bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An end to the controversy over the microscopic detection and effects of pristine microplastics in fish organs
Authors: De Sales-Ribeiro Carolina , Brito-Casillas Yeray , Fernandez Antonio , Caballero María José
Published: July 2020

The aquatic environment and the associated fish assemblages are being exposed to an increasing amount of microplastics. Despite the high number of publications on the presence of microplastics in fish, little is known about their uptake, translocation and accumulation within fish organs. Experimental studies on the detection and effects of pristine microplastics in fish have shown controversial and ambiguous results, respectively. Here, we conducted two experiments to detect and assess the impacts of dietary exposure of Danio rerio to different types of pristine microplastics. Our results show that D. rerio recognizes plastic particles as inedible materials but ingests them when mixed with food or fish oil. Accidental ingestion occurs in fish exposed to relatively small (1–5 µm) microplastic particles without associated food or fish oil. Additionally, D. rerio effectively eliminated pristine microplastics 24 h after ingestion; however, retention time was associated with increasing particle size and the intake of additional meals. Clinical signs, such as anorexia and lethargy, are present in fish fed relatively large microplastics (120–220 µm). The ingestion of microplastics does not induce any histopathological changes. To the best of our knowledge, we are able, for the first time, to fully demonstrate the uptake and translocation of plastic microbeads using confocal microscopy. Our results question the findings of previous studies on the detection and effects of pristine microplastics in fish and state that inaccurate interpretations of the histological findings regarding microplastics in fish organs is a prevalent flaw in the current scientific literature.
CT texture analysis predicts abdominal aortic aneurysm post-endovascular aortic aneurysm repair progression
Authors: Ding Ning , Hao Yunxiu , Wang Zhiwei , Xuan Xiao , Kong Lingyan , Xue Huadan , Jin Zhengyu
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of early postoperative CT texture analysis in aneurysm progression. Ninety-nine patients who had undergone post-endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) infra-renal abdominal aortic aneurysm CT serial scans were enrolled from July 2014 to December 2019. The clinical and traditional imaging features were obtained. Aneurysm texture analysis was performed using three methods—the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), the grey-level run length matrix (GLRLM), and the grey-level difference method (GLDM). A multilayer perceptron neural network was applied as a classifier, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) analysis were employed to illustrate the classification performance. No difference was found in the morphological and clinical features between the expansion (+) and (−) groups. GLCM yielded the best performance with an accuracy of 85.17% and an AUC of 0.90, followed by GLRLM with an accuracy of 87.23% and an AUC of 0.8615, and GLDM with an accuracy of 86.09% and an AUC of 0.8313. All three texture analyses showed superior predictive ability over clinical risk factors (accuracy: 69.41%; AUC: 0.6649), conventional imaging features (accuracy: 69.02%; AUC: 0.6747), and combined (accuracy: 75.29%; AUC: 0.7249). Early post-EVAR arterial phase-derived aneurysm texture analysis is a better predictor of later aneurysm expansion than clinical factors and traditional imaging evaluation combined.
The association of chronic anxiousness with cardiovascular disease and mortality in the community: results from the Gutenberg Health Study
Authors: Reiner Iris C. , Tibubos Ana N. , Werner Antonia M. , Ernst Mareike , Brähler Elmar , Wiltink Jörg , Michal Matthias , Schulz Andreas , Wild Philipp S. , Münzel Thomas , Arnold Natalie , Mahmoudpour Seyed Hamidreza , Lackner Karl J. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Beutel Manfred E.
Published: July 2020

In a large German community sample of adults, we investigated the association of chronic anxiousness with cardiovascular disease and mortality. Self-reported anxiousness from 11,643 German adults between 40 and 80 years of age from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) was analyzed over 5 years. Multivariable regression modeling assessed the relation between the variables, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Twelve percent of the participants reported consistently raised (chronic) anxiousness over at least 2.5 years. Anxiousness was more often reported by female, younger participants with a lower socioeconomic status, smokers and those with a family history of stroke and myocardial infarction. New onset of cardiovascular disease was linked to chronic anxiousness in men and new onset of anxiousness in women. However, chronic anxiousness did not predict all-cause mortality. Our results revealed that anxiousness is highly prevalent in German adults from middle to old age, affecting women in particular. In our study, we found sex-specific associations between new onset of cardiovascular disease and different forms of anxiousness in men and women. We suggest that even subclinical levels of anxiety need to be considered as cardiovascular risk factors. To elucidate potential harm of anxiousness for mental and physical health, we propose sex-specific analyses in further research studies, taking age and the course of anxiousness into account.
Role of hyperhomocysteine, thyroid dysfunction and their interaction in ischemic stroke patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation
Authors: Wang Lili , Zhang Yun
Published: July 2020

The role of hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and thyroid dysfunction in ischemic stroke with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. Till now, the relationship between HHcy and thyroid dysfunction in ischemic stroke with non-valvular AF has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and relationship of HHcy and thyroid dysfunction in ischemic stroke patients with non-valvular AF. Seven hundred and seventeen patients with acute ischemic stroke within the first 7 days of symptom onset were consecutively included in this study. Eligible patients were divided into AF group and without AF group. Variables including age, sex, smoke, drink, history of stroke were collected. Levels of homocysteine (Hcy), thyroid-stimulating hormone were evaluated at presentation. Multivariable logistic regression and spearman bivariate correlate analysis were used to evaluate the relationship of HHcy and thyroid dysfunction in ischemic stroke patients with AF. There were 122 patients with AF and 595 patients without AF. Two hundred and eighty-eight (40.2%) patients had HHcy and Three hundred and sixteen (44.1%) patients had thyroid dysfunction. There was significant difference of serum Hcy (P = 0.014) and thyroxine levels (P = 0.002) between patients with and without AF. Furthermore, the difference of serum Hcy (P = 0.007) and thyroxine levels (P = 0.004) between patients with and without AF was also significant in female subgroups. We did not find association between HHcy and thyroid dysfunction in AF group (P = 0.463). In conclusion, both HHcy and thyroid dysfunction were associated with AF in patients with acute ischemic stroke and in female subgroup patients. However, thyroid dysfunction had no relationship with HHcy in ischemic stroke patients with AF.
Author Correction: Evaluation of molecular subtypes and clonal selection during establishment of patient-derived tumor xenografts from gastric adenocarcinoma
Authors: Peille Anne-Lise , Vuaroqueaux Vincent , Wong Swee-Seong , Ting Jason , Klingner Kerstin , Zeitouni Bruno , Landesfeind Manuel , Kim Woo Ho , Lee Hyuk-Joon , Kong Seong-Ho , Wulur Isabella , Bray Steven , Bronsert Peter , Zanella Nina , Donoho Greg , Yang Han-Kwang , Fiebig Heinz-Herbert , Reinhard Christoph , Aggarwal Amit
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Does carrier velocity saturation help to enhance fmax in graphene field-effect transistors?
Authors: Feijoo Pedro C. , Pasadas Francisco , Bonmann Marlene , Asad Muhammad , Yang Xinxin , Generalov Andrey , Vorobiev Andrei , Banszerus Luca , Stampfer Christoph , Otto Martin , Neumaier Daniel , Stake Jan , Jiménez David
Published: July 2020

A drift–diffusion model including self-heating effects in graphene transistors to investigate carrier velocity saturation for optimal high frequency performance.
Combined tetraphenylethylene fluorogens with positive charge for imaging capsule-covered pathogens
Authors: Ai Wenting , Yang Zhiqiang , Ma Yufan , Han Xiaomin , Chen Yuzhi , Zhu Kui , Wang Zhuo
Published: July 2020

We developed four positively charged tetraphenylethylene derivatives (PC-TPEgens) that in certain combinations were applied to identify capsule-bearing pathogens using fluorescence imaging.
Neutral cyclic sp2–sp3 and sp3–sp3 diboranes from N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide insertion into 1,2-dichlorodiboranes(4)
Authors: Fırıncı Erkan , Fırıncı Rukiye , Sevinçek Resul , Aygün Muhittin , Şahin Yüksel
Published: July 2020

New derivatives of sp2–sp3 and sp3–sp3 diboranes were prepared via a carbodiimide-induced rearrangement process.
Efficient, broadband self-trapped white-light emission from haloplumbate-based metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Song Xueling , Peng Chengdong , Xu Xiaoxiang , Yin Jinlin , Fei Honghan
Published: July 2020

We have synthesized two MOFs with deformable haloplumbate units in single-stranded helices, affording intrinsic broadband self-trapped white-light emission with external photoluminescence quantum efficiencies of 12–15%.
Ion-pairing in polyoxometalate chemistry: impact of fully hydrated alkali metal cations on properties of the keggin [PW12O40]3−anion
Authors: Kaledin Alexey L. , Yin Qiushi , Hill Craig L. , Lian Tianquan , Musaev Djamaladdin G.
Published: July 2020

The [PW12O40]3−[M+(H2O)16]3is a “hydrogen bonded” ion-pair complex for M = Li, Na and K, but is a “contact” ion-pair complex for M = Rb and Cs, intermolecular charge transfer from the solvated counter cations M+(H2O)16to the anion [PW12O40]3−.
Syntheses of [11C]2- and [11C]3-trifluoromethyl-4-aminopyridine: potential PET radioligands for demyelinating diseases
Authors: Ramos-Torres Karla M. , Zhou Yu-Peng , Yang Bo Yeun , Guehl Nicolas J. , Sung-Hyun Moon , Telu Sanjay , Normandin Marc D. , Pike Victor W. , Brugarolas Pedro
Published: July 2020

[11C]fluoroform was used to produce 11C-trifluoromethylated derivatives of 4-aminopyridine with high molar activity for PET imaging of the brain.
Important role of the position of a functional group in isomers for photophysical and antibacterial properties: a case study with naphthalenemaleonitrile positional isomers
Authors: Monika  , Verma Abhineet , Verma Supriy , Pandey Nidhi , Tilak Ragini , Saha Satyen
Published: July 2020

The position of the functional group alters the interactions in the crystal packing, thereby altering the fluorescence responses as well as the antibacterial activities.
The need to innovate sample collection and library generation in microbial drug discovery: a focus on academia
Authors: Hernandez Antonio , Nguyen Linh T. , Dhakal Radhika , Murphy Brian T.
Published: July 2020

This viewpoint discusses limitations of sample collection and microbial strain library generation practices, and will offer suggestions to innovate these areas.
Fluoride etching opens access for bulky molecules to active sites in microporous Ti-beta zeolite
Authors: Yang Guoju , Qiu Ziyi , Han Ji , Chen Xiaoxin , Yu Jihong
Published: July 2020

Non-chemically selective fluoride etching opens access for bulky molecules to active sites in microporous Ti-beta zeolite.
Engineering of hierarchical NiCoSe2@NiMn-LDH core-shell nanostructures as a high-performance positive electrode material for hybrid supercapacitors
Authors: Ameri Bahareh , Zardkhoshoui Akbar Mohammadi , Hosseiny Davarani Saied Saeed
Published: July 2020

Core–shell NiCoSe2@NiMn-LDH nanostructures are fabricated on nickel foam by a hydrothermal strategy for hybrid supercapacitors.
HN1 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for liver cancer
Authors: Liu Zhicheng , Yang Dingquan , Li Yanqing , Jiao Yan , Lv Guangchao
Published: July 2020

Background: The present study aimed to examine the diagnostic and prognostic value of HN1 in terms of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in liver cancer and its potential regulatory signaling pathway.

Methods: We obtained clinical data and HN1 RNA-seq expression data of liver cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and analyzed the differences and clinical association of HN1 expression in different clinical features. We uesd receiver-operating characteristic curve to evaluate the diagnosis capability of HN1. We analyzed and evaluated the prognostic significance of HN1 by Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify signaling pathways related to HN1 expression.

Results: HN1 mRNA was up-regulated in liver cancer, and was associated with age, histologic grade, stage, T classification, M classification, and vital status. HN1 mRNA had ideal specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis (AUC = 0.855). Besides, the analysis of Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox model showed that HN1 mRNA was strongly associated with the overall survival and could be well-predicted liver cancer prognosis, as an independent prognostic variable. GSEA analysis identified three signaling pathways that were enriched in the presence of high HN1 expression.

Conclusion: HN1 serves as a biomarker of diagnosis and prognosis in liver cancer.
Exploration of the effects of goose TCs on GCs at different follicular stages using a co-culture model
Authors: Gan Xiang , Wang Yushi , Gao Shanyan , Chen Xi , Hu Shenqiang , Wang Jiwen , Hu Jiwei , Li Liang , Han Chunchun
Published: July 2020

Granulosa cells (GCs) play a critical role in follicular development, which cannot be separated from the assistance of theca cells (TCs). In the present study, we used a transwell system to develop three stages of goose GCs in vitro mono-culture and co-culture models, and we analyzed the morphology, activity, intracellular lipid content and the expression of core genes involved in de novo lipogenesis (DNL), steroidogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis of the GCs. In the co-culture group, the activity of all three stages of GCs showed significant (P<0.01) changes, and they had a strong (P<0.01) correlation with culture time; further, the intracellular lipid deposition of hierarchical GCs was significantly different (P<0.01) between the two methods. Moreover, after co-culture, in pre-hierarchical GCs, the expression of SREBP, CYP11 and 3βHSD was promoted (P<0.01). In hierarchical GCs, the expression of ACC, SREBP, STAR, CYP11, 3βHSD and CCND1 was promoted at 48 h, but they were inhibited (P<0.05) at 96 h. In F1 GCs, the expression of ACC, FAS, SREBP, CYP11, BCL2 and CAS3 was inhibited (P<0.01). The results indicate that goose TCs had complex and time-dependent effects on the biological function of GCs at each corresponding stage, and the effects were distinct in the different stages. In addition, DNL, steroidogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis in hierarchical and F1 GCs might have some synergistic relationships in the effects of TCs on GCs. Furthermore, we speculated that TCs might play an important role in the differentiation and maturation of GCs during follicular development.
Comparison of a novel cholesterol efflux assay using immobilized liposome-bound gel beads with the conventional method
Authors: Horiuchi Yuna , Lai Shao-Jui , Kameda Takahiro , Tozuka Minoru , Ohkawa Ryunosuke
Published: July 2020

Cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is an atheroprotective function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). CEC is currently measured using artificially prepared foam cells composed of cultured macrophage and 3H-cholesterol. However, this conventional method is not suitable for clinical laboratory use due to poor repeatability, complexity, and low safety. Recently, we reported a novel CEC assay, called the immobilized liposome-bound gel beads (ILG) method. The ILG method is an alternative to foam cells, comprising gel beads and 4,4-diflioro-4-bora-3a,4a-s-indacene labeled cholesterol (BODIPY-cholesterol) instead of macrophage and 3H-cholesterol, respectively. The ILG method has shown adequate basic properties and strong correlation with the conventional method. Here, we aimed to compare this new ILG method with the conventional method in-depth. When apoB-depleted serum was used as the cholesterol acceptor (CA), the ILG method had far better reproducibility than the conventional method. The CEC of major HDL subclasses HDL2 and HDL3 had similar results in both the ILG and conventional method. However, the ILG method did not reflect the CEC of apolipoprotein (apo) A–I and a minor HDL subclass which uses ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 on foam cells. Superior reproducibility of the ILG method, which is a limitation of the conventional method, and similar CEC results for major HDL subclasses in the ILG and conventional methods, provide further evidence that the ILG method is promising for measuring CEC clinically. However, some HDL subclasses or apo might have poor CEC correlation between these methods. Further research is therefore needed to confirm the clinical significance of estimating CEC by the ILG method.
Fast pedestrian detection method based on BING
Authors: Zhao Yong , Cui Zhongwei , Zhang Yongjun , Xu Wenbo , Liang Hao , Zuo Yu
Published: July 2020

Pedestrian detection is one of hot topics in the field of computer vision and pattern recognition, which is of great value to video surveillance, intelligent traffic and human‐computer interaction, etc. and how to improve detection rate and speed is the key. Most traditional pedestrian detection methods are based on the pyramid sliding window scanning method, and for images in which the majority of the region does not contain a body, the detection is inefficient. This study presents a body window sampling algorithm based on binarised normed gradients, which can quickly and effectively extract the window of the image that most likely contains human body to be identified, thus greatly improving the detection speed and obtaining a lower false alarm rate. The authors employ the histogram of oriented gradient feature and the linear support vector machine to train the classifier. For the same false test case in comparison with the pyramid scanning method, when the authors used 2,000 sampling windows for detection, they observed a detection rate increase of 11%, the detection speed increased 19.6 times. For 5,000 sampling windows, the detection rate increased by 20% and the detection speed increased 7.8 times.
Efficient generative model for motion deblurring
Authors: Xiang Han , Sang Haiwei , Sun Lilei , Zhao Yong
Published: July 2020

This article proposes a generate model for motion deblurring based on generative adversarial network. The generate model adopts multi‐level and multi‐scale feature fusion structure. By concatenating different scales of images and feature maps and adding them by pixels, the image details of each level are obtained. The enlargement part of feature maps uses three branches, which can generate more rich and realistic detail. In the training process, three loss functions at the pixel level and the abstract level are used to make the training convergence faster and effectively assist the parameter learning of the generated model. Experiments show that the proposed approach is more efficient than many state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Seismic solar models from Ledoux discriminant inversions
Authors: Buldgen G. , Eggenberger P. , Baturin V. A. , Corbard T. , Christensen-Dalsgaard J. , Salmon S. J. A. J. , Noels A. , Oreshina A. V. , Scuflaire R.
Published: July 2020

Context. The Sun constitutes an excellent laboratory of fundamental physics. With the advent of helioseismology, we were able to probe its internal layers with unprecendented precision and thoroughness. However, the current state of solar modelling is still stained by tedious issues. One of these central problems is related to the disagreement between models computed with recent photospheric abundances and helioseismic constraints. The observed discrepancies raise questions on some fundamental ingredients entering the computation of solar and stellar evolution models.

Aims. We used solar evolutionary models as initial conditions for reintegrating their structure using Ledoux discriminant inversions. The resulting models are defined as seismic solar models, satisfying the equations of hydrostatic equilibrium. These seismic models will allow us to better constrain the internal structure of the Sun and provide complementary information to that of calibrated standard and non-standard models.

Methods. We used inversions of the Ledoux discriminant to reintegrate seismic solar models satisfying the equations of hydrostatic equilibrium. These seismic models were computed using various reference models with different equations of state, abundances, and opacity tables. We checked the robustness of our approach by confirming the good agreement of our seismic models in terms of sound speed, density, and entropy proxy inversions, as well as frequency-separation ratios of low-degree pressure modes.

Results. Our method allows us to determine the Ledoux discriminant profile of the Sun with an excellent accuracy and compute full profiles of this quantity. Our seismic models show an agreement with seismic data of ≈0.1% in sound speed, density, and entropy proxy after seven iterations in addition to an excellent agreement with the observed frequency-separation ratios. They surpass all standard and non-standard evolutionary models including ad hoc modifications of their physical ingredients that aim to reproduce helioseismic constraints.

Conclusions. The obtained seismic Ledoux discriminant profile, as well as the full consistent structure obtained from our reconstruction procedure paves the way for renewed attempts at constraining the solar modelling problem and the missing physical processes acting in the solar interior by breaking free from the hypotheses of evolutionary models.
Research on Innovative Design Method Based on TRIZ——Taking the Elderly-Oriented Transformation of Outdoor Seats as an Example
Authors: Peng Zhang , Shen Haiyong , Tao Yang
Published: July 2020

This article takes the aging modification of outdoor seats as an example to analyze and discuss the application of TRIZ in the innovative design process. According to this method, the analysis model is constructed and imported into TRIZ tool for solutions, and finally a preliminary design plan and a series of optimization plans are quickly obtained, after analysis and comparison, the final plan was determined, which verified the obvious advantages of the comprehensive application method of TRIZ and innovative design. It can effectively break the mindset, improve the quality and innovation of the design, provide a more efficient and systematic innovation model for the design, and greatly shorten the time required for the design process, combined with the current situation and trend of aging in China, it also provides new theories, new ideas, and new perspectives for future suitable aging design.
Research on diversified application of modular high temperature ceramic kiln
Authors: Feng Shanxin , Wang Yurong , Simatrang Sone
Published: July 2020

Modular ceramic kiln can meet more than 10 kinds of ceramic firing technology, such as carburizing, wood burning, soda burning,Shinoya, oxidation firing, reduction firing, which adopt a full range of safety warning device, monitor and record the whole process of fire, guarantee the stability of the firing process, and provide reference data for the next fire. Modular ceramic kiln can meet various of ceramic kiln firing technology after physical kiln experiments, and has many advantages such as less investment, quick effect, broad use, etc. which can be widely used in the laboratory of colleges, universities and scientific research process.
Creative Product Design of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Yi Nationality Based on QFD -TRIZ
Authors: Chen Yuting , Chen Ming , Lyu Jianhua , Zhong Shilin , Wang Zhenyu
Published: July 2020

In order to inherit the intangible cultural heritage of Yi nationality and enhance the added value of the local cultural tourism products, this paper combines QFD and TRIZ to carry out research on the creative product design of intangible cultural heritage of Yi nationality. Firstly, draw technical conflicts by analyzing user needs and product technical requirements with QFD. Secondly, describe it as a standard problem using TRIZ theory, and a reasonable solution to cultural and creative product design is obtained by querying the contradiction matrix table. Finally, through design demonstration, the integration of QFD and TRIZ provides an effective and scientific method for creative product design of intangible cultural heritage of Yi nationality, and new research idea for innovative design of cultural and creative products.
Human centered design education——Design Education in the new era
Authors: Xiao Boxin
Published: July 2020

China’s design education has not developed as fast and well as the economy. Instead, problems such as blindly imitating foreign design education, failing to deeply develop students’ potential, and failing to develop students’ design thinking have emerged. Since the industrial revolution, design has been repeatedly defined and revised at different times. Similarly, design education needs to be constantly discussed in combination with the country, era, culture and population. Colleges and universities should not train “hand-drawn/modeling machines”, but let every student find himself and know human beings; Have empathy for others, insight into the environment, and confidence to use your strengths. Because design and education have to deal with people, it means that they don’t have to follow a process, summarize a method to get the truth. Teachers, students and designers have been involved in adjusting cognition to find more responsive answers to this era.
Exploration and Research of CMF Design in the Teaching of Product Design
Authors: ZHANG Hai-chao
Published: July 2020

Against the background that CMF design has a profound impact on product design, product design majors must also strengthen CMF teaching to achieve the goal of training modern industrial design talents. Based on this, this article analyses the application of CMF design in the teaching of product design majors, and proposes CMF teaching countermeasures from the aspects of curriculum system establishment, teaching content update, and practice platform construction, to provide a reference for people concerned about this topic.
Research on children’s air purifier based on Emotional design
Authors: Liu Jiawei , Ma Dongming , Qian Hao
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this article is to explore new functions and experience methods for children’s air purifiers based on the theory of emotional design. The research method is, first, to collect perceptual vocabulary and typical samples, and use the semantic difference method to build a perceptual evaluation table. Secondly, the analysis data is imported into SPSS software for factor analysis and principal component analysis. Establish user demand models for children’s air purifiers through user interviews. Finally, using the hierarchical analysis method to get the three elements of design: shape, function, experience, and then use the three elements of design to guide practice. The significance of the research lies in the use of emotional design methods, which provide new solutions for communication between parents, children and purifiers.
Three Principles and Application of Chinese Font Design for Mobile Device Interface
Authors: Lin Feng , Lu Wenli , Wei Sanxia
Published: July 2020

Font design for interface has gradually attracted attention with the widespread use of mobile clients, especially Chinese font design is not a bold font, and the font style becomes more and more diverse. This paper takes three principles of contemporary font design as the core, and analyzes the role of emotion, structure and artistry in font design. Meanwhile, the paper also designs “Bing Tahoma” based on the three principles of font design.
The Desolation of Nihility: Aesthetic Analysis of Japanese Domestic Ceramics from the Perspective of Japanese Zen Culture
Authors: Jiang Anfei , Sun Jinbo
Published: July 2020

The culture of Zen comes into two diverse paths in China and Japan. Compared to China, the Japanese Zen culture has characteristics of natural, plain, sensitive, vanity and silence. It is unrestrained with feeble and desolation. And these characteristics are presented in Japanese domestic ceramic in the unique beauty of its domestic ceramic.
Condensing economizers for large scale steam boilers
Authors: Iliev Iliya , Terziev Angel , Beloev Hristo
Published: July 2020

An energy analysis and assessment of the feasibility of the development and implementation of a condensing economizer (CE) for steam generator TGM-96A has been made. The condensing economizer is characterized with a very high heating capacity of 21 to 23.5 Gcal/h and will cool the fuel gases from 123°C down to 47°C. The utilized heat will be used to heat three water loops: two loops with District Heating Network water (DHN) and one with raw water from the Dnieper River. The expected improvement in the efficiency of the steam generator is 10.55%. Complete thermal calculations of the condensing economizer have been carried out along with a definition by flow and temperature of the heat carriers. Based on the calculations of the heat and mass transfer processes, the thermal capacity of the economizer under the conditions of partial condensation of water vapor from the flue gases was estimated. The analysis presents an objective assessment of the project’s investments, as well as other financial indicators and environmental benefits that give the investor the opportunity to put the project into operation.
Numerical modeling of the thermal conduction process in water-air convector’s fins
Authors: Kolev Zhivko , Kadirova Seher
Published: July 2020

The paper presents results from numerical modelling of thermal conduction process in ABAQUS. The computing mesh of the model has been verified. Based on the simulation results, the average temperature of the heat exchanger’s external surface and the external heat convection coefficient have been determined. The process of thermal conduction in the fins is modelled on the basis of boundary conditions, which values are obtained by simulation of the heat convection process in the convector’s pipes. The average heat parameters have been determined relative to the first, middle and last fins, by developing a geometric model in ABAQUS. The computing mesh has been verified by increasing the number of cells and nodes. The external heat convection coefficient is calculated by Newton's law.
Desorption of the Exotic Fruit Jujube (Ziziphus Jujube Mill) of Bulgarian Origin
Authors: Durakova Albena , Bogoeva Adelina , Yanakieva Velichka , Gogova Tzvetana , Choroleeva Kornelia
Published: July 2020

The present study determined the physico-chemical parameters of the exotic fruit jujube (Ziziphus jujube mill) of Bulgarian origin – pH of 4.62, refractometric dry matter of 31.6 %, dry matter (in weight) of 36.78 %, TTA (total titratable acidity) – citric acid – of 0.67 %, 0.70 % malic acid, 65.95 % moisture, 0.78 % fibre, 1.41 % protein, 23.65 % carbohydrate, 0.24 % fat and energy value of 428.44 kJ/102.4 kcal. Equilibrium moisture content and monolayer moisture content were established for desorption concerning eight water activities in the 0.1 0.9 range and the temperatures of 10 °С, 25 °С and 40 °С. The coefficients of the modified Oswin, Chung-Pfost, Halsey and Henderson models were obtained statistically. The modified Halsey model is recommended as a description of the desorption isotherms of jujube (Ziziphus jujube mill) since it corresponds to the criteria for model assessment and suitability. Via BET model linearization, the values of the monolayer moisture content for desorption at the temperatures of 10 °С 5.41 % d.b., 25 °С – 4.65 % d.b. and 40 °С 5.08 % d.b were determined.
Evaluation of carbon dioxide released by bread dough during proving stage
Authors: Istudor Adriana , Voicu Gheorghe , Muscalu Gheorghe , Tudor Paula
Published: July 2020

This study presents the analysis of multiple bread dough proving processes with the purpose of establishing a correlation between the concentration of released carbon dioxide during fermentation and the working parameters (time and temperature). The testing was performed using a standard recipe for white bread dough, a small capacity prover with air conditioning unit for temperature and relative humidity regulation, CO2 and temperature sensors with data acquisition plate. In the first part are presented the results for 11 measurements of CO2 concentration for one dough piece fermentation process at varying proving temperatures. In the second part of the paper are presented the results of 4 measurements of CO2 for 9 dough pieces proving at temperatures between 30 and 39 °C, at 3°C intervals. The obtained measurements of CO2 were correlated with the volume and dimensions of the finished products. The obtained results are considered relevant for this study and for the possibility of fermentation level evaluation using the quantity of CO2 released during proving. The presented study is part of an extensive research performed for the identification of a method for automated control of working regime in industrial bread dough provers using the measurements of released CO2.
The influence of environmental factors and heavy metals in the soil on plants’ growth and development
Authors: Vanghele Nicoleta Alexandra , Pruteanu Mirabela Augustina , Petre Ancuţa Alexandra , Matache Andreea , Mihalache Dumitru Bogdan , Stanciu Mariana Mădălina
Published: July 2020

Plants need certain conditions that represent their living environment. When the living environment provides the conditions required by the plant, it will grow and develop properly. The growth and development of plants involve environmental factors, which represent those constituent elements of the natural environment, which actively intervene in plants’ life.

The present work shows the characteristics of an agricultural soil, contaminated with heavy metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) in different concentrations, which has been divided into pots, in which were thereafter planted vegetable seedlings (tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, spinach, carrots, radishes). During the plants’ growing time, the temperature and humidity of the air inside the greenhouse, as well as the humidity and pH of the soil, were monitored. The growth and the development of the plants under certain conditions were also tracked, until the end of the growing period. The results of monitoring the plants’ growth and development are important in assessing the impact of the contamination over the soil and the plants.
Study on the effects and changes of soil degradation under the influence of antibiotics
Authors: Petre Ancuta Alexandra , Nenciu Florin , Vanghele Nicoleta Alexandra , Stanciu Mariana Mădălina , Mihalache Dumitru Bogdan , Grigore Iulia Andreea , Vladuţoiu Laurenţiu
Published: July 2020

The use of antibiotics in large quantities against the combat of pests in soils, indicates an increased remanence of them, which leads to major environmental risks. After entering in the soil, antibiotics are subjected to a succession of biogeochemical processes under the action of multiple environmental factors: absorption, migration, transformation, degradation or nutritional prosperity of plants.

In order to know the current state of the environment and the effects of antibiotics it is essential to discover procedures for improving the degradation and combating the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.

Research in recent years on the extraction of antibiotics from the soil is based on complex processes, such as: Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic extraction or accelerated solvent extraction.

Soil residue was determined using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, being the equipment that provides the highest accuracy in the analysis of polar compounds in very low concentrations.

The purpose of the paper is to find an efficient and ecological solution for the elimination of antibiotics from soils and to highlight the evaluation of the contaminated land regarding the antibiotic residues and the impact on the composition of the bacterial community. Information about the effects of antibiotics accumulated in soil, persistence, resistance and sensitivity to chemical and microbiological substances, degradation and results related to soil fertility and crop production are highlighted.
A 140 MW solar thermal plant with storage in Ma’an, Jordan
Authors: Al-Kouz Wael , Almuhtady Ahmad , Nayfeh Jamal , Abu-Libdeh Nidal , Boretti Alberto
Published: July 2020

In this paper, a 140 MW solar thermal plant with thermal energy storage is proposed for Ma’an, Jordan. The plant characteristics are derived from the design of the Solana solar thermal plant with thermal energy storage in Gila Bend, AZ, US. One half of the solar field is considered, and only 1 of the 2 turbines. The total capacity is reduced from 280 MW gross, 250 MW net to 140 MW gross, 125 MW net. Energy storage is designed for 6 hours, the same as Solana. The performances of this plant similar to Solana are analyzed by using the System Analyser Modeller (SAM) software. Simulations show that Ma’an is a superior location for implementing this design, as the capacity factors are generally better in this location over the year.
Exploring the energy performance of an existing industrial building
Authors: Dervishi Sokol , Karamani Sikris
Published: July 2020

The present paper explores the energy performance and thermal comfort conditions of an existing industrial building in Durres, Albania. The study analysis the building envelope retrofitting via building performance simulation. Measurements of indoor air temperature in two zones of the building were conducted Two retrofit scenarios were applied to evaluate the potential for improvement. Detailed construction activity, weather information, and occupancy patterns were applied in modelling the facility. In addition, detailed interior loads were considered including the machines used, occupancy and lighting operation patterns. The results provide an objective assessment of the actual energy performance and indoor environmental performance of the selected industrial building. The scenarios incorporate the use of thermal insulation of the walls and the roof, as well as modifying the roof design while increasing the ventilation regime during the summer period. The results suggest that improvements and insulations in building fabrics and ventilation regime could reduce the annual energy consumption up to 19 and reduce the monthly summer temperature up to 1.5 °C.
Occurrence of potentially toxic cyanobacteriaMicrocystis aeruginosain aquatic ecosystems of central Kerala (south India)
Authors: Mohan Renju , Sathish Twinkle , Padmakumar Kunnatholickal Balakrishnan
Published: July 2020

Microcystis aeruginosais a potentially toxic bloom-forming freshwater cyanobacterium, usually found in eutrophic water bodies worldwide. The present study reports the occurrence ofMicrocystis aeruginosaand its bloom in freshwater ponds along central Kerala (south India). Monitoring of cyanobacterial blooms was conducted from May 2019 to February 2020 along the aquatic ecosystems of central Kerala and theM. aeruginosablooms were recorded from two freshwater ponds of Kochi. Massive blooms ofM. aeruginosawas observed during the period prior to summer monsoon (May) with an abundance of 1.17 × 106cells L‑1(Station 1) and during early summer (February) latter being more thick scum (2 × 108cells L‑1) with high chlorophylla. Dense aggregates ofM. aeruginosascums were more prevalent during the periods characterised by higher Surface Water Temperature (SWT). The nutrient characteristic pattern of the study area showed the abundance ofM. aeruginosacorrelated very well with higher dissolved nitrate (96.7 μmol L‑1) and phosphate (19.88 μmol L‑1) concentrations. Thus in the stable freshwater ponds with higher SWT and nutrients were the major factors influencing the growth and abundance of the cyanobacteriaM.aeruginosa.Toxicological studies conducted revealed that theMicrocystisbloom was hepatotoxic, inflicting fish mortality.
Correlation between microstructural gradient and microindentation properties of dissimilar weld between INCONEL 625 and Duplex Stainless Steel
Authors: Chabbi Ammar , Bouabdallah Mabrouk , Sao-Joao Sergio , Boudiaf Achraf , Kermouche Guillaume
Published: July 2020

Microstructure evolution and microindentation properties of dissimilar weld between Inconel 625 nickel based alloy and UNS S32205 Duplex Stainless Steel have been investigated in the current study. Samples in cross-section areas were prepared to investigate microstructure and micromechanical properties in different regions of weld using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and indentation measurements. Typical solidification microstructures were observed. Secondary phases were noticed in both the weld metal and heat affected zone of Inconel 625 alloy at cellular and interdendritic region in lamellar, rod shaped and cuboidal form. These secondary phases were identified as Laves phase and carbonitrides of Nb and Ti. Mechanical properties including elastic modulus and hardness were estimated across the weld joint. The results showed that the weld metal exhibit the lowest values of hardness and elastic modulus, however the Heat Affected Zone of the stainless steel exhibit the highest values owing to high δ-ferrite amount. In-situ nanoindentation coupled with Scanning Electron Microscope was carried out in Laves phase and the matrix weld in order to evaluate nanohardness. The result showed that the nanohardness of Laves phase is too great compared to the weld matrix.
La formation de géodiversité et l’habitation durable de la Terre
Authors: Grenier Christophe
Published: July 2020

L’adaptation à l’environnement et l’isolement sont cruciaux dans la genèse de la géodiversité, ou diversité géographique, comme dans la formation des diversités culturelle et biologique. Ces facteurs, d’ordre évolutionniste et écologique dans le dernier cas, historique et géographique dans les autres, se dégradent avec la mondialisation. Après avoir exposé la conception de la géographie sur laquelle est fondée la notion, on examine la formation de la géodiversité qui accompagne le peuplement humain de la Terre, avant de présenter deux cas où les géographies mises en œuvre par les populations expliquent la diversification linguistique par isolement territorial et l’adaptation optimale d’un genre de vie aux écosystèmes marins. Préserver et inventer la géodiversité permettent l’habitation durable de la Terre pour l’humanité et les autres êtres vivants dans leurs diversités respectives.
A tabu search approach with embedded nurse preferences for solving nurse rostering problem
Authors: Ramli Razamin , Ahmad Siti Nurin Ima , Abdul-Rahman Syariza , Wibowo Antoni
Published: July 2020

This paper presents an intelligent tabu search (TS) approach for solving a complex real-world nurse rostering problem (NRP). Previous study has suggested that improvement on neighborhoods and smart intensification of a TS could produce faster and fitted solution. In order to enhance the TS, this paper introduces an improvement to the neighborhoods and explores on the neighborhoods exploitations of TS to solve the NRP. The methodology consists of two phases: initialization and neighborhood. The semi-random initialization is employed for finding a good initial solution during the initialization phase which avoids the violation of hard constraints, while the neighborhood phase is established for further improving the solution quality with a special representation and innovative neighborhood generations within TS algorithm. The aim is to move sample points towards a high-quality solution while avoiding local optima by utilising a calculated force value. It is observed that the enhancement strategy could improve the solution quality of the constructed roster. It is concluded that the TS with enhancements approach is able to assign effective and efficient shift duties for the NRP especially when related with real-world working regulations and nurses preferences.
Im Gedenken
Authors: Schröder Hans-Martin , Natterer Adalbert , Schulz-Merkel Ines , Keller Frieder
Published: July 2020

Mit Dr. Dieter Bundschu hat uns ein engagierter Arzt verlassen, der sich zahlreiche Verdienste um die Nephrologie in Deutschland erworben hat.
Prostate-Specific Antigen Density: A Measurement to Differentiate Benign Hypertrophy of Prostate from Prostate Carcinoma
Authors: Nath Chandan Kumar , Barman Bhupen , Phukan Pranjal , Sailo Stephen L. , Dey Biswajit , Nath Indrajit , Rajkhowa Purnima
Published: July 2020

Background Determination of isolated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in asymptomatic individuals has not demonstrated sufficient sensitivity and specificity to be useful in the routine evaluation of prostate disease. To enhance the accuracy of serum PSA we have used a proportion of serum PSA and prostate volume, which we refer to as prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD). Prostate volume in this study was calculated using transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS).

Materials and Methods A total of 106 patients with prostatic disease clinically confined to the prostate glands were evaluated.

Results and Observation The mean PSAD for prostate cancer was 0.15 ± 0.01 while that for benign hypertrophy of the prostate (BPH) was 0.11 ± 0.02 (p < 0.05). Significant difference (p < 0.05) was noted in the prostate volume in these two groups with the mean prostate volume measured by TRUS in the BPH to be 53.85 ± 9.71 mL compared with 58.14 ± 7.48 mL in the carcinoma. PSA density of 0.13 ng/mL can be used as a cutoff for the individual in our set-up who should go for prostate biopsy with sensitivity and specificity of over 90%.

Conclusion These results suggest that PSAD may be useful in distinguishing BPH and prostate cancer.