bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marfan Syndrome Versus Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease: Comparative Analysis of Obstetric Outcome and Pregnancy-Associated Immediate and Long-Term Aortic Complications
Authors: Toprak Betül , Szöcs Katalin , Zengin-Sahm Elvin , Sinning Christoph , Hot Amra , Bannas Peter , Hecher Kurt , Hüneke Bernd , Mir Thomas S. , Rybczynski Meike , Girdauskas Evaldas , Blankenberg Stefan , von Kodolitsch Yskert
Published: April 2020

Pregnancy poses a threat to women with aortopathy. Conclusive data on the obstetric and aortic outcome in this risk collective, especially when it comes to aortic complications in the long term, are still missing. This study offers a comparative analysis of pregnancy-associated outcome in 113 consecutive women with Marfan syndrome or bicuspid aortic valve disease, including 46 ever-pregnant and 37 never-pregnant women with Marfan syndrome, and 23 ever-pregnant and 7 never-pregnant females with bicuspid aortic valve disease. The overall obstetric outcome was comparable between ever-pregnant women with Marfan syndrome and with bicuspid aortic valve disease (p = 0.112). Pregnancy-associated aortic dissection occurred in two women with Marfan syndrome (3%) during a total of 62 completed pregnancies, whereas no single case of aortic event occurred in women with bicuspid aortic valve disease during a total of 36 completed pregnancies (p = 0.530). In the long-term follow-up, aortic dissection occurred in 21% of ever-pregnant women with Marfan syndrome, but in none of the women with bicuspid aortic valve disease (p = 0.022). Proximal aortic surgery was performed with similar frequency in ever-pregnant women with Marfan syndrome and with bicuspid aortic valve disease in the long term (p = 0.252). However, ever-pregnant women with Marfan syndrome were younger when surgery was performed (44 ± 9 vs. 59 ± 7 years; p = 0.041). In Marfan syndrome, long-term growth of the aorta was comparable between ever-pregnant and never-pregnant women. Pregnancy thus exhibited an increased immediate aortic risk only in women with Marfan syndrome, but not in women with bicuspid aortic valve disease. Previous pregnancy did not relate to an increased long-term risk of adverse aortic events in women with Marfan syndrome or with bicuspid aortic valve disease.
Land Consolidation in Rural China: Life Satisfaction among Resettlers and Its Determinants
Authors: Tong Weiming , Lo Kevin , Zhang Pingyu
Published: April 2020

The Chinese government has pursued rural land consolidation under the Building New Rural Communities (BNRC) initiative. The consolidation projects aim to address the hollowing village problem, improve the living standards of rural dwellers, and promote urban-rural integration. Rural villages with small populations and poor infrastructure are merged into a centralized rural community, and their inhabitants are resettled. The newly vacated buildings are then converted to agriculture land, which allows cities to expand under the “no net loss” land-use policy. Despite the significance of the initiative, both in terms of the scale of operation and the impacts on the affected households, there are few empirical studies that scrutinize this form of rural restructuring. Drawing on data collected via surveys and interviews, this paper examines the processes of land consolidation and its impacts on villagers. From a development-as-modernization perspective, we outline three main processes of land consolidation: village mergers and resettlement, land circulation to rural cooperatives, and rural industrial development. Overall, the effects of land consolidation on the livelihood of resettled villagers are positive. This system generally improves housing and living conditions through increased levels of off-farm employment and income, but there are a number of barriers that may hinder a villager’s ability to find different employment. Housing and neighborhood characteristics have significant effects on the life satisfaction of villagers.
A Comprehensive Process for Stakeholder Identification and Engagement in Addressing Wicked Water Resources Problems
Authors: Hargrove William L. , Heyman Josiah M.
Published: April 2020

Various sectors of stakeholders (urban, agricultural, policymakers, etc.) are frequently engaged in participatory research projects aimed at improving water resources’ sustainability. However, a process for comprehensive and integrative identification, classification, and engagement of all types of water stakeholders for a region or river basin, especially in a transboundary context, is missing for water resources research projects. Our objective was to develop a systematic approach to identifying and classifying water stakeholders, and engage them in a discussion of water futures, as a foundation for a participatory modeling research project to address the wicked water resource problems of the Middle Rio Grande basin on the U.S./Mexico border. This part of the Rio Grande basin can be characterized as having limited and dwindling supplies of water, increasing demands for water from multiple sectors, and a segmented governance system spanning two U.S. states and two countries. These challenges are being exacerbated by climate change; a transitioning agriculture to more water demanding, high value crops; urbanization; and growing demand for environmental services. Moving forward, a core question for this region is how can water be managed so that the three competing sectors—agricultural, urban, and environmental—can realize a sustainable future in this challenged water system? We identified the major water-using sectors who represent competing demands as including agricultural, municipal, self-supplied industrial users, environmental, and a sector we labeled “social justice”, comprised of individuals who lack access to potable water, or who represent groups who advocate for access to water. We included stakeholders from both the U.S. and Mexico, which is seldom done, who share transboundary water resources in the region. We hosted a series of stakeholder dialogues and obtained results that identified and described their vision for the future of water; challenges to be overcome; and important research questions that could be addressed using participatory modeling approaches. Four broad themes common to multiple sectors emerged: (1) quantity, drought, and scarcity; (2) quality/salinization; (3) urbanization; and (4) conservation and sustainability. Each sector expressed distinctive views regarding the future of water. Agricultural stakeholders, in particular, had strong feelings of ownership of water rights as part of land ownership and a concomitant sense of threat to those water rights emanating from dwindling supplies and competing demands. The contribution of this work is a methodology for identifying, classifying, and engaging all types of stakeholders in the context of a research project, enabling us to compare and contrast views of different types of stakeholders. Heretofore, this has been accomplished in “bits and pieces”, but never comprehensively and holistically.
Information Structure and Word Order Preference in Child and Adult Speech of Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Chen Jidong , Narasimhan Bhuvana , Chan Angel , Yang Wenchun , Yang Shu
Published: April 2020

The acquisition of appropriate linguistic markers of information structure (IS), e.g., word order and specific lexical and syntactic constructions, is a rather late development. This study revisits the debate on language-general preferred word order in IS and examines the use of language-specific means to encode IS in Mandarin Chinese. An elicited production study of conjunct noun phrases (NPs) of new and old referents was conducted with native Mandarin-speaking children (N = 24, mean age 4;6) and adults (N = 25, mean age 26). (The age of children is conventionally notated as years;months). The result shows that adults differ significantly from children in preferring the “old-before-new” word order. This corroborates prior findings in other languages (e.g., German, English, Arabic) that adults prefer a language-general “old-before-new” IS, whereas children disprefer or show no preference for that order. Despite different word order preferences, Mandarin-speaking children and adults resemble each other in the lexical and syntactic forms to encode old and new referents: bare NPs dominate the conjunct NPs, and indefinite classifier NPs are used for both the old and the new referents, but when only one classifier phrase is produced, it is predominantly used to refer to the new referents, which suggests children’s early sensitivity to language-specific syntactic devices to mark IS.
Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Scratch Direction on Material Removal and Friction Characteristic in BK7 Scratching
Authors: Wang Wei , Wan Zhenping , Yang Shu , Feng Junyuan , Dong Liujie , Lu Longsheng
Published: April 2020

In order to study the influence of scratch direction on the deformation characteristics and material removal mechanism of optical glass BK7, nanoscratching experiments were conducted on a Nano indenter using Vickers indenter. Results indicate that the face-forward scratch is more likely to induce the initiation and propagation of lateral cracks, which is found to be more beneficial to material removal processes; in contrast, small chips and debris are released from the machined grooves without introducing lateral cracks in the edge-forward condition, leading to poor material removal efficiency. In addition, the choice of scratch direction can make differences to the elastic recovery rate of optical glass BK7. The results revealed that both the elastic recovery rate and the residual stresses of the material under the face-forward scratching are greater than those of the edge-forward scratching. A theoretical model for coefficient of friction (COF) under different scratch directions was established. It is found that the COF between indenter and workpiece in the edge-forward scratching is larger than the face-forward scratching under otherwise identical conditions, this finding is consistent with experimental results. A stress field analysis using finite element method (FEM) was conducted to understand the different crack initiation and propagation behaviors from different scratch directions. The current study discusses the significance of scratch direction on material removal behavior of optical glass BK7, and the results would encourage further research on investigating the connections between tool geometry and material removal mechanism.
A New Strategy to Produce Hemp Fibers through a Waterglass-Based Ecofriendly Process
Authors: Bifulco Aurelio , Silvestri Brigida , Passaro Jessica , Boccarusso Luca , Roviello Valentina , Branda Francesco , Durante Massimo
Published: April 2020

Natural fibers such as kenaf, hemp, flax, jute, and sisal have become the subject of much research as potential green or eco-friendly reinforcement composites, since they assure the reduction of weight, cost, and CO2 release with less reliance on oil sources. Herein, an inexpensive and eco-friendly waterglass treatment is proposed, allowing the production of silica-coated fibers that can be easily obtained in micro/nano fibrils through a low power mixer. The silica coating has been exploited to improve the chemical compatibility between fibers and the polymer matrix through the reaction of silanol groups with suitable coupling agents. In particular, silica-coated fibers easily functionalized with (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTS) were used as a filler in the manufacturing of epoxy-based composites. Morphological investigation of the composites through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the filler has a tendency to produce a web-like structure, formed by continuously interconnected fibrils and microfibrils, from which particularly effective mechanical properties may be obtained. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) shows that the functionalized fibers, in a concentration of 5 wt%, strongly affect the glass transformation temperature (10 °C increase) and the storage modulus of the pristine resin. Taking into account the large number of organosilicon compounds (in particular the alkoxide ones) available on the market, the new process appears to pave the way for the cleaner and cheaper production of biocomposites with different polymeric matrices and well-tailored interfaces.
Study on the Restoration of a Masonry Arch Viaduct: Numerical Analysis and Lab Tests
Authors: Beben Damian , Ukleja Janusz , Maleska Tomasz , Anigacz Wojciech
Published: April 2020

This article presents an analysis of the load-carrying capacity of a historic masonry arch viaduct. The vault was made of bricks and lime-cement mortar. It was built in 1886 and, therefore, its historical character had to be included in the restoration project. The main task of the restoration was to bring the viaduct to a technical condition corresponding to the current requirements to allow normal (or limited) service. The strength of the brickwork and joints (mortar) was examined experimentally in the laboratory and on the viaduct. This paper presents numerical calculations for the masonry viaduct that were performed using two programs based on the finite element method. As the project documentation was unknown, two- and three-hinged models of the masonry arch were analyzed. The axial forces, shear forces, bending moments, displacement, normal stresses, and shear stresses generated from the numerical analysis have been discussed. The conditions of the load capacity of the arch viaduct due to compression and shearing have been met. The safety of a masonry arch of the viaduct was determined. Finally, the restoration scope of the masonry viaduct was proposed.
Corrosion Behavior of Pressure Infiltration Diamond/Cu Composites in Neutral Salt Spray
Authors: Xie Zhongnan , Guo Hong , Zhang Ximin , Huang Shuhui
Published: April 2020

Diamond particle-reinforced copper matrix composites (Diamond/Cu) are recognized as promising electronic packaging materials due to their excellent thermophysical properties. It is necessary to investigate the reliability of Diamond/Cu composites under extreme environmental conditions. The corrosion behavior of Diamond/Cu composites was studied in a 5 wt% NaCl neutral salt spray. Surface morphology, thermal conductivity, bending strength, corrosion rate, and corrosion depth resulting from corrosion were researched in this paper. The results showed that the corrosion phenomenon mainly occurs on the copper matrix, and the diamond and interface products do not corrode. The corrosion mechanism of Diamond/Cu composites was micro-galvanic corrosion. The corrosion product formed was Cu2Cl(OH)3. The salt spray environment had a great influence on the composite surface, but the composite properties were not significantly degenerated. After a 168-h test, the bending strength was unaltered and the thermal conductivity of gold-plated composites showed a slight decrease of 1–2%. Surface gold plating can effectively improve the surface state and thermal conductivity of Diamond/Cu composites in a salt spray environment.
In-Situ SEM Observation on Fracture Behavior of Titanium Alloys with Different Slow-Diffusing β Stabilizing Elements
Authors: Zhang Wenjing , Xie Haofeng , Hui Songxiao , Ye Wenjun , Yu Yang , Song Xiaoyun , Peng Lijun , Huang Guojie , Yang Zhen
Published: April 2020

The fracture-behaviors of two Ti-Al-Sn-Zr-Mo-Nb-W-Si alloys with different slow-diffusing β stabilizing elements (Mo, W) were investigated through in-situ tensile testing at 650 °C via scanning electron microscopy. These alloys have two phases: the α phase with hcp-structure (a = 0.295 nm, c = 0.468 nm) and the β phase with bcc-structure (a = 0.332 nm). Three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) results show that Mo and W mainly dissolve in the β phase, and they tend to cluster near the α/β phase boundary. Adding more slow-diffusing β stabilizing elements can improve the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the alloy at 650 °C. During tensile deformation at 650 °C, microvoids mainly initiate at α/β interfaces. With increases in the contents of Mo and W, the β phase content increases and the average phase size decreases, which together have excellent accommodative deformation capability and will inhibit the microvoids’ nucleation along the interface. In addition, the segregation of Mo and W near the α/β interface can reduce the diffusion coefficient of the interface and inhibit the growth of microvoids along the interface, which are both helpful to improve the ultimate tensile strength and plasticity.
Optimum Operating Conditions for the Removal of Phosphate from Water Using of Wood-Branch Nanoparticles from Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Authors: Mahdy Ahmed M. , Salem Mohamed Z. M. , Ali Asmaa M. , Ali Hayssam M.
Published: April 2020

A batch bio-sorption experiment was conducted on Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. wood-branch in the form of woody sawdust nanoparticles (nSD-KF) to evaluate their potential efficiency as phosphate bio-sorption capacity. The operating parameters of phosphate bio-sorption including contact time, initial concentration, pH, temperature, dosage, size, competing ion, and the possible mechanisms responsible for phosphate removal from water were investigated. The nSD-KF were green-synthesized by ball mill grinder and phosphate solutions with various concentrations were performed. The results revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) value of nSD-KF was 50,000 µg/g. In addition, the removal efficiency of nSD-KF significantly increased with the increase of initial phosphate concentration, contact time, temperature, and dosage. However, it decreased with the increase of pH and in double-system solution with the presence of ammonium ions. At the application study, the nSD-KF successfully removed 87.82% and 92.09% of phosphate from real agricultural wastewater in a batch experiment and in a column experiment, respectively. Adsorption efficiency of nSD-KF for phosphate increased after the first and second regeneration cycles, but it decreased after the third and fourth cycles. The poor to moderate phosphate desorption from nSD-KF sorbent indicates the stability of phosphate bound to nSD-KF materials. Regardless, biodegradability of nSD-KF-loaded phosphate is possible, and it will be a good source of phosphate to a plant when added to the agricultural soil as a supplemental application of fertilizer. In conclusion, nSD-KF could be considered as a promising lignocellulosic biomaterial used for the removal of phosphate from waters as bio-sorption process.
The Quantum Efficiency Roll-Off Effect in Near-Infrared Organic Electroluminescent Devices with Iridium Complexes Emitters
Authors: Mróz Wojciech , Kesarkar Sagar , Bossi Alberto , Pelczarski Daniel , Grygiel Piotr , Stampor Waldemar
Published: April 2020

The electroluminescence quantum efficiency roll-off in iridium(III)-based complexes, namely Ir(iqbt)2(dpm) and Ir(iqbt)3 (iqbt = 1 (benzo[b]thiophen-2-yl)-isoquinolinate, dpm = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) utilized as near-infrared emitters in organic light emitting diodes with remarkable external quantum efficiencies, up to circa 3%, 1.5% and 1%, are measured and analyzed. With a 5–6 weight% of emitters embedded in a host matrix, the double-layer solution-processed structure as well as analogous three-layer one extended by a hole-conducting film are investigated. The triplet-polaron, the Onsager electron-hole pair dissociation and the triplet-triplet annihilation approaches were used to reproduce the experimental data. The mutual annihilation of triplets in iridium emitters was identified as prevailingly controlling the moderate roll-off, with the interaction between those of iridium emitters and host matrixes found as being less probable. Following the fitting procedure, the relevant rate constant was estimated to be ( 0.5 − 12 ) × 10 − 12 cm3/s, values considered to be rather too high for disordered organic systems, which was assigned to the simplicity of the applied model. A coexistence of some other mechanisms is therefore inferred, ones, however, with a less significant contribution to the overall emission quenching.
Social Network Optimization for WSN Routing: Analysis on Problem Codification Techniques
Authors: Niccolai Alessandro , Grimaccia Francesco , Mussetta Marco , Gandelli Alessandro , Zich Riccardo
Published: April 2020

The correct design of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is a very important task because it can highly influence its installation and operational costs. An important aspect that should be addressed with WSN is the routing definition in multi-hop networks. This problem is faced with different methods in the literature, and here it is managed with a recently developed swarm intelligence algorithm called Social Network Optimization (SNO). In this paper, the routing definition in WSN is approached with two different problem codifications and solved with SNO and Particle Swarm Optimization. The first codification allows the optimization algorithm more degrees of freedom, resulting in a slower and in many cases sub-optimal solution. The second codification reduces the degrees of freedom, speeding significantly the optimization process and blocking in some cases the convergence toward the real best network configuration.
A Generic Approach to Covariance Function Estimation Using ARMA-Models
Authors: Schubert Till , Korte Johannes , Brockmann Jan Martin , Schuh Wolf-Dieter
Published: April 2020

Covariance function modeling is an essential part of stochastic methodology. Many processes in geodetic applications have rather complex, often oscillating covariance functions, where it is difficult to find corresponding analytical functions for modeling. This paper aims to give the methodological foundations for an advanced covariance modeling and elaborates a set of generic base functions which can be used for flexible covariance modeling. In particular, we provide a straightforward procedure and guidelines for a generic approach to the fitting of oscillating covariance functions to an empirical sequence of covariances. The underlying methodology is developed based on the well known properties of autoregressive processes in time series. The surprising simplicity of the proposed covariance model is that it corresponds to a finite sum of covariance functions of second-order Gauss–Markov (SOGM) processes. Furthermore, the great benefit is that the method is automated to a great extent and directly results in the appropriate model. A manual decision for a set of components is not required. Notably, the numerical method can be easily extended to ARMA-processes, which results in the same linear system of equations. Although the underlying mathematical methodology is extensively complex, the results can be obtained from a simple and straightforward numerical method.
Robust Dissipativity Analysis of Hopfield-Type Complex-Valued Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delays and Linear Fractional Uncertainties
Authors: Chanthorn Pharunyou , Rajchakit Grienggrai , Ramalingam Sriraman , Lim Chee Peng , Ramachandran Raja
Published: April 2020

We study the robust dissipativity issue with respect to the Hopfield-type of complex-valued neural network (HTCVNN) models incorporated with time-varying delays and linear fractional uncertainties. To avoid the computational issues in the complex domain, we divide the original complex-valued system into two real-valued systems. We devise an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional (LKF) equipped with general integral terms to facilitate the analysis. By exploiting the multiple integral inequality method, the sufficient conditions for the dissipativity of HTCVNN models are obtained via the linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The MATLAB software package is used to solve the LMIs effectively. We devise a number of numerical models and their empirical results positively ascertain the obtained results.
The Fixed Point Property of the Infinite M-Sphere
Authors: Han Sang-Eon , Özçağ Selma
Published: April 2020

The present paper is concerned with the Alexandroff one point compactification of the Marcus-Wyse (M-, for brevity) topological space ( Z 2 , γ ) . This compactification is called the infinite M-topological sphere and denoted by ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) , where ( Z 2 ) ∗ : = Z 2 ∪ { ∗ } , ∗ ∉ Z 2 and γ ∗ is the topology for ( Z 2 ) ∗ induced by the topology γ on Z 2 . With the topological space ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) , since any open set containing the point “ ∗ ” has the cardinality ℵ 0 , we call ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) the infinite M-topological sphere. Indeed, in the fields of digital or computational topology or applied analysis, there is an unsolved problem as follows: Under what category does ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) have the fixed point property (FPP, for short)? The present paper proves that ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) has the FPP in the category M o p ( γ ∗ ) whose object is the only ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) and morphisms are all continuous self-maps g of ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) such that | g ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ ) | = ℵ 0 with ∗ ∈ g ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ ) or g ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ ) is a singleton. Since ( ( Z 2 ) ∗ , γ ∗ ) can be a model for a digital sphere derived from the M-topological space ( Z 2 , γ ) , it can play a crucial role in topology, digital geometry and applied sciences.
Discounted and Expected Utility from the Probability and Time Trade-Off Model
Authors: Cruz Rambaud Salvador , Sánchez Pérez Ana María
Published: April 2020

This paper shows the interaction between probabilistic and delayed rewards. In decision- making processes, the Expected Utility (EU) model has been employed to assess risky choices whereas the Discounted Utility (DU) model has been applied to intertemporal choices. Despite both models being different, they are based on the same theoretical principle: the rewards are assessed by taking into account the sum of their utilities and some similar anomalies have been revealed in both models. The aim of this paper is to characterize and consider particular cases of the Time Trade-Off (PPT) model and show that they correspond to the EU and DU models. Additionally, we will try to build a PTT model starting from a discounted and an expected utility model able to overcome the limitations pointed out by Baucells and Heukamp.
Association of IL-4 Polymorphisms with Allergic Rhinitis in Jordanian Population
Authors: Moh’d Al-Rawashdeh Baeth , Sadaalhanjori Ahmed , Ali Elnagi , Zihlif Malek
Published: April 2020

Background and objectives: Allergic rhinitis has complex patterns of inheritance, and single nucleotide polymorphisms, a common genetic variation in a population, exert a significant role in allergic rhinitis pathology. The current study aimed to investigate the association of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) polymorphisms with allergic rhinitis. Materials and Methods: Our study included 158 patients with allergic rhinitis and 140 healthy controls from Jordan that were genotyped for IL-4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) C-589T (rs2243250) and T-2979G (rs2227284) using restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24 software. Results: The results showed that the allelic frequency of the minor alleles was 0.19 and 0.67 for C-589T (rs2243250) and T-2979G (rs2227284) in the allergic rhinitis patients, respectively, while it was 0.18 for C-589T (rs2243250) and 0.64 T-2979G (rs2227284) in the control group. The homozygous (TT) genotype of C-589T (rs2243250) was significantly associated with allergic rhinitis (p < 0.05), while there was no association of any of T-2979G (rs2227284) genotypes with allergic rhinitis. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that genetic inter-population variation precipitates the differences in the percentages of many diseases among populations, including allergic rhinitis.
Temperature Dependence of the Static and Dynamic Behaviour in a Quenching and Partitioning Processed Low-Si Steel
Authors: Vercruysse Florian , Celada-Casero Carola , Linke Bernd M. , Verleysen Patricia , Petrov Roumen H.
Published: April 2020

Because of their excellent combination of strength and ductility, quenching and partitioning (Q & P) steels have a great chance of being added to the third generation of advanced high strength steels. The large ductility of Q & P steels arises from the presence of 10% to 15% of retained austenite which postpones necking due to the transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) effect. Moreover, Q & P steels show promising forming properties with favourable Lankford coefficients, while their planar anisotropy is low due to a weak texture. The stability of the metastable austenite is the key to obtain tailored properties for these steels. To become part of the newest generation of advanced high strength steels, Q & P steels have to preserve their mechanical properties at dynamic strain rates and over a wide range of temperatures. Therefore, in the present study, a low-Si Q & P steel was tested at temperatures from −40 °C to 80 °C and strain rates from 0.001 s−1 to 500 s−1. Results show that the mechanical properties are well-preserved at the lowest temperatures. Indeed, at −40 °C and room temperature, no significant loss of the deformation capacity is observed even at dynamic strain rates. This is attributed to the presence of a large fraction of austenite that is so (thermally) stable that it does not transform in the absence of deformation. In addition, the high stability of the austenite decreases the elongation at high test temperatures (80 °C). The additional adiabatic heating in the dynamic tests causes the largest reduction of the uniform strain for the samples tested at 80 °C. Quantification of the retained austenite fraction in the samples after testing confirmed that, at the highest temperature and strain rate, the TRIP effect is suppressed.
Differential Sorting of Microparticles Using Spiral Microchannels with Elliptic Configurations
Authors: Erdem Kaan , Ahmadi Vahid Ebrahimpour , Kosar Ali , Kuddusi Lütfullah
Published: April 2020

Label-free, size-dependent cell-sorting applications based on inertial focusing phenomena have attracted much interest during the last decade. The separation capability heavily depends on the precision of microparticle focusing. In this study, five-loop spiral microchannels with a height of 90 µm and a width of 500 µm are introduced. Unlike their original spiral counterparts, these channels have elliptic configurations of varying initial aspect ratios, namely major axis to minor axis ratios of 3:2, 11:9, 9:11, and 2:3. Accordingly, the curvature of these configurations increases in a curvilinear manner through the channel. The effects of the alternating curvature and channel Reynolds number on the focusing of fluorescent microparticles with sizes of 10 and 20 µm in the prepared suspensions were investigated. At volumetric flow rates between 0.5 and 3.5 mL/min (allowing separation), each channel was tested to collect samples at the designated outlets. Then, these samples were analyzed by counting the particles. These curved channels were capable of separating 20 and 10 µm particles with total yields up to approximately 95% and 90%, respectively. The results exhibited that the level of enrichment and the focusing behavior of the proposed configurations are promising compared to the existing microfluidic channel configurations.
Chitosan Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles for the Electrochemical Detection of Lipopolysaccharide: A Facile Biosensing Approach for Gram-Negative Bacteria
Authors: Imran Muhammad , Ehrhardt Christopher J. , Bertino Massimo F. , Shah Muhammad R. , Yadavalli Vamsi K.
Published: April 2020

Negatively charged lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major endotoxin and component of the outer membrane of several Gram-negative bacteria, provides a useful biomarker for the indirect detection of these pathogens. For instance, Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes infections in almost all age groups, and has been implicated in food and water contamination. Current diagnostic and detection methods tend to be labor-intensive or expensive, necessitating the need for an easy, sensitive, rapid, and low-cost method. We report on the synthesis and use of positively charged chitosan stabilized silver nanoparticles (Chi-AgNPs) as a sensitive electrochemical nanobiosensor for the detection of LPS. Chi-AgNPs were synthesized through a facile, single step protocol, and characterized for size, charge, and morphology. Glassy carbon electrodes modified with Chi-AgNPs resulted in an enhancement of signal in the presence of both LPS and E. coli. Detection was accomplished over a large concentration range (several orders of magnitude) of 0.001–100 ng/mL and 10–107 CFU/mL. The biosensors can reliably detect LPS and E. coli at very low concentrations. Chi-AgNPs have potential as low cost, sensitive nanobiosensors for Gram-negative bacteria due to strong electrostatic interaction with LPS present in their outer membranes.
Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of CuO/Water Nanofluids: A Review
Authors: Al Shdaifat Mohammad Yacoub , Zulkifli Rozli , Sopian Kamaruzzaman , Salih Abeer Adel
Published: April 2020

This paper discusses the behaviour of different thermophysical properties of CuO water-based nanofluids, including the thermal and hydraulic performance and pumping power. Different experimental and theoretical studies that investigated each property of CuO/water in terms of thermal and fluid mechanics are reviewed. Classical theories cannot describe the thermal conductivity and viscosity. The concentration, material, and size of nanoparticles have important roles in the heat transfer coefficient of CuO/water nanofluids. Thermal conductivity increases with large particle size, whereas viscosity increases with small particle size. The Nusselt number depends on the flow rate and volume fraction of nanoparticles. The causes for these behaviour are discussed. The magnitude of heat transfer rate is influenced by the use of CuO/water nanofluids. The use of CuO/water nanofluids has many issues and challenges that need to be classified through additional studies.
The Availability of Iron Is Involved in the Murine Experimental Toxoplasma gondii Infection Outcome
Authors: Oliveira Mário Cézar , Coutinho Loyane Bertagnolli , Almeida Marcos Paulo Oliveira , Briceño Marisol Pallete , Araujo Ester Cristina Borges , Silva Neide Maria
Published: April 2020

Iron is an important constituent of our environment, being necessary for both mammalian and pathogenic protozoa survival. Iron-containing proteins exert a wide range of biological processes such as biodegradation and biosynthesis, as well as immune function, fetal development, and physical and mental well-being. This work aimed to investigate the effect of iron deprivation in Toxoplasma gondii infection outcome. C57BL/6 mice were orally infected with T. gondii and treated with an iron chelator, deferoxamine, or supplemented with iron (ferrous sulfate), and the parasitism as well as immunological and histological parameters were analyzed. It was observed that the infection increased iron accumulation in the organs, as well as systemically, and deferoxamine treatment diminished the iron content in serum samples and intestine. The deferoxamine treatment decreased the parasitism and inflammatory alterations in the small intestine and lung. Additionally, they partially preserved the Paneth cells and decreased the intestinal dysbiosis. The ferrous sulfate supplementation, despite not significantly increasing the parasite load in the organs, increased the inflammatory alterations in the liver. Together, our results suggest that iron chelation, which is commonly used to treat iron overload, could be a promising medicine to control T. gondii proliferation, mainly in the small intestine, and consequently inflammation caused by infection.
Interactions among Redox Regulators and the CtrA Phosphorelay in Dinoroseobacter shibae and Rhodobacter capsulatus
Authors: Koppenhöfer Sonja , Lang Andrew S.
Published: April 2020

Bacteria employ regulatory networks to detect environmental signals and respond appropriately, often by adjusting gene expression. Some regulatory networks influence many genes, and many genes are affected by multiple regulatory networks. Here, we investigate the extent to which regulatory systems controlling aerobic–anaerobic energetics overlap with the CtrA phosphorelay, an important system that controls a variety of behavioral processes, in two metabolically versatile alphaproteobacteria, Dinoroseobacter shibae and Rhodobacter capsulatus. We analyzed ten available transcriptomic datasets from relevant regulator deletion strains and environmental changes. We found that in D. shibae, the CtrA phosphorelay represses three of the four aerobic–anaerobic Crp/Fnr superfamily regulator-encoding genes (fnrL, dnrD, and especially dnrF). At the same time, all four Crp/Fnr regulators repress all three phosphorelay genes. Loss of dnrD or dnrF resulted in activation of the entire examined CtrA regulon, regardless of oxygen tension. In R. capsulatus FnrL, in silico and ChIP-seq data also suggested regulation of the CtrA regulon, but it was only with loss of the redox regulator RegA where an actual transcriptional effect on the CtrA regulon was observed. For the first time, we show that there are complex interactions between redox regulators and the CtrA phosphorelays in these bacteria and we present several models for how these interactions might occur.
Erratum: Bao, L.; Cai, W.; Zhang, X.; Liu, J.; Chen, H.; Wei, Y.; Jia, X.; Bai, Z. Distinct Microbial Community of Phyllosphere Associated with Five Tropical Plants on Yongxing Island, South China Sea. Microorganisms 2019, 7, 525
Authors: Bao Lijun , Cai Wenyang , Zhang Xiaofen , Liu Jinhong , Chen Hao , Wei Yuansong , Jia Xiuxiu , Bai Zhihui
Published: April 2020

The authors wish to make the following erratum in this paper [...]
Magnetic Structure of Ion-Beam Imprinted Stripe Domains Determined by Neutron Scattering
Authors: Saerbeck Thomas , Huckfeldt Henning , Toperverg Boris P. , Ehresmann Arno
Published: April 2020

We present a detailed analysis of the in-plane magnetic vector configuration in head-to-head/tail-to-tail stripe domain patterns of nominal 5 μm width. The patterns have been created by He-ion bombardment induced magnetic patterning of a CoFe/IrMn3 exchange bias thin-film system. Quantitative information about the chemical and magnetic structure is obtained from polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR) and off-specular scattering (OSS). The technique provides information on the magnetic vector orientation and magnitude along the lateral coordinate of the sample, as well as the chemical and magnetic layer structure as a function of depth. Additional sensitivity to magnetic features is obtained through a neutron wave field resonance, which is fully accounted for in the presented analysis. The scattering reveals a domain width imbalance of 5.3 to 3.7 μm of virgin and bombarded stripes, respectively. Further, we report that the magnetization in the bombarded stripe significantly deviates from the head-to-head arrangement. A domain wall of 0.6 μm with homogeneous magnetization direction is found to separate the two neighboring domains. The results contain detailed information on length scales and magnetization vectors provided by PNR and OSS in absolute units. We illustrate the complementarity of the technique to microscopy techniques for obtaining a quantitative description of imprinted magnetic domain patterns and illustrate its applicability to different sample systems.
The Disruption of Liver Metabolic Circadian Rhythms by a Cafeteria Diet Is Sex-Dependent in Fischer 344 Rats
Authors: Palacios-Jordan Héctor , Martín-González Miguel Z. , Suárez Manuel , Aragonès Gerard , Muguerza Begoña , Rodríguez Miguel A. , Bladé Cinta
Published: April 2020

Circadian rhythms are ~24 h fluctuations of different biological processes that are regulated by the circadian clock system. They exert a major influence on most of the metabolism, such as the hepatic metabolism. This rhythmicity can be disrupted by obesogenic diets, fact that is considered to be a risk factor for the development of metabolic diseases. Nevertheless, obesogenic diets do not affect both genders in the same manner. We hypothesized that the circadian rhythms disruption of the hepatic metabolism, caused by obesogenic diets, is gender-dependent. Male and female Fischer 344 rats were fed either a standard diet or a cafeteria diet and sacrificed at two different moments, at zeitgeber 3 and 15. Only female rats maintained the circadian variations of the hepatic metabolism under a cafeteria diet. Most of those metabolites were related with the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) synthesis, such as choline, betaine or phosphatidylcholine. Most of these metabolites were found to be increased at the beginning of the dark period. On the other hand, male animals did not show these time differences. These findings suggest that females might be more protected against the circadian disruption of the hepatic metabolism caused by a cafeteria diet through the increase of the VLDL synthesis at the beginning of the feeding time.
Dietary Factors and Risks of Cardiovascular Diseases: An Umbrella Review
Authors: Chareonrungrueangchai Kridsada , Wongkawinwoot Keerati , Anothaisintawee Thunyarat , Reutrakul Sirimon
Published: April 2020

Unhealthy diet is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Therefore, this umbrella review aims to comprehensively review the effects of dietary factors, including dietary patterns, food groups, and nutrients on CVD risks. Medline and Scopus databases were searched through March 2020. Systematic reviews with meta-analyses (SRMA) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or observational studies measuring the effects of dietary factors on CVD risks were eligible. Fifty-four SRMAs, including 35 SRMAs of observational studies, 10 SRMAs of RCTs, and 9 SRMAs of combined RCT and observational studies, were included for review. Findings from the SRMAs of RCTs suggest the significant benefit of Mediterranean and high-quality diets for lowering CVD risk, with pooled risk ratios (RRs) ranging from 0.55 (95%CI: 0.39–0.76) to 0.64 (95%CI: 0.53–0.79) and 0.70 (95%CI: 0.57–0.87), respectively. For food nutrients, two SRMAs of RCTs found that high intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) significantly reduced CVD risks, with pooled RRs ranging from 0.89 (95%CI: 0.82, 0.98) to 0.90 (95%CI: 0.85–0.96), while evidence of efficacy of n-6 PUFA and combined n-3 and n-6 PUFA were inconsistent. Moreover, results from the SRMAs of RCTs did not find a significant benefit of a low-salt diet and low total fat intake for CVD prevention. For food groups, results from the SRMAs of cohort studies suggest that high intakes of legumes, nuts, and chocolate, as well as a vegetarian diet significantly reduced the risk of coronary heart disease, with pooled RRs of 0.90 (95%CI: 0.84–0.97), 0.68 (95%CI: 0.59–0.78), 0.90 (95%CI: 0.82–0.97), and 0.71 (95%CI: 0.57–0.87), respectively. Healthy dietary patterns had a significant benefit for CVD prevention. With the substitutional and synergistic interactions between different food groups and nutrients, dietary recommendations for CVD prevention should be focused more on healthy dietary patterns than single food groups or nutrients.
The Leaf Wettability of Various Potato Cultivars
Authors: Papierowska Ewa , Szatyłowicz Jan , Samborski Stanisław , Szewińska Joanna , Różańska Elżbieta
Published: April 2020

Leaf wettability has an impact on a plant’s ability to retain water on its leaf surface, which in turn has many environmental consequences. In the case of the potato leaf (Solanum tuberosum L.), water on the leaf surface may contribute to the development of a fungal disease. If fungal disease is caused, this may reduce the size of potato harvests, which contribute significantly to meeting global food demand. The aim of this study was to assess the leaf wettability of five potato cultivars (i.e., Bryza, Lady Claire, Rudawa, Russet Burbank, Sweet Caroline) in the context of its direct and indirect impact on potato yield. Leaf wettability was assessed on the basis of contact angle measurements using a sessile drop method with an optical goniometer. For Bryza and Rudawa cultivars, which showed, respectively, the highest and the lowest contact angle values, light microscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy analyses were performed. The results of the contact angle measurements and microscopic image analyses of the potato leaf surfaces indicated that the level of wettability was closely related to the type of trichomes on the leaf and their density. Therefore, higher resistance of the Rudawa cultivar to biotic stress conditions could be the result of the presence of two glandular trichome types (VI and VII), which produce and secrete metabolites containing various sticky and/or toxic chemicals that may poison or repel herbivores.
Spinach Plants Favor the Absorption of K+ over Na+ Regardless of Salinity, and May Benefit from Na+ When K+ is Deficient in the Soil
Authors: Ferreira Jorge F. S. , da Silva Filho Jaime Barros , Liu Xuan , Sandhu Devinder
Published: April 2020

Two spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) cultivars were evaluated for their response to deficient (0.25 mmolc L−1 or 0.25 K) and sufficient (5.0 mmolc L−1 or 5.0 K) potassium (K) levels combined with salinities of 5, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mmolc L−1 NaCl. Plants substituted K for Na proportionally with salinity within each K dose. Plants favored K+ over Na+, regardless of salinity, accumulating significantly less Na at 5.0 K than at 0.25 K. Salinity had no effect on N, P, and K shoot accumulation, suggesting that spinach plants can maintain NPK homeostasis even at low soil K. Ca and Mg decreased with salinity, but plants showed no deficiency. There was no Na+ to K+ or Cl− to NO3− competition, and shoot biomass decrease was attributed to excessive NaCl accumulation. Overall, ‘Raccoon’ and ‘Gazelle’ biomasses were similar regardless of K dose but ‘Raccoon’ outproduced ‘Gazelle’ at 5.0 K at the two highest salinity levels, indicating that ‘Raccoon’ may outperform ‘Gazelle’ at higher NaCl concentrations. At low K, Na may be required by ‘Raccoon’, but not ‘Gazelle’. This study suggested that spinach can be cultivated with recycled waters of moderate salinity, and less potassium than recommended, leading to savings on crop input and decreasing crop environmental footprint.
Supramolecular Structure of Polypropylene Fibers Extruded with Addition of Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide
Authors: Broda Jan , Fabia Janusz , Bączek Marcin , Ślusarczyk Czesław
Published: April 2020

An effective β-nucleating agent for polypropylene crystallization was obtained by the functionalization of reduced graphene oxide with calcium pimelate. The nucleating ability of the modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO-CP) was confirmed during non-isothermal crystallization. In further examinations, the rGO-CP was used as an additive to modify polypropylene fibers. The fibers were extruded in laboratory conditions. Gravity spun fibers containing three different concentrations of the rGO-CP and fibers taken at three different velocities were obtained. The supramolecular structure of the fibers was examined by means of calorimetric and X-Ray Scattering methods (DSC, WAXS, and SAXS). The considerable amount of β-iPP was obtained only in the gravity spun fibers. In the fibers extruded at higher velocities, the diminishing impact of the additive on the fibers structure was revealed. The changes observed in the fiber structure in connection with the impact of the additive on polypropylene crystallization was discussed.