bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PERAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH PADA PENANGANAN COVID-19
Authors: Andiraharja Diyar Ginanjar
Published: September 2020

This study aimed to assess the strategies that have been implemented by the central and regional governments in handling COVID-19. There are ten regulations related to the research objectives that have been reviewed. The method applied is normative legal research. Second level data is used in this study. The literature reviewed is used to solve researchers' questions. From this study it was revealed that the local government was obliged to decide on the policies that had to be taken in handling COVID-19 with normal basic health service conditions. In the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the appropriate regulations were enacted not the Law on Regional Government, but the Law on Health Quarantine. The conclusion of this study, in the condition of public health emergencies there is uncertainty at the local government level, because with the decentralization in the field of health causes basic health service standards vary according to the commitment and fiscal capacity of local governments. Strengthening the role of local government is a major factor in overcoming COVID-19. Health services in the regions must be ensured by the central government to conform to the COVID-19 handling standard. With the current state of public health emergencies, it is hoped that the division of roles of the center and the regions will be expected to ensure the safety of citizens.
COMPARISON OF FRACTURE RESISTANCE BETWEEN TWO MONOLITHIC AND ONE VENEERED ZIRCONIA MATERIALS ON MOLAR CROWNS AFTER THERMOMECHANICAL FATIGUE
Authors: KAYALI Faisal , KAHRAMANOĞLU Erkut
Published: September 2020

Objective: The purpose of this in-vitro study is to evaluate fracture resistance of two monolithic and one veneered zirconia crowns on human molar teeth fabricated after thermomechanical fatigue.

Materials and methods: Seventy-two human molar teeth were prepared to receive zirconia crowns. The specimens were divided into three experimental groups (n=24) according to restoration design, monolithic or veneered. The crowns were fabricated from GC initial zirconia, Dentsply Sirona TZI and Dentsply Sirona ZI. The prepared teeth were scanned with Sirona inEos X5 and the restorations were milled using Cerec inLab MC X5. The crowns were cemented by resin cement. Twelve crowns of each experimental group underwent thermomechanical fatigue using chewing Simulator for 240 000 chewing cycles with load of (100 N) and thermocycling (5 °C/55 °C), the remaining 12 crowns in each group did not undergo any thermomechanical fatigue and were considered as control group. All specimens were loaded until fracture using universal testing machine. Forces were applied to occlusal surface with 90° angle. Loads of fracture were recorded. Collected data of fracture loads of all specimens were analyzed using SPSS 23.00 program.

Results: Although thermomechanical fatigue significantly decreased fracture loads of only monolithic groups, monolithic zirconia crowns had higher fracture loads than veneered one. Among all specimens, the highest fracture load was found in GC group (5001,81 N) and the lowest was found in ZI group (2117.37 N).

Conclusion: Thermomechanical fatigue has significant influence on monolithic zirconia, however, it showed higher fracture loads and can be alternative to veneered design.
The Main Dimensions of Sport Personality Traits: A Lexical Approach
Authors: De Vries Reinout E.
Published: September 2020

To uncover the main dimensions of sport personality traits, a lexical study was conducted. In the first two phases, 321 adjectives denoting the way somebody practices sports were selected. In the third phase, 555 respondents self-rated the adjectives. Congruence analyses provided evidence of six factors, five of which are sport personality trait factors (friendly fairness, resilience, drive, perfectionism, and inventiveness) plus one physical individual difference factor (agility). Marker scales from the sport personality trait factors show convergent correlations with the generic HEXACO personality obtained years earlier. Furthermore, meaningful relations with the six most frequently practiced sport and leisure activities were observed. Contextualized sport personality trait factors can be useful in research on sport preferences, sport behaviors, and sport outcomes.
The Online Reservation Problem
Authors: Goyal Shashank , Gupta Diwakar
Published: September 2020

Many sharing-economy platforms operate as follows. Owners list the availability of resources, prices, and contract-length limits. Customers propose contract start times and lengths. The owners decide immediately whether to accept or decline each proposal, even if the contract is for a future date. Accepted proposals generate revenue. Declined proposals are lost. At any decision epoch, the owner has no information regarding future proposals. The owner seeks easy-to-implement algorithms that achieve the best competitive ratio (CR). We first derive a lower bound on the CR of any algorithm. We then analyze CRs of all intuitive “greedy” algorithms. We propose two new algorithms that have significantly better CRs than that of any greedy algorithm for certain parameter-value ranges. The key idea behind these algorithms is that owners may reserve some amount of capacity for late-arriving higher-value proposals in an attempt to improve revenue. Our contribution lies in operationalizing this idea with the help of algorithms that utilize thresholds. Moreover, we show that if non-optimal thresholds are chosen, then those may lead to poor CRs. We provide a rigorous method by which an owner can decide the best approach in their context by analyzing the CRs of greedy algorithms and those proposed by us.
Strain Measurement on Cracks Using Fiber Bragg Gratings for Use in Aircraft Composite Skin Repairs
Authors: Ikiades Aris A.
Published: September 2020

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have been widely used for measurements of strain and temperature in a host of different applications, including aerospace in composite wings, fuselage structures, and other critical components. Here, we report on a method to measure highly localized intense stress fields, generated at the initialization point of a crack, or crack-tip, using Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) inscribed in highly photosensitive hydrogenated germanium and boron co-doped fiber. From the spectral characteristics of short and long FBGs, bonded on a test aluminum coupon with a crack, which simulated damaged skins of an aircraft, the local stresses near the cracks were measured and assessed. As a case study, bespoke composite repair patches were designed and bonded on a coupon, incorporating a number of gratings to monitor the stress distribution with applied force in the composite patch, near the crack.
Crop Productivity and Climatic Conditions: Evidence from Hungary
Authors: Bakucs Zoltán , Fertő Imre , Vígh Enikő
Published: September 2020

Hungarian agriculture is expected to experience greater risks due to more variability in crop productivity due to increasing yearly average temperatures and extreme precipitation patterns. This study investigates the effect of changing climatic conditions on productivity, using a Hungarian sample of crop producers for a 12-year time period. Our empirical analysis employs True Fixed Effects frontier models of Farm Accountancy Data Network data that are merged with specific meteorological data representatively maintained for seeding, vegetative, and generative periods for cereals, oil seed and protein crops, along with soil quality and usage-related data. Estimations indicate that climate variables have significant impacts on technical efficiency. In addition, calculation suggest that an increase in temperature during seeding and vegetative periods, combined with higher precipitation levels in May and June, will reduce crop farmers’ production frontier. Estimations explain the variance, while the technical efficiency (TE) scores emphasize the impact of the difference in soil quality and its water absorption capacity.
Consumers’ Purchasing Intentions on the Legume Market as Evidence of Sustainable Behaviour
Authors: Śmiglak-Krajewska Magdalena , Wojciechowska-Solis Julia , Viti Domenico
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this paper is to verify the knowledge that is useful for legume producers in relation to consumers’ eating habits in the field of legume products. According to experts, leguminous products have a positive effect on human health. The tendency towards healthy eating habits is also associated with the idea of sustainable consumption. The authors have attempted to combine these two trends. The main goal was to determine, among consumers, the level of knowledge about legumes, product purchase motives, and preferred places of purchase. This study was carried out with the use of an authorial questionnaire. In total, 1067 respondents from all regions of Poland participated in the study. The Statistica 13.1PL programme was used for statistical analyses. Methods used: descriptive statistics, discriminant analysis and linear regression analysis. With the aid of the conducted analyses, it was possible to determine that peas, beans, soybeans and lentils are the most recognised and most frequently consumed products (in various configurations) among the residents of the studied groups. The most important motives for their purchase among the surveyed consumers were “flavour”, “price” and the fact that these products can be an alternative to meat products and contain a lot of protein and fibre. The purchase channels that legume product producers must pay attention to are large-area shops and online sales. Sustainable consumption awareness for the consumers of legume products is best defined by a variable in the regression equation—“no harmful substances used during its production”. The legume products market has not yet flourished in Poland. The products are an excellent alternative to meat products due to their high protein content. Pro-health education has a measurable effect and consumer awareness is growing. Producers should use this knowledge by emphasising, in the promotion of products, that the products are produced in accordance with the idea of sustainable development, without the use of harmful substances, and that no means are used to extend the shelf life.
A Typological Concept to Predict the Nitrogen Release from Organic Fertilizers in Farming Systems
Authors: Sradnick André , Feller Carmen
Published: September 2020

The prediction of nitrogen (N) mineralization or immobilization in organic fertilizers is an important tool to optimize fertilizer use, especially in intensive agricultural systems. Our aim was to derive a model to predict the N mineralization/immobilization from readily available information on the properties of organic fertilizers in farming practice. On the basis of a literature review, a characterization of organic fertilizers was performed, revealing a large variance in fertilizer properties within the defined categories and subcategories. A partial linear model was derived and used for the prediction of N mineralization/immobilization based on the type of fertilizer and the carbon (C) to organic nitrogen (Norg) ratio. Depending on the previously defined category, a strong mineralization (e.g., plant- and animal-based commercial fertilizers) or a predominant immobilization (e.g., compost and slurries) was detected. For a total of seven main categories and their subcategories, individual models were developed. This work shows that the mineralization properties of organic fertilizers can be sufficiently predicted through a simple classification into a fertilizer category and through the C to Norg ratio.
Assessment of the Capacity of Beneficial Bacterial Inoculants to Enhance Canola (Brassica napus L.) Growth under Low Water Activity
Authors: Premachandra Dasun , Hudek Lee , Enez Aydin , Ballard Ross , Barnett Steve , Franco Christopher M.M. , Brau Lambert
Published: September 2020

Canola (Brassica napus L.) is the third largest crop produced in Australia after wheat and barley. For such crops, the variability of water access, reduced long-term annual rainfall and increasing water prices, higher overall production costs, and variability in production quantity and quality are driving the exploration of new tools to maintain production in an economical and environmentally sustainable way. Microorganisms associated with the rhizosphere have been shown to enhance plant growth and offer a potential way to maintain or even increase crop production quality and yield in an environmentally sustainable way. Here, seven bacterial isolates from canola rhizosphere samples are shown to enhance canola growth, particularly in low water activity systems. The seven strains all possessed commonly described plant growth promoting traits, including the ability to produce indole-3-acetic acid and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase, and the capacity to solubilise nutrients (Fe2+/3+ and PO43−). When the isolates were inoculated at the time of sowing in pot-based systems with either sand or clay loam media, and in field trials, a significant increase in dry root and shoot biomass was recorded compared to uninoculated controls. It is likely that the strains’ plant growth promoting capacity under water stress is due to the combined effects of the bacterial phenotypes examined here.
An Arable Field for Benchmarking of Metaheuristic Algorithms for Capacitated Coverage Path Planning Problems
Authors: Khosravani Moghadam Erfan , Vahdanjoo Mahdi , Jensen Allan Leck , Sharifi Mohammad , Sørensen Claus Aage Grøn
Published: September 2020

This study specifies an agricultural field (Latitude = 56°30′0.8″ N, Longitude = 9°35′27.88″ E) and provides the absolute optimal route for covering that field. The calculated absolute optimal solution for this field can be used as the basis for benchmarking of metaheuristic algorithms used for finding the most efficient route in the field. The problem of finding the most efficient route that covers a field can be formulated as a Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), which is an NP-hard problem. This means that the optimal solution is infeasible to calculate, except for very small fields. Therefore, a range of metaheuristic methods has been developed that provide a near-optimal solution to a TSP in a “reasonable” time. The main challenge with metaheuristic methods is that the quality of the solutions can normally not be compared to the absolute optimal solution since this “ground truth” value is unknown. Even though the selected benchmarking field requires only eight tracks, the solution space consists of more than 1.3 billion solutions. In this study, the absolute optimal solution for the capacitated coverage path planning problem was determined by calculating the non-working distance of the entire solution space and determining the solution with the shortest non-working distance. This was done for four scenarios consisting of low/high bin capacity and short/long distance between field and storage depot. For each scenario, the absolute optimal solution and its associated cost value (minimum non-working distance) were compared to the solutions of two metaheuristic algorithms; Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). The benchmarking showed that neither algorithm could find the optimal solution for all scenarios, but they found near-optimal solutions, with only up to 6 pct increasing non-working distance. SAA performed better than ACO, concerning quality, stability, and execution time.
Epigenetic Scanning of KEAP1 CpG Sites Uncovers New Molecular-Driven Patterns in Lung Adeno and Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Authors: Fabrizio Federico Pio , Mazza Tommaso , Castellana Stefano , Sparaneo Angelo , Muscarella Lucia Anna
Published: September 2020

Background: The KEAP1/NRF2 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1/nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2) pathway modulates detoxification processes and participates in the resistance of solid tumors to therapy. Scientific evidence about the presence of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities of the KEAP1 gene was firstly reported in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and then described in other tumors. At present, the prognostic role of aberrant methylation at cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites of the KEAP1 gene promoter is debated in NSCLC, and its correlation with transcriptional changes and protein levels remains to be defined in large sample cohorts. Methods: We evaluated and compared multiple KEAP1 omics data (methylation, transcript, and protein expression levels) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to explore the role of CpGs located in different portions of KEAP1 and the correlation between methylation, transcription, and protein levels. Data from two subsets of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD, n = 617) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC, n = 571) cohorts of NSCLC patients with different disease stages were evaluated. Results: We found that the methylation levels of many KEAP1 CpGs at various promoter and intragenic locations showed a significant inverse correlation with the transcript levels. Interestingly, these results were limited to the KRAS wild-type LUSC and LUAD cohorts, whereas in LUAD the effect of the epigenetic silencing of KEAP1 on its transcription was also observed in the EGFR mutated subpopulation. Conclusions: These results support the idea that the prognostic role of KEAP1 CpG sites warrants more in-depth investigation and that the impact of their changes in methylation levels may differ among specific NSCLC histologies and molecular backgrounds. Moreover, the observed impact of epigenetic silencing on KEAP1 expression in specific KRAS and EGFR settings may suggest a potential role of KEAP1 methylation as a predictive marker for NSCLC patients for whom anti-EGFR treatments are considered.
Diabetic Retinopathy: The Role of Mitochondria in the Neural Retina and Microvascular Disease
Authors: Miller David J. , Cascio M. Ariel , Rosca Mariana G.
Published: September 2020

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of vision loss in the working-age population, is clinically defined as a microvascular disease that involves damage of the retinal capillaries with secondary visual impairment. While its clinical diagnosis is based on vascular pathology, DR is associated with early abnormalities in the electroretinogram, indicating alterations of the neural retina and impaired visual signaling. The pathogenesis of DR is complex and likely involves the simultaneous dysregulation of multiple metabolic and signaling pathways through the retinal neurovascular unit. There is evidence that microvascular disease in DR is caused in part by altered energetic metabolism in the neural retina and specifically from signals originating in the photoreceptors. In this review, we discuss the main pathogenic mechanisms that link alterations in neural retina bioenergetics with vascular regression in DR. We focus specifically on the recent developments related to alterations in mitochondrial metabolism including energetic substrate selection, mitochondrial function, oxidation-reduction (redox) imbalance, and oxidative stress, and critically discuss the mechanisms of these changes and their consequences on retinal function. We also acknowledge implications for emerging therapeutic approaches and future research directions to find novel mitochondria-targeted therapeutic strategies to correct bioenergetics in diabetes. We conclude that retinal bioenergetics is affected in the early stages of diabetes with consequences beyond changes in ATP content, and that maintaining mitochondrial integrity may alleviate retinal disease.
Positive Association of Ascorbate and Inverse Association of Urate with Cognitive Function in People with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Spencer Emma S. , Pitcher Toni , Veron Gabriel , Hannam Tracey , MacAskill Michael , Anderson Tim , Dalrymple-Alford John , Carr Anitra C.
Published: September 2020

Oxidative stress is thought to contribute to the aetiology of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Ascorbate (vitamin C) is a potent antioxidant and is associated with neurological and cognitive function. In this study we assessed the ascorbate status of a cohort of people with Parkinson’s disease (n = 215), aged 50–90 years, compared with a cohort of age matched healthy controls (n = 48). The study sample’s cognitive status ranged from normal to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. There was no difference between the Parkinson’s disease and healthy control groups with respect to mean ascorbate status, however, a higher proportion of participants with Parkinson’s disease had hypovitaminosis C (i.e., <23 μmol/L) compared with healthy controls (20% vs. 8%, respectively). Within the Parkinson’s disease group, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores correlated positively with ascorbate concentrations, with higher ascorbate status associated with better cognitive function (r = 0.14, p = 0.045). Participants with hypovitaminosis C had significantly lower MoCA scores relative to participants with ascorbate concentrations >23 µmol/L (p = 0.014). Ascorbate concentrations were significantly lower in the cognitively impaired subgroup compared with the normal cognition subgroup in the Parkinson’s disease cohort (p = 0.03). In contrast, urate showed an inverse correlation with cognitive function (r = −0.19, p = 0.007), with higher urate concentrations observed in the cognitively impaired subgroup compared with the normal cognition subgroup (p = 0.015). There was an inverse association between ascorbate status and urate concentrations (r = −0.15, p = 0.017). Plasma protein carbonyls, a measure of systemic oxidative stress, were not significantly different between the Parkinson’s disease cohort and healthy controls, and there was no association with cognitive function (r = 0.09, p = 0.19) or with ascorbate status (r = −0.05, p = 0.45). Overall, our study showed ascorbate status was positively associated with cognitive function in Parkinson’s disease, suggesting that longitudinal studies investigating the temporal sequence of cognitive decline and ascorbate status are warranted.
Magnesium, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Liu Man , Dudley Samuel C.
Published: September 2020

Hypomagnesemia is commonly observed in heart failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Low serum magnesium (Mg) is a predictor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and treating Mg deficiency may help prevent cardiovascular disease. In this review, we discuss the possible mechanisms by which Mg deficiency plays detrimental roles in cardiovascular diseases and review the results of clinical trials of Mg supplementation for heart failure, arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases.
Follow-Up Control and Image Recognition of Neck Level for Standard Metal Gauge
Authors: Hua Chenquan , Xie Chengjin , Xu Xuan
Published: September 2020

An image recognition technique is proposed for determining optimal neck levels for standard metal gauges, in the process of validating pipe provers. A camera-level follow-up control system was designed to achieve automated tracking of fluid levels by a camera, thereby preventing errors from inclined viewing angles. An orange background plate was placed behind the tube to reduce background interference, and highlight scale numbers/lines and concave meniscus. A segmentation algorithm, based on edge detection and K-means clustering, was used to segment indicator tubes and scales in the acquired images. The concave meniscus reconstruction algorithm and curve-fitting algorithm were proposed to better identify the lowest point of the meniscus. A characteristic edge detection model was used to identify centimeter-scale lines corresponding to the meniscus. A binary tree multiclass support vector machine (MCSVM) classifier was then used to identify scale numbers corresponding to scale lines and determine the optimal neck level for standard metal gauges. Experimental results showed that measurement errors were within ±0.1 mm compared to a ground truth acquired manually using Vernier calipers. The recognition time, including follow-up control, was less than 10 s, which is much lower than the switching time required between measuring individual tanks. This automated measurement approach for gauge neck levels can effectively reduce measurement times, decrease manmade errors in liquid level readings, and improve the efficiency of pipe prover validation.
Hybrid Harmony Search-Simulated Annealing Algorithm for Location-Inventory-Routing Problem in Supply Chain Network Design with Defect and Non-Defect Items
Authors: Misni Farahanim , Lee Lai Soon , Seow Hsin-Vonn
Published: September 2020

This paper considers a location-inventory-routing problem (LIRP) that integrates the strategic, tactical, and operational decision planning in supply chain network design. Both defect and non-defect items of returned products are considered in the cost of reverse logistics based on the economic production quantity model. The objective of the LIRP is to minimize the total cost of location-allocation of established depots, the cost of inventory, including production setup and holding cost, as well as the cost of travelled distance by the vehicles between the open depots and assigned customers. A Hybrid Harmony Search-Simulated Annealing (HS-SA) algorithm is proposed in this paper. This algorithm incorporates the dynamic values of harmony memory considering rate and pitch adjustment rate with the local optimization techniques to hybridize with the idea of probabilistic acceptance rule from simulated annealing, to avoid the local extreme points. Computational experiments on popular benchmark data sets show that the proposed hybrid HS-SA algorithm outperforms a standard HS and an improved HS for all cases.
BassNet: A Variational Gated Autoencoder for Conditional Generation of Bass Guitar Tracks with Learned Interactive Control
Authors: Grachten Maarten , Lattner Stefan , Deruty Emmanuel
Published: September 2020

Deep learning has given AI-based methods for music creation a boost by over the past years. An important challenge in this field is to balance user control and autonomy in music generation systems. In this work, we present BassNet, a deep learning model for generating bass guitar tracks based on musical source material. An innovative aspect of our work is that the model is trained to learn a temporally stable two-dimensional latent space variable that offers interactive user control. We empirically show that the model can disentangle bass patterns that require sensitivity to harmony, instrument timbre, and rhythm. An ablation study reveals that this capability is because of the temporal stability constraint on latent space trajectories during training. We also demonstrate that models that are trained on pop/rock music learn a latent space that offers control over the diatonic characteristics of the output, among other things. Lastly, we present and discuss generated bass tracks for three different music fragments. The work that is presented here is a step toward the integration of AI-based technology in the workflow of musical content creators.
Continuance Use of Cloud Computing in Higher Education Institutions: A Conceptual Model
Authors: Qasem Yousef A. M. , Abdullah Rusli , Yaha Yusmadi , Atana Rodziah
Published: September 2020

Resource optimization is a key concern for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Cloud Computing, as the recent generation in computing technology of the fourth industrial revolution, has emerged as the main standard of service and resource delivery. As cloud computing has grown into a mature technology and is being rapidly adopted in many HEIs across the world, retaining customers of this innovative technology has become a challenge to the cloud service providers. Current research trends on cloud computing have sought to study the acceptance or adoption of technology; however, little research has been devoted to the continuance use in an organizational setting. To address this gap, this study aims to investigate the antecedents of cloud computing continuance use in HEIs. Hence, drawing on the prior literature in organizational-level continuance, this research established a conceptual model that extends and contextualizes the IS continuance model through the lens of the TOE framework (i.e., technological, organizational, and environmental influences). The results of a pilot study, conducted through a survey with information and communications technology (ICT) decision makers, and based on the proposed conceptual model, indicate that the instrument is both reliable and valid, and so point the way towards further research. The paper closes with a discussion of the research limitations, contribution, and future directions.
Different Pressures, Low Temperature, and Short-Duration Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Treatments: Microbiological, Physicochemical, Microstructural, and Sensorial Attributes of Chill-Stored Chicken Meat
Authors: Jauhar Safiullah , Ismail-Fitry Mohammad Rashedi , Chong Gun Hean , Nor-Khaizura Mahmud Ab Rashid , Ibadullah Wan Zunairah Wan
Published: September 2020

This work aimed to determine the microbiological, physicochemical, microstructural, and sensorial attributes of chicken meat treated with different pressures of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) at a low temperature for a short duration. The raw chicken meat was subjected to three pressures: 7.4, 11.4 and 15.4 MPa at 31 °C for 10 min and then stored at 4 °C for seven days. The 11.4 and 15.4 MPa treatments on the zeroth day reduced the microbial load compared to the control and 7.4 MPa treatment. Similarly, the higher pressure resulted in a decrease in the total count of yeast and mold. The SC-CO2 had a lesser effect on the lipid peroxidation, pH, cooking loss, and water holding capacity of the treated chicken meats. Color analysis showed an increase in lightness (L*) and a reduction in redness (a*) on the sample surface. Both texture and color results were within acceptable ranges. SC-CO2 treatment with 11.4 or 15.4 MPa at a low temperature for a short time improve microbiological safety while retaining the quality of chicken meat. These findings can be expanded and applied as an alternative for non-thermal processing of chicken meat.
Effect of Citrus Fiber on the Rheological Properties of Dough and Quality of the Gluten-Free Bread
Authors: Korus Jarosław , Juszczak Lesław , Witczak Mariusz , Ziobro Rafał
Published: September 2020

The aim of the study was to evaluate the use of citrus fiber for the nutritional enrichment and technological improvement of gluten-free bread. A partial replacement of starch in bread formulation was analyzed in terms of the dough’s rheological properties and selected quality parameters of the bread. The results allowed to conclude that the presence of citrus fiber modifies the rheological properties of the dough, causing an increase in storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) values, as well as zero shear viscosity, accompanied with a decrease in instantaneous compliance (J0) and viscoelastic compliance (J1) to the applied stress, which reflects dough strengthening caused by significantly greater water binding and swelling properties characteristic of this ingredient. The introduction of the citrus fiber to bread formulations caused a significant decrease in bread volume and structure changes in crumb visible in the larger porosity and average pore size. The presence of citrus fiber affected texture, decreasing crumb hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness in comparison to the control. It could also be observed that the use of citrus fiber results in limited crumb hardening during storage, which indicates that this component could be an effective factor retarding the staling of the gluten-free bread based on starch and hydrocolloids.
Flexible Data Rate V2X Communication System beyond 1.84 Gb/s Based on MIMO VLC and Radar Integration
Authors: Jia Junlian , Zou Peng , Hu Fangchen , Zhao Yiheng , Chi Nan
Published: September 2020

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication has been widely studied in recent years for the rapid development of the vehicular traffic. In this paper, a V2X communication system integrating the probabilistic shaping (PS) bitloading multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) visible light communication (VLC) and the millimeter wave radar is proposed. The PS bitloading algorithm utilizes the full spectrum resource of the LED headlights, and the MIMO configuration enhances the performance of the VLC system. Furthermore, the linear and nonlinear interpolation method makes it possible to calculate the SNR at every point from the SNR measured at several discrete calibration points. The SNR table enables the radar to guide the VLC according to the distance, achieving the highest achievable information rate (AIR) at every point. The system supports the V2X communication beyond 1.1 Gb/s up to 5 m. This is the first VLC based V2X sensing and communication system, and the AIR in the system is 1.8484 Gb/s. As far as we know, it is the highest data rate reported in the LED headlight based VLC system.
Detection of Adjacent and Non-Adjacent Bar Breakages in Induction Motors Based on Power Spectral Subtraction and Second Order Statistics of Sound Signals
Authors: Iglesias Martínez Miguel Enrique , Fernández de Córdoba Pedro , Antonino-Daviu Jose Alfonso , Conejero J. Alberto
Published: September 2020

We apply power spectral analysis based on covariance function and spectral subtraction to detect adjacent and non-adjacent bar breakages. We obtain a spectral pattern when the signal presents one or various broken bars, independent of the relative position of the bar breakages. The proposed algorithm gives satisfactory results for detectability compared to some previous research. Additionally, we also present illustrations of faults and signal to noise in the noise-reduction stage.
Migration of the 3T3 Cell with a Lamellipodium on Various Stiffness Substrates—Tensegrity Model
Authors: Voloshin Arkady
Published: September 2020

Changes in mechanical stimuli and the physiological environment are sensed by the cell. Thesechanges influence the cell’s motility patterns. The cell’s directional migration is dependent on the substrate stiffness. To describe such behavior of a cell, a tensegrity model was used. Cells with an extended lamellipodium were modeled. The internal elastic strain energy of a cell attached to the substrates with different stiffnesses was evaluated. The obtained results show that on the stiffer substrate, the elastic strain energy of the cell adherent to this substrate decreases. Therefore, the substrate stiffness is one of the parameters that govern the cell’s directional movement.
Immediate Effects of an Inverted Body Position on Energy Expenditure and Blood Lactate Removal after Intense Running
Authors: Kim Moo Sung , Park Jihong
Published: September 2020

We compared the immediate effects of a cool-down strategy including an inverted body position (IBP: continuous 30-s alternations of supine and IBP) after a short period of an intense treadmill run with active (walking) and passive (seated) methods. Fifteen healthy subjects (22 years, 172 cm, 67 kg) completed three cool-down conditions (in a counterbalanced order) followed by a 5-min static stretch on three separate days. Heart rate, energy expenditure, blood lactate concentration, fatigue perception, and circumference of thighs and calves were recorded at pre- and post-run at 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min. At 5 min post-run, subjects performing the IBP condition showed (1) a 22% slower heart rate (p < 0.0001, ES = 2.52) and 14% lower energy expenditure (p = 0.01, ES = 0.48) than in the active condition, and (2) a 23% lower blood lactate than in the passive condition (p = 0.001, ES = 0.82). Fatigue perception and circumferences of thighs and calves did not differ between the conditions at any time point (F10,238 < 0.96, p < 0.99 for all tests). IBP appears to produce an effect similar to that of an active cool-down in blood lactate removal with less energy expenditure. This cool-down strategy is recommended for tournament sporting events with short breaks between matches, such as Taekwondo, Judo, and wrestling.
Effect of Carbonation Curing on Physical and Durability Properties of Cementitious Materials Containing AOD Slag
Authors: Park Byoungsun , Choi Young Cheol
Published: September 2020

In this study, the physical and durability properties of cementitious materials containing stainless steel argon-oxygen decarburization (AOD) slag were investigated by CO2 curing. Three contents (0, 30, 60%) of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) were replaced with AOD slag. Specimens were cured at four CO2 concentrations and three temperatures. The chloride diffusion coefficient, drying shrinkage, compressive strength, and porosity were measured. The drying shrinkage reduction was proportional to CO2 uptake. The chloride diffusion coefficient increased as contents of the AOD slag increased. At 15% CO2 concentration, the diffusion coefficient was similar to that of the OPC regardless of the AOD slag substitution rate. The durability of cementitious materials mixed with AOD slag can be improved by CO2 curing and can be used in construction.
Investigation on the Mass Flow Rate of a Refrigerator Compressor Based on the p–V Diagram
Authors: He Zhilong , Li Dantong , Ji Lantian , Wang Xiaolin , Wang Tao
Published: September 2020

The refrigerant mass flow rate of a refrigerator compressor can only be measured by a mass flow meter and heat balance method. This paper focuses on the expansion and compression phase in which the compressor cylinder is closed, and proposes a measurement method of instantaneous mass flow of the refrigerator compressor. The comparison of the experimental pressure variation in the p–V diagram and the theoretical adiabatic process implied that the expansion and compression process of the refrigerator compressor approximated the adiabatic process. Based on the approximations and the experimental p–V diagram, a calculation method for refrigerant mass in the cylinder during the expansion and compression phase is proposed. Subsequently, the mass flow of the refrigerator compressor can be obtained. Furthermore, compared with experimental data and based on the method proposed in this paper, the error of the mass flow rate obtained is less than 3.13%. Based on this calculation method and the experimental p–V diagram, the influence of suction pressure on compressor performance is investigated.
Applied COP-Based MMSE Method and Modular Interactive Tiles on Postural Stability Enhance in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study
Authors: Chen I-Ling , Lin Tsung-Ching , Lin Chin-Chih , Jiang Bernard C. , Chen Ming-Shu
Published: September 2020

The ability to maintain postural stability is essential in our daily lives. Relatedly, hemiparetic stroke patients have a very high risk of falls. This study aimed to improve the traditional rehabilitation treatment for stroke patients with hemiparesis by providing a virtual reality (VR) feedback system with modular interactive tiles (MITs) to enhance their postural stability and thus prevent falls. The data collected included pre-test and post-test Berg Balance Scale (BBS) values, and complexity index (CI) values for center of pressure (COP) data based on multiscale entropy (MSE) and multivariate multiscale entropy (MMSE) at the 12-week exercise program. Higher BBS and CI values indicate better postural stability, and the results showed that the exercise program yielded significant improvements in postural stability. The mean pre-test BBS value of 51.67 ± 3.12 increased to 53.83 ± 2.17 (p < 0.05), and the mean CI of MMSE value increased by 14.8% (p < 0.01). We confirmed that this training program including MITs is beneficial to the rehabilitation of stroke patients. More specifically, the MITs training program positively affected the CI of MMSE values, and the affected result similar to the BBS values of the patients, indicating their improved balance and ability to avoid falls.
Industrial Low-Clinker Precast Elements Using Recycled Aggregates
Authors: Thomas Carlos , Cimentada Ana I. , Cantero Blas , Sáez del Bosque Isabel F. , Polanco Juan A.
Published: September 2020

Increasing amounts of sustainable concretes are being used as society becomes more aware of the environment. This paper attempts to evaluate the properties of precast concrete elements formed with recycled coarse aggregate and low clinker content cement using recycled additions. To this end, six different mix proportions were characterized: a reference concrete; 2 concretes with 25%wt. and 50%wt. substitution of coarse aggregate made using mixed construction and demolition wastes; and others with recycled cement with low clinker content. The compressive strength, the elastic modulus, and the durability indicator decrease with the proportions of recycled aggregate replacing aggregate, and it is accentuated with the incorporation of recycled cement. However, all the precast elements tested show good performance with slight reduction in the mechanical properties. To confirm the appropriate behaviour of New Jersey precast barriers, a test that simulated the impact of a vehicle was carried out.
NAP: Natural App Processing for Predictive User Contexts in Mobile Smartphones
Authors: Moreira Gabriel S. , Jo Heeseung , Jeong Jinkyu
Published: September 2020

The resource management of an application is an essential task in smartphones. Optimizing the application launch process results in a faster and more efficient system, directly impacting the user experience. Predicting the next application that will be used can orient the smartphone to address the system resources to the correct application, making the system more intelligent and efficient. Neural networks have been presenting outstanding results in the state-of-the-art for mapping large sequences of data, outperforming all previous classification and prediction models. A recurrent neural network (RNN) is an artificial neural network associated with sequence models, and it can recognize patterns in sequences. One of the areas that use RNN is language modeling (LM). Given an arrangement of words, LM can learn how the words are organized in sentences, making it possible to predict the next word given a group of previous words. We propose building a predictive model inspired by LM. However, instead of using words, we will use previous applications to predict the next application. Moreover, some context features, such as timestamp and energy record, will be included in the prediction model to evaluate the impact of the features on the performance. We will provide the following application prediction result and extend it to the top-k possible candidates for the next application.
Multi-Level Clustering-Based Outlier’s Detection (MCOD) Using Self-Organizing Maps
Authors: Li Menglu , Kashef Rasha , Ibrahim Ahmed
Published: September 2020

Outlier detection is critical in many business applications, as it recognizes unusual behaviours to prevent losses and optimize revenue. For example, illegitimate online transactions can be detected based on its pattern with outlier detection. The performance of existing outlier detection methods is limited by the pattern/behaviour of the dataset; these methods may not perform well without prior knowledge of the dataset. This paper proposes a multi-level outlier detection algorithm (MCOD) that uses multi-level unsupervised learning to cluster the data and discover outliers. The proposed detection method is tested on datasets in different fields with different sizes and dimensions. Experimental analysis has shown that the proposed MCOD algorithm has the ability to improving the outlier detection rate, as compared to the traditional anomaly detection methods. Enterprises and organizations can adopt the proposed MCOD algorithm to ensure a sustainable and efficient detection of frauds/outliers to increase profitability (and/or) to enhance business outcomes.
Apache Spark SVM for Predicting Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Jin Katie , Bagui Sikha
Published: September 2020

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common form of sleep apnea generally caused by a collapse of the upper respiratory airway, is associated with one of the leading causes of death in adults: hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. In this paper, an algorithm for predicting obstructive sleep apnea episodes based on a spark-based support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. Wavelet decomposition and wavelet reshaping were used to denoise sleep apnea data, and cubic B-type interpolation wavelet transform was used to locate the QRS complex in OSA data. Twelve features were extracted, and SVM was used to predict OSA onset. Different configurations of SVM were compared with the regular, as well as Spark Big Data, frameworks. The results showed that Spark-based kernel SVM performs best, with an accuracy of 90.52% and specificity of 93.4%. Overall, Spark-SVM performed better than regular SVM, and polynomial SVM performed better than linear SVM, both for regular SVM and Spark-SVM.
Autoclaving Nest-Material Remains Influences the Probability of Ectoparasitism of Nestling Hoopoes (Upupa epops)
Authors: Mazorra-Alonso Mónica , Martín-Vivaldi Manuel , Peralta-Sánchez Juan Manuel , Soler Juan José
Published: September 2020

Nest bacterial environment influences avian reproduction directly because it might include pathogenic- or antibiotic-producing bacteria or indirectly because predators or ectoparasites can use volatile compounds from nest bacterial metabolism to detect nests of their avian hosts. Hoopoes (Upupa epops) do not build nests. They rather reuse holes or nest-boxes that contain remains of nest-materials from previous breeding seasons. Interestingly, it has been recently described that the nest’s bacterial environment partly affects the uropygial gland microbiota of hoopoe females and eggshells. Blood-sucking ectoparasites use chemical cues to find host nests, so we experimentally tested the hypothetical effects of microorganisms inhabiting nest-material remains before reproduction regarding the intensity of ectoparasitism suffered by 8-day-old nestling hoopoes. In accordance with the hypothesis, nestlings hatched in nest-boxes with autoclaved nest-material remains from the previous reproductive seasons suffered less from ectoparasites than those hatched in the control nest-boxes with nonautoclaved nest-material. Moreover, we found a positive association between the bacterial density of nest-material during the nestling phase and ectoparasitism intensity that was only apparent in nest-boxes with autoclaved nest-material. However, contrary to our expectations, nest bacterial load was positively associated with fledgling success. These results suggest a link between the community of microorganisms of nest-material remains and the intensity of ectoparasitism, and, on the other hand, that the nest bacterial environment during reproduction is related to fledging success. Here, we discuss possible mechanisms explaining the experimental and correlative results, including the possibility that the experimental autoclaving of nest material affected the microbiota of females and nestlings’ secretion and/or nest volatiles that attracted ectoparasites, therefore indirectly affecting both the nest bacterial environment at the nestling stage and fledging success.