bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Topology optimization incorporating external variables with metamodeling
Authors: Maruyama Shun , Yamasaki Shintaro , Yaji Kentaro , Fujita Kikuo
Published: June 2020

The objective of conventional topology optimization is to optimize the material distribution for a prescribed design domain. However, solving the topology optimization problem strongly depends on the settings specified by the designer for the shape of the design domain or their specification of the boundary conditions. This contradiction indicates that the improvement of structures should be achieved by optimizing not only the material distribution but also the additional design variables that specify the above settings. We refer to the additional design variables as external variables. This paper presents our work relating to solving the design problem of topology optimization incorporating external variables. The approach we follow is to formulate the design problem as a multi-level optimization problem by focusing on the dominance-dependence relationship between external variables and material distribution. We propose a framework to solve the optimization problem utilizing the multi-level formulation and metamodeling. The metamodel approximates the relationship between the external variables and the performance of the corresponding optimized material distribution. The effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated by presenting three examples.
Geodetic VLBI for precise orbit determination of Earth satellites: a simulation study
Authors: Klopotek Grzegorz , Hobiger Thomas , Haas Rüdiger , Otsubo Toshimichi
Published: June 2020

Recent efforts of tracking low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites using geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) raise questions on the potential of this novel observation concept for space geodesy. Therefore, we carry out extensive Monte Carlo simulations in order to investigate the feasibility of geodetic VLBI for precise orbit determination (POD) of MEO satellites and assess the impact of quality and quantity of satellite observations on the derived geodetic parameters. The MEO satellites are represented in our study by LAGEOS-1/-2 and a set of Galileo satellites. The concept is studied on the basis of 3-day solutions in which satellite observations are included into real schedules of the continuous geodetic VLBI campaign 2017 (CONT17) as well as simulated schedules concerning the next-generation VLBI system, known as the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). Our results indicate that geodetic VLBI can perform on a comparable level as other space-geodetic techniques concerning POD of MEO satellites. For an assumed satellite observation precision better than 14.1 mm (47 ps), an average 3D orbit precision of 2.0 cm and 6.3 cm is found for schedules including LAGEOS-1/-2 and Galileo satellites, respectively. Moreover, geocenter offsets, which were so far out of scope for the geodetic VLBI analysis, are close to the detection limit for the simulations concerning VGOS observations of Galileo satellites, with the potential to further enhance the results. Concerning the estimated satellite orbits, VGOS leads to an average precision improvement of 80% with respect to legacy VLBI. In absolute terms and for satellite observation precision of 14.1 mm (47 ps), this corresponds to an average value of 17 mm and 7 mm concerning the 3D orbit scatter and precision of geocenter components, respectively. As shown in this study, a poor satellite geometry can degrade the derived Earth rotation parameters and VLBI station positions, compared to the quasar-only reference schedules. Therefore, careful scheduling of both quasar and satellite observations should be performed in order to fully benefit from this novel observation concept.
Simultaneous analysis of multiple oligonucleotides by temperature-responsive chromatography using a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based stationary phase
Authors: Maekawa Yutaro , Yamazaki Kaichi , Ihara Miwa , Nagase Kenichi , Kanazawa Hideko
Published: June 2020

Oligonucleotide therapeutics have contributed remarkably to healthcare, being well suited for the treatment of intractable diseases that are difficult to approach using conventional drug modalities. However, as common techniques of oligonucleotide analysis rely on reversed-phase or ion-exchange liquid chromatography and thus employ toxic organic solvents and/or ion-pairing reagents, better alternatives are highly sought after. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is widely used in temperature-responsive chromatography (TRC), which relies on column temperature variation to control the physical properties of the stationary phase and, unlike conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography, avoids the use of toxic organic solvents and complicated gradient methods. Herein, PNIPAAm copolymer hydrogel-modified silica beads were used for the simultaneous analysis of multiple synthetic oligonucleotides by TRC to recognize differences in the length of single nucleotides, single bases, and the number of phosphorothioated sites. Temperature-responsive elution was observed in all cases. Each separation of all combinations of multiple oligonucleotides was better at higher temperatures above the lower critical solution temperature and was performed without the use of organic solvents and gradient methods. In the case of multiply phosphorothioated oligonucleotides, good separation was achieved using an aqueous solvent and isocratic elution in the absence of ion-pairing reagents. Thus, the developed procedure was concluded to be well suited for oligonucleotide analysis.
Female dispersal patterns influenced by male tenure duration and group size in western lowland gorillas
Authors: Manguette Marie L. , Robbins Andrew M. , Breuer Thomas , Stokes Emma J. , Parnell Richard J. , Robbins Martha M.
Published: June 2020

Evaluating the factors influencing the patterns of female dispersal in mammals is critical to understanding its importance for male and female reproductive strategies and the evolution of social systems. In western lowland gorillas, females emigrate from their natal group (natal dispersal) but also disperse between groups multiple times in their life (secondary dispersal). This strategy is uncommon in primates and may reflect females seeking to reduce feeding competition or female choice for males that can provide protection against infanticide. In this study, we test how inbreeding avoidance, group size, and male competitive ability could influence female dispersal in western gorillas, using 25 natal and 285 secondary dispersal events collected over 20 years at Mbeli Bai. We found that while all females dispersed out of their natal group, presumably to avoid inbreeding, females also left their group before having their first offspring when the dominant male was not their father, pointing towards unconditional dispersal by nulliparous females. Regarding secondary dispersal, we found that females were more likely to stay with males that were at the beginning of their tenure than transfer and more likely to disperse away from (presumably old) males that were near the end of their tenure or closer to their death. Females were also more likely to leave larger groups for smaller ones suggesting a potential effect of within-group feeding competition or avoidance of outsider males or predators. This study highlights the intersexual conflict found in gorillas: while female choice for high-quality males may influence the formation of their relatively rare social system, smaller group size may be more important for females than previously thought, which runs counter to the males’ interest of having a high number of females.

Significance

Dispersal is a very important life strategy for most group-living mammals. Secondary dispersal by females is a rare behavior but is believed to be a counterstrategy against sexual coercion by males, reduces feeding competition, assists in predator avoidance, and facilitates mate choice. We studied the factors influencing secondary dispersal in western lowland gorillas. We found that the duration of male tenure and the size of the group influences female transfer decisions. This study shows that female reproductive strategies such as secondary dispersal may be very powerful to counter the risk of infanticide through female choice for better protector males but also to reduce the impact of feeding competition or to avoid predators or outsider males.
Factors associated with employment and expected work retention among persons with multiple sclerosis: findings of a cross-sectional citizen science study
Authors: Lehmann Anja I. , Rodgers Stephanie , Kamm Christian P. , Mettler Mathias , Steinemann Nina , Ajdacic-Gross Vladeta , Kaufmann Marco , Kesselring Jürg , Calabrese Pasquale , Salmen Anke , Gobbi Claudio , Zecca Chiara , Bauer Georg F. , von Wyl Viktor
Published: June 2020

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) notably affects adults of working age. For persons with MS (PwMS), being employed enhances their quality of life and it may be regarded as an indicator of overall functioning. Thus, ensuring work participation in PwMS is of general public health interest.

Objective

To examine relevant socio-demographic, MS-, health- and work-related factors, including psychosocial working conditions, associated with currently working PwMS in Switzerland and their expected work retention.

Methods

Using cross-sectional data of PwMS in the Swiss MS Registry (n = 541, median age = 48 [IQR 40;55]), multivariable logistic regression models were computed. First, currently working PwMS were characterised in comparison with those not currently working. Second, expected work retention, operationalized as subjective judgement “likely to work in the same job in 2 years”, was examined within the group of currently working PwMS.

Results

The factors age (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92–0.99), sex (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.13–0.60), highest achieved job position (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.01–1.46), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.04) and the number of MS symptoms (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82–0.98) were associated with currently working PwMS. Moreover, HRQoL (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04–1.10) and psychosocial working conditions, such as job resources (e.g. autonomy, control or social support) (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.50–5.33) and job demands (e.g. workload, time pressure) (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18–0.90) were important factors for expected work retention among this group.

Conclusions

Resourceful psychosocial working conditions are crucial for PwMS to maintain employment. Employers could contribute to work retention among PwMS by creating a work environment with resourceful psychosocial working conditions and providing, for instance, social support.
Monitoring of micturition and bladder volumes can replace routine indwelling urinary catheters in children receiving intravenous opioids: a prospective cohort study
Authors: de Jong Anita C. , Maaskant Jolanda M. , Groen Luitzen A. , van Woensel Job B. M.
Published: June 2020

In this prospective observational study, the incidence, risk factors and the time to event of urinary retention in children receiving intravenous opioids were evaluated. Urinary retention was confirmed by ultrasound following the inability to void for 8 h or earlier in patients experiencing discomfort. In total, 207 opioid episodes were evaluated, of which 199 (96.1%) concerned morphine, in 187 children admitted to the pediatric ward or pediatric intensive care unit. The median age was 7.6 years (IQR 0.9–13.8), and 123 (59.4%) were male. The incidence of urinary retention was 31/207 (15.0%) opioid episodes, in which 14/32 (43.8%) patients received continuous sedation for mechanical ventilation and 17/175 (9.7%) received no sedation. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a significant association with continuous sedation (OR 6.8, 95% CI 2.7–17.4, p 0.001) and highest daily fluid intake (OR 0.8 per 10% deviation of normal intake, 95% CI 0.7–0.9, p 0.01). Opioid dosage, age and gender were not significantly associated. Most events (28/31, 90.3%) occurred within 24 h.

Conclusion: The incidence of urinary retention in children receiving intravenous opioids is low, indicating that placement of urinary catheters is not routinely necessary in these patients. However, micturition and bladder volumes must be monitored, especially in sedated children and during the first 24 h of opioid administration.

What is Known:• Great variation exists in the routine placement of urinary catheters in children receiving IV opioids.

What is New:•Confirmed by ultrasound, the incidence of urinary retention in children receiving intravenous opioids in this study was 15%, indicating that placement of urinary catheters is not routinely necessary in these patients.•Children receiving continuous sedation for invasive mechanical ventilation showed a sevenfold greater risk of developing urinary retention than non-sedated patients.
A thermo-mechanical material model for rubber curing and tire manufacturing simulation
Authors: Berger Thomas , Kaliske Michael
Published: June 2020

In this contribution, the phase change of unvulcanized to vulcanized rubber is described by a thermo-mechanical material model within the finite element method (FEM) framework. Before the vulcanization process (curing), rubber exhibits an elasto-visco-plastic behaviour with significant irreversible deformations without a distinct yield surface. After exposing rubber to high temperature, the molecular chains build-up crosslinks among each other and its mechanical behaviour changes to stiffer viscoelastic material. The proposed model assumes, that both phases are present during the vulcanization process. The ratio changes from the uncured phase at the beginning to the cured phase according to the current state of cure. A constitutive curing formulation is introduced into the model, to capture the shape change during the vulcanization and to ensure, that the second law of thermodynamics is fulfilled. A multiplicative split of the deformation gradient is assumed to describe incompressible material. Thermal expansion due to the change of temperature is taken into account in the volumetric part, as well as shrinkage during the vulcanization process. In the isochoric part, the phase change from elasto-visco-plastic to viscoelastic material is described by micro-macro transition based on the micro-sphere model. The consistent formulation of the material model and its tangent are important for a successful implementation into a three-dimensional finite strain FEM framework. The capabilities of the model are shown by the simulation of an axisymmetric tire production process starting at the green tire inserted into the heating press up to a post-cure inflation step.
A new heuristic and an exact approach for a production planning problem
Authors: Auer Peter , Dósa György , Dulai Tibor , Fügenschuh Armin , Näser Peggy , Ortner Ronald , Werner-Stark Ágnes
Published: June 2020

We deal with a very complex and hard scheduling problem. Two types of products are processed by a heterogeneous resource set, where resources have different operating capabilities and setup times are considered. The processing of the products follows different workflows, allowing also assembly lines. The complexity of the problem arises from having a huge number of products from both types. The goal is to process all products in minimum time, i.e., the makespan is to be minimized. We consider a special case, where there are two job types on four different tasks, and four types of machines. Some of the machines are multi-purpose and some operations can be processed by different machine types. The processing time of an operation may depend also on the machine that processes it. The problem is very difficult to solve even in this special setting. Because of the complexity of the problem an exact solver would require too much running time. We propose a compound method where a heuristic is combined with an exact solver. Our proposed heuristic is composed of several phases applying different smart strategies. In order to reduce the computational complexity of the exact approach, we exploit the makespan determined by the heuristic as an upper bound for the time horizon, which has a direct influence on the instance size used in the exact approach. We demonstrate the efficiency of our combined method on multiple problem classes. With the help of the heuristic the exact solver is able to obtain an optimal solution in a much shorter amount of time.
Substitute services: a barrier to controlling long-term care expenditures
Authors: Kattenberg Mark , Bakx Pieter
Published: June 2020

In many developed countries, long-term care expenditures are a major source of concern, which has urged policy makers to reduce costs. However, long-term care financing is highly fragmented in most countries and hence reducing total costs might be complicated by spillover effects: spending reductions on one type of care may be offset elsewhere in the system if consumers shop around for substitutes. These spillovers may be substantial, as we show using a reform in the budget for municipalities for the most common type of publicly financed home care in the Netherlands, domestic help. This reform generated an exogenous change in the grant for domestic help that does not depend on changes in its demand. We show that the change in budget affected consumption of this care type, but that this effect was mitigated by offsetting changes in the consumption of three other types of home care that are financed through another public scheme and are organized through regional single payers. We find that a 10 euro increase in the grant for domestic help increased use of domestic help and nursing by 0.13 and 0.03 h per capita (4.4 and 5.2% of use in 2007), whereas it decreases use of individual assistance and personal care by 0.03 and 0.05 h per capita (4.1 and 2.9% of use in 2010 and 2007, respectively). As a result, the total spending effect is closer to zero than the effect on domestic help suggests. This finding means that the fragmentation of long-term care financing limits the ability to control expenditure growth.
The effect of social distance measures on COVID-19 epidemics in Europe: an interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Vokó Zoltán , Pitter János György
Published: June 2020

Following the introduction of unprecedented “stay-at-home” national policies, the COVID-19 pandemic recently started declining in Europe. Our research aims were to characterize the changepoint in the flow of the COVID-19 epidemic in each European country and to evaluate the association of the level of social distancing with the observed decline in the national epidemics. Interrupted time series analyses were conducted in 28 European countries. Social distance index was calculated based on Google Community Mobility Reports. Changepoints were estimated by threshold regression, national findings were analyzed by Poisson regression, and the effect of social distancing in mixed effects Poisson regression model. Our findings identified the most probable changepoints in 28 European countries. Before changepoint, incidence of new COVID-19 cases grew by 24% per day on average. From the changepoint, this growth rate was reduced to 0.9%, 0.3% increase, and to 0.7% and 1.7% decrease by increasing social distancing quartiles. The beneficial effect of higher social distance quartiles (i.e., turning the increase into decline) was statistically significant for the fourth quartile. Notably, many countries in lower quartiles also achieved a flat epidemic curve. In these countries, other plausible COVID-19 containment measures could contribute to controlling the first wave of the disease. The association of social distance quartiles with viral spread could also be hindered by local bottlenecks in infection control. Our results allow for moderate optimism related to the gradual lifting of social distance measures in the general population, and call for specific attention to the protection of focal micro-societies enriching high-risk elderly subjects, including nursing homes and chronic care facilities.
Reflection on exam grades to improve calibration of secondary school students: a longitudinal study
Authors: Nederhand Marloes L. , Tabbers Huib K. , Jongerling Joran , Rikers Remy M. J. P.
Published: June 2020

Grades provide students with information about their level of performance. However, grades may also make students more aware of how well they have estimated their performance, their so-called calibration accuracy. This longitudinal quasi-experimental study, set in secondary education, examined how to increase students’ awareness of the accuracy of their grade estimates in order to improve their calibration accuracy. During an entire school year, students from year 1, 2, and 3 provided grade estimates after each of their French exams. Subsequently, when students received their grades, the level of reflection support on their earlier estimates was manipulated. The first group of students just received their grade, the second group had to calculate the difference between their estimate and the actual grade, and the third group also had to reflect on reasons for a possible mismatch. We expected that more reflection support would lead to more improvement in calibration accuracy. Results showed that providing grade estimates already improved calibration accuracy over the school year, regardless of level of reflection support. This finding shows that asking for grade estimates is an easy-to-implement way to improve calibration accuracy of students in secondary education.
Associations Between Fear of COVID-19, Mental Health, and Preventive Behaviours Across Pregnant Women and Husbands: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Modelling
Authors: Ahorsu Daniel Kwasi , Imani Vida , Lin Chung-Ying , Timpka Toomas , Broström Anders , Updegraff John A. , Årestedt Kristofer , Griffiths Mark D. , Pakpour Amir H.
Published: June 2020

The present cross-sectional study examined the actor-partner interdependence effect of fear of COVID-19 among Iranian pregnant women and their husbands and its association with their mental health and preventive behaviours during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A total of 290 pregnant women and their husbands (N = 580) were randomly selected from a list of pregnant women in the Iranian Integrated Health System and were invited to respond to psychometric scales assessing fear of COVID-19, depression, anxiety, suicidal intention, mental quality of life, and COVID-19 preventive behaviours. The findings demonstrated significant dyadic relationships between husbands and their pregnant wives' fear of COVID-19, mental health, and preventive behaviours. Pregnant wives’ actor effect of fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with depression, suicidal intention, mental quality of life, and COVID-19 preventive behaviours but not anxiety. Moreover, a husband actor effect of fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, suicidal intention, mental quality of life, and COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Additionally, there were significant partner effects observed for both the pregnant wives and their husbands concerning all outcomes. The present study used a cross-sectional design and so is unable to determine the mechanism or causal ordering of the effects. Also, the data are mainly based on self-reported measures which have some limitations due to its potential for social desirability and recall biases. Based on the findings, couples may benefit from psychoeducation that focuses on the effect of mental health problems on pregnant women and the foetus.
Incidence of the diagnosis of factitious disorders – Nationwide comparison study between Germany and Norway
Authors: Geile Julian , Aasly Jan , Madea Burkhard , Schrader Harald
Published: June 2020

Factitious disorders (FD) like Munchausen syndrome are well known to most physicians, yet the corresponding ICD-10 diagnosis F68.1 remains severely under-assigned and often misdiagnosed. To approach this problem, we conducted a nationwide inquiry for Germany and Norway as well as a comparison between these two countries regarding the incidence of diagnosis of FD. The assignment rates of F68.1 in somatic hospitals from 2008 to 2016 were analyzed based on the Diagnosis Related Groups statistic from the German Federal Statistical Office and the data provided from the Norwegian Patient Registry. The Norwegian data also included information on individual patients whereas the German data only contained the total number of F68.1 assignment due to strict medical confidentiality laws. The incidence of the diagnosis of FD in Germany and Norway showed similar assignment rates with 3.71 and 3.18 per 100,000, respectively. The mean age was 39.4 years for German patients and 35.6 years for Norwegian patients. The gender distribution was almost equal for the individual patients’ rate (49% female and 51% male). Furthermore, our results indicate that female patients with FD tend to demand healthcare services more frequently than male patients. Smaller studies focusing on the diagnosis of FD have significantly higher assignment rates compared to nationwide inquiries. Our results illustrate substantial differences between estimations of the incidence of FD and the need for further studies. Besides the many obstacles associated with diagnosis of FD, strict medical confidentiality laws prevent reliable and scientific investigations of this matter.
On the boomerang uniformity of some permutation polynomials
Authors: Calderini Marco , Villa Irene
Published: June 2020

The boomerang attack, introduced by Wagner in 1999, is a cryptanalysis technique against block ciphers based on differential cryptanalysis. In particular it takes into consideration two differentials, one for the upper part of the cipher and one for the lower part, and it exploits the dependency of these two differentials. At Eurocrypt’18, Cid et al. introduced a new tool, called the Boomerang Connectivity Table (BCT), that permits to simplify this analysis. Next, Boura and Canteaut introduced an important parameter for cryptographic S-boxes called boomerang uniformity, that is the maximum value in the BCT. Very recently, the boomerang uniformity of some classes of permutations (in particular quadratic functions) have been studied by Li, Qu, Sun and Li, and by Mesnager, Tang and Xiong. In this paper we further study the boomerang uniformity of some non-quadratic differentially 4-uniform functions. In particular, we consider the case of the Bracken-Leander cubic function and three classes of 4-uniform functions constructed by Li, Wang and Yu, obtained from modifying the inverse functions.
Morphology and life cycle of an epiphytic pherusellid ctenostome bryozoan from the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Decker Sebastian , Wanninger Andreas , Schwaha Thomas
Published: June 2020

The epiphytic community on the endemic seagrassPosidonia oceanicafrom the Mediterranean Sea is well studied, but still harbors some little investigated epiphytic bryozoans. Numerous, yet always small colonies ofPherusellasp. were recently encountered in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The aim of this study was to generate data on the life history, colonial development, and reproduction of the Mediterranean population of thisPherusellaspecies in order to gain a better understanding of the biology of this understudied species. The morphology of adult zooids was also studied due to the lack of recent data on the family with state-of-the-art techniques. Long-term observation shows that this species is highly adapted to an epiphytic life cycle with short generation time throughout the year. First laboratory cultures appear promising in establishing a reliable model system for developmental and ecological studies. Larvae are easily obtainable, and metamorphosis and colonial growth patterns are documented here for the first time. The morphology of adults shows distinct similarities with other pheruselllids and, along with the neuromuscular system, is similar to other alcyonidioideans supporting the close relationship of these taxa. This study constitutes one of the first long-time observations of the life cycle and colonial growth of a pherusellid bryozoan, including morphological data about the neuromuscular system of an otherwise incompletely known group of bryozoans.Pherusellasp. appears to be a promising candidate for future studies since it is easy to collect and maintain under laboratory conditions as well as to obtain different developmental stages.
Use of water treatment residuals for colour removal from real textile dye wastewater
Authors: Gadekar Mahesh R. , Ahammed M. Mansoor
Published: June 2020

The use of readily available water treatment residuals (WTR) as a low-cost material for removal of colour from real textile wastewater was investigated. WTR was used in three forms, namely in raw wet form as a coagulant, in the dried form as an adsorbent and as a filtration media in column tests. The results showed a maximum colour removal of 55 and 36% by coagulation and adsorption, respectively, and the corresponding COD removals were 35 and 37%. Coagulation and batch sorption tests showed the effect of initial pH on the colour removal, and maximum colour removal was obtained at an initial pH of 3.0. Long-duration continuous-flow column test using WTR as a filtration/sorption media showed that a maximum colour removal of 60% can be achieved. In column studies, complete exhaustion of the media occurred at 180 and 120 bed volumes, respectively, for initial pHs of 3.0 and 6.2. The study thus shows the potential of WTR for primary treatment of real textile dye wastewater.
Water-reduction potential of air-cooled condensers in coal power plants in India and anticipated trade-offs
Authors: Nazar Roshna
Published: June 2020

Wet cooling towers (WCT) are widely used to reject the unutilized heat in coal thermal power plants (TPPs). But this comes at the cost of excessive water consumption. Adoption of air-cooled condensers (ACC), also known as dry cooling systems, in all proposed Indian TPPs would reduce their water consumption by 26% in 2030. However, power producers are reluctant to install ACC due to technical and economic disadvantages such as high capital investment and land footprint. This study evaluates the major challenges in implementing ACC by quantifying them in terms of cost of electricity generation. Critical parameters of WCT and ACC, such as water and auxiliary consumption, are also estimated at varying ambient air conditions. The study shows that cost of electricity generation in TPPs with ACC would increase by 0.26–0.30 INR/kWh (0.37–0.42 US cents/kWh) compared to those TPPs with WCT. Despite this, installation of ACC would still be economically viable for those TPPs that are susceptible to at least 1 month of shutdown annually due to water shortages. On an average, Indian plants that are located at high water-stressed regions operate 1.5 months lesser than those at low and medium water-stressed regions. Such TPPs would see an increase in cost of electricity generation by 0.17 INR/kWh (0.24 US cents/kWh) compared to TPPs with ACC.
Reflectivity and spectral attribute-based reservoir characterization: a case study from "MUN" onshore Niger delta field, Nigeria
Authors: Munyithya J. M. , Ehirim C. N. , Dagogo T.
Published: June 2020

Reservoir characterization plays a significant role in the exploration, development, and production of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The use of integrated approach in characterization improves on the accuracy, certainty, and robust interpretation of reflectivity data. The study aimed to integrate reflectivity and spectral attributes to adequately characterize hydrocarbon reservoirs in MUN onshore Niger delta field. Well log and rock physics analyses identified and delineated reservoirs, discriminated lithology, characterized fluid, and established relations between elastic and reservoir properties for field-wide interpretation of the reflectivity data. The wells were tied to the reflectivity data, and H4 seismic horizon was mapped. Subsequently, sweetness, reflectivity and spectral attributes were extracted along H4 horizon after inversion and spectral decomposition of the reflectivity data and independently interpreted. Channel-like structure with high-amplitudes, low-to-moderate acoustic impedance (Ip), lambda–rho (λρ) and mu–rho (µρ) attribute values, and high-amplitude low-frequency spectral attributes (15–35 Hz), respectively, characteristics of hydrocarbon saturated channel sands were delineated. The channel reservoir sand is thick, porous with low volume of shale and low to moderate water saturation. Analysis of data further shows that reflectivity attributes provided a better description of fluid characteristics than the sweetness and spectral attributes, but are less sensitive to structure and exaggerated the shape and limits of the channel sands. However, the spectral attributes seem to be more robust than the reflectivity attributes in providing subtle structural and stratigraphic details of the reservoir as well as delineating by-passed hydrocarbons in the field.
Impact of physical phenomena and cyclical reinjection in miscible CO2-WAG recovery in carbonate reservoirs
Authors: Sampaio Marcio Augusto , de Mello Samuel Ferreira , Schiozer Denis José
Published: June 2020

Carbonated reservoirs with high percentage of CO2have been discovered and produced in the Brazilian pre-salt cluster. Recovery techniques, such as CO2-WAG, have hence been evaluated and applied, as in the Lula field. Although studies demonstrate the advantages of this technique, it is still difficult to estimate an increase in oil recovery. Thus, this work presents a methodology to evaluate the impacts of the main phenomena that occur and how CO2recycling can benefit the management of these fields. The results showed an increase in recovery with the modeling of the main phenomena such as relative permeability hysteresis and aqueous solubility of CO2, accompanied by a significant increase in CO2injection. However, the recycling of the CO2produced was shown to be fundamental in the reduction in this injection and to increase the NPV. The results showed a 4% increase in oil production and 9% in NPV, considering a producer–injector pair.
HDAC inhibitors promote pancreatic stellate cell apoptosis and relieve pancreatic fibrosis by upregulating miR-15/16 in chronic pancreatitis
Authors: Ji Ting , Feng Weiguang , Zhang Xiangcheng , Zang Kui , Zhu Xingxing , Shang Futai
Published: June 2020

In chronic pancreatitis, PSCs are activated by proinflammatory cytokines to induce pancreatic fibrogenesis. HDAC inhibition protected against the pancreatic fibrosis and the apoptosis of PSCs through induced apoptosis and depressed inflammation. In our study, we found that miR-15 and miR-16 decreased significantly in chronic pancreatitis and HDAC inhibition could recover the levels of these two miRNAs. HDAC regulated the transcription of miR-15 and miR-16, which then modulate the apoptosis and fibrosis of PSCs. And we proved that Bcl-2 and Smad5 were the target genes of miR-15 and miR-16, which illustrated how HDAC inhibition alleviated the apoptosis and fibrogenesis of PSCs in chronic pancreatitis. These results suggested that HDAC inhibition protects against CP by promoting apoptosis and TGF-β/Smads signaling pathways, and indicated that HDAC inhibition is a potential therapy to alleviate CP patients in clinic, and these need to be explored further.
Natural Products as Potential Leads Against Coronaviruses: Could They be Encouraging Structural Models Against SARS-CoV-2?
Authors: Orhan Ilkay Erdogan , Senol Deniz F. Sezer
Published: June 2020

New coronavirus referred to SARS-CoV-2 has caused a worldwide pandemic (COVID-19) declared by WHO. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease with severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). SARS-CoV-2 is akin to SARS-CoV, which was the causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 as well as to that of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012. SARS-CoV-2 has been revealed to belong to Coronaviridiae family as a member of β-coronaviruses. It has a positive-sense single-stranded RNA with the largest RNA genome. Since its genomic sequence has a notable similarity to that of SARS-CoV, antiviral drugs used to treat SARS and MERS are now being also applied for COVID-19 treatment. In order to combat SARS-CoV-2, many drug and vaccine development studies at experimental and clinical levels are currently conducted worldwide. In this sense, medicinal plants and the pure natural molecules isolated from plants have been reported to exhibit significant inhibitory antiviral activity against SARS-CoV and other types of coronaviruses. In the present review, plant extracts and natural molecules with the mentioned activity are discussed in order to give inspiration to researchers to take these molecules into consideration against SARS-CoV-2.
Super Aging in South Korea Unstoppable but Mitigatable: A Sub-National Scale Population Projection for Best Policy Planning
Authors: Kim Kee Whan , Kim Oh Seok
Published: June 2020

This research portrays the spatial and temporal progression of super-aging in regions throughout South Korea. Using a single-year population projection considering gross domestic migration, this research identifies which regions will shortly become a super-aged society. A cohort-component method with a migrant pool model is applied. The county-level national population registration data (2000–2018) are aggregated into 37 regions for the model run. In 2020, 16 rural regions will become super-aged societies. By 2029, all 37 regions, including the metropolitan areas, will join the group, with Sejong, the administrative capital, being the last to enter. In brief, the rural areas become super-aged earlier than the metropolitan areas, and within a decade, those 65 years old or older will make up the majority of the national population. Among all the metropolitan areas, Busan, the largest harbor city, will be the first to be super-aged in 2023. Sejong will experience the most radical change between 2020 and 2050. The research outcomes demonstrate that demographic changes in the rural and metropolitan areas are different; hence, the recent population policies, such as promoting fertility, may not work in the rural areas as they have already lost their population momentum due to the extreme and on-going urbanization throughout the nation. The unstoppable aging will pose adverse effects on future citizens (who are mostly senior) both financially and medically. An increase in health care expenditure and a nationwide blood shortage for transfusion are anticipated, for example.
Occurrence of the rare plant Sternbergia colchiciflora in an urban environment
Authors: Molnár V. Attila , Siffer Sándor , Molnár Hanga Anna , Fekete Réka
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we report a remarkable population of the rare plant Sternbergia colchiciflora found along a busy road section in the downtown of county seat Veszprém (W-Hungary). The population contains at least 7000 individuals and spreads across fifteen grassy traffic islands. Regarding the position of individuals, their relative distance from the road/sidewalk within the traffic islands differed significantly from a hypothetical uniform distribution, with higher number of individuals situated close to the island edges than expected by chance. Besides this rare bulbous plant, several other dry grassland specialist plant species were also found in these habitat patches, e.g., Astragalus austriacus, Festuca rupicola, Filipendula vulgaris, Muscari neglectum, Petrorhagia saxifraga, Potentilla arenaria, Ranunculus illyricus, Salvia nemorosa, Sanguisorba minor, Teucrium chamaedrys, Thesium linophyllon, Verbascum phoeniceum and Vinca herbacea. The origin of these dry grassland plants in this highly disturbed urban environment is uncertain; possibly, they were introduced ca. 15 years ago in the course of earthworks during the construction of the road. Recent management (frequent and motorized lawn mowing) seems to favor the Sternbergia colchiciflora, while the habitat is currently not directly threatened. Unfortunately, the potential for local conservation appears to be highly limited.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE COMPACTNESS OF
Authors: CASANOVAS ENRIQUE , ZIEGLER MARTIN
Published: June 2020

We give an exposition of the compactness of
$L({Q^{\mathrm{\,cf}}\!\!\!\!\!\!}_{C})$
, for any set C of regular cardinals.
Critical big data literacy tools—Engaging citizens and promoting empowered internet usage
Authors: Sander Ina
Published: June 2020

Datafied societies need informed public debate about the implications of data science technologies. At present, internet users are often unaware of the potential consequences of disclosing personal data online and few citizens have the knowledge to participate in such debates. This paper argues that critical big data literacy efforts are one way to address this lack of knowledge. It draws on findings from a small qualitative investigation and discusses the effectiveness of online critical big data literacy tools. Through pre and post use testing, the short- and longer-term influence of these tools on people’s privacy attitudes and behavior was investigated. The study’s findings suggested that the tools tested had a predominantly positive initial effect, leading to improved critical big data literacy among most participants, which resulted in more privacy-sensitive attitudes and internet usage. When analyzing the tools’ longer-term influence, results were more mixed, with evidence suggesting for some that literacy effects of the tools were short-lived, while for others they led to more persistent and growing literacy. The findings confirm previous research noting the complexity of privacy attitudes and also find that resignation toward privacy is multi-faceted. Overall, this study reaffirms the importance of critical big data literacy and produces new findings about the value of interactive data literacy tools. These tools have been under-researched to date. This research shows that these tools could provide a relevant means to work toward empowering internet users, promoting a critical internet usage and, ideally, enabling more citizens to engage in public debates about changing data systems.
THE CO-DESIGN COGNITIVE PROCESS: IMPACTS OF A SPATIAL AUGMENTED REALITY PLATFORM
Authors: Poulin M. , Masclet C. , Boujut J.-F.
Published: June 2020

The study of design cognitive activity began in the 70s under the influence of psychology and ergonomics. Since then, the design process has undergone many changes with the advent of technology. This paper will notably present you to one of them: the Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR). The study conducted with this technology will focus on multimodal analysis in co-design meetings were we have compared two co-design sessions. We notice that the design activity is unchanged by the introduction of such a technology but could encourage interactions from clients who are usually less invested.
GENERATIVE BOUNDARY OBJECTS AS INTEGRAL PARTS OF FRAMING IN DESIGN AND BIOSCIENCE COLLABORATIONS
Authors: Välk S. , Mougenot C.
Published: June 2020

Collaborations between design engineers and bioscientists offer novel opportunities that could help solving some of the biggest challenges organisations and societies are facing. Combining design and bioscience has the potential to create responsible and desirable products/services, however such ventures come with challenges rising from boundaries between practices. This research explores boundary objects as sources of framing in multidisciplinary collaborations. The results are based on a descriptive study with synthetic biologists and design engineers working on an innovation-driven task.
AN APPROACH FOR TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION-DRIVEN DESIGN FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Authors: Nordin A.
Published: June 2020

This paper describes an approach for designing lightweight components produced through additive manufacturing (AM). Lightweight design is often done through topology optimization (TO). However, the process of manually interpreting mesh-based and imprecise results from a TO into a geometry that fulfils all requirements is complex. To aid in this process, this paper suggest an approach based on combining overhang-constrained TO with lattice-based TO to automate complex tasks, retain parametric control, and to minimize manufacturing cost. The approach is validated through a benchmark part.
INTRODUCTION AND INVESTIGATION OF A METHOD FOR THE SYNTHESIS AND SELECTION OF HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE DRIVETRAIN DESIGN IN THE EARLY STAGE OF PRODUCT GENERATION ENGINEERING (PGE)
Authors: Albers A. , Ruoff S. , Bause K.
Published: June 2020

In this paper, a method is presented, that supports the developer in the development of hybrid electrical vehicle drivetrains. The developer gets support in the early stage of product generation engineering, beginning with the definition of the system of objectives, via the automated synthesis and investigation of the drivetrain topologies, ending with a topology ranking, which is related to the system of objectives, and a similarity analysis. As the method is implemented in a tool, the results of the tool and its usability are investigated within two comprehensive descriptive studies.
MODELING DESIGN STUDIO PEDAGOGY: A MENTORED REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Authors: Milovanovic J. , Gero J.
Published: June 2020

This paper explores the notion of mentored reflective practice to describe design studio pedagogy. Students learn how to design by doing design in the studio. Design critiques are a key element in design studio pedagogy as they capture a moment where students get feedback from their tutors on their designs. The research questions addressed concern the roles of each participant during design studio reviews and their interactions with design representations. The protocol analysis methodology and the Function Behavior Structure ontology are utilized to convey our case study analysis.
THE KARAKURI CARD DECK: CO-DESIGNING INDUSTRIAL IOT CONCEPTUAL SOLUTIONS
Authors: Aranda Muñoz Á. , Florin U. , Eriksson Y. , Yamamoto Y. , Sandström K.
Published: June 2020

Novel IoT market solutions and research promise IoT modules that do not require programming or electrical setup, yet shop floor personnel need to face problem solving activities to create technical solutions. This paper introduces the Karakuri card deck and presents a case study composed of four workshop sessions in four manufacturing settings, where shop floor personnel tested the cards as a means of ideating and presenting conceptual IoT solutions in the form of diagrams. The results indicate the validity of the proposed conceptual solutions and suggest prototyping as a next step.
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOR: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH
Authors: Montecchi T. , Becattini N.
Published: June 2020

The article stems from the main informative gaps of Design for Sustainable Behaviour and discusses the paramount role of a data-driven approach to inform design. The article stresses how quantitative data can address global sustainability, determine behaviours to modify, measure the impact of new learned sustainable behaviours as well as support the definition of behaviour change strategies, widening the spatial and temporal scales to communities and longitudinal studies and reducing unpredictable biases coming from tacit knowledge externalization and interpretation.
DESIGNING FOR SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR PRACTICES IN CONSUMERS: A CASE STUDY ON COMPOSTABLE MATERIALS FOR PACKAGING
Authors: Santi R. , Elegir G. , Del Curto B.
Published: June 2020

When assessing the sustainability of a product, an ideal life cycle is considered which could include the “Use” and “End of Life” phases. Does human behaviour affect the environmental sustainability? This paper intends to propose a methodological framework for assessing sustainable behavioural scenarios. The framework will be then developed in a specific case study on Compostable Single Use Products (CSUPs), with the aim of designing the identity of compostable materials for packaging in order to guide consumers to behave in a sustainable way in CSUPs disposal phase.