bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of training needs on crop production for farmers in some selected areas of Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman MS , Khatun M , Rahman ML , Haque SR
Published: December 2018

The study attempts to determine the training needs of the farmers emphasizing nine selected major thematic areas. Under each major component, specific and relevant training needs item were collected and systematically incorporated into an interview schedule and administered in terms of frequency of training imparted. Four districts were purposively selected for the study and a total of eighty farmers were randomly selected from four districts. Primary data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that more male was involved in farming and 45% farmers were middle age category (30-39 years). Majority of the farmers completed primary level of education compared to other categories and family size of more than half (60 %) of the respondents was three. Majority number of respondents (57%) had more than 10 years farming experience. A small number of farmers (8.75%) had owned agricultural land and 45% had land between 0.50- 1 hectare. More than 75% of annual gross income of 57.50% farmers came from agricultural activities. More than half (55%) of the respondents collected information on crop and its varieties by own attempt while about 34% was informed from seed seller or dealer. Farmers in Chattogram district had first priority to get training on integrated pest and diseases management, production of bio control agents and bio pesticides, marketing and transportation. Water management, integrated pest and disease management, vermi-compost production, marketing and transportation ranked first in Khagrachori district. The areas of priority for training in Rajshahi district were production and management technology, processing and value addition, marketing and transportation, integrated pest and disease management, water management and vermi-compost production. Training on integrated pest and disease management, bio-control of pests and diseases, production of bio control agents and bio pesticides, production of off-season vegetables, vermi-compost production, marketing and transportation were most emphasized by the respondents in Rangpur district. Respondents defined identification of adulterated fertilizer, insecticide and pesticide application, disease and insects of mango varieties and fruit bagging system of mango as very good type of training. The study concluded that there is an urgent need to design regular training programs in identified thematic areas to fulfill the knowledge gap among the farmers of Bangladesh.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(4): 669-690, December 2018
Intercropping gardenpea (Pisium sativum) with Maize (Zea mays) at farmers’ field
Authors: Khan MAH , Sultana N , Akter N , Zaman MS , Islam MR
Published: December 2018

An experiment was conducted at the farmers’ field of Phulpur MLT site of On- Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Mymensingh during 2015-16 and 2016-17 to find out a suitable intercrop combination of garden pea with maize for higher productivity and profitability. Five treatments, viz. T1= Maize (100%) + one row garden pea (33%) in between maize lines, T2= Maize (100%) + two row garden pea (66%) in between maize lines, T3= Maize (100%) + garden pea broadcast (100%) in between maize lines, T4= Sole maize and T5= Sole garden pea were tested following RCB design with six dispersed replications. Maize var. BARI Hybrid Maize-9 and garden pea var. BARI Motorshuti-3 were used in monoculture as well as in intercropping situations. Intercropping of garden pea improved the yield components of maize and offered some additional yield. The highest maize grain yield (8.62 t ha-1) and maize equivalent yield (20.22 t ha-1 yr-1) were recorded with maize (100 %) + two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2). The values of all the competition functions were greater than unity and maize (100 %)+ two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2) showed higher values of land equivalent ratio (1.56), gross return (Tk. 311920 ha-1), gross margin (Tk. 175697 ha-1) and BCR (2.29) as compared to other treatments.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(4): 691-702, December 2018
Medical Errors and Patient Safety Education: Views of Intern Doctors
Authors: Sultana Mahmuda , Hossain Md. Sazzad , Ara Iffat , Sultana Jobaida
Published: December 2018

Medical errors and patient safety have become increasingly important in the area of medical research in the recent years. World health Organization and other international committees have long been recommending the early integration of education about errors and patient safety in undergraduate and graduate medical education. To integrate patient safety education into existing curriculum views of the doctors towards patient safety education is an important issue. This descriptive type of cross sectional study was carried out to explore the views of intern doctors regarding medical error and patient safety education in undergraduate medical education of Bangladesh. The study was carried out in seven (three public and four private) medical colleges of Bangladesh over a period from July 2014 to June 2015. Study population was 400 intern doctors. Data were collected by self-administered structured questionnaire. The existing curriculum was also reviewed to find out patient safety issues. The study revealed that the topic medical error and patient safety were mostly neglected in the curriculum. But the intern doctors had positive attitude towards patient safety education. A total of 84.8% of the intern doctors with a high average score of 4.24 agreed that teaching students about patient safety should be a priority in medical students training while 87.8% agreed that learning about patient safety before graduation from medical colleges would produce more effective doctors. Among the respondents 76.6% expected more training on patient safety. Almost half of the participants (52.3%) reported that they had been assigned to tasks for which they were not trained or where medical errors could have happened easily (57.5 %). From this study it can be concluded that, there was a distinct need for more education and training in the field of medical error and patient safety among the intern doctors.
Carrier Detection of Thalassaemia and Haemoglobinopathies in Tribal Population of Bangladesh
Authors: Sadiya Salma , Khan Waqar Ahmed , Banu Bilquis , Sarwardi Golam , Rahman Yasir
Published: December 2018

Tribal population constitutes 1.8 percent of total population of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in the tribal population of Bangladesh to detect haemoglobinopathies and beta thalassemia trait. Another purpose of the study was to create awareness about thalassaemia and haemoglobinopathies among these indigenous groups. It was a cross sectional study conducted from September 2015 to November 2015. A total of 460 random samples were collected from three tribal groups, 175 cases from Chakma, 187 cases from Garo and 98 cases from Marma. Two cc of venous blood were collected in EDTA tube. Haemoglobin variants were studied by HPLC method using Variant Hemoglobin Testing System (Variant II Beta Thalassemia Short Program). Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS statistical package (version 15). Data was analyzed by frequency distribution. Abnormal Haemoglobin variants were seen in 287 cases (62.4%) out of 460 cases and only173 cases (37.6%) showed normal haemoglobin pattern. Haemoglobin E trait was the most common abnormality seen in 164 cases (35.6%) followed by Haemoglobin E disease which was seen in 101 cases (22%), Beta thalassaemia trait was seen in 22 cases (4.8%). This study shows a high percentage of Haemoglobin E trait and Haemoglobin E disease. Beta thalassaemia trait is also higher in comparison with randomly selected general population of Bangladesh. After calculating the estimate burden of child born per year by Harding Weinberg equation, it was to be found that the significant result which shows that 1552 new haemoglobin E beta thalassaemia and 22 new beta thalassaemia patients born per year in the tribal population. So, the tribal population should be properly screened and counseled for thalassaemia and haemoglobinopathies.
Outcome of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy and Radiotherapy Alone Following Induction Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
Authors: Bari Md. Abdul , Alam Sarwar , Sharmin Sadia , Nahar Shamsun , Uddin Jamal , Alam Nazmul
Published: December 2018

Non-operative treatment strategies like radiotherapy and chemotherapy are practiced widely nowadays for the treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck origin. Aim of this study was to compare the response of induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy alone with induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy in terms of treatment response and toxicities. A quasi-experimental study was carried out in the Department of Radiation Oncology, National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICR&H), Dhaka; Department of Radiotherapy, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhaka and Department of Oncology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka during the period of January, 2014 to December, 2014. Induction chemotherapy by Cisplatin and 5-Fluorouracil was given to all the patients of Arm A and Arm B. Cisplatin was given concurrently during Radiotherapy weekly in case of Arm A. Arm B received radiotherapy alone. The patients were evaluated from the beginning of the treatment up to six months following the completion of treatment. In this study, male to female ratio was 4:1 and mean age of patients were 54.7±9.1 and 56.6±7.9 in Arm A and Arm B respectively. At final follow-up, complete response was seen in 27 (53.3%) patients of Arm A and Arm B respectively. Response rate was significant (p <0.05) for both the Arms. Acute toxicities observed during induction chemotherapy were almost equal in both the Arms, but during radiotherapy, Arm A had more toxicity though it was statistically insignificant. Induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy is more effective than induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy alone in loco-regional control of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck origin.
Planting Fruits and Vegetables in Homegarden as a Way to Improve Livelihoods and Conserve Plant Biodiversity
Authors: Mathewos Melaku , Hundera Kitessa , Biber-Freudenberger Lisa
Published: December 2018

Multi-story cropping systems are used to grow fruits and vegetables in rural homegardens, and it has been argued that they are crucial for the food and nutrition safety of rural populations. They also are considered as refuges for a number of plant species, and as one way to reduce pressure on the surrounding ecosystem by providing resources such as food, fiber, and firewood to farmers on their own farmland. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of fruits and vegetables in homegardens to household livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in the Yayo biosphere reserve in southwestern Ethiopia. The role of fruits and vegetables was evaluated for 96 households that were selected randomly from both fruit and vegetable users and only vegetable-user strata. To collect socioeconomic data, semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and focus group discussions were employed. A complete enumeration of plant species was done for diversity assessment in 48 homegardens from four kebeles (the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia) in the Yayo and Hurumu districts and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicated the highest plant diversity, with a total of 76 species identified from 38 families. Fruit and vegetable users were found to harbor more diversity in their homegardens compared to only vegetable-user homegardens. Homegarden size correlated significantly with species richness. Fruits and vegetables in homegardens were found to considerably contribute to household food consumption and total annual income independent of wealth categories. We also found a significant negative relationship between fruit and vegetable use and forest product harvesting, indicating the reduction of pressures on nearby forest ecosystems. This study supports the idea that fruits and vegetables contribute to biodiversity conservation directly as the entity of homegarden agrobiodiversity and indirectly through minimizing households’ demand for forest harvesting by providing food and generating income. Nevertheless, fruits and vegetables were not contributing at their full potential, which was mainly due to disease problems, pests, and a lack of better market access. Therefore, further research and interventions are needed to help farmers confront these challenges affecting fruit and vegetable production and productivity.
Electrically Tunable Hydrogen-Bonded Liquid Crystal Phase Control Device
Authors: Ito Ryota , Honma Michinori , Nose Toshiaki
Published: December 2018

Terahertz waves have attracted much attention mainly because of their potential in imaging, security checking, nondestructive testing, and information and communication technologies. In the past few years, there has been an extensive effort to investigate terahertz wave control devices. Liquid crystal (LC) devices are strong candidates for high-performance terahertz wave control devices because of their controllability at low drive voltages and their low power consumption. In this study, we fabricated an electrically tunable phase control device by using a hydrogen-bonded LC material. We investigated the performance of the LC phase shifter by using a far infrared continuous wave laser. We also estimated the birefringence and absorption properties of the hydrogen-bonded LC at 2.5 THz by using Jones matrix calculations. The measurements and calculation results indicated that the hydrogen-bonded LC showed no dichroism at 2.5 THz. Based on the absorption properties, we believe that it could be a strong candidate for use in future terahertz devices.
Parameter Identification for Structural Health Monitoring with Extended Kalman Filter Considering Integration and Noise Effect
Authors: Xie Liyu , Zhou Zhenwei , Zhao Lei , Wan Chunfeng , Tang Hesheng , Xue Songtao
Published: December 2018

Since physical parameters are much more sensitive than modal parameters, structural parameter identification with an extended Kalman filter (EKF) has received extensive attention in structural health monitoring for civil engineering structures. In this paper, EKF-based parameter identification technique is studied with numerical and experimental approaches. A four-degree-of-freedom (4-DOF) system is simulated and analyzed as an example. Different integration methods are examined and their influence to the final identification results of the structural stiffness and damping is also studied. Furthermore, the effect of different kinds of noise is studied as well. Identification results show that the convergence speed and estimation accuracy under Gaussian noises are better than those under non-Gaussian noises. Finally, experiments with a five-story steel frame are conducted to verify the damage identification capacity of the EKF. The results show that stiffness with different damage degrees can be identified effectively, which indicates that the EKF is capable of being applied for damage identification and health monitoring for civil engineering structures.
Electrically Tunable Propagation Properties of the Liquid Crystal-Filled Terahertz Fiber
Authors: Wang Doudou , Mu Changlong , Li Baihong , Yang Jing
Published: December 2018

A bandgap-guiding microstructured fiber for terahertz (THz) radiation was designed by infiltrating the cladding air holes with nematic liquid crystal. Structural parameter dependence of the photonic bandgaps, polarization-dependent bandgap splitting, and electrically tunable propagation properties of the designed fiber were investigated theoretically by using the finite-element method. An external electric field applied across the designed fiber can broaden the effective transmission bandwidth and achieve single-mode single-polarization guidance. Flattened near-zero group-velocity dispersion of 0 ± 1 ps/THz/cm was obtained for the y-polarized fundamental mode within a broad frequency range. Our results provide theoretical references for applications of liquid crystal-filled microstructured fiber for dynamic polarization control and tunable fiber devices in THz frequency.
Non-Contact Measurement of Small-Module Gears Using Optical Coherence Tomography
Authors: Luo Manting , Zhong Shuncong
Published: December 2018

Due to the small size and harsh transmission conditions of small-module gears, it is very difficult to measure gear characteristics with a modulus smaller than 1 mm. We proposed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) method for measuring small-module gears. Testing of a 30-tooth copper gear with a small modulus of 0.5 mm was carried out for the measurement of its modulus, tooth parameter, tooth number, pressure angle, modification coefficient, and tooth thickness by using OCT. In addition, the influencing factors on the measurement were discussed. The whole teeth profile of a 0.2 mm modulus gear was imaged by processing of the data collected from different clamping angles. Compared with the visual imaging without depth information and small-scale microscopic imaging, the OCT method has shown its superiority, and it has potential in the application of the measurement of micro gears with a small modulus of less than 0.2 mm.
Energy Management for a Power-Split Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Based on Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Chen Zheng , Hu Hengjie , Wu Yitao , Xiao Renxin , Shen Jiangwei , Liu Yonggang
Published: December 2018

This paper proposes an energy management strategy for a power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) based on reinforcement learning (RL). Firstly, a control-oriented power-split PHEV model is built, and then the RL method is employed based on the Markov Decision Process (MDP) to find the optimal solution according to the built model. During the strategy search, several different standard driving schedules are chosen, and the transfer probability of the power demand is derived based on the Markov chain. Accordingly, the optimal control strategy is found by the Q-learning (QL) algorithm, which can decide suitable energy allocation between the gasoline engine and the battery pack. Simulation results indicate that the RL-based control strategy could not only lessen fuel consumption under different driving cycles, but also limit the maximum discharge power of battery, compared with the charging depletion/charging sustaining (CD/CS) method and the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS).
Properties of Ion Complexes and Their Impact on Charge Transport in Organic Solvent-Based Electrolyte Solutions for Lithium Batteries: Insights from a Theoretical Perspective
Authors: Smiatek Jens , Heuer Andreas , Winter Martin
Published: December 2018

Electrolyte formulations in standard lithium ion and lithium metal batteries are complex mixtures of various components. In this article, we review molecular key principles of ion complexes in multicomponent electrolyte solutions in regards of their influence on charge transport mechanisms. We outline basic concepts for the description of ion–solvent and ion–ion interactions, which can be used to rationalize recent experimental and numerical findings concerning modern electrolyte formulations. Furthermore, we discuss benefits and drawbacks of empirical concepts in comparison to molecular theories of solution for a more refined understanding of ion behavior in organic solvents. The outcomes of our discussion provide a rational for beneficial properties of ions, solvent, co-solvent and additive molecules, and highlight possible routes for further improvement of novel electrolyte solutions.
Structural and Functional Insights into Human Nuclear Cyclophilins
Authors: Rajiv Caroline , Davis Tara
Published: December 2018

The peptidyl prolyl isomerases (PPI) of the cyclophilin type are distributed throughout human cells, including eight found solely in the nucleus. Nuclear cyclophilins are involved in complexes that regulate chromatin modification, transcription, and pre-mRNA splicing. This review collects what is known about the eight human nuclear cyclophilins: peptidyl prolyl isomerase H (PPIH), peptidyl prolyl isomerase E (PPIE), peptidyl prolyl isomerase-like 1 (PPIL1), peptidyl prolyl isomerase-like 2 (PPIL2), peptidyl prolyl isomerase-like 3 (PPIL3), peptidyl prolyl isomerase G (PPIG), spliceosome-associated protein CWC27 homolog (CWC27), and peptidyl prolyl isomerase domain and WD repeat-containing protein 1 (PPWD1). Each “spliceophilin” is evaluated in relation to the spliceosomal complex in which it has been studied, and current work studying the biological roles of these cyclophilins in the nucleus are discussed. The eight human splicing complexes available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are analyzed from the viewpoint of the human spliceophilins. Future directions in structural and cellular biology, and the importance of developing spliceophilin-specific inhibitors, are considered.
Design of Linear and Cyclic Mutant Analogues of Dirucotide Peptide (MBP82–98) against Multiple Sclerosis: Conformational and Binding Studies to MHC Class II
Authors: Deraos George , Kritsi Eftichia , Matsoukas Minos-Timotheos , Christopoulou Konstantina , Kalbacher Hubert , Zoumpoulakis Panagiotis , Apostolopoulos Vasso , Matsoukas John
Published: December 2018

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. MS is a T cell-mediated disease characterized by the proliferation, infiltration, and attack of the myelin sheath by immune cells. Previous studies have shown that cyclization provides molecules with strict conformation that could modulate the immune system. Methods: In this study, we synthesized peptide analogues derived from the myelin basic protein (MBP)82–98 encephalitogenic sequence (dirucotide), the linear altered peptide ligand MBP82–98 (Ala91), and their cyclic counterparts. Results: The synthesized peptides were evaluated for their binding to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR2 and HLA-DR4 alleles, with cyclic MBP82–98 being a strong binder with the HLA-DR2 allele and having lower affinity binding to the HLA-DR4 allele. In a further step, conformational analyses were performed using NMR spectroscopy in solution to describe the conformational space occupied by the functional amino acids of both linear and cyclic peptide analogues. This structural data, in combination with crystallographic data, were used to study the molecular basis of their interaction with HLA-DR2 and HLA-DR4 alleles. Conclusion: The cyclic and APL analogues of dirucotide are promising leads that should be further evaluated for their ability to alter T cell responses for therapeutic benefit against MS.
Finding the Right Way to Target EGFR in Glioblastomas; Lessons from Lung Adenocarcinomas
Authors: Gao Ya , Vallentgoed Wies R. , French Pim J.
Published: December 2018

The EGFR gene is one of the most frequently mutated and/or amplified gene both in lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) and in glioblastomas (GBMs). Although both tumor types depend on the mutation for growth, clinical benefit of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has only been observed in LUAD patients and, thus-far, not in GBM patients. Also in LUAD patients however, responses are restricted to specific EGFR mutations only and these ‘TKI-sensitive’ mutations hardly occur in GBMs. This argues for mutation-specific (as opposed to tumor-type specific) responses to EGFR-TKIs. We here discuss potential reasons for the differences in mutation spectrum and highlight recent evidence for specific functions of different EGFR mutations. These mutation-specific effects likely underlie the differential treatment response between LUAD and GBMs and provide new insights into how to target EGFR in GBM patients.
Highly Active Nickel-Based Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution in Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysis
Authors: Faid Alaa Y. , Oyarce Barnett Alejandro , Seland Frode , Sunde Svein
Published: December 2018

Anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis is hampered by two main issues: stability and performance. Focusing on the latter, this work demonstrates a highly active NiMo cathode for hydrogen evolution in AEM electrolysis. We demonstrate an electrolyzer performance of 1 A cm−2 at 1.9 V (total cell voltage) with a NiMo loading of 5 mg cm−2 and an iridium black anode in 1 M KOH at 50 °C, that may be compared to 1.8 V for a similar cell with Pt at the cathode. The catalysts developed here will be significant in supporting the pursuit of cheap and environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel.
lncRNA-Six1 Is a Target of miR-1611 That Functions as a ceRNA to Regulate Six1 Protein Expression and Fiber Type Switching in Chicken Myogenesis
Authors: Ma Manting , Cai Bolin , Jiang Liang , Abdalla Bahareldin Ali , Li Zhenhui , Nie Qinghua , Zhang Xiquan
Published: December 2018

Emerging studies indicate important roles for non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as essential regulators in myogenesis, but relatively less is known about their function. In our previous study, we found that lncRNA-Six1 can regulate Six1 in cis to participate in myogenesis. Here, we studied a microRNA (miRNA) that is specifically expressed in chickens (miR-1611). Interestingly, miR-1611 was found to contain potential binding sites for both lncRNA-Six1 and Six1, and it can interact with lncRNA-Six1 to regulate Six1 expression. Overexpression of miR-1611 represses the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. Moreover, miR-1611 is highly expressed in slow-twitch fibers, and it drives the transformation of fast-twitch muscle fibers to slow-twitch muscle fibers. Together, these data demonstrate that miR-1611 can mediate the regulation of Six1 by lncRNA-Six1, thereby affecting proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts and transformation of muscle fiber types.
Deterministic Authenticated Encryption Scheme for Memory Constrained Devices
Authors: Agrawal Megha , Chang Donghoon , Kang Jinkeon
Published: December 2018

A technique of authenticated encryption for memory constrained devices called sp-AELM was proposed by Agrawal et al. at ACISP 2015. The sp-ALEM construction utilizes a sponge-based primitive to support online encryption and decryption functionalities. Online encryption in the construction is achieved in the standard manner by processing plaintext blocks as they arrive to produce ciphertext blocks. However, decryption is achieved by storing only one intermediate state and releasing it to the user upon correct verification. This intermediate state allows a legitimate user to generate the plaintext herself. However, the scheme is nonce-respecting, i.e., the scheme is insecure if the nonce is repeated. Implementation of a nonce is non-trivial in practice, and reuse of a nonce in an AE scheme is often devastating. In this paper, we propose a new AE scheme called dAELM, which stands for deterministic authenticated encryption (DAE) scheme for low memory devices. DAE is used in domains such as the key wrap, where the available message entropy omits the overhead of a nonce. For limiting memory usage, our idea is to use a session key to encrypt a message and share the session key with the user depending upon the verification of a tag. We provide the security proof of the proposed construction in the ideal cipher model.
Geometry of Thermodynamic Processes
Authors: Van der Schaft Arjan , Maschke Bernhard
Published: December 2018

Since the 1970s, contact geometry has been recognized as an appropriate framework for the geometric formulation of thermodynamic systems, and in particular their state properties. More recently it has been shown how the symplectization of contact manifolds provides a new vantage point; enabling, among other things, to switch easily between the energy and entropy representations of a thermodynamic system. In the present paper, this is continued towards the global geometric definition of a degenerate Riemannian metric on the homogeneous Lagrangian submanifold describing the state properties, which is overarching the locally-defined metrics of Weinhold and Ruppeiner. Next, a geometric formulation is given of non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes, in terms of Hamiltonian dynamics defined by Hamiltonian functions that are homogeneous of degree one in the co-extensive variables and zero on the homogeneous Lagrangian submanifold. The correspondence between objects in contact geometry and their homogeneous counterparts in symplectic geometry, is extended to the definition of port-thermodynamic systems and the formulation of interconnection ports. The resulting geometric framework is illustrated on a number of simple examples, already indicating its potential for analysis and control.
DBN Structure Design Algorithm for Different Datasets Based on Information Entropy and Reconstruction Error
Authors: Jiang Jianjun , Zhang Jing , Zhang Lijia , Ran Xiaomin , Jiang Jun , Wu Yifan
Published: December 2018

Deep belief networks (DBNs) of deep learning technology have been successfully used in many fields. However, the structure of a DBN is difficult to design for different datasets. Hence, a DBN structure design algorithm based on information entropy and reconstruction error is proposed. Unlike previous algorithms, we innovatively combine network depth and node number and optimizes them simultaneously. First, the mathematical model of the structural design problem is established, and the boundary constraint for node number based on information entropy is derived by introducing the idea of information compression. Moreover, the optimization objective of the network performance based on reconstruction error is proposed by deriving the fact that network energy is proportional to reconstruction error. Finally, the improved simulated annealing (ISA) algorithm is used to adjust the DBN network layers and nodes simultaneously. Experiments were carried out on three public datasets (MNIST, Cifar-10 and Cifar-100). The results show that the proposed algorithm can design its proper structure to different datasets, yielding a trained DBN which has the lowest reconstruction error and prediction error rate. The proposed algorithm is shown to have the best performance compared with other algorithms and can be used to assist the setting of DBN structural parameters for different datasets.
China’s Bank Balance Sheet and Financing of Heterogeneous Enterprises
Authors: Huang Kun , Yao Qiuge
Published: December 2018

Given the background of financial disintermediation and interest rate marketization, the assets of China’s commercial banks can be divided into traditional credit assets, whose rates of return are controlled by the supervision department, and financial assets, whose rates of return fluctuate according to market conditions. Direct financing enterprises are mainly state-owned enterprises with a good reputation, endorsed by the government, and they finance using the financial assets of commercial banks. Indirect financing enterprises are mainly private enterprises, which finance using credit assets. By introducing a financial intermediary sector with a balance sheet into dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, our model endogenously determines the leverage ratio and the ratio of the two assets of the bank. Model results show that the impact from the volatility of financial markets and other exogenous shocks can affect the banks’ asset proportions of the two asset types, asymmetrically affecting the production scale of enterprises with two types of financing. Further, the bank’s leverage ratio changes will have a magnifying effect on economic fluctuations.
Computationally Efficient Channel Estimation in 5G Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-output Systems
Authors: Khan Imran , Zafar Mohammad Haseeb , Ashraf Majid , Kim Sunghwan
Published: December 2018

Traditional channel estimation algorithms such as minimum mean square error (MMSE) are widely used in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, but require a matrix inversion operation and an enormous amount of computations, which result in high computational complexity and make them impractical to implement. To overcome the matrix inversion problem, we propose a computationally efficient hybrid steepest descent Gauss–Seidel (SDGS) joint detection, which directly estimates the user’s transmitted symbol vector, and can quickly converge to obtain an ideal estimation value with a few simple iterations. Moreover, signal detection performance was further improved by utilizing the bit log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for soft channel decoding. Simulation results showed that the proposed algorithm had better channel estimation performance, which improved the signal detection by 31.68% while the complexity was reduced by 45.72%, compared with the existing algorithms.
Artificial Neural Networks to Assess Emotional States from Brain-Computer Interface
Authors: Sánchez-Reolid Roberto , García Arturo S. , Vicente-Querol Miguel A. , Fernández-Aguilar Luz , López María T. , Fernández-Caballero Antonio , González Pascual
Published: December 2018

Estimation of human emotions plays an important role in the development of modern brain-computer interface devices like the Emotiv EPOC+ headset. In this paper, we present an experiment to assess the classification accuracy of the emotional states provided by the headset’s application programming interface (API). In this experiment, several sets of images selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) dataset are shown to sixteen participants wearing the headset. Firstly, the participants’ responses in form of a self-assessment manikin questionnaire to the emotions elicited are compared with the validated IAPS predefined valence, arousal and dominance values. After statistically demonstrating that the responses are highly correlated with the IAPS values, several artificial neural networks (ANNs) based on the multilayer perceptron architecture are tested to calculate the classification accuracy of the Emotiv EPOC+ API emotional outcomes. The best result is obtained for an ANN configuration with three hidden layers, and 30, 8 and 3 neurons for layers 1, 2 and 3, respectively. This configuration offers 85% classification accuracy, which means that the emotional estimation provided by the headset can be used with high confidence in real-time applications that are based on users’ emotional states. Thus the emotional states given by the headset’s API may be used with no further processing of the electroencephalogram signals acquired from the scalp, which would add a level of difficulty.
Electrochemical Sensor-Based Devices for Assessing Bioactive Compounds in Olive Oils: A Brief Review
Authors: Marx Ítala M. G. , Veloso Ana C. A. , Dias Luís G. , Casal Susana , Pereira José A. , Peres António M.
Published: December 2018

Electrochemical bioinspired sensor devices combined with chemometric tools have experienced great advances in the last years, being extensively used for food qualitative and quantitative evaluation, namely for olive oil analysis. Olive oil plays a key role in the Mediterranean diet, possessing unique and recognized nutritional and health properties as well as highly appreciated organoleptic characteristics. These positive attributes are mainly due to olive oil richness in bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds. In addition, these compounds enhance their overall sensory quality, being mainly responsible for the usual olive oil pungency and bitterness. This review aims to compile and discuss the main research advances reported in the literature regarding the use of electrochemical sensor based-devices for assessing bioactive compounds in olive oil. The main advantages and limitations of these fast, accurate, bioinspired voltammetric, potentiometric and/or amperometric sensor green-approaches will be addressed, aiming to establish the future challenges for becoming a practical quality analytical tool for industrial and commercial applications.
Virtual Machine Placement via Bin Packing in Cloud Data Centers
Authors: Fatima Aisha , Javaid Nadeem , Sultana Tanzeela , Hussain Waqar , Bilal Muhammad , Shabbir Shaista , Asim Yousra , Akbar Mariam , Ilahi Manzoor
Published: December 2018

With the increasing size of cloud data centers, the number of users and virtual machines (VMs) increases rapidly. The requests of users are entertained by VMs residing on physical servers. The dramatic growth of internet services results in unbalanced network resources. Resource management is an important factor for the performance of a cloud. Various techniques are used to manage the resources of a cloud efficiently. VM-consolidation is an intelligent and efficient strategy to balance the load of cloud data centers. VM-placement is an important subproblem of the VM-consolidation problem that needs to be resolved. The basic objective of VM-placement is to minimize the utilization rate of physical machines (PMs). VM-placement is used to save energy and cost. An enhanced levy-based particle swarm optimization algorithm with variable sized bin packing (PSOLBP) is proposed for solving the VM-placement problem. Moreover, the best-fit strategy is also used with the variable sized bin packing problem (VSBPP). Simulations are done to authenticate the adaptivity of the proposed algorithm. Three algorithms are implemented in Matlab. The given algorithm is compared with simple particle swarm optimization (PSO) and a hybrid of levy flight and particle swarm optimization (LFPSO). The proposed algorithm efficiently minimized the number of running PMs. VM-consolidation is an NP-hard problem, however, the proposed algorithm outperformed the other two algorithms.
Dynamic Analysis of a Permanent Magnet DC Motor Using a Buck Converter Controlled by ZAD-FPIC
Authors: Hoyos Velasco Fredy E. , Candelo-Becerra John E. , Rincón Santamaría Alejandro
Published: December 2018

This paper presents the dynamic analysis of a permanent magnet DC motor using a buck converter controlled by zero average dynamics (ZADs) and fixed-point inducting control (FPIC). Initially, the steady-state behavior of the closed-loop system was observed and then transient behavior analyzed while maintaining a fixed ZAD control parameter and changing the FPIC parameter. Other behaviors were studied when the value of the ZAD control parameter changed and the FPIC parameter was maintained at the initial value. Besides, bifurcation diagrams were built with one and two delay periods by changing the control parameter of the FPIC and maintaining fixed ZAD parameters while some disturbances were carried out in the electric source. The results show that the ZAD-FPIC controller allowed good regulation of the speed for different reference values. The ZAD-FPIC control technique is effective for controlling the buck converter with the motor, even with two delay periods. The robustness of the system was checked by changing the voltage of the source. It was shown that the system used a fixed switching frequency because the duty cycle was not saturated for certain ranges of the control parameters shown in the research. This technique can be used for higher order systems with experimental phenomena such as quantization effects, time delays, and variations in the input signal.
High Morphological Differentiation in Crown Architecture Contrasts with Low Population Genetic Structure of German Norway Spruce Stands
Authors: Caré Oliver , Müller Markus , Vornam Barbara , Höltken Aki M. , Kahlert Karina , Krutovsky Konstantin V. , Gailing Oliver , Leinemann Ludger
Published: December 2018

High elevation sites in the low mountain ranges in Germany are naturally covered by Norway spruce (Picea abies (Karst.) L.) stands. Historically, large scale anthropogenic range expansion starting in the mid to late 18th century had a huge impact on the forest composition throughout Germany. Utilisation and exploitation often led to artificial regeneration, mostly carried out using seeds from allochthonous provenances. Usually, autochthonous (natural) high elevation Norway spruce trees have narrow crown phenotypes, whereas lowland trees have broader crowns. Narrow crown phenotypes are likely the result of adaptation to heavy snow loads combined with high wind speeds. In the present study, neighbouring stand pairs of putative autochthonous and allochthonous origin with contrasting phenotypes in high elevation sites were investigated with 200 samples each. These stands are located in the Ore Mountains, the Thuringian Forest, and the Harz Mountains. Additionally, a relict population with the typical narrow high elevation phenotypes was sampled in Thuringia, known as “Schlossbergfichte”. The objective of the study was to quantify supposedly adaptive phenotypic differences in crown architecture and the genetic differentiation of 11 putatively neutral nuclear microsatellite markers (i.e., simple sequence repeats (nSSRs)). The high differentiation of morphological traits (PST = 0.952–0.989) between the neighbouring autochthonous and allochthonous stands of similar age contrasts with the very low neutral genetic differentiation (FST = 0.002–0.007; G″ST = 0.002–0.030), suggesting that directional selection at adaptive gene loci was involved in phenotypic differentiation. Comparing the regions, a small isolation by distance effect for the Harz Mountains was detected, suggesting landscape resistance restricting gene flow. Finally, the differentiation of the very old autochthonous (up to 250 years) stand “Schlossbergfichte” with typical high elevation phenotypes could cohere with the sampling of a relict genepool.
Comparative Analysis of the Blood Plasma Metabolome of Negligible, Gradual and Rapidly Ageing Fishes
Authors: Trifonova Oxana P. , Maslov Dmitry L. , Mikhailov Anton N. , Zolotarev Konstantin V. , Nakhod Kirill V. , Nakhod Valeriya I. , Belyaeva Nataliya F. , Mikhailova Marina V. , Lokhov Petr G. , Archakov Alexander I.
Published: December 2018

There are a number of different animals that belong to long- and short-lived species and show a various rate of ageing, providing an ideal model to investigate mechanisms of longevity. In this work, a metabolome profiling of blood plasma from fishes with various ageing rates—negligible (Pike Esox Lucius and Sterlet Acipenser ruthenus), gradual (Zander Sander lucioperca and Perch Perca fluviatilis) and rapid (Chum Salmon Oncorhynchus keta and Pink Salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)—was assessed by means of direct infusion to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Of the 2056 distinct m/z features detected by a mass spectrometry metabolic profiling of blood plasma samples, fifteen metabolites in the classes of dipeptides, fatty acids, glycerolipids, phosphoethanolamines and phosphatidylcholines were significantly associated with ageing rate, independent of species differences. This is the first study of the metabolome of fishes with various ageing rate, and this untargeted approach highlighted the metabolic conditions that may serve to assess the ageing process.
Screening Olive Leaves from Unexploited Traditional Greek Cultivars for Their Phenolic Antioxidant Dynamic
Authors: Papoti Vassiliki T. , Papageorgiou Maria , Dervisi Konstantina , Alexopoulos Evangelos , Apostolidis Konstantinos , Petridis Dimitrios
Published: December 2018

Quality characteristics of olive products significantly depend on cultivar (cv), among other factors. In this study, seven traditional, noncommercial Greek cultivars, along with the commercial Spanish Arbequina cv., were examined for the phenolic antioxidant dynamic of their leaves. Polar extracts (aqueous, methanol, and ethanol) were analyzed for Total Phenol (TP), Flavonoid (TFL), Hydroxycinnamic Acid Derivatives (THAD), Flavonol (TFLVN) contents, DPPH radical scavenging ability, and Ferric Reducing Capacity (FRAP). Selective characteristics of olive leaf methanol extracts for all cultivars were re-examined on a second sampling period. Olive leaf is considered a rich source of phenolic antioxidants total phenol content reaching 29.3 ± 1.3, 30.6 ± 0.4, and 27.0 ± 1.1 mg caffeic acid/g dry leaf for aqueous, methanol, and ethanol extracts, respectively) and all cultivars were considered of equal bioactive dynamic. TP data derived from Folin–Ciocalteu and another spectrophotometric assay employed presented a high correlation for all examined cases (R2 = 71.5–86.9%). High correlation (R2 = 0.92) was also found between TP and FRAP findings of aqueous extracts. Olive leaf is considered a promising source of phenolic antioxidants irrelevant to cultivar and therefore even cultivars less effective for oil or table olive production could be efficiently exploited for the bioactive dynamic of their leaves.
Spectroscopic and Photometric Variability of Three Oxygen Rich Post-AGB “Shell” Objects
Authors: Steene Griet , Hrivnak Bruce , Winckel Hans , Sperauskas Julius , Bohlender David
Published: December 2018

Light, color, and radial velocity data (2007–2015) for HD 161796, V887 Her, and HD 331319, three oxygen-rich post-AGB stars, have thus far not provided direct support for the binary hypothesis to explain the shapes of planetary nebulae and severely constrain the properties of any such undetected companions. The light and velocity curves are complex, showing similar periods and variable amplitudes. Nevertheless, over limited time intervals, we compared the phasing of each. The color curves appear to peak with or slightly after the light curves, while the radial velocity curves peak about a quarter of a cycle before the light curves. Thus it appears that these post-AGB stars are brightest when smallest and hottest. The spectra of these objects are highly variable. The H α line has multiple, variable emission and absorption components. In these oxygen-rich post-AGB stars atmospheric lines, such as near-infrared Ca ii triplet and low-excitation atomic lines, also have multiple components and sometimes show line doubling, indicative of shocks induced by pulsation.
The Growing Complexity of UHRF1-Mediated Maintenance DNA Methylation
Authors: Xie Si , Qian Chengmin
Published: December 2018

Mammalian DNMT1 is mainly responsible for maintenance DNA methylation that is critical in maintaining stem cell pluripotency and controlling lineage specification during early embryonic development. A number of studies have demonstrated that DNMT1 is an auto-inhibited enzyme and its enzymatic activity is allosterically regulated by a number of interacting partners. UHRF1 has previously been reported to regulate DNMT1 in multiple ways, including control of substrate specificity and the proper genome targeting. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of DNMT1 enzymatic activity by UHRF1 and highlight a number of unresolved questions.