bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Strength Assessment Under Dual Task Conditions in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Test–Retest Reliability Study
Authors: Leon-Llamas Juan Luis , Villafaina Santos , Murillo-Garcia Alvaro , Collado-Mateo Daniel , Domínguez-Muñoz Francisco Javier , Sánchez-Gómez Jesús , Gusi Narcis
Published: December 2019

The present study aimed to: (1) analyze the test–retest reliability of the 30 s chair stand test and the 30 s arm curl test under dual-task conditions; (2) analyze the test–retest reliability of a new variable which assesses the total performance (cognitive + physical) in both tests. A total of 37 women with fibromyalgia participated in the study. Participants completed the 30 s arm curl test and 30 s chair stand test in both simple and dual-task conditions. These tests were repeated after seven days. In the 30 s chair stand dual-task test the reliability was low to good whereas that of the total performance variable was low to moderate. The reliability in both the 30 s arm curl dual-task test and the total performance variable were good to moderate. Both the 30 s chair stand test and 30 s arm curl test under dual-task conditions and the total performance variables had good test–retest reliability. However, it is necessary to consider the fluctuations of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Spatial Characteristics and Factor Analysis of Pollution Emission from Heavy-Duty Diesel Trucks in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China
Authors: Zhang Beibei , Wu Sheng , Cheng Shifen , Lu Feng , Peng Peng
Published: December 2019

Heavy-duty diesel trucks (HDDTs) contribute significantly to NOX and particulate matter (PM) pollution. Although existing studies have emphasized that HDDTs play a dominant role in vehicular pollution, the spatial distribution pattern of HDDT emissions and their related socioeconomic factors are unclear. To fill this research gap, this study investigates the spatial distribution pattern and spatial autocorrelation characteristics of NOX, PM, and SO2 emissions from HDDTs in 200 districts and counties of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region. We used the spatial lag model to calculate the significances and directions of the pollutants from HDDTs and their related socioeconomic factors, namely, per capita GDP, population density, urbanization rate, and proportions of secondary and tertiary industries. Then, the geographical detector technique was applied to quantify the strengths of the significant socioeconomic factors of HDDT emissions. The results show that (1) NOX, PM, and SO2 pollutants emitted by HDDTs in the BTH region have spatial heterogeneity, i.e., low in the north and high in the east and south. (2) The pollutants from HDDTs in the BTH region have significant spatial autocorrelation characteristics. The spatial dependence effect was obvious; for every 1% increase in the HDDT emissions in the surrounding districts and counties, the local HDDT emissions increased by 0.39%. (3) Related factors analysis showed that the proportion of tertiary industries had a significant negative correlation, whereas the proportion of secondary industries and urbanization rate had significant positive correlations with HDDT emissions. Population density and per capita GDP did not pass the significance test. (4) The order of effect intensities of the significant socioeconomic factors was proportion of tertiary industry > proportion of secondary industry > urbanization rate. This study guides scientific decision making for pollution control of HDDTs in the BTH region.
Endocrine Responses to Various 1 × 1 Small-Sided Games in Youth Soccer Players
Authors: Chmura Paweł , Podgórski Tomasz , Konefał Marek , Rokita Andrzej , Chmura Jan , Andrzejewski Marcin
Published: December 2019

The aim of this study was to determine relationships between repeated 1 × 1 small-sided games (SSGs) (variable duration, constant work-to-rest ratio) and the concentration of steroid hormones and characteristic fatigue markers in youth soccer players. Eighteen young male soccer players were assigned at random to two experimental groups: E1—undertaking a six 30 s one-on-one SSGs with a 2 min rest period; and E2—playing six 45 s SSGs with a 3 min rest interval. Capillary blood was collected from the players at rest, after the last game, and 15 and 30 min after the exercise protocol. The variables assessed included serum cortisol (C), free testosterone (FT) and total testosterone (TT). An effect was observed between the measurement times (TT (F = 15.26, p ≤ 0.0001), FT (F = 6.86, p = 0.0006)). In terms of cortisol (C) levels, no interactions or effect between the studied groups were revealed, but an interaction was found (F = 4.01, p = 0.0126) and the effect appeared between the measurement times (F = 11.16, p ≤ 0.0001). The study results show that in all likelihood, longer rest intervals in repeated 30 s 1 × 1 SSGs can reduce catabolic reactions and hence the risk of overtraining in youth soccer players.
Microbicidal Dispersions and Coatings from Hybrid Nanoparticles of Poly (Methyl Methacrylate), Poly (Diallyl Dimethyl Ammonium) Chloride, Lipids, and Surfactants
Authors: Ribeiro Rodrigo Tadeu , Galvão Carolina Nascimento , Betancourt Yunys Pérez , Mathiazzi Beatriz Ideriha , Carmona-Ribeiro Ana Maria
Published: December 2019

Hybrid and antimicrobial nanoparticles (NPs) of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in the presence of poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium) chloride (PDDA) were previously obtained by emulsion polymerization in absence of surfactant with low conversion. In the presence of amphiphiles such as cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (DODAB) or soybean lecithin, we found that conversion increased substantially. In this work, the effect of the amphiphiles on the NPs core-shell structure and on the antimicrobial activity of the NPs was evaluated. NPs dispersions casted on silicon wafers, glass coverslips or polystyrene substrates were also used to obtain antimicrobial coatings. Methods for characterizing the dispersions and coatings were based on scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, determination of thickness, rugosity, and wettability for the coatings and determination of colony-forming unities (log CFU/mL) of microbia after 1 h interaction with the coatings or dispersions. The amphiphiles used during PMMA/PDDA/amphiphile NPs synthesis reduced the thickness of the NPs PDDA shell surrounding each particle. The antimicrobial activity of the dispersions and coatings were due to PDDA—the amphiphiles were either washed out by dialysis or remained in the PMMA polymeric core of the NPs. The most active NPs and coatings were those of PMMA/PDDA/CTAB—the corresponding coatings showed the highest rugosity and total surface area to interact with the microbes. The dispersions and coatings obtained by casting of the NPs dispersions onto silicon wafers were hydrophilic and exhibited microbicidal activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. In addition, a major effect of reduction in particle size revealed the suitability of nanometric and cationic NPs (sizes below 100 nm) represented by PMMA/PDDA/CTAB NPs to yield maximal microbicidal activity from films and dispersions against all microbia tested. The reduction of cell viability by coatings and dispersions amounted to 6–8 logs from [PDDA] ≥ minimal microbicidal concentration.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Ascorbate Oxidase Gene Family in Gossypium hirsutum Reveals the Critical Role of GhAO1A in Delaying Dark-Induced Leaf Senescence
Authors: Pan Ze , Chen Lihua , Wang Fei , Song Wangyang , Cao Aiping , Xie Shuangquan , Chen Xifeng , Jin Xiang , Li Hongbin
Published: December 2019

Ascorbate oxidase (AO) plays important roles in plant growth and development. Previously, we reported a cotton AO gene that acts as a positive factor in cell growth. Investigations on Gossypium hirsutum AO (GhAO) family genes and their multiple functions are limited. The present study identified eight GhAO family genes and performed bioinformatic analyses. Expression analyses of the tissue specificity and developmental feature of GhAOs displayed their diverse expression patterns. Interestingly, GhAO1A demonstrated the most rapid significant increase in expression after 1 h of light recovery from the dark. Additionally, the transgenic ao1-1/GhAO1A Arabidopsis lines overexpressing GhAO1A in the Arabidopsis ao1-1 late-flowering mutant displayed a recovery to the normal phenotype of wild-type plants. Moreover, compared to the ao1-1 mutant, the ao1-1/GhAO1A transgenic Arabidopsis presented delayed leaf senescence that was induced by the dark, indicating increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under normal conditions that might be caused by a reduction in ascorbic acid (AsA) and ascorbic acid/dehydroascorbate (AsA/DHA) ratio. The results suggested that GhAOs are functionally diverse in plant development and play a critical role in light responsiveness. Our study serves as a foundation for understanding the AO gene family in cotton and elucidating the regulatory mechanism of GhAO1A in delaying dark-induced leaf senescence.
Drivers of Mobile Payment Acceptance in China: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Chen Wei-Chuan , Chen Chien-Wen , Chen Wen-Kuo
Published: December 2019

With the rapid development of mobile technologies in contemporary society, China has seen increased usage of the Internet and mobile devices. Thus, mobile payment is constantly being innovated and is highly valued in China. Although there have been many reports on the consumer adoption of mobile payments, there are few studies providing guidelines on examining mobile payment adoption in China. This study intends to explore the impact of the facilitating factors (perceived transaction convenience, compatibility, relative advantage, social influence), environmental factors (government support, additional value), inhibiting factors (perceived risk), and personal factors (absorptive capacity, affinity, personal innovation in IT (PIIT)) on adoption intention in China. A research model that reflects the characteristics of mobile payment services was developed and empirically tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM) on datasets consisting of 257 users through an online survey questionnaire in China. Our findings show that perceived transaction convenience, compatibility, relative advantage, government support, additional value, absorptive capacity, affinity, and PIIT all have a positive impact on adoption intention, while social influence has no significant impact on adoption intention, and perceived risk has a negative impact on adoption intention. In addition, the top three factors that influence adoption intentions are absorptive capacity, perceived transaction convenience, and additional value.
Applications of Vegetative Indices from Remote Sensing to Agriculture: Past and Future
Authors: Hatfield Jerry L. , Prueger John H. , Sauer Thomas J. , Dold Christian , O’Brien Peter , Wacha Ken
Published: December 2019

Remote sensing offers the capability of observing an object without being in contact with the object. Throughout the recent history of agriculture, researchers have observed that different wavelengths of light are reflected differently by plant leaves or canopies and that these differences could be used to determine plant biophysical characteristics, e.g., leaf chlorophyll, plant biomass, leaf area, phenological development, type of plant, photosynthetic activity, or amount of ground cover. These reflectance differences could also extend to the soil to determine topsoil properties. The objective of this review is to evaluate how past research can prepare us to utilize remote sensing more effectively in future applications. To estimate plant characteristics, combinations of wavebands may be placed into a vegetative index (VI), i.e., combinations of wavebands related to a specific biophysical characteristic. These VIs can express differences in plant response to their soil, meteorological, or management environment and could then be used to determine how the crop could be managed to enhance its productivity. In the past decade, there has been an expanded use of machine learning to determine how remote sensing can be used more effectively in decision-making. The application of artificial intelligence into the dynamics of agriculture will provide new opportunities for how we can utilize the information we have available more effectively. This can lead to linkages with robotic systems capable of being directed to specific areas of a field, an orchard, a pasture, or a vineyard to correct a problem. Our challenge will be to develop and evaluate these relationships so they will provide a benefit to our food security and environmental quality.
Risk of Venous Thromboembolic Events in Patients with Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Undergoing Primary Hip Arthroplasty
Authors: Sung Pei-Hsun , Yang Yao-Hsu , Chiang Hsin-Ju , Chiang John Y. , Yip Hon-Kan , Lee Mel S.
Published: December 2019

Previous data have shown patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) have increased lifelong risk of unprovoked venous thromboembolic events (VTE) as compared with the general population, according to sharing common pathological mechanism of endothelial dysfunction. However, whether the risk of VTE increases in those ONFH patients undergoing major hip replacement surgery remains unclear. This is a retrospective nationwide Asian population-based study. From 1997 to 2013, a total of 12,232 ONFH patients receiving partial or total hip replacement for the first time and revision surgeries were retrospectively selected from Taiwan Health Insurance surgical files. By 1:1 matching on age, sex, surgical types, and socioeconomic status, 12,232 subjects without ONFH undergoing similar hip surgery were selected as non-ONFH group. The incidence and risk of post-surgery VTE, including deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), were compared between the ONFH and non-ONFH groups. Results showed that 53.8% of ONFH patients were male and the median age was 61.9 years old. During the mean follow-up period of 6.4 years, the incidences of VTE (1.4% vs. 1.2%), DVT (1.1% vs. 0.9%), and PE (0.4% vs. 0.4%) were slightly but insignificantly higher in the ONFH than in the non-ONFH group undergoing the same types of major hip replacement surgery (all p-values > 0.250). Concordantly, we found no evidence that the risk of VTE was increased in the ONFH patients as compared with the non-ONFH counterparts (adjusted HR 1.14; 95% CI 0.91–1.42; p = 0.262). There were also no increased risks for DVT and PE in the ONFH subgroups stratified by comorbidities, drug exposure to pain-killer or steroid, and follow-up duration after surgery, either. In conclusion, hip arthroplasty in Asian patients with ONFH is associated with similar rates of VTE as compared to patients with non-ONFH diagnoses.
Rescue of TCA Cycle Dysfunction for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Marquez Jubert , Flores Jessa , Kim Amy Hyein , Nyamaa Bayalagmaa , Nguyen Anh Thi Tuyet , Park Nammi , Han Jin
Published: December 2019

Mitochondrion, a maternally hereditary, subcellular organelle, is the site of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, electron transport chain (ETC), and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)—the basic processes of ATP production. Mitochondrial function plays a pivotal role in the development and pathology of different cancers. Disruption in its activity, like mutations in its TCA cycle enzymes, leads to physiological imbalances and metabolic shifts of the cell, which contributes to the progression of cancer. In this review, we explored the different significant mutations in the mitochondrial enzymes participating in the TCA cycle and the diseases, especially cancer types, that these malfunctions are closely associated with. In addition, this paper also discussed the different therapeutic approaches which are currently being developed to address these diseases caused by mitochondrial enzyme malfunction.
Investigation and Characterization of Synthesis Conditions on Sucrose-ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate (SADP) Adhesive: Bond Performance and Chemical Transformation
Authors: Sun Shijing , Zhang Min , Umemura Kenji , Zhao Zhongyuan
Published: December 2019

Sucrose is one of the most abundantly available renewable chemicals in the world, and it is expected to be utilized as a raw material for wood-based material products. Herein, a novel adhesion system that was based on sucrose and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) was synthesized into an adhesive with 80% solid content, and this eco-friendly was utilized on the fabrication of plywood. The effects of the synthesis conditions on the plywood bond performance and synthesis mechanism were investigated. The optimal synthesis conditions were as follows: the mass proportion between sucrose and ADP was 90/10, the synthesis temperature was 90 °C, and the synthesis time was 3 h. The bonding performance of the plywood that was bonded by optimal SADP adhesive satisfied the GB/T 9846-2015 standard. The chemical analysis was performance tested by using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra (ATR-FTIR), and Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to understand the chemical transformation during the synthesis process. The chemical analysis results confirmed that the hydrolysis and conversation reaction of sucrose occurred in the synthesized SADP adhesive, and ADP promoted the pyrolysis efficiency of sucrose.
Chemical Synthesis of Silk-Mimetic Polymers
Authors: Sarkar Amrita , Connor Alexander J. , Koffas Mattheos , Zha R. Helen
Published: December 2019

Silk is a naturally occurring high-performance material that can surpass man-made polymers in toughness and strength. The remarkable mechanical properties of silk result from the primary sequence of silk fibroin, which bears semblance to a linear segmented copolymer with alternating rigid (“crystalline”) and flexible (“amorphous”) blocks. Silk-mimetic polymers are therefore of great emerging interest, as they can potentially exhibit the advantageous features of natural silk while possessing synthetic flexibility as well as non-natural compositions. This review describes the relationships between primary sequence and material properties in natural silk fibroin and furthermore discusses chemical approaches towards the synthesis of silk-mimetic polymers. In particular, step-growth polymerization, controlled radical polymerization, and copolymerization with naturally derived silk fibroin are presented as strategies for synthesizing silk-mimetic polymers with varying molecular weights and degrees of sequence control. Strategies for improving macromolecular solubility during polymerization are also highlighted. Lastly, the relationships between synthetic approach, supramolecular structure, and bulk material properties are explored in this review, with the aim of providing an informative perspective on the challenges facing chemical synthesis of silk-mimetic polymers with desirable properties.
Principles of Magnetic Hyperthermia: A Focus on Using Multifunctional Hybrid Magnetic Nanoparticles
Authors: Obaidat Ihab M. , Narayanaswamy Venkatesha , Alaabed Sulaiman , Sambasivam Sangaraju , Muralee Gopi Chandu V. V.
Published: December 2019

Hyperthermia is a noninvasive method that uses heat for cancer therapy where high temperatures have a damaging effect on tumor cells. However, large amounts of heat need to be delivered, which could have negative effects on healthy tissues. Thus, to minimize the negative side effects on healthy cells, a large amount of heat must be delivered only to the tumor cells. Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) uses magnetic nanoparticles particles (MNPs) that are exposed to alternating magnetic field (AMF) to generate heat in local regions (tissues or cells). This cancer therapy method has several advantages, such as (a) it is noninvasive, thus requiring surgery, and (b) it is local, and thus does not damage health cells. However, there are several issues that need to achieved: (a) the MNPs should be biocompatible, biodegradable, with good colloidal stability (b) the MNPs should be successfully delivered to the tumor cells, (c) the MNPs should be used with small amounts and thus MNPs with large heat generation capabilities are required, (d) the AMF used to heat the MNPs should meet safety conditions with limited frequency and amplitude ranges, (e) the changes of temperature should be traced at the cellular level with accurate and noninvasive techniques, (f) factors affecting heat transport from the MNPs to the cells must be understood, and (g) the effect of temperature on the biological mechanisms of cells should be clearly understood. Thus, in this multidisciplinary field, research is needed to investigate these issues. In this report, we shed some light on the principles of heat generation by MNPs in AMF, the limitations and challenges of MH, and the applications of MH using multifunctional hybrid MNPs.
Trigonometrically-Fitted Methods: A Review
Authors: Chun Changbum , Neta Beny
Published: December 2019

Numerical methods for the solution of ordinary differential equations are based on polynomial interpolation. In 1952, Brock and Murray have suggested exponentials for the case that the solution is known to be of exponential type. In 1961, Gautschi came up with the idea of using information on the frequency of a solution to modify linear multistep methods by allowing the coefficients to depend on the frequency. Thus the methods integrate exactly appropriate trigonometric polynomials. This was done for both first order systems and second order initial value problems. Gautschi concluded that “the error reduction is not very substantial unless” the frequency estimate is close enough. As a result, no other work was done in this direction until 1984 when Neta and Ford showed that “Nyström’s and Milne-Simpson’s type methods for systems of first order initial value problems are not sensitive to changes in frequency”. This opened the flood gates and since then there have been many papers on the subject.
Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Models for Prediction of Remaining Service Life of Flexible Pavement
Authors: Nabipour Narjes , Karballaeezadeh Nader , Dineva Adrienn , Mosavi Amir , Mohammadzadeh S. Danial , Shamshirband Shahaboddin
Published: December 2019

Prediction of the remaining service life (RSL) of pavement is a challenging task for road maintenance and transportation engineering. The prediction of the RSL estimates the time that a major repair or reconstruction becomes essential. The conventional approach to predict RSL involves using non-destructive tests. These tests, in addition to being costly, interfere with traffic flow and compromise operational safety. In this paper, surface distresses of pavement are used to estimate the RSL to address the aforementioned challenges. To implement the proposed theory, 105 flexible pavement segments are considered. For each pavement segment, the type, severity, and extent of surface damage and the pavement condition index (PCI) were determined. The pavement RSL was then estimated using non-destructive tests include falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). After completing the dataset, the modeling was conducted to predict RSL using three techniques include support vector regression (SVR), support vector regression optimized by the fruit fly optimization algorithm (SVR-FOA), and gene expression programming (GEP). All three techniques estimated the RSL of the pavement by selecting the PCI as input. The correlation coefficient (CC), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), scattered index (SI), and Willmott’s index of agreement (WI) criteria were used to examine the performance of the three techniques adopted in this study. In the end, it was found that GEP with values of 0.874, 0.598, 0.601, and 0.807 for CC, SI, NSE, and WI criteria, respectively, had the highest accuracy in predicting the RSL of pavement.
Preliminary Biochemical Description of Brain Oxidative Stress Status in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Contention-Stress Rat Model
Authors: Balmus Ioana-Miruna , Lefter Radu , Ciobica Alin , Cojocaru Sabina , Guenne Samson , Timofte Daniel , Stanciu Carol , Trifan Anca , Hritcu Luminita
Published: December 2019

Background and objectives: Oxidative stress and inflammation have been implicated in the etiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common gastrointestinal functional disease. This study aimed to further characterize the contention-stress rat model by exploring a possible correlation between oxidative stress markers measured in brain tissues with behavioral components of the aforementioned model. Thus, it is hereby proposed a possible IBS animal model relevant to pharmacological and complementary medicine studies. Materials and Methods: Wild-type male Wistar rats (n = 5/group) were chronically exposed to 6-hour/day contention, consisting of isolating the animals in small, vital space-granting plastic devices, for seven consecutive days. Following contention exposure, temporal lobes were extracted and subjected to biochemical analyses to assess oxidative stress-status parameters. Results: Our results show increased brain oxidative stress in contention-stress rat model: decreased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and increased malondialdehyde production in the IBS group, as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the biochemical ratios which are used to evaluate the effectiveness of an antioxidant system on oxidative stress could be described in this model. Conclusions: The correlations between the behavioral patterns and biochemical oxidative stress features could suggest that this may be a complex model, which can successfully mimic IBS symptomatology further providing evidence of a strong connection between the digestive system, enteric nervous system, and the central nervous system.
A Study of Ralex Membrane Morphology by SEM
Authors: Akberova Elmara M. , Vasil’eva Vera I. , Zabolotsky Victor I. , Novak Lubos
Published: December 2019

A comparative analysis of the effect of the manufacturing technology of heterogeneousion-exchange membranes Ralex CM Pes manufactured by MEGA a.s. (Czech Republic) on the structural properties of their surface and cross section by SEM was carried out. The CM Pes membrane is a composite of a sulfonated ion-exchanger with inert binder of polyethylene and reinforcing polyester fiber. In the manufacture of membranes Ralex the influence of two factors was investigated. First, the time of ion-exchange grain millingvaried at a constant resin/polyethylene ratio. Second, the ratio of the cation-exchanger and the inert binder of polyethylene varied. It has been found that the membrane surface becomes more electrically homogeneous with the growth of the ion-exchanger loading and a decrease in its particle size. With an increase in the milling time of resin grainsfrom 5 to 80 min a more than 1.5-fold decrease in their radius and in the distance between them was revealed.Besides, there is a 1.5-fold decrease in the fraction, as well as in the size of pores and structure defects. The fraction of the ion-exchange phase on the membrane surface decreases by 7%. With an increase in the resin loading from 45 to 70 wt %, the growth of the fraction of conducting regions on the surface is almost twofold, while their sizes remain practically unchanged. More significant changes in the surface structure of the studied membranes are established in comparison with the cross section. An increase in the resin content in the membranes from 45 to 70 wt % corresponds to a 43% increment of its fraction on the cross-section.The increase in the ion-exchanger content of Ralex membranes is accompanied by the growth of the fraction of macropores and structure defects on the membrane surface by 70% and a twofold decrease in the distance between conducting zones.
Hybrid Machine Learning Optimization Approach to Predict Hot Deformation Behavior of Medium Carbon Steel Material
Authors: Murugesan Mohanraj , Sajjad Muhammad , Jung Dong Won
Published: December 2019

The isothermal tensile test of medium carbon steel material was conducted at deformation temperatures varying from 650 to 950 ∘ C with an interval of 100 ∘ C and strain rates ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 s − 1 . In addition, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) procedures were exploited to study about the surface morphology of medium carbon steel material. Using the experimental data, the artificial neural network (ANN) model with a back-propagation (BP) algorithm was proposed to predict the hot deformation behavior of medium carbon steel material. For model training and testing purpose, the variables such as deformation temperature, strain rate, and strain data were considered as inputs and the flow stress data were used as targets. Before running the neural network, the test data were normalized to effectively run the problem and after solving the problem, the obtained results were again converted in order to achieve the actual data. According to the predicted results, the coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) and the average absolute relative error between the predicted flow stress and the experimental data were determined as 0.999 and 1.335%, respectively. For improving the model predictability, the constrained nonlinear function based optimization procedures was adopted to obtain the best candidate selections of weights and biases. By evaluating each test conditions, it was found that the average absolute relative error based on the optimized ANN-BP model varied from 0.728% to 1.775%. Overall, the trained ANN-BP models proved to be much more efficient and accurate by means of flow stress prediction against the experimental data for all the tested conditions. These optimized results displayed that an ANN-BP model is more accurate for flow stress prediction than that of the conventional flow stress models.
Influence of Post-Weld Heat Treatments on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Laser Beam Welded 2060-T3/2099-T3Al-Li T-Joints
Authors: Zhang Yunlong , Chen Yanbin , Tao Wang , Lei Zhenglong , Yang Zhaohui , Nan Tiantian
Published: December 2019

The durable structure and robustness of T-joints in the panel materials for civil aircraft are a crucial matter of importance. In this work, the impact of the post-weld heat treatments (PWHTs) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser beam welded T-joints of 2060-T3/2099-T3 Al-Li alloy was analyzed. Heat-treatment of the laser beam welded T-joints was carried out in two different ways, namely, solution treatment and artificial aging (STAA) at varied duration and only artificial aging (AA) at varied duration. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat-treated joints were investigated using metallographic and scanning electron microscopic images, micro-hardness test, and tensile test, respectively. The results showed that, in cases of STAA, the eutectic structures on the grain boundary were partially dissolved via solution treatment (ST), and increased dispersed precipitation of the second phase in matrix resulted in significant dispersion strengthening, as well as enhanced strength and plasticity. In contrast, in the AA process, alloy elements in the matrix continued to segregate towards the grain boundary, resulting in significant grain boundary strengthening, enhanced strength, and decreased plasticity. Additionally, joint fractures were micro-porous aggregation transgranular ones in the fusion zone (FZ). The joints treated by STAA exhibited excellent plasticity compared with those treated by AA. Furthermore, the micro-hardness of welded joints treated by AA was higher than that of those treated by STAA. Indeed, the tensile strength of joints treated by STAA and AA ranged from 405 to 475 MPa, which was 81–95% of the base metal 2060-T8, though the elongation of joints treated by STAA was superior to the counterpart AA.
A Moderated Mediation Model of Maternal Perinatal Stress, Anxiety, Infant Perceptions and Breastfeeding
Authors: Riedstra Jessica P. , Aubuchon-Endsley Nicki L.
Published: December 2019

This study examined a moderated mediation model of relations among maternal perinatal stress/anxiety, breastfeeding difficulties (mediator), misperceptions of infant crying (moderator), and maternal breastfeeding duration to understand risk factors for early breastfeeding termination. It was hypothesized that more breastfeeding difficulties would mediate the relation between greater prenatal stress/anxiety and shorter breastfeeding duration, and that perceptions of response to infant crying as spoiling would moderate the relation between more breastfeeding difficulties and reduced breastfeeding duration. Additionally, it was hypothesized that participants who breastfed through 6 months would demonstrate less postnatal stress/anxiety and there would be a positive relation between fewer breastfeeding difficulties and less postnatal stress/anxiety through 6 months. Participants included 94 expectant mothers at 33–37 weeks gestation and 6 months (±2 weeks) postpartum. Greater prenatal anxiety was associated with shorter breastfeeding duration. Results presented are the first to document negative relations between prenatal (as opposed to postnatal) anxiety and breastfeeding duration (as opposed to frequency or other indicators) in a U.S. sample. Future studies should seek to replicate findings in a more diverse sample and compare findings from clinical and non-clinical samples. Studies may also wish to explore the effects of anxiety prevention/intervention on breastfeeding duration.
Surfactant Protein A Impairs Genital HPV16 Pseudovirus Infection by Innate Immune Cell Activation in A Murine Model
Authors: Ujma Sylvia , Carse Sinead , Chetty Alisha , Horsnell William , Clark Howard , Madsen Jens , Mackay Rose-Marie , Watson Alastair , Griffiths Mark , Katz Arieh A. , Schäfer Georgia
Published: December 2019

Infection by oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is the principle cause of cervical cancer and other anogenital cancers. The majority of cervical cancer cases occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Prophylactic vaccines exist to combat HPV infection but accessibility to these in LMIC is limited. Alternative preventative measures against HPV infection are therefore also needed to control cervical cancer risk. HPV employs multiple mechanisms to evade the host immune response. Therefore, an approach to promote HPV recognition by the immune system can reduce infection. Surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A and SP-D) are highly effective innate opsonins of pathogens. Their function is primarily understood in the lung, but they are also expressed at other sites of the body, including the female reproductive tract (FRT). We hypothesized that raised levels of SP-A and/or SP-D may enhance immune recognition of HPV and reduce infection. Co-immunoprecipitation and flow cytometry experiments showed that purified human SP-A protein directly bound HPV16 pseudovirions (HPV16-PsVs), and the resulting HPV16-PsVs/SP-A complex enhanced uptake of HPV16-PsVs by RAW264.7 murine macrophages. In contrast, a recombinant fragment of human SP-D bound HPV16-PsVs weakly and had no effect on viral uptake. To assess if SP-A modulates HPV16-PsVs infection in vivo, a murine cervicovaginal challenge model was applied. Surprisingly, neither naïve nor C57BL/6 mice challenged with HPV16-PsVs expressed SP-A in the FRT. However, pre-incubation of HPV16-PsVs with purified human SP-A at a 1:10 (w/w) ratio significantly reduced the level of HPV16-PsV infection. When isolated cells from FRTs of naïve C57BL/6 mice were incubated with HPV16-PsVs and stained for selected innate immune cell populations by flow cytometry, significant increases in HPV16-PsVs uptake by eosinophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages were observed over time using SP-A-pre-adsorbed virions compared to control particles. This study is the first to describe a biochemical and functional association of HPV16 virions with the innate immune molecule SP-A. We show that SP-A impairs HPV16-PsVs infection and propose that SP-A is a potential candidate for use in topical microbicides which provide protection against new HPV infections.
Molecular Detection and Characterization of Borrelia garinii (Spirochaetales: Borreliaceae) in Ixodes nipponensis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Parasitizing a Dog in Korea
Authors: Lee Seung-Hun , Goo Youn-Kyoung , Geraldino Paul John L. , Kwon Oh-Deog , Kwak Dongmi
Published: December 2019

The present study aimed to detect and characterize Borrelia spp. in ticks attached to dogs in Korea. Overall, 562 ticks (276 pools) attached to dogs were collected and tested for Borrelia infection by PCR targeting the 5S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (rrf-rrl). One tick larva (pool level, 0.4%; individual level, 0.2%) was confirmed by sequencing Borrelia garinii, a zoonotic pathogen. For molecular characterization, the outer surface protein A (ospA) and flagellin genes were analyzed. Phylogenetic ospA analysis distinguished B. garinii from B. bavariensis, which has been recently identified as a novel Borrelia species. On the other hand, phylogenetic analysis showed that single gene analysis involving rrf-rrl or flagellin was not sufficient to differentiate B. garinii from B. bavariensis. In addition, the B. garinii-infected tick was identified as Ixodes nipponensis by sequencing according to mitochondrial 16S rRNA and the second transcribed spacer region. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the molecular detection of B. garinii in I. nipponensis parasitizing a dog in Korea. Continuous monitoring of tick-borne pathogens in ticks attached to animals is required to avoid disease distribution and possible transmission to humans.
Molecular Evaluation of Vitality and Survival Rate of Dormant Kyoho Grape Seedlings: A Step toward Molecular Farming
Authors: Nasim Maazullah , Zheng Ting , Naseri Emal , Leng Xiangpeng , Zhang Zhichang , Jia Haifeng , Fang Jinggui
Published: December 2019

Vitality and survival rate of grape seedlings are crucial factors affecting quality of vineyards. There is no comprehensive study describing accurate evaluation of dormant grapevine seedlings’ vitality and survival rate. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of using molecular information to evaluate viability and survival rate of dormant seedlings before transplanting. After bare roots treatment, 1–5 day expression levels of six HKGs in four buds of tetraploid Kyoho grape (Vitis labruscana: V. labrusca × V. vinifera) seedlings were detected by (Sq.) RT-PCR and qRT-PCR for calibration of the molecular method. The results revealed that HKGs expression indicates vitality and survival of plant, higher expression was strongly linked to higher vitality and survival rate, lower expression was associated with lower vitality, and lowest expression was significantly associated with lowest vitality and survival rate. Moreover, DNA and RNA quality can superficially determine seedling qualities. Finally, the survival rate of the seedlings produced in Juxian-Shandong, Laixi-Shandong, Huailai-Hebei, Suizhong-Liaoning, Changli-Hebei, Guanxian-Shandong, and Zhangjiagang-Jiangsu was 100.00%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 100.00%, 87.77%, and 93.33%, respectively. In conclusion, molecular technique is potential approach for promoting gene information to estimate vitality and survival rate of dormant grape seedlings and might contribute to viticulturists’ efforts.
The Mechanism of the Effect of Al2O3 Content on the Liquid Phase Fluidity of Iron Ore Fines
Authors: Li Heping , Wu Shengli , Hong Zhibin , Zhang Weili , Zhou Heng , Kou Mingyin
Published: December 2019

The sintering process is significantly important for the ironmaking in China because of the large amount of sinter consumed. Al2O3 is an important element determining the quality and quantity of sinter. However, different conclusions have been made regarding the effects of Al2O3 on the amount and fluidity of the liquid phase formed in the sinter phase. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the effects of Al2O3 content on the amount and fluidity of the liquid phase. The present work investigated the effects of different Al2O3 contents of iron ore fines on the liquid phase formation, mineral composition, and consolidation strength. The results showed that a small amount of Al2O3 increased the amount of calcium ferrite, making the liquid phase formation easier. As the Al2O3 content in iron ore fines increased, the liquidity index decreased continuously, while the fluidity and the consolidation strength of the sintered body were directly related to the content squared. The quality of the sinter is optimal when the Al2O3 content of the iron ore fines is about 2 wt % (the SiO2 content is 4 wt %).
Structural Alterations of Histone Proteins in DNA-Damaged Cells Revealed by Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy: A New Piece of the DNA-Damage-Response Puzzle
Authors: Izumi Yudai
Published: December 2019

Double-strand breaks of DNA may lead to discontinuous DNA and consequent loss of genetic information, which may result in mutations or, ultimately, carcinogenesis. To avoid such potentially serious situations, cells have evolved efficient DNA damage repair systems. It is thought that DNA-repair processes involve drastic alterations of chromatin and histone structures, but detection of these altered structures in DNA-damaged cells remains rare in the literature. Recently, synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy, which can provide secondary structural information of proteins in solution, has identified structural alterations of histone proteins induced by DNA damage responses. In this review, these results and experimental procedures are discussed with the aim of facilitating further studies of the chromatin remodeling and DNA damage repair pathways using SRCD spectroscopy.
Continuous Glucose Monitors and Activity Trackers to Inform Insulin Dosing in Type 1 Diabetes: The University of Virginia Contribution
Authors: Fabris Chiara , Ozaslan Basak , Breton Marc D.
Published: December 2019

Objective: Suboptimal insulin dosing in type 1 diabetes (T1D) is frequently associated with time-varying insulin requirements driven by various psycho-behavioral and physiological factors influencing insulin sensitivity (IS). Among these, physical activity has been widely recognized as a trigger of altered IS both during and following the exercise effort, but limited indication is available for the management of structured and (even more) unstructured activity in T1D. In this work, we present two methods to inform insulin dosing with biosignals from wearable sensors to improve glycemic control in individuals with T1D. Research Design and Methods: Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and activity trackers are leveraged by the methods. The first method uses CGM records to estimate IS in real time and adjust the insulin dose according to a person’s insulin needs; the second method uses step count data to inform the bolus calculation with the residual glucose-lowering effects of recently performed (structured or unstructured) physical activity. The methods were tested in silico within the University of Virginia/Padova T1D Simulator. A standard bolus calculator and the proposed “smart” systems were deployed in the control of one meal in presence of increased/decreased IS (Study 1) and following a 1-hour exercise bout (Study 2). Postprandial glycemic control was assessed in terms of time spent in different glycemic ranges and low/high blood glucose indices (LBGI/HBGI), and compared between the dosing strategies. Results: In Study 1, the CGM-informed system allowed to reduce exposure to hypoglycemia in presence of increased IS (percent time < 70 mg/dL: 6.1% versus 9.9%; LBGI: 1.9 versus 3.2) and exposure to hyperglycemia in presence of decreased IS (percent time > 180 mg/dL: 14.6% versus 18.3%; HBGI: 3.0 versus 3.9), tending toward optimal control. In Study 2, the step count-informed system allowed to reduce hypoglycemia (percent time < 70 mg/dL: 3.9% versus 13.4%; LBGI: 1.7 versus 3.2) at the cost of a minor increase in exposure to hyperglycemia (percent time > 180 mg/dL: 11.9% versus 7.5%; HBGI: 2.4 versus 1.5). Conclusions: We presented and validated in silico two methods for the smart dosing of prandial insulin in T1D. If seen within an ensemble, the two algorithms provide alternatives to individuals with T1D for improving insulin dosing accommodating a large variety of treatment options. Future work will be devoted to test the safety and efficacy of the methods in free-living conditions.
Automatic Acoustic Target Detecting and Tracking on the Azimuth Recording Diagram with Image Processing Methods
Authors: Yin Fan , Li Chao , Wang Haibin , Yang Fan
Published: December 2019

Passive acoustic target detection has been a hot research topic for a few decades. Azimuth recording diagram is one of the most promising techniques to estimate the arrival direction of the interested signal by visualizing the sound wave information. However, this method is challenged by the random ambient noise, resulting in low reliability and short effective distance. This paper presents a real-time postprocessing framework for passive acoustic target detection modalities by using a sonar array, in which image processing methods are used to automate the target detecting and tracking on the azimuth recording diagram. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach can provide a higher reliability compared with the conventional ones, and is suitable for the constraints of real-time tracking.
Eliminating Phase Drift for Distributed Optical Fiber Acoustic Sensing System with Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Lv Yuejuan , Wang Pengfei , Wang Yu , Liu Xin , Bai Qing , Li Peihong , Zhang Hongjuan , Gao Yan , Jin Baoquan
Published: December 2019

Phase-drift elimination is crucial to vibration recovery in the coherent detection phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry system. The phase drift drives the whole phase signal fluctuation as a baseline, and its negative effect is obvious when the detection time is long. In this paper, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is presented to extract and eliminate the phase drift adaptively. It decomposes the signal by utilizing the characteristic time scale of the data, and the baseline is eventually obtained. It is validated by theory and experiment that the phase drift deteriorates seriously when the length of the vibration region increases. In an experiment, the phase drift was eliminated under the conditions of different vibration frequencies of 1 Hz, 5 Hz, and 10 Hz. The phase drift was also eliminated with different vibration intensities. Furthermore, the linear relationship between phase and vibration intensity is demonstrated with a correlation coefficient of 99.99%. The vibrations at 0.5 Hz and 0.3 Hz were detected with signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of 55.58 dB and 64.44 dB. With this method, when the vibration frequency is at the level of Hz or sub-Hz, the phase drift can be eliminated. This contributes to the detection and recovery of low-frequency perturbation events in practical applications.
A Novel Synchronous MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks with Performance Analysis
Authors: Sahoo Prasan Kumar , Pattanaik Sudhir Ranjan , Wu Shih-Lin
Published: December 2019

Synchronous medium access control (MAC) protocols are highly essential for wireless sensor networks (WSN) to support transmissions with energy saving, quality services, and throughput in industrial, commercial and healthcare applications. In this paper, a synchronous channel access mechanism is designed, where sensors can reserve the contention free data transmission slots in different available channels. To reduce the delay of data transmission among the nodes in the mesh topology, a linear programming problem (LPP) model is designed to select suitable relay nodes. Moreover, the performance of the proposed MAC is analyzed and our models are validated with simulation and analytical results. The results show that our proposed MAC protocol outperforms the IEEE 802.15.4e MAC mechanism in terms of throughput, reliability, delay, energy, packet drop rate and transmission success rate.