bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Site and Management Effects on Grain Yield and Yield Variability of Rainfed Lowland Rice in the Kilombero Floodplain of Tanzania
Authors: Kwesiga Julius , Grotelüschen Kristina , Neuhoff Daniel , Senthilkumar Kalimuthu , Döring Thomas F. , Becker Mathias
Published: October 2019

In East Africa, smallholder farmers produce rainfed lowland rice mainly in floodplains. Low nitrogen contents of the predominant Fluvisols and highly variable hydrological conditions result in low yields and large yield variations, and hence, result in high production risks for farmers. We investigated crop management strategies aimed at increasing yield and reducing yield variability. The field trials were carried out in the Kilombero floodplain near Ifakara in Tanzania, in three hydrological zones (potentially drought-prone fringe, favorable middle and submergence-prone center positions) over three years. The study compared farmers’ management practices (no field levelling and bunding, no fertilizer input), with the effect of bunding and levelling alone, or in combination with mineral N use at 0 (bunding), 60 (recommended rate) and 120 kg + 60 kg PK ha−1 (attainable yield). Rice mean grain yields (averaged over the four treatments) were higher in the fringe (6.5 t ha−1) and the middle (5.7 t ha−1) than in the center positions (4.6 t ha−1). Farmers’ practice resulted in lowest yield (3.0 t ha−1) and highest yield variability, with an adjusted coefficient of variation (aCV) of up to 91% between fields, years and positions. Simple bunding of the plots and field levelling increased yields by 40% above farmers’ practice, particularly in the fringe and middle positions, while reducing yield variation (aCV of 36–61%). Mineral N application resulted in the highest yields (7.0 t ha−1) and further reduced yield variation (aCV of 14–27%). However, only in bunded fields of the floodplain fringe rice could benefit from N application beyond 60 kg ha−1, while mineral N use efficiency was lower in middle and center positions. Improved crop management options are most beneficial in floodplain fringe positions, where they can increase yields and reduce production risks. Due to low yield, high production risks and poor responsiveness to management interventions, the center may be taken out of rice production and could be considered for future use as protection zones.
Sage Essential Oil Improves the Effectiveness of Aloe vera Gel on Postharvest Quality of Tomato Fruit
Authors: Tzortzakis Nikolaos , Xylia Panayiota , Chrysargyris Antonios
Published: October 2019

Edible coating is extensively applied for fresh produce preservation. In the present study, Aloe vera gel (AV) alone or combined with sage essential oil (EO; 0.1% or 0.5%) was used as fruit edible coating in tomatoes. Following treatments, tomatoes were stored at 11 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) up to 14 days and analyzed for quality maintenance compared with uncoated fruits (control). Results showed that both AV and EO decreased decay symptoms with more pronounced effects on low EO concentration (i.e., 0.1%). The application of 10% of AV coating decreased fruit ethylene emission while EO (0.1% and 0.5%) application increased ethylene emission and respiration rates. AV coating decreased acidity, β-carotene, lycopene content and maintained fruit firmness. High levels of EO (0.5%) increased weight loss but decreased fruits’ redness, chroma, total soluble solids, acidity, β-carotene and lycopene content. Total phenolic content and antioxidants maintained or increased during storage when treated with AV and/or EO. Low levels of EO (0.1%) maintained or improved fruit quality characteristics during storage, and this was mirrored by the sensory evaluation preference (including the AV application) and quality related attributes.
Expert System Based on Integrated Fuzzy AHP for Automatic Cutting Tool Selection
Authors: Phung Xuan Lan , Truong Hoanh Son , Bui Ngoc Tam
Published: October 2019

Cutting tool selection plays an important role in achieving reliable quality and high productivity work, and for controlling the total cost of manufacturing. However, it is complicated for process planners to choose the optimal cutting tool when faced with the choice of multiple cutting tools, multiple conflict criteria, and uncertain information. This paper presents an effective method for automatically selecting a cutting tool based on the machining feature characteristics. The optimal cutting tool type is first selected using a proposed multicriteria decision-making method with integrated fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The inputs of this process are the feature dimensions, workpiece stability, feature quality, specific machining type, and tool access direction, which determine the cutting tool type priority after evaluating many criteria, such as the material removal capacity, tool cost, power requirement, and flexibility. Expert judgments on the criteria or attributes are collected to determine their weights. The cutting tool types are ranked in ascending order by priority. Then, the rule-based method is applied to determine other specific characteristics of the cutting tool. Cutting tool data are collected from world-leading cutting tool manufacturer, Sandvik, among others. An expert system is established, and an example is given to describe the method and its effectiveness.
Effective Exploration Behavior for Chemical-Sensing Robots
Authors: Nickels Kevin , Nguyen Hoa , Frasch Duncan , Davison Timothy
Published: October 2019

Mobile robots that can effectively detect chemical effluents could be useful in a variety of situations, such as disaster relief or drug sniffing. Such a robot might mimic biological systems that exhibit chemotaxis, which is movement towards or away from a chemical stimulant in the environment. Some existing robotic exploration algorithms that mimic chemotaxis suffer from the problems of getting stuck in local maxima and becoming “lost”, or unable to find the chemical if there is no initial detection. We introduce the use of the RapidCell algorithm for mobile robots exploring regions with potentially detectable chemical concentrations. The RapidCell algorithm mimics the biology behind the biased random walk of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria more closely than traditional chemotaxis algorithms by simulating the chemical signaling pathways interior to the cell. For comparison, we implemented a classical chemotaxis controller and a controller based on RapidCell, then tested them in a variety of simulated and real environments (using phototaxis as a surrogate for chemotaxis). We also added simple obstacle avoidance behavior to explore how it affects the success of the algorithms. Both simulations and experiments showed that the RapidCell controller more fully explored the entire region of detectable chemical when compared with the classical controller. If there is no detectable chemical present, the RapidCell controller performs random walk in a much wider range, hence increasing the chance of encountering the chemical. We also simulated an environment with triple effluent to show that the RapidCell controller avoided being captured by the first encountered peak, which is a common issue for the classical controller. Our study demonstrates that mimicking the adapting sensory system of E. coli chemotaxis can help mobile robots to efficiently explore the environment while retaining their sensitivity to the chemical gradient.
Analysis of A 6-Mirna Signature in Serum from Colorectal Cancer Screening Participants as Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Advanced Adenoma and Colorectal Cancer Detection
Authors: Marcuello María , Duran-Sanchon Saray , Moreno Lorena , Lozano Juan José , Bujanda Luis , Castells Antoni , Gironella Meritxell
Published: October 2019

Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its precancerous lesion, advanced adenomas (AA), is critical to improve CRC incidence and prognosis. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs or miR) are promising non-invasive biomarkers for cancer detection. Our previous results showed that a plasma 6-miRNA signature (miR-15b-5p, miR-18a-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-335-5p, miR-19a-3p and miR-19b-3p) could distinguish between CRC or AA and healthy individuals (controls). However, its diagnostic performance in serum is unknown. In this exploratory study we aim to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the 6-miRNA signature in serum samples in a cohort of individuals participating in Barcelona’s CRC Screening Programme. We prospectively collected serums from 264 faecal immunochemical test (FIT)-positive participants and total RNA was extracted. Finally, 213 individuals (CRC, 59, AA, 74, controls, 80) were included. MiRNA expression was quantified by real-time RT-qPCR and data analysis was performed by logistic regression. Faecal hemoglobin concentration (f(Hb)) from FIT of the same individuals was also considered. As previously described in plasma, serum from patients with AA or CRC presented significant differences in the 6-miRNA signature compared to controls. Moreover, when combined with f(Hb), the final signature showed high discriminative capacity to distinguish CRC from controls (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.88), and even AA (AUC = 0.81) that otherwise are poorly detected if we only consider f(Hb) (AUC = 0.64). Addition of the serum 6-miRNA signature to quantitative f(Hb) show high accuracy to detect patients with advanced colorectal neoplasia in average-risk individuals. A combination of these two non-invasive methods could be a good strategy to improve diagnostic performances of current CRC screening programmes.
High Expression of MicroRNA-196a is Associated with Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Younger Patients
Authors: Wang Shen-Yung , Chen Chih-Li , Hu Yu-Chen , Chi Yi , Huang Yen-Hua , Su Chien-Wei , Jeng Wen-Juei , Liang Yuh-Jin , Wu Jaw-Ching
Published: October 2019

MicroRNAs are small RNAs involved in various biological processes and cancer metastasis. miR-196a was associated with aggressive behaviors in several cancers. The role of miR-196a in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis remains unknown. This study aimed to examine the role of miR-196a in HCC progression. Expression of miR-196a was measured in 83 human HCC samples. The HCC patients with high miR-196a expression had younger ages, lower albumin levels, higher frequency with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels ≥20 ng/mL, more macrovascular invasion, and non-early stages. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that high miR-196a expression was associated with lower recurrence-free survival. Knockdown of miR-196a decreased transwell invasiveness, sphere formation, transendothelial invasion, and Slug, Twist, Oct4, and Sox2 expression, suppressed angiogenesis, and reduced sizes of xenotransplants and number of pulmonary metastasis. Down-regulation of miR-196a decreased Runx2 and osteopontin (OPN) levels. Knockdown of Runx2 in vitro resulted in comparable phenotypes with miR-196a down-regulation. Restoration of Runx2 in miR-196a-knockdown HCC reverted tumor phenotypes. This study showed that high expression of miR-196a is associated with HCC progression in a subset of younger patients. miR-196a mediates HCC progression via upregulation of Runx2, OPN, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators, and stemness genes. We proposed that miR-196a can be used as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target.
Topical 2′-Hydroxyflavanone for Cutaneous Melanoma
Authors: Bose Chhanda , Singh Sharda P. , Igid Henry , Green William C. , Singhal Sharad S. , Lee Jihyun , Palade Philip T. , Rajan Aditya , Ball Somedeb , Tonk Vijay , Hindle Ashly , Tarbox Michelle , Awasthi Sanjay
Published: October 2019

2′-hydroxyflavanone (2HF) is a dietary flavonoid with anticancer activity towards multiple cancers. Here, we report that topically applied 2HF inhibits the growth of intradermal implants of melanoma in immunocompetent mice. 2HF induced apoptosis and inhibited the growth of the human SK-MEL-24 as well as murine B16-F0 and B16-F10 melanoma cell lines in vitro. Apoptosis was associated with depletion of caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP1 in B16-F0 and SK-MEL-24 cells. Caspase-9 and MEKK-15 were undetected even in untreated B16-F10 cells. Signaling proteins TNFα, and phospho-PDGFR-β were depleted in all three cell lines; MEKK-15 was depleted by 2HF in SK-MEL-24 cells. 2HF enhanced sunitinib (an MEK and PDGFR-β inhibitor) and AZD 2461 (a PARP1 inhibitor) cytotoxicity. 2HF also depleted the Ral-regulated, stress-responsive, antiapoptotic endocytic protein RLIP76 (RALBP1), the inhibition of which has previously been shown to inhibit B16-F0 melanoma growth in vivo. Functional inhibition of RLIP76 was evident from inhibition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) endocytosis by 2HF. We found that topically applied 2HF–Pluronic Lecithin Organogel (PLO) gel inhibited B16-F0 and B16-F10 tumors implanted in mice and caused no overt toxicity despite significant systemic absorption. 2HF treatment reduced phospho-AKT, vimentin, fibronectin, CDK4, cyclinB1, and BCL2, whereas it increased BIM and phospho-AMPK in excised tumors. Several cancer signals are controlled by endocytosis, a process strongly inhibited by RLIP76 depletion. We conclude that 2HF–PLO gel may be useful for topical therapy of cutaneous metastases of melanoma and could enhance the antineoplastic effects of sunitinib and PARP1 inhibitors. The mechanism of action of 2HF in melanoma overlaps with RLI76 inhibitors.
Exosomes: Versatile Nano Mediators of Immune Regulation
Authors: Li Qi , Wang Helei , Peng Hourong , Huyan Ting , Cacalano Nicholas A.
Published: October 2019

One of many types of extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes are nanovesicle structures that are released by almost all living cells that can perform a wide range of critical biological functions. Exosomes play important roles in both normal and pathological conditions by regulating cell-cell communication in cancer, angiogenesis, cellular differentiation, osteogenesis, and inflammation. Exosomes are stable in vivo and they can regulate biological processes by transferring lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and even entire signaling pathways through the circulation to cells at distal sites. Recent advances in the identification, production, and purification of exosomes have created opportunities to exploit these structures as novel drug delivery systems, modulators of cell signaling, mediators of antigen presentation, as well as biological targeting agents and diagnostic tools in cancer therapy. This review will examine the functions of immunocyte-derived exosomes and their roles in the immune response under physiological and pathological conditions. The use of immunocyte exosomes in immunotherapy and vaccine development is discussed.
Is a Zirconia Dental Implant Safe When It Is Available on the Market?
Authors: Frigan Katarina , Chevalier Jérôme , Zhang Fei , Spies Benedikt Christopher
Published: October 2019

The market share of zirconia (ZrO2) dental implants is steadily increasing. This material comprises a polymorphous character with three temperature-dependent crystalline structures, namely monoclinic (m), tetragonal (t) and cubic (c) phases. Special attention is given to the tetragonal phase when maintained in a metastable state at room temperature. Metastable tetragonal grains allow for the beneficial phenomenon of Phase Transformation Toughening (PTT), resulting in a high fracture resistance, but may lead to an undesired surface transformation to the monoclinic phase in a humid environment (low-temperature degradation, LTD, often referred to as ‘ageing’). Today, the clinical safety of zirconia dental implants by means of long-term stability is being addressed by two international ISO standards. These standards impose different experimental setups concerning the dynamic fatigue resistance of the final product (ISO 14801) or the ageing behavior of a standardized sample (ISO 13356) separately. However, when evaluating zirconia dental implants pre-clinically, oral environmental conditions should be simulated to the extent possible by combining a hydrothermal treatment and dynamic fatigue. For failure analysis, phase transformation might be quantified by non-destructive techniques, such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) or Raman spectroscopy, whereas Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of cross-sections or Focused Ion Beam (FIB) sections might be used for visualization of the monoclinic layer growth in depth. Finally, a minimum load should be defined for static loading to fracture. The purpose of this communication is to contribute to the current discussion on how to optimize the aforementioned standards in order to guarantee clinical safety for the patients.
Korean Tourist Spot Multi-Modal Dataset for Deep Learning Applications
Authors: Jeong Changhoon , Jang Sung-Eun , Na Sanghyuck , Kim Juntae
Published: October 2019

Recently, deep learning-based methods for solving multi-modal tasks such as image captioning, multi-modal classification, and cross-modal retrieval have attracted much attention. To apply deep learning for such tasks, large amounts of data are needed for training. However, although there are several Korean single-modal datasets, there are not enough Korean multi-modal datasets. In this paper, we introduce a KTS (Korean tourist spot) dataset for Korean multi-modal deep-learning research. The KTS dataset has four modalities (image, text, hashtags, and likes) and consists of 10 classes related to Korean tourist spots. All data were extracted from Instagram and preprocessed. We performed two experiments, image classification and image captioning with the dataset, and they showed appropriate results. We hope that many researchers will use this dataset for multi-modal deep-learning research.
On a Key-Based Secured Audio Data-Hiding Scheme Robust to Volumetric Attack with Entropy-Based Embedding
Authors: Garcia-Hernandez Jose Juan
Published: October 2019

In the data-hiding field, it is mandatory that proposed schemes are key-secured as required by the Kerckhoff’s principle. Moreover, perceptual transparency must be guaranteed. On the other hand, volumetric attack is of special interest in audio data-hiding systems. This study proposes a data-hiding scheme for audio signals, which is both key-based secured and highly perceptually transparent and, thus, robust to the volumetric attack. A modification to a state-of-the-art data-hiding algorithm is proposed to achieve key-based security. Embedding is carried out in the integer discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain; selected samples for embedding are determined by the entropy of the Integer DCT coefficients. Of the two key-based improvements proposed, the multiplicative strategy gives better results, guaranteeing the worst bit error rate when an incorrect key is used. Additionally, the perceptual transparency of the proposed scheme is higher, compared to the state-of-the-art schemes using similar embedding strategies.
Evaluation of the Breeding Performance of a NaCl-UCl-Based Reactor System
Authors: Merk Bruno , Detkina Anna , Atkinson Seddon , Litskevich Dzianis , Cartland-Glover Gregory
Published: October 2019

The energy trilemma forms the key driver for the future of energy research. In nuclear technologies, molten salt reactors are an upcoming option which offers new approaches. However, the key would be closed fuel cycle operation which requires sufficient breeding for a self-sustained long term operation ideally based on spent fuel. To achieve these attractive goals two challenges have been identified: achieving of sufficient breeding and development of a demand driven salt clean up system. The aim is to follow up on previous work to create an initial approach to achieving sufficient breeding. Firstly, identification of a salt system with a high solubility for fertile material and sufficiently low melting point. Secondly, evaluation of the sensitivity of the breeding performance on the sort of fissile material, the fissile material loading, and the core dimension all based on a realistic salt system which provides the solubility for sufficient fertile material to achieve the required breeding in a homogeneous reactor without breeding blanket. Both points are essential to create an innovative solution to harvest the fruits of a closed fuel cycle without the penalty of the prohibitively huge investments. It is demonstrated that the identified and investigated NaCl-UCl based systems are feasible to deliver the requested in-core breeding within the given solubility limits of fertile material in the salt system using either uranium as start-up fissile component or plutonium. This result is enriched by the analysis of the achievable full power days per inserted mass of plutonium. These new insights support reactor optimization and lead to a first conclusion that systems with lower power density could be very attractive in the case of low fuel cost, like it would be given when operating on spent nuclear fuel.
Intelligent Estimation of Vitrinite Reflectance of Coal from Photomicrographs Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Wang Hongdong , Lei Meng , Li Ming , Chen Yilin , Jiang Jin , Zou Liang
Published: October 2019

The accurate measurement of vitrinite reflectance (especially for mean maximum vitrinite reflectance, MMVR) is an important issue in the fields of coal mining and processing. However, the application of MMVR has been somewhat hampered by the subjective and the time-consuming characteristic of manual measurements. Semi-automated methods that are oversimplified might affect the accuracy in measuring MMVR values. To address these concerns, we propose a novel MMVR measurement strategy based on machine learning (MMVRML). Considering the complex nature of coal, adaptive K-means clustering is firstly employed to automatically detect the number of clusters (i.e., maceral groups) in photomicrographs. Furthermore, comprehensive features along with a support vector machine are utilized to intelligently identify the regions with vitrinite. The largest region with vitrinite in each photomicrograph is gridded for further regression analysis. Evaluations on 78 photomicrographs show that the model based on random forest and 15 simplified grayscale features achieves the state-of-the-art root mean square error of 0.0424. In addition, to facilitate the usage of petrologists without strong expertise in the machine learning domain, we released the first non-commercial standalone software for estimating MMVR.
CO2 Efficiency Break Points for Processes Associated to Wood and Coal Transport and Heating
Authors: Baťa Robert , Fuka Jan , Lešáková Petra , Heckenbergerová Jana
Published: October 2019

This paper aims to deal with CO2 emissions in energy production process in an original way, based on calculations of total specific CO2 emissions, depending on the type of fuel and the transport distance. This paper has ambition to set a break point from where it is not worthwhile to use wood as an energy carrier as the alternative to coal. The reason for our study is the social urgency of selected problem. For example, in the area of public sector decision-making, wood heating is promoted regardless of the availability within the reasonable distance. From the current state of the research, it is also clear that none of the studies compare coal and biomass fuel transportation from the point of view of CO2 production. For this purpose, an original methodology has been proposed. It is based on a modified life cycle assessment (LCA), supplemented with a system of equations. The proposed methodology has a generalizable nature, and therefore, it can be applied to different regions. However, calculation inputs and modelling are based on specific site data. Based on the presented numerical analysis, the key finding is the break point for associated processes at a distance of 1779.64 km, since when that it is better to burn brown coal than wood in terms of total CO2 emissions. We can conclude that, in some cases, it is more efficient to use coal instead of wood as fuel in terms of CO2 emissions, particularly in regard to transport distance and type of transport.
Global Transportation Demand Development with Impacts on the Energy Demand and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in a Climate-Constrained World
Authors: Khalili Siavash , Rantanen Eetu , Bogdanov Dmitrii , Breyer Christian
Published: October 2019

The pivotal target of the Paris Agreement is to keep temperature rise well below 2 °C above the pre-industrial level and pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 °C. To meet this target, all energy-consuming sectors, including the transport sector, need to be restructured. The transport sector accounted for 19% of the global final energy demand in 2015, of which the vast majority was supplied by fossil fuels (around 31,080 TWh). Fossil-fuel consumption leads to greenhouse gas emissions, which accounted for about 8260 MtCO2eq from the transport sector in 2015. This paper examines the transportation demand that can be expected and how alternative transportation technologies along with new sustainable energy sources can impact the energy demand and emissions trend in the transport sector until 2050. Battery-electric vehicles and fuel-cell electric vehicles are the two most promising technologies for the future on roads. Electric ships and airplanes for shorter distances and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels for longer distances may appear around 2030 onwards to reduce the emissions from the marine and aviation transport modes. The rail mode will remain the least energy-demanding, compared to other transport modes. An ambitious scenario for achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is applied, also demonstrating the very high relevance of direct and indirect electrification of the transport sector. Fossil-fuel demand can be reduced to zero by 2050; however, the electricity demand is projected to rise from 125 TWhel in 2015 to about 51,610 TWhel in 2050, substantially driven by indirect electricity demand for the production of synthetic fuels. While the transportation demand roughly triples from 2015 to 2050, substantial efficiency gains enable an almost stable final energy demand for the transport sector, as a consequence of broad electrification. The overall well-to-wheel efficiency in the transport sector increases from 26% in 2015 to 39% in 2050, resulting in a respective reduction of overall losses from primary energy to mechanical energy in vehicles. Power-to-fuels needed mainly for marine and aviation transport is not a significant burden for overall transport sector efficiency. The primary energy base of the transport sector switches in the next decades from fossil resources to renewable electricity, driven by higher efficiency and sustainability.
Biogas and Methane Potential of Pre-Thermally Disintegrated Bio-Waste
Authors: Myszograj Sylwia
Published: October 2019

One of the environmental solutions employed in order to achieve circular economy goals is methane fermentation—a technology that is beneficial both for the stabilization and reduction of organic waste and for alternative energy generation. The article presents the results of research aimed at determining the biogas and methane potential of bio-waste which has been pre-thermally disintegrated, and determining the influence of variable process parameters of disintegration on the kinetics of fermentation. A first-order kinetic model was used to describe the fermentation as well as two mathematical models: logistic and Gompertz. It has been found that process parameters such as time (0.5, 1 and 2 h) and temperature (between 55 to 175 °C) have a significant effect on the solubilization efficiency of the bio-waste. The methane fermentation of thermally disintegrated bio-waste showed that the highest biogas potential is characterized by samples treated, respectively, for 0.5 h at 155 °C and for 2 h at 175 °C. The best match for the experimental data of biogas production from disintegrated substrates was demonstrated for the Gompertz model.
Experimental Study on Water Shutoff Technology Using In-Situ Ion Precipitation for Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Zhang Xu , Liu Weihua , Yang Lilong , Zhou Xiang , Yang Ping
Published: October 2019

Once a gas well begins to produce water, gas production will be seriously affected. If no effective measures are taken, the gas well will be shut down. Although some methods can be adopted to limit the production of unwanted water in gas reservoirs, they do not radically solve the problem of excessive water production, which may cause gas shutoff and dramatically increase the cost of dealing with disposing of the unwanted water. In this study, water shutoff technology with in-situ ion precipitation was tested for a gas well in southwest China, with results demonstrated through experiments of ion precipitation distribution and core displacement. The results of the ion precipitation distribution experiments show that it can be artificially controlled to produce ion precipitation blocking the water layer. The distribution of ion precipitation depends on influencing factors including injection flow rate, injection height, and ion concentration, which is generally hill-shaped. Dynamic displacement experiments through two types of cores (matrix core and fracture core) show that during the process of injecting gas-field water into the core, the ion precipitation caused by the in-situ reaction constantly blocked the seepage channel, resulting in a significant decrease in the injection rate. After injection of the gas-field water, the permeability of the core decreased, the starting pressure gradient increased, and the effect of water shutoff was remarkable. Given the experimental results, the in-situ ion precipitation water-plugging technology for gas reservoirs can directly solve the problem of water production in gas wells in the water layer because it can block the water layer by using formation water itself. This technology has promise for use in southwest China and can provide technical guidance for other gas reservoirs.
Mitigation Method of Slot Harmonic Cogging Torque Considering Unevenly Magnetized Permanent Magnets in PMSM
Authors: Jeong Chaelim , Lee Dongho , Hur Jin
Published: October 2019

This paper presents a mitigation method of slot harmonic cogging torque considering unevenly magnetized magnets in a permanent magnet synchronous motor. In previous studies, it has been confirmed that non-uniformly magnetized permanent magnets cause an unexpected increase of cogging torque because of additional slot harmonic components. However, these studies did not offer a countermeasure against it. First, in this study, the relationship between the residual magnetic flux density of the permanent magnet and the cogging torque is derived from the basic form of the Maxwell stress tensor equation. Second, the principle of the slot harmonic cogging torque generation is explained qualitatively, and the mitigation method of the slot harmonic component is proposed. Finally, the proposed method is verified with the finite element analysis and experimental results.
Beam Training for Millimeter-Wave Communication Based on Tabu Table Enhanced Rosenbrock Algorithm
Authors: Li Xiaoyu , Sun Changyin , Jiang Fan
Published: October 2019

The codebook-based beamforming for millimeter-wave (mm Wave) communication systems is usually used to compensate the severe attenuation of the mm Wave region. The beam training process based on pre-specified beam codebooks is considered a global optimization problem in 2-D planes formed by the potential beam index. The Rosenbrock algorithm (RA) is adopted to implement optimum beam searching whereas the simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is used to solve the problem of falling into the local optimum, due to the unavailable gradient information of the objective function. However, the RA implements rounding to the integer which leads to the problem of repeated search and beam space discontinuity caused by beam index will impair the powerful local search ability. Thus, in this paper, an enhanced RA based on tabu search and combined with SA algorithm is proposed as an alternative solution for beam search success rate. The proposed algorithm reduces the search times by forbidding the repeat search with tabu table and design of neighbor region. Moreover, to prevent the search failure, the search candidate index is defined to keep the local search ability of the original algorithm and wrap around of beam index is applied to maintain continuity of the search direction. Experimental simulations show that the proposed technique can improve the search efficiency in terms of reduced steps and increase search success rate during the beam training procedure compared to existing techniques.
Investigating Alcohol Sweetspot Phenomena in Reduced Alcohol Red Wines
Authors: Pham Duc-Truc , Stockdale Vanessa J. , Jeffery David W. , Tuke Jonathan , Wilkinson Kerry L.
Published: October 2019

Warmer growing seasons, variations to grape ripening dynamics, and stylistic changes have contributed to increased wine alcohol levels, which can negatively impact sensory properties. As a consequence, winemakers have sought technological innovations to produce reduced alcohol wine (RAW). The sensory methodology used by industry to optimize the ethanol content of RAW is known as ‘alcohol sweetspotting’. However, to date, there is no scientific evidence to support the alcohol sweetspot phenomenon, and the sensory methodology used for alcohol sweetspotting has not been validated. In this study, different methods of presenting wine samples (i.e., ordered vs. randomized, and linear vs. circular) were employed to determine to what extent presentation order influences the outcome of alcohol sweetspotting trials. Two different approaches to statistical analysis of sensory data, i.e., chi-square goodness of fit vs. one proportion tests, were also evaluated. Statistical analyses confirmed alcohol sweetspots were apparent in some sweetspot determination trials, but outcomes were not reproducible in replicate determinations (either by panel or by individual panelists). Analysis of data using the one proportion test improved the likelihood of identifying statistically significant differences between RAWs, but variation in individuals’ sensitivity to differences in sensory properties following ethanol removal prevented validation of the alcohol sweetspot phenomenon based on the wines studied.
Transcription Factors That Govern Development and Disease: An Achilles Heel in Cancer
Authors: Huilgol Dhananjay , Venkataramani Prabhadevi , Nandi Saikat , Bhattacharjee Sonali
Published: October 2019

Development requires the careful orchestration of several biological events in order to create any structure and, eventually, to build an entire organism. On the other hand, the fate transformation of terminally differentiated cells is a consequence of erroneous development, and ultimately leads to cancer. In this review, we elaborate how development and cancer share several biological processes, including molecular controls. Transcription factors (TF) are at the helm of both these processes, among many others, and are evolutionarily conserved, ranging from yeast to humans. Here, we discuss four families of TFs that play a pivotal role and have been studied extensively in both embryonic development and cancer—high mobility group box (HMG), GATA, paired box (PAX) and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) in the context of their role in development, cancer, and their conservation across several species. Finally, we review TFs as possible therapeutic targets for cancer and reflect on the importance of natural resistance against cancer in certain organisms, yielding knowledge regarding TF function and cancer biology.
Transcriptional Analysis of Masson Pine (Pinus massoniana) under High CO2 Stress
Authors: Wu Fan , Sun Xiaobo , Zou Bingzhang , Zhu Peihuang , Lin Nengqing , Lin Jingquan , Ji Kongshu
Published: October 2019

To explore the molecular mechanism of the response of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana), the main coniferous tree in southern China, to high CO2 stress, transcriptome sequencing was carried out to analyze the genome-wide responses of annual seedlings under different durations (0 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h) of high CO2 stress. The results showed that a total of 3080/1908, 3110/2115 and 2684/1483 genes were up-/down-regulated after 6 h, 12 h and 24 h of treatment, respectively, compared with control check group (CK, 0 h). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that most of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in energy metabolism, carbohydrate synthesis, cell wall precursor synthesis and hormone regulation pathways. For energy metabolism, the expression of most genes involved in photosynthesis (including the light reaction and Calvin cycle) was generally inhibited, while the expression of genes related glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and PPP pathway was up-regulated. In addition, the increase in the CO2 concentration induced the up-regulation of gene expression in the sucrose synthesis pathway. Among all starch synthesis genes, GBSS (granule-bound starch synthase) had the highest expression level. On the other hand, during the synthesis of hemicellulose and pectin (cell wall precursor substances), the expression levels of GMD (GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase), MGP (Mannose-1-phosphate guanylyl transferase) and RHM (Rhamnose biosynthetic enzyme) were the highest, suggesting that the synthesis of the raw materials hemicellulose and pectin in Masson pine under stress were mainly supplied by GDP-Man, GDP-Fuc and UDP-Rha. Finally, stress inhibited gene expression in the ABA (Abscisic Acid) synthesis pathway and induced gene expression in the GA (Gibberellin), SA (Salicylic acid), BR(Brassinolide) and MeJA (Methyl Jasmonate) pathways. Stomatal switches were regulated by hormonal interactions. This experiment elaborated on the response and molecular mechanism of Masson pine to CO2 stress and aided in screening carbon sequestration genes for the corresponding molecular research of Masson pine in the future.
Spatial Transcriptomic and miRNA Analyses Revealed Genes Involved in the Mesometrial-Biased Implantation in Pigs
Authors: Huang Ji , Yang Yifen , Tian Miao , Deng Dadong , Yu Mei
Published: October 2019

Implantation failure is a major cause of early embryonic loss. Normally, the conceptus attachment is initiated at mesometrial side of the uterus and then spread to the anti-mesometrial side in pigs, however, the mechanisms that direct the mesometrial-biased attachment are largely unknown. In this study, the histological features of the entire uterine cross-section from gestational days 12 (pre-attachment stage) and 15 (post-attachment stage) were investigated and the differences in histological features between the mesometrial and anti-mesometrial side of the uterus were observed. Then, transcriptomic and miRNA analyses were performed on mesometrial and anti-mesometrial endometrium obtained from gestational days 12 and 15, respectively. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DE-miRs) that were common to both or unique to either of the two anatomical locations of uterus were identified, respectively, indicating that differences in molecular response to the implanting conceptus exist between the two anatomical locations. In addition, we detected DEGs and DE-miRs between the two anatomical locations on the two gestational days, respectively. Of these DEGs, a number of genes, such as chemokine and T cell surface marker genes, were found to be significantly up-regulated mesometrially. Furthermore, we detected the interaction of CXCR4, CXCL11 and miR-9 using dual luciferase reporter assay. Taken together, this study revealed genes and pathways that might play the role of creating a receptive microenvironment at the mesometrial side, which is required to guide a proper positioning of conceptus in the uterus in pigs.
Cataract Services are Leaving Widows Behind: Examples from National Cross-Sectional Surveys in Nigeria and Sri Lanka
Authors: Ramke Jacqueline , Kyari Fatima , Mwangi Nyawira , Piyasena MMPN , Murthy GVS , Gilbert Clare E
Published: October 2019

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to leave no one behind. We explored the hypothesis that women without a living spouse—including those who are widowed, divorced, separated, and never married—are a vulnerable group being left behind by cataract services. Using national cross-sectional blindness surveys from Nigeria (2005–2007; n = 13,591) and Sri Lanka (2012–2014; n = 5779) we categorized women and men by marital status (married/not-married) and place of residence (urban/rural) concurrently. For each of the eight subgroups we calculated cataract blindness, cataract surgical coverage (CSC), and effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC). Not-married women, who were predominantly widows, experienced disproportionate cataract blindness—in Nigeria they were 19% of the population yet represented 56% of those with cataract blindness; in Sri Lanka they were 18% of the population and accounted for 54% of those with cataract blindness. Not-married rural women fared worst in access to services—in Nigeria their CSC of 25.2% (95% confidence interval, CI 17.8–33.8%) was far lower than the best-off subgroup (married urban men, CSC 80.0% 95% CI 56.3–94.3); in Sri Lanka they also lagged behind (CSC 68.5% 95% CI 56.6–78.9 compared to 100% in the best-off subgroup). Service quality was also comparably poor for rural not-married women—eCSC was 8.9% (95% CI 4.5–15.4) in Nigeria and 37.0% (95% CI 26.0–49.1) in Sri Lanka. Women who are not married are a vulnerable group who experience poor access to cataract services and high cataract blindness. To “leave no one behind”, multi-faceted strategies are needed to address their needs.
Stability of Differences in Weight-Related Characteristics of Mothers across Economic, Cultural, Social, and Environmental-Health Indicators of Socioeconomic Status
Authors: Quick Virginia , Eck Kaitlyn , Delaney Colleen , Lewis Ryan , Byrd-Bredbenner Carol
Published: October 2019

This study explored the differences in weight-related characteristics when socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed by economic, cultural, social, and environmental-health capital individually and as a composite with the goal of determining the stability of differences across types of capital and to ascertain whether single or a combination of capital indicators of SES should be used in nutrition and public health studies. Mothers (n = 557) of young children completed a survey assessing capital and weight-related characteristics. Mothers with higher economic, cultural, and social capital and composite SES had fewer sugar-sweetened beverage servings, fewer meals in front of the TV, more food security, and greater neighborhood space/supports for physical activity than comparators. Few differences occurred among environmental-health capital groups. Composite SES performed similarly to individual economic, cultural, and social capital measures. Findings suggest single SES indicators may be sufficiently stable to capture differences in weight-related characteristics. Each capital type captures a unique aspect of SES; thus, assessing an array of capital types could advance understanding of SES aspects on weight-related characteristics.
Changes of Bacterial Communities in Response to Prolonged Hydrodynamic Disturbances in the Eutrophic Water-Sediment Systems
Authors: Cheng Haomiao , Cheng Ling , Wang Liang , Zhu Tengyi , Cai Wei , Hua Zulin , Wang Yulin , Wang Wenfen
Published: October 2019

The effects of hydrodynamic disturbances on the bacterial communities in eutrophic aquatic environments remain poorly understood, despite their importance to ecological evaluation and remediation. This study investigated the evolution of bacterial communities in the water–sediment systems under the influence of three typical velocity conditions with the timescale of 5 weeks. The results demonstrated that higher bacterial diversity and notable differences were detected in sediment compared to water using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The phyla Firmicutes and γ-Proteobacteria survived better in both water and sediment under stronger water disturbances. Their relative abundance peaked at 36.0%, 33.2% in water and 38.0%, 43.6% in sediment, respectively, while the phylum Actinobacteria in water had the opposite tendency. Its relative abundance grew rapidly in static control (SC) and peaked at 44.8%, and it almost disappeared in disturbance conditions. These phenomena were caused by the proliferation of genus Exiguobacterium (belonging to Firmicutes), Citrobacter, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas (belonging to γ-Proteobacteria), and hgcI_clade (belonging to Actinobacteria). The nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and Venn analysis also revealed significantly different evolutionary trend in the three water-sediment systems. It was most likely caused by the changes of geochemical characteristics (dissolved oxygen (DO) and nutrients). This kind of study can provide helpful information for ecological assessment and remediation strategy in eutrophic aquatic environments.
Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea Domains in Rhizospheric Soil and Their Effects in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity
Authors: Odelade Kehinde , Babalola Olubukola
Published: October 2019

The persistent and undiscriminating application of chemicals as means to improve crop growth, development and yields for several years has become problematic to agricultural sustainability because of the adverse effects these chemicals have on the produce, consumers and beneficial microbes in the ecosystem. Therefore, for agricultural productivity to be sustained there are needs for better and suitable preferences which would be friendly to the ecosystem. The use of microbial metabolites has become an attractive and more feasible preference because they are versatile, degradable and ecofriendly, unlike chemicals. In order to achieve this aim, it is then imperative to explore microbes that are very close to the root of a plant, especially where they are more concentrated and have efficient activities called the rhizosphere. Extensive varieties of bacteria, archaea, fungi and other microbes are found inhabiting the rhizosphere with various interactions with the plant host. Therefore, this review explores various beneficial microbes such as bacteria, fungi and archaea and their roles in the environment in terms of acquisition of nutrients for plants for the purposes of plant growth and health. It also discusses the effect of root exudate on the rhizosphere microbiome and compares the three domains at molecular levels.
Reduction of Escherichia Coli Using Metal Plates with the Influenced of Applied Low Current and Physical Barrier of Filter Layers
Authors: Versoza Michael , Jung Wonseok , Barabad Mona Loraine , Ko Sangwon , Kim Minjeong , Park Duckshin
Published: October 2019

Although metal contact is known to reduce bacterial growth, the effects of physical barriers and electricity need further investigation. This study examined the bacteria-reducing properties of copper and stainless-steel metal plates with an added electrical current and up to three filter layers on the growth of Escherichia coli (bacteria) and MS2 bacteriophages (virus). When used with a stainless-steel plate, electricity increased bacteria reduction by 39.5 ± 2.30% in comparison with no electricity added, whereas a three-layer physical barrier decreased its efficiency. Copper also reduced the growth of bacteria, by 58.2 ± 8.23%, and the addition of electricity reduced it further (79.5 ± 2.34%). Bacteriophages were also affected by the metal contact. Further experiments showed that MS2 was also reduced by copper, to 82.9 ± 4.5% after 24 h at 37 °C.