bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Testing of a Clinical Practice Framework for Pharmacists to Assess Patients’ Travel-Related Risks: The 5W Approach to Travel Risk Identification
Authors: Fernandes Heidi V.J. , Houle Sherilyn K.D.
Published: November 2019

Objective: To assist with identifying patients who may be managed by pharmacists without additional travel medicine training, versus those who may benefit from referral, we developed and validated a clinical practice framework. This framework was then piloted in eight pharmacies in Ontario, Canada, from March to August 2019. Methods: A panel of experts, comprised of physicians and pharmacists from Ontario, Canada, holding a Certificate in Travel HealthTM from the International Society of Travel Medicine was recruited. This panel participated electronically in the development of the framework in three stages: (1) Sharing their current approach when performing information gathering and assessing risk in a traveling patient; (2) judging of items collated from all panellists on the basis of how essential they are to a risk assessment; and (3) validation of items deemed essential by the panel using the Item and Average Content Validity Index. The framework was then released to community pharmacies, where pharmacists that self-identified as beginners to travel medicine completed pre- and post-test phase surveys to determine the utility of the framework. Key Findings: A total of 64 items for consideration were deemed essential enough to proceed to content validation, organized into 5 ‘W’ domains: Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Each item was ranked by the experts according to its relevancy, resulting in an Average-Content Validity Index of 0.91. The resulting framework was titled “The 5W Approach to Travel Risk Identification.” This clinical practice framework is the first published assessment tool for travel medicine tailored for pharmacy’s scope of practice that has been content validated. Pharmacists reported that the framework is simple to use and provides structure for interactions with travelling patients. However, it may not be as beneficial for those with a higher level of travel medicine expertise than the average pharmacist. Conclusion: The 5W Approach tool allows pharmacists inexperienced in travel medicine to collect information when required to use their professional judgement when assessing traveling patients as either high-risk (requiring a referral to a travel medicine specialist) or low-risk. With the aim of supporting pharmacists to be more confident in caring for traveling patients and increasing their involvement in travel medicine, future research will test this framework for feasibility in Canadian community pharmacy practice.
Using Community Pharmacy Immunization Screening Forms to Identify Potential Immunization Opportunities
Authors: T. Bach Albert , A. Goad Jeffery
Published: November 2019

Immunization screening forms are completed for each patient that is to be vaccinated in the pharmacy. Screening forms contain demographic and health questions, which are used to determine if a patient is contraindicated to receive a vaccine. The objective is to determine if patient responses to questions on these forms can be used to identify potential vaccine indications. De-identified data was retrospectively collected from 11 community pharmacies in California and Michigan that included basic demographics, answers to immunization screening questions, and vaccine(s) administered during that visit. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations were used to forecast vaccine needs using the limited demographic and health history available from the screening forms. Descriptive statistics are presented, characterizing patient demographics and health condition-based recommendations, and the percentage of patients in a pharmacy population that may have potential indications for additional vaccines. Data were collected from 8669 pharmacy vaccine screening forms. Using the patient’s date of birth on the screening form, 10% (n = 759) and 34.6% (n = 2615) of patients receiving vaccines at the pharmacy may be indicated for the zoster, or both the zoster and pneumococcal vaccines, respectively. Screening form questions that inquire about medical history are also able to identify 13.9% (n = 977) of patients with a potential need for pneumococcal vaccines. Our data indicate that pharmacists can identify potential immunization opportunities proactively by using their immunization screening form, not only to identify contraindications, but also indications.
Image Encryption and Decryption Systems Using the Jigsaw Transform and the Iterative Finite Field Cosine Transform
Authors: Vilardy O. Juan M. , Barba J. Leiner , Torres M. Cesar O.
Published: November 2019

We propose the use of the Jigsaw transform (JT) and the iterative cosine transform over a finite field in order to encrypt and decrypt images. The JT is a nonlinear operation that allows one to increase the security over the encrypted images by adding new keys to the encryption and decryption systems. The finite field is a finite set of integer numbers where the basic mathematical operations are performed using modular arithmetic. The finite field used in the encryption and decryption systems has an order given by the Fermat prime number 257. The iterative finite field cosine transform (FFCT) was used in our work with the purpose of obtaining images that had an uniform random distribution. We used a security key given by an image randomly generated and uniformly distributed. The JT and iterative FFCT was utilized twice in the encryption and decryption systems. The encrypted images presented a uniformly distributed histogram and the decrypted images were the same original images used as inputs in the encryption system. The resulting decrypted images had a high level of image quality in comparison to the image quality of the decrypted images obtained by the actual optical decryption systems. The proposed encryption and decryption systems have three security keys represented by two random permutations used in the JTs and one random image. The key space of the proposed encryption and decryption systems is larger. The previous features of the security system allow a better protection of the encrypted image against brute force and statistical analysis attacks.
A Fast Universal Kinematic Fitting Code for Low-Energy Nuclear Physics: FUNKI_FIT
Authors: Smith Robin , Bishop Jack
Published: November 2019

We present an open-source kinematic fitting routine designed for low-energy nuclear physics applications. Although kinematic fitting is commonly used in high-energy particle physics, it is rarely used in low-energy nuclear physics, despite its effectiveness. A FORTRAN and ROOT C++ version of the FUNKI_FIT kinematic fitting code have been developed and published open access. The FUNKI_FIT code is universal in the sense that the constraint equations can be easily modified to suit different experimental set-ups and reactions. Two case studies for the use of this code, utilising experimental and Monte–Carlo data, are presented: (1) charged-particle spectroscopy using silicon-strip detectors; (2) charged-particle spectroscopy using active target detectors. The kinematic fitting routine provides an improvement in resolution in both cases, demonstrating, for the first time, the applicability of kinematic fitting across a range of nuclear physics applications. The ROOT macro has been developed in order to easily apply this technique in standard data analysis routines used by the nuclear physics community.
Release from Above- and Belowground Insect Herbivory Mediates Invasion Dynamics and Impact of an Exotic Plant
Authors: Korell Lotte , Schädler Martin , Brandl Roland , Schreiter Susanne , Auge Harald
Published: November 2019

The enemy-release hypothesis is one of the most popular but also most discussed hypotheses to explain invasion success. However, there is a lack of explicit, experimental tests of predictions of the enemy-release hypothesis (ERH), particularly regarding the effects of above- and belowground herbivory. Long-term studies investigating the relative effect of herbivores on invasive vs. native plant species within a community are still lacking. Here, we report on a long-term field experiment in an old-field community, invaded by Solidago canadensis s. l., with exclusion of above- and belowground insect herbivores. We monitored population dynamics of the invader and changes in the diversity and functioning of the plant community across eight years. Above- and belowground insects favoured the establishment of the invasive plant species and thereby increased biomass and decreased diversity of the plant community. Effects of invertebrate herbivores on population dynamics of S. canadensis appeared after six years and increased over time, suggesting that long-term studies are needed to understand invasion dynamics and consequences for plant community structure. We suggest that the release from co-evolved trophic linkages is of importance not only for the effect of invasive species on ecosystems, but also for the functioning of novel species assemblages arising from climate change.
Transient and Steady Pervaporation of 1-Butanol–Water Mixtures through a Poly[1-(Trimethylsilyl)-1-Propyne] (PTMSP) Membrane
Authors: Talluri VSSL Prasad , Patakova Petra , Moucha Tomas , Vopicka Ondrej
Published: November 2019

The transient and steady pervaporation of 1-butanol–water mixtures through a poly[1-(trimethylsilyl)-1-propyne] (PTMSP) membrane was studied to observe and elucidate the diffusion phenomena in this high-performing organophilic glassy polymer. Pervaporation was studied in a continuous sequence of experiments under conditions appropriate for the separation of bio-butanol from fermentation broths: feed concentrations of 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 w/w % of 1-butanol in nutrient-containing (yeast extract) water, temperatures of 37, 50 and 63 °C, and a time period of 80 days. In addition, concentration polarization was assessed. As expected, the total flux and individual component permeabilities declined discernibly over the study period, while the separation factor (average β = 82) and selectivity towards 1-butanol (average α = 2.6) remained practically independent of the process conditions tested. Based on measurements of pervaporation transients, for which a new apparatus and model were developed, we found that the diffusivity of 1-butanol in PTMSP decreased over time due to aging and was comparable to that observed using microgravimetry in pure vapor in 1-butanol. Hence, despite the gradual loss of free volume of the aging polymer, the PTMSP membrane showed high and practically independent selectivity towards 1-butanol. Additionally, a new technique for the measurement and evaluation of pervaporation transients using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of permeate was proposed and validated.
Development of Bilayer Biodegradable Composites Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals with Antioxidant Properties
Authors: Velásquez Eliezer , Rojas Adrián , Piña Constanza , Galotto María José , López de Dicastillo Carol
Published: November 2019

The interest in the development of novel biodegradable composites has increased over last years, and multilayer composites allow the design of materials with functionality and improved properties. In this work, bilayer structures based on a coated zein layer containing quercetin and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) over an extruded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) layer were developed and characterized. Bilayer composites were successfully obtained and presented a total thickness of approx. 90 µm. The coated zein layer and quercetin gave a yellowish tone to the composites. The incorporation of the zein layer containing CNC decreased the volatile release rate during thermal degradation. Regarding to mechanical properties, bilayer composites presented lower brittleness and greater ductility evidenced by a lower Young’s modulus and higher elongation values. Water permeability values of bilayer composites greatly increased with humidity and the zein coated layer containing quercetin increased this effect. Experimental data of quercetin release kinetics from bilayer structures indicated a higher release for an alcoholic food system, and the incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals did not influence the quercetin diffusion process.
CFD Simulation on Hydrodynamic Behaviors of Anaerobic Granule Swarms
Authors: Dong Xiuqin , Wang Sheng , Geng Zhongfeng
Published: November 2019

An internal circulation (IC) anaerobic reactor is widely used in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater with high volumetric loading rates. The performance of an IC reactor is closely related with hydrodynamic behaviors of anaerobic granules. Typically, anaerobic granules work in swarms and the settling behavior of a granule is disturbed by other granules. However, the research on anaerobic granule swarms is insufficient. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method was employed to study the hydrodynamic behaviors of anaerobic granule swarms with various voidages. The simulated results showed that the average velocity inside granules increased significantly as the voidage of granule swarm decreased and as the Reynolds number increased. The maximum shear stress on the granule’s surface increased with decreasing voidage and increasing Reynolds number. Based on the hydrodynamic behaviors of anaerobic granule swarms, an improved model of drag force coefficient for granule swarms was developed. The predicted expanded height, using the improved model, gives better consistency with experimental results. The improved model can embed in CFD code to improve the precision of the description of the IC reactor model and provide valuable information for designing and operating an IC reactor.
Splitting Triglycerides with a Counter-Current Liquid–Liquid Spray Column: Modeling, Global Sensitivity Analysis, Parameter Estimation and Optimization
Authors: Jones Mark , Forero-Hernandez Hector , Zubov Alexandr , Sarup Bent , Sin Gürkan
Published: November 2019

In this work we present the model of a counter-current spray column in which a triglyceride (tripalmitic triglyceride) is hydrolyzed by water and leads to fatty acid (palmitic acid) and glycerol. A finite volume model (FVM) of the column was developed to describe the reactive extraction process with a two-phase system and validated with an analytical model from the literature with the given data set encompassing six experimental runs. Global, variance-based (Sobol) sensitivity analysis allowed assessment of the sensitivity of the sweet water glycerol content in respect to liquid density, overall mass-transfer coefficient, reaction rate coefficient and the equilibrium ratio to rank them accordingly. Furthermore, parameter estimation with a differential evolution (DE) algorithm was performed to obtain among others the mass transfer, backmixing and reaction rate coefficients. The model was used to formulate and solve a process design problem regarding economic and sustainable performance. Multi-criteria optimization was applied via DE to minimize total annual cost (TAC) and the Eco99 indicator by varying the steam inlet flow rate and distribution over the two steam inlets as the independent variables. The model and analysis was implemented in Fortran and Python where the Fortran model can also be embedded in a process simulator such as PRO/II or Aspen.
CFD Applications in Energy Engineering Research and Simulation: An Introduction to Published Reviews
Authors: Iranzo Alfredo
Published: November 2019

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been firmly established as a fundamental discipline to advancing research on energy engineering. The major progresses achieved during the last two decades both on software modelling capabilities and hardware computing power have resulted in considerable and widespread CFD interest among scientist and engineers. Numerical modelling and simulation developments are increasingly contributing to the current state of the art in many energy engineering aspects, such as power generation, combustion, wind energy, concentrated solar power, hydro power, gas and steam turbines, fuel cells, and many others. This review intends to provide an overview of the CFD applications in energy and thermal engineering, as a presentation and background for the Special Issue “CFD Applications in Energy Engineering Research and Simulation” published by Processes in 2020. A brief introduction to the most significant reviews that have been published on the particular topics is provided. The objective is to provide an overview of the CFD applications in energy and thermal engineering, highlighting the review papers published on the different topics, so that readers can refer to the different review papers for a thorough revision of the state of the art and contributions into the particular field of interest.
Efficient Closed-Form Task Space Manipulability for a 7-DOF Serial Robot
Authors: Huber Gerold , Wollherr Dirk
Published: November 2019

With the increasing demand for robots to react and adapt to unforeseen events, it is essential that a robot preserves agility at all times. While manipulability is a common measure to quantify agility at a given joint configuration, an efficient direct evaluation in task space is usually not possible with conventional methods, especially for redundant robots with an infinite number of Inverse Kinematic solutions. Yet, this is essential for global online optimization of a robot posture. In this work, we derive analytical expressions for a conventional 7-degrees of freedom (7-DOF) serial robot structure, which enable the direct evaluation of manipulability from a reduced task space parametrization. The resulting expressions allow array operation and thus achieve very high computational efficiency with vector-optimized programming languages. This direct and simultaneous calculation of the task space manipulability for large numbers of poses benefits many optimization problems in robotic applications. We show applications in global optimization of robot mounting poses, as well as redundancy resolution with global online optimization w.r.t. manipulability.
Phenology Patterns Indicate Recovery Trajectories of Ponderosa Pine Forests After High-Severity Fires
Authors: Walker Jessica J. , Soulard Christopher E.
Published: November 2019

Post-fire recovery trajectories in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) forests of the southwestern United States are increasingly shifting away from pre-burn vegetation communities. This study investigated whether phenological metrics derived from a multi-decade remotely sensed imagery time-series could differentiate among grass, evergreen shrub, deciduous, or conifer-dominated replacement pathways. We focused on 10 fires that burned ponderosa pine forests in Arizona and New Mexico, USA before the year 2000. A total of 29 sites with discernable post-fire recovery signals were selected within high-severity burn areas. At each site, we used Google Earth Engine to derive time-series of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) signals from Landsat Thematic Mapper, Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus, and Operational Land Imager data from 1984 to 2017. We aggregated values to 8- and 16-day intervals, fit Savitzky–Golay filters to each sequence, and extracted annual phenology metrics of amplitude, base value, peak value, and timing of peak value in the TIMESAT analysis package. Results showed that relative to post-fire conditions, pre-burn ponderosa pine forests exhibit significantly lower mean NDVI amplitude (0.14 vs. 0.21), higher mean base NDVI (0.47 vs. 0.22), higher mean peak NDVI (0.60 vs. 0.43), and later mean peak NDVI (day of year 277 vs. 237). Vegetation succession pathways exhibit distinct phenometric characteristics as early as year 5 (amplitude) and as late as year 20 (timing of peak NDVI). This study confirms the feasibility of leveraging phenology metrics derived from long-term imagery time-series to identify and monitor ecological outcomes. This information may be of benefit to land resource managers who seek indicators of future landscape compositions to inform management strategies.
Remote Sensing of Human–Environment Interactions in Global Change Research: A Review of Advances, Challenges and Future Directions
Authors: G. Pricope Narcisa , L. Mapes Kerry , D. Woodward Kyle
Published: November 2019

The role of remote sensing and human–environment interactions (HEI) research in social and environmental decision-making has steadily increased along with numerous technological and methodological advances in the global environmental change field. Given the growing inter- and trans-disciplinary nature of studies focused on understanding the human dimensions of global change (HDGC), the need for a synchronization of agendas is evident. We conduct a bibliometric assessment and review of the last two decades of peer-reviewed literature to ascertain what the trends and current directions of integrating remote sensing into HEI research have been and discuss emerging themes, challenges, and opportunities. Despite advances in applying remote sensing to understanding ever more complex HEI fields such as land use/land cover change and landscape degradation, agricultural dynamics, urban geography and ecology, natural hazards, water resources, epidemiology, or paleo HEIs, challenges remain in acquiring and leveraging accurately georeferenced social data and establishing transferable protocols for data integration. However, recent advances in micro-satellite, unmanned aerial systems (UASs), and sensor technology are opening new avenues of integration of remotely sensed data into HEI research at scales relevant for decision-making purposes that simultaneously catalyze developments in HDGC research. Emerging or underutilized methodologies and technologies such as thermal sensing, digital soil mapping, citizen science, UASs, cloud computing, mobile mapping, or the use of “humans as sensors” will continue to enhance the relevance of HEI research in achieving sustainable development goals and driving the science of HDGC further.
A Novel Method for Plane Extraction from Low-Resolution Inhomogeneous Point Clouds and its Application to a Customized Low-Cost Mobile Mapping System
Authors: Fan Wenzheng , Shi Wenzhong , Xiang Haodong , Ding Ke
Published: November 2019

Over the last decade, increasing demands for building interior mapping have brought the challenge of effectively and efficiently acquiring geometric information. Most mobile mapping methods rely on the integration of Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) and costly Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). Meanwhile, the methods also suffer misalignment errors caused by the low-resolution inhomogeneous point clouds captured using multi-line Mobile Laser Scanners (MLSs). While point-based alignments between such point clouds are affected by the highly dynamic moving patterns of the platform, plane-based methods are limited by the poor quality of the planes extracted, which reduce the methods’ robustness, reliability, and applicability. To alleviate these issues, we proposed and developed a method for plane extraction from low-resolution inhomogeneous point clouds. Based on the definition of virtual scanlines and the Enhanced Line Simplification (ELS) algorithm, the method extracts feature points, generates line segments, forms patches, and merges multi-direction fractions to form planes. The proposed method reduces the over-segmentation fractions caused by measurement noise and scanline curvature. A dedicated plane-to-plane point cloud alignment workflow based on the proposed plane extraction method was created to demonstrate the method’s application. The implementation of the coarse-to-fine procedure and the shortest-path initialization strategy eliminates the necessity of IMUs in mobile mapping. A mobile mapping prototype was designed to test the performance of the proposed methods. The results show that the proposed workflow and hardware system achieves centimeter-level accuracy, which suggests that it can be applied to mobile mapping and sensor fusion.
Modeling Hyperspectral Response of Water-Stress Induced Lettuce Plants Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Osco Lucas Prado , Ramos Ana Paula Marques , Moriya Érika Akemi Saito , Bavaresco Lorrayne Guimarães , Lima Bruna Coelho de , Estrabis Nayara , Pereira Danilo Roberto , Creste José Eduardo , Júnior José Marcato , Gonçalves Wesley Nunes , Imai Nilton Nobuhiro , Li Jonathan , Liesenberg Veraldo , Araújo Fábio Fernando de
Published: November 2019

Modeling the hyperspectral response of vegetables is important for estimating water stress through a noninvasive approach. This article evaluates the hyperspectral response of water-stress induced lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) using artificial neural networks (ANN). We evenly split 36 lettuce pots into three groups: control, stress, and bacteria. Hyperspectral response was measured four times, during 14 days of stress induction, with an ASD Fieldspec HandHeld spectroradiometer (325–1075 nm). Both reflectance and absorbance measurements were calculated. Different biophysical parameters were also evaluated. The performance of the ANN approach was compared against other machine learning algorithms. Our results show that the ANN approach could separate the water-stressed lettuce from the non-stressed group with up to 80% accuracy at the beginning of the experiment. Additionally, this accuracy improved at the end of the experiment, reaching an accuracy of up to 93%. Absorbance data offered better accuracy than reflectance data to model it. This study demonstrated that it is possible to detect early stages of water stress in lettuce plants with high accuracy based on an ANN approach applied to hyperspectral data. The methodology has the potential to be applied to other species and cultivars in agricultural fields.
Mountain Arable Land Abandonment (1968–2018) in the Romanian Carpathians: Environmental Conflicts and Sustainability Issues
Authors: Săvulescu Ionuț , Mihai Bogdan-Andrei , Vîrghileanu Marina , Nistor Constantin , Olariu Bogdan
Published: November 2019

The agricultural mountain landscape in the Romanian Carpathians follows the same change trend in other European mountains, from variety and individuality to simplification and uniformization. Our paper proposes two complementary case studies from the Southern Carpathians—Poiana Mărului and Fundata, representative areas for the entire Carpathian ecoregion. The research focuses on a remote sensing approach with Corona KH-4B (1968) and Planet Scope (2018) images at 2.0–3.0 m resolution used for mapping arable plots pattern and size change. Landscape transformation modelling is focused on four-hectare sampled grid for both case study areas, followed by a landscape metric analysis. Fundata area is the most transformed, where arable plots disappeared under the service-based economy pressure. Poiana Mărului shows an earlier stage of landscape transformation, where the arable land abandonment process is incipient. The spatial and statistical analysis and field survey confirmed that tourism changed the traditional agricultural landscape, generating potential environmental conflicts and indicating the sustainability degree.
Precipitation Forecasting Using Multilayer Neural Network and Support Vector Machine Optimization Based on Flow Regime Algorithm Taking into Account Uncertainties of Soft Computing Models
Authors: Banadkooki Fatemeh Barzegari , Ehteram Mohammad , Ahmed Ali Najah , Fai Chow Ming , Afan Haitham Abdulmohsin , Ridwam Wani M. , Sefelnasr Ahmed , El-Shafie Ahmed
Published: November 2019

Drought, climate change, and demand make precipitation forecast a very important issue in water resource management. The present study aims to develop a forecasting model for monthly precipitation in the basin of the province of East Azarbaijan in Iran over a ten-year period using the multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) and support vector regression (SVR) models. In this study, the flow regime optimization algorithm (FRA) was applied to optimize the multilayer neural network and support vector machine. The flow regime optimization algorithm not only identifies the parameters of the SVR and MLP models but also replaces the training algorithms. The decision tree model (M5T) was also used to forecast precipitation and compare it with the results of hybrid models. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify effective indicators for precipitation forecast. In the first scenario, the input data include temperature data with a delay of one to twelve months, the second scenario includes precipitation data with a delay of one to twelve months, and the third scenario includes precipitation and temperature data with a delay of one to three months. The mean absolute error (MAE) and Nash–Sutcliffe error (NSE) indices were used to evaluate the performance of the models. The results showed that the proposed MLP–FRA outperformed all the other examined models. Regarding the uncertainties of the models, it was also shown that the MLP–FRA model had a lower uncertainty band width than other models, and a higher percentage of the data will fall within the range of the confidence band. As the selected scenario, Scenario 3 had a better performance. Finally, monthly precipitation maps were generated based on the MLP–FRA model and Scenario 3 using the weighted interpolation method, which showed significant precipitation in spring and winter and a low level of precipitation in summer. The results of the present study showed that MLP–FRA has high capability to predict hydrological variables and can be used in future research.
Bibliometric Analysis of the Mass Transport in a Gas Diffusion Layer in PEM Fuel Cells
Authors: Pamplona Solis Blandy , Cruz Argüello Julio César , Gómez Barba Leopoldo , Gurrola Mayra Polett , Zarhri Zakaryaa , TrejoArroyo Danna Lizeth
Published: November 2019

The growth trend of publications in the field of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) was analyzed using bibliometric techniques to the identification of the areas with significant development and the orientations that have guided the research on energy cells. This study extracted the data from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases to compare the bibliometric indicators of the published productions. In spite of bibliometric analysis advantages to knowing about the trends in a study area, this research requires methods to support the investigation process through the selection of a relevant bibliographic portfolio. This study applied the Methodi Ordinatio that provides a new approach to achieve it. A proposed list of the articles ranked by InOrdinatio is presented to compose the final portfolio. The obtained results in the research sub-theme of the Mass Transport in Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) confirm the complexity in the study area by presenting erratic patterns of exponential growth. United States, China, and Japan are the leading countries on PEMFC publications. These countries have in common a strong spending by the business sector for R&D, and their gross domestic product is greater than 2%.
Optimization of the Induction Process on Light Gauge Steel Profiles Used in Metallic Framed Sustainable Eco-Constructions
Authors: Iliescu Mihaiela , Roşu Maria-Magdalena , Căpăţină Dragoș
Published: November 2019

Ecological steel framed sustainable and anti-seismic constructions have been highly developed in America, Asia and Europe. Following this trend, Romania has the opportunity to build houses, flats, offices and storage halls using the light gauge steel (LGS) framing system. For reasons of efficient and economic building, sustainable development and requirements from builders of steel framed constructions in Romania, it has been considered an issue to improve some of the steel mechanical characteristics. The metallic profile, which is the basic component of the steel framed system, is manufactured by cold roll forming from laminated low carbon steel strips, galvanized for good corrosion protection. Improving the material’s hardness and tensile strength stands as a challenge caused by the limitations that follow: Reduced material thickness, low carbon content of the material (required for the cold deformation process), estimated profile thermal deformation and customized profile section to harden. This research is focused on the optimization of the induction process (by high frequency current) applied to the LGS material. The advantages and benefits of improving the light gauge steel profile’s hardness are pointed out towards the end of this article.
Determination of Radial Segmentation of Point Clouds Using K-D Trees with the Algorithm Rejecting Subtrees
Authors: Orlof Jerzy , Ozimek Paweł , Łabędź Piotr , Widłak Adrian , Nytko Mateusz
Published: November 2019

This paper presents an innovative computer graphic method for viewshed generation from big point clouds. The proposed approach consists in simplification of typical methods for viewshed formation that are based on sorting and binary trees. The proposed method is based on the k-d tree concept optimized with radial segmentation and a dedicated mathematical algorithm for subtree rejection. The final visualization of the viewshed is designed with a graphic method using triangulated irregular network (TIN) surfaces from the accepted subtrees.
Microwave Photonic ICs for 25 Gb/s Optical Link Based on SiGe BiCMOS Technology
Authors: Kokolov Andrey A. , Konkin Dmitry A. , Koryakovtsev Artyom S. , Sheyerman Feodor I. , Babak Leonid I.
Published: November 2019

The design, simulation and experimental results of the integrated optical and electronic components for 25 Gb/s microwave photonic link based on a 0.25 µm SiGe:C BiCMOS technology process are presented. A symmetrical depletion-type Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) and driver amplifier are intended for electro-optical (E/O) integrated transmitters. The optical divider and combiner of MZM are designed based on the self-imaging theory and then simulated with EM software. In order to verify the correctness of the theory and material properties used in the simulation, a short test (prototype) MZM of 1.9 mm length is produced and measured. It shows an extinction ratio of 19 dB and half-wave voltage-length product of Vπ ∙ L = ~1.5 V·cm. Based on these results, the construction of the segmented modulator with several driver amplifier units is defined. The designed driver amplifier unit provides a bandwidth of more than 30 GHz, saturated output power of 6 dBm (output voltage of Vpp = 1.26 V), and matching better than −15 dB up to 35 GHz; it dissipates 170 mW of power and occupies an area of 0.4 × 0.38 mm2. The optical-electrical (O/E) receiver consists of a Ge-photodiode, transimpedance amplifier (TIA), and passive optical structures that are integrated on a single chip. The measured O/E 3 dB analog bandwidth of the integrated receiver is 22 GHz, and output matching is better than −15 dB up to 30 GHz, which makes the receiver suitable for 25 Gb/s links with intensity modulation. The receiver operates at 1.55 μm wavelength, uses 2.5 V and 3.3 V power supplies, dissipates 160 mW of power, and occupies an area of 1.46 × 0.85 mm2.
Supramolecular Solvent-Based Liquid Phase Microextraction Combined with Ion-Pairing Reversed-Phase HPLC for the Determination of Quats in Vegetable Samples
Authors: Hem Sophon , Gissawong Netsirin , Srijaranai Supalax , Boonchiangma Suthasinee
Published: November 2019

In this study, we used anion supramolecular solvent (SUPRAS) prepared from a mixture of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and a cationic surfactant, tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBABr), as the extraction solvent in liquid phase microextraction (LPME) of paraquat (PQ) and diquat (DQ). The enriched PQ and DQ in the SUPRAS phase were simultaneously analyzed by ion-pairing reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. PQ and DQ were successfully extracted by LPME via electrostatic interaction between the positive charge of the quats and the negative charge of SUPRAS. PQ, DQ, and ethyl viologen (the internal standard) were separated within 15 min on a C18 column, with the mobile phase containing 1-dodecanesulfonic acid and triethylamine, via UV detection. The optimized conditions for the extraction of 10 mL aqueous solution are 50 μL of SUPRAS prepared from a mixture of SDS and TBABr at a mole ratio of 1:0.5, vortexed for 10 s at 1800 rpm, and centrifugation for 1 min at 3500 rpm. The obtained enrichment factors were 22 and 26 with limits of detection of 1.5 and 2.8 µg L−1 for DQ and PQ, respectively. The precision was good with relative standard deviations less than 3.86%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of PQ and DQ in vegetable samples and recoveries were found in the range of 75.0% to 106.7%.
Fowl Adenovirus (FAdV) Recombination with Intertypic Crossovers in Genomes of FAdV-D and FAdV-E, Displaying Hybrid Serological Phenotypes
Authors: Schachner Anna , Gonzalez Gabriel , Endler Lukas , Ito Kimihito , Hess Michael
Published: November 2019

After analyzing 27 new genomes from fowl adenovirus (FAdV) field isolates and so-far unsequenced prototypes, we report the first evidence for recombination in FAdVs. Recombination was confined to species FAdV-D and FAdV-E, accommodating the largest number of, and the intraspecies-wise most differentiated, types. The majority of detected events occurred in FAdV-E, involving segments with parental origin of all constitutive types. Together with the diversity of breakpoints, this suggests widespread recombination in this species. With possible constraints through species-specific genes and diversification patterns, the recombinogenic potential of FAdVs attains particular interest for inclusion body hepatitis (IBH), an important disease in chickens, caused by types from the recombination-prone species. Autonomously evolving, recombinant segments were associated with major sites under positive selection, among them the capsid protein hexon and fiber genes, the right-terminal ORFs 19, 25, and the ORF20/20A family. The observed mosaicism in genes indicated as targets of adaptive pressures points toward an immune evasion strategy. Intertypic hexon/fiber-recombinants demonstrated hybrid neutralization profiles, retrospectively explaining reported controversies on reference strains B3-A, T8-A, and X11-A. Furthermore, cross-neutralization supported sequence-based evidence for interdomain recombination in fiber and contributed to a tentatively new type. Overall, our findings challenge the purported uniformity of types responsible for IBH, urging more complete identification strategies for FAdVs. Finally, important consequences arise for in vivo studies investigating cross-protection against IBH.
Deletion of Two Genes in Burkholderia pseudomallei MSHR668 That Target Essential Amino Acids Protect Acutely Infected BALB/c Mice and Promote Long Term Survival
Authors: Amemiya Kei , Dankmeyer Jennifer L. , Biryukov Sergei S. , Treviño Sylvia R. , Klimko Christopher P. , Mou Sherry M. , Fetterer David P. , Garnes Preston G. , Cote Christopher K. , Worsham Patricia L. , DeShazer David
Published: November 2019

Melioidosis is an emerging disease that is caused by the facultative intracellular pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics and host risk factors play a major role in susceptibility to infection. Currently, there is no human or animal vaccine against melioidosis. In this study, multiple B. pseudomallei MSHR668 deletion mutants were evaluated as live attenuated vaccines in the sensitive BALB/c mouse model of melioidosis. The most efficacious vaccines after an intraperitoneal challenge with 50-fold over the 50% median lethal dose (MLD50) with B. pseudomallei K96243 were 668 ΔhisF and 668 ΔilvI. Both vaccines completely protected mice in the acute phase of infection and showed significant protection (50% survivors) during the chronic phase of infection. The spleens of the survivors that were examined were sterile. Splenocytes from mice vaccinated with 668 ΔhisF and 668 ΔilvI expressed higher amounts of IFN-γ after stimulation with B. pseudomallei antigens than splenocytes from mice vaccinated with less protective candidates. Finally, we demonstrate that 668 ΔhisF is nonlethal in immunocompromised NOD/SCID mice. Our results show that 668 ΔhisF and 668 ΔilvI provide protective cell-mediated immune responses in the acute phase of infection and promote long term survival in the sensitive BALB/c mouse model of melioidosis.
miR29a and miR378b Influence CpG-Stimulated Dendritic Cells and Regulate cGAS/STING Pathway
Authors: Shah Abid Ullah , Cao Yanan , Siddique Naila , Lin Jian , Yang Qian
Published: November 2019

The Cytosine–phosphate–guanosine (CpG) motif, which is specifically recognized intracellularly by dendritic cells (DCs), plays a crucial role in regulating the innate immune response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can strongly influence the antigen-presenting ability of DCs. In this study, we examine the action of miRNAs on CpG-stimulated and control DCs, as well as their effect on cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (GMP–AMP) synthase (cGAS) and the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signal pathway. Firstly, we selected miRNAs (miR-29a and miR-378b) based on expression in CpG-stimulated mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Secondly, we investigated the functions of miR-29a and miR-378b on CpG-stimulated and unstimulated BMDCs. The results showed that miR-29a and miR-378b increased expression of both the immunoregulatory DC surface markers (CD86 and CD40) and the immunosuppressive molecule CD273 by DCs. Thirdly, cytokine detection revealed that both miR-29a and miR-378b enhanced interferon-β (IFN-β) expression while suppressing tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production. Finally, our results suggest that miR-378b can bind TANK-binding kinase binding protein 1 (TBKBP1) to activate the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. By contrast, miR-29a targeted interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) and promoted the expression of STING. Together, our results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of miRNA induction by CpG to regulate DC function.
Jointly Modeling Drought Characteristics with Smoothed Regionalized SPI Series for a Small Island
Authors: Espinosa Luis Angel , Portela Maria Manuela , Pontes Filho João Dehon , Studart Ticiana Marinho de Carvalho , Santos João Filipe , Rodrigues Rui
Published: November 2019

The paper refers to a study on droughts in a small Portuguese Atlantic island, namely Madeira. The study aimed at addressing the problem of dependent drought events and at developing a copula-based bivariate cumulative distribution function for coupling drought duration and magnitude. The droughts were identified based on the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) computed at three and six-month timescales at 41 rain gauges distributed over the island and with rainfall data from January 1937 to December 2016. To remove the spurious and short duration-dependent droughts a moving average filter (MA) was used. The run theory was applied to the smoothed SPI series to extract the drought duration, magnitude, and interarrival time for each drought category. The smoothed series were also used to identify homogeneous regions based on principal components analysis (PCA). The study showed that MA is necessary for an improved probabilistic interpretation of drought analysis in Madeira. It also showed that despite the small area of the island, three distinct regions with different drought temporal patterns can be identified. The copulas approach proved that the return period of droughts events can differ significantly depending on the way the relationship between drought duration and magnitude is accounted for.
Geospatial Modelling of Watershed Peak Flood Discharge in Selangor, Malaysia
Authors: Cheah Ryan , Billa Lawal , Chan Andy , Teo Fang Yenn , Pradhan Biswajeet , Alamri Abdullah M.
Published: November 2019

Conservative peak flood discharge estimation methods such as the rational method do not take into account the soil infiltration of the precipitation, thus leading to inaccurate estimations of peak discharges during storm events. The accuracy of estimated peak flood discharge is crucial in designing a drainage system that has the capacity to channel runoffs during a storm event, especially cloudbursts and in the analysis of flood prevention and mitigation. The aim of this study was to model the peak flood discharges of each sub-watershed in Selangor using a geographic information system (GIS). The geospatial modelling integrated the watershed terrain model, the developed Soil Conservation Service Curve Cumber (SCS-CN) and precipitation to develop an equation for estimation of peak flood discharge. Hydrological Engineering Center-Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) was used again to simulate the rainfall-runoff based on the Clark-unit hydrograph to validate the modelled estimation of peak flood discharge. The estimated peak flood discharge showed a coefficient of determination, r2 of 0.9445, when compared with the runoff simulation of the Clark-unit hydrograph. Both the results of the geospatial modelling and the developed equation suggest that the peak flood discharge of a sub-watershed during a storm event has a positive relationship with the watershed area, precipitation and Curve Number (CN), which takes into account the soil bulk density and land-use of the studied area, Selangor in Malaysia. The findings of the study present a comparable and holistic approach to the estimation of peak flood discharge in a watershed which can be in the absence of a hydrodynamic simulation model.
Assessment of Shallow Groundwater Contamination Resulting from a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill—A Case Study in Lianyungang, China
Authors: Chen Ge , Sun Yajun , Xu Zhimin , Shan Xuekai , Chen Zhengliang
Published: November 2019

Groundwater contaminations based on the release and transportation of leachate from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are a potential hazard to the ecosystem and its inhabitants. In this study, nine chemical compositions of groundwater quality were collected and analysed from 16 monitoring wells and two ponds around the Diaoyushan MSW landfill in the north of Jiangsu Province, China. Multiple analyses were performed to assess the redox conditions and the groundwater environment. It was indicated that the landfill was in a low and stable biodegradability phase, and the most influential phase was the initial stage of the landfill site; the leachate leakage was the principal pollution source (49.18%) for the local groundwater environment. Artificial drainage of Dongdasha village expanded the contaminant plume scopes and deteriorated water quality further. The polluted groundwater area was provided with high concentrations of total hardness, Cl−, SO42−, total dissolved solids (TDS) and Pb.
Humanising Punishment?
Authors: Tata Cyrus
Published: November 2019

The purpose of this article is to stimulate new thinking about the role of the humanisation of the person to be sentenced. By rendering the person’s offending more comprehensible, humanisation is assumed to obstruct harsh penal treatment and mechanical case-disposal. Distinctively, however, this article argues that “humanisation work” also achieves profound latent effects. By resolving the potential threat of a person’s own account appearing to be at odds with her formal admission of guilt (e.g. guilty plea), humanisation work enables efficient case-disposal. Applying Douglas’ work on purity and pollution, and with empirical illustrations, I show how the “dirty work” of humanising the person to be sentenced cleanses cases of troubling ambiguities, making punishment easier to impose with confidence. Nevertheless, humanisation work can, especially if the communicative distance between sentencer and the person sentenced is reduced, also be a facilitator of inclusive and empathic penal sentiments.