bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Empirical Study on the Architecture Instability of Software Projects
Authors: Aversano Lerina , Guardabascio Daniela , Tortorella Maria
Published: April 2019

Software architecture is an artifact that expresses how the initial concept of a software system has actually been implemented. However, changes to the requirement imply continuous modification of the software system and may affect its architecture. It is expected that when a software system reaches the mature state, the requirements for evolution decrease and its architecture becomes more stable. The paper analyzes how the architecture of a software system evolves during its life cycle, with the aim of obtaining quantitative information on its possible instability after it has been declared mature. The goal is to verify if the architectural instability decreases with the increase of the software system maturity and to identify the software components that are more unstable among multiple releases. The paper proposes metrics that measure the instability of the architecture of a software system and its components through different releases. Open source software projects classified as mature and active and related historical data are analyzed. The results of the empirical study point out that the instability of software projects continues to evolve even after they are declared mature. The proposed metrics give a useful support for investigating the instability of a software project, even if further factors can be analyzed. Furthermore, the study can be replicated on other software systems belonging to different domains and developed using different programming languages.
Achieving digital permanence
Authors: Blum Raymond , Beyer Betsy
Published: April 2019

The many challenges to maintaining stored information and ways to overcome them.
What does it mean for a computing curriculum to succeed?
Authors: Schanzer Emmanuel , Krishnamurthi Shriram , Fisler Kathi
Published: April 2019

Examining the expansion, proliferation, and integration of computing education everywhere.
Why visual aids need to be less visual
Authors: Yaffe Philip
Published: April 2019

Each "Communication Corner" essay is self-contained; however, they build on each other. For best results, before reading this essay and doing the exercise, go to the first essay "How an Ugly Duckling Became a Swan," then read each succeeding essay.

Public speaking is not only about communicating your ideas orally, but also visually. Too many presentations are undermined by poorly chosen slides. An outstanding presentation is one that addresses two fundamental objectives, with the end goal of leaving a lasting impression on the audience.
Workshop on developmental neural networks
Authors: Wilson Dennis G.
Published: April 2019

The inaugural workshop on Developmental Neural Networks was held at PPSN (Parallel Problem Solving from Nature) 2018 in Coimbra, Portugal. The aim of this workshop is to encourage approaches which focus on the development of artificial neural networks (ANN). In nature, brains are built through a process of biological development in which many aspects of the network of neurons and connections change, shaped by external information received through sensory organs. However, many modern artificial neural networks do not include developmental mechanisms and regard learning as the adjustment of connection weights, while some that do use development restrain it to a period before the ANN is used. The first edition of the workshop demonstrated a broad interest in this nascent topic.
Autophagy, apoptosis, and mitochondria: molecular integration and physiological relevance in skeletal muscle
Authors: Bloemberg Darin , Quadrilatero Joe
Published: April 2019

Apoptosis and autophagy are processes resulting from the integration of cellular stress and death signals. Their individual importance is highlighted by the lethality of various mouse models missing apoptosis or autophagy-related genes. In addition to their independent roles, significant overlap exists with respect to the signals that stimulate these processes as well as their effector consequences. While these cellular systems exemplify the programming redundancies that underlie many fundamental biological mechanisms, their intertwined relationship means that dysfunction can promote pathology. Although both autophagic and apoptotic signaling are active in skeletal muscle during various diseases and atrophy, their specific roles here are somewhat unique. Given our growing understanding of how specific changes at the cellular level impact whole-organism physiology, there is an equally growing interest in pharmacological manipulation of apoptosis and/or autophagy for altering human physiology and health.
Sex-specific differences in emphysema using a murine antisense oligonucleotide model of α-1 antitrypsin deficiency
Authors: Joshi Rashika , Ojha Mohit , Lewis Jana , Fan Qiang , Monia Brett , Guo Shuling , Varisco Brian M.
Published: April 2019

α-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is the leading genetic cause of emphysema; however, until recently, no genuine animal models of AAT deficiency existed, hampering the development of new therapies. This shortcoming is now addressed by both AAT-null and antisense oligonucleotide mouse models. The goal of this study was to more fully characterize the antisense oligonucleotide model. Both liver AAT mRNA and serum AAT levels were lower in anti-AAT versus control oligonucleotide-treated mice after 6, 12, and 24 wk. Six and twelve weeks of anti-AAT oligonucleotide therapy induced emphysema that was worse in female than male mice: mean linear intercept 73.4 versus 62.5 μm ( P = 0.000003). However, at 24 wk of treatment, control oligonucleotide-treated mice also developed emphysema. After 6 wk of therapy, anti-AAT male and female mice demonstrated a similar reduction serum AAT levels, and there were no sex or treatment-specific alterations in inflammatory, serine protease, or matrix metalloproteinase mRNAs, with the exception of chymotrypsin-like elastase 1 ( Cela1), which was 7- and 9-fold higher in anti-AAT versus control male and female lungs, respectively, and 1.6-fold higher in female versus male anti-AAT-treated lungs ( P = 0.04). While lung AAT protein levels were reduced in anti-AAT-treated mice, lung AAT mRNA levels were unaffected. These findings are consistent with increased emphysema susceptibility of female patients with AAT-deficiency. The anti-AAT oligonucleotide model of AAT deficiency is useful for compartment-specific, in vivo molecular biology, and sex-specific studies of AAT-deficient emphysema, but it should be used with caution in studies longer than 12-wk duration.
Cathepsin S promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Chang Chi-Jen , Hsu Hsiu-Chi , Ho Wan-Jing , Chang Gwo-Jyh , Pang Jong-Hwei S. , Chen Wei-Jan , Huang Chung-Chi , Lai Ying-Ju
Published: April 2019

Cysteine cathepsin proteases play critical roles in cardiovascular disease progression and are implicated in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) exhibit increased elastase production by pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), which is related to the degradation of elastic fibers and pulmonary vascular remodeling. However, the mechanism by which cathepsins regulate the ECM and PASMC proliferation in PAH remains unclear. We hypothesized that cathepsin proteases in PASMCs promote the development of PAH. Here, we show overexpression of cathepsin S (Cat S) and degradation of elastic laminae in the lungs of patients with idiopathic PAH and in the PASMCs of monocrotaline-induced PAH model (MCT-PAH) rats. In addition, pulmonary hypertension can be treated in MCT-PAH rats by administering a selective Cat S inhibitor, Millipore-219393, which stimulates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) to inhibit the expression of Cat S, thus suppressing the proliferation and migration of MCT-PAH PASMCs. We then reduced Cat S or PPARγ expression by using small interfering RNA in human PASMCs to demonstrate a mechanistic link between Cat S signaling and PPARγ protein, and the results suggest that PPARγ is upstream of Cat S signaling. In conclusion, the activity of Cat S in pulmonary vascular remodeling and degradation of elastin fibers through the disruption of PPARγ is pathophysiologically significant in PAH.
Tissue-specific dysregulation of mitochondrial respiratory capacity and coupling control in colon-26 tumor-induced cachexia
Authors: Halle Jessica L. , Pena Gabriel S. , Paez Hector G. , Castro Adrianna J. , Rossiter Harry B. , Visavadiya Nishant P. , Whitehurst Michael A. , Khamoui Andy V.
Published: April 2019

In addition to skeletal muscle dysfunction, cancer cachexia is a systemic disease involving remodeling of nonmuscle organs such as adipose and liver. Impairment of mitochondrial function is associated with multiple chronic diseases. The tissue-specific control of mitochondrial function in cancer cachexia is not well defined. This study determined mitochondrial respiratory capacity and coupling control of skeletal muscle, white adipose tissue (WAT), and liver in colon-26 (C26) tumor-induced cachexia. Tissues were collected from PBS-injected weight-stable mice, C26 weight-stable mice and C26 mice with moderate (10% weight loss) and severe cachexia (20% weight loss). The respiratory control ratio [(RCR) an index of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) coupling efficiency] was low in WAT during the induction of cachexia because of high nonphosphorylating LEAK respiration. Liver RCR was low in C26 weight-stable and moderately cachexic mice because of reduced OXPHOS. Liver RCR was further reduced with severe cachexia, where Ant2 but not Ucp2 expression was increased. Ant2 was inversely correlated with RCR in the liver ( r = −0.547, P < 0.01). Liver cardiolipin increased in moderate and severe cachexia, suggesting this early event may also contribute to mitochondrial uncoupling. Impaired skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration occurred predominantly in severe cachexia, at complex I. These findings suggest that mitochondrial function is subject to tissue-specific control during cancer cachexia, whereby remodeling in WAT and liver arise early and may contribute to altered energy balance, followed by impaired skeletal muscle respiration. We highlight an under-recognized role of liver and WAT mitochondrial function in cancer cachexia and suggest mitochondrial function of multiple tissues to be therapeutic targets.
Mechanisms for falling urine pH with age in stone formers
Authors: Menezes Cameron J. , Worcester Elaine M. , Coe Fredric L. , Asplin John , Bergsland Kristin J. , Ko Benjamin
Published: April 2019

One of the main functions of the kidney is to excrete an acid load derived from both dietary and endogenous sources, thus maintaining the pH of other fluids in the body. Urine pH is also of particular interest in stone formers, since it determines the presence of either calcium phosphate or uric acid content in stones. Others have noted in epidemiological studies a rise in incidence of low pH-dependent uric acid stones with age, coinciding with a decrease in the incidence of high pH-dependent phosphate stones. Taken together, these trends are suggestive of a longitudinal decline in urine pH in stone-forming patients, and, if true, this could explain the observed trends in stone incidence. We studied 7,891 stone formers, all of whom collected a 24-h urine sample and matching serum. Multivariate modeling revealed that urine pH did indeed fall with age and particularly between the ages of 20 and 50 yr old in both men and women. We sought to explain this trend through the inclusion of traditionally understood determinants of urine pH such as urinary buffers, estimates of glomerular filtration, and dietary acid load, but these, taken together, accounted for but a small fraction of the pH fall. Gastrointestinal anion absorption was the strongest predictor of urine pH in all age groups, as we have previously reported in middle-aged normal men and women. However, we found that, despite a decreasing urine pH, gastrointestinal anion absorption increased monotonically with age. In fact, after adjustment for gastrointestinal anion absorption, urine pH declined more markedly, suggesting that bicarbonate-producing anion absorption is regulated in a manner that offsets the decline of urine pH.
Visual perception of joint stiffness from multijoint motion
Authors: Huber Meghan E. , Folinus Charlotte , Hogan Neville
Published: April 2019

Humans have an astonishing ability to extract hidden information from the movements of others. For example, even with limited kinematic information, humans can distinguish between biological and nonbiological motion, identify the age and gender of a human demonstrator, and recognize what action a human demonstrator is performing. It is unknown, however, whether they can also estimate hidden mechanical properties of another’s limbs simply by observing their motions. Strictly speaking, identifying an object’s mechanical properties, such as stiffness, requires contact. With only motion information, unambiguous measurements of stiffness are fundamentally impossible, since the same limb motion can be generated with an infinite number of stiffness values. However, we show that humans can readily estimate the stiffness of a simulated limb from its motion. In three experiments, we found that participants linearly increased their rating of arm stiffness as joint stiffness parameters in the arm controller increased. This was remarkable since there was no physical contact with the simulated limb. Moreover, participants had no explicit knowledge of how the simulated arm was controlled. To successfully map nontrivial changes in multijoint motion to changes in arm stiffness, participants likely drew on prior knowledge of human neuromotor control. Having an internal representation consistent with the behavior of the controller used to drive the simulated arm implies that this control policy competently captures key features of veridical biological control. Finding that humans can extract latent features of neuromotor control from kinematics also provides new insight into how humans interpret the motor actions of others.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Humans can visually perceive another’s overt motion, but it is unknown whether they can also perceive the hidden dynamic properties of another’s limbs from their motions. Here, we show that humans can correctly infer changes in limb stiffness from nontrivial changes in multijoint limb motion without force information or explicit knowledge of the underlying limb controller. Our findings suggest that humans presume others control motor behavior in such a way that limb stiffness influences motion.
Effect of sound pressure level on contralateral inhibition underlying duration-tuned neurons in the mammalian inferior colliculus
Authors: Valdizón-Rodríguez Roberto , Kovaleva Dominika , Faure Paul A.
Published: April 2019

Duration tuning in the mammalian inferior colliculus (IC) is created by the interaction of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. We used extracellular recordings and paired tone stimulation to measure the strength and time course of the contralateral inhibition underlying duration-tuned neurons (DTNs) in the IC of the awake bat. The onset time of a short, best duration (BD), excitatory probe tone set to +10 dB (re threshold) was varied relative to the onset of a longer-duration, nonexcitatory (NE) suppressor tone whose sound pressure level (SPL) was varied. Spikes evoked by the roving BD tone were suppressed when the stationary NE tone amplitude was at or above the BD tone threshold. When the NE tone was increased from 0 to +10 dB, the inhibitory latency became shorter than the excitatory first-spike latency and the duration of inhibition increased, but no further changes occurred at +20 dB (re BD tone threshold). We used the effective duration of inhibition as a function of the NE tone amplitude to obtain suppression-level functions that were used to estimate the inhibitory half-maximum SPL (ISPL50). We also measured rate-level functions of DTNs with single BD tones varied in SPL and modeled the excitatory half-maximum SPL (ESPL50). There was a correlation between the ESPL50 and ISPL50, and the dynamic range of excitation and inhibition were similar. We conclude that the strength of inhibition changes in proportion to excitation as a function of SPL, and this feature likely contributes to the amplitude tolerance of the responses of DTNs.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Duration-tuned neurons arise from excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs offset in time. We measured the strength and time course of inhibition to changes in sound level. The onset of inhibition shortened while its duration lengthened as the stimulus level increased from 0 to +10 dB re threshold; however, no further changes were observed at +20 dB. Excitatory rate-level and inhibitory suppression-level response functions were strongly correlated, suggesting a mechanism for level tolerance in duration tuning.
Dynamic Modeling, Simulation, and Flight Test of a Rocket‐Towed Net System
Authors: Han Feng , Zhou Qiao , Chen Fang
Published: April 2019

Rocket‐towed systems are commonly applied in specific aerospace engineering fields. In this work, we concentrate on the study of a rocket‐towed net system (RTNS). Based on the lumped mass method, the multibody dynamic model of RTNS is established. The dynamic equations are derived by the Cartesian coordinate method and the condensational method is utilized to obtain the corresponding second order ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Considering the elastic hysteresis of woven fabrics, a tension model of mesh‐belts is proposed. Through simulation in MATLAB, the numerical deploying process of RTNS is acquired. Furthermore, a prototype is designed and flight tests are conducted in a shooting range. Ballistic curves and four essential dynamic parameters are studied by using comparative analysis between simulation results and test data. The simulation acquires a good accuracy in describing average behaviors of the measured dynamic parameters with acceptable error rates in the main part of the flight and manages to catch the oscillations in the intense dynamic loading phase. Meanwhile, the model functions well as a theoretical guidance for experimental design and achieves in predicting essential engineering factors during the RTNS deploying process as an approximate engineering reference.
PARP-1 Is Critical for Recruitment of Dendritic Cells to the Lung in a Mouse Model of Asthma but Dispensable for Their Differentiation and Function
Authors: Echeverri Tirado Laura C. , Ghonim Mohamed A. , Wang Jeffrey , Al-Khami Amir A. , Wyczechowska Dorota , Luu Hanh H. , Kim Hogyoung , Sanchez-Pino Maria Dulfary , Yélamos José , Yassin Lina M. , Boulares A. Hamid
Published: April 2019

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical in asthma and many other immune diseases. We previously demonstrated a role for PARP-1 in asthma. Evidence on PARP-1 playing a role in Th2-associated DC function is not clear. In this study, we examined whether PARP-1 is critical for DC differentiation and function using bone marrow progenitors and their migration to the lung in an ovalbumin-based mouse model of asthma. Results show that changes in PARP-1 levels during GM-CSF-induced DC differentiation from bone marrow progenitors were cyclic and appear to be part of an array of changes that included STAT3/STAT5/STAT6/GRAIL/RAD51. Interestingly, PARP-1 gene deletion affected primarily STAT6 and γH2AX. PARP-1 inhibition significantly reduced the migration of DCs to the lungs of ovalbumin-challenged mice, which was associated with a concomitant reduction in lung levels of the adhesion molecule VCAM-1. The requirement of PARP-1 for VCAM-1 expression was confirmed using endothelial and lung smooth muscle cells. PARP-1 expression and activity were also required for VCAM-1 in differentiated DCs. An assessment of CD11b+/CD11c+/MHCIIhigh DCs in spleens and lymph nodes of OVA-sensitized mice revealed that PARP-1 inhibition genetically or by olaparib exerted little to no effect on DC differentiation, percentage of CD80+/CD86+/CD40+-expressing cells, or their capacity to promote proliferation of ovalbumin-primed (OTII) CD4+ T cells. These findings were corroborated using GM-CSF-induced differentiation of DCs from the bone marrow. Surprisingly, the PARP-1−/− DCs exhibited a higher intrinsic capacity to induce OTII CD4+ T cell proliferation in the absence of ovalbumin. Overall, our results show that PARP-1 plays little to no role in DC differentiation and function and that the protective effect of PARP-1 inhibition against asthma is associated with a prevention of DC migration to the lung through a reduction in VCAM-1 expression. Given the current use of PARP inhibitors (e.g., olaparib) in the clinic, the present results may be of interest for the relevant therapies.
Approximate Schur‐Block ILU Preconditioners for Regularized Solution of Discrete Ill‐Posed Problems
Authors: Buranay Suzan C. , Iyikal Ovgu C.
Published: April 2019

High order iterative methods with a recurrence formula for approximate matrix inversion are proposed such that the matrix multiplications and additions in the calculation of matrix polynomials for the hyperpower methods of orders of convergence p = 4k + 3, where k ≥ 1 is integer, are reduced through factorizations and nested loops in which the iterations are defined using a recurrence formula. Therefore, the computational cost is lowered from κ = 4k + 3 to κ = k + 4 matrix multiplications per step. An algorithm is proposed to obtain regularized solution of ill‐posed discrete problems with noisy data by constructing approximate Schur‐Block Incomplete LU (Schur‐BILU) preconditioner and by preconditioning the one step stationary iterative method. From the proposed methods of approximate matrix inversion, the methods of orders p = 7,11,15,19 are applied for approximating the Schur complement matrices. This algorithm is applied to solve two problems of Fredholm integral equation of first kind. The first example is the harmonic continuation problem and the second example is Phillip’s problem. Furthermore, experimental study on some nonsymmetric linear systems of coefficient matrices with strong indefinite symmetric components from Harwell‐Boeing collection is also given. Numerical analysis for the regularized solutions of the considered problems is given and numerical comparisons with methods from the literature are provided through tables and figures.
Study of Chang’E-2 Microwave Radiometer Data in the Lunar Polar Region
Authors: Yang Fan , Xu Yi , Chan Kwing Lam , Zhang Xiaoping , Hu Guoping , Li Yong
Published: April 2019

The Chang’E-2 (CE-2) four-channel microwave radiometer (MRM) data with frequencies of 3 GHz, 7.8 GHz, 19.35 GHz, and 37 GHz have been used to investigate the properties of lunar surface such as regolith thickness, dielectric constant, and titanium abundance within a depth of several meters in middle and low latitudes. The purpose of this work is to take a close look at MRM data in the polar regions of the Moon and analyze the characteristics of the brightness temperature (TB) in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), especially where evidence of water ice has been found. First, the comparisons of brightness temperature values in the polar region and in low latitudes show that (1) the periodic diurnal (day/night) variation of TB becomes weak in high latitudes since topography plays a dominant role in determining TB in polar region and (2) seasonal effects are more recognizable in polar region than in low latitudes due to the weak illumination condition. Second, even without direct sun illumination, significant seasonal variations of TBs are observed in PSRs, probably caused by the scattering flux from neighboring topography. TB Ratio (TBR) between channel 1 and channel 4, which indicates the differences of TB at different depths of lunar regolith, is higher and shows stronger seasonal variation in PSR than regions with direct illumination. Third, overall the distribution of high TBR values is in consistence with the water ice distributions obtained by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument, the LAMP UV spectra, and the Lunar Prospector Neutron Spectrometer. The proportion of the summation over area with water ice proof in the regions of interest is 0.89 and 0.56 in south pole and north pole, respectively. The causes of the correlation of high TBR between different microwave frequencies and stability of water ice deposits still require further investigation, but MRM data shows unique characteristic in PSRs and could provide important information about the upper few meters of lunar regolith.
Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks with an Improved NSA Based on Space Division
Authors: Zhang Ruirui , Xiao Xin
Published: April 2019

Inspired by the biological immune system, many researchers apply artificial immune principles to intrusion detection in wireless sensor networks, such as negative selection algorithms, danger theory, and dendritic cell algorithms. When applying the negative selection algorithm to wireless sensor networks, the characteristics of wireless sensor networks, such as frequent changes in network topology and limited resources, are not considered too much, which makes the detection effect to need improvement. In this paper, a negative selection algorithm based on spatial partition is proposed and applied to hierarchical wireless sensor networks. The algorithm first analyzes the distribution of self-set in the real-valued space then divides the real-valued space, and several subspaces are obtained. Selves are filled into different subspaces. We implement the negative selection algorithm in the subspace. The randomly generated candidate detector only needs to be tolerated with selves in the subspace where the detector is located, not all the selves. This operation reduces the time cost of distance calculation. In the detection process of detectors, the antigen which is to be detected only needs to match the mature detectors in the subspace where the antigen is located, rather than all the detectors. This operation speeds up the antigen detection process. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the algorithm has better time efficiency and quality of detectors, saves sensor node resources and reduces the energy consumption, and is an effective algorithm for wireless sensor network intrusion detection.
A Prototype Intraoral Periapical Sensor with High Frame Rates for a 2.5D Periapical Radiography System
Authors: Liao Che-Wei , Huang Ker-Jer , Chen Jyh-Cheng , Kuo Chih-Wei , Wu Yin-Yi , Hsu Jui-Ting
Published: April 2019

X-ray radiography is currently used in dentistry and can be divided into two categories: two-dimensional (2D) radiographic images (e.g., using periapical film, cephalometric film, and panoramic X-ray) and three-dimensional (3D) radiographic images (e.g., using dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)). Among them, 2D periapical film images are most commonly used. However, 2D periapical film compresses 3D image information into a 2D image, which means that depth cannot be identified from the image. Such compressed images lose a considerable amount of information, reducing their clinical applicability. A 2.5D periapical radiography system prototype was developed by our research team. Our previous study indicated that this prototype could be used to capture images at different depths of an object. However, the prototype was limited by its commercially available intraoral periapical sensor, which had a low temporal resolution and could not capture multiple images in a short period of time. Therefore, the total time required for image capture was too long for practical clinical application. The present study developed a high-frame-rate intraoral periapical sensor with a sensor imaging speed of up to 15 Hz. The primary components of the developed intraoral periapical sensor include a scintillator, complementary metal oxide semiconductor chip, component circuit board, and video processing board. The external dimensions of the sensor are 41×26×6.6 mm3. The performance of the developed high-frame-rate intraoral periapical sensor was verified through qualified and quantified analyses using line pairs. The results showed that the resolution of the developed intraoral periapical sensor could reach 18 lp/mm. The sensor was further installed in our 2.5D periapical radiography system to conduct image capturing. The results indicated that the developed sensor could be used for high-frame-rate imaging to incorporate tomosynthesis to obtain reconstructed slice images of different depths. The developed sensor has the potential for clinical dentistry applications in the future.
Pseudo‐Three‐Dimensional Analysis for Functionally Graded Plate Integrated with a Piezoelectric Fiber Reinforced Composite Layer
Authors: Wang Wei , Li Sen , Yao Lin-Quan , Yi Shi-Chao
Published: April 2019

In this paper, a pseudo‐three‐dimensional method is proposed to investigate static behavior analysis of functionally graded (FG) plate integrated with a piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite (PFRC) layer by the hyperbolic shear and normal deformation theory. The present method is a displacement‐based theory which accounts for hyperbolic variation of in‐plane displacement field and parabolic variation of transverse displacement field. The linear electrical potential function in the PFRC layer is modeled. The governing equations of present method are derived by the minimum potential energy principle and Navier’s procedure is used to solve the equations. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The effects of some parameters including material composition, aspect ratios, and applied voltages on the deformations of the plate are investigated. Compared with the available data of numerical method and 3D method, the presented method is more suitable for the smart FG structure.
An Indoor Scene Classification Method for Service Robot Based on CNN Feature
Authors: Liu Shaopeng , Tian Guohui
Published: April 2019

Indoor scene classification plays a vital part in environment cognition of service robot. With the development of deep learning, fine-tuning CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) on target datasets has become a popular way to solve classification problems. However, this method cannot obtain satisfying indoor scene classification results because of overfitting when scene training datasets are insufficient. To solve this problem, an indoor scene classification method is proposed in this paper, which utilizes CNN feature of scene images to generate scene category features to classify scenes by a novel feature matching algorithm. The novel feature matching algorithm can further improve the speed of scene classification. In addition, overfitting is eliminated by our method even though the training data is limited. The presented method was evaluated on two benchmark scene datasets, Scene 15 dataset and MIT 67 dataset, acquiring 96.49% and 81.69% accuracy, respectively. The experiment results showed that our method was superior to other scene classification methods in terms of accuracy, speed, and robustness. To further evaluate our method, test experiments on unknown scene images from SUN 397 dataset had been done, and the models based on different training datasets obtained 94.34% and 79.80% test accuracy severally, which proved that the proposed method owned good performance in indoor scene classification.
TTPAL Promotes Colorectal Tumorigenesis by Stabilizing TRIP6 to Activate Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling
Authors: Gou Hongyan , Liang Jessie Qiaoyi , Zhang Lijing , Chen Huarong , Zhang Yanquan , Li Rui , Wang Xiaohong , Ji Jiafu , Tong Joanna H. , To Ka-Fai , Sung Joseph J.Y. , Chan Francis K.L. , Fang Jing-Yuan , Yu Jun
Published: April 2019

Copy number alterations are crucial for the development of colorectal cancer. Our whole-genome analysis identified tocopherol alpha transfer protein-like (TTPAL) as preferentially amplified in colorectal cancer. Here we demonstrate that frequent copy number gain of TTPAL leads to gene overexpression in colorectal cancer from a Chinese cohort (n = 102), which was further validated by a The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort (n = 376). High expression of TTPAL was significantly associated with shortened survival in patients with colorectal cancer. TTPAL promoted cell viability and clonogenicity, accelerated cell-cycle progression, inhibited cell apoptosis, increased cell migration/invasion ability in vitro, and promoted tumorigenicity and cancer metastasis in vivo. TTPAL significantly activated Wnt signaling and increased β-catenin activation and protein expression of cyclin D1 and c-Myc. Coimmunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry identified thyroid receptor–interacting protein 6 (TRIP6) as a direct downstream effector of TTPAL. Depletion of TRIP6 significantly abolished the effects of TTPAL on cell proliferation and Wnt activation. Direct binding of TTPAL with TRIP6 in the cytoplasm inhibited ubiquitin-mediated degradation of TRIP6 and, subsequently, increased levels of TRIP6 displaced β-catenin from the tumor suppressor MAGI1 via competitive binding. This sequence of events allows β-catenin to enter the nucleus and promotes oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In conclusion, TTPAL is commonly overexpressed in colorectal cancer due to copy number gain, which promotes colorectal tumorigenesis by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling via stabilization of TRIP6. TTPAL overexpression may serve as an independent new biomarker for the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Significance:

TTPAL, a gene preferentially amplified in colorectal cancer, promotes colon tumorigenesis via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
Inspiratory and Expiratory Flow Changes, Voice Symptoms and Laryngeal Findings during Histamine Challenge Tests
Authors: Ansaranta Maaria , Kauppi Paula , Malmberg Leo Pekka , Vilkman Erkki , Geneid Ahmed
Published: April 2019

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the associations between the spirometry parameter changes in relation to laryngeal finding changes and self-reported voice and throat symptom changes among patients undergoing a histamine challenge test. Patients and Methods: Thirty adult patients with a chronic cough underwent a histamine challenge test. Videolaryngostroboscopy and voice and throat symptoms were assessed using a visual analogue scale immediately before and after the challenge test. Correlations between the relative changes in spirometry values in relation to the change in vocal fold oedema and redness and self-reported voice and throat symptom changes during the challenge test were assessed. Results: A correlation between the relative change in inspiratory and expiratory air flow values and the change in voice and throat symptoms during the histamine challenge test was found. The vocal fold oedema, visible on videolaryngostroboscopy, caused by the histamine challenge did not significantly affect the spirometry air flow values. Conclusion: The relative changes in inspiratory and expiratory air flow and voice and throat symptoms during the histamine challenge test correlated. The vocal fold oedema caused by the histamine challenge, visible on videolaryngostroboscopy, did not significantly affect the spirometry air flow values.
The Ecological Literacy of Prospective Teacher at Sebelas Maret University
Authors: Karyanto Puguh , Riyadi Idhun Prasetyo , Prayitno Baskoro Adi
Published: April 2019

The aim of this study is to determine the ecological literacy ability of prospective teachers at Sebelas Maret University (UNS). This research was conducted on students at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) UNS Surakarta. The subjects of the study used two courses that gave the ecology course namely Biology Education Study Program and Geography Education Study Program. Subjects in both Study Programs are devoted who are already or are currently receiving ecological subjects. The number of subjects in two study programs were 98 students. Research subjects were taken by stratified random sampling technique. Qualitative descriptive technique is used to analyze each component of ecological literacy. The results showed that the average value of ecological literacy and the value of each component of the students' ecology literacy is still low. Provision of less than optimal ecology concept to be one factor that causes low ecological literacy of student.
Guidelines for using Game Technology as Educational Tools
Authors: Schofield Damian
Published: April 2019

Advanced three-dimensional virtual environment technology, similar to that used by the film and computer games industry, can allow educational developers to rapidly create realistic online virtual environments. Generic rules of thumb regarding the specification, development, application, and operation of these learning environments can be garnered from industrial training systems and examined in an educational context [1-3]. This paper introduces a virtual learning environment ViRILE (Virtual Reality Interactive Learning Environment) developed by the author. ViRILE is designed for use by undergraduate chemical engineers to simulate the configuration and operation of a polymerisation plant. This paper will also discuss the implementation of this and other similar systems and extrapolate the lessons learnt into general pedagogical guidelines to be considered for the development of VR based online educational learning resources.
Implementation of Inclusive Education of Elementary Schools: a Case Study in Karangmojo Sub-District, Gunungkidul Regency
Authors: Budiarti Nugraheni Dwi , Sugito Sugito
Published: April 2019

This study examined: a) school member interactions that reflect an inclusive culture, b) school policies in promoting inclusion, c) evolving inclusive practies of elementary schools. This study employed the qualitative approach, with case study designs. The research was conducted at 7 Inclusive Inclusice schools in Karangmojo Sub-district. This study reveals that interaction of school members in creating inclusive culture can be seen from their efforts to cultivate mutual respect among the school members, big support and role of the principal in engaging all parties, and partnerships between school, parents, and community. Policies in promoting inclusive education can be seen from the procedures of student admissions that are flexible and non-discriminatory, and the efforts of the school to conduct accessibility of facilities and infrastructure for the children with special needs, regular teacher-special assistant teachers collaboration, as well as the flexibility of curriculum implementation for children with special needs. Evolving inclusive practies can be seen from identification and assessment for students suspected to have special needs, applying the curriculum development for teaching-learning processes, and the provision of school budget allocations for the development of inclusive education both from government funds and private funds.
Some Methods Used by Mathematics Teachers in Solving Equations
Authors: Baiduri Baiduri
Published: April 2019

This study aimed at analyzing and describing Various Methods used by mathematics teacher in solving equations. Type of this study is descriptive by subject of this study comprised 65 mathematics teachers in senior, junior, and primary schools respectively 15, 33, and 17 in numbers. The data were collected from the answer to containing four problems of equation. Data Coding was conducted by two coding personnel to obtain credible data. The data were then analyzed descriptively. It has been found that the teachers have implemented a method for solving equation problems by means of operation on one side of equation and procedural operation. This method has been dominantly used by the teachers to solve to the equation problems. The other method was doing operation on both sides of the equation simultaneously by focusing on similar elements on both sides of the equation.
The Influence of Principal Leadership Style and Teacher Work Motivation on the Performance of Certified Teachers at SMA Negeri Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Tambingon Henny Nikolin
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyse and interpret the influence of principal leadership style on the performance of certified teachers, the influence of teacher work motivation on the performance of certified teachers and the influence of principal leadership style and teacher work motivation simultaneously on the performance of certified teachers in SMA Negeri Kotamobagu. This study employs a quantitative study approach with survey methods and multiple regression analysis techniques. The independent variables are principal leadership style (X1) and teacher motivation (X2) and the dependent variable is certified teachers performance (Y). Result of the research shows that the principal leadership style has an effect on the performance of certified teachers, teacher work motivation has an effect on the performance of certified teachers, principal leadership style and teacher work motivation simultaneously affects the performance of certified teachers in SMA Negeri Kotamobagu. The values of the regression coefficients show the influence of each principal leadership style and teacher work motivation on the performance of certified teachers and have a high contribution to the performance of certified teachers. The principal must have the readiness and ability to mobilize the teachers to achieve the goals and be responsible for the organization of educational activities at school. Teachers should be tenacious and skilful at conducting quality learning activities. Schools should have appropriate functions to educational goals and implement effective and efficient organizational management, high social responsiveness, and are sensitive to: teachers, students and the surrounding community.
The Development of Newtonian Mechanics Conceptual Change Texts to Overcome Students’ Misconceptions
Authors: Syuhendri Syuhendri
Published: April 2019

The research aimed to develop a valid and practical Conceptual Change Texts (CCT) of Newtonian mechanics materials. The method used was educational research and development. The data were collected using questionnaires and expert validation sheets, as well as questionnaires and interviews with students. The design of the CCT was developed based on the conceptual change theory using the following format: situation, questions, space for answers and reasons, misconception forms, and correct concept explanations. There have been 21 developed units of the CCT distributed in four chapters, i.e. Basic Laws, Applications of the Basic Laws, Work and Energy, and Impulse and Momentum. The results of the data analysis revealed that the CCT had content, conformity with needs, language, presentation, and graphic feasibility levels of 70%, 40%, 80%, 90%, 87%, respectively to mean that the teaching materials were very valid. Based on the practicality test, the teaching materials were very practical, i.e. 87%. In other words, the Newtonian mechanics CCT was easy to read and understand and could be used to change misconceptions. Educators can use these supplement teaching materials in the Basic Physics courses in college and in mechanics topics in a high school.
Implementation of Dolanan Bocah to Improve Factual Speaking Ability of Primary School Students
Authors: Praheto Biya Ebi
Published: April 2019

This research aims to improve the factual speaking ability of the 5th grade students of SD Negeri Mendungan 2 Yogyakarta by implementing dolanan bocah (traditional game) in the learning. This is a classroom action research conducted in two cycles. The subject of this action research is the 5th students of SD Negeri Mendungan 2 Yogyakarta in the academic year 2015/2016. There are 30 students consisting of 16 female and 14 male students. This study differs from previous ones. This can be seen from the research action that integrates dolanan bocah in learning speaking Bahasa Indonesia. The implementation of dolanan bocah gives significant improvement on the students’ factual speaking ability. The improvement can be shown from the scores obtained in the cycle I and II. In the first cycle, the average score is 71.9 with the classical completeness of 63.3%, while in cycle II, there is an increased average score of 82.4 with the classical completeness of 83.3%.
Domestic Waste Management Feasibility Study at Ahmad Dahlan University
Authors: Mulasari Surahma Asti , Rustiawan Asep
Published: April 2019

Garbage dumped untreated into the environment causes health problems. As an educational institution, college should make waste management as a media in educating students in particular, and society. The purpose of this research is to open up new insights into what can be done by Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD) to educate citizens (academics) on the responsibility of managing the environment, especially the waste management practice in college as well as a form of UAD concern for environmental sustainability. This study is a qualitative research which uses road grass analysis approach. Techniques of data retrieval is in-depth interviews with cleaning service, students, employees, canteen vendors, head of BIFAS, vice chancellor II, and the Head of Household. The problems that occurred include: unsorted garbage bins resulting in unpleasant odor, lowered aesthetics, comfort decrease in GARBAGE DUMP , improper behavior of UAD campus residents related to littering, and lack of specific policies related to waste management in campus. Problems of campus trash includes: absence of waste separation process which results in odor, lowered aesthetics, and comfort decrease in GARBAGE DUMP . Another problem is the improper behavior of residents of UAD campus associated with littering, and the lack of specific policies related to campus waste management.
The process of thinking by prospective teachers of mathematics in making arguments
Authors: Tristanti Lia Budi
Published: April 2019

This study aimed to describe the process of thinking by prospective teachers of mathematics in making arguments. It was a qualitative research involving the mathematics students of STKIP PGRI Jombang as the subject of the study. Test and task-based semi structural interview were conducted for data collection. The result showed that 163 of 260 mathematics students argued using inductive and deductive warrants. The process of thinking by the prospective teachers of mathematics in making arguments had begun since they constructed their very first idea by figuring out some objects to make a conclusion. However, they also found a rebuttal from that conclusion, though they did not further describe what such rebuttal was. Therefore, they decided to construct the second ideas in order to verify the first ones through some pieces of definition.
The impact of think pair share model on mathematics learning in elementary schools
Authors: Ardiyani Shila Majid , Gunarhadi Gunarhadi , Riyadi Riyadi
Published: April 2019

One objective of mathematics learning is to solve problem and to communicate idea to get a solution. Human life is inseparable from social activity, including cooperation. Similarly, in mathematics learning sometimes students need friends to discuss with in solving mathematics problem. Cooperative learning model can be an alternative to bridge the difficulty the students encounter. The objective of research was to identify the impact of Think Pair Share type of Cooperative learning model on mathematics learning in elementary school. This study was a descriptive qualitative research. The subject of research was the fifth graders of three elementary schools in Karangpandan Sub District. Techniques of collecting data used were observation, interview, and documentation. Observation was conducted to observe the learning process using Think Pair Share-type of cooperative learning, interview to find out the impression and the impact the students experience, and documentation to find out the group’s work. The conclusion of research showed that there are some impacts found in mathematics learning using Think Pair Share type of cooperative learning related to: (1) group establishment; (2) learning environment; (3) learning achievement; (4) student participation; (5) information exchange; and (6) interpersonal relation.