bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medical Emergency and Public Health Response in Disaster Settings: A Case Series of Pidie Jaya, Lombok and Palu Earthquakes
Authors: Rahman Safrizal , Hutagalung Muhammad Bayu Zohari
Published: May 2020

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone countries, often regarded as a “world disaster laboratory.” Natural disasters cause destruction and human suffering, especially in low- and middle-income countries Objective: This paper presents the overview of a medical emergency and public health response towards several recent earthquakes in Pidie Jaya, Lombok, and Palu of Indonesia. Case Series: The authors examine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the organized disaster response of the Pidie Jaya, Lombok, and Palu earthquakes in medical emergency response. Pidie Jaya Earthquake: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Pidie Jaya Regency, province of Aceh in Sumatra Island, Indonesia, resulting in 104 people died and others 395 injured. Lombok Earthquake: A series of moderate and strong earthquakes have rocked cities and regencies in Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) causing 436 people died, 783 people with severe injury and 570 people with a mild injury. Palu Earthquake: The 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Donggala district and also affected Palu city and Parigi Mountong regency causing 2657 people died, 4471 people with severe injury and 87,835 people with a mild injury. Important Findings: Though Indonesia has made outstanding progress in disaster management, the country still has many challenges and problems to overcome. The integration of data and information about health needs the progress of relief work, and about various other problems related to health is one of the most urgent and vital for better improving the medical emergency response and public health-related support in disaster settings.
Rancang Bangun Media Pembelajaran Radio Theory I Berbasis Multimedia Animasi
Authors: Prayitno Hadi , Siregar Muhammad Amril , Yusdartono Muhammad Habib , Idris Iswandi , Khair Rizaldy
Published: May 2020

Pentingnya Media Pembelajaran dimanfaatkan oleh ATKP Medan untuk terus meningkatkan mutu pembelajaran,  Permasalahan yang sering dijumpai dalam pembelajaran avionic adalah keterbatasan resource yang ada karena untuk mengakses pembelajaran avionic para taruna harus mengakses dari LAB CBT dan tidak bisa dari tempat lain. Hal ini disebabkan software Avionic hanya terpasang didalam lab dan tidak bisa dipelajari dari luar lab. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini adalah meningkatkan proses pembelajaran avionic- Radio Theory I secara digital yang dkemas dalam animasi multimedia untuk Memudahkan para taruna untuk mempelajari avionic Radio Theory I tanpa harus akses di laboratorium. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah menggunakan Dengan menggunakan metode Multimedia Development Life Cycle MDLC  yaitu metode Konsep (Concept), perancangan (desain), pengumpulan bahan (material collecting), pembuatan (assembly), pengujian (testing), distribusi (distribution). Video yang dihasilkan terdiri dari 4 sub video yaitu Introduction, Radio Wave Propogation, Effects of Athmosphere dan Polarization, dengan durasi 3 menit 28 detik.
The Conceptualist Ends of Writing and the End of Conceptualism
Authors: Armand Louis
Published: May 2020

This essay examines the convergence of conceptualist poetics with evolutionary code as a form of ‘becoming alien’. The focus is Christian Bök's The Xenotext project: an attempt at translating a ‘short verse about language and genetics’, using a chemical alphabet, into a DNA sequence implanted into the genome of a polyextremophile bacterium capable of enduring conditions in outerspace. Bök describes the project as, ‘in effect, engineering a life-form so that it becomes not only a durable archive for storing a poem, but also as an operant machine for writing a poem – one that can persist on the planet until the sun itself explodes …’. The concrete, constraint-based character of Bök's project evokes a mode of writing between posthumanist aesthetics and a positivist grammatology by turns deconstructive and itself requiring of deconstruction.
Digitally Post-Human: Living On and After
Authors: Wood Nigel
Published: May 2020

Definitions of digital abound at the present time, but there is a thread amongst the most vital of these that questions the relevance of human agency and evaluative choice. If we follow where technological advances take us we come to the unsettling conclusion that ‘machine reading’ has usurped more analogue procedures and that algorithmic formulae have supplanted human judgement; the opportunities that new software provide can outstrip our imagination in framing research questions. Literary history, however, addresses how we might make sense of the One as well as the Many, and, when confronted by a string of word- or phrase-patterns, it is not that our findings speak for themselves; we have to conjure their value. This is exemplified by analysing where some digital searches might take us in relation to Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, basing the reading on all the repetitions of gentile/ gentle, kind, and credit. The sensitive interrogation of the play's electronic text does point us to salient ‘returns’ and patterning signalled by following where the significant iterations of these words might take us, but what we make of these lines of enquiry eventually calls on human evaluation and volition.
John Company: The Act of Incorporation
Authors: Ashford David
Published: May 2020

‘John Company: The Act of Incorporation’ is the first episode in a series of twelve open-form pieces on the history of the British East India Company, and relates legal innovations behind the inception of the Company to the development of forms of Artificial Intelligence in Elizabethan England. The poem references primary material contained in the seventeenth-century anthology Purchas his Pilgrimes and in the East India Company's archives now housed in the British Library, and draws on research conducted by Kevin LaGrandeur in his book Androids and Intelligent Networks in Early Modern Literature and Culture (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013), and by Vladimir I. Braginsky in his essay ‘Towards the Biography of Hamzah Fansuri: When Did Hamzah Live? Data From His Poems and Early European Accounts’, Archival 57 (Paris, 1999), 135–75.
Konsumsi Pangan Sumber Zat Besi dan Asam Folat dengan Anemia pada Ibu Hamil di Puskesmas Tawaeli
Authors: Suastira  , Sumiaty  , Ansar
Published: May 2020

Anemia is a condition where the hemoglobin level in the blood is below normal. Anemia is directly caused by daily food intake that contains less iron and folic acid. Data from the Basic Health Research conducted in 2013 showed that the proportion of pregnant women who were anemic in Indonesia reached 37.1%, in Central Sulawesi anemia in pregnant women reached 24.42%, then for the Palu city it was found in the Tawaeli Health Center reaching 58, 7%. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between food consumption and folic acid with the incidence of anemia in pregnant women in the Tawaeli Health Center Area. This type of research is analytic observational using cross sectional. Sampling is done by visiting the respondent's place directly or door to door with 40 people. Data collection was done directly, using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and to find out anemia in pregnant women using Hb meter (Diaspect). The results showed that the percentage of anemia anemia was higher in pregnant women who rarely discussed iron food (56.7%) with the results of statistical tests showing p value = 0.02 (p <0.05) and folic acid (52.6%) with the results of statistical tests showing a p value of 0.04 (p <0.05). The results showed an association between iron food and folic acid with the incidence of anemia in pregnant women.
Comparative Energy Analysis of a Load Sensing System and a Zonal Hydraulics for a 9-Tonne Excavator
Authors: Casoli Paolo , Scolari Fabio , Minav Tatiana , Rundo Massimo
Published: May 2020

With the rising demand for energy efficiency, displacement-controlled or so-called pump-controlled systems have become an attractive research topic for applications in construction machinery and other off-road vehicles. Pump-controlled systems can be implemented with electro-hydrostatic actuators as electro-hydraulic zones, which are located next to the end actuator as a replacement for the traditional valve-controlled hydraulic actuation systems. In this paper a 9-tonne class excavator is utilized as a study case. A mathematical model of the conventional machine, validated with tests carried out on both the excavator and the single hydraulic components, was previously developed within the Simcenter AMESim© environment. This mathematical model was modified with electric components for simulating a zonal hydraulics excavator and compared with a conventional load sensing (LS) machine. The energy efficiencies of both the LS circuit and the new solution were evaluated for typical duty cycles, pointing out the obtainable energy efficiency improvements, which were mainly due to the absence of the directional valves and pressure compensators. The results also point out the effect of the pipe losses when the circuit layout requires the pipe for connecting the pump with the actuator; moreover, the effect of a diesel engine downsizing on the energy saving was evaluated.
Research on a Low-Cost, Open-Source, and Remote Monitoring Data Collector to Predict Livestock’s Habits Based on Location and Auditory Information: A Case Study from Vietnam
Authors: Ngo Ha Quang Thinh , Nguyen Thanh Phuong , Nguyen Hung
Published: May 2020

The supervision and feeding of grazing livestock are always difficult missions. Since animals act based on habits, the real-time monitoring data logger has become an indispensable instrument to assist farmers in recognizing the status of livestock. Position-tracked and acoustic monitoring have become commonplace as two of the best methods to characterize feeding performance in ruminants. Previously, the existing methods were limited to desktop computers and lacked a sound-collecting function. These restrictions impacted the late interventions from feeders and required a large-sized data memory. In this work, an open-source framework for a data collector that autonomously captures the health information of farm animals is introduced. In this portable hardware, a Wireless Location Acoustic Sensing System (WiLASS) is integrated to infer the health status through the activities and abnormal phenomena of farming livestock via chew–bite sound identification. WiLASS involves the open modules of ESP32-WROOM, GPS NEO-6M, ADXL335 accelerometer, GY-MAX4466 amplifier, temperature sensors, and other signal processing circuits. By means of wireless communication, the ESP32-WROOM Thing micro-processor offers high speed transmission, standard protocol, and low power consumption. Data are transferred in a real-time manner from the attached sensing modules to a digital server for further analysis. The module of GPS NEO-6M Thing brings about fast tracking, high precision, and a strong signal, which is suitable for highland applications. Some computations are incorporated into the accelerometer to estimate directional movement and vibration. The GY-MAX4466 Thing plays the role of microphone, which is used to store environmental sound. To ensure the quality of auditory data, they are recorded at a minimum sampling frequency of 10 KHz and at a 12-bit resolution. Moreover, a mobile software in pocket devices is implemented to provide extended mobility and social convenience. Converging with a cloud-based server, the multi-Thing portable platform can provide access to simultaneously supervise. Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol with low bandwidth, high reliability, and bi-direction, and which is appropriate for most operating systemsOS, is embedded into the system to prevent data loss. From the experimental results, the feasibility, effectiveness, and correctness of our approach are verified. Under the changes of climate, the proposed framework not only supports the improvement of farming techniques, but also provides a high-quality alternative for poor rural areas because of its low cost and its ability to carry out a proper policy for each species.
Intensification of Sorghum Production in Flood Recession Agriculture in Yelimane, Western Mali
Authors: Traore Kalifa , Traore Bouya , Synnevåg Gry , Aune Jens B.
Published: May 2020

Flood recession farming is as an important supplement to rainfed agriculture in West Africa. Every year, large areas are flooded along riverbanks and temporary lakes. When water recedes from the flooded areas, farmers plant crops. This study describes the flood recession farming in the Yelimane district of Kayes region in Mali and assesses different ways to intensify the system. The use of external inputs in this system is minimal. Field experiments were undertaken over two years to test crop establishment methods, soil tillage, increasing plant density, use of organic and mineral fertilizer, and improved varieties. These technologies increased sorghum yield as compared to the control in the following descending order: Seed priming + fertilizer (77.1%), NPK + organic fertilizer (74%), seedling transplantation + micro fertilization (61.3%), improved varieties (49%), mounding (34%), and urea application (24.9%). The technology seed priming in combination with mineral fertilizers was promising because of the high yield and the low labor demand. Nitrogen fertilizer is needed in flood recession agriculture as the soils and the deposited sediments are low in nitrogen. Farmers’ choice of technology will depend on the yield level, net return per hectare, labor use, and access to inputs.
QTL Mapping for Resistance to Early Blight in a Tetraploid Potato Population
Authors: Odilbekov Firuz , Selga Catja , Ortiz Rodomiro , Chawade Aakash , Liljeroth Erland
Published: May 2020

Early blight of potato, caused by Alternaria solani, is an economically important foliar disease in most potato-growing regions. Growing cultivars with higher levels of resistance to early blight can reduce tuber yield losses and the need for fungicide applications. In this research, a bi-parental tetraploid potato population, segregating for resistance to early blight in leaves and tubers, was characterized to identify novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with foliar and tuber early blight resistance. Assessment of the disease resistance in the foliage was performed by field evaluation and in tuber under controlled conditions. Results from this study revealed significant differences (P < 0.001) in resistance to A. solani among potato clones both in the leaves and in tubers. There was no statistically significant correlation (r = 0.06, P = 0.35) between the resistance scores from leaves and tubers. Several clones exhibited; however, high levels of resistance both in leaves and tubers and are; thus, promising candidates for breeding for early blight resistance. Linkage mapping revealed several QTL for early blight affecting both foliage and tubers. QTL associated with disease resistance in the tuber were found on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 11 and 12. QTL associated with disease resistance in foliage were also examined for independence from defoliation, and independent QTL were; thus, found on chromosomes 5 and 11.
Aphid Behavior on Amaranthus hybridus L. (Amaranthaceae) Associated with Ocimum spp. (Lamiaceae) as Repellent Plants
Authors: Yarou Boni Barthélémy , Bokonon-Ganta Aimé H. , Verheggen François J. , Lognay Georges C. , Francis Frédéric
Published: May 2020

Various plant species contain biocidal and/or semiochemical components. These can be used for managing insect pests, in order to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides and to improve the quality of vegetable crops. This study was conducted to assess the effect of repellent plants Ocimum gratissimum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. on aphids Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis fabae Scopoli and Myzus persicae Sulzer when they are associated with Amaranthus hybridus L. plants. The results have shown that in the two approaches tested—Ocimum sp. plants surrounded by A. hybridus plants and the dual-choice test—the number of aphids on the A. hybridus plant associated with either O. gratissimum or O. basilicum was significantly less significant compared to the A. hybridus alone. This first study on the association between A. hybridus and Ocimum spp. shows that the Ocimum species might be used as an alternative method for controlling aphids in order to avoid the use of synthetic pesticides on Amaranthus. The ability of Ocimum spp. to repel pests can make it an important companion plant for farmers, because those plants can not only be used to control pests, but they can also be harvested, providing a direct economic return.
Analysis of the Factors Influencing Veterinary Food Inspectors in Poland
Authors: Wojtacka Joanna , Wysok Beata , Szteyn Joanna
Published: May 2020

The evaluation of the quality of Veterinary Inspection in Poland has received much attention in the past few years. Veterinarians working as Food Inspectors face numerous and newly arising problems in the protection of animal health status, providing surveillance information on the occurrence of diseases, and carrying out risk analyses of the hazards related to food of animal origin. From the 130 active veterinarians attending the post graduate courses in “Hygiene of slaughter animals, meat and animal origin products” in Poland, 119 took part in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions that delivered information on demographic features of the respondents, and various aspects of the course of their work: (a) Motivation to undertake work in food safety sector, (b) overall job satisfaction, (c) crucial negative factors and (d) occupational hazards. Participants were mainly under 40 years of age. They were Veterinary Food Inspectors working as Official and Approved Veterinarians. Permanent position and economic reasons were their main motivation in the food safety sector. They indicated problems related to insufficient training in ante and post mortem examination, work with legal acts and risk analysis. They also declared a lack of preparation in coping with crisis situations. One third of the respondents declared their health and lives were endangered, while fulfilling professional duties and pointed at different sources of hazards. The overall evaluation of the work in food safety sector was rated good and satisfactory.
Effect of a Synbiotic Mix on Lymphoid Organs of Broilers Infected with Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens
Authors: Villagrán-de la Mora Zuamí , Vázquez-Paulino Olga , Avalos Hugo , Ascencio Felipe , Nuño Karla , Villarruel-López Angélica
Published: May 2020

Synbiotic consumption can modulate immune response. This work involves studying the effect of a synbiotic on lymphoid organs and IgA of broilers infected with Salmonella typhimurium and Clostridium perfringens. A total of 258 one-day-old male broilers (Gallus gallus domesticus), line COBBAvian48 (free of growth-promoting antibiotics), were distributed into eight treatment groups. A symbiotic mix comprising Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5 M as probiotics and 4.5% (0.045 g g−1) of Agave tequilana fructans as prebiotic per dose (one milliliter) was administered through drinking water the first day of life. Bursa, spleen and thymus were analyzed. Broilers treated with the synbiotic, whether or not infected with pathogens, had bigger bursa follicles than the non-treated (p < 0.05), and the ones from the synbiotic group had more lymphocytes than the control group (p < 0.05). Thymus follicles of the synbiotic group were bigger than the control group (p < 0.05). Lesions associated with Salmonella infection were found in the bursa, however, in the broilers treated with the synbiotic, the lesions were less intense and were not present after 32 days of life. The synbiotic mix can stimulate the bursa, increasing the size of their follicles and promoting the ability to resist infections caused by S. typhimurium in broilers.
A Review of the Effect of Formic Acid and Its Salts on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota and Performance of Pigs
Authors: Luise Diana , Correa Federico , Bosi Paolo , Trevisi Paolo
Published: May 2020

Out of the alternatives to antibiotics and zinc oxide, organic acids, or simply acidifiers, play significant roles, especially in ensuring gut health and the growth performance of pigs. Regarding acidifiers, formic acid and its salts have shown very promising results in weaning, growing and finishing pigs. Although it is known that the main mechanisms by which acidifiers can improve livestock performance and health are related to the regulation of gastrointestinal pH, an improvement in intestinal digestibility and mineral utilization, and their antimicrobial properties against specific pathogens has been observed, while poor consensus remains in relation to the effect of acidifers on bacteria and the complex microbiome. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to critically evaluate the effects of formic acid and its salts on the performance and the gastrointestinal microbiota balance of pigs.
Combined Anti-Cancer Strategies Based on Anti-Checkpoint Inhibitor Antibodies
Authors: Golay Josée , Andrea Alain E.
Published: May 2020

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer came of age in 1997, with the approval of anti-CD20 Rituximab. Since then, a wide variety of antibodies have been developed with many different formats and mechanisms of action. Among these, antibodies blocking immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the field, based on the novelty of their concept and their demonstrated efficacy in several types of cancer otherwise lacking effective immunotherapy approaches. ICI are expressed by tumor, stromal or immune cells infiltrating the tumor microenvironment, and negatively regulate anti-tumor immunity. Antibodies against the first discovered ICI, CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1, have shown significant activity in phase III studies against melanoma and other solid cancers, alone or in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, not all cancers and not all patients respond to these drugs. Therefore, novel antibodies targeting additional ICI are currently being developed. In addition, CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 blocking antibodies are being combined with each other or with other antibodies targeting novel ICI, immunostimulatory molecules, tumor antigens, angiogenic factors, complement receptors, or with T cell engaging bispecific antibodies (BsAb), with the aim of obtaining synergistic effects with minimal toxicity. In this review, we summarize the biological aspects behind such combinations and review some of the most important clinical data on ICI-specific antibodies.
whISOBAXTM Inhibits Bacterial Pathogenesis and Enhances the Effect of Antibiotics
Authors: Rasooly Reuven , Choi Hwang-Yong , Do Paula , Morroni Gianluca , Brescini Lucia , Cirioni Oscar , Giacometti Andrea , Apostolidis Emmanouil
Published: May 2020

As bacteria are becoming more resistant to commonly used antibiotics, alternative therapies are being sought. whISOBAX (WH) is a witch hazel extract that is highly stable (tested up to 2 months in 37 °C) and contains a high phenolic content, where 75% of it is hamamelitannin and traces of gallic acid. Phenolic compounds like gallic acid are known to inhibit bacterial growth, while hamamelitannin is known to inhibit staphylococcal pathogenesis (biofilm formation and toxin production). WH was tested in vitro for its antibacterial activity against clinically relevant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and its synergy with antibiotics determined using checkerboard assays followed by isobologram analysis. WH was also tested for its ability to suppress staphylococcal pathogenesis, which is the cause of a myriad of resistant infections. Here we show that WH inhibits the growth of all bacteria tested, with variable efficacy levels. The most WH-sensitive bacteria tested were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis, followed by Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Furthermore, WH was shown on S. aureus to be synergistic to linezolid and chloramphenicol and cumulative to vancomycin and amikacin. The effect of WH was tested on staphylococcal pathogenesis and shown here to inhibit biofilm formation (tested on S. epidermidis) and toxin production (tested on S. aureus Enterotoxin A (SEA)). Toxin inhibition was also evident in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin that induces pathogenesis. Put together, our study indicates that WH is very effective in inhibiting the growth of multiple types of bacteria, is synergistic to antibiotics, and is also effective against staphylococcal pathogenesis, often the cause of persistent infections. Our study thus suggests the benefits of using WH to combat various types of bacterial infections, especially those that involve resistant persistent bacterial pathogens.
In Vitro Activity of a Novel Siderophore-Cephalosporin, GT-1 and Serine-Type β-Lactamase Inhibitor, GT-055, against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp. Panel Strains
Authors: Nguyen Le Phuong , Pinto Naina Adren , Vu Thao Nguyen , Lee Hyunsook , Cho Young Lag , Byun Jung-Hyun , D’Souza Roshan , Yong Dongeun
Published: May 2020

This study investigates GT-1 (also known as LCB10-0200), a novel-siderophore cephalosporin, inhibited multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogen, via a Trojan horse strategy exploiting iron-uptake systems. We investigated GT-1 activity and the role of siderophore uptake systems, and the combination of GT-1 and a non-β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) of diazabicyclooctane, GT-055, (also referred to as LCB18-055) against molecularly characterised resistant Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp. isolates. GT-1 and GT-1/GT-055 were tested in vitro against comparators among three different characterised panel strain sets. Bacterial resistome and siderophore uptake systems were characterised to elucidate the genetic basis for GT-1 minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). GT-1 exhibited in vitro activity (≤2 μg/mL MICs) against many MDR isolates, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and carbapenemase-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae and oxacillinase (OXA)-producing Acinetobacter spp. GT-1 also inhibited strains with mutated siderophore transporters and porins. Although BLI GT-055 exhibited intrinsic activity (MIC 2–8 μg/mL) against most E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates, GT-055 enhanced the activity of GT-1 against many GT-1–resistant strains. Compared with CAZ-AVI, GT-1/GT-055 exhibited lower MICs against E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. GT-1 demonstrated potent in vitro activity against clinical panel strains of E. coli, K. pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp. GT-055 enhanced the in vitro activity of GT-1 against many GT-1–resistant strains.
Protein Formulations Containing Polysorbates: Are Metal Chelators Needed at All?
Authors: Brovč Ema Valentina , Pajk Stane , Šink Roman , Mravljak Janez
Published: May 2020

Proteins are prone to post-translational modifications at specific sites, which can affect their physicochemical properties, and consequently also their safety and efficacy. Sources of post-translational modifications include oxygen and reactive oxygen species. Additionally, catalytic amounts of Fe(II) or Cu(I) can promote increased activities of reactive oxygen species, and thus catalyse the production of particularly reactive hydroxyl radicals. When oxidative post-translational modifications are detected in the biopharmaceutical industry, it is common practice to add chelators to the formulation. However, the resultant complexes with metals can be even more damaging. Indeed, this is supported here using an ascorbate redox system assay and peptide mapping. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) addition strongly accelerated the formation of hydroxyl radicals in an iron-ascorbate system, while diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) addition did not. When Fe(III) was substituted with Cu(II), EDTA addition almost stopped hydroxyl radical production, whereas DTPA addition showed continued production, but at a reduced rate. Further, EDTA accelerated metal-catalysed oxidation of proteins, and thus did not protect them from Fe-mediated oxidative damage. As every formulation is unique, justification for EDTA or DTPA addition should be based on experimental data and not common practice.
A Dynamic Adjusted Aggregate Load Method to Support Workload Control Policies
Authors: Renna Paolo
Published: May 2020

Workload control mechanisms are widely studied in the literature for the control of job-shop systems. The control of these systems involves acceptance, order release and priority dispatching. At the release level, the workload norm controls the “enters” of the jobs; it is relevant how the aggregate workload is computed. Few works have studied new computation methods of the aggregate workload but use the adjusted aggregate workload proposed in the literature. This paper proposes a dynamically adjusted aggregate workload to improve the performance of the workload control mechanism in job-shop systems. The adjusted aggregate workload is updated when each part exits from a workstation; this means that the workload used to release the orders is related to the state of the job shop in real-time. Simulation is used to evaluate and compare the proposed model to the classical models proposed in the literature. The simulation experiments demonstrate improvement of performance and how the model proposed is robust under different manufacturing system conditions.
The Effect of Polyphenolics in Extracts from Natural Materials on Metabolic Activity of Metastatic Melanoma WM-266-4 Cells
Authors: Žitek Taja , Dariš Barbara , Finšgar Matjaž , Knez Željko , Bjelić Dragana , Knez Hrnčič Maša
Published: May 2020

The importance of natural crops in medicine and pharmacy is growing. Beside bioactive compounds used directly as therapeutic agents, there are also raw materials used for drug synthesis or as a basic model for new biologically active compounds. In this paper, the optimum conditions for material extraction of Curcuma longa, Lycium barbarum, Equisetum arvense, Vitis vinifera, and Rosmarinus officinalis were investigated to achieve high antioxidant levels. The main aim of this study was to verify the correlation between the content of antioxidants, proanthocyanidins and total phenolic substances for certain extracts from the raw materials (Curcuma longa, Lycium barbarum, Equisetum arvense, Vitis vinifera and Rosmarinus officinalis) and the reduction of the metabolic activity of skin cancer cells.
The Inventory Routing Problem with Priorities and Fixed Heterogeneous Fleet
Authors: Avila-Torres Paulina A. , Arratia-Martinez Nancy M. , Ruiz-y-Ruiz Efraín
Published: May 2020

This paper presents a new combinatorial optimization problem, the inventory routing problem with priorities, and a fixed heterogeneous fleet. In this problem, a particular set of customers has to be served before the rest of the customers using vehicles with different capacities. The problem is inspired by the current situation faced by a specialized gas distribution company in the northeast region of Mexico. The company produces and distributes three main products, although this paper focuses only on the oxygen distribution problem. The company delivers oxygen to industrial customers, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities. Due to Mexican government regulations, the company requires prioritizing deliveries to hospitals and medical facilities over its industrial customers. Therefore, the company is obliged to satisfy the customers demand considering inventory levels and priority constraints while minimizing the inventory and routing cost. An integer programming model is proposed to solve the problem. The model minimizes the total distribution cost while considering inventory level, priority constraints, and a fixed fleet of vehicles with different capacities. Finally, computational experiments were carried out using benchmark instances to validate the correctness of the proposed model and to analyze the effect of priorities on the total distribution cost. Finally, actual customers of the company were selected to show the effectiveness of the proposed model to solve real-world problems.
Ultra-Sensitive Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor Based on Peroxiredoxin and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Authors: Yu Haijun , Li Haoxiang , Zhou Yao , Zhou Shengmin , Wang Ping
Published: May 2020

In this paper, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based sensor for ultra-sensitive detection of H2O2 was developed by utilizing the unique enzymatic properties of peroxiredoxin (Prx) to H2O2. Cyan and yellow fluorescent protein (CFP and YFP) were fused to Prx and mutant thioredoxin (mTrx), respectively. In the presence of H2O2, Prx was oxidized into covalent homodimer through disulfide bonds, which were further reduced by mTrx to form a stable mixed disulfide bond intermediate between CFP-Prx and mTrx-YFP, inducing FRET. A linear quantification range of 10–320 nM was obtained according to the applied protein concentrations and the detection limit (LOD) was determined to be as low as 4 nM. By the assistance of glucose oxidase to transform glucose into H2O2, the CFP-Prx/mTrx-YFP system (CPmTY) was further exploited for the detection of glucose in real sample with good performance, suggesting this CPmTY protein sensor is highly practical.
Walsh Transform and Empirical Mode Decomposition Applied to Reconstruction of Velocity and Displacement from Seismic Acceleration Measurement
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zheng Xiang Yuan
Published: May 2020

This paper focuses on reconstruction of dynamic velocity and displacement from seismic acceleration signal. For conventional time-domain approaches or frequency-domain approaches, due to initial values and non-negligible noise in the acceleration signal, drift and deviation in velocity and displacement are inevitable. To deal with this deficiency, this paper develops a Walsh transform and Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)-based integral algorithm, or WATEBI in short. In the WATEBI algorithm, the Walsh transform is employed to realize vibration signal reconstruction. Next, the EMD method is used to eliminate the residual in the reconstructed signal. Finally, the trend term in velocity and displacement is removed by linear least-squares fit. This algorithm can be straightforwardly implemented by an ordinary computer. Reconstructed displacements and velocities from vibration of a simulated single-degree-of-freedom system and two-site measured ground motions in earthquakes validated the robustness and adaptiveness of this algorithm. It can be also applied to many other areas, like mechanical engineering and ocean engineering.
Rapid Laser Reactive Sintering Synthesis of Colossal Dielectric CCTO Ceramics
Authors: He Jiayang , Huang Yanwei , Feng Guang , Shen Si , Yan Ming , Zeng Heping
Published: May 2020

Calcium copper titanate (CCTO) ceramics were successfully synthesized using a rapid laser reactive sintering method without conventional long heat treatment times. The microstructure, dielectric properties, and impedance spectroscopy results for CCTO sintered at laser power rates of 25–85 W were investigated in detail. The X-ray diffractometry results showed that prepared CCTO is polycrystalline in a cubic structure with high purity. Scanning electron microscopy showed that CCTO sintered at 85 W has a dense microstructure with an average grain size of 30 nm. The dielectric permittivity of CCTO ceramics increased with increasing laser power over the entire frequency range and achieved a value of almost 105 in the low-frequency region. The dielectric permittivity maintained almost constant values from 102 Hz to 107 Hz, with lower dielectric loss (~0.1) from 103 Hz to 106 Hz, demonstrating good frequency stability. The impedance spectroscopy study showed that grain and grain boundary resistance decreased with rising laser power based on two parallel Resistor-Capacitance (RC) equivalent circuits in series. The activation energies for the grain boundaries were calculated from the impedance using the slope of ln σ versus 1/T and were found to be in the range of 0.53–0.63 eV. CCTO synthesized by rapid laser reactive sintering is competitive for practical applications.
Digital Design of Minimally Invasive Endodontic Access Cavity
Authors: Gambarini Gianluca , Galli Massimo , Morese Antonio , Abduljabbar Fouad , Seracchiani Marco , Stefanelli Luigi Vito , Giovarruscio Massimo , Di Nardo Dario , Testarelli Luca
Published: May 2020

New minimally invasive endodontic cavities have been described and proposed to preserve dentin (and enamel) through strategic access, including point endodontic access cavity (PEAC). There is no consensus to what extent PEAC contributes to tooth’s resistance to fracture, because there is no agreement on how PEAC should be performed. The purpose of the present study is to describe and classify four different types of PEACs and to examine if a dynamic navigation system /DNS) could allow planning and precisely executing these cavities in vitro. Forty TrueTooth TM Replica # 3-001 models, were randomly divided into four identical groups of ten and scanned using a cone bean computed tomography (OP-Maxio 300, Instrumentarium-Kavo, Finland). Then, four different access cavities were planned and performed by using DNS (Navident dynamic navigation system, ClaroNav, Toronto, ON, Canada). For each tooth, a different PEAC was designed to obtain endodontic access to the main mesio-buccal canal (MB1), resulting in a different location of the entry point on the occlusal surface of the tooth. Precision was evaluated by comparing deviation in the inclinations between the planned and real cavity. Data were recorded and statistically analyzed. DNS allowed preparation of minimally invasive “straight line” cavities, with some differences in the accuracy.
Control Design and Validation for Floating Piston Electro-Pneumatic Gearbox Actuator
Authors: Szabo Adam , Becsi Tamas , Gaspar Peter
Published: May 2020

The paper presents the modeling and control design of a floating piston electro-pneumatic gearbox actuator and, moreover, the industrial validation of the controller system. As part of a heavy-duty vehicle, it needs to meet strict and contradictory requirements and units applying the system with different supply pressures in order to operate under various environmental conditions. Because of the high control frequency domain of the real system, post-modern control methods with high computational demands could not be used as they do not meet real-time requirements on automotive level. During the modeling phase, the essential simplifications are shown with the awareness of the trade-off between calculation speed and numerical accuracy to generate a multi-state piecewise-linear system. Two LTI control methods are introduced, i.e., a PD and an Linear-Quadratic Regulators (LQR) solution, in which the continuous control signals are transformed into discrete voltage solenoid commands for the valves. The validation of both the model and the control system are performed on a real physical implementation. The results show that both modeling and control design are suitable for the control tasks using floating piston cylinders and, moreover, these methods can be extended to electro-pneumatic cylinders with different layouts.
Ceramic Products from Mining and Metallurgical Waste
Authors: Suvorova Olga V. , Selivanova Ekaterina A. , Mikhailova Julia A. , Masloboev Vladimir A. , Makarov Dmitriy V.
Published: May 2020

The use of mining and metallurgical waste for the production of building supplies reduces the burden on the environment and serves the sustainable development of the region’s industry at the same time. Russia has substantiated the possibility of producing ceramic construction materials of compression molding from a unique mixture of substances based on waste slag of copper–nickel productions, tailings of enrichment of apatite–nepheline ores, and ferruginous quartzites of enterprises of the Murmansk region. The effect of forming pressure (20, 50, and 100 MPa) on the properties of ceramic materials was studied. It is shown that an increase in molding pressure leads to an increase in the physical and mechanical properties of ceramic materials and to a decrease in fire shrinkage and water absorption. The use of a forming pressure of 100 MPa and a firing temperature of 1050 °C makes it possible to obtain a wall clinker brick; at a firing temperature of 1100 °C and a forming pressure of 20–100 MPa, a road clinker brick can be produced. Ceramic samples with frost resistance of more than 200 cycles were received.
Fault-Tolerant SRM Drive with a Diagnosis Method Based on the Entropy Feature Approach
Authors: Pires Vitor F. , Amaral Tito G. , Cordeiro Armando , Foito Daniel , Pires Armando J. , Martins João F.
Published: May 2020

The power electronic converter design is essential for the operation of the switched reluctance motor (SRM). Thus, a fault-tolerant power converter is fundamental to ensure high reliability and extend the drive operation. To achieve fault tolerance, fault detection and diagnosis methods are critical in order to identify, as soon as possible, the failure mode of the drive. To provide such capability, it is proposed in this paper a new fault-tolerant power converter scheme combined with a fault detection method regarding the most common power semiconductors failures in SRM drives. The fast and reliable proposed diagnosis method is based on the entropy theory. Based on this theory, normalized indexes (diagnostic variables) are created, which are independent from the load and speed of the motor. Through this method, it is possible to identify the faulty leg, as well as the type of power semiconductor fault. To test and evaluate the proposed solution several laboratory experiments were carried out using a 2 kW four-phase 8 / 6 SRM.
Realistic Multi-Agent Formation Using Discretionary Group Behavior (DGB)
Authors: Salehi Nahid , Sung Mankyu
Published: May 2020

Simulating groups and their behaviors have been one of the important topics recently. This paper proposes a novel velocity-based method to simulate the realistic behavior of groups moving in a specific formation in a virtual environment including other groups and obstacles. The proposed algorithm, we called “DGB—Discretionary Group Behavior”, takes advantage of ORCA (Optimal Reciprocal Collision Avoidance) half-planes for both grouping and collision avoidance strategy. By considering new half-planes for each agent, we can have more reasonable and intelligent behavior in front of challenging obstacles and other agents. Unlike recent similar works, independent members in a group do not have predefined connections to each other even though they can keep the group’s formation while moving and trying to follow their best neighbors discretionarily in critical situations. Through experiments, we found that the proposed algorithm can yield more human-like group behavior in a crowd of agents.
Residual Mechanical Properties of Fiber-Reinforced Lightweight Aggregate Concrete after Exposure to Elevated Temperatures
Authors: Tang Chao-Wei
Published: May 2020

In this study, the effects of individual and mixed fiber on the mechanical properties of lightweight aggregate concrete (LWC) after exposure to elevated temperatures were examined. Concrete specimens were divided into a control group (ordinary LWC) and an experimental group (fiber-reinforced LWC), and their compressive strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength after heating to high temperatures of 400–800 °C were investigated. The four test parameters included concrete type, concrete strength, fiber type, and targeted temperature. The test results show that after exposure to 400–800 °C, the variation in mechanical properties of each group of LWC showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. After exposure to 400 °C, the residual mechanical properties of all specimens did not attenuate due to the drying effect of the high temperature and the more sufficient cement hydration reaction. However, after exposure to 800 °C, the residual mechanical properties significantly reduced. Overall, the mixed fiber-reinforced LWC showed a better ability to resist the loss of mechanical properties caused by high temperature. Compared with the loss of compressive strength, the flexural strength was relatively lost.
Effect of Prooxidative Natural Products: Comparison of the OSI1 (YKL071w) Promoter Luciferase Construct from Yeast with an Nrf2/Keap Reporter System
Authors: Schlembach Ivan , Uebachs Andreas , Caspers Tim , Fragoulis Athanassios , Slusarenko Alan J. , Gruhlke Martin C. H.
Published: May 2020

The oxidative stress response (OSR) in yeast is under the control of oxidation-sensitive cysteines in the Yap1p transcription factor, and fusion of the Yap1p-dependent OS-induced promoter of the YKL071w gene (OSI1) to a luciferase coding sequence makes a sensitive reporter for OS induced by electrophiles. In mammalian cells, the OSR induced by electrophiles is coordinated in a mechanistically similar way via oxidation-sensitive cysteines in the kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)– nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 / antioxidant response element ( Nrf2/ARE) system. Many electrophilic oxidants have already been independently shown to trigger both the Yap1 and Keap1 systems. Here, we investigated the responses of Yap1 and Keap1 reporters to sulforaphane (SFN), allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), previously known to stimulate Keap1–Nrf2/ARE but not known to activate Yap1, and as a positive control, allicin, previously reported to stimulate both Yap1 and Nrf2. We have compared the reciprocal responsiveness of the respective reporter systems and show that the yeast reporter system can have predictive value for electrophiles that stimulate the mammalian Keap1–Nrf2/ARE system.
PRANAS: A Process Analytics System Based on Process Warehouse and Cube for Supply Chain Management
Authors: Kim Aekyung , Obregon Josue , Jung Jae-Yoon
Published: May 2020

Most organizations need to monitor and assess their business activities. In order to support the performance analysis of the business activities in a more systematic manner, in this research, we introduce a PRocess ANalytics System, called PRANAS. The system adopts process warehouses and process cubes to support process-oriented analysis, as well as data-oriented analysis. In this research, the process warehouse and cube were designed to assess business performances for supply chain management, specifically under the SCOR standard models. Furthermore, the process cube was constructed based on process-related dimensions such as time, case type, and event class to support process mining. Finally, we exemplify how the system can be applied to process analytics with three use cases of process discovery, data analytics, and decision point analysis. It is expected that the proposed system can be a helpful reference model when business process analyst designs process analytics systems in the process-oriented perspective, as well as in the data-oriented perspective.