bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finite Element Driven Design Domain Identification of a Beating Left Ventricular Simulator
Authors: Gulbulak Utku , Ertas Atila
Published: September 2019

Almost ten percent of the American population have heart diseases. Since the number of available heart donors is not promising, left ventricular assist devices are implemented as bridge therapies. Development of the assist devices benefits from both in-vivo animal and in-vitro mock circulation studies. Representation of the heart is a crucial part of the mock circulation setups. Recently, a beating left ventricular simulator with latex rubber and helically oriented McKibben actuators has been proposed. The simulator was able to mimic heart wall motion, however, flow rate was reported to be limited to 2 liters per minute. This study offers a finite element driven design domain identification to identify the combination of wall thickness, number of actuators, and the orientation angle that results in better deformation. A nonlinear finite element model of the simulator was developed and validated. Design domain was constructed with 150 finite element models, each with varying wall thickness and number of actuators with varying orientation angles. Results showed that the combination of 4 mm wall thickness and 8 actuators with 90 degrees orientation performed best in the design domain.
CRISPR Loss-of-Function Screen Identifies the Hippo Signaling Pathway as the Mediator of Regorafenib Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Suemura Shigeki , Kodama Takahiro , Myojin Yuta , Yamada Ryoko , Shigekawa Minoru , Hikita Hayato , Sakamori Ryotaro , Tatsumi Tomohide , Takehara Tetsuo
Published: September 2019

Regorafenib is used for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its response does not last long, partly due to chemoresistance acquisition. We performed a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based loss-of-function genetic screen and aimed to discover molecules involved in regorafenib resistance in HCC. Xenograft tumors established from Cas9-expressing HCC cells with pooled CRISPR kinome libraries were treated with regorafenib or a vehicle. Sequencing analysis identified 31 genes, with the abundance of multiple guide RNAs increased in regorafenib-treated tumors compared to that in vehicle-treated tumors, including 2 paralogues, LATS2 and LATS1, core components of the Hippo signaling pathway. Notably, all eight designed guide RNAs targeting LATS2 increased in regorafenib-treated tumors, suggesting that LATS2 deletion confers regorafenib resistance in HCC cells. LATS2 knockdown significantly mitigated the cytotoxic and proapoptotic effects of regorafenib on HCC cells. LATS2 inhibition stabilized the Hippo signaling mediator YAP, leading to the upregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-xL and the multidrug resistance transporter ABCB1. Among 12 hepatoma cell lines, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of regorafenib were positively correlated with any of YAP, Bcl-xL and ABCB1 levels. The inhibition of YAP or Bcl-xL in regorafenib-insensitive HCC cells restored their susceptibility to regorafenib. In conclusion, our screen identified the Hippo signaling pathway as the mediator of regorafenib efficacy in HCC.
Glutathione Blood Concentrations: A Biomarker of Oxidative Damage Protection during Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Children
Authors: Satriano Angela , Franchini Simone , Lapergola Giuseppe , Pluchinotta Francesca , Anastasia Luigi , Baryshnikova Ekaterina , Livolti Giovanni , Gazzolo Diego
Published: September 2019

Background. Pediatric open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) still remains a risky interventional procedure at high mortality/morbidity. To date, there are no clinical, laboratory, and/or monitoring parameters providing useful information on perioperative stress. We therefore investigated whether blood concentrations of glutathione (GSH), a powerful endogenous antioxidant, changed in the perioperative period. Methods. We conducted an observational study in 35 congenital heart disease (CHD) children in whom perioperative standard laboratory and monitoring parameters and GSH blood levels were assessed at five monitoring time points. Results. GSH showed a pattern characterized by a progressive increase from pre-surgery up to 24 h after surgery, reaching its highest peak at the end of CPB. GSH measured at the end of CPB correlated with CPB duration, cross-clamping, arterial oxygen partial pressure, and with body core temperature. Conclusions. The increase in GSH levels in the perioperative period suggests a compensatory mechanism to oxidative damage during surgical procedure. Caution is needed in controlling different CPB phases, especially systemic reoxygenation in a population that is per se more prone to oxidative stress/damage. The findings may point the way to detecting the optimal temperature and oxygenation target by biomarker monitoring.
Micro-Motion Feature Extraction of a Rotating Target Based on Interrupted Transmitting and Receiving Pulse Signal in an Anechoic Chamber
Authors: Zhao Feng , Liu Xiaobin , Xu Zhiming , Liu Yuan , Ai Xiaofeng
Published: September 2019

The pulse signal is widely used in micro-motion feature extraction of rapidly rotating targets as its pulse repetition frequency (PRF) can be high. However, when the pulse signal is implemented in a range-limited anechoic chamber for micro-motion feature extraction, the transmitted and reflected pulse signals may be coupled at the receiver. To solve this problem, the interrupted transmitting and receiving (ITR) method is applied to transmit the pulse signal with hundreds of sub-pulses. The target echo can be received when the sub-pulse is not transmitted. Hence, it avoids the coupling effect of transmitted signals and echoes. Then, the whole process of micro-motion feature extraction for rotating target is proposed based on the ITR method. At last, the simulations and experiments verify that the rotating target micro-Doppler can be extracted by the ITR pulse signal.
High-Density EEG Signal Processing Based on Active-Source Reconstruction for Brain Network Analysis in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: La Foresta Fabio , Morabito Francesco Carlo , Marino Silvia , Dattola Serena
Published: September 2019

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurological disorder characterized by a progressive deterioration of brain functions that affects, above all, older adults. It can be difficult to make an early diagnosis because its first symptoms are often associated with normal aging. Electroencephalography (EEG) can be used for evaluating the loss of brain functional connectivity in AD patients. The purpose of this paper is to study the brain network parameters through the estimation of Lagged Linear Connectivity (LLC), computed by eLORETA software, applied to High-Density EEG (HD-EEG) for 84 regions of interest (ROIs). The analysis involved three groups of subjects: 10 controls (CNT), 21 Mild Cognitive Impairment patients (MCI) and 9 AD patients. In particular, the purpose is to compare the results obtained using a 256-channel EEG, the corresponding 10–10 system 64-channel EEG and the corresponding 10–20 system 18-channel EEG, both of which are extracted from the 256-electrode configuration. The computation of the Characteristic Path Length, the Clustering Coefficient, and the Connection Density from HD-EEG configuration reveals a weakening of small-world properties of MCI and AD patients in comparison to healthy subjects. On the contrary, the variation of the network parameters was not detected correctly when we employed the standard 10–20 configuration. Only the results from HD-EEG are consistent with the expected behavior of the AD brain network.
Variations in the Visual Probe Paradigms for Attention Bias Modification for Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Zhang Melvyn , Fung Daniel S. S. , Smith Helen
Published: September 2019

Advances in experimental psychology have provided evidence for the presence of attentional and approach biases in individuals with substance use disorders. Traditionally, reaction time tasks, such as the Stroop or the Visual Probe Task, are commonly used in the assessment of attention biases. The Visual Probe Task has been criticized for its poor reliability, and other research has highlighted that variations remain in the paradigms adopted. However, a gap remains in the published literature, as there have not been any prior studies that have reviewed stimulus timings for different substance use disorders. Such a review is pertinent, as the nature of the task might affect its effectiveness. The aim of this paper was in comparing the different methods used in the Visual Probe Task, by focusing on tasks that have been used for the most highly prevalent substance disorders—that of opiate use, cannabis use and stimulant use disorders. A total of eight published articles were identified for opioid use disorders, three for cannabis use disorders and four for stimulant use disorders. As evident from the synthesis, there is great variability in the paradigm adopted, with most articles including only information about the nature of the stimulus, the number of trials, the timings for the fixation cross and the timings for the stimulus set. Future research examining attentional biases among individuals with substance use disorders should take into consideration the paradigms that are commonly used and evaluate the optimal stimulus and stimulus-onset asynchrony timings.
Embracing Crowdsensing: An Enhanced Mobile Sensing Solution for Road Anomaly Detection
Authors: Li Xiao , Huo Da , Goldberg Daniel W. , Chu Tianxing , Yin Zhengcong , Hammond Tracy
Published: September 2019

Road anomaly detection is essential in road maintenance and management; however, continuously monitoring road anomalies (such as bumps and potholes) with a low-cost and high-efficiency solution remains a challenging research question. In this study, we put forward an enhanced mobile sensing solution to detect road anomalies using mobile sensed data. We first create a smartphone app to detect irregular vehicle vibrations that usually imply road anomalies. Then, the mobile sensed signals are analyzed through continuous wavelet transform to identify road anomalies and estimate their sizes. Next, we innovatively utilize a spatial clustering method to group multiple driving tests’ results into clusters based on their spatial density patterns. Finally, the optimized detection results are obtained by synthesizing each cluster’s member points. Results demonstrate that our proposed solution can accurately detect road surface anomalies (94.44%) with a high positioning accuracy (within 3.29 meters in average) and an acceptable size estimation error (with a mean error of 14 cm). This study suggests that implementing a crowdsensing solution could substantially improve the effectiveness of traditional road monitoring systems.
Blockade of the Adenosine A3 Receptor Attenuates Caspase 1 Activation in Renal Tubule Epithelial Cells and Decreases Interleukins IL-1β and IL-18 in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Garrido Wallys , Jara Claudia , Torres Angelo , Suarez Raibel , Cappelli Claudio , Oyarzún Carlos , Quezada Claudia , San Martín Rody
Published: September 2019

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the main cause of end-stage renal disease, which remains incurable. The progression of DN is associated with progressive and irreversible renal fibrosis and also high levels of adenosine. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of ADORA3 antagonism on renal injury in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. An ADORA3 antagonist that was administered in diabetic rats greatly inhibited the levels of inflammatory interleukins IL-1β and IL-18, meanwhile when adenosine deaminase was administered, there was a non-selective attenuation of the inflammatory mediators IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, and induction of IL-10. The ADORA3 antagonist attenuated the high glucose-induced activation of caspase 1 in HK2 cells in vitro. Additionally, ADORA3 antagonisms blocked the increase in caspase 1 and the nuclear localization of NFκB in the renal tubular epithelium of diabetic rats, both events that are involved in regulating the production and activation of IL-1β and IL-18. The effects of the A3 receptor antagonist resulted in the attenuation of kidney injury, as evidenced by decreased levels of the pro-fibrotic marker α-SMA at histological levels and the restoration of proteinuria in diabetic rats. We conclude that ADORA3 antagonism represents a potential therapeutic target that mechanistically works through the selective blockade of the NLRP3 inflammasome.
A Survey of Tick-Borne Bacterial Pathogens in Florida
Authors: De Jesus Carrie E. , Ganser Claudia , Kessler William H. , White Zoe S. , Bhosale Chanakya R. , Glass Gregory E. , Wisely Samantha M.
Published: September 2019

Within the past three decades, new bacterial etiological agents of tick-borne disease have been discovered in the southeastern U.S., and the number of reported tick-borne pathogen infections has increased. In Florida, few systematic studies have been conducted to determine the presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens. This investigation examined the distribution and presence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens in Florida. Ticks were collected by flagging at 41 field sites, spanning the climatic regions of mainland Florida. DNA was extracted individually from 1608 ticks and screened for Anaplasma, Borrelia, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia using conventional PCR and primers that amplified multiple species for each genus. PCR positive samples were Sanger sequenced. Four species of ticks were collected: Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. Within these ticks, six bacterial species were identified: Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia lonestari, Ehrlichia ewingii, Rickettsia amblyommatis, Rickettsia andeanae, Rickettsia parkeri, and Rickettsia endosymbionts. Pathogenic Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia species were all detected in the North and North-Central Florida counties; however, we found only moderate concordance between the distribution of ticks infected with pathogenic bacteria and human cases of tick-borne diseases in Florida. Given the diversity and numerous bacterial species detected in ticks in Florida, further investigations should be conducted to identify regional hotspots of tick-borne pathogens.
Do Younger Patients with Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer have Better Outcomes?
Authors: Janisch Florian , Yu Hang , Vetterlein Malte W. , Dahlem Roland , Engel Oliver , Fisch Margit , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Soave Armin , Rink Michael
Published: September 2019

Urothelial cancer of the bladder (UCB) is usually a disease of the elderly. The influence of age on oncological outcomes remains controversial. This study aims to investigate the impact of age on UCB outcomes in Europe focusing particularly on young and very young patients. We collected data of 669 UCB patients treated with RC at our tertiary care center. We used various categorical stratifications as well as continuous age to investigate the association of age and tumor biology as well as endpoints with descriptive statistics and Cox regression. The median age was 67 years and the mean follow-up was 52 months. Eight patients (1.2%) were ≤40 years old and 39 patients (5.8%) were aged 41–50 years, respectively. In multivariable analysis, higher continuous age and age above the median were independent predictors for disease recurrence, and cancer-specific and overall mortality (all p-values ≤ 0.018). In addition, patients with age in the oldest tertile group had inferior cancer-specific and overall survival rates compared to their younger counterparts. Young (40–50 years) and very young (≤40 years) patients had reduced hazards for all endpoints, which, however, were not statistically significant. Age remains an independent determinant for survival after RC. Young adults did, however, not have superior outcomes in our analyses. Quality of life and complications are endpoints that need further evaluation in patients undergoing RC.
Lignin-Mediated Biosynthesis of ZnO and TiO2 Nanocomposites for Enhanced Antimicrobial Activity
Authors: Samb-Joshi Kanchan M. , Sethi Yogesh A. , Ambalkar Anuradha A. , Sonawane Hiralal B. , Rasale Suresh P. , Panmand Rajendra P. , Patil Rajendra , Kale Bharat B. , Chaskar Manohar G.
Published: September 2019

In this work, we report the synthesis of fragmented lignin (FL) assisted zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium oxide (TiO2) nanocomposites. The fragmented lignin synthesized from biomass (sugarcane bagasse) was used as a template to generate the morphology and crystallite structure of metal oxide nanomaterial. The nanocomposites were synthesized by a simple precipitation method, wherein fragmented lignin is used in alkaline medium as a template. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the phase formation of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO and mixed phase formation of TiO2 as rutile and anatase. The morphology was studied by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The FE-SEM of pristine ZnO nanocomposites showed a cluster of particles whereas FL–ZnO NPs showed self-aligned nanoparticles in the form of rod shaped having average size 30–70 nm. Pristine TiO2 nanoparticles showed clusters of particles and FL–TiO2 nanocomposites showed well crystalline 41nm size nanocomposites. The FL acts as a surfactant which restrict the cluster formations. The band gap determined by diffuse reflectance spectra is 3.10 eV and 3.20 eV for FL–ZnO and FL–TiO2 nanocomposites, respectively. Photoluminescence spectra of both nanocomposites showed structural defects in the visible region. Further, the antimicrobial activity of pristine ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles, and FL–ZnO and FL–TiO2 nanocomposites against Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923) were studied under UV-A (315-400 nm) (8W) for 30min.
Variation Rate to Maintain Diversity in Decision Space within Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Cuate Oliver , Schütze Oliver
Published: September 2019

The performance of a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) is in most cases measured in terms of the populations’ approximation quality in objective space. As a consequence, most MOEAs focus on such approximations while neglecting the distribution of the individuals of their populations in decision space. This, however, represents a potential shortcoming in certain applications as in many cases one can obtain the same or very similar qualities (measured in objective space) in several ways (measured in decision space). Hence, a high diversity in decision space may represent valuable information for the decision maker for the realization of a given project. In this paper, we propose the Variation Rate, a heuristic selection strategy that aims to maintain diversity both in decision and objective space. The core of this strategy is the proper combination of the averaged distance applied in variable space together with the diversity mechanism in objective space that is used within a chosen MOEA. To show the applicability of the method, we propose the resulting selection strategies for some of the most representative state-of-the-art MOEAs and show numerical results on several benchmark problems. The results demonstrate that the consideration of the Variation Rate can greatly enhance the diversity in decision space for all considered algorithms and problems without a significant loss in the approximation qualities in objective space.
Apple Peel Flavonoid Fraction 4 Suppresses Breast Cancer Cell Growth by Cytostatic and Cytotoxic Mechanisms
Authors: Loung Chao-Yu , Fernando Wasundara , Rupasinghe H.P. Vasantha , Hoskin David W.
Published: September 2019

Many dietary flavonoids possess anti-cancer activities. Here, the effect of apple peel flavonoid fraction 4 (AF4) on the growth of triple-negative (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468), estrogen receptor-positive (MCF-7), and HER2-positive (SKBR3) breast cancer cells was determined and compared with the effect of AF4 on normal mammary epithelial cells and dermal fibroblasts. AF4 inhibited breast cancer cell growth in monolayer cultures, as well as the growth of MCF-7 spheroids, without substantially affecting the viability of non-malignant cells. A sub-cytotoxic concentration of AF4 suppressed the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells by inhibiting passage through the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. AF4-treated MDA-MB-231 cells also exhibited reduced in vitro migration and invasion, and decreased Akt (protein kinase B) signaling. Higher concentrations of AF4 were selectively cytotoxic for MDA-MB-231 cells. AF4 cytotoxicity was associated with the intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Importantly, intratumoral administration of AF4 suppressed the growth of MDA-MB-231 xenografts in non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) female mice. The selective cytotoxicity of AF4 for breast cancer cells, combined with the capacity of sub-cytotoxic AF4 to inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion suggests that flavonoid-rich AF4 (and its constituents) has potential as a natural therapeutic agent for breast cancer treatment.
Application of Biocides and Super-Absorbing Polymers to Enhance the Efficiency of Filtering Materials
Authors: Majchrzycka Katarzyna , Okrasa Małgorzata , Jachowicz Anita , Szulc Justyna , Brycki Bogumił , Gutarowska Beata
Published: September 2019

Studies on the functionalization of materials used for the construction of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) relate to endowing fibers with biocidal properties. There is also a real need for reducing moisture content accumulating in such materials during FFR use, as it would lead to decreased microorganism survival. Thus, in our study, we propose the use of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), together with a biocidal agent (biohalloysite), as additives in the manufacturing of polypropylene/polyester (PP/PET) multifunctional filtering material (MFM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the MFM for stability of the modifier’s attachment to the polymer matrix, the degree of survival of microorganisms on the nonwoven, and its microorganism filtration efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to test the stability of the modifier’s attachment. The filtration efficiency was determined under conditions of dynamic aerosol flow of S. aureus bacteria. The survival rates (N%) of the following microorganisms were assessed: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, Candida albicans yeast, and Aspergillus niger mold using the AATCC 100-2004 method. FTIR spectrum analysis confirmed the pre-established composition of MFM. The loss of the active substance from MFM in simulated conditions of use did not exceed 0.02%, which validated the stability of the modifier’s attachment to the PP/PET fiber structure. SEM image analysis verified the uniformity of the MFM structure. Lower microorganism survival rates were detected for S. aureus, C. albicans, and E. coli on the MFM nonwoven compared to control samples that did not contain the modifiers. However, the MFM did not inhibit A. niger growth. The MFM also showed high filtration efficiency (99.86%) against S. aureus bacteria.
Electric Field Assisted Self-Assembly of Viruses into Colored Thin Films
Authors: Tronolone James J. , Orrill Michael , Song Wonbin , Kim Hyun Soo , Lee Byung Yang , LeBlanc Saniya
Published: September 2019

Filamentous viruses called M13 bacteriophages are promising materials for devices with thin film coatings because phages are functionalizable, and they can self-assemble into smectic helicoidal nanofilament structures. However, the existing “pulling” approach to align the nanofilaments is slow and limits potential commercialization of this technology. This study uses an applied electric field to rapidly align the nanostructures in a fixed droplet. The electric field reduces pinning of the three-phase contact line, allowing it to recede at a constant rate. Atomic force microscopy reveals that the resulting aligned structures resemble those produced via the pulling method. The field-assisted alignment results in concentric color bands quantified with image analysis of red, green, and blue line profiles. The alignment technique shown here could reduce self-assembly time from hours to minutes and lend itself to scalable manufacturing techniques such as inkjet printing.
A Bilayer 2D-WS2/Organic-Based Heterojunction for High-Performance Photodetectors
Authors: Huang Feng , Li Jing Zhou , Xu Zhu Hua , Liu Yuan , Luo Ri Peng , Zhang Si Wei , Nie Peng Bo , Lv Yan Fei , Zhao Shi Xi , Su Wei Tao , Li Wen Di , Zhao Shi Chao , Wei Guo Dan , Kuo Hao Chung , Kang Fei Yu
Published: September 2019

Two-dimensional (2D) tungsten disulfide (WS2) has inspired great efforts in optoelectronics, such as in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors. However, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) grown 2D WS2 domains with the coexistence of a discontinuous single layer and multilayers are still not suitable for the fabrication of photodetectors on a large scale. An emerging field in the integration of organic materials with 2D materials offers the advantages of molecular diversity and flexibility to provide an exciting aspect on high-performance device applications. Herein, we fabricated a photodetector based on a 2D-WS2/organic semiconductor materials (mixture of the (Poly-(N,N′-bis-4-butylphenyl-N,N′-bisphenyl) benzidine and Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (Poly-TPD/PCBM)) heterojunction. The application of Poly-TPD/PCBM organic blend film enhanced light absorption, electrically connected the isolated WS2 domains, and promoted the separation of electron-hole pairs. The generated exciton could sufficiently diffuse to the interface of the WS2 and the organic blend layers for efficient charge separation, where Poly-TPD was favorable for hole carrier transport and PCBM for electron transport to their respective electrodes. We show that the photodetector exhibited high responsivity, detectivity, and an on/off ratio of 0.1 A/W, 1.1 × 1011 Jones, and 100, respectively. In addition, the photodetector showed a broad spectral response from 500 nm to 750 nm, with a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 8%. Our work offers a facile solution-coating process combined with a CVD technique to prepare an inorganic/organic heterojunction photodetector with high performance on silicon substrate.
Oral Tolerance Induction to Newly Introduced Allergen is Favored by a Transforming Growth Factor-β-Enriched Formula
Authors: Holvoet Sébastien , Perrot Marie , de Groot Nanda , Prioult Guénolée , Mikogami Takashi , Verhasselt Valérie , Nutten Sophie
Published: September 2019

Food allergies have become a major healthcare concern, hence preventive efforts to ensure oral tolerance induction to newly introduced antigens are particularly relevant. Given that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a key role in immune tolerance, we tested whether an infant formula enriched with TGF-β would improve oral tolerance induction. A partially hydrolyzed whey protein-based formula was enriched with cow’s-milk-derived TGF-β (TGF-β-enriched formula) by adding a specific whey protein isolate (WPI). The manufacturing process was optimized to achieve a concentration of TGF-β within the range of human breast milk concentrations. Protection from allergic sensitization and immune response was assessed in a mouse model. Adult mice received the TGF-β-enriched formula, a control non-enriched formula, or water ad libitum for 13 days before sensitization and suboptimal tolerization to ovalbumin (OVA). When compared to non-tolerized mice, suboptimally-tolerized mice supplemented with the TGF-β-enriched formula showed significantly lower levels of total immunoglobulin-E (IgE) and OVA-specific (IgG1). Mouse mast-cell protease-1 (mMCP-1) and cytokine levels were also significantly decreased in suboptimally-tolerized mice fed the TGF-β-enriched formula. In conclusion, oral supplementation with cow’s-milk-derived TGF-β decreased allergic responses to newly introduced allergens and thus reduced the risk of developing food allergy.
The Role of Supportive Food Environments to Enable Healthier Choices When Eating Meals Prepared Outside the Home: Findings from Focus Groups of 18 to 30-Year-Olds
Authors: Allman-Farinelli Margaret , Rahman Hassan , Nour Monica , Wellard-Cole Lyndal , Watson Wendy L.
Published: September 2019

Young adults are the highest consumers of food prepared outside home, which has been linked to weight gain. The aim of this qualitative research was to gather opinions from young adults about what influences their food choice when eating out and if they so desired, what might enable healthy choices. Thirty-one adults aged 18 to 30 years participated in four focus groups (females = 24). Predetermined questions were used to guide discussions which were audiotaped then transcribed. The content was organized into themes and sub-themes using NVivo software. Two broad groupings arose—personal behaviors and changes to physical and social food environments. For many, eating out was viewed as a special occasion so that healthy food was not a priority and despite understanding health consequences of poor diets this was not an immediate concern. Price discounts and menu-labelling were suggested and trust in credible organizations and peers’ endorsement of meals and venues expressed. The role of smartphones in the modern food environment emerged as a tool to enable immediate access to many restaurants to order food and access reviews and social media as a source of persuasive food imagery. Current menu-labelling initiatives should continue, food pricing be explored and influence of smartphones on diet further researched. However, these findings may be limited by the high proportion of women and higher socioeconomic status and urban residence of many participants.
Being Christian through External Giving
Authors: Cheung Steve Wai Lung , Kuah Khun Eng
Published: September 2019

This study examines how Christian informants understand and practice external (charitable) giving outside of their church, both in terms of money and volunteering time and effort. While existing quantitative researches have informed us primarily about the determinants of giving in the West, we carry out a small case study in a church in an Asian city of Hong Kong to explore how local Christians understand and practice external giving. It is found that external giving is not just an obligatory religious code of conduct that the Christians are obliged to follow. More essentially, drawing reference from the concept of technology of the self, we argue that giving is an integral part of the making of the Christian self. Through giving, individual Christians redefine, transform, and enact their sacred selves in relation to God and others in the community of the faithful. At a collective level, external giving contributes to the construction of a sacred moral economy, which places Christian givers and the needy recipients in a transcendent social relationship. In this state of transcendent social relationship, the givers and recipients are all children of God, hence of equal status. As such, the secular social distinction and material hierarchy distinction between these two groups pales into insignificance. Furthermore, we argue that while secular considerations of economic rationality colour how Christians select the recipients of their giving, these practical concerns are also spiritualized and incorporated into their logic of Christian morality.
New Perspectives in Landslide Displacement Detection Using Sentinel-1 Datasets
Authors: Mantovani Matteo , Bossi Giulia , Marcato Gianluca , Schenato Luca , Tedesco Giacomo , Titti Giacomo , Pasuto Alessandro
Published: September 2019

Space-borne radar interferometry is a fundamental tool to detect and measure a variety of ground surface deformations, either human induced or originated by natural processes. Latest development of radar remote sensing imaging techniques and the increasing number of space missions, specifically designed for interferometry analyses, led to the development of new and more effective approaches, commonly referred to as Advanced DInSAR (A-DInSAR) or Time Series Radar Interferometry (TS-InSAR). Nevertheless, even if these methods were proved to be suitable for the study of a large majority of ground surface dynamic phenomena, their application to landslides detection is still problematic. One of the main limiting factors is related to the rate of displacement of the unstable slopes: landslides evolving too fast decorrelate the radar signal making the interferometric phase useless. This is the reason why A-DInSAR techniques have been successfully applied exclusively to measure very slow landslides (few centimetres per year). This study demonstrates how the C-band data collected since 2014 by the Sentinel-1 (S1) mission and properly designed interferometric approaches can pull down this restriction allowing to measure rate of displacements ten times higher than previously done, thus providing new perspectives in landslides detection. The analysis was carried out on a test site located in the Cortina d’Ampezzo valley (Eastern Italian Alps), which is affected by several earth flows characterized by different size and kinematics.
An Analytic Approach to Understanding Process Dynamics in Geodesign Studies
Authors: Cocco Chiara , Jankowski Piotr , Campagna Michele
Published: September 2019

Recent advances in planning support technologies has enabled interactive collaboration in design processes by multiple stakeholder groups. The available technologies collect and store information on both the evolution of design alternatives and the interactions of participants involved in the design process. However, making sense of available process log-data is still a challenge. This study focuses on process analytics in geodesign studies, where iterative collaboration between stakeholders generates design alternatives and consensus by negotiation. Early findings demonstrate how geodesign process analytics makes it possible to gain insights both in recurrent patterns in participant behavior and in the evolution of the design. The approach, based on the enhanced adaptive structuration theory framework, has been tested using data collected by the Geodesignhub web-based collaborative planning support systems in the Cagliari (Italy) geodesign study.
An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Willingness to Invest in Renewables among Environmental Students: A Logistic Regression Approach
Authors: Karasmanaki Evangelia , Galatsidas Spyridon , Tsantopoulos Georgios
Published: September 2019

Renewable energy sources (RES) have gained increased popularity across the world mainly due to their ability to contribute to environmental protection through the generation of infinite ‘clean’ energy. To achieve a greater diffusion of renewables, however, small-scale investments implemented by individuals are critically important. In contrast to citizens whose attitudes have been consistently explored by research, there is little evidence on the attitudes towards investments among environmental students who will occupy positions of responsibility and play key roles in the environmental sector in the future. Hence, the purpose of the present study is to identify the most important factors that affect environmental students’ willingness to invest in renewable energy (RE) by developing a logistic regression model. According to our analysis, the participants in their majority expressed their willingness to invest, while environmental values, the low risk and profitability of renewable investments, as well as preferences for certain energy types were significant factors determining this willingness. However, willingness to invest was irrespective of the current taxation and subsidies, suggesting that significant improvements are required in these areas. The present study could be particularly useful for policymakers since the necessary steps to create favorable investment environments in Greece and elsewhere are highlighted.
Long- and Short-Run Effects of Fuel Prices on Freight Transportation Volumes in Shanghai
Authors: Zou Gaolu , Chau K. W.
Published: September 2019

Freight transportation modes consume enormous amounts of energy. This paper estimates the long- and short-run effects of fuel prices on freight volumes in various modes of transportation in Shanghai. Data included monthly changes during the period 2009–2016. Air cargo series were suggested to include one or two unit roots, and hence were removed from the cointegration analysis. Both the Phillips–Ouliaris and Johansen tests did not detect long-run relationships between real fuel prices, water cargo, road, and rail freight. Conventional first-differenced VAR (vector autoregressive) models were estimated. Overall, whether in the short- or long-run, real fuel prices did not influence freight transportation volumes. However, we found a Granger causality running from rail to road freight, as in the short-run (one month), a 1% change in rail freight would lead to a reduction of 0.07% in road freight. Therefore, simply by increasing fuel prices, the government could seldom encourage the shift from energy-inefficient modes of freight transportation to energy-efficient ones to achieve a sustainable freight transport. The allocation of more time and routes for rail freight traffic and the reduction in rail freight taxes may increase the rail freight volume and hence decrease the overall energy use. Our findings, to some degree, contribute to freight transportation economics. Future research may examine the impact of gasoline prices or diesel prices on freight traffic volumes.
Industrial Efficiency Evaluation in China: A Nonparametric Production-Frontier Approach
Authors: Zhao Linlin , Zhang Lin , Zha Yong
Published: September 2019

An industrial system has positive and negative strategies to adapt to environmental regulations, which can be defined as natural disposability and managerial disposability. Meanwhile, the operational process of an industrial system can be divided into regular production activities and pollutant control activities. Within this, industrial system’s technical efficiency (TE) can be decomposed into economic efficiency (ECE) and environmental efficiency (ENE). On the basis of natural disposability and managerial disposability, this paper proposes static and dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to evaluate the efficiencies of industrial systems. Based on the proposed approach, TE, ECE, ENE, and Malmqusit productivity index (MPI) values were obtained simultaneously. The MPI values were further separated into the effects of static efficiency change and technical change. The proposed method was applied to assess the technical efficiencies of Chinese regional industrial systems between 2011 and 2015. Key findings are that (1) the low ENE is the main source of technical inefficiency; (2) the average static TE and ENE under natural disposability are both lower than those under managerial disposability; (3) the static efficiency change and technical change of TE are similar to those of ENE; and (4) the technical change has a significant impact on the changes in TE.
The Application of Improved SWAT Model to Hydrological Cycle Study in Karst Area of South China
Authors: Wang Yufeng , Shao Jingli , Su Chuntian , Cui Yali , Zhang Qiulan
Published: September 2019

In the karst area of southern China, karst water is important for supporting the sustainable production and home living for the local residents. Consequently, it is of significance to fully understand the water cycle, so as to make full use of water resources. In karst areas, epikarst and conduits are developed, participating in the hydrological cycle actively. For conventional lumped hydrologic models, it is difficult to simulate the hydrological cycle accurately. These models neglect to consider the variation of underlying surface and weather change. Meanwhile, for the original distributed hydrological model, the existence of epikarst and underground conduits as well as inadequate data information also make it difficult to achieve accurate simulation. To this end, the framework combining the advantages of lumped model–reservoir model and distributed hydrologic model–Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is established to simulate the water cycle efficiently in a karst area. Xianghualing karst watershed in southern China was selected as the study area and the improved SWAT model was used to simulate the water cycle. Results show that the indicators of ENS and R2 in the calibration and verification periods are both above 0.8, which is evidently improved in comparison with the original model. The improved SWAT model is verified to have better efficiency in describing the hydrological cycle in a typical karst area.
UAV Group Formation Collision Avoidance Method Based on Second-Order Consensus Algorithm and Improved Artificial Potential Field
Authors: Huang Yang , Tang Jun , Lao Songyang
Published: September 2019

The problem of collision avoidance of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) group is studied in this paper. A collision avoidance method of UAV group formation based on second-order consensus algorithm and improved artificial potential field is proposed. Based on the method, the UAV group can form a predetermined formation from any initial state and fly to the target position in normal flight, and can avoid collision according to the improved smooth artificial potential field method when encountering an obstacle. The UAV group adopts the “leader–follower” strategy, that is, the leader UAV is the controller and flies independently according to the mission requirements, while the follower UAV follows the leader UAV based on the second-order consensus algorithm and formations gradually form during the flight. Based on the second-order consensus algorithm, the UAV group can achieve formation maintenance easily and the Laplacian matrix used in the algorithm is symmetric for an undirected graph. In the process of obstacle avoidance, the improved artificial potential field method can solve the jitter problem that the traditional artificial potential field method causes for the UAV and avoids violent jitter. Finally, simulation experiments of two scenarios were designed to verify the collision avoidance effect and formation retention effect of static obstacles and dynamic obstacles while the two UAV groups fly in opposite symmetry in the dynamic obstacle scenario. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A Bayesian Study of the Dynamic Effect of Comorbidities on Hospital Outcomes of Care for Congestive Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Zikos Dimitrios , Zimeras Stelios , Ragina Neli
Published: September 2019

Comorbidities can have a cumulative effect on hospital outcomes of care, such as the length of stay (LOS), and hospital mortality. This study examines patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure (CHF), a life-threatening condition, which, when it coexists with a burdened disease profile, the risk for negative hospital outcomes increases. Since coexisting conditions co-interact, with a variable effect on outcomes, clinicians should be able to recognize these joint effects. In order to study CHF comorbidities, we used medical claims data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). After extracting the most frequent cluster of CHF comorbidities, we: (i) Calculated, step-by-step, the conditional probabilities for each disease combination inside this cluster; (ii) estimated the cumulative effect of each comorbidity combination on the LOS and hospital mortality; and (iii) constructed (a) Bayesian, scenario-based graphs, and (b) Bayes-networks to visualize results. Results show that, for CHF patients, different comorbidity constructs have a variable effect on the LOS and hospital mortality. Therefore, dynamic comorbidity risk assessment methods should be implemented for informed clinical decision making in an ongoing effort for quality of care improvements.
Aflatoxin B1 Conversion by Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larval Enzyme Extracts
Authors: Meijer Nathan , Stoopen Geert , van der Fels-Klerx H.J. , van Loon Joop J.A. , Carney John , Bosch Guido
Published: September 2019

The larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L., BSFL) have received increased industrial interest as a novel protein source for food and feed. Previous research has found that insects, including BSFL, are capable of metabolically converting aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), but recovery of total AFB1 is less than 20% when accounting for its conversion to most known metabolites. The aim of this study was to examine the conversion of AFB1 by S9 extracts of BSFL reared on substrates with or without AFB1. Liver S9 of Aroclor-induced rats was used as a reference. To investigate whether cytochrome P450 enzymes are involved in the conversion of AFB1, the inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (PBO) was tested in a number of treatments. The results showed that approximately 60% of AFB1 was converted to aflatoxicol and aflatoxin P1. The remaining 40% of AFB1 was not converted. Cytochrome P450s were indeed responsible for metabolic conversion of AFB1 into AFP1, and a cytoplasmic reductase was most likely responsible for conversion of AFB1 into aflatoxicol.
Adsorptive Removal of Iron and Manganese from Groundwater Samples in Ghana by Zeolite Y Synthesized from Bauxite and Kaolin
Authors: Kwakye-Awuah Bright , Sefa-Ntiri Baah , Von-Kiti Elizabeth , Nkrumah Isaac , Williams Craig
Published: September 2019

Ground water samples from residential homes in three Regions of Ghana: Central, Greater Accra and Ashanti, were analyzed for iron and manganese contamination. The samples were exposed to characterized zeolite Y by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transformed-infrared spectroscopy and thermos gravimetric-differential thermal analysis. Zeolite Y is able to remove 98% of iron and 97% of manganese within an hour. The adsorption of both iron and manganese followed the Freundlich model, suggesting that the ions were transported onto the zeolite Y surface and subsequently diffused into the zeolite Y framework. The kinetic studies showed that pseudo-first order and intra particle and film diffusion models provided the best fit. The adsorption at 0.2 mg L−1 Fe ( Q 0.2 ) is calculated to be 0.023 mg g−1 for the Freundlich adsorption model, whilst that of manganese at 0.05 mg L−1 Mn ( Q 0.05 ) is evaluated to be 0.015 mg g−1. The zeolite retains its adsorption properties when retrieved from the first exposure water sample, washed copiously with distilled water and added to fresh water samples. The results suggest that zeolite Y can be used as a potential adsorbent for the removal of iron and manganese from groundwater.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF UKRAINIAN PHYSICS TEACHERS TO DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (FIRST TWO DECADES OF THE 20th CENTURY)
Authors: Chumak Mykola
Published: September 2019

The task of the Ukrainian national school is to prepare competitive specialists who will be in demand on the international labor market. The modern generation has faced the problem of the variability of socio-cultural priorities, which is the result of previous ideological campaigns of Soviet power against the Ukrainian intelligentsia. The consequences of such variability reach the depths of the artificially created "iron curtain" of the communist leadership, which tried to isolate Ukrainians from the world community with all possible means and isolate the intelligentsia from progressively educated circles.
Black Authors, White Readers : Early Afro-American Fiction Writers and the Problem of Audience
Authors: Yarborough Richard
Published: September 2019

Even after the dismantling of the institution of slavery, the majority on nineteenth-century Afro-American fiction writers addressed their work to a predominantly white audience, often with the explicit intention of shaping the attitudes held by that audience toward blacks. This paper examines the diverse implications of this strategy for both the thematic and the formal approaches taken by authors such as William Wells Brown, Frederick Douglass, Frances E.W. Harper, and Charles W. Chesnutt. It pays special attention to how these writers dealt with black violence and black sexuality.