bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Módulo Estático de Elasticidad del Hormigón Fabricado con Agregados de la Mina de San Roque, Imbabura, Ecuador
Authors: Sánchez Oñate Diego Mauricio , Chiliquinga Cando Jessica Patricia , Flores Montalvo Edwin Patricio , Orosco Tacuri Marcia Katherine
Published: August 2020

El Módulo estático de elasticidad del hormigón es un parámetro que se utiliza para el cálculo y control de desplazamientos y deformaciones en una estructura de hormigón armado. El valor del módulo estático de elasticidad del hormigón depende en gran medida del módulo estático de elasticidad del agregado con el cual se fabrica el hormigón. El código ACI establece que, para calcular el módulo estático de elasticidad de un hormigón de peso normal, se debe usar como dato la resistencia a la compresión del hormigón. En el presente estudio se elaboraron probetas de hormigón armado utilizando agregados obtenidos de la mina San Roque ubicada en la provincia de Imbabura, Ecuador y se obtuvo el módulo estático de elasticidad del hormigón usando el método ASTM C 469. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que la forma de cálculo del módulo estático de elasticidad del hormigón propuesto por el ACI no es aplicable para hormigones fabricados con agregados obtenidos de la mina San Roque.
Lasia ruudun takaa – 3D-kierros Suomen lasimuseossa
Authors: Sihvonen Lilli
Published: August 2020

Arvio Suomen lasimuseon virtuaaliesittelystä.
The Effect of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) Model on Students' Concepts Mastery
Authors: Pradiyanasari Ni Wayan Erisca , Verawati Ni Nyoman Sri Putu , Doyan Aris
Published: August 2020

This study aims to determine the effect of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) model on the students’ concept mastery in SMAN 6 Mataram, subject matter of harmonious vibration. This study is a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest control group design. The population was all students of class X MIA at SMAN 6 Mataram in the 2018/2019 academic year totaling 172 students, with purposive sampling technique obtained by class X MIA 1 as an experimental class and class X MIA 3 as a control class. The concept mastery test instrument uses multiple choice questions totaling 25 items. The concept mastery data obtained were analyzed using t-test with a significance level (α) of 5%. Hypothesis test results indicate that the t-count is greater than t-table, that is 2.482 is greater than 2.020, so that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. Thus, there is an effect of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) model on students' concept mastery.
Spatial ecology and growth in early life stages of bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli in Chesapeake Bay (USA)
Authors: Auth TD , Arula T , Houde ED , Woodland RJ
Published: August 2020

The bay anchovyAnchoa mitchilliis the most abundant fish in Chesapeake Bay (USA) and is a vital link between plankton and piscivores within the trophic structure of this large estuarine ecosystem. Baywide distributions and abundances of bay anchovy eggs and larvae, and larval growth, were analyzed in a 5 yr program to evaluate temporal and spatial variability based on research surveys in the 1995-1999 spawning seasons. Effects of environmental variability and abundance of zooplankton that serve as prey for larval bay anchovy were analyzed. In the years of these surveys, 97.6% of eggs and 98.8% of larvae occurred in the polyhaline lower bay. Median egg and larval abundances differed more than 10-fold for surveys conducted in the 5 yr and were highest in the lower bay. Within years, median larval abundance (ind. m-2) in the lower bay was generally 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than upper-bay abundance. Salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen explained 12% of the spatial and temporal variability in egg abundances and accounted for 27% of the variability in larval abundances. The mean, baywide growth rate for larvae over the 5 yr period was 0.75 ± 0.01 mm d-1, and was best explained by zooplankton concentration and feeding incidence. Among years, mean growth rates ranged from 0.68 (in 1999) to 0.81 (in 1998) mm d-1and were fastest in the upper bay. We identified environmental factors, especially salinity, that contributed to broadscale variability in egg and larval production.
Instantaneous vs. non-instantaneous diver-operated stereo-video (DOV) surveys of highly mobile sharks in the Galápagos Marine Reserve
Authors: Smith ANH , Acuña-Marrero D , Salinas-de_León PS , Harvey ES , Pawley MDM , Anderson MJ
Published: August 2020

Effective management of wild populations of animals relies on having accurate methods for estimating their densities from field surveys. Surveying sharks and other highly mobile marine predators is particularly difficult, requiring specialised methods that can entail a range of potential biases. Recent simulation studies have suggested that non-instantaneous visual and video survey methods may overestimate densities of highly mobile fishes. A non-instantaneous method is one where each point in space is surveyed for a non-negligible period of time, rather than in an instantaneous ‘snapshot’, allowing animals to move into the survey space during the survey period. We conducted instantaneous and non-instantaneous surveys of sharks (Sphyrna lewini and Carcharhinus galapagensis) around Darwin and Wolf Islands (Galápagos Islands, Ecuador) using diver-operated stereo-video (stereo-DOV) systems with towed GPS. We provide the first empirical evidence of non-instantaneous bias and show that the degree of bias is negatively related to diver swimming speed. At a speed of 40 m min-1, the non-instantaneous method recorded twice as many sharks as the instantaneous method. The bias may be as high as 10 fold at slow speeds (23 m min-1) and negligible at very fast speeds (65 m min-1). Moreover, we used GPS data to produce fine-scale distribution maps, revealing high densities in areas of strong currents along the south-eastern sides of both islands. We recommend the use of stereo-DOV systems with GPS and fast swimming speeds for surveying highly mobile sharks, to produce more realistic estimates of densities on which to base management of these species.
Psychoanalysts on the Podium: Sándor Ferenczi and Sándor Feldmann in the Hungarian Daily Press
Authors: Friedrich Melinda
Published: August 2020

This article uses the example of Hungary to present some ways in which the study of old newspapers can contribute to the early history of psychoanalysis and even change the way we think about it. It explores the presence of various psychoanalysts in selected organs of the Hungarian daily and weekly press before World War II. A search was conducted on ten daily papers and two weekly papers ( Az Est, Budapesti Hírlap, Esti Kurir, Magyar Hírlap, Magyarország, Népszava, Pesti Hírlap, Pesti Napló, Ujság, Világ, Színházi Élet, Tolnai Világlapja) for articles by and interviews with psychoanalysts, with a focus on the main representatives of the two major psychoanalytical societies in Hungary – Sándor Ferenczi for the Hungarian Psychoanalytical Society and Sandor Feldmann for the Hungarian section of the Association of Independent Medical Analysts. One of the goals of this paper is to draw attention to the role that the rival psychoanalytical schools and their societies played in the history of psychoanalysis, without which it would not be as we know it today.
Profesionalisasi Buruh Migran Indonesia (BMI) dalam Revolusi Industri 4.0
Authors: Nasirin Anas Anwar
Published: August 2020

Permasalahn Buruh Migran Indonesia (BMI) sebagai bagian dari Pekerja Migran Indonesia (PMI) yang bekerja pada bidang informal di luar negeri perlu dicarikan solusi, khususnya yang bekerja di malaysia. Saat ini terdapat  283.640 Pekerja Migran Indonesia yang bekerja di luar negeri, sebanyak 47% bekerja di bidang formal dan 53% bekerja pada bidang informal, serta sebanyak 90.671 orang memilih bekerja di Malaysia. Sepanjang 2013 hingga 2017 terdapat 394  Buruh Migran Indonesia yang meninggal di Malaysia, kemudian pada 2019 sebanyak 104 Buruh Migran Indonesia diusir dari Malaysia ke Indonesia. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan meneliti kondisi objek alamiah atas posisi peneliti sebagai instrumen kunci dalam mengkonstruktifkan pengalaman sosial partisipan, serta menggunakan model penelitian deskriptif analitis. Hasil penelitian membuktikan, penyebab permasalahan yang menimpa Buruh Migran Indonesia di Malaysia akibat redahnya kualifikasi dan belum ada lembaga sertifikasi profesi yang menjamin Kualifikasi Buruh Migran Indonesia yang diberangkatkan ke malaysia. Solusi terhadap permasalah Buruh Migran Indonesia di Mlaysia adalah melalui peningkatan kualifikasi pendidikan, sertifikasi kemampuan dan optimalisasi e-regulasi yang memayungi Buruh Migran Indonesia ke Malaysia. Melalui solusi ini diharapkan dapat meningkatkan standar kemampuan Buruh Migran Indonesia dari low-skilled menjadi semi-sekilled bahkan skilled dalam mengimplementasikan revolusi industri 4.0.
Achieving Employability as We Age: The Role of Age and Achievement Goal Orientations on Learning and Employability
Authors: Froehlich Dominik , Aasma Sandra , Beausaert Simon
Published: August 2020

The aging workforce challenges companies to keep their aging employees employable in the workforce. This paper gives an indication as to which employees are more likely to be interested in further learning and employability. Specifically, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of chronological age and achievement goal orientations for informal and formal learning and employability. Data of 167 Austrian knowledge workers were gathered via electronic questionnaires to investigate the relationships between age, achievement goal orientations, learning activities, and employability using structural equation modeling. It was found that informal learning has a significant positive relation with several dimensions of employability. Furthermore, mastery-approach goal orientation also shows a significant positive relation with informal learning and employability. In addition, age had no significant relation with the achievement goal orientations. The paper stresses the need to consider characteristics other than chronological age, such as goal orientations, when considering employees’ learning behavior and employability.
Evaluating Heathland Restoration Belowground Using Different Quality Indices of Soil Chemical and Biological Properties
Authors: Duddigan Sarah , Gil-Martínez Marta , Fraser Tandra , Green Iain , Diaz Anita , Sizmur Tom , Pawlett Mark , Raulund-Rasmussen Karsten , Tibbett Mark
Published: August 2020

Reversion of agricultural land to heathland and acid grassland is a priority for the conservation of these rare habitats. Restoration processes require interventions to reverse the effects of fertilization and acidity amelioration undertaken during decades of agricultural production. Belowground assessments of restoration success are few, and we have examined the utility of soil indices as a rationalized tool for land managers and restoration practitioners to assess the efficacy of restoration practice. To achieve this, we assessed a large number of variables, many of which might be near redundant, that could be optimized for such indices. We used a 14-year field experiment contrasting acidified pasture (treated with elemental sulphur), control (untreated) pasture, and adjacent native heathland and acid grassland sites. Based on biotic and abiotic parameters, several ‘heathland restoration indices’ (resembling soil quality indices) were generated using a minimum dataset identified through principal component analysis and a linear scoring system. For comparison we also conducted alternative analyses of all parameters, using nonmetric multidimensional scaling plots and analyses of similarity (ANOSIM). Use of heathland restoration indices showed that elemental sulphur application had changed the soil chemical conditions, along with the vegetation assemblage, to be comparable to that of native acid grassland, but not the belowground biology. ANOSIM on full datasets confirmed this finding. An index based on key variables, rather than an analysis of all biotic and abiotic parameters, can be valuable to land managers and stakeholders in acid grassland and heathland restoration.
Clustering and Characterization of the Lactation Curves of Dairy Cows Using K-Medoids Clustering Algorithm
Authors: Lee Mingyung , Lee Seonghun , Park Jaehwa , Seo Seongwon
Published: August 2020

The aim of the study was to group the lactation curve (LC) of Holstein cows in several clusters based on their milking characteristics and to investigate physiological differences among the clusters. Milking data of 330 lactations which have a milk yield per day during entire lactation period were used. The data were obtained by refinement from 1332 lactations from 724 cows collected from commercial farms. Based on the similarity measures, clustering was performed using the k-medoids algorithm; the number of clusters was determined to be six, following the elbow method. Significant differences on parity, peak milk yield, DIM at peak milk yield, and average and total milk yield (p < 0.01) were observed among the clusters. Four clusters, which include 82% of data, show typical LC patterns. The other two clusters represent atypical patterns. Comparing to the LCs generated from the previous models, Wood, Wilmink and Dijsktra, it is observed that the prediction errors in the atypical patterns of the two clusters are much larger than those of the other four cases of typical patterns. The presented model can be used as a tool to refine characterization on the typical LC patterns, excluding atypical patterns as exceptional cases.
Pre-Exposure of Early-Weaned Lambs to a Herb-Clover Mix Does Not Improve Their Subsequent Growth
Authors: Ekanayake Lukshman Jay. , Corner-Thomas Rene Anne , Cranston Lydia Margaret , Kenyon Paul Richard , Morris Stephen Todd , Pain Sarah Jean
Published: August 2020

Twin sets of lambs were randomly allocated to one of six treatments: (1) lambs born and managed on ryegrass–clover-based pasture until conventional weaning approximately at 99 days of age (Grass–GrassCW); (2) lambs born on ryegrass–clover-based pasture and early weaned onto a herb–clover mix at ~45 days of age (Grass–HerbEW); (3) lambs born on ryegrass–clover-based pasture, transferred with their dam onto a herb–clover mix at ~45 days of age until conventional weaning (Grass–HerbCW); (4) lambs born on ryegrass–clover-based pasture, transferred with their dam onto a herb–clover mix at ~15 days of age and early weaned onto a herb–clover mix at ~45 days of age (Grass–HerbD15EW); (5) lambs born and managed on herb–clover mix until conventional weaning (Herb–HerbCW); (6) lambs born on herb–clover mix and weaned early onto a herb–clover mix at ~45 days of age (Herb–HerbEW). In both years, Herb–HerbCW lambs had greater (p < 0.05) growth rates than lambs in other treatments. The liveweight gains and rumen papillae development of Herb–HerbEW, Grass–HerbD15EW and Grass–HerbEW lambs did not differ (p > 0.05). The weight of the empty digestive tract components at either early weaning or conventional weaning did not differ (p > 0.05) between treatments. Exposing early-weaned lambs to the herb mix for a prolonged period, prior to early weaning, does not improve their subsequent growth.
Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns in Clostridioides difficile Strains Isolated from Neonates in Germany
Authors: Tilkorn Friederike K. M. T. , Frickmann Hagen , Simon Isabel S. , Schwanbeck Julian , Horn Sebastian , Zimmermann Ortrud , Groß Uwe , Bohne Wolfgang , Zautner Andreas E.
Published: August 2020

Young children are frequently colonized with Clostridioides (C.) difficile. Depending on their resistance patterns, antibiotic treatment can facilitate gastrointestinal spreading in colonized individuals, potentially leading to transmission to others. C. difficile was isolated from stool samples from infants born in two hospitals in Göttingen and Darmstadt, Germany. All isolates were subjected to phenotypic antimicrobial resistance testing, PCR-based screening for toxin genes and mass spectrometry-based exclusion of ribotypes 027 and 176. Within an initial cohort of 324 neonates with a longitudinal survey of C. difficile, 137 strains were isolated from 48 individuals. Antimicrobial resistance was recorded against metronidazole in one (0.7%), erythromycin in 16 (11.7%) and moxifloxacin in 2 (1.5%) of the strains, whereas no resistance was observed against vancomycin (0.0%) or rifampicin (0.0%). Newly observed resistance against erythromycin in children with detection of previously completely sensitive isolates was reported for C. difficile isolates from 2 out of 48 children. In 20 children (42%), non-toxigenic strains were detected, and from 27 children (56%), toxigenic strains were isolated, while both toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains were recorded for 1 child (2%). Ribotypes 027 or 176 were not observed. In conclusion, the German C. difficile strains isolated from the children showed mild to moderate resistance with predominance of macrolide resistance, a substance class which is frequently applied in children. The observed switches to the dominance of macrolide-resistant isolates suggests likely selection of resistant C. difficile strains already in children.
Microstructure and Nanohardness of Ti-48Al-2Cr Alloy Solidified under High Pressure
Authors: Dong Duo , Liu Li , Zhu Dongdong , Liu Yang , Wang Ye , Wang Xiaohong , Wei Zunjie
Published: August 2020

In this work, the Ti-48Al-2Cr alloy, solidified under different pressures and temperatures, was investigated in detail. The effect of high pressure on the microstructure and nanohardness of the Ti-48Al-2Cr alloy was investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and a nanoindenter XP testing machine. The results showed that the B2 phase disappeared after high-pressure solidification. Compared with ambient pressure solidification, high pressure led to the increase of (α2 + γ) lamellar structure and the decrease of γ phase. The nanohardness of the lamellar structure was discussed based on the microstructure observation. When solidified at 5 GPa/1873 K, the hardness rose to 5.54 GPa, an increase of 60.5% compared with that solidified at ambient pressure. However, the increased holding temperature of 1973 K made the dislocation density in the lamellar structures greatly decrease, and reduced the structure’s hardness to 4.48 GPa.
Non-Destructive Identification and Estimation of Granulation in Honey Pomelo Using Visible and Near-Infrared Transmittance Spectroscopy Combined with Machine Vision Technology
Authors: Sun Xiaopeng , Xu Sai , Lu Huazhong
Published: August 2020

Granulation is a physiological disorder of juice sacs in citrus fruit, causing juice sacs to become hard and dry and resulting in decreased internal quality of citrus fruit. Honey pomelo is a thick-skinned citrus fruit, and it is difficult to identify the extent of granulation by observation of the outer peel and fruit shape. In this study, a rapid and non-destructive testing method using visible and near-infrared transmittance spectroscopy combined with machine vision technology was applied to identify and estimate granulation inside fruit. A total of 600 samples in different growth periods was harvested, and fruit were divided into five classes according to five granulation levels. Spectral data were obtained for two ranges of 400–1100 nm and 900–1700 nm by visible and near-infrared transmittance spectroscopy. In addition, chemometrics were used to measure the chemical changes of soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and moisture content (MC) caused by different granulation levels. Machine vision technology can rapidly estimate the external characteristics of samples and measure the physical changes in mass and volume caused by different granulation levels. Compared with using a single or traditional methods, the predictive performances of multi-category classification models (PCA-SVM and PCA-GRNN) were significantly enhanced. In particular, the model accuracy rate (ARM) was 99% for PCA-GRNN, with classification accuracy (CA), classification sensitivity (CS), and classification specificity (CSP) of 0.9950, 0.9750, and 0.9934, respectively. The results showed that this method has great potential for the identification and estimation of granulation. Multi-source data fusion and application of a multi-category classification model with the smallest number of input layers and acceptable high predictive performances are proposed for on-line applications. This method can be effectively used on-line for the non-destructive detection of fruits with granulation.
Operational Performance and Degradation of PV Systems Consisting of Six Technologies in Three Climates
Authors: Kunaifi Kunaifi , Reinders Angèle , Lindig Sascha , Jaeger Magnus , Moser David
Published: August 2020

In Indonesia, the solar photovoltaic (PV) market is rapidly growing. However, studies on the outdoor performance of PV systems in this tropical rainforest country is lacking. In this work, we compare the performance of PV systems in Indonesia with PV systems in Australia (arid, desert, hot) and Italy (temperate, dry summer, hot summer). Monitoring data from 2008 to 2019, ranging from two to nine years, from fifteen PV systems of six technologies were analyzed. The performance of the PV systems was presented using their performance ratio (PR) and performance loss rate (PLR). PR was calculated using IEC standard 61724, and PLR was calculated using seasonal and trend decomposition, applying locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (STL decomposition) and the year-on-year approach from NREL/RdTools. The results showed that the CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) system had the highest average PR value of 0.88 ± 0.04. The lowest average PR was found in the a-Si (amorphous silicon) PV systems (0.78 ± 0.05). The p-Si (polycrystalline silicon) systems in the Cfb (temperate, no dry season, warm summer) climate of Italy had a higher average PR of 0.84 than those operated in climates BWh (arid, desert, hot) of Australia and Af (tropical, rainforest) of Indonesia, with the same value of 0.81. The p-Si systems showed the lowest PLR, with a value of −0.6%/year. The fastest degradation was experienced by a-Si modules at −1.58%/year. The methodological differences in the calculation of PLR using both tested approaches resulted in a significant difference in the degradation value, which demands standardization of the term and calculation methodology.
Development of a Novel Medical Device for Mucositis and Peri-Implantitis Treatment
Authors: Cosoli Gloria , Scalise Lorenzo , De Leo Alfredo , Russo Paola , Tricarico Gerardo , Tomasini Enrico Primo , Cerri Graziano
Published: August 2020

In spite of all the developments in dental implantology techniques, peri-implant diseases are frequent (prevalence up to 80% and 56% of subjects for mucositis and peri-implantitis, respectively) and there is an urgency for an effective treatment strategy. This paper presents an innovative electromedical device for the electromagnetic treatment of mucositis and peri-implantitis diseases. This device is also equipped with a measurement part for bioimpedance, which reflects the health conditions of a tissue, thus allowing clinicians to objectively detect impaired areas and to monitor the severity of the disease, evaluate the treatment efficacy, and adjust it accordingly. The design of the device was realized considering literature data, clinical evidence, numerical simulation results, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) pre-compliance tests, involving both clinicians and engineers, to better understand all the needs and translate them into design requirements. The reported system is being tested in more than 50 dental offices since 2019, providing efficient treatments for mucositis and peri-implantitis, with success rates of approximately 98% and 80%, respectively.
Phosphate Derivatives of 3-Carboxyacylbetulin: SynThesis, In Vitro Anti-HIV and Molecular Docking Study
Authors: Marciniec Krzysztof , Chrobak Elwira , Dąbrowska Aleksandra , Bębenek Ewa , Kadela-Tomanek Monika , Pęcak Paweł , Boryczka Stanisław
Published: August 2020

Lupane-type pentacyclic triterpenes such as betulin and betulinic acid play an important role in the search for new therapies that would be effective in controlling viral infections. The aim of this study was the synthesis and evaluation of in vitro anti-HIV-1 activity for phosphate derivatives of 3-carboxyacylbetulin 3–5 as well as an in silico study of new compounds as potential ligands of the C-terminal domain of the HIV-1 capsid–spacer peptide 1 (CA-CTD-SP1) as a molecular target of HIV-1 maturation inhibitors. In vitro studies showed that 28-diethoxyphosphoryl-3-O-(3′,3′-dimethylsuccinyl)betulin (compound 3), the phosphate analog of bevirimat (betulinic acid derivative, HIV-1 maturation inhibitor), has IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) equal to 0.02 μM. Compound 3 inhibits viral replication at a level comparable to bevirimat and is also more selective (selectivity indices = 1250 and 967, respectively). Molecular docking was used to examine the probable interaction between the phosphate derivatives of 3-carboxyacylbetulin and C-terminal domain (CTD) of the HIV-1 capsid (CA)–spacer peptide 1 (SP1) fragment of Gag protein, designated as CTD-SP1. Compared with interactions between bevirimat (BVM) and the protein, an increased number of strong interactions between ligand 3 and the protein, generated by the phosphate group, were observed. These compounds might have the potential to also inhibit SARS-CoV2 proteins, in as far as the intrinsically imprecise docking scores suggest.
Whole-Language and Item-Specific Inhibition in Bilingual Language Switching: The Role of Domain–General Inhibitory Control
Authors: Zhu Judy D. , Sowman Paul F.
Published: August 2020

A prominent theory of bilingual speech production holds that appropriate language selection is achieved via inhibitory control. Such inhibition may operate on the whole-language and/or item-specific level. In this study, we examined these two levels of control in parallel, by introducing a novel element into the traditional cued language switching paradigm: half of the stimuli were univalent (each required naming in the same language every time it appeared), and the other half were bivalent (each required naming in different languages on different trials). Contrasting switch and stay trials provided an index for whole-language inhibition, while contrasting bivalent and univalent stimuli provided an index for item-specific inhibition. We then investigated the involvement of domain-general brain mechanisms in these two levels of language control. Neuroimaging studies report activation of the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), a key region in the executive control brain network, during language switching tasks. However, it is unclear whether or not the pre-SMA plays a causal role in language control, and at which level it exerts control. Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to transiently disrupt the pre-SMA, we observed an essential role of this brain region in general speech execution, while evidence for its specific involvement in each level of inhibition remains inconclusive.
Application of Machine Learning for Predicting Building Energy Use at Different Temporal and Spatial Resolution under Climate Change in USA
Authors: Mohammadiziazi Rezvan , Bilec Melissa
Published: August 2020

Given the urgency of climate change, development of fast and reliable methods is essential to understand urban building energy use in the sector that accounts for 40% of total energy use in USA. Although machine learning (ML) methods may offer promise and are less difficult to develop, discrepancy in methods, results, and recommendations have emerged that requires attention. Existing research also shows inconsistencies related to integrating climate change models into energy modeling. To address these challenges, four models: random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), single regression tree, and multiple linear regression (MLR), were developed using the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey dataset to predict energy use intensity (EUI) under projected heating and cooling degree days by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) across the USA during the 21st century. The RF model provided better performance and reduced the mean absolute error by 4%, 11%, and 12% compared to XGBoost, single regression tree, and MLR, respectively. Moreover, using the RF model for climate change analysis showed that office buildings’ EUI will increase between 8.9% to 63.1% compared to 2012 baseline for different geographic regions between 2030 and 2080. One region is projected to experience an EUI reduction of almost 1.5%. Finally, good data enhance the predicting ability of ML therefore, comprehensive regional building datasets are crucial to assess counteraction of building energy use in the face of climate change at finer spatial scale.
Cell Motility and Cancer
Authors: De la Fuente Ildefonso M. , López José I.
Published: August 2020

Cell migration is an essential systemic behavior, tightly regulated, of all living cells endowed with directional motility that is involved in the major developmental stages of all complex organisms such as morphogenesis, embryogenesis, organogenesis, adult tissue remodeling, wound healing, immunological cell activities, angiogenesis, tissue repair, cell differentiation, tissue regeneration as well as in a myriad of pathological conditions. However, how cells efficiently regulate their locomotion movements is still unclear. Since migration is also a crucial issue in cancer development, the goal of this narrative is to show the connection between basic findings in cell locomotion of unicellular eukaryotic organisms and the regulatory mechanisms of cell migration necessary for tumor invasion and metastases. More specifically, the review focuses on three main issues, (i) the regulation of the locomotion system in unicellular eukaryotic organisms and human cells, (ii) how the nucleus does not significantly affect the migratory trajectories of cells in two-dimension (2D) surfaces and (iii) the conditioned behavior detected in single cells as a primitive form of learning and adaptation to different contexts during cell migration. New findings in the control of cell motility both in unicellular organisms and mammalian cells open up a new framework in the understanding of the complex processes involved in systemic cellular locomotion and adaptation of a wide spectrum of diseases with high impact in the society such as cancer.
Enhanced Naproxen Elimination in Water by Catalytic Ozonation Based on NiO Films
Authors: Aguilar-Melo Claudia M. , Rodríguez Julia L. , Chairez Isaac , Salgado Iván , Andraca Adame J. A. , Galaviz-Pérez J. A. , Vazquez-Arenas Jorge , Poznyak Tatyana
Published: August 2020

This study evaluates naproxen (NP) degradation efficiency by ozonation using nickel oxide films (NiO(F)) as a catalyst. The NiO films were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. NP degradation was conducted for 5 min using 10 films of NiO(F) comparing against ozonation using 100 mg/L NiO powder in suspension (NiO(S)) and conventional ozonation (O3-conv). Total organic carbon analysis demonstrated a mineralization degree of 12% with O3-conv, 35% with NiO as powder and 22% with NiO(F) after 60 min of reaction. The films of NiO(F) were sequentially used 4 times in ozonation demonstrating the stability of the synthesized material, as well as its properties as a catalyst for ozonation. A proposed modeling strategy using robust parametric identification techniques allows the comparison of NP decomposition pseudo-monomolecular reaction rates.
Degradation of Acid Orange 7 Azo Dye in Aqueous Solution by a Catalytic-Assisted, Non-Thermal Plasma Process
Authors: Iervolino Giuseppina , Vaiano Vincenzo , Pepe Giacomo , Campiglia Pietro , Palma Vincenzo
Published: August 2020

The aim of this work was the optimization of the performance of the cold plasma technology coupled with a structured catalyst for the discoloration and mineralization of “acid orange 7” (AO7) azo dye. The structured catalyst consists of Fe2O3 immobilized on glass spheres, and it was prepared by the “dip coating” method and characterized by different chemico-physical techniques. The experiments were carried out in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. Thanks to the presence of the catalytic packed material, the complete discoloration and mineralization of the dye was achieved with voltage equal to 12 kV, lower than those generally used with this technology (approximately 20–40 kV). The best result in terms of discoloration and mineralization (80% after only 5 min both for discoloration and mineralization) was obtained with 0.25 wt% of Fe2O3 immobilized on the glass spheres, without formation of reaction by-products, as shown by the HPLC analysis. The optimized catalyst was reused for several reuse cycles without any substantial decrease of performances. Moreover, tests with radical scavengers evidenced that the most responsible oxidizing species for the degradation of AO7 dye was O2•−.
Hydrogen and Halogen Bond Mediated Coordination Polymers of Chloro-Substituted Pyrazin-2-Amine Copper(I) Bromide Complexes
Authors: Mailman Aaron , Puttreddy Rakesh , Lahtinen Manu , Svahn Noora , Rissanen Kari
Published: August 2020

A new class of six mono- (1; 3-Cl-, 2; 5-Cl-, 3; 6-Cl-) and di-(4; 3,6-Cl, 5; 5,6-Cl-, 6; 3,5-Cl-) chloro-substituted pyrazin-2-amine ligands (1–6) form complexes with copper (I) bromide, to give 1D and 2D coordination polymers through a combination of halogen and hydrogen bonding that were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. These Cu(I) complexes were prepared indirectly from the ligands and CuBr2 via an in situ redox process in moderate to high yields. Four of the pyrazine ligands, 1, 4–6 were found to favor a monodentate mode of coordination to one CuI ion. The absence of a C6-chloro substituent in ligands 1, 2 and 6 supported N1–Cu coordination over the alternative N4–Cu coordination mode evidenced for ligands 4 and 5. These monodentate systems afforded predominantly hydrogen bond (HB) networks containing a catenated (μ3-bromo)-CuI ‘staircase’ motif, with a network of ‘cooperative’ halogen bonds (XB), leading to infinite polymeric structures. Alternatively, ligands 2 and 3 preferred a μ2-N,N’ bridging mode leading to three different polymeric structures. These adopt the (μ3-bromo)-CuI ‘staircase’ motif observed in the monodentate ligands, a unique single (μ2-bromo)-CuI chain, or a discrete Cu2Br2 rhomboid (μ2-bromo)-CuI dimer. Two main HB patterns afforded by self-complimentary dimerization of the amino pyrazines described by the graph set notation R22(8) and non-cyclic intermolecular N–H∙∙∙N’ or N–H∙∙∙Br–Cu leading to infinite polymeric structures are discussed. The cooperative halogen bonding between C–Cl∙∙∙Cl–C and the C–Cl∙∙∙Br–Cu XB contacts are less than the sum of the van der Waals radii of participating atoms, with the latter ranging from 3.4178(14) to 3.582(15) Å. In all cases, the mode of coordination and pyrazine ring substituents affect the pattern of HBs and XBs in these supramolecular structures.
Traditional Herbal Remedies with a Multifunctional Therapeutic Approach as an Implication in COVID-19 Associated Co-Infections
Authors: Tiwari Pandey Aprajita , Pandey Ishan , Zamboni Paolo , Gemmati Donato , Kanase Anurag , Singh Ajay , Singh Mohan
Published: August 2020

Co-infection in patients with viral infection as a predisposing factor is less focused on during epidemic outbreaks, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Recent studies showed that patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often have both bacterial and fungal co-infections. In this study, sputum samples of 120 OPD (outdoor patients) suffering from respiratory tract infection (RTI) but negative for tuberculosis infection were collected with informed consent. Morphological, biochemical, and resistance criteria were used to classify isolates and to distinguish multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates, which were further classified on a molecular basis. We found that the isolates, including MDR strains, showed remarkable sensitivity against acetone and methanol extracts of Moringa oleifera, Adhatoda vasica, and Cassia fistula. The results strongly confirmed that multifactorial infections can produce MDR characteristics against antimicrobial drugs, which gave insight into the use of herbal drugs with their age-old traditional importance as having antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. We conclude that apart from this, the anti-infective potential of these plants can be used in the future in the form of products such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical coatings, surface coatings, drug delivery vehicle coatings, and other bioengineered coatings for public use. Future studies are required to assess therapeutics for co-infective resistant strains and nosocomial infections with immune-enhancing effects, thereby promoting their function in holistic treatment and therapy of COVID-19 patients.
Deposition of Synthetic and Bio-Based Polycations onto Negatively Charged Solid Surfaces: Effect of the Polymer Cationicity, Ionic Strength, and the Addition of an Anionic Surfactant
Authors: Hernández-Rivas María , Guzmán Eduardo , Fernández-Peña Laura , Akanno Andrew , Greaves Andrew , Léonforte Fabien , Ortega Francisco , G. Rubio Ramón , Luengo Gustavo S.
Published: August 2020

The deposition of layers of different polycations (synthetic or derived from natural, renewable resources) onto oppositely charged surfaces has been studied using ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Information about the thickness of the deposited layers and their water content was ascertained. The adsorption of the different polycations onto negatively charged surfaces was found to be a complex process, which is influenced by the chemical nature of the polymer chains, ionic strength, polymer concentration and the addition of additives such as surfactants. The experimental picture shows a good agreement with theoretical calculations performed using the Self-Consistent Mean Field (SCF) approach. The results show that the electrostatically-driven deposition can be tuned by modifying the physico-chemical properties of the solutions and the chemical nature of the adsorbed polymer. This versatile approach is a big step forward in aiding the design of new polymers for many industrial applications and, in particular, the design of sustainable washing formulations for cosmetic applications.
Orientation Control of Helical Nanofilament Phase and Its Chiroptical Applications
Authors: Park Wongi , Yoon Dong Ki
Published: August 2020

Chiral liquid crystal phases show fascinating structural and optical properties due to their inherent helical characteristics. Among the various chiral liquid crystal phases, the helical nanofilament phase, made of achiral bent-shaped molecules, has been of keen research interest due to its unusual polar and chiral properties. This review is intended to introduce the recent progress in orientation control and its application to the helical nanofilament phase, which includes topographic confinement, photoalignment, and chiroptical applications such as photonic crystal and chirality sensor.
Deep Learning Versus Iterative Reconstruction for CT Pulmonary Angiography in the Emergency Setting: Improved Image Quality and Reduced Radiation Dose
Authors: Lenfant Marc , Chevallier Olivier , Comby Pierre-Olivier , Secco Grégory , Haioun Karim , Ricolfi Frédéric , Lemogne Brivaël , Loffroy Romaric
Published: August 2020

To compare image quality and the radiation dose of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) subjected to the first deep learning-based image reconstruction (DLR) (50%) algorithm, with images subjected to the hybrid-iterative reconstruction (IR) technique (50%). One hundred forty patients who underwent CTPA for suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) between 2018 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Image quality was assessed quantitatively (image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)) and qualitatively (on a 5-point scale). Radiation dose parameters (CT dose index, CTDIvol; and dose-length product, DLP) were also recorded. Ninety-three patients were finally analyzed, 48 with hybrid-IR and 45 with DLR images. The image noise was significantly lower and the SNR (24.4 ± 5.9 vs. 20.7 ± 6.1) and CNR (21.8 ± 5.8 vs. 18.6 ± 6.0) were significantly higher on DLR than hybrid-IR images (p < 0.01). DLR images received a significantly higher score than hybrid-IR images for image quality, with both soft (4.4 ± 0.7 vs. 3.8 ± 0.8) and lung (4.1 ± 0.7 vs. 3.6 ± 0.9) filters (p < 0.01). No difference in diagnostic confidence level for PE between both techniques was found. CTDIvol (4.8 ± 1.4 vs. 4.0 ± 1.2 mGy) and DLP (157.9 ± 44.9 vs. 130.8 ± 41.2 mGy∙cm) were lower on DLR than hybrid-IR images. DLR both significantly improved the image quality and reduced the radiation dose of CTPA examinations as compared to the hybrid-IR technique.
Multifunctional Roles of miR-34a in Cancer: A Review with the Emphasis on Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Thyroid Cancer with Clinical Implications
Authors: Kalfert David , Ludvikova Marie , Pesta Martin , Ludvik Jaroslav , Dostalova Lucie , Kholová Ivana
Published: August 2020

MiR-34a belongs to the class of small non-coding regulatory RNAs and functions as a tumor suppressor. Under physiological conditions, miR-34a has an inhibitory effect on all processes related to cell proliferation by targeting many proto-oncogenes and silencing them on the post-transcriptional level. However, deregulation of miR-34a was shown to play important roles in tumorigenesis and processes associated with cancer progression, such as tumor-associated epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and metastasis. Moreover, further understanding of miR-34a molecular mechanisms in cancer are indispensable for the development of effective diagnosis and treatments. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on miR-34a functions in human disease with an emphasis on its regulation and dysregulation, its role in human cancer, specifically head and neck squamous carcinoma and thyroid cancer, and emerging role as a disease diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and the novel therapeutic target in oncology.
Data Augmentation for Human Keypoint Estimation Deep Learning based Sign Language Translation
Authors: Park Chan-Il , Sohn Chae-Bong
Published: August 2020

Deep learning technology has developed constantly and is applied in many fields. In order to correctly apply deep learning techniques, sufficient learning must be preceded. Various conditions are necessary for sufficient learning. One of the most important conditions is training data. Collecting sufficient training data is fundamental, because if the training data are insufficient, deep learning will not be done properly. Many types of training data are collected, but not all of them. So, we may have to collect them directly. Collecting takes a lot of time and hard work. To reduce this effort, the data augmentation method is used to increase the training data. Data augmentation has some common methods, but often requires different methods for specific data. For example, in order to recognize sign language, video data processed with openpose are used. In this paper, we propose a new data augmentation method for sign language data used for learning translation, and we expect to improve the learning performance, according to the proposed method.
Influence of the Thermometer Inertia on the Quality of Temperature Control in a Hot Liquid Tank Heated with Electric Energy
Authors: Taler Dawid , Sobota Tomasz , Jaremkiewicz Magdalena , Taler Jan
Published: August 2020

This paper presents the medium temperature monitoring system based on digital proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control. For industrial thermometers with a complex structure used for measuring the temperature of the fluid under high pressure, the accuracy of the first-order model is inadequate. A second-order differential equation was applied to describe a dynamic response of a temperature sensor placed in a heavy thermowell (industrial thermometer). The quality of the water temperature control system in the tank was assessed when measuring the water temperature with a jacketed thermocouple and a thermometer in an industrial casing. A thermometer of a new design with a small time constant was also used to measure temperature. The quality of water temperature control in the hot water storage tank was evaluated using a classic industrial thermometer and a new design thermometer. In both cases, there was a K-type sheathed thermocouple inside the thermowell. Reductions in the time constant of the new thermometer are achieved by means of a steel casing with a small diameter hole inside which the thermocouple is precisely fitted. The time constants of the thermometers were determined experimentally with a jump in water temperature. A digital controller was designed to maintain the preset temperature in an electrically heated hot water tank. The function of the regulator was to adjust the power of the electrical heater to maintain a constant temperature of the liquid in the tank.
A Methodology for Energy Load Profile Forecasting Based on Intelligent Clustering and Smoothing Techniques
Authors: Jiménez Mares Jamer , Navarro Loraine , Quintero M. Christian G. , Pardo Mauricio
Published: August 2020

The electrical sector needs to study how energy demand changes to plan the maintenance and purchase of energy assets properly. Prediction studies for energy demand require a high level of reliability since a deviation in the forecasting demand could affect operation costs. This paper proposed a short-term forecasting energy demand methodology based on hierarchical clustering using Dynamic Time Warp as a similarity measure integrated with Artificial Neural Networks. Clustering was used to build the typical curve for each type of day, while Artificial Neural Networks handled the weather sensibility to correct a preliminary forecasting curve obtained in the clustering stage. A statistical analysis was carried out to identify those significant factors in the prediction model of energy demand. The performance of this proposed model was measured through the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The experimental results show that the three-stage methodology was able to improve the MAPE, reaching values as good as 2%.
A Probabilistic Statistical Method for the Determination of Void Morphology with CFD-DEM Approach
Authors: Lu Yuanxiang , Liu Sihan , Zhang Xinru , Jiang Zeyi , E Dianyu
Published: August 2020

Voids that are formed by gas injection in a packed bed play an important role in metallurgical and chemical furnaces. Herein, two-phase gas–solid flow in a two-dimensional packed bed during blast injection was simulated numerically. The results indicate that the void stability was dynamic, and the void shape and size fluctuated within a certain range. To determine the void morphology quantitatively, a probabilistic method was proposed. By statistically analyzing the white probability of each pixel in binary images at multiple times, the void boundaries that correspond to different probability ranges were obtained. The boundary that was most appropriate with the simulation result was selected and defined as the well-matched void boundary. Based on this method, the morphologies of voids that formed at different gas velocities were simulated and compared. The method can help us to express the morphological characteristics of the dynamically stable voids in a numerical simulation.