changes contributed to a larger decrease of ET0 trend. The findings of this study advance our insight into the effects of irrigation on dynamics in ET0 and meteorological factors. Further investigations to understand how ET0 responds to climate change and agricultural irrigation could provide guidance for determining effective measures of water resources for adapting to global change.
Immobilization/Stabilization of Ficin Extract on Glutaraldehyde-Activated Agarose Beads. Variables That Control the Final Stability and Activity in Protein Hydrolyses
Authors: Siar El-Hocine , Arana-Peña Sara , Barbosa Oveimar , Zidoune Mohammed , Fernandez-Lafuente Roberto
Published: April 2018

Ficin extract has been immobilized on different 4% aminated-agarose beads. Using just ion exchange, immobilization yield was poor and expressed activity did not surpass 10% of the offered enzyme, with no significant effects on enzyme stability. The treatment with glutaraldehyde of this ionically exchanged enzyme produced an almost full enzyme inactivation. Using aminated supports activated with glutaraldehyde, immobilization was optimal at pH 7 (at pH 5 immobilization yield was 80%, while at pH 9, the immobilized enzyme became inactivated). At pH 7, full immobilization was accomplished maintaining 40% activity versus a small synthetic substrate and 30% versus casein. Ficin stabilization upon immobilization could be observed but it depended on the inactivation pH and the substrate employed, suggesting the complexity of the mechanism of inactivation of the immobilized enzyme. The maximum enzyme loading on the support was determined to be around 70 mg/g. The loading has no significant effect on the enzyme stability or enzyme activity using the synthetic substrate but it had a significant effect on the activity using casein; the biocatalysts activity greatly decreased using more than 30 mg/g, suggesting that the near presence of other immobilized enzyme molecules may generate some steric hindrances for the casein hydrolysis.
Stereoselective Enzymatic Reduction of 1,4-Diaryl-1,4-Diones to the Corresponding Diols Employing Alcohol Dehydrogenases
Authors: Mourelle-Insua Ángela , De Gonzalo Gonzalo , Lavandera Iván , Gotor-Fernández Vicente
Published: April 2018

Due to the steric hindrance of the starting prochiral ketones, the preparation of chiral 1,4-diaryl-1,4-diols through the asymmetric hydrogen transfer reaction has been mainly restricted to the use of metal-based catalysts, oxazaborolidines, or organocatalysts. Herein, we demonstrated the versatility of oxidoreductases, finding overexpressed alcohol dehydrogenase from Ralstonia sp. (E. coli/RasADH) as the most active and stereoselective biocatalyst. Thus, the preparation of a set of 1,4-diaryl-1,4-diols bearing different pattern substitutions in the aromatic ring was achieved with complete diastereo- and enantioselectivity under mild reaction conditions.
Catalytic Efficiency of Basidiomycete Laccases: Redox Potential versus Substrate-Binding Pocket Structure
Authors: Glazunova Olga , Trushkin Nikita , Moiseenko Konstantin , Filimonov Ivan , Fedorova Tatyana
Published: April 2018

Laccases are copper-containing oxidases that catalyze a one-electron abstraction from various phenolic and non-phenolic compounds with concomitant reduction of molecular oxygen to water. It is well-known that laccases from various sources have different substrate specificities, but it is not completely clear what exactly provides these differences. The purpose of this work was to study the features of the substrate specificity of four laccases from basidiomycete fungi Trametes hirsuta, Coriolopsis caperata, Antrodiella faginea, and Steccherinum murashkinskyi, which have different redox potentials of the T1 copper center and a different structure of substrate-binding pockets. Enzyme activity toward 20 monophenolic substances and 4 phenolic dyes was measured spectrophotometrically. The kinetic parameters of oxidation of four lignans and lignan-like substrates were determined by monitoring of the oxygen consumption. For the oxidation of the high redox potential (>700 mV) monophenolic substrates and almost all large substrates, such as phenolic dyes and lignans, the redox potential difference between the enzyme and the substrate (ΔE) played the defining role. For the low redox potential monophenolic substrates, ΔE did not directly influence the laccase activity. Also, in the special cases, the structure of the large substrates, such as dyes and lignans, as well as some structural features of the laccases (flexibility of the substrate-binding pocket loops and some amino acid residues in the key positions) affected the resulting catalytic efficiency.
Preparation of Stable Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates (CLEAs) of a Ureibacillus thermosphaericus Esterase for Application in Malathion Removal from Wastewater
Authors: Samoylova Yuliya , Sorokina Ksenia , Piligaev Alexander , Parmon Valentin
Published: April 2018

In this study, the active and stable cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) of the thermostable esterase estUT1 of the bacterium Ureibacillus thermosphaericus were prepared for application in malathion removal from municipal wastewater. Co-expression of esterase with an E. coli chaperone team (KJE, ClpB, and ELS) increased the activity of the soluble enzyme fraction up to 200.7 ± 15.5 U mg−1. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the preparation of the CLEA-estUT1 biocatalyst to maximize its activity and minimize enzyme loss. CLEA-estUT1 with the highest activity of 29.4 ± 0.5 U mg−1 (90.6 ± 2.7% of the recovered activity) was prepared with 65.1% (w/v) ammonium sulfate, 120.6 mM glutaraldehyde, and 0.2 mM bovine serum albumin at 5.1 h of cross-linking. The biocatalyst has maximal activity at 80 °С and pH 8.0. Analysis of the properties of CLEA-estUT1 and free enzyme at 50–80 °C and pH 5.0–10.0 showed higher stability of the biocatalyst. CLEA-estUT1 showed marked tolerance against a number of chemicals and high operational stability and activity in the reaction of malathion hydrolysis in wastewater (up to 99.5 ± 1.4%). After 25 cycles of malathion hydrolysis at 37 °С, it retained 55.2 ± 1.1% of the initial activity. The high stability and reusability of CLEA-estUT1 make it applicable for the degradation of insecticides.
Lighting Implications of Urban Mitigation Strategies through Cool Pavements: Energy Savings and Visual Comfort
Authors: Rossi Giuseppe , Iacomussi Paola , Zinzi Michele
Published: April 2018

Cool materials with higher solar reflectance compared with conventional materials of the same color are widely used to maintain cooler urban fabrics when exposed to solar irradiation and to mitigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI). Photo-catalytic coatings are also useful to reduce air pollutants. Many studies related to these topics have been carried out during the past few years, although the lighting implication of reflective coatings have hardly been explored. To investigate these aspects, reflective coatings were applied on portions of a road and intensely analyzed in a laboratory and on the field. The applied cool coatings were found to have much higher solar and lighting reflectance than the existing road, which lead to lower surface temperatures up to 9 °C. Non-significant variations of chromaticity coordinates were measured under different lighting conditions. However, these materials showed a relevant variation of directional properties depending on the lighting and observation conditions with respect to conventional pavements. The optical behavior of these materials affects the uniformity of visions for drivers and requires ad-hoc installation of light sources. On the other hand, potential energy savings of up to 75% were calculated for the artificial lighting of a reference road.
Tribological Properties of New Cu-Al/MoS2 Solid Lubricant Coatings Using Magnetron Sputter Deposition
Authors: Cao Ming , Zhao Lan , Wu Libin , Wang Wenquan
Published: April 2018

The increasing demands of environmental protection have led to solid lubricant coatings becoming more and more important. A new type of MoS2-based coating co-doped with Cu and Al prepared by magnetron sputtering, including Cu/MoS2 and Cu-Al/MoS2 coatings, for lubrication applications is reported. To this end, the coatings were annealed in an argon atmosphere furnace. The microstructure and the tribological properties of the coatings prior to and following annealing were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and with a multi-functional tester for material surface properties. The results demonstrated that the friction coefficient of the Cu/MoS2 coating was able to reach as low as 0.07, due to the synergistic lubrication effect of the soft metal Cu with MoS2. However, the wear resistance of the coating was not satisfied. Although the lowest friction coefficient of the Cu-Al/MoS2 coatings was 0.083, the wear resistance was enhanced, which was attributed to the improved the toughness of the coatings due to the introduction of aluminum. The XRD results revealed that the γ2-Cu9Al4 phase was formed in the specimen of Cu-Al/MoS2 coatings. The comprehensive performance of the Cu-Al/MoS2 coatings after annealing was improved in comparison to substrate heating, since the heat-treatment was beneficial for the strengthening of the solid solution of the coatings.
Physicochemical and Biological Activity Analysis of Low-Density Polyethylene Substrate Modified by Multi-Layer Coatings Based on DLC Structures, Obtained Using RF CVD Method
Authors: Kyzioł Karol , Oczkowska Julia , Kottfer Daniel , Klich Marek , Kaczmarek Łukasz , Kyzioł Agnieszka , Grzesik Zbigniew
Published: April 2018

In this paper, the surface properties and selected mechanical and biological properties of various multi-layer systems based on diamond-like carbon structure deposited on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) substrate were studied. Plasma etching and layers deposition (incl. DLC, N-DLC, Si-DLC) were carried out using the RF CVD (radio frequency chemical vapor deposition) method. In particular, polyethylene with deposited N-DLC and DLC layers in one process was characterized by a surface hardness ca. seven times (up to ca. 2.3 GPa) higher than the unmodified substrate. Additionally, its surface roughness was determined to be almost two times higher than the respective plasma-untreated polymer. It is noteworthy that plasma-modified LDPE showed no significant cytotoxicity in vitro. Thus, based on the current research results, it is concluded that a multilayer system (based on DLC coatings) obtained using plasma treatment of the LDPE surface can be proposed as a prospective solution for improving mechanical properties while maintaining biocompatibility.
Perspective on Cancer Therapeutics Utilizing Analysis of Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Jeong Keun-Yeong , Kim Eun , Park Min , Kim Hwan
Published: April 2018

Various methods are available for cancer screening, and the methods are performed depending on the origin site of cancer. Among these methods, biopsy followed by medical imaging is the most common. After cancer progression is determined, an optimal treatment—such as surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy—is selected. A new assay has been developed that detects circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Tracking changes in CTCs may reveal important tumoral sensitivity information or resistance patterns to specific regimens and prompt changes in therapy on a personalized basis. Characterization of CTCs at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels is important for gaining insight for clinical applications. A small number of CTCs can be analyzed to obtain genome information such as the progression of cancer including metastasis, even in a single cluster. Although many clinical studies, particularly CTC enumeration and detection of specific oncogene expression, have increased the success rate of diagnosis and predicting prognosis, there is no consensus regarding the technical approaches and various aspects of the methodology, making it difficult to standardize optimal methods for CTC analysis. However, ongoing technological advances are currently being achieved and large-scale clinical studies are being conducted. Applying CTC analysis in the clinic would be very useful for advancing diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and therapeutics.
A Novel Approach for Brushless DC Motors Characterization in Drones Based on Chaos
Authors: V. Medeiros Ramon , G. S. Ramos Jorge , Nascimento Tiago , C. Lima Filho Abel , Brito Alisson
Published: April 2018

A novel technique named Signal Analysis based on Chaos using Density of Maxima (SAC-DM) is presented to analyze Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) motors behavior. These motors are vastly used in electric vehicles, especially in Drones. The proposed approach is compared with the traditional Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) and the experiments analyzing a BLDC motor of a drone demonstrates similar results but computationally simpler than that. The main contribution of this technique is the possibility to analyze signals in time domain, instead of the frequency domain. It is possible to identify working and faulty behavior with less computational resources than the traditional approach.
Advancing Dendrochronological Studies of Fire in the United States
Authors: Harley Grant , Baisan Christopher , Brown Peter , Falk Donald , Flatley William , Grissino-Mayer Henri , Hessl Amy , Heyerdahl Emily , Kaye Margot , Lafon Charles , Margolis Ellis , Maxwell R. , Naito Adam , Platt William , Rother Monica , Saladyga Thomas , Sherriff Rosemary , Stachowiak Lauren , Stambaugh Michael , Sutherland Elaine , Taylor Alan
Published: April 2018

Dendroecology is the science that dates tree rings to their exact calendar year of formation to study processes that influence forest ecology (e.g., Speer 2010 [1], Amoroso et al., 2017 [2]) [...]
Twinning Strains in Synfolding Calcite, Proterozoic Sinian System, China
Authors: Craddock John , Liu Junlai , Zheng Yuanyuan
Published: April 2018

Synfolding calcite was precipitated between layers of Neoproterozoic sandy dolomite and striated parallel to the fold axis of an open anticline with a shallow plunge during folding. The fold had limb dips of 45° and plunged 20° to the south. The synfolding calcite had sub-horizontal grooves that trended parallel to the fold. Limb-hinge-limb calcite samples (3 samples; n = 100 grains) preserved a layer-parallel shortening strain that trended at an acute (45°) angle to the trend of the fold axis and fold lineations. Extension axes were vertical and there was no strain overprint (low NEVs). Shortening strain magnitudes were −2.9% and the differential stress responsible for twinning was −38 MPa. The commonly observed structures were layer-parallel slip striations normal to the fold axis: sub-horizontal interlayer slip surfaces parallel to a fold axis (parallel to bedding strike) were unreported; as was a sub-horizontal shortening strain at an acute angle to the axis of a plunging fold.
A Spatial Panel Data Analysis of Economic Growth, Urbanization, and NOx Emissions in China
Authors: Ge Xiangyu , Zhou Zhimin , Zhou Yanli , Ye Xinyue , Liu Songlin
Published: April 2018

Is nitrogen oxides emissions spatially correlated in a Chinese context? What is the relationship between nitrogen oxides emission levels and fast-growing economy/urbanization? More importantly, what environmental preservation and economic developing policies should China’s central and local governments take to mitigate the overall nitrogen oxides emissions and prevent severe air pollution at the provincial level in specific locations and their neighboring areas? The present study aims to tackle these issues. This is the first research that simultaneously studies the nexus between nitrogen oxides emissions and economic development/urbanization, with the application of a spatial panel data technique. Our empirical findings suggest that spatial dependence of nitrogen oxides emissions distribution exists at the provincial level. Through the investigation of the existence of an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) embedded within the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) framework, we conclude something interesting: an inverse N-shaped EKC describes both the income-nitrogen oxides nexus and the urbanization-nitrogen oxides nexus. Some well-directed policy advice is provided to reduce nitrogen oxides in the future. Moreover, these results contribute to the literature on development and pollution.
Assessing Residential Exposure Risk from Spills of Flowback Water from Marcellus Shale Hydraulic Fracturing Activity
Authors: Abualfaraj Noura , Gurian Patrick , Olson Mira
Published: April 2018

Identifying sources of concern and risk from shale gas development, particularly from the hydraulic fracturing process, is an important step in better understanding sources of uncertainty within the industry. In this study, a risk assessment of residential exposure pathways to contaminated drinking water is carried out. In this model, it is assumed that a drinking water source is contaminated by a spill of flowback water; probability distributions of spill size and constituent concentrations are fit to historical datasets and Monte Carlo simulation was used to calculate a distribution of risk values for two scenarios: (1) use of a contaminated reservoir for residential drinking water supply and (2) swimming in a contaminated pond. The swimming scenario did not produce risks of concern from a single exposure of 1 h duration, but 11 such 1-h exposures did produce risks of 10−6 due to radionuclide exposure. The drinking water scenario over a 30-year exposure duration produced cancer risk values exceeding 10−6 for arsenic, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, pentachlorophenol, and vinyl chloride. However, this extended exposure duration is probably not realistic for exposure by a spill event. Radionuclides produced risks in the residential drinking water scenario of 10−6 in just 8 h, a much more realistic timeline for continual exposure due to a spill event. In general, for contaminants for which inhalation exposure was applicable, this pathway produced the highest risks with exposure from ingestion posing the next greatest risk to human health followed by dermal absorption (or body emersion for radionuclides). Considering non-carcinogenic effects, only barium and thallium exceed target limits, where the ingestion pathway seems to be of greater concern than dermal exposure. Exposure to radionuclides in flowback water, particularly through the inhalation route, poses a greater threat to human health than other contaminants examined in this assessment and should be the focus of risk assessment and risk mitigation efforts.
Identification and Evolution of TGF-β Signaling Pathway Members in Twenty-Four Animal Species and Expression in Tilapia
Authors: Zheng Shuqing , Long Juan , Liu Zhilong , Tao Wenjing , Wang Deshou
Published: April 2018

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling controls diverse cellular processes during embryogenesis as well as in mature tissues of multicellular animals. Here we carried out a comprehensive analysis of TGF-β pathway members in 24 representative animal species. The appearance of the TGF-β pathway was intrinsically linked to the emergence of metazoan. The total number of TGF-β ligands, receptors, and smads changed slightly in all invertebrates and jawless vertebrates analyzed. In contrast, expansion of the pathway members, especially ligands, was observed in jawed vertebrates most likely due to the second round of whole genome duplication (2R) and additional rounds in teleosts. Duplications of TGFB2, TGFBR2, ACVR1, SMAD4 and SMAD6, which were resulted from 2R, were first isolated. Type II receptors may be originated from the ACVR2-like ancestor. Interestingly, AMHR2 was not identified in Chimaeriformes and Cypriniformes even though they had the ligand AMH. Based on transcriptome data, TGF-β ligands exhibited a tissue-specific expression especially in the heart and gonads. However, most receptors and smads were expressed in multiple tissues indicating they were shared by different ligands. Spatial and temporal expression profiles of 8 genes in gonads of different developmental stages provided a fundamental clue for understanding their important roles in sex determination and reproduction. Taken together, our findings provided a global insight into the phylogeny and expression patterns of the TGF-β pathway genes, and hence contribute to the greater understanding of their biological roles in the organism especially in teleosts.
Identification of an ACE-Inhibitory Peptide from Walnut Protein and Its Evaluation of the Inhibitory Mechanism
Authors: Wang Cong , Tu Maolin , Wu Di , Chen Hui , Chen Cheng , Wang Zhenyu , Jiang Lianzhou
Published: April 2018

In the present study, a novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACE inhibitory) peptide, EPNGLLLPQY, derived from walnut seed storage protein, fragment residues 80–89, was identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) from walnut protein hydrolysate. The IC50 value of the peptide was 233.178 μM, which was determined by the high performance liquid chromatography method by measuring the amount of hippuric acid (HA) generated from the ACE decomposition substrate (hippuryl-l-histidyl-l-leucine (HHL) to assess the ACE activity. Enzyme inhibitory kinetics of the peptide against ACE were also conducted, by which the inhibitory mechanism of ACE-inhibitory peptide was confirmed. Moreover, molecular docking was simulated by Discovery Studio 2017 R2 software to provide the potential mechanisms underlying the ACE-inhibitory activity of EPNGLLLPQY.
iTRAQ Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Vitreous from Patients with Retinal Detachment
Authors: Santos Fátima , Gaspar Leonor , Ciordia Sergio , Rocha Ana , Castro e Sousa João , Paradela Alberto , Passarinha Luís , Tomaz Cândida
Published: April 2018

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a potentially blinding condition characterized by a physical separation between neurosensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Quantitative proteomics can help to understand the changes that occur at the cellular level during RRD, providing additional information about the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis. In the present study, iTRAQ labeling was combined with two-dimensional LC-ESI-MS/MS to find expression changes in the proteome of vitreous from patients with RRD when compared to control samples. A total of 150 proteins were found differentially expressed in the vitreous of patients with RRD, including 96 overexpressed and 54 underexpressed. Several overexpressed proteins, several such as glycolytic enzymes (fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A, gamma-enolase, and phosphoglycerate kinase 1), glucose transporters (GLUT-1), growth factors (metalloproteinase inhibitor 1), and serine protease inhibitors (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) are regulated by HIF-1, which suggests that HIF-1 signaling pathway can be triggered in response to RRD. Also, the accumulation of photoreceptor proteins, including phosducin, rhodopsin, and s-arrestin, and vimentin in vitreous may indicate that photoreceptor degeneration occurs in RRD. Also, the accumulation of photoreceptor proteins, including phosducin, rhodopsin, and s-arrestin, and vimentin in vitreous may indicate that photoreceptor degeneration occurs in RRD. Nevertheless, the differentially expressed proteins found in this study suggest that different mechanisms are activated after RRD to promote the survival of retinal cells through complex cellular responses.
An Improved Two-Way Security Authentication Protocol for RFID System
Authors: Liu Baolong , Yang Bing , Su Xiaohao
Published: April 2018

This paper proposes an improved two-way security authentication protocol to improve the security level of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system. In the proposed protocol, tags calculate hash value, which is divided into two parts. The left half is used to verify the identity of the tags, and the right half is used to verify the identity of the reader, which will reduce the tag’s computation and storage. By updating the tag’s secret key value and random number, the protocol can prevent most attacks existing in RFID systems such as data privacy, replay attack, fake attack, position tracking and asynchronous attack. The correctness of the protocol is proved by using Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic analysis. The evaluation results show that the scalability of the protocol proposed is achieved with acceptable response time limits. The simulation results indicate that the protocol has significant advantages on performance efficiency for many tags, which provides a reliable approach for RFID system application in practice.
Don’t Know Much about Bumblebees?—A Study about Secondary School Students’ Knowledge and Attitude Shows Educational Demand
Authors: Sieg Anne-Kathrin , Teibtner Rudolf , Dreesmann Daniel
Published: April 2018

Many insects are threatened with extinction, which in the case of pollinating insects could lead to declining pollination services and reduced ecosystem biodiversity. This necessitates rethinking how we deal with nature in general. Schools are ideal places in which to instill a willingness to behave in an environmentally-friendly way. Whereas scientific studies and school textbooks stress the importance of honeybees as pollinators, the role of bumblebees is either underestimated or neglected. The aim of this study was to provide information concerning student knowledge and attitudes, which are important factors of an individual’s environmental awareness. A questionnaire with closed and open questions was developed, which also included drawing and species identification tasks. We surveyed 870 German secondary school students between 9 and 20 years of age. Our results indicate limited knowledge of bumblebees by students of all grades. Knowledge increased with higher grades but only with a small effect size. The attitude of students towards bumblebees was generally positive; however, this positivity declined with increasing grade of the participants. This correlation also had a small effect size. Our results are discussed, with a particular focus on future educational demand.
Development of a Dung Beetle Robot and Investigation of Its Dung-Rolling Behavior
Authors: Wang Jen-Wei , Chiang Yu-Sheng , Chen Jhih , Hsu Hao-Hsun
Published: April 2018

In this study, a bio-inspired dung beetle robot was developed that emulated the dung rolling motion of the dung beetle. Dung beetles, which can roll objects up to 1000 times their own body weight, are one of the strongest insect species in the world. While the locomotion of many insects, such as cockroaches, inchworms, and butterflies, has been studied widely, the locomotion of dung beetles has rarely been given attention. Here, we report on the development of a dung beetle robot made specifically to investigate dung-rolling behavior and to determine and understand the underlying mechanism. Two versions of the robot were built, and the leg trajectories were carefully designed based on kinematic analysis. Cylinder and ball rolling experiments were conducted, and the results showed that the dung beetle robot could successfully and reliably roll objects. This further suggests that the dung beetle robot, with its current morphology, is capable of reliably rolling dung without the need for complex control strategies.