bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Some observations on Pinguicula balcanica Casper and P. hirtiflora Ten. (Lentibulariaceae) from Balkans
Authors: Peruzzi Lorenzo
Published: February 2022

During field trips in June 2006 through Greece to Bulgaria, while going to the IV IBBC (International Balkan Botanical Congress) held in Sofia, I visited three Balkan butterwort localities, two with Pinguicula balcanicaCasper and one with P. hirtifloraTen.I give here a brief account ofthese findings.
Pinguicula lithophytica C. Panfet-Vald's & P. Temple (Lentibulariaceae Rich.), A New Species from the Central Region of Cuba
Authors: Panfet-Valdés Cristina M. , Temple Paul
Published: February 2022

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Pinguicula L. from the central region of Cuba: Pinguicula lithophytica C. Panfet-Valdés & P. Temple. The new species is included in the section Agnata, subgenus Isoloba, with morphological relationship to Pinguicula jackii Barnhart. This is only the second species of Pinguicula to have been found in the Macizo mountains of the Escambray, in Cienfuegos Province, growing on calcareous rock at an altitude exceeding 600 metres above sea level.
New names for natural hybrids in Sarracenia
Authors: Mellichamp Larry
Published: February 2022

For the past two years I have been working on my treatment of the family Sarraceniaceae for publication in Volume 8 of the comprehensive Flora of North America, due for publication in 2009. Through my studies, I have come to understand much better two of the current problems in Sarracenia in the Southeastern United States, and have solidified my views. This was done through a combination of examining dried herbarium specimens (representing our preserved knowledge of these plants), comparing specimens grown in a common garden where different plants are grown under almost identical environmental conditions, and seeing the plants in the wild. These problems involve interpretation of the Sarracenia purpurea and the S. rubra complexes. This paper considers natural hybrids involving these taxa.
Brocchinia reducta light preferences
Authors: Rice Barry
Published: February 2022

Brocchinia reducta is one of those species of plants that has, at best, mixed support by carnivorous plant growers. The plant’s problem is that it is usually relegated to the ranks of semicarnivory, or even noncarnivory. This is because it apparently does not produce its own digestive enzymes, nor does it seem particularly specialized for capturing insects. In fact, most photographs of the plant in cultivation show that it looks like a fairly unimpressive, urn-shaped bromeliad.
New cultivars
Authors: Lee Jae-Hwan
Published: February 2022

The cultivars Dionaea muscipula 'Small Fast', Sarracenia 'Narrow Throat', Dionaea muscipula 'Orange Neat Trap', Dionaea muscipula 'Red Neat Trap', Pinguicula 'Giant Green Violet', and Dionaea muscipula 'Viper Trap' are described.
Drosera ericgreenii - Eric Green's sundew
Authors: Fleischmann Andreas
Published: February 2022

Drosera ericgreenii is a perennial sundew species from the Western Cape of South Africa, which was first discovered by Eric Green near the town of Franschhoek in Stellenbosch municipality, and which was formally described in 2008.
Identifikasi Perjanjian Internasional Global dan Regional Tentang Perlindungan Flora dan Fauna
Authors: Pramudianto Andreas
Published: February 2022

Perjanjian Internasional yang melindungi flora dan fauna telah berkembang sejak lama. Banyaknya perjanjian internasional tersebut baik berupa convention, agreement, protocol dan bentuk lainnya baik yang hard law maupun soft law telah menunjukan bahwa masyarakat internasional tetap peduli pada perlindungan flora dan fauna. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggambarkan secara umum berbagai perjanjian internasional baik soft law maupun hard law yang telah berkembang selama ini baik di tingkat global maupun regional. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi berbagai bentuk perjanjian internasional terutama yang berkaitan dengan perlindungan flora dan fauna. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif analitis kualitatif dengan pendekatan norma hukum agar sesuai dengan tujuan penelitian. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa perjanjian internasional untuk melindungi flora dan fauna sudah dikembangkan baik di tingkat global maupun regional. Namun tujuan dan motif dari perlindungan tersebut ternyata memiliki kepentingan yang bermacam-macam terutama baik yang bersifat komersial maupun non-komersial.
Ekosistem Mangrove dan Mitigasi Pemanasan Global
Authors: Fitria Anisa
Published: February 2022

Pemanasan global berdampak pada kehidupan di dunia dan dirasakan oleh seluruh makhluk hidup.  Salah satu penyebab terjadinya pemanasan global adalah peningkatan emisi karbon dioksida. Ekosistem Mangrove memiliki fungsi seperti hutan lainnya yaitu menyerap karbon dan juga berperan penting dalam mitigasi pemanasan global. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengulas dan mengetahui pentingnya ekosistem mangrove dalam mitigasi pemanasan global. Metode penelitian yang digunakan studi literatur atau kajian pustaka dengan mengkaji beberapa artikel terkait. Studi literatur digunakan sebagai metode pengumpulan data dengan melakukan penggabungan beberapa data penelitian yang tercantum dalam artikel ilmiah yang relevan dengan penelitian yang akan dilakukan untuk mendapatkan suatu pemecahan masalah. Penelitian relevan dikumpulkan oleh penulis kemudian dikaji lebih dalam untuk membahas kembali peran ekosistem bagi mitigasi pemanasan global. Hasilnya Ekosistem mangrove memiliki potensi mitigasi yang sangat besar untuk mengatasi solusi untuk bencana yang disebabkan oleh perubahan iklim akibat pemanasan global.
Peran BUMDes dalam Pengelolaan Sampah dengan Insinerator dan Komposter di Desa Sumbergondo, Kota Batu
Authors: Alfiansyah Rafi
Published: February 2022

Masalah sampah menjadi sebuah isu yang begitu penting, karena memberikan dampak terhadap lingkungan, sehingga perlu diperhatikan bagi seluruh elemen yaitu  Pemerintah maupun rakyat. Desa Sumbergondo, Kota Batu pernah menghadapi persoalan serius akan sampah. Volume sampah yang diproduksi tidak sebanding dengan sarana dan prasana dalam pengelolaan sampah, sehingga sampah dibuang secara sembarangan dan menumpuk pada satu tempat sehingga dapat menimbulkan dampak negatif bagi lingkungan, kesehatan dan kenyamanan. Namun BUMDes, sekitar tahun 2019 menciptakan alat peengelolaan sampah yaitu insinerator dan komposter dengan penggunaan Dana Desa. Tujuan dilaksanakan penelitian ini (1) menjelaskan terkait peran BUMDes terkait manajemen sampah di Desa Sumbergondo (2) memahami serta melihat akibat yang dirasakan warga Desa Sumbergondo sesudah ditemukan alat incenerator dan komposter dalam pengelolaan sampah di Desa Sumbergondo. Penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dan jenis penelitian deskriptif. Teknik untuk pengumpulan datanya mengunakan observasi, wawancara dan dokumentasi. Hasil temuan penelitian berupa BUMDes memiliki peran penting dalam suksesnya pengelolaan sampah di Desa Sumbergondo, melalui program bank sampah dan alat insinerator dan komposter yang diciptakan BUMDes bisa mengatasi permasalahan sampah di desanya.
Mechanical and microMechanical and microstructural characterization of yttria-stabilized zirconia (Y2O3/ZrO2; YSZ) nanopartstructural characterization of yttria stabilized zirconia (Y2O3/ZrO2; YSZ) nanoparticles reinforced WC-10Co-4Cr coated turbine steel
Authors: Kumar Rajinder , Bhandari Deepak , Goyal Khushdeep
Published: February 2022

The aim of this paper is to investigate the WC-10Co-4Cr coatings reinforced with 5 % and 10 % of yttria-stabilized zirconia (Y2O3/ZrO2; YSZ) nanoparticles deposited on the CA6NM turbine steel by using the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying technique. In the HVOF technique, the hot jet of the semi-solid particles strikes against the workpiece and creates a layer of coating of varying thickness on the substrate material. The coatings fabricated with HVOF were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) / energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The phase identification of a crystalline material was made with the x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The mecha­nical properties in terms of porosity, surface roughness and microhardness of the nanocomposite coatings were also evaluated. The SEM/EDS analysis showed that dense and homogeneous coatings were developed by the reinforcement of YSZ nanoparticles. The peaks of XRD graphs of WC-10Co-4Cr coating reinforced with 5 and 10 % of YSZ nanoparticles revealed that the WC was present as a major phase and W2C, Co3W3C, Co, Co6W6C, Co6W and Y2O3/ZrO2 nanoparticles were observed as a minor phase. The porosity level decreased up to 42 and 56 % by the addition 5 and 10 % of YSZ nanoparticles as compared with conventional WC-10Co-4Cr coating. The surface roughness values for WC-10Co-4Cr conventional coating, 95 % (WC-10Co-4Cr) + 5 % YSZ and 90 % (WC-10Co-4Cr) + 10 % YSZ nanocomposite coated samples were found to be 5.03, 4.89 and 4.28 respectively. The nanocomposite coatings reinforced with 10 % YSZ nanoparticles exhibited the highest microhardness value (1278 HV). The WC-10Co-4Cr coatings reinforced with 10 % of YSZ nanoparticles resulted in low porosity, low surface roughness and high microhardness. During the coating process, the nanoparticles of YSZ flow into the pores and are dispersed in the gaps between the micrometric WC particles and provide a better shield to the substrate material. The WC-10Co-4Cr with 10 % of YSZ nanoparticles showed better results in terms of mecha­nical and microstructural properties during the investigation.
Design and synthesis of new anilide and benzylamide derivatives as potential
multifunctional ligands with procognitive and antidepressant activity
Authors: Jankowska Agnieszka , Chłoń-Rzepa Grażyna
Published: February 2022

The search for new drugs in the treatment of cognitive and mood disorders
belongs to the leading research directions due to the growing prevalence
of dementia and depression. The limited therapeutic efficacy
of substances with a selective mechanism of action prompts the design
of drugs among multifunctional ligands, i.e., molecules with a complex mechanism of action. This paper is an overview of the current research
in the field of design and synthesis of potential multifunctional ligands
with CNS activity. The serotonin 5-HT1A/5-HT7 receptor ligands and
phosphodiesterase PDE4B/PDE7A inhibitors were shown to have procognitive
and antidepressant properties in vivo. They may provide higher
efficacy in the treatment of cognitive and depressive symptoms of neurodegenerative
and mental disorders.
Comparison of Electron Direct Transmittance and Tunneling Time of Si (100)/HfO2/Si (100) and Si (110)/HfO2/Si (110) Structures with Ultra-thin Trapezoidal Barrier
Authors: Noor Fatimah A. , Abdullah Mikrajuddin , Sukirno Sukirno , Khairurrijal Khairurrijal
Published: February 2022

An analytical expression of electron direct transmittance and tunneling time through a nanometer-thick trapezoidal potential barrier have been derived by using a phase-time method with Airy wavefunction solution. The expression is applied to Si(100)/HfO2/Si(100) (isotropic) and Si(110)/HfO2/Si(110) (anisotropic) structures calculated under the consideration of barrier width, incident energy, incident angle, and bias voltage. The calculated results are discussed and comparisons between the isotropic and anisotropic heterostructures are discussed.
Corrosion Study of Steels In Liquid Lead-Bismuth Cooled Nuclear Reactors by Computer Simulation using Moldy Code
Authors: Maulana Alan , Su'ud Zaki , Dipojono Hermawan K. , Khairurrijal Khairurrijal
Published: February 2022

The corrosion of steel in liquid lead-bismuth has been studied by computer simulation using MOLDY code. The diffusion processes among atoms are assumed to be the key issues to understand the corrosion mechanism microscopically. In order to simulate these diffusion processes, the inter-atomic potential between Fe-Fe, Pb-Pb, Bi-Bi, Cr-Cr and Ni-Ni are assumed to obey the Lennard-Jones potential. The Lennard-Jones potential parameters of above pairs of atom have been derived by fitting the data available in the literature with the Lennard-Jones equation. The initial positions of the system are taken from the crystal structures data including the cell parameters. The simulation cell was a box with the volume 60x30x30 Å3 that were filled by 2864 atoms. Nickel and chromium atoms were substituted into Fe crystal with the percentage 10% and 16 % respectively to construct the systems of SS-316 which contacted by 50%Pb-50%Bi. The molecular dynamic simulations have been carried out for surface interaction between steel crystal with liquid lead-bismuth for several temperatures. After done the above simulation, the simulation is then tried by using 45%Pb-55%Bi (Pb-Bi Eutectic). The results of molecular dynamic simulations for several temperatures and the effect of variation of Pb and Bi above will be presented in this paper.
Computer Simulation of Turbulent Flow Phenomena in Nuclear Fuel Pin Subassemblies
Authors: Ninokata Hisashi , Merzari Elia
Published: February 2022

This paper focuses on the turbulence phenomena that have been identified by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and that are peculiar to the flows in tight lattice nuclear fuel subassemblies, eccentric annuli and two-rectangular channels interconnected by a narrow gap. The CFD methods employed are the Direct Numerical Simulation of turbulence (DNS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) techniques. Highlighted phenomena include turbulence-driven secondary flows inside a subchannel, local turbulent-laminar transition in the narrow gap region between two adjacent fuel pins, and global pulsation of the flow across the length of a fuel subassembly. Special attention will be paid on linkage to the physics, limitation of the computational capability of the CFD methods, and the usefulness of the technology in reference to the foreseeable future.
Study on Void Reactivity of Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor
Authors: Khakim Azizul , Yokoyama T. , Ninokata Hisashi
Published: February 2022

Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) usually has positive void reactivity which is not favorable to the reactor safety. Therefore, the void generation should be avoided during normal reactor operation. Design of reactor core should consider the parameters that influence the void reactivity in order to minimize it, should void be generated during an accident. In this study, several parameters have been evaluated to observe their contribution to the overall void reactivity, such as the build-up of minor actinides (MAs), different inner and outer core height, heterogeneous core configuration, upper plenum, upper axial blanket, voiding in the inner and outer core and the effect of P/D. The study is performed in 3-D heterogeneous geometry using Monte Carlo Method of MVP Code with JENDL-3.3
Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility and Elemental Compositions in Andesitic Rocks
Authors: Sastrawiharja Khumaedi , Bijaksana Satria , Fauzi Umar , Pasasa Linus Ampang
Published: February 2022

Igneous rocks, including andesites, are composed of these major elements: Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, Na, K, and P. Variation in the composition of these elements, which occur mostly as oxides, determines the overall physical properties of the rocks. Not surprisingly, classification of igneous rocks is also based on the quantity of these major oxides. In this study, elemental compositions of andesitic rocks from the Island of Java will be compared to the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) as a part of our effort to explore the possibility of using rock magnetic parameters in classifying igneous rocks. The objective is to check whether AMS parameters could serve as alternative to chemical analysis. To do so, we have measured the AMS and geochemical composition of andesitic rock samples from 10 different sites across Central Java and Yogyakarta. The results show that there are significant correlations between the abundance of certain elements with AMS parameters, for example, the abundance of Fe and Al with magnetic lineation and the abundance of Al with degree of anisotropy. These results show that magnetic parameters have a good change to be use as predictors for major elements composition in igneous rocks.
An Application of the General Relativity-type Inversion Formulae: the Derivation of the Fock-Schwinger-Friedmann-Robertson-Walker Christoffel Symbol
Authors: Triyanta Triyanta
Published: February 2022

Similar relationship between Christoffel symbols and Riemann tensors and between gauge potentials and gauge field strengths enable us to treat the Christoffel symbols just like the gauge fields. Restricting the Christoffel symbol by the Fock-Schwinger (FS) condition one obtains the so-call inversion formulae in general relativity theory. These formulae may be utilized for various applications, including the Christoffel symbol-free formulation of the general relativity and calculating the so-called Fock-Schwinger Christoffel symbols for certain Riemann tensors. Here we will derive the Fock-Schwinger-Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FSFRW) Christoffel symbols.
Fission Yield Calculation Method and its Effect in Nuclear Fuel Cell Homogenization Calculation
Authors: Su’ud Zaki , Shafii M. Ali , SNM Rida
Published: February 2022

Zero burn-up core capability can eliminate possible super prompt critical accident and make possible of inherent safety feature based on reactivity feedback mechanism. In this concept the maximum excess reactivity is limited below 1 $ of reactivity so that possibility of super prompt accident such as in Chernobyl accident case can be eleminated. This is however need high quality of system analysis, and in this study the effect of fission yield calculation method on the nuclear fuel cell homogenization process is investigated and discussed. This study use SRAC code system to investigate the efect of reactor dependent fission yield distribution calculation. Calculation restults show that this process will has important improvement effect for long life high burnup core.
A Simple Method for Determining Surface Porosity Based on SEM Images Using OriginPro Software
Authors: Abdullah Mikrajuddin , Khairurrijal Khairurrijal
Published: February 2022

We proposed a simple method for predicting surface porosity of materials based on scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images. The porosity was determined by calculating volume beneath the surface and volume beneath a flat surface, the height of which is equal to maximum height of any point on the sample’s surface. The SEM image was firstly converted into two-dimensional matrix of gray scale and all procedures were performed using instructions provided by OriginPro software. The predicted results were in good agreements with direct calculation and measurement of the samples porosities.
Magnetic Anisotropy and the Paleosecular Variation Record in Stalagmites from Njirak Cave, East Java: The Effect of Detrital Magnetite Emplaced in Small Cavities by Flooding Events
Authors: Bijaksana Satria , Zulaikah Siti , Hodych Joseph Paul
Published: February 2022

Magnetic anisotropy and remanence were measured for 33 samples from the axis of two stalagmites from Njirak Cave in East Java. All 33 samples were stepwise demagnetized with alternating fields, but only 16 were stable enough to yield reliable characteristic remanence directions. These directions differ, especially in declination, from the present Earth’s field direction and agree for samples of about the same age from both stalagmites, suggesting that the Earth’s field at Njirak Cave maintained a declination averaging 23° and an inclination averaging −23° for most of the past 2,500 years. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility is high, averaging 5.8%. The minimum susceptibility axes are nearly horizontal with scattered declinations; whereas the maximum susceptibility axes tend to be steeply inclined (average inclination is 51°). This implies that the long axes of the mainly multi-domain magnetite grains tend to be steeply inclined (rather than horizontal, as expected if the magnetite were in horizontal detrital layers). We suggest that this is due to the magnetite being in flood-emplaced detritus adhering to the steeply-inclined sides of small (2 to 5 mm) cavities that cut across and are sealed off by the stalagmites’ horizontal calcite growth layers. Steeply inclined maximum susceptibility axes should help detect such stalagmites, whose quality of paleosecular variation record may be lowered by magnetite-bearing cavities.
One Dimension Spring Supported Ball on Top of a Sinusoidal Vibrating Plate: A Forced Oscillation Simulation using Molecular Dynamics Method
Authors: Viridi Sparisoma , Srigutomo Wahyu , Singarimbun Alamta , Hidayat Wahyu , Balkis Sitti
Published: February 2022

A ball supported by a spring is set on top of a plate which is sinusoidal vibrated. The motion is limited to one dimension motion. It is assumed that the spring is an ideal one with zero mass. The vibrating plate is considered much heavier than the ball, so that the ball motion has no influence on the plate motion. Plate vibration frequency is varied around the frequency of ball-spring system. Resonance phenomenon is reported, which needs a phase match condition to occur.
The Interdiffusion Modeling of Aluminide Coated Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.5Zr-0.5Y Intermetallic Alloy
Authors: Muhammad F. , Basuki E. A. , Juliansyah M. I.
Published: February 2022

In the present study, the interdiffusion behavior between coating layer and substrate of aluminide coated Ti- 47Al-2Cr-2Nb-0.5Zr-0.5Y intermetallic alloy were investigated at 800°C, 900°C, and 1000°C under argon atmosphere (closed system). The pack cementation, consists of 20%-wt. Al, 2%-wt. NH4Cl, and 78%-wt. Al2O3, was carried out at 900°C for 10 hours. The phases in the coatings, interdiffusion layer, and substrate were examined using optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) while the chemical composition were examined by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) attached on the SEM. The interdiffusion coefficients were calculated according to Boltzmann-Matano method using the data obtained from EDS analyses. The calculated interdiffusion coefficients are 7.091 x 10-14, 1.650 x 10-12, and 5.261 x 10-12 cm2/s respectively for 800°C, 900°C, and 1000°C. The analytical and numerical method to predict the concentration profiles between coating layer, interdiffusion layer, and substrate. A reasonable agreement has been achieved between the experimental results and the simulated concentration profiles at every temperatures.
Observations of Trip Generation, Route Choice, and Trip Chaining with Private-Sector Probe Vehicle GPS Data
Authors: Day Christopher M. , Li Howell , Hubbard Sarah M. L. , Bullock Darcy M.
Published: February 2022

This paper presents an exploratory study of GPS data from a private-sector data provider for analysis of trip generation, route choice, and trip chaining. The study focuses on travel to and from the Indianapolis International Airport. GPS data consisting of nearly 1 billion waypoints for 12 million trips collected over a 6-week period in the state of Indiana. Within this data, there were approximately 10,000 trip records indicating travel to facilities associated with the Indianapolis airport. The analysis is based the matching of waypoints to geographic areas that define the extents of roadways and various destinations. A regional analysis of trip ends finds that travel demand for passenger services at the airport extends across a region spanning about 950 km. Local travel between land uses near the airport is examined by generation of an origin-destination matrix, and route choice between the airport and downtown Indianapolis is studied. Finally, the individual trips are scanned to identify trip chaining behavior. Several observations are made regarding these dynamics from the data. There is some sample bias (types of vehicles) and opportunities to further refine some of the land use definitions, but the study results suggest this type of data will provide a new frontier for characterizing travel demand patterns at a variety of scales.
Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation of Adaptive Control Based on Dynamic Conductance Estimation of Photovoltaic Generator Interfaced Current-Mode Buck Converter
Authors: Malinkovich Yakov , Lineykin Simon , Sitbon Moshe
Published: February 2022

In this paper, a novel adaptive control method is presented, aimed at robustifying the terminal voltage of the photovoltaic generator, interfaced by the current-mode-controlled buck DC-DC converter load, and based on conductance estimation. The photovoltaic generator, which is integrated into the buck converter and a battery storage unit, is continuously affected by the operating point of the system and environmental variables, thus presenting a nonlinear behavior. Furthermore, the development of small-signal equations reveals a potentially unstable condition when the system is used as a micro-grid with a battery storage unit. This study shows that when the nonlinear behavior of the photovoltaic generator is combined with a typical nominal controller, designed for a single nominal operating point and due to the possibility of an unstable condition, it forces the controller to operate mostly outside the nominal operating point. These conditions result in significantly varied closed-loop performance. In contrast, an almost perfect loop gain performance can be achieved when implementing an adaptive controller based on an online conductance estimation method. Applying estimator results and injecting its value in real-time into the inverse-based plant controller results in an adaptive controller. Therefore, the closed-loop performance of the system integrated with an adaptive controller achieves an almost nominal response throughout the operating range.
Binary Semiconductors Thin Films Characterization for Solar Cells Applications
Authors: Kamli Kenza , Hadef Zakaria
Published: February 2022

The increasing development of technologies based on the thin films, imposed a high quality of these films. The crucial importance for all applications of thin films is related to the stability of their physical and morphological properties. Therefore, to optimize the performances of the thin films it is recommended to study carefully all their parameters in order to enhance the elaborated films. With this intention, various characterizations methods were developed and carried out to study the different qualities of thin films. In this chapter, we take an interest to the study of the characteristics of some binary semiconductors thin films elaborated by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis, and which are destined for solar cells applications. Several used characterizations techniques to the determination of the thin films properties will be given; namely: X-rays diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy), Hall effect and spectrophotometry will be discussed in detail.
Evaluation of the Spatial Distribution of the Annual Extreme Precipitation Using Kriging and Co-Kriging Methods in Algeria Country
Authors: Salhi Hicham
Published: February 2022

In this chapter, we have conducted a statistical study of the annual extreme precipitation (AMP) for 856 grid cells and during the period of 1979–2012 in Algeria. In the first step, we compared graphically the forecasts of the three parameters of the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution (location, scale and shape) which are estimated by the Spherical model. We used the Cross validation method to compare the two methods kriging and Co-kriging, based on the based on some statistical indicators such as Mean Errors (ME), Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE) and Squared Deviation Ratio (MSDR). The Kriging forecast error map shows low errors expected near the stations, while co-Kriging gives the lowest errors on average at the national level, which means that the method of co-Kriging is the best. From the results of the return periods, we calculate that after 50 years the estimated of the annual extreme precipitation will exceed the maximum AMP is observed in the 33-year.
Robust Template Update Strategy for Efficient Visual Object Tracking
Authors: Haileslassie Gebrehiwot Awet , Bescos Jesus , Garcia-Martin Alvaro
Published: February 2022

Real-time visual object tracking is an open problem in computer vision, with multiple applications in the industry, such as autonomous vehicles, human-machine interaction, intelligent cinematography, automated surveillance, and autonomous social navigation. The challenge of tracking a target of interest is critical to all of these applications. Recently, tracking algorithms that use siamese neural networks trained offline on large-scale datasets of image pairs have achieved the best performance exceeding real-time speed on multiple benchmarks. Results show that siamese approaches can be applied to enhance the tracking capabilities by learning deeper features of the object’s appearance. SiamMask utilized the power of siamese networks and supervised learning approaches to solve the problem of arbitrary object tracking in real-time speed. However, its practical applications are limited due to failures encountered during testing. In order to improve the robustness of the tracker and make it applicable for the intended real-world application, two improvements have been incorporated, each addressing a different aspect of the tracking task. The first one is a data augmentation strategy to consider both motion-blur and low-resolution during training. It aims to increase the robustness of the tracker against a motion-blurred and low-resolution frames during inference. The second improvement is a target template update strategy that utilizes both the initial ground truth template and a supplementary updatable template, which considers the score of the predicted target for an efficient template update strategy by avoiding template updates during severe occlusion. All of the improvements were extensively evaluated and have achieved state-of-the-art performance in the VOT2018 and VOT2019 benchmarks. Our method (VPU-SiamM) has been submitted to the VOT-ST 2020 challenge, and it is ranked 16th out of 38 submitted tracking methods according to the Expected average overlap (EAO) metrics. VPU_SiamM Implementation can be found from the VOT2020 Trackers repository1.
Thermal Manipulation: Embryonic Development, Hatchability, and Hatching Quality of Broiler Chicks
Authors: Tainika Brian
Published: February 2022

Here, PRISMA guidelines were utilized to systematically evaluate the publications reporting the effect of thermal manipulation during embryogenesis on incubation performance, hatchability, and hatching quality of broiler chicks. The search and selection of eligible publications was through databases web of science, PubMed, and Scopus. Publications written in English between 2015 and September 2021 were considered. It is evidenced that during TM, key considerations include duration and strength of TM besides stage of embryonic development. The moderate elevation in incubation temperature (38.5–39.5°C) intermittently (3–18 h/d) between E07 and E18 improves the chick’s thermoregulation capacity and reduces any adverse effect of TM on hatchability, and chick quality (e.g., hatch weight and chick length) compared with continuous TM. In addition, high temperature TM (38.5–39.5°C) between E7 and E18 has no significant effect on embryo mortality, hatchability, and chick quality compared to standard incubation temperature (37.8°C). TM above 39.5°C significantly increases and decreases embryo mortality and hatchability, respectively compared with standard incubation temperature. In conclusion, the results of TM studies on embryogenesis, hatchability and hatching quality of broiler chicks are still contradicting, which is a possible limitation for its commercial use.
Novel N-Heterocyclic Carbene Silver (I) Complexes: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity Potential Studies
Authors: Slimani Ichraf , Dridi Khaireddine , Özdemir Ismail , Gürbüz Nevin , Hamdi Naceur
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, N-heterocyclic carbene-based silver-complexes Ag(I) have been widely used as an organometallic drug candidate in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry researches due to their low toxicity. Due to the success of Ag(I) complexes in biological applications, interest in the synthesis and applications of such compounds is increasing rapidly. Therefore, in this study, a series of unsymmetrical N,N-disubstituted benzimidazolium salts were synthesized as N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) (2a-2j). The interaction of these benzimidazolium salts having their two nitrogen atoms substituted by bulky groups with Ag2O in DMF has been carried out to afford Ag(I) complexes and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR and elemental analyses. The antimicrobial activity of Ag(I) complexes was tested against some standard culture collections of Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacterial strains and Fungal strains, which are the most frequently isolated among the society and hospital-acquired infectious microorganisms as potential metallopharmaceutical agents. The Ag-NHC complexes showed effective antimicrobial activity against microorganisms with MIC values between 0.0024 and 1.25 mg/ml. Moreover, these Ag-NHC complexes exhibited significant antioxidant activities. In addition, of benzimidazoles salts 2,4 and Ag(I) complexes 3,5 were screened for their antitumor activity. The highest antitumor activity was observed for 3e and 3d Complexes.
Modeling and Testing of Loudspeakers Used in Sound-Field Control
Authors: Klippel Wolfgang
Published: February 2022

This chapter describes the physical modeling and output-based measurement of loudspeakers, essential hardware components in sound-field control. A gray box model represents linear, time-variant, nonlinear, and non-deterministic signal distortions. Each distortion component requires a particular measurement technique that includes test stimulus generation, sound pressure measurement at selected points in 3D space, and signal analysis for generating meaningful metrics. Near-field scanning measures all signal components at a large signal-to-noise ratio with minor errors caused by loudspeaker positioning, air temperature, room reflections, and ambient noise. Holographic postprocessing based on a spherical wave expansion separates the direct sound from room reflections to assess the linear output and signal distortion. New metrics are presented that simplify the interpretation of the loudspeaker properties at single points, sound zones, and over the entire sound-field.
4-Dimensional Canards with Brownian Motion
Authors: Kanagawa Shuya , Tchizawa Kiyoyuki
Published: February 2022

Generally speaking, it is impossible to analyze slow-fast system with Brownian motion. If it becomes possible to do using a new approach, we can evaluate the rigidity of the original system. What kind of the behavior of such a system we have? Using non-standard analysis, on a“hyper finite time line” by Anderson, the Brownian motions are described by step functions. Then, the original differential equations are described by the difference equations due to using non-standard analysis. When constructing the difference equations, the corresponding measure is extended topologically. Because the interval of the difference is according to the hyper finite time line, the topological space is well defined. In this paper, we propose a two-region economic model with Brownian motions. This concrete example gives us new results.
Secondary Metabolites from Natural Products
Authors: Omokhefe Bruce Stella
Published: February 2022

Natural products are substances that are confined from living organisms, they are in the form of primary or secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are compounds with varied chemical structures, produced by some plants and strains of microbial species. Unlike primary metabolites (nucleotides, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) that are essential for growth, secondary metabolites are not. Secondary metabolites are produced or synthesized during the stationary stage. In this chapter, we will discuss secondary metabolites from natural products synthesized mainly by plants, fungi, and bacteria. Plants synthesize a large diversity of secondary metabolites; plant secondary metabolites are split into four groups namely alkaloids, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, and glucosinolates. Several classes of fungal and bacterial secondary metabolites, their sources, and pharmacological uses associated with the secondary metabolites are also discussed. Therefore, several classes of secondary metabolites are responsible for the biological and pharmacological activities of plants and herbal medicines.
Psoriasis and Skin Comorbidities
Authors: Silvia Delli Florentina , Sotiriou Elena
Published: February 2022

Psoriasis is a heterogeneous skin disease with many clinical presentations in patients with different medical backgrounds. Medical specialties such as rheumatology, pathology, and cardiology focus lately on the systemic inflammation nature of the psoriatic disease. From the Dermatologist’s point of view, the revolution of therapeutic spectrum in many autoimmune skin diseases, as well as the progression noted in physiopathological mechanism, the skin comorbidities became an important issue regarding therapeutic choice.
Interdigitated Photoconductive Antenna for Efficient Terahertz Generation and Detection
Authors: Mondal Shyamal , Flora Boby Edwin Nisha , Rathinasamy Vaisshale
Published: February 2022

THz signals can be generated commonly from Photoconductive Antenna (PCA) but the efficiency is low for the conventional PCA. This work improves the optical to terahertz conversion efficiency of the terahertz radiation by changing the conventional PCA structure to Interdigitated PCA (IPCA). The efficiency of PCA is dependent on the current pulse generated in the antenna structure when the laser pulse is incident on it. This paper targets to achieve high photo-current, as well as THz electric field from the IPCAs which are simulated using FEM and FDTD techniques. Also, the effect of various parameters such as current, gain, frequency bandwidth, optical to terahertz conversion efficiency, etc. are studied to study the importance of IPCAs.
Limited Sampling Strategies to Monitoring Mycophenolic Acid Exposure in a Heterogeneous Population of Heart Transplant Recipients: A Pilot Study
Authors: Lo Re Francesco , Sponga Sandro , Angelini Jacopo , Nalli Chiara , Zucchetto Antonella , Livi Ugolino , Baraldo Massimo
Published: February 2022

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) represents a cornerstone in heart transplant (HTx) treatment. The area under the 12-hour concentration-time curve (AUC0-12h) of mycophenolic acid (MPA) -MMF’s active drug- is associated with treatment outcome. Nonetheless, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of MPA AUC0-12h is impractical to assess in clinical practice and Limited Sampling Strategies (LSSs) represent a consolidated tool to estimate AUC0-12h. Two LSSs were previously generated in a selected cohort of HTx recipients treated with MMF and cyclosporine (CsA). This pilot study aimed to test these LSSs in a cohort of non-selected HTx recipients treated with MMF combined with CsA or tacrolimus (TAC). Complete PK profile was performed in 40 adults HTx recipients. MPA-AUC0-12h was estimated by two algorithms, LSS3 and LSS4, based on 3 and 4 time-points. The evaluation was made through linear regression and Bland-Altman analyses. Both LSS3 and LSS4 tended to underestimate the value of MPA-AUC0-12h (mean percentage prediction error, MPE%: −6.0%; and −4.8%, respectively). Nonetheless, high correlations (r: 0.92 and 0.94, respectively) and goodness of fit of linear regression models (R2: 0.84 and 0.88, respectively) emerged for both LSSs. A study with a wider and more homogenous sample size should be performed to support these results.
Exercise Mimetics: An Emerging and Controversial Topic in Sport and Exercise Physiology
Authors: Magdy Aly Hassan ElMeligie Mohamed
Published: February 2022

Over the previous decade, there has been growing and fervent interest in scientific and commercial circles regarding the potential of bioactive compounds that mimic, or augment, the effects of exercise. These developments have given rise to the moniker ‘exercise pills’ or ‘exercise mimetics’. The emergence of such orally-delivered bioactive compounds could hold substantial therapeutic value for combating metabolic disease. Such treatments might also present therapeutic value for morbidly obese individuals or those recovering from severe injury. This topic is not without controversy, however, as the search for a ‘one size fits all’ solution is not likely to bear fruit, given the complexity of the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved. The primary goal of this chapter is to explore the challenges of designing a pill that might reliably deliver the myriad and complex adaptations afforded by exercise training, with a focus on skeletal muscle. Furthermore, it will consider the issues, rationale, and practicality of implementing such therapeutics as a credible substitute to engaging in regular exercise training.
Utilization of Wood Biomass Ash in Concrete Industry
Authors: Štirmer Nina , Carević Ivana
Published: February 2022

The use of energy from wood biomass plants results in the production of large quantities of wood biomass ash (WBA). Most of the WBA is disposed of and some are used as a soil supplement in agriculture. In the concrete industry, there is a high potential for substitution of certain components with suitable alternative materials. Depending on its physical and chemical properties, WBA can be used in concrete production as a partial replacement for cement or as a substitute for fine aggregates. The suitability of locally available WBA should be evaluated in terms of microtexture, chemical, and mineralogical composition. This paper presents the types of WBA produced by different combustion technology, the influence of WBA as a cement replacement on the properties of cement composites in the fresh and hardened state, an overview of the environmental impact of WBA cement composites, and the market opportunities and readiness for reuse of WBA as a new potential supplementary cementitious material.
Shear-Wave Elastography in Diffuse Thyroid Diseases
Authors: Mihaela Cepeha Cristina , Borlea Andreea , Paul Corina , Velea Iulian , Stoian Dana
Published: February 2022

The diagnosis and evaluation of diffuse thyroid pathologies is often a challenge for clinicians. Ultrasonography has an essential contribution in thyroid imaging, but elastography adds more accuracy. Frequently used in the evaluation of thyroid nodules, elastography has become a necessary tool in assessing the risk of malignancy. Diffuse thyroid pathologies such as Graves’ disease, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, and subacute thyroiditis, are diagnosed based on laboratory tests completed with imaging. Recently it has been shown that elastography is useful in the evaluation and differentiation of these cases due to the differences in elasticity. This chapter describes the general principles of shear-wave elastography, examination technique, features found in diffuse thyroid disease, but also the limitations of this type of investigation for a better understanding of its use in assessing diffuse thyroid pathology.
Topology in Photonic Discrete-Time Quantum Walks: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Puentes Graciana
Published: February 2022

We present a comprehensive review of photonic implementations of discrete-time quantum walks (DTQW) in the spatial and temporal domains. Moreover, we introduce a novel scheme for DTQWs using transverse spatial modes of single photons and programmable spatial light modulators (SLM) to manipulate them. We discuss current applications of such photonic DTQW architectures in quantum simulation of topological effects in photonic systems.
Targeting Mononuclear Phagocytes to Treat COVID-19
Authors: D. Pence Brandt , J. Cory Theodore
Published: February 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its etiological agent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have caused considerable illness and death worldwide. The innate immune system seems to play a principal in the disease, as a hallmark of severe COVID-19 is excessive inflammation. Monocytes and macrophages are important innate immune cells that become pro-inflammatory and promote adaptive immune responses during viral infection. In this chapter we present evidence linking these cells to severity of COVID-19. Namely, monocytes and macrophages infiltrate the infected tissue during the early stages of infection and show pro-inflammatory responses that appear to be linked to those predicting tissue pathology during disease. Additionally, studies in isolated cells demonstrate that monocytes and macrophages respond by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines when directly stimulated by SARS-CoV-2. While most anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical treatments for COVID-19 have focused on systemic infiltration, some of the most promising have known or suspected effects on monocyte and macrophage inflammatory responses. Therefore, targeting these cells to treat severe COVID-19 is a promising strategy for this important disease.
Combination of Numerical, Experimental and Digital Image Correlation for Mechanical Characterization of Al2O3/β-TCP Based on CDM Criterion
Authors: Rachida Barkallah , Taktak Rym , Guermazi Noamen , Zaïri Fahmi , Bouaziz Jamel
Published: February 2022

Cracks in engineering materials and structures can undergo different modes of deformation. This chapter presents a numerical and experimental approaches aimed to assess the fracture toughness and the Fracture behavior under tensile and shear loading of bioceramics based on commercial Alumina (Al2O3), synthesized Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP). Conditioning was conducted at different percentages of TCP. After a sintering process at 1600°C for 1 hour, The Crack Straight Through Brazilian Disc were performed by image correlation during a mechanical test and numerical tests were carried out in order to find the angle where the pure mode II. A CDM based constitutive model was selected and implemented into a finite element code to study the damage of our bioceramics. The result of this combination was compared with the direction of crack propagation obtained experimentally. The directions of crack propagation found numerically were found in good agreement with those experimentally obtained by a mechanical test. Alumina-10 wt.% Tricalcium phosphate composites displayed the highest values of the fracture toughness. This value reached 8.76 MPa m1/2 MPa. The same optimal composition for the mode I and mode II stress intensity factor with maximum values of 7.6 MPa m1/2 and 8.45 MPa m1/2 respectively.
The Need to Strengthen Primary Health Care Services to Improve Mental Health Care Services in South Africa
Authors: Elizabeth Mokwena Kebogile , Anthony Mokwena Velaphi
Published: February 2022

Despite the reported increase in the prevalence of mental disorders, including substance abuse disorders, required services in South Africa have not been improved to meet the demands for these challenges. Although South Africa has invested in a process to conduct a re-engineering of primary health care services to address a range of common health challenges in communities, this process has not demonstrated adequate policy and practice changes toaddress emerging challenges in providing services for mental health disorders at primary health care level. In particular, primary health care services do not include routine screening for common mental disorders, which include depression, anxiety, postnatal depression and substance abuse, although there are easy to use tools for such screening. This has resulted in a failure for early detection of these mental health challenges by the health system. The chapter argues that making moderate changes to the current offerings of primary health care can result in major achievements in offering mental health services, which in turn will benefit the patients and assist health services to address the increasing scourge of mental disorders, which include substance abuse.