bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Censorship Can be Counterproductive: Sensitivity and Media Credibility
Authors: Wu Ziyi
Published: September 2020

Censorship constitutes an important pillar of effective governance in China. By drawing a connection between government censorship and media credibility, this paper addresses the following question: could government censorship be counter-productive by increasing the credibility of political rumors in China? Using a combination of statistical regressions and qualitative interviews, I find mixed evidence on the effectiveness of censorship in China. On one hand, the results suggest that government censorship can unexpectedly increase the credibility of politically sensitive information because people are more likely to believe in a rumor when they think it is more likely to be censored. On the other hand, the results also demonstrate that censorship can increase people's trust in state media over foreign news when it comes to a public crisis, even though citizens understand that the government censors and controls the official media.
Leaf Waxes and Hemicelluloses in Topsoils Reflect the δ2H and δ18O Isotopic Composition of Precipitation in Mongolia
Authors: Struck Julian , Bliedtner Marcel , Strobel Paul , Bittner Lucas , Bazarradnaa Enkhtuya , Andreeva Darima , Zech Wolfgang , Glaser Bruno , Zech Michael , Zech Roland
Published: September 2020

Compound-specific hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyzes on leaf wax-derived n-alkanes (δ2Hn–alkane) and the hemicellulose-derived sugar arabinose (δ18Oara) are valuable, innovative tools for paleohydrological reconstructions. Previous calibration studies have revealed that δ2Hn–alkane and δ18Oara reflect the isotopic composition of precipitation, but – depending on the region – may be strongly modulated by evapotranspirative enrichment. Since no calibration studies exist for semi-arid and arid Mongolia so far, we have analyzed δ2Hn–alkane and δ18Oara in topsoils collected along a transect through Mongolia, and we compared these values with the isotopic composition of precipitation (δ2Hp–WM and δ18Op–WM, modeled data) and various climate parameters. δ2Hn–alkane and δ18Oara are more positive in the arid south-eastern part of our transect, which reflects the fact that also the precipitation is more enriched in 2H and 18O along this part of the transect. The apparent fractionation εapp, i.e., the isotopic difference between precipitation and the investigated compounds, shows no strong correlation with climate along the transect (ε2H n–C29/p = −129 ± 14‰, ε2H n–C31/p = −146 ± 14‰, and ε18O ara/p = +44 ± 2‰). Our results suggest that δ2Hn–alkane and δ18Oara in topsoils from Mongolia reflect the isotopic composition of precipitation and are not strongly modulated by climate. Correlation with the isotopic composition of precipitation has root-mean-square errors of 13.4‰ for δ2Hn–C29, 12.6 for δ2Hn–C31, and 2.2‰ for δ18Oara, so our findings corroborate the great potential of compound-specific δ2Hn–alkane and δ18Oara analyzes for paleohydrological research in Mongolia.
What Our DNA Can Tell Us About the History of Humans
Authors: Speidel Leo , Bycroft Clare
Published: September 2020

Almost every cell in our bodies contains DNA. DNA is a molecule that stores the instructions for how our bodies work and it is passed on from parents to their children. In this article, we show you how DNA can be used as a time machine, taking us back many thousands of years and revealing stories of our ancestors. For instance, we can find out about the ancient history of humans, and tell where and with whom our ancestors likely lived. DNA can also tell us about a country’s recent history, uncovering stories of how ordinary people lived or moved about.
Is Only Clarithromycin Susceptibility Important for the Successful Eradication of Helicobacter pylori?
Authors: Kim Young Min , Lee Kyoung Hwa , Kim Jie-Hyun , Park Soon Young , Song Young Goo , Jeon Se Yeon , Park Hyojin
Published: September 2020

Resistance to clarithromycin and other antibiotics included in the eradication regimen, such as amoxicillin and metronidazole, is important for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the eradication rate, as well as to understand the importance of antimicrobial susceptibility testing in H. pylori eradication. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of 1862 patients who underwent gastric biopsy for the culture of H. pylori during upper endoscopy from March 2015 to June 2019. We tried to find a correlation between the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the eradication rate in patients who received standard triple or concomitant therapy. A total of 247 patients exhibited positive results for culture and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Of these, 146 received eradication therapy, with follow-up tests after treatment. In the standard triple therapy, patients who were susceptible to both clarithromycin and amoxicillin exhibited significantly higher eradication rates (85.9%) than those susceptible to clarithromycin and resistant to amoxicillin (75.0%) or those resistant to clarithromycin and susceptible to amoxicillin (44.4%) (p = 0.013). In the concomitant therapy, patients who were susceptible to both clarithromycin and metronidazole had significantly higher eradication rates (96.3%) than those susceptible to clarithromycin and resistant to metronidazole (88.9%) or those resistant to clarithromycin and susceptible to metronidazole (50.0%) (p = 0.016). There was a correlation between the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing and the eradication rate for H. pylori. In addition to clarithromycin, susceptibility to amoxicillin and metronidazole is also important for the successful eradication of H. pylori.
Beneficial Effects of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) in Diabetes-Induced Retinal Abnormalities: Involvement of Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ramos Hugo , Bogdanov Patricia , Sampedro Joel , Huerta Jordi , Simó Rafael , Hernández Cristina
Published: September 2020

Background: Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress plays a key role in diabetic complications, including diabetic retinopathy. The main goal of this study was to assess whether the topical administration (eye drops) of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has any effect on oxidative stress in the retina. Methods: db/db mice were treated with eye drops of GLP-1 or vehicle for three weeks, with db/+ mice being used as control. Studies included the assessment by western blot of the antioxidant defense markers CuZnSOD, MnSOD, glutathione peroxidase and reductase; immunofluorescence measurements of DNA/RNA damage, nitro tyrosine and Ki67 and Babam2 proteins. Results: GLP-1 eye drops protected from oxidative stress by increasing the protein levels of glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and CuZnSOD and MnSOD in diabetic retinas. This was associated with a significant reduction of DNA/RNA damage and the activation of proteins involved in DNA repair in the retina (Babam2) and Ki67 (a biomarker of cell proliferation). Conclusions: GLP-1 modulates the antioxidant defense system in the diabetic retina and has a neuroprotective action favoring DNA repair and neuron cells proliferation.
Low Molecular Weight Dextran Sulfate (ILB®) Administration Restores Brain Energy Metabolism Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat
Authors: Lazzarino Giacomo , Amorini Angela Maria , Barnes Nicholas M. , Bruce Lars , Mordente Alvaro , Lazzarino Giuseppe , Pietro Valentina Di , Tavazzi Barbara , Belli Antonio , Logan Ann
Published: September 2020

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in people less than 40 years of age in Western countries. Currently, there are no satisfying pharmacological treatments for TBI patients. In this study, we subjected rats to severe TBI (sTBI), testing the effects of a single subcutaneous administration, 30 min post-impact, of a new low molecular weight dextran sulfate, named ILB®, at three different dose levels (1, 5, and 15 mg/kg body weight). A group of control sham-operated animals and one of untreated sTBI rats were used for comparison (each group n = 12). On day 2 or 7 post-sTBI animals were sacrificed and the simultaneous HPLC analysis of energy metabolites, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), oxidized and reduced nicotinic coenzymes, water-soluble antioxidants, and biomarkers of oxidative/nitrosative stress was carried out on deproteinized cerebral homogenates. Compared to untreated sTBI rats, ILB® improved energy metabolism by increasing ATP, ATP/ adenosine diphosphate ratio (ATP/ADP ratio), and triphosphate nucleosides, dose-dependently increased NAA concentrations, protected nicotinic coenzyme levels and their oxidized over reduced ratios, prevented depletion of ascorbate and reduced glutathione (GSH), and decreased oxidative (malondialdehyde formation) and nitrosative stress (nitrite + nitrate production). Although needing further experiments, these data provide the first evidence that a single post-injury injection of a new low molecular weight dextran sulfate (ILB®) has beneficial effects on sTBI metabolic damages. Due to the absence of adverse effects in humans, ILB® represents a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of sTBI patients.
Propagation of Inoculum for Haematococcus pluvialis Microalgae Scale-Up Photobioreactor Cultivation System
Authors: Borowiak Daniel , Pstrowska Katarzyna , Wiśniewski Maciej , Grzebyk Michał
Published: September 2020

An increasing number of microalgae strains are used for commercial production of metabolites. When conducting research, the moment of the process scaling tends to be very difficult. One of the most complex issues is related to planning and designing an efficient system for propagation of appropriately high amounts of inoculum required for inoculating cultures on a semi-technical and industrial scale. The following paper aimed at designing an automated station for the preparation of microalgae inoculation material intended for inoculation of the system, comprising of six 90 dm3 volume photobioreactors. The system, comprised of eight airlift photobioreactors of 12 dm3 volume each, installed in mobile storage units connected to the control system in the form of a docking station. Each of the photobioreactors had a separate system used for monitoring temperature and pH, mixing, and LED lighting. The station constituted the last stage of preparing the inoculation material for inoculating technical-scale photobioreactors, used for conducting experiments with Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae. Achieved results, repeatability of the processes, and the ergonomics of the station increased the productivity and quality of the research and development processes.
Strain Field Evolution Characteristics of Free Surface during Crater Blasting in Sandstone under High Stress
Authors: Zhang Fengpeng , Yan Guangliang , Yang Qibo , Gao Jikai , Li Yuanhui
Published: September 2020

Considering the problems related to hard rock blasting under high in-situ stresses at large depths, we conducted crater blasting tests on sandstone specimens under three static load conditions to investigate the strain field evolution of rock blasting under high stress. The digital image correlation (DIC) technique was used to monitor the evolution of the strain field on the free surface. Thus, the influence of the static stress on the blasting strain field was analyzed, and the formation mechanism of cracks on the free surface was elucidated. The results indicate that a circular tensile strain zone was formed without static loading. The direction of the maximum principal strain was perpendicular to the radius, which lead to the random emergence of multiple radial tensile cracks. Under a uniaxial static loading, an elliptical tensile strain zone was formed. The direction of the maximum principal strain was perpendicular to the static loading direction. This facilitated the initiation and propagation of tensile cracks preferentially in the direction parallel to the static loading. Under an equal biaxial static loading, the initial compressive strain in the specimen reduced the increment rate of the blasting strain, and restrained the formation of surface cracks. Besides, a determination method for dynamic tensile fracture strain of rock was proposed.
UWB Indoor Localization Using Deep Learning LSTM Networks
Authors: Poulose Alwin , Han Dong Seog
Published: September 2020

Localization using ultra-wide band (UWB) signals gives accurate position results for indoor localization. The penetrating characteristics of UWB pulses reduce the multipath effects and identify the user position with precise accuracy. In UWB-based localization, the localization accuracy depends on the distance estimation between anchor nodes (ANs) and the UWB tag based on the time of arrival (TOA) of UWB pulses. The TOA errors in the UWB system, reduce the distance estimation accuracy from ANs to the UWB tag and adds the localization error to the system. The position accuracy of a UWB system also depends on the line of sight (LOS) conditions between the UWB anchors and tag, and the computational complexity of localization algorithms used in the UWB system. To overcome these UWB system challenges for indoor localization, we propose a deep learning approach for UWB localization. The proposed deep learning model uses a long short-term memory (LSTM) network for predicting the user position. The proposed LSTM model receives the distance values from TOA-distance model of the UWB system and predicts the current user position. The performance of the proposed LSTM model-based UWB localization system is analyzed in terms of learning rate, optimizer, loss function, batch size, number of hidden nodes, timesteps, and we also compared the mean localization accuracy of the system with different deep learning models and conventional UWB localization approaches. The simulation results show that the proposed UWB localization approach achieved a 7 cm mean localization error as compared to conventional UWB localization approaches.
Computer-Assisted Translation Tools: An Evaluation of Their Usability among Arab Translators
Authors: Alotaibi Hind M.
Published: September 2020

Technology has become an essential part of the translation profession. Nowadays, computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools are extensively used by translators to enhance their productivity while maintaining high-quality translation services. CAT tools have gained popularity given that they provide a useful environment to facilitate and manage translation projects. Yet, little research has been conducted to investigate the usability of these tools, especially among Arab translators. In this study, we evaluate the usability of CAT tool from the translators’ perspective. The software usability measurement inventory (SUMI) survey is used to evaluate the system based on its efficiency, affect, usefulness, control, and learnability attributes. In total, 42 participants completed the online survey. Results indicated that the global usability of these tools is above the average. Results for all usability subscales were also above average wherein the highest scores were obtained for affect and efficiency, and the lowest scores were attributed to helpfulness and learnability. The findings suggest that CAT tool developers need to work further on the enhancement of the tool’s helpfulness and learnability to improve the translator’s experience and satisfaction levels. Further improvements are still required to increase the Arabic language support to meet the needs of Arab translators.
Effect of Phyllanthus emblica Linn. on Tensile Strength of Virgin and Bleached Hairs
Authors: Tiampasook Pratya , Chaiyasut Chaiyavat , Sundaram Sivamaruthi Bhagavathi , Timudom Thanaroat , Nacapunchai Duangporn
Published: September 2020

In Ayurveda medicine, Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (emblica) has been used as a hair nourisher for more than a decade by soaking it overnight, but no study has proved the effect of emblica on hair. This research aims to determine the effect of emblica solution on the tensile strength of three types of hair: virgin hair (VH), bleached hair (BH), and twice bleached hair (TH). The investigated active substances were deionized water (DI water) as a control, 3% emblica extract solution (3% EXS), 6% emblica extract solution (6% EXS), and 9% emblica extract solution (9% EXS). Black Virgin Asian hair was measured and analyzed before bleaching with a 12% bleaching agent once (BH) and twice (TH). Three treatments and the control were applied to each type of hair under a controlled condition. The tensile characteristics and surface morphology of all treated hairs were measured and analyzed by texture analysis (TA.XT Plus Texture Analyzer, Stable Micro Systems), Aramo (Aramo-SG Skin & Hair analysis system), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM model JSM-5410LV JEOL). The results of the nanoindentation test proved that the tensile strength and extensibility of all three types of hair increased in all concentrations (DI water, 3% EXS, 6% EXS, and 9% EXS). High magnification SEM images were taken from the cuticle surfaces and cross-sections. Emblica extracted solution (EXS) formed a coating around the hair, especially cuticle damaged by bleaching (BH and TH). The breaking pattern from the cross-section images showed that emblica extract solution reinforced all hair types. In conclusion, the emblica extract solution has a significant positive effect on the tensile strength and extensibility of VH, BH, and TH. The result has proved the ancient intelligence that the emblica nourishes the hair. In addition, our results show additional benefit by strengthening virgin hair and bleached hair.
How Can Smart Mobility Innovations Alleviate Transportation Disadvantage? Assembling a Conceptual Framework through a Systematic Review
Authors: Butler Luke , Yigitcanlar Tan , Paz Alexander
Published: September 2020

Transportation disadvantage is about the difficulty accessing mobility services required to complete activities associated with employment, shopping, business, essential needs, and recreation. Technological innovations in the field of smart mobility have been identified as a potential solution to help individuals overcome issues associated with transportation disadvantage. This paper aims to provide a consolidated understanding on how smart mobility innovations can contribute to alleviate transportation disadvantage. A systematic literature review is completed, and a conceptual framework is developed to provide the required information to address transportation disadvantage. The results are categorized under the physical, economic, spatial, temporal, psychological, information, and institutional dimensions of transportation disadvantage. The study findings reveal that: (a) Primary smart mobility innovations identified in the literature are demand responsive transportation, shared transportation, intelligent transportation systems, electric mobility, autonomous vehicles, and Mobility-as-a-Services. (b) Smart mobility innovations could benefit urban areas by improving accessibility, efficiency, coverage, flexibility, safety, and the overall integration of the transportation system. (c) Smart mobility innovations have the potential to contribute to the alleviation of transportation disadvantage. (d) Mobility-as-a-Service has high potential to alleviate transportation disadvantage primarily due to its ability to integrate a wide-range of services.
A Critical Review of SCWG in the Context of Available Gasification Technologies for Plastic Waste
Authors: Ciuffi Benedetta , Chiaramonti David , Rizzo Andrea Maria , Frediani Marco , Rosi Luca
Published: September 2020

End of life packaging is nowadays one of the major environmental problems due to its short usage time, the low biodegradability, and the big volume occupied. In this context, gasification is one of the most promising chemical recycling techniques. Some non-recyclable or non-compostable waste gasification plants are already operating such as Enerkem Alberta Biofuels in Canada or the Sierra’s FastOx Pathfinder in California. In this review, we have examined works about plastic gasification from the last fifteen years with a specific focus on polyolefin (PP, PE), plastics mix, and co-gasification of plastic with biomass. For each of these, the best operating conditions were investigated. A very in-depth section was dedicated to supercritical water gasification (SCWG). The most used reactors in gasification processes are fluidized bed reactors together with air or steam as gasifying agents. Tar removal is commonly performed using olivine, dolomite, or nickel based catalysts. SCWG has numerous advantages including the inhibition of tar and coke formation and can be used to remove microplastics from the marine environment. In co-gasification of plastic material with coal or biomass, synergistic effects are observed between the raw materials, which improve the performance of the process, allowing to obtain higher gas yields and a syngas with a high energy content.
A Perspective on Biotribology in Arthroplasty: From In Vitro toward the Accurate In Silico Wear Prediction
Authors: Affatato Saverio , Ruggiero Alessandro
Published: September 2020

Nowadays hip arthroplasty is recognized as one of the most successful orthopedic surgical procedures, even if it involves challenges to overcome, such that lately, younger and more active patients are in need of total arthroplasty. Wear is still one of the main issues affecting joint prostheses endurance, and often causes loosening accompanied by implant failures. Actual in vitro wear tests executed by mechanical simulators have a long duration, are very expensive, and do not take into account all the possible daily activities of the patients; thus, the challenge to obtain a complete in silico tribological and dynamical model of (bio) tribo-systems could give the possibility to overcome the actual testing procedures and could contribute as a tool for a more accurate tribological design of human prostheses. This prospective paper is intended to underline actual research trends toward the challenge of having accurate numerical algorithms to be used both in preclinical testing and in the optimizations of the prostheses design. With this aim we depicted the possible in silico approach in artificial joints’ wear assessment over time, accounting for contact mechanics, numerical stress–strain analysis, musculoskeletal multibody, and synovial lubrication modelling (boundary/mixed, hydrodynamic, and elastohydrodynamic).
Influence of Ammonium Sulfate Seed Particle on Optics and Compositions of Toluene Derived Organic Aerosol in Photochemistry
Authors: Lu Tingting , Huang Mingqiang , Zhao Weixiong , Hu Changjin , Gu Xuejun , Zhang Weijun
Published: September 2020

Aromatic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are known to contribute to radiative forcing and light absorption of atmosphere. However, the complex refractive index (CRI), single-scattering albedo (SSA) and other optical parameters of aromatic SOA are not well understood. SOA generated from photooxidation of toluene with a variety concentration of ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) seed particles in a smog chamber were investigated in the current study. The real part CRI of toluene SOA without seeds derived and based on aerosol albedometer measurements is 1.486 ± 0.002 at λ = 470 nm, showing a good agreement with available experimental data, and its SSA was measured to be 0.92 ± 0.02 at λ = 470 nm, indicating that the SOA particles without seeds have strong scattering ability. The SSA of SOA formed in the presence of 300 μg/m3 (NH4)2SO4 seed was 0.81 ± 0.02 at λ = 470 nm, less than the SSA of SOA without seed. SSA of SOA decreased, while the imaginary part of CRI (k) of SOA increased with increasing concentration of (NH4)2SO4 seed, demonstrating that the adsorption capacity of SOA formed in the presence of (NH4)2SO4 seed is enhanced. Different from the carboxyl compounds measured in the SOA without seed, imidazoles with strong chromophores of C=N that are responsible for the light absorption were detected as the principal constituents of SOA formed in the presence of (NH4)2SO4 seed. These would provide valuable information for discussing the optics and components of aromatic SOA in the urban atmosphere containing a high concentration of (NH4)2SO4 fine particles.
Urban Spatial Patterns and Heat Exposure in the Mediterranean City of Tel Aviv
Authors: Mandelmilch Moshe , Ferenz Michal , Mandelmilch Noa , Potchter Oded
Published: September 2020

This study aims to examine the effect of urban spatial patterns on heat exposure in the city of Tel Aviv using multiple methodologies, Local Climate Zones (LCZ), meteorological measurements, and remote sensing. A Local Climate Zone map of Tel Aviv was created using Geographic Information System (GIS), and satellite images were used to identify the spatial patterns of the urban heat island (UHI). Climatic variables were measured by fixed meteorological stations and by mobile cross-section. Surface and wall temperatures were obtained by satellite images and a hand-held infrared camera. Meteorological measurements at a height of 2 m showed that during midday the city is ~3.6 °C warmer than the surrounding rural area. The cooling effect of parks was evident only during the hot hours of the day (9:00–17:00). Land Surface Temperature in the southern part of the city was hotter by ~7–9 °C compared to the northern part due to lack of urban vegetation. Hot spots were found in compact midrise forms (LCZ 2) that are not ideal from the climatological perspective. Whereas compact low-rise forms (LCZ 3) were less heat vulnerable. The results of this study suggest that climatologists can provide planners and architects with scientific insight into the causes of and solutions for urban climatic heat exposure.
Rainfall Trends and Extremes in Saudi Arabia in Recent Decades
Authors: Almazroui Mansour
Published: September 2020

The observed records of recent decades show increased economic damage associated with flash flooding in different regions of Saudi Arabia. An increase in extreme rainfall events may cause severe repercussions for the socio-economic sectors of the country. The present study investigated the observed rainfall trends and associated extremes over Saudi Arabia for the 42-year period of 1978–2019. It measured the contribution of extreme events to the total rainfall and calculated the changes to mean and extreme rainfall events over five different climate regions of Saudi Arabia. Rainfall indices were constructed by estimating the extreme characteristics associated with daily rainfall frequency and intensity. The analysis reveals that the annual rainfall is decreasing (5.89 mm decade−1, significant at the 90% level) over Saudi Arabia for the entire analysis period, while it increased in the most recent decade. On a monthly scale, the most significant increase (5.44 mm decade−1) is observed in November and the largest decrease (1.20 mm decade−1) in January. The frequency of intense rainfall events is increasing for the majority of stations over Saudi Arabia, while the frequency of weak events is decreasing. More extreme rainfall events are occurring in the northwest, east, and southwest regions of Saudi Arabia. A daily rainfall of ≥ 26 mm is identified as the threshold for an extreme event. It is found that the contribution of extreme events to the total rainfall amount varies from region to region and season to season. The most considerable contribution (up to 56%) is found in the southern region in June. Regionally, significant contribution comes from the coastal region, where extreme events contribute, on average, 47% of the total rainfall each month from October to February, with the largest (53%) in November. For the entire country, extreme rainfall contributes most (52%) in November and least (20%) in July, while contributions from different stations are in the 8–50% range of the total rainfall.
Modeling Evaporation of Water Droplets as Applied to Survival of Airborne Viruses
Authors: Dombrovsky Leonid , Fedorets Alexander , Levashov Vladimir , Kryukov Alexei , Bormashenko Edward , Nosonovsky Michael
Published: September 2020

Many viruses, such as coronaviruses, tend to spread airborne inside water microdroplets. Evaporation of the microdroplets may result in a reduction of their contagiousness. However, the evaporation of small droplets is a complex process involving mass and heat transfer, diffusion, convection and solar radiation absorption. Virological studies indicate that airborne virus survival is very sensitive to air humidity and temperature. We employ a model of droplet evaporation with the account for the Knudsen layer. This model suggests that evaporation is sensitive to both temperature and the relative humidity (RH) of the ambient air. We also discuss various mechanisms such as the effect of solar irradiation, the dynamic relaxation of moving droplets in ambient air and the gravitational sedimentation of the droplets. The maximum estimate for the spectral radiative flux in the case of cloudless sky showed that the radiation contribution to evaporation of single water droplets is insignificant. We conclude that at small and even at moderately high levels of RH, microdroplets evaporate within dozens of seconds with the convective heat flux from the air being the dominant mechanism in every case. The numerical results obtained in the paper are in good qualitative agreement with both the published laboratory experiments and seasonal nature of many viral infections. Sophisticated experimental techniques may be needed for in situ observation of interaction of viruses with organic particles and living cells within microdroplets. The novel controlled droplet cluster technology is suggested as a promising candidate for such experimental methodology.
Tornadoes in Romania—from Forecasting and Warning to Understanding Public’s Response and Expectations
Authors: Andrei Simona , Andrei Meda Daniela , Huştiu Mihăiţă , Cheval Sorin , Antonescu Bogdan
Published: September 2020

Significant progress in tornado research and management can be claimed over the last few decades worldwide. However, tornado forecasting and warning continue to be permanent challenges for most European national meteorological services because they require particular skills and experience. Moreover, tornado warnings may generate panic. Therefore, one can remark that the main difficulties are related to (1) forecasting the tornado genesis, and (2) finding the most efficient way to communicate to the general public the possibility of tornado occurrence. This article presents the main characteristics of two convective events that occurred in Romania in order to emphasize the similarities and disparities between the tornado event (30 April 2019) and the non-tornado event (6 May 2019), from the warning perspective. Further, we investigate, for the first time in Romania, the general public’s comprehension, risk perception and reactions regarding the tornado events. The survey performed in 2020 emphasized that the Romanian public is able to recognize tornadoes (60%), understand the risks (over 80%), can manage the panic (over 70%), and is rather desirous to receive clear (over 90%) and real-time (95%) tornado warnings. The lessons learned may support the further development of tornado forecasting and warning procedures, and foster the public’s awareness related to tornado events.
TIP_finder: An HPC Software to Detect Transposable Element Insertion Polymorphisms in Large Genomic Datasets
Authors: Orozco-Arias Simon , Tobon-Orozco Nicolas , Piña Johan S. , Jiménez-Varón Cristian Felipe , Tabares-Soto Reinel , Guyot Romain
Published: September 2020

Transposable elements (TEs) are non-static genomic units capable of moving indistinctly from one chromosomal location to another. Their insertion polymorphisms may cause beneficial mutations, such as the creation of new gene function, or deleterious in eukaryotes, e.g., different types of cancer in humans. A particular type of TE called LTR-retrotransposons comprises almost 8% of the human genome. Among LTR retrotransposons, human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) bear structural and functional similarities to retroviruses. Several tools allow the detection of transposon insertion polymorphisms (TIPs) but fail to efficiently analyze large genomes or large datasets. Here, we developed a computational tool, named TIP_finder, able to detect mobile element insertions in very large genomes, through high-performance computing (HPC) and parallel programming, using the inference of discordant read pair analysis. TIP_finder inputs are (i) short pair reads such as those obtained by Illumina, (ii) a chromosome-level reference genome sequence, and (iii) a database of consensus TE sequences. The HPC strategy we propose adds scalability and provides a useful tool to analyze huge genomic datasets in a decent running time. TIP_finder accelerates the detection of transposon insertion polymorphisms (TIPs) by up to 55 times in breast cancer datasets and 46 times in cancer-free datasets compared to the fastest available algorithms. TIP_finder applies a validated strategy to find TIPs, accelerates the process through HPC, and addresses the issues of runtime for large-scale analyses in the post-genomic era.
Using Ex Vivo Porcine Jejunum to Identify Membrane Transporter Substrates: A Screening Tool for Early—Stage Drug Development
Authors: Arnold Yvonne E. , Kalia Yogeshvar N.
Published: September 2020

Robust, predictive ex vivo/in vitro models to study intestinal drug absorption by passive and active transport mechanisms are scarce. Membrane transporters can significantly impact drug uptake and transporter-mediated drug–drug interactions can play a pivotal role in determining the drug safety profile. Here, the presence and activity of seven clinically relevant apical/basolateral drug transporters found in human jejunum were tested using ex vivo porcine intestine in a Ussing chamber system. Experiments using known substrates of peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1), organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP2B1), organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1), P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), multi drug resistance-associated protein 2 and 3 (MRP2 and MRP3), in the absence and presence of potent inhibitors, showed that there was a statistically significant change in apparent intestinal permeability Papp,pig (cm/s) in the presence of the corresponding inhibitor. For MRP2, a transporter reportedly present at relatively low concentration, although Papp,pig did not significantly change in the presence of the inhibitor, substrate deposition (QDEP) in the intestinal tissue was significantly increased. The activity of the seven transport proteins was successfully demonstrated and the results provided insight into their apical/basolateral localization. In conclusion, the results suggest that studies using the porcine intestine/Ussing chamber system, which could easily be integrated into the drug development process, might enable the early-stage identification of new molecular entities that are substrates of membrane transporters.
A Skyline-Based Decision Boundary Estimation Method for Binominal Classification in Big Data
Authors: Kalyvas Christos , Maragoudakis Manolis
Published: September 2020

One of the most common tasks nowadays in big data environments is the need to classify large amounts of data. There are numerous classification models designed to perform best in different environments and datasets, each with its advantages and disadvantages. However, when dealing with big data, their performance is significantly degraded because they are not designed—or even capable—of handling very large datasets. The current approach is based on a novel proposal of exploiting the dynamics of skyline queries to efficiently identify the decision boundary and classify big data. A comparison against the popular k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), support vector machines (SVM) and naïve Bayes classification algorithms shows that the proposed method is faster than the k-NN and the SVM. The novelty of this method is based on the fact that only a small number of computations are needed in order to make a prediction, while its full potential is revealed in very large datasets.
Competitive Dye Adsorption-Desorption on the Isotropic Surface at the Early Stage of the Photoexcitation of Azo Dye-Doped Liquid Crystals
Authors: Chen Wei-Ting , Ji Sheng-Chung , Chen Shih-Hsuan , Huang Chia-Yi , Lo Kuang Yao
Published: September 2020

The instantaneous response of liquid crystal (LC) molecules near the dye-adsorbed layer of azo dye-doped LCs (ADDLCs) in early-stage photoexcitation was observed through the pumped-attenuated total reflection (PATR) method. As the sensing depth of the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method is in the order of hundreds of nm, in situ observation using the PATR method directly inspected the restructuring of the adsorbed layer in the early-stage photoexcitation, which demonstrated the competition between adsorption and desorption on the isotropic surface without the interference of the elastic continuum in the bulk of a cell. Analyzing the frequency of the oscillation-like PATR signal, which reflects the evolution of the orientation of the LC molecules, revealed that, depending on the dose of the pump light, the structural evolution of the adsorbed layer is fast at the beginning of photoalignment in ADDLCs and slows down with the accumulation of the adsorbed layer. A suitable intensity of the pump light in the early stage of the photoalignment process can improve the reform of the adsorbed layer to strengthen its anchoring.
Conservation Biogeography of Tenebrionid Beetles: Insights from Italian Reserves
Authors: Fattorini Simone
Published: September 2020

The species-area relationship (SAR), the latitudinal gradient, the peninsula effect, and the elevational gradient are widespread biogeographical patterns. Using data from Italian reserves, these patterns were tested for tenebrionids and used as a framework to calculate expected extinction rates following area loss. Area was an important determinant of overall tenebrionid species richness, but not for xylophilous and endemic species. Thus, focusing on reserve areas is not the best approach for conserving insects with specialised ecology and restricted distribution. In general, species richness declined northwards, which contrasts with the peninsula effect, but conforms to the European latitudinal pattern observed in most taxa because of current and past biogeographical factors. Minimum elevation had an overall negative influence, as most tenebrionids are thermophilic. However, xylophilous tenebrionids, which are mainly associated with mesophilic forests, did not decline northwards, and were positively influenced by higher elevational ranges that allow more forms of vegetation. SAR-based extinction rates reflect species dispersal capabilities, being highest for geophilous species (which are mainly flightless), and lower for the xylophilous species. Extinction rates based on multiple models indicate that the use of area alone may overestimate extinction rates, when other factors exert an important role in determining species richness.
Extraction of Missing Tendency Using Decision Tree Learning in Business Process Event Log
Authors: Horita Hiroki , Kurihashi Yuta , Miyamori Nozomi
Published: September 2020

In recent years, process mining has been attracting attention as an effective method for improving business operations by analyzing event logs that record what is done in business processes. The event log may contain missing data due to technical or human error, and if the data are missing, the analysis results will be inadequate. Traditional methods mainly use prediction completion when there are missing values, but accurate completion is not always possible. In this paper, we propose a method for understanding the tendency of missing values in the event log using decision tree learning without supplementing the missing values. We conducted experiments using data from the incident management system and confirmed the effectiveness of our method.
Association of Radiation Doses and Cancer Risks from CT Pulmonary Angiography Examinations in Relation to Body Diameter
Authors: Harun Hanif Haspi , Abdul Karim Muhammad Khalis , Abbas Zulkifly , Abdul Rahman Mohd Amir , Sabarudin Akmal , Ng Kwan Hoong
Published: September 2020

In this study, we aimed to estimate the probability of cancer risk induced by CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) examinations concerning effective body diameter. One hundred patients who underwent CTPA examinations were recruited as subjects from a single institution in Kuala Lumpur. Subjects were categorized based on their effective diameter size, where 19–25, 25–28, and >28 cm categorized as Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The mean value of the body diameter of the subjects was 26.82 ± 3.12 cm, with no significant differences found between male and female subjects. The risk of cancer in breast, lung, and liver organs was 0.009%, 0.007%, and 0.005% respectively. The volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDIvol) was underestimated, whereas the size-specific dose estimates (SSDEs) provided a more accurate description of the radiation dose and the risk of cancer. CTPA examinations are considered safe but it is essential to implement a protocol optimized following the As Low as Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle.
Experimental Investigation and Theoretical Modelling of a High-Pressure Pneumatic Catapult Considering Dynamic Leakage and Convection
Authors: Ren Jie , Zhong Jianlin , Yao Lin , Guan Zhongwei
Published: September 2020

A high-pressure pneumatic catapult works under extreme boundaries such as high-pressure and rapid change of pressure and temperature, with the features of nonlinearity and gas-solid convection. In the thermodynamics processes, the pressure is much larger than the critical pressure, and the compressibility factor can deviate from the Zeno line significantly. Therefore, the pneumatic performance and thermo-physical properties need to be described with the real gas hypothesis instead of the ideal gas one. It is found that the analytical results based on the ideal gas model overestimate the performance of the catapult, in comparison to the test data. To obtain a theoretical model with dynamic leakage compensation, leakage tests are carried out, and the relationship among the leakage rate, pressure and stroke is fitted. The compressibility factor library of the equation of state for compressed air is established and evaluated by referring it to the Nelson-Obert generalized compressibility charts. Based on the Peng–Robinson equation, a theoretical model of the high-pressure pneumatic catapult is developed, in which the effects of dynamic leakage and the forced convective heat transfer between the gas and the metal wall are taken into account. The results from the theoretical model are consistent with the data from ejection tests. This research presents an approach to study the performance of a high-pressure pneumatic catapult with high precision.
Exploring the Inclusive Praxis of Outward Bound Instructors
Authors: Warner Robert P. , Martin Bruce , Szolosi Andrew M.
Published: September 2020

Equity and inclusion are critical issues that need to be addressed in outdoor adventure education. Although some literature identifies inclusive practices for enhancing equity in outdoor adventure education, most research does not situate these practices within the contexts in which they were created and used. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore outdoor adventure education instructors’ inclusive praxis, and the conditions that influenced their praxis on their courses and in their instructing experiences. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten instructors from four Outward Bound schools in the USA. The instructors varied in their gender, school, types of programs facilitated, and duration of employment with Outward Bound. Our inductive analysis of the interview data focused on the identification of themes illustrating the characteristics of instructors’ inclusive praxis, as well as the conditions that influenced their praxis. Themes emerged from our analysis that highlighted the macro and micro conditions that set the stage for instructors’ inclusive praxis, which focused on creating spaces that fostered inclusive group cultures on their courses. The findings from this study may be a useful starting point for enhancing the instructors’ role in fostering equity and inclusion on outdoor adventure education courses. We conclude with suggestions for future research.
A Parallel Convolutional Neural Network for Pedestrian Detection
Authors: Zhu Mengya , Wu Yiquan
Published: September 2020

Pedestrian detection is a crucial task in many vision-based applications, such as video surveillance, human activity analysis and autonomous driving. Recently, most of the existing pedestrian detection frameworks only focus on the detection accuracy or model parameters. However, how to balance the detection accuracy and model parameters, is still an open problem for the practical application of pedestrian detection. In this paper, we propose a parallel, lightweight framework for pedestrian detection, named ParallelNet. ParallelNet consists of four branches, each of them learns different high-level semantic features. We fused them into one feature map as the final feature representation. Subsequently, the Fire module, which includes Squeeze and Expand parts, is employed for reducing the model parameters. Here, we replace some convolution modules in the backbone with Fire modules. Finally, the focal loss is led into the ParallelNet for end-to-end training. Experimental results on the Caltech–Zhang dataset and KITTI dataset show that: Compared with the single-branch network, such as ResNet and SqueezeNet, ParallelNet has improved detection accuracy with fewer model parameters and lower Giga Floating Point Operations (GFLOPs).
Dynamic Pore-Scale Network Modeling of Spontaneous Water Imbibition in Shale and Tight Reservoirs
Authors: Wang Xiukun , Sheng James J.
Published: September 2020

Spontaneous water imbibition plays an imperative role in the development of shale or tight oil reservoirs. Spontaneous water imbibition is helpful in the extraction of crude oil from the matrix, although it decreases the relative permeability of the hydrocarbon phase dramatically. The dynamic pore-scale network modeling of water imbibition in shale and tight reservoirs is presented in this work; pore network generation, local capillary pressure function, conductance calculation and boundary conditions for imbibition are all presented in detail in this paper. The pore network is generated based on the characteristics of Barnett shale formations, and the corresponding laboratory imbibition experiments are matched using this established dynamic pore network model. The effects of the wettability, throat aspect ratio, viscosity, shape factor, micro-fractures, etc. are all investigated in this work. Attempts are made to investigate the water imbibition mechanisms from a micro-scale perspective. According to the simulated results, wettability dominates the imbibition characteristics. Besides this, the viscous effects including viscosity, initial capillary pressure and micro-fractures increase the imbibition rate, while the final recovery factor is more controlled by the capillarity effect including the cross-area shape factor, contact angle and the average pore-throat aspect ratio.