bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the general requirements for design of earthquake resistant buildings in the Turkish Building Seismic code of 2018
Authors: Güler K , Celep Z
Published: March 2020

Turkish Building Seismic Code has been revised after eleven years once more and its application is compulsory since the beginning of 2019. The new code is published together with a new Earthquake Hazard Map and it consists of 17 chapters. Some of the chapters have been revised thoroughly updated, whereas some new chapters are added as well. In the revision of the code, developments in the earthquake engineering and in the building technology are taken into consideration. Requirements related to ground motion are given in a separate chapter by defining four levels of earthquake motion. The code contains the strength design of the buildings as it is accustomed in the previous codes. However, performance based design is highlighted for high-rise buildings and for socially important buildings located moderate and high seismicity regions. The code has new separate chapters for high-rise buildings, cold-formed steel buildings, timber buildings and seismically isolated buildings. Furthermore, it has a new chapter for non-structural elements as well. The chapters involving design of steel structures, seismic evaluation of the existing buildings, and structural and geotechnical design of foundations are revised significantly. The chapter on the design of reinforced concrete contains a limited modification as well. However, since most of the buildings are reinforced concrete, this chapter relatively is important. In the present paper, the general design and evaluation approach of the code presented in detail and comparatively by considering the previous Turkish Building Seismic Codes.
Flexural performance of conventional and reactive powder concrete built–up beams
Authors: Mohammed Ghazwan K. , Sarsam Kaiss F. , Korkess Iqbal N.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete beams made from a combination of two types of concrete as a (built-up or composite) member. The experimental program consists of casting and testing of eleven rectangular cross-sections of simply supported reinforced concrete beams. Distribution of the specimens was three beams used as a reference which were fully poured from conventional concrete (CC) and reactive powder concrete (RPC). The remaining were eight (built-up) beams made by incorporation of two types of concrete as an element, about those beams, the RPC is poured as layers different in depth and the effective regions (compression and tension), where they are compatible with CC to complete the beam depth. Experimental results show that a stiffer behavior of load-deflection appears, especially when the RPC is in tension region (the bottom of the beam) with respect to increase of the layer depth and the volumetric ratio of steel fibers (vf). The load-carrying capacity of (built-up) beams increase when the RPC is used in the compression region affected by the increase of the layer depth and the volumetric ratio of steel fibers, with less stiffer behavior compared to the beams where the RPC used in the tension regions. The results can be summarized that RPC utilizing in compression regions is more influential than utilizing it in tension regions.
Lap splices in steel fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete beams under dynamic loading
Authors: Zinah Asaad Husain Abdul , Ghaddar Maha Ghalib , Hamood Mohammed J.
Published: March 2020

Reactive powder concrete is a new cement-based composite with ultra-high strength and performance that has been recently used in many structural elements. This study is focused on studying the effect of lap splices in reinforcing bars on the behavior, strength and deflection of steel fiber-reinforced reactive powder concrete beams under dynamic-harmonic loading. The models were simulated using finite elements approach by ANSYS software with different parameters such as compressive strength of concrete, lap splices length of reinforcing bars, steel fiber percentage and the presence of stirrups in the lap splices zone. Data from experimental test by others were adopted as input data such as loading and mechanical properties of concrete and reinforcements. Total eight beam models were analyzed and two of them were compared with the experimental tests. The analysis results indicate that the criteria based on the ACI code for lap splices is enough in the case of splices in reinforced concrete beam under the effects of harmonic loadings under low and medium frequency ranges, and showed that the increase in lap splice length under the effect of harmonic loading resulted in a decrease in the deflection of beams, especially in case of medium frequency.
Strengthening of reactive powder concrete T-beams with openings
Authors: Abdulrahman M B , Rashid H M
Published: March 2020

In this research, the response of reactive powder concrete T-beams containing openings is studied. The experimental program involves testing of thirteen simply supported beams. The beams have the same dimensions, flexural and shear reinforcements. In this study, four three parameters have been studied: the shape of an opening (circular and square), a location of openings from the support (Lc/2, Lc/3, and Lc/4), and the internally strengthened around of opening using a deformed steel bar. The experimental results showed that the RPC T-beams with circular openings of diameter (110mm) with different locations (Lc/2, Lc/3 and Lc/4) have a flexural strength less than that solid beam by about (12%,35%and 41%) respectively. While for the RPC T-beams with square openings of dimension (100mm×100mm) with different locations (Lc/2, Lc/3, and Lc/4), the flexural strength is less than that solid beams by (10%,41%and 55%) respectively. In addition, it is found that the use of deformed steel bars as internal strengthening for the region around the openings has a significant effect on the overall behavior of beam. Where the ultimate flexural strength of these strengthened beams containing (circular and square) openings with different location increased by (9% to 66%) in comparison with the related un-strengthened beams with same openings. Also, this T-beams with openings showed increasing in deflection about (66.7% - 202%) compared with T-beam without openings at the same load. While for these strengthened T-beams with openings showed a reduction in deflection about (50% - 192%) compared with un-strengthened T-beam with openings.
Evaluation of the effect of the mechanical properties on the performance of interlocking concrete block pavement under the influence of petroleum products
Authors: Mohamad Safaa A , Hasan Mohammed M , Mohammed Sanaa A
Published: March 2020

Recently, there has been an upsurge in the use of interlocking concrete block pavement (ICBP), though large scale and extensive use of the blocks is not commonplace. In some residential districts, the current trend which is seen as a new fad is concrete-block paving of driveways and courtyards of private homes. There is also a gradual increase in the use of concrete blocks for paving pedestrian walkways in recent constructions in the cities, and in rehabilitating old walkways in urban activity centers. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of three types of petroleum products: Fuel oil (FO), Kerosene (K) and Engine oil waste (EO), on the mechanical and physical properties of interlocking concrete block pavement (ICBP) manufactured from two Iraqi factories, where two types of (ICBP) were chosen one from each factory. 66 specimens were submerged in the petroleum products for 30, 60, and 90 days, then the compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, density and absorption values were determined and compared with non-submerged specimens. In general, the results showed that ICBP-2 has good resistance to the effect of kerosene and fuel oil.
Behaviour of cement mortar containing Iron waste powder as substitute for sand
Authors: Fahad Besma M , jassim K S
Published: March 2020

The effect of replacing the fine aggregate (sand) with iron waste powder was studied. Four mixes of cement mortar with iron waste powder were prepared; two of these groups were prepared without adding SBR (Styrene-butadiene rubbers); while the others were prepared with SBR. These groups were allowed to cure for (7 and 28) days. Each of them consists of iron waste powder with 850μm as partial replacing of sand (10, 20, 30%) by weight. The results show an enhancement of strength for each group after measuring the compressive strength and flexural strength. Otherwise the properties (dry density, porosity and water absorption) were improved too. The best results of compressive strength and flexural strength were (32.66 Mpa, 5.0232 Mpa) at 20% without SBR and 30% with SBR, respectively. The lowest result of dry density were (2109.20 Kg/m3) at 10% with SBR, and the water absorption and porosity were (5.05%, 11.06%) at 20% with SBR. It was concluded that the iron waste powder can be utilized as partial replacer of sand with modifying the properties of cement mortar.
Effect of Tire Layer on Bearing Capacity of Foundation
Authors: Al-Kaream Khalid W. Abd , Abdulrasool Ahmeed S. , Shaker Zainab H.
Published: March 2020

Growth of economic, demographic and building activities in Iraq has necessitated carrying out geotechnical investigations for soft soils to study behavior of foundation resting on these soils. The laboratory test has been carried out to analyze the effect of tire as reinforcement to decrease the excessive settlement of soft soil. The influence of depth and area of tire layer is examined on the settlement of shallow foundation. For this purpose, a square foundation (60 *60) mm is used for the model test. All tests are conducted on the surface of homogeneous soil layer 250 mm; in a box steel (600 x 300 x 300) mm. The undrained shear strength of soil is 12 kPa. The reinforcement layer (tire layer) has been placed at depth 0.5B, B and 2B (B is the width of the square foundation) in the soft soil under foundation. The area of tire layer (B x B), (1.5B x 1.5B) and (2B x 2B) are investigated too. The analysis of the test results indicated that using tire layer under foundation has a significant effect on the settlement improvement (St/Su). It is worth noting, that the settlement improvement (St/Su) is decreased with the increase of the depth of tire layer. The results shows that the maximum increase in bearing capacity reaches approximately to 130% at area of tire layer (B x B) and depth equal to 0.5B.
Geotechnical characteristics correlations for fine-grained soils
Authors: Salih Nihad Bahaaldeen
Published: March 2020

Compressibility and shear strength are the principal geotechnical engineering properties of soils, which control the stability of a soil mass under structural loads. Therefore, it is always required to be measured before the design of the foundation of any structure. Evaluation of shear strength and compressibility characteristics are time consuming and laborious. Hence, there is a necessity for prediction of those characteristics with the help of correlating them with index properties, initial void ratio, natural moisture content, field densities of soils, which can be determined easily. In this paper, a study is conducted on two sets; two and three geotechnical natural properties together for Barika, Arbat and Hwana fine-grained soils in Sulaimani Governorate, Iraq. In addition, new empirical relationships with single and multiple dependent variables were developed with better estimation capability. The best relationship was observed between plasticity index as a function of liquid limit with correlation coefficient (R) and RMSE equal to 0.874 and 2.18 respectively. Whereas, there was no significant relationship between coefficient of compressibility (compression index, Cc) and consistency properties was noticed.
Behavior of passive single pipe pile in sandy soil
Authors: Karkush M. O. , Aljorany A.N. , Jaffar G. S.
Published: March 2020

This research focuses on studying the effects of soil movement on the behavior of an existing pile driven in sandy soil. A physical model has been manufactured to investigate the effect of construction of an embankment adjacent to free head single pile driven in sand of dry unit weight of 13.5 kN/m3. The model pile of diameter (D) of 10 mm are tested under two conditions of loading: loaded axially and without load. The model piles are instrumented with strain gauges along the embedded length to measure strains resulting from the soil movement. The embankment loads are applied at distances of 2.5, 5, and 10D from the edge of the pile. The results obtained from the model pile are: the lateral and vertical displacements at soil surface, the rotation at soil surface, bending moment profiles, pile deflection profiles, pile rotation profiles and shear force profiles. Some of these results are measured experimentally and others are calculated theoretically based on the measured strains. Based on the results of tests, it was found that the maximum soil reaction increased axially loaded piles by 43, 19, and 43%, when the embankment is at distances 2.5, 5, and 10D, respectively. The flexible pile provides more resistance to soil movement pressure and increasing the distance between the embankment and pile reduces the effects of embankment. The behavior of axially loaded pile is different than that of the pile without axial loading.
The Behavior of Plugged Pipe Piles Strengthened with Biaxial Carbon-Fiber under the Effect of Lateral Loads
Authors: Al-Wakel Saad Faik Abbas , Ibrahim Karim Hadi , Ali Iman Abd Ul kadhim
Published: March 2020

This paper presents an experimental study to investigate the behavior of plugged pipe pile strengthened with biaxial carbon fiber under the effect of lateral loads in sand. The change of plug length and incremental filling ratio of pipe pile under static lateral load is considered. The model of piles is embedded in dense sand with different slenderness ratios of pile. In addition, different ratios of confining length of biaxial carbon fiber are used. The results indicated that the ultimate lateral resistance of plugged pipe pile increases with increase of the confining length of carbon fiber.
Effect of Relative Compaction on the Bearing Capacity of Cohesive Soils
Authors: Al-Obaidi Anwar Luay , Yousif Mustafa A. , Hamid ALaa Ihssan
Published: March 2020

The study examined the effect of bearing capacity of soil on the relative compaction by taking samples from different sites and carrying out strength experiments and comparing bearing capacity with the relative compaction to investigate the possibility of reducing the percentage of the approved measurements in the specifications of the percentages allowed for buildings with fixed load. A number of parameters have been prepared to calculate the amount of the degree of measurement to be adopted and the light tolerance required in any engineering work and for various factor of safety and non-compliance with specifications, which require in most cases to be the degree of compaction more than 95%. Linear regression equation between bearing capacity and relative compaction was proposed that can be applied without complying with required specification.
Geotechnical properties of gypseous soil contaminated with crude oil
Authors: Al-Adhamii Rana A.J. , Rahil Falah H. , Kadhim Yasser M. , Atia Thaer A.
Published: March 2020

Gypseous soils are extensively distributed and especially in Iraq where area of hot climate is extant. These soils may be contaminated by crude oil due to the multiple oil wells, the oil exploitation, damaged storage tanks and pipelines, natural seepage and the crude oil spills during the war. Therefore, this study presents the geotechnical properties of gypseous soils contaminated with crude oil and the possibility of using the crude oil as an improvement material. The soil used in this study has been brought from Haditha city at Al-Anbar Governorate in Iraq with (34%) average gypsum content and classified as silty sand (SM) according to unified soil classification system (USCS).

A series of laboratory tests included physical, chemical, shear strength, collapsibility test conducted on both clean and contaminated soil samples with crude oil. Compacted soil samples are prepared and three percentages of crude oil (3%, 6%, and 9%) are added to the gypseous soil samples and then tested. The results showed that the crude oil increases the liquid limit of the gypseous soils and changes the soil from non-plastic to plastic material, the crude oil also increased the maximum dry density (MDD) and decreases the optimum moisture content (OMC). The results also showed that using crude oil denotes good solution and appropriate alternate to improve the properties of gypseous soils by elimination the melting of gypsum when it comes in touch with water in addition to increase in stability and strength properties of gypseous soil by decreasing the collapse potential and increasing CBR values.
Numerical solution of rainfall infiltration beneath flexible pavement
Authors: Al-Adili Aqeel Sh. , Al-Rubaee Rasha H , Fouad Mays O.
Published: March 2020

Water in pavement systems can lead to moisture damage and loss of strength. This study considered the simulation of water effect on the pavement and presented as perception, two rain intensities were selected (50, 80) mm/min at duration of 120 and 60 minutes, respectively. The methodology of the study consisted of three stages, first is to collect information and extracting cores second stage was testing the cores in the laboratory and the third stage was simulating the pavement using the 2-D finite element (SEEP/W 2007). The permeability of five sections was chosen at various ranges. The shape of the slopes (one way, two way) was considered, also the position of the water table at (0.5, 2, and 3) meter below the surface.

Two types of cracks were taken: one sever crack that penetrates the wearing layer and the same crack penetrates the asphaltic layer. The results obtained indicted that the pavement is sensitive to the asphalt permeability, the infiltrated water inside the pavement increase by 27% when the permeability increased by 55% and water flux increased 70% when the permeability increased by 95%. Rain duration has more effect rather than its intensity.
Studying the performance of an Activated Carbon Filter using almond shell
Authors: Mahdi Ayat H. , Jaid Ghaidaa Majeed , Assi Nada S.
Published: March 2020

Using new technologies and sustainable methods to obtain safe and clean water is considered one of the most important aims. In this work, almond shells have been used to prepare an activated carbon (AC) filter. Two types of sand filter media were used to simulate slow and rapid sand filters. Samples of raw water from Tigris River were taken, and the following parameters were studied (pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sulphate and heavy metals (Iron(Fe), copper(Cu) and zinc(Zn)). Results showed that replacing sand with AC was better in the removal of Fe and Zn, when a slow sand filter was used the removal was 99% for both of them, while the enhancement in the removal seems to be small when the rapid sand filter was used.
Production of friendly cementations materials containing nano limestone powder
Authors: Tawfeeq Hasan N. , Salih Shakir A. , Frayyeh Qais J.
Published: March 2020

Carbon dioxide gas emission from cement production is the result of the burning process and de-carbonation of limestone and cement material. Reducing carbon dioxide is a global challenge. The main objective of this study was to find an ideal alternative to cement in order to decrease energy consumption and carbon dioxide releases. Using limestone powder to replace cement binder is considered an effective method to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement production. This study focuses on the relationship between replacement levels of limestone powder for ordinary Portland cement and some properties of cement mortar. Using limestone powder as an admixture decreases compressive strength, thus the super-plasticizer content should be decreased in order to obtain the equivalent strength of plain cement. This research used nano-particle size limestone powder to replace with cement in a different ratio. The results showed that mortar cement containing a higher proportion of limestone powder reduces hydration temperature and reduces the compressive as well as flexural strength but it has also shown a significant increase in workability due to the effect of limestone powder.. Because of the weakening effect that is related to the replacement of a part of cement, there is a drop in the mechanical properties of the cement mortar.
Analyzing Urban Attraction Nodes by using GIS and Space Syntax (case study-Al-Adhamiya)
Authors: Hamzah M J , Ebraheem M A
Published: March 2020

For the redevelopment of urban form and structure for any city, we should search for agent’s movement attraction places to identify their predilection to these places that can be called urban attraction nodes, these nodes has the most important and effective role in rearranging the urban structure and how to invest it in the right direction, by using spatial analysis methods (i.e. space syntax and geographic information system (GIS) tools) we can identify these attraction nodes and use them in the urban structure redevelopment process. As a case study, Al-Adhamiya urban structure is analyzed using these methods. From the analysis steps we can conclude that (Antar bin shaddad square (no.1), The Royal Cemetery (no.2), Abu Hanifa mosque (no.4), Corniche (no.7), Al delal square (no.9)) are the most significant features which are considered as important attraction nodes, so these features aid to organize the urban structure of Al-Adhamiya district, and the streets that lead to these attraction nodes are the most important participants in the reforming process of these attraction nodes.
Measuring Accessibility in low density Housing: The Role of neighbourhood design
Authors: Abass Zainab. I , Tucker Richard
Published: March 2020

Accessibility is a key contributor to the quality of life experienced by residents and others. This paper asks how might accessibility be measured in different contexts? Quantitative analyses were undertaken, and 247 residents were surveyed in three suburbs. Pearson correlations was used to investigate the relationship between perceived accessibility and a number of independent social and physical neighbourhood design variables. The findings suggest that a quantitative method can be usefully conducted to measure the perception of residents toward their social-spatial environment. The results presented that accessibility is strongly associated with physical design features, even with interaction of socio-demographic variables. Hierarchical multiple regression was also showed that some of the physical characteristics significantly predicted accessibility particularly street type, open space provision and trees coverage after socio-economic factors controlling such as income and length of residence. This indicates that well designed neighbourhoods can be more accessible for residents. The findings also suggest that accessibility associated with the social and physical needs of residents can be critical influences that planners and decision maker need to consider when designing for sustainable environment in contemporary suburban contexts.
Disaster and crises management strategy
Authors: Shamkhi A N , Ebraheem M A
Published: March 2020

The aim of the research is to deepen the preparation and early warning of all types of disasters, natural and artificial ones, considering the scarcity of resources and the difficulty of acting during and after disasters. The research discussed the mechanism of preparedness at various stages of disasters and the justification for including such a practical plan. A historical background was presented, the most important terms of disaster reduction were defined. The research also clearly discussed a vision of the disaster reduction effect from a purely environmental point of view. Many disasters are caused by excessive human exploitation of the environment or neglect of environmental resources. Which led to the inability of some ecosystems to withstand, therefore, collapsed and the disaster occurred.

The practical part, questioner was designed to assess the potential of Local Government and individuals to plan ahead, especially with the recent threat of flood, earthquakes and wars. The findings showed that there should be more efforts to cope the deficit in the adoption of mechanisms of disaster risk reduction in the stages (before - after - during) at the institutional and community level.

The second area of the practical part included the review of the experiences of 10 countries that had experienced natural disasters or wars and the impact of these crises on them compared with their readiness, infrastructure and social awareness. Data were introduced in the linear regression model and an inverse relationship was found between the inclusion of plans and the extent of damage caused by the disaster. The greater the readiness, the less harm and vice versa, which proves the hypothesis of research.
Evaluation of selected landfill sites using Landfill Site Rating Method (Diyala Governorate as a Case Study)
Authors: Jumaha G F. , YI. Jasem Z , Alshweikh M.
Published: March 2020

Solid waste, containing hazardous materials, are generated and dumped simply into drains or landfills where the rag pickers are exposed to contamination, and the prevalence of diseases has become alarming in cities near the landfills. Efficient waste management has become increasingly significant. Siting of sanitary landfills submit into two considerations, siting considerations and environmental construction requirements. One of the simplest methods of evaluating selected landfills is Site Rating Method, based on the experience to recognise the most appropriate conditions to be adopted in comparison between sites. The data for Canaan and Zanbour sanitary landfills, located in the city of Baquba, capital of Diyala governorate, are collected, analysed and comprised with each other according to Instructions of Environmental Determinants for Projects Establishing and Implementation Monitoring, No. (3), 2011, Iraq [1] and other international limitations. Canaan landfill, which satisfied 13 criteria, provides minimum environmental shortage, while Zanbour site is not applicable for the same reasons.
Management of solid waste in two hospitals in Baghdad-Iraq
Authors: Dawood Faten Gh. , Hussen D. A. , Lateef B.Z. , Raad M. , Muthanna I.
Published: March 2020

This study was conducted to examine medical waste management practices in two governmental hospitals in Baghdad, which disposed of its medical waste by incineration. Simple observational, cross-sectional study was conducted as a case study approach of Baghdad Educational Hospital and Sheikh Zayed General Hospital, for the period from 28 Oct.2018 to 5 May 2019. The data were collected through a pre-designed questionnaire with a checklist. The study showed that segregation of the medical waste into hazardous and nonhazardous waste was done in both the hospitals. For nonhazardous waste, disposal through Municipal Corporation was conducted, while all other kind of medical wastes were burnt. Hospital waste segregation, collection, transportation & disposal practices were not in accordance with standard guidelines of the developed countries. A majority of medical solid waste in both the hospitals under study was mismanaged. The workers handling the transport, segregation, and disposal of waste were provided with gloves and masks along with other special equipment like leg protectors, boots and aprons. No color coded practices were observed in both hospitals. The janitors and sanitary staff were immunized against common communicable diseases. Our recommendation for further studies is to find alternatives and appropriate technologies for disposal of medical solid waste in Baghdad hospitals.
Urban expansion of Baghdad city and its impact on the formation of Thermal Island based upon Multi-Temporal Analysis of satellite images
Authors: Jasim Oday , Ali Abdul-Rahman B. , Hamed Noor Hashim
Published: March 2020

The research deals with the thermal island in Baghdad city and the effect of urban expansion on it. Cities are suffering from a marked rise in temperature, compared with the surrounding rural areas, this problem occurs in most cities of the world. The reason for their formation is the increasing of human activity in the form of city components, such as buildings and roads that replace green spaces and open spaces. This means that most of these materials have the ability to absorb solar radiation and convert it into heat energy that increases the heat of their environment. Remote sensing technique is used to determine the thermal island through using Landsat satellite images as well as the use of GIS technology in mapping and analysis of spatial variation for thermal island. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is calculated to extract vegetation cover from 2003 to 2018. The land surface temperature is estimated from the thermal band of satellite images for the same period. The change in vegetation cover is linked to the change in land surface temperature to determine the effect of vegetation cover degradation on surface temperature, also to determine the relationship between thermal island and land uses. The values of NDVI was high in 2003 and it ranged from (-0.714 - 0.693); this indicates a high vegetal cover, while its value is decreased to (-0.22 - 0.509) in 2018, pointing out to the significant deterioration of vegetation cover in 15 years. The land surface temperature is increased from (10.93-36.26) in 2003 to (22.62-50.29) in 2018; all this at the expense of converting the green, open and agricultural areas to residential, commercial and industrial uses as well as the large number of random settlements that appeared in Baghdad after 2003.
Integrating various satellite images for identification of the water bodies through using machine learning: A case study of Salah Adin, Iraq
Authors: Nashait Ahmed Fouad , Jasim O Z , Ismail M M , Saad F H
Published: March 2020

This research aims to extract water bodies from several types of satellite images by using machine learning. There are several methods to apply the extraction of information about water bodies such as unsupervised classification, supervised classification. This project applied the supervised classification method to extract water bodies and building geodatabase for the water bodies in Salah Adin, Iraq by applying remote sensing and GIS technique. The satellite images which have been used in this research include satellite images from RapideEye satellite with spatial resolution (5×5) m at 2011, where these images used to extract canals of water, also used images from Sentinel-2 satellite with spatial resolution (10 × 10) m at 2017 to extract lakes, and broad rivers. In addition, DEM raster (90) m at 2011 from ASTER satellite was used to extract the water streams, which are expected to be channels of water discharge in flood situations. During implementation of the methodology of the research the most important issue which appear is using multi data to extract all types of water bodies in study area also to avoid the pixel mixed problem, this case was evident when using RapidEye satellite images in the confluence of the river in the surrounding wetlands, which led to inaccurate results in the geometric dimensions of the river, although the high spatial resolution but the influenced element on the accuracy of results is radiometric resolution. The result shows the random forest of machine learning algorithm is overcome on the other algorithms such as decision tree machine learning, maximum likelihood and support vector machine. The high accuracy of image classification to extract the water bodies depend on integrating the three satellite images.
Effect of varying ethanol and water compositions on the acetone sensing properties of WO3 for application in diabetes mellitus monitoring
Authors: Saasa Valentine , Lemmer Yolandy , Malwela Thomas , Akande Amos , Beukes Mervyn , Mwakikunga Bonex
Published: March 2020

Tungsten oxide based gas sensors have attracted a lot of attention in breath acetone analysis due to their potential in clinical diagnosis of diabetes. The major problem with this material in sensor application has been remarkable response to all gases but low selectivity to specific gases. Herein, we report the gas sensing performance of WO3 materials which were synthesized by varying water and ethanol ratios using a facile solvothermal method for acetone detection. The gas sensing properties of as-prepared WO3 were tested on acetone C7H8, NO2, NH3, H2S and CH4 under relative humidity. X-ray diffraction patterns show that as-prepared WO3 samples are mainly composed of monoclinic WO3, a phase having relatively high selectivity to acetone. The as-prepared WO3 sensors produced using 51:49 ratio of water: ethanol show an increase in acetone response as the acetone concentration increases and a decrease in acetone response as the relative humidity increases. The sensor responded to a very low acetone concentration ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 ppm which is normally found in human breath. Furthermore, the sensor exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to low ppm of acetone at 100 °C. On contrary, the sensor showed significantly lower response to other gases tested.
Invited Commentary: Theoretical Considerations and Real-World Challenges for Research on Proxy Exposures and Ovarian Reserve
Authors: Whitcomb Brian W
Published: March 2020

In this issue of the Journal, Upson et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(1):116–124) assess urinary cadmium level as a potential environmental influence on ovarian reserve, as measured using serum follicle-stimulating hormone, in data from 1,681 US women (1988–1994). They compare 3 methods for modeling urinary proxy exposures—standardization, covariate adjustment, and covariate-adjusted standardization. Observing positive associations with all 3 approaches but higher-magnitude estimates using covariate adjustment as compared with standardization and covariate-adjusted standardization—proposed to be the result of collider-stratification bias—the authors conclude that cadmium may affect ovarian aging, and they recommend careful consideration of modeling approach. Comparisons of methodology in practice using real data are not straightforward, and additional complication arises from using a proxy outcome—serum follicle-stimulating hormone level to represent diminished ovarian reserve. In this commentary, I describe the theoretical basis for approaches for modeling urinary proxy exposures; consider potential explanations for why the approaches may yield different results in practice and describe why measurement error may play a larger role than collider-stratification bias; discuss challenges related to studies of ovarian reserve; and emphasize the importance of addressing both theoretical concerns and real-world challenges in methodological research and epidemiologic studies of ovarian reserve.
Performance Comparison of Four Portable FTIR Instruments for Direct-on-Filter Measurement of Respirable Crystalline Silica
Authors: Ashley Elizabeth L , Cauda Emanuele , Chubb Lauren G , Tuchman Donald P , Rubinstein Elaine N
Published: March 2020

Exposure to dusts containing respirable crystalline silica is a recognized hazard affecting various occupational groups such as miners. Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica can lead to silicosis, which is a potentially fatal lung disease. Currently, miners’ exposure to respirable crystalline silica is assessed by collecting filter samples that are sent for laboratory analysis. A more timely field-based silica monitoring method using direct-on-filter (DoF) analysis is being developed by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to provide mine operators with the option to evaluate miners’ exposure at the mine. This field-based silica monitoring technique involves the use of portable Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) instruments. As a step in the development of this new analytical technique, four commercially available portable FTIR instruments were evaluated for their ability to provide reproducible measurements from filter samples containing respirable crystalline silica. Reported testing indicates that measurements varied within ±4.1% between instruments for filter samples that contained high-purity respirable crystalline silica. Measurements varied within ±3.0% between instruments for filter samples that contained varying mineral composition. Filter samples were repeatedly analyzed by the same instrument over short and extended periods of time, and mean coefficients of variation did not exceed ±1.6 and ±2.4%, respectively. Mixed model analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant (P < 0.05) change in average measurements made over an extended period of time for all instruments. Results suggest that each of the four FTIR instruments evaluated in this study were able to generate precise and reproducible DoF analysis results of respirable dust samples.
Leaf anatomy is not correlated to CAM function in a C3+CAM hybrid species, Yucca gloriosa
Authors: Heyduk Karolina , Ray Jeremy N , Leebens-Mack Jim
Published: March 2020

Background and Aims

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is often considered to be a complex trait, requiring orchestration of leaf anatomy and physiology for optimal performance. However, the observation of trait correlations is based largely on comparisons between C3 and strong CAM species, resulting in a lack of understanding as to how such traits evolve and the level of intraspecific variability for CAM and associated traits.

Methods

To understand intraspecific variation for traits underlying CAM and how these traits might assemble over evolutionary time, we conducted detailed time course physiological screens and measured aspects of leaf anatomy in 24 genotypes of a C3+CAM hybrid species, Yucca gloriosa (Asparagaceae). Comparisons were made to Y. gloriosa’s progenitor species, Y. filamentosa (C3) and Y. aloifolia (CAM).

Key Results

Based on gas exchange and measurement of leaf acids, Y. gloriosa appears to use both C3 and CAM, and varies across genotypes in the degree to which CAM can be upregulated under drought stress. While correlations between leaf anatomy and physiology exist when testing across all three Yucca species, such correlations break down at the species level in Y. gloriosa.

Conclusions

The variation in CAM upregulation in Y. gloriosa is a result of its relatively recent hybrid origin. The lack of trait correlations between anatomy and physiology within Y. gloriosa indicate that the evolution of CAM, at least initially, can proceed through a wide combination of anatomical traits, and more favourable combinations are eventually selected for in strong CAM plants.
Arabidopsis chloroplast J protein DJC75/CRRJ mediates nitrate-promoted seed germination in the dark
Authors: Ciou Huai-Syuan , Tsai Yu-Lun , Chiu Chi-Chou
Published: March 2020

Background and Aims

Nitrate can stimulate seed germination of many plant species in the absence of light; however, the molecular mechanism of nitrate-promoted seed germination in the dark remains largely unclear and no component of this pathway has been identified yet. Here, we show that a plastid J-domain protein, DJC75/CRRJ, in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is important for nitrate-promoted seed germination in the dark.

Methods

The expression of DJC75 during imbibition in the dark was investigated. The seed germination rate of mutants defective in DJC75 was determined in the presence of nitrate when light cues for seed germination were eliminated by the treatment of imbibed seeds with a pulse of far-red light to inactivate phytochrome B (phyB), or by assaying germination in the dark with seeds harbouring the phyB mutation. The germination rates of mutants defective in CRRL, a J-like protein related to DJC75, and in two chloroplast Hsp70s were also measured in the presence of nitrate in darkness.

Key Results

DJC75 was expressed during seed imbibition in the absence of light. Mutants defective in DJC75 showed seed germination defects in the presence of nitrate when light cues for seed germination were eliminated. Mutants defective in CRRL and in two chloroplast Hsp70s also exhibited similar seed germination defects. Upregulation of gibberellin biosynthetic gene GA3ox1 expression by nitrate in imbibed phyB mutant seeds was diminished when DJC75 was knocked out.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that plastid J-domain protein DJC75 regulates nitrate-promoted seed germination in the dark by upregulation of expression of the gibberellin biosynthetic gene GA3ox1 through an unknown mechanism and that DJC75 may work in concert with chloroplast Hsp70s to regulate nitrate-promoted seed germination. DJC75 is the first pathway component identified for nitrate-promoted seed germination in the dark.
Adaptive multi-source multi-view latent feature learning for inferring potential disease-associated miRNAs
Authors: Xiao Qiu , Zhang Ning , Luo Jiawei , Dai Jianhua , Tang Xiwei
Published: March 2020

Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in different biological processes, and their mutations and dysregulations have been proved to contribute to tumorigenesis. In silico identification of disease-associated miRNAs is a cost-effective strategy to discover those most promising biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment. The increasing available omics data sources provide unprecedented opportunities to decipher the underlying relationships between miRNAs and diseases by computational models. However, most existing methods are biased towards a single representation of miRNAs or diseases and are also not capable of discovering unobserved associations for new miRNAs or diseases without association information. In this study, we present a novel computational method with adaptive multi-source multi-view latent feature learning (M2LFL) to infer potential disease-associated miRNAs. First, we adopt multiple data sources to obtain similarity profiles and capture different latent features according to the geometric characteristic of miRNA and disease spaces. Then, the multi-modal latent features are projected to a common subspace to discover unobserved miRNA-disease associations in both miRNA and disease views, and an adaptive joint graph regularization term is developed to preserve the intrinsic manifold structures of multiple similarity profiles. Meanwhile, the Lp,q-norms are imposed into the projection matrices to ensure the sparsity and improve interpretability. The experimental results confirm the superior performance of our proposed method in screening reliable candidate disease miRNAs, which suggests that M2LFL could be an efficient tool to discover diagnostic biomarkers for guiding laborious clinical trials.
DNA sequence symmetries from randomness: the origin of the Chargaff’s second parity rule
Authors: Fariselli Piero , Taccioli Cristian , Pagani Luca , Maritan Amos
Published: March 2020

Most living organisms rely on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to store their genetic information and perpetuate themselves. This biological information has been considered as the main target of evolution. However, here we show that symmetries and patterns in the dsDNA sequence can emerge from the physical peculiarities of the dsDNA molecule itself and the maximum entropy principle alone, rather than from biological or environmental evolutionary pressure. The randomness justifies the human codon biases and context-dependent mutation patterns in human populations. Thus, the DNA ‘exceptional symmetries,’ emerged from the randomness, have to be taken into account when looking for the DNA encoded information. Our results suggest that the double helix energy constraints and, more generally, the physical properties of the dsDNA are the hard drivers of the overall DNA sequence architecture, whereas the selective biological processes act as soft drivers, which only under extraordinary circumstances overtake the overall entropy content of the genome.
A Research Framework to Integrate Cross-Ecosystem Responses to Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Hogan J Aaron , Feagin Rusty A , Starr Gregory , Ross Michael , Lin Teng-Chiu , O’connell Christine , Huff Thomas P , Stauffer Beth A , Robinson Kelly L , Lara Maria Chapela , Xue Jianhong , Reese Brandi Kiel , Geist Simon J , Whitman Elizabeth R , Douglas Sarah , Congdon Victoria M , Reustle Joseph W , Smith Rachel S , Lagomasino David , Strickland Bradley A , Wilson Sara S , Proffitt C Edward , Hogan J Derek , Branoff Benjamin L , Armitage Anna R , Rush Scott A , Santos Rolando O , Campos-Cerqueira Marconi , Montagna Paul A , Erisman Brad , Walker Lily , Silver Whendee L , Crowl Todd A , Wetz Michael , Hall Nathan , Zou Xiaoming , Pennings Steven C , Wang Lih-Jih , Chang Chung-Te , Leon Miguel , Mcdowell William H , Kominoski John S , Patrick Christopher J
Published: March 2020

Tropical cyclones play an increasingly important role in shaping ecosystems. Understanding and generalizing their responses is challenging because of meteorological variability among storms and its interaction with ecosystems. We present a research framework designed to compare tropical cyclone effects within and across ecosystems that: a) uses a disaggregating approach that measures the responses of individual ecosystem components, b) links the response of ecosystem components at fine temporal scales to meteorology and antecedent conditions, and c) examines responses of ecosystem using a resistance–resilience perspective by quantifying the magnitude of change and recovery time. We demonstrate the utility of the framework using three examples of ecosystem response: gross primary productivity, stream biogeochemical export, and organismal abundances. Finally, we present the case for a network of sentinel sites with consistent monitoring to measure and compare ecosystem responses to cyclones across the United States, which could help improve coastal ecosystem resilience.
Thalamic Volume Is Related to Increased Anterior Thalamic Radiations in Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder
Authors: Jung Minyoung , Takiguchi Shinichiro , Hamamura Shoko , Mizuno Yoshifumi , Kosaka Hirotaka , Tomoda Akemi
Published: March 2020

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is associated with childhood maltreatment and affects approximately 1% of the general population. Recent data suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with brain alterations in white and gray matter. However, the neural mechanisms of RAD-related brain alterations remain unknown. Herein, we evaluated the white matter pathways and gray matter volumes in 31 and 41 age-matched children with RAD and typical development (TD), respectively, by analyzing T1- and diffusion-weighted images. An increased fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial diffusivity in the anterior thalamic radiations (ATR) and an increased volume in the bilateral pallidum and right thalamus were observed in children with RAD compared with those with TD. Moreover, the volume of the thalamus was associated with increased ATR FA in children with RAD. Our study confirmed the existence of atypical neurodevelopment processes in the thalamus, pallidum, and ATR in children with RAD and highlighted an interdependent relationship between the alterations in the thalamus and ATR. These findings may help to improve our understanding of the comprehensive neural mechanisms of RAD.