bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of ADHD Symptom Response/Remission in a Clinical Trial of Methylphenidate Extended Release
Authors: Weiss Margaret , Childress Ann , Nordbrock Earl , Adjei Akwete L. , Kupper Robert J. , Mattingly Greg
Published: April 2019

Clinical trials in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have typically measured outcome using clinician ratings on the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale, Fourth Edition (ADHD-RS-IV) and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Remission has been defined as an endpoint score of less than or equal to 18 on the ADHD-RS-IV (or a mean score of 1). Responders have been defined as patients who achieve a CGI-I score of much or very much improved (1 or 2). There is a lack of agreement in the literature on what percent change in symptoms on the ADHD-RS-IV should be used to define improvement or remission. This study uses data from a clinical trial of a methylphenidate extended release (MPH-MLR; Aptensio XR®) phase III clinical trial to attempt to determine the percent change of symptoms that best corresponds with improvement and remission. Symptom remission at endpoint (ADHD-RS-IV total score ≤18) was most closely aligned with a ≥46% reduction in ADHD-RS-IV total score. Clinical improvement was most closely aligned with a ≥40% reduction in ADHD-RS-IV total score. The three different measures of outcome were strongly aligned during double blind and open label treatment, and were independent of subtype status. Our data suggest that at least 40% improvement in symptoms is needed to achieve a robust response at endpoint.
Effective Diagnosis and Treatment through Content-Based Medical Image Retrieval (CBMIR) by Using Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Owais Muhammad , Arsalan Muhammad , Choi Jiho , Park Kang Ryoung
Published: April 2019

Medical-image-based diagnosis is a tedious task‚ and small lesions in various medical images can be overlooked by medical experts due to the limited attention span of the human visual system, which can adversely affect medical treatment. However, this problem can be resolved by exploring similar cases in the previous medical database through an efficient content-based medical image retrieval (CBMIR) system. In the past few years, heterogeneous medical imaging databases have been growing rapidly with the advent of different types of medical imaging modalities. Recently, a medical doctor usually refers to various types of imaging modalities all together such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, and ultrasound, etc of various organs in order for the diagnosis and treatment of specific disease. Accurate classification and retrieval of multimodal medical imaging data is the key challenge for the CBMIR system. Most previous attempts use handcrafted features for medical image classification and retrieval, which show low performance for a massive collection of multimodal databases. Although there are a few previous studies on the use of deep features for classification, the number of classes is very small. To solve this problem, we propose the classification-based retrieval system of the multimodal medical images from various types of imaging modalities by using the technique of artificial intelligence, named as an enhanced residual network (ResNet). Experimental results with 12 databases including 50 classes demonstrate that the accuracy and F1.score by our method are respectively 81.51% and 82.42% which are higher than those by the previous method of CBMIR (the accuracy of 69.71% and F1.score of 69.63%).
Diameters of Arteries Supplying Horseshoe Kidneys and the Level They Branch off Their Parental Vessels: A CT-Angiographic Study
Authors: Majos Marcin , Majos Agata , Polguj Michał , Szymczyk Konrad , Chrostowski Jakub , Stefańczyk Ludomir
Published: April 2019

Background: The most common renal fusion anomaly is horseshoe kidney (HSK), a condition associated with variable arterial blood supply. The aim of this study was to determine whether the height of origin of the renal artery determines its diameter and whether it differs from the mean diameter of the renal arteries of normal kidneys (NK). Methods: Computer tomography angiography (CTA) studies of 336 patients (88 HSK and 248 NK) were obtained in a search of renal arteries; these were than classified into four groups according to height of its origin: Group I, branching from the aorta superior to the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA); Group II, branching from the aorta below the IMA; Group III, branching from the iliac artery; and Group IV, originating from the internal and external iliac artery. Results: The HSK group included 398 arteries (mean diameter 4.30 mm) and the NK group 598 (5.52 mm) (p < 0.0001). In the HSK group, the mean diameters according to groups were: Group I, 4.54 mm; Group II, 4.28 mm; Group III, 3.41 mm; and Group IV, 3.43 mm. Statistically significant differences were found between arteries originating from the aorta and arteries branching from the iliac arteries (p < 0.0001). In the NK group, the corresponding values were: Group I, 5.53 mm; and Group II, 4.45 mm. The number of arteries supplying the HSK wider than 3.0 mm were: Group I, 83.0%; Group II, 82.4%; Group III, 68.4%; and Group IV, 66.6%. Conclusions: The renal arteries of the HSK branch from their parental vessels at lower levels and have smaller diameters than those of NK.
Calcium Channel Blocker-Related Chylous Ascites: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tsai Meng-Ko , Lai Chao-Hung , Chen Li-Mien , Jong Gwo-Ping
Published: April 2019

Background: Chylous ascites is an uncommon condition characterized by a white, milky-appearing peritoneal fluid, and is related to disruption of the lymphatic system from any cause. There have been very few previous reports of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as potential causes of chylous ascites, and most of the patients were undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Aims: To review the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, treatment options, and prognosis of patients with CCB-related chylous ascites. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted for patients with CCB-related chylous ascites from publications in PubMed, EMBASE, and LILACS between January 1993 and December 2018. Results: A total of 48 cases were included. The average age at disease onset was 50.2 ± 10.9 years, with a male:female ratio of 1.5:1.0. The symptoms of abdominal distension/pain and chylous ascites were observed within 48–72 h of drug initiation and disappeared within 24 h of drug withdrawal. Rechallenge was performed in 10 patients, and all (100%) of them showed chylous effluents that disappeared within 24 h after stopping drug treatment. Conclusions: To summarize, CCB-related chylous ascites is formed of white, milky ascites/effluents that appear after administration of CCBs. Physicians must be aware of the possibility of chylous ascites when administering CCBs, particularly in patients with renal function impairment or patients with end-stage renal disease who are undergoing peritoneal dialysis.
Effect of Diabetes Mellitus on Acute Kidney Injury after Minimally Invasive Partial Nephrectomy: A Case-Matched Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Kim Na Young , Hong Jung Hwa , Koh Dong Hoon , Lee Jongsoo , Nam Hoon Jae , Kim So Yeon
Published: April 2019

Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is still a concern in partial nephrectomy (PN), even with the development of minimally invasive technique. We aimed to compare AKI incidence between patients with and without diabetes mellitus (DM) and to determine the predictive factors for postoperative AKI. This case-matched retrospective study included 884 patients with preoperative creatinine levels ≤1.4 mg/dL who underwent laparoscopic or robot-assisted laparoscopic PN between December 2005 and May 2018. Propensity score matching was employed to match patients with and without DM in a 1:3 ratio (101 and 303 patients, respectively). Of 884 patients, 20.4% had postoperative AKI. After propensity score matching, the incidence of postoperative AKI in DM and non-DM patients was 30.7% and 14.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, male sex and warm ischemia time (WIT) >25 min were significantly associated with postoperative AKI in patients with and without DM. In patients with DM, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) >7% was a predictive factor for AKI, odds ratio (OR) = 4.59 (95% CI, 1.47–14.36). In conclusion, DM increased the risk of AKI after minimally invasive PN; male sex, longer WIT, and elevated HbA1c were independent risk factors for AKI in patients with DM.
Lubrication Analyses of Cam and Flat-Faced Follower
Authors: Jamali Hazim U. , Al-Hamood Amjad , Abdullah Oday I. , Senatore Adolfo , Schlattmann Josef
Published: April 2019

The principal factors that affect the characteristics of contact problem between cam and follower vary enormously during the operating cycle of this mechanism. This includes radius of curvature, surface velocities and applied load. It has been found over the last decades that the mechanism operates under an extremely thin film of lubricant. Any practical improvement in the level of film thickness that separates the contacted surfaces represents an essential step towards a satisfactory design of the system. In this paper a detailed numerical study is presented for the cam and follower (flat-faced) lubrication including the effect of introducing an axial modification (parabolic shape) of the cam depth on the levels of film thickness and pressure distribution. This is achieved based on a point contact model for a cam and flat-faced follower system. The results reveal that the cam form of modification has considerable consequences on the level of predicted film thickness and pressure distribution as well as surface deformation.
Optimization of Friction Welding Process Parameters for 42Cr9Si2 Hollow Head and Sodium Filled Engine Valve and Valve Performance Evaluation
Authors: Lai Fuqiang , Qu Shengguan , Lewis Roger , Slatter Tom , Sun Ge , Zhang Tao , Li Xiaoqiang
Published: April 2019

Due to their design, hollow cavity and filled sodium, hollow head and sodium filled engine valves (HHSVs) have superior performance to traditional solid valves in terms of mass and temperature reduction. This paper presents a new manufacturing method for 42Cr9Si2 steel hollow head and sodium filled valves. An inertia friction welding process parameter optimization was conducted to obtain a suitable process parameter range. The fatigue strength of 42Cr9Si2 steel at elevated temperatures was evaluated by rotating bending fatigue test with material specimens. Performance evaluation tests for real valve components were then carried out using a bespoke bench-top apparatus, as well as a stress evaluation utilizing a finite element method. It was proved that the optimized friction welding parameters of HHSV can achieve good welding quality and performance, and the HHSV specimen successfully survived defined durability tests proving the viability of this new method. The wear resistance of the HHSV specimens was evaluated and the corresponding wear mechanisms were found to be those classically defined in automotive valve wear.
Seeking a Chaotic Order in the Cryptocurrency Market
Authors: Gunay Samet , Kaşkaloğlu Kerem
Published: April 2019

In this study, we investigate the existence of chaos in the global cryptocurrency market. Specifically, we analyze parameters of chaotic order, nonlinearity, sensitivity to the initial conditions, monofractality, and multifractality. For this purpose, we conduct a comprehensive series of tests, including Brock–Dechert–Scheinkman (BDS) test, largest Lyapunov exponent, box-counting, and monogram analysis for fractal dimension, and multiple tests for long-range dependence (Aggregated Variances, Peng, Higuchi, R/S Analysis, and Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA)). All tests are performed over a variety of major cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. The empirical results support the existence of chaos in the cryptocurrency market. Accordingly, cryptocurrency returns are not random and follow a chaotic order. Therefore, long term predictions are not possible, contrary to most of the discussions ongoing in the media and the public.
New Furanocembranoids from Briareum violaceum
Authors: Huang Pin-Chang , Lin Wen-Sou , Peng Bo-Rong , Chang Yu-Chia , Fang Lee-Shing , Li Guo-Qiang , Hwang Tsong-Long , Wen Zhi-Hong , Sung Ping-Jyun
Published: April 2019

Three new furanocembranoids—briaviodiol F (1) and briaviotriols A (2) and B (3)—along with a known analogue, briaviodiol A (4), were obtained from a cultured-type octocoral Briareum violaceum. The structures of cembranoids 1–3 were elucidated by using spectroscopic methods. In vitro study demonstrated that compounds 2 and 4 exerted inhibition effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) release from RAW 264.7, a macrophage cell line that originated from a mouse monocyte macrophage, stimulated with lipopolysaccharides.
Inflammation and Endotyping in Chronic Rhinosinusitis—A Paradigm Shift
Authors: Ahern Sinead , Cervin Anders
Published: April 2019

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory condition of the paranasal sinuses and nasal passage. It is characterized as inflammation of the sinonasal passage, presenting with two or more symptoms (nasal blockage, secretions, facial pain and headaches) for more than 12 weeks consecutively. The disease is phenotypically differentiated based on the presence of nasal polyps; CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). Traditionally, CRSwNP has been associated with a type 2 inflammatory profile, while CRSsNP has been associated with a type 1 inflammatory profile. Extensive work in characterizing the inflammatory profiles of CRS patients has challenged this dichotomy, with great variation both between and within populations described. Recent efforts of endotyping CRS based on underlying pathophysiology have further highlighted the heterogeneity of the disease, revealing mixed inflammatory profiles coordinated by a number of inflammatory cell types. This review will highlight the current understanding of inflammation in CRS, and discuss the importance and impact of refining this understanding in the development of appropriate treatment options for CRS sufferers.
Lysis Profiles of Salmonella Phages on Salmonella Isolates from Various Sources and Efficiency of a Phage Cocktail against S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium
Authors: Petsong Kantiya , Benjakul Soottawat , Chaturongakul Soraya , Switt Andrea I. Moreno , Vongkamjan Kitiya
Published: April 2019

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are major foodborne pathogens of concern worldwide. Bacteriophage applications have gained more interest for biocontrol in foods. This study isolated 36 Salmonella phages from several animal farms in Thailand and tested them on 47 Salmonella strains from several sources, including farms, seafood processing plant and humans in Thailand and USA. Phages were classified into three major groups. The estimated phage genome size showed the range from 50 ± 2 to 200 ± 2 kb. An effective phage cocktail consisting of three phages was developed. Approximately 4 log CFU/mL of S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium could be reduced. These phages revealed a burst size of up to 97.7 on S. Enteritidis and 173.7 PFU/cell on S. Typhimurium. Our phage cocktail could decrease S. Enteritidis on chicken meat and sunflower sprouts by 0.66 log CFU/cm2 and 1.27 log CFU/g, respectively. S. Typhimurium on chicken meat and sunflower sprouts were decreased by 1.73 log CFU/cm2 and 1.17 log CFU/g, respectively. Overall, animal farms in Thailand provided high abundance and diversity of Salmonella phages with the lysis ability on Salmonella hosts from various environments and continents. A developed phage cocktail suggests a potential biocontrol against Salmonella in fresh foods.
The Profile of Urinary Headspace Volatile Organic Compounds After 12-Week Intake of Oligofructose-Enriched Inulin by Children and Adolescents with Celiac Disease on a Gluten-Free Diet: Results of a Pilot, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Drabińska Natalia , Jarocka-Cyrta Elżbieta , Ratcliffe Norman Mark , Krupa-Kozak Urszula
Published: April 2019

The concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can inform about the metabolic condition of the body. In the small intestine of untreated persons with celiac disease (CD), chronic inflammation can occur, leading to nutritional deficiencies, and consequently to functional impairments of the whole body. Metabolomic studies showed differences in the profile of VOCs in biological fluids of patients with CD in comparison to healthy persons; however, there is scarce quantitative and nutritional intervention information. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of a gluten-free diet (GFD) with prebiotic oligofructose-enriched inulin (Synergy 1) on the concentration of VOCs in the urine of children and adolescents with CD. Twenty-three participants were randomized to the group receiving Synergy 1 (10 g per day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Urinary VOCs were analyzed using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Sixteen compounds were identified and quantified in urine samples. The supplementation of GFD with Synergy 1 resulted in an average concentration drop (36%) of benzaldehyde in urine samples. In summary, Synergy 1, applied as a supplement of GFD for 12 weeks had a moderate impact on the VOC concentrations in the urine of children with CD.
Regulation of Noise-Induced Loss of Serotonin Transporters with Resveratrol in a Rat Model Using 4-[18F]-ADAM/Small-Animal Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Li I-Hsun , Shih Jui-Hu , Jhao Yun-Tin , Chen Hsin-Chien , Chiu Chuang-Hsin , Chen Chien-Fu F. , Huang Yuahn-Sieh , Shiue Chyng-Yann , Ma Kuo-Hsing
Published: April 2019

Serotonin (5-HT) plays a crucial role in modulating the afferent fiber discharge rate in the inferior colliculus, auditory cortex, and other nuclei of the ascending auditory system. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol phytoalexin, can inhibit serotonin transporters (SERT) to increase synaptic 5-HT levels. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol on noise-induced damage in the serotonergic system. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetized and exposed to an 8-kHz tone at 116 dB for 3.5 h. Resveratrol (30 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection [IP]) and citalopram (20 mg/kg, IP), a specific SERT inhibitor used as a positive control, were administered once a day for four consecutive days, with the first treatment occurring 2 days before noise exposure. Auditory brainstem response testing and positron emission tomography (PET) with N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-[18F]fluorophenylthio)benzylamine (4-[18F]-ADAM, a specific radioligand for SERT) were used to evaluate functionality of the auditory system and integrity of the serotonergic system, respectively, before and after noise exposure. Finally, immunohistochemistry was performed 1 day after the last PET scan. Our results indicate that noise-induced serotonergic fiber loss occurred in multiple brain regions including the midbrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, striatum, auditory cortex, and frontal cortex. This noise-induced damage to the serotonergic system was ameliorated in response to treatment with resveratrol and citalopram. However, noise exposure increased the hearing threshold in the rats regardless of drug treatment status. We conclude that resveratrol has protective effects against noise-induced loss of SERT.
In Silico Peptide Ligation: Iterative Residue Docking and Linking as a New Approach to Predict Protein-Peptide Interactions
Authors: Diharce Julien , Cueto Mickaël , Beltramo Massimiliano , Aucagne Vincent , Bonnet Pascal
Published: April 2019

Peptide–protein interactions are corner-stones of living functions involved in essential mechanisms, such as cell signaling. Given the difficulty of obtaining direct experimental structural biology data, prediction of those interactions is of crucial interest for the rational development of new drugs, notably to fight diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Because of the high flexibility of natural unconstrained linear peptides, prediction of their binding mode in a protein cavity remains challenging. Several theoretical approaches have been developed in the last decade to address this issue. Nevertheless, improvements are needed, such as the conformation prediction of peptide side-chains, which are dependent on peptide length and flexibility. Here, we present a novel in silico method, Iterative Residue Docking and Linking (IRDL), to efficiently predict peptide–protein interactions. In order to reduce the conformational space, this innovative method splits peptides into several short segments. Then, it uses the performance of intramolecular covalent docking to rebuild, sequentially, the complete peptide in the active site of its protein target. Once the peptide is constructed, a rescoring step is applied in order to correctly rank all IRDL solutions. Applied on a set of 11 crystallized peptide–protein complexes, the IRDL method shows promising results, since it is able to retrieve experimental binding conformations with a Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) below 2 Å in the top five ranked solutions. For some complexes, IRDL method outperforms two other docking protocols evaluated in this study. Hence, IRDL is a new tool that could be used in drug design projects to predict peptide–protein interactions.
Probiotics in Extraintestinal Diseases: Current Trends and New Directions
Authors: Kiousi Despoina E. , Karapetsas Athanasios , Karolidou Kyriaki , Panayiotidis Mihalis I. , Pappa Aglaia , Galanis Alex
Published: April 2019

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host. Their positive supplementation outcomes on several gastrointestinal disorders are well defined. Nevertheless, their actions are not limited to the gut, but may also impart their beneficial effects at distant sites and organs. In this regard, in this review article we: (i) comprehensively describe the main mechanisms of action of probiotics at distant sites, including bones, skin, and brain; (ii) critically present their therapeutic potential against bone, skin, and neuronal diseases (e.g., osteoporosis, non-healing wounds and autoimmune skin illnesses, mood, behavior, memory, and cognitive impairments); (iii) address the current gaps in the preclinical and clinical research; and (iv) indicate new research directions and suggest future investigations.
Delivering Combination Chemotherapies and Targeting Oncogenic Pathways via Polymeric Drug Delivery Systems
Authors: Nair Praful R.
Published: April 2019

The side-effects associated with chemotherapy necessitates better delivery of chemotherapeutics to the tumor. Nanoparticles can load higher amounts of drug and improve delivery to tumors, increasing the efficacy of treatment. Polymeric nanoparticles, in particular, have been used extensively for chemotherapeutic delivery. This review describes the efforts made to deliver combination chemotherapies and inhibit oncogenic pathways using polymeric drug delivery systems. Combinations of chemotherapeutics with other drugs or small interfering RNA (siRNA) combinations have been summarized. Special attention is given to the delivery of drug combinations that involve either paclitaxel or doxorubicin, two popular chemotherapeutics in clinic. Attempts to inhibit specific pathways for oncotherapy have also been described. These include inhibition of oncogenic pathways (including those involving HER2, EGFR, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, STAT3, and HIF-1α), augmentation of apoptosis by inhibiting anti-apoptosis proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and survivin), and targeting dysregulated pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog.
The Characteristics of Surface Albedo Change Trends over the Antarctic Sea Ice Region during Recent Decades
Authors: Zhou Chunxia , Zhang Teng , Zheng Lei
Published: April 2019

Based on a long-time series (1982–2015) of remote sensing data, we analyzed the change in surface albedo (SAL) during summer (from December to the following February) for the entire Antarctic Sea Ice Region (ASIR) and five longitudinal sectors around Antarctica: (1). the Weddell Sea (WS), (2). Indian Ocean, (3). Pacific Ocean (PO), (4). Ross Sea, and (5). Bellingshausen–Amundsen Sea (BS). Empirical mode decomposition was used to extract the trend of the original signal, and then a slope test method was utilized to identify a transition point. The SAL provided by the CM SAF cloud, Albedo, and Surface Radiation dataset from AVHRR data-Second Edition was validated at Neumayer station. Sea ice concentration (SIC) and sea surface temperature (SST) were also analyzed. The trend of the SAL/SIC was positive during summer over the ASIR and five longitudinal sectors, except for the BS (−2.926% and −4.596% per decade for SAL and SIC, correspondingly). Moreover, the largest increasing trend of SAL and SIC appeared in the PO at approximately 3.781% and 3.358% per decade, respectively. However, the decreasing trend of SAL/SIC in the BS slowed down, and the increasing trend of SAL/SIC in the PO accelerated. The trend curves of the SST exhibited a crest around 2000–2005; thus, the slope lines of the SST showed an increasing–decreasing type for the ASIR and the five longitudinal sectors. The evolution of summer albedo decreased rapidly in the early summer and then maintained a relatively stable level for the whole ASIR. The change of it mainly depended on the early melt of sea ice during the entire summer. The change of sea ice albedo had a narrow range when compared with composite albedo and SIC over the five longitudinal sectors and reached a stable level earlier. The transition point of SAL/SIC in several sectors appeared around the year 2000, whereas that of the SST for the entire ASIR occurred in 2003–2005. A high value of SAL/SIC and a low value of the SST existed in the WS which can be displayed by the spatial distribution of pixel average. In addition, the lower the latitude was, the lower the SAL/SIC and the higher the SST would be. A transition point of SAL appeared in 2001 in most areas of West Antarctica. This transition point could be illustrated by anomaly maps. The spatial distribution of the pixel-based trend of SAL demonstrated that the change in SAL in East Antarctica has exhibited a positive trend in recent decades. However, in West Antarctica, the change of SAL presented a decreasing trend before 2001 and transformed into an increasing trend afterward, especially in the east of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Absolute Single Cavity Length Interrogation of Fiber-Optic Compound Fabry–Perot Pressure Sensors Through a White Light Non-Scanning Correlation Method
Authors: Guo Zilong , Lv Wentao , Wang Wei , Chen Qingqing , Zhang Xiongxing , Chen Haibin , Ma Zhibo
Published: April 2019

A white light non-scanning correlation interrogation system was proposed and built to interrogate absolute length of the air cavity of fiber-optic compound Fabry–Perot pressure sensors for the extraction of pressure value. By carefully choosing thickness range and tilt angle of the optical wedge used for cavity length matching, correlation interferometric signal of the basal cavity can be naturally filtered out. Based on peak positioning by Fourier transform, bandpass filtering in frequency domain, inverse Fourier transform back to time domain, envelope fitting and zero fringe finding through a gravity center method, cavity length can be determined with an accuracy of 0.04%. The system was used for the interrogation of a fiber-optic compound Fabry–Perot pressure sensor under different pressures. For a pressure range of 0.1~2.9 Mpa, the linear relationship between the air cavity length and the gas pressure imposed was successfully extracted.
Acoustic Sensor Data Flow for Cultural Heritage Monitoring and Safeguarding
Authors: Kasnesis Panagiotis , Tatlas Nicolaos-Alexandros , Mitilineos Stelios A. , Patrikakis Charalampos Z. , Potirakis Stelios M.
Published: April 2019

Cultural heritage sites, apart from being the tangible link to a country’s history and culture, actively contribute to the national economy, offering a foundation upon which cultural tourism can develop. This importance at the cultural and economic level, advocates for the need for preservation of cultural heritage sites for the future generations. To this end, advanced monitoring systems harnessing the power of sensors are deployed near the sites to collect data which can fuel systems and processes aimed at protection and preservation. In this paper we present the use of acoustic sensors for safeguarding cultural sites located in rural or urban areas, based on a novel data flow framework. We developed and deployed Wireless Acoustic Sensors Networks that record audio signals, which are transferred to a modular cloud platform to be processed using an efficient deep learning algorithm (f1-score: 0.838) to identify audio sources of interest for each site, taking into account the materials the assets are made of. The extracted information is presented exploiting the designed STORM Audio Signal ontology and then fused with spatiotemporal information using semantic rules. The results of this work give valuable insight to the cultural experts and are publicly available using the Linked Open Data format.
A Novelty Detection Approach for Tendons of Prestressed Concrete Bridges Based on a Convolutional Autoencoder and Acceleration Data
Authors: Lee Kanghyeok , Jeong Seunghoo , Sim Sung-Han , Shin Do Hyoung
Published: April 2019

The most important structural element of prestressed concrete (PSC) bridges is the prestressed tendon, and in order to ensure safety of such bridges, it is very important to determine whether the tendon is damaged. However, it is not easy to detect tendon damage in real time. This study proposes a novelty detection approach for damage to the tendons of PSC bridges based on a convolutional autoencoder (CAE). The proposed method employs simulation data from nine accelerometers. The accuracies of CAEs for multi-vehicle are 79.5%–85.8% for 100% and 75% damage severities with all error levels and 50% damage severity without error. However, the accuracies for 50% damage severity with 5% and 10% error levels drop to 69.4%–73.3%. The accuracies of CAEs for single-vehicle ranges from 90.1%–95.1% for all damage severities and error levels that are satisfactory. The findings indicate that the CAE approach for multi-vehicle can be effective when the damages are severe, but not when moderate. Meanwhile, if acceleration data can be obtained for single-vehicle, then the CAE approach can provide a highly accurate and robust method of tendon damage detection in PSC bridges in use, even if the measurement errors are significant.
An Adaptive Sliding-Mode Iterative Constant-force Control Method for Robotic Belt Grinding Based on a One-Dimensional Force Sensor
Authors: Zhang Tie , Yu Ye , Zou Yanbiao
Published: April 2019

To improve the processing quality and efficiency of robotic belt grinding, an adaptive sliding-mode iterative constant-force control method for a 6-DOF robotic belt grinding platform is proposed based on a one-dimension force sensor. In the investigation, first, the relationship between the normal and the tangential forces of the grinding contact force is revealed, and a simplified grinding force mapping relationship is presented for the application to one-dimension force sensors. Next, the relationship between the deformation and the grinding depth during the grinding is discussed, and a deformation-based dynamic model describing robotic belt grinding is established. Then, aiming at an application scene of robot belt grinding, an adaptive iterative learning method is put forward, which is combined with sliding mode control to overcome the uncertainty of the grinding force and improve the stability of the control system. Finally, some experiments were carried out and the results show that, after ten times iterations, the grinding force fluctuation becomes less than 2N, the mean value, standard deviation and variance of the grinding force error’s absolute value all significantly decrease, and that the surface quality of the machined parts significantly improves. All these demonstrate that the proposed force control method is effective and that the proposed algorithm is fast in convergence and strong in adaptability.
Characterizing Complex Mineral Structures in Thin Sections of Geological Samples with a Scanning Hall Effect Microscope
Authors: Araujo Jefferson F. D. F. , Reis Andre L. A. , Oliveira Vanderlei C. , Santos Amanda F. , Luz-Lima Cleanio , Yokoyama Elder , Mendoza Leonardo A. F. , Pereira João M. B. , Bruno Antonio C.
Published: April 2019

We improved a magnetic scanning microscope for measuring the magnetic properties of minerals in thin sections of geological samples at submillimeter scales. The microscope is comprised of a 200 µm diameter Hall sensor that is located at a distance of 142 µm from the sample; an electromagnet capable of applying up to 500 mT DC magnetic fields to the sample over a 40 mm diameter region; a second Hall sensor arranged in a gradiometric configuration to cancel the background signal applied by the electromagnet and reduce the overall noise in the system; a custom-designed electronics system to bias the sensors and allow adjustments to the background signal cancelation; and a scanning XY stage with micrometer resolution. Our system achieves a spatial resolution of 200 µm with a noise at 6.0 Hz of 300 nTrms/(Hz)1/2 in an unshielded environment. The magnetic moment sensitivity is 1.3 × 10−11 Am2. We successfully measured the representative magnetization of a geological sample using an alternative model that takes the sample geometry into account and identified different micrometric characteristics in the sample slice.
Quantitative Attribute Analyses with Ground Penetrating Radar for Infrastructure Assessments and Structural Health Monitoring
Authors: Morris Isabel , Abdel-Jaber Hiba , Glisic Branko
Published: April 2019

In civil structures and infrastructure, assessing true performance and characterizing unusual structural behaviors can help avoid severe structural problems. To further refine or validate the conclusions from structural health monitoring (SHM) analyses, nondestructive evaluation or techniques (NDE or NDT) can be applied in conjunction with SHM approaches. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an NDT that has been used to investigate defects and internal features in concrete structures, but is not commonly used to assess mechanical properties for the purposes of SHM. As a preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of attribute analysis techniques, a GPR survey was conducted on Streicker Bridge (a pedestrian bridge on Princeton University campus with embedded fiber-optic strain and temperature sensors). The bridge was constructed in two phases, where different curing conditions produced different material properties (compressive strength of 51 MPa and 59 MPa). Both standard processing techniques and attribute analysis techniques were employed to interpret GPR reflections in each phase of construction to identify construction elements and to compare the attribute signatures of different strength concretes.Though this study presents primarily relative differences, the sensitivity of these attributes to material property differences is confirmed. This validates SHM studies of the bridge and indicates the potential of the attribute analysis method for material characterization, especially as a compliment to other SHM and NDE techniques.
A Spectrum-Aware Priority-Based Link Scheduling Algorithm for Cognitive Radio Body Area Networks
Authors: Le Thien Thi Thanh , Moh Sangman
Published: April 2019

With the development of wireless communication technology, wireless body area networks (WBANs) have become a fundamental support tool in medical applications. In a real hospital scenario, however, the interference between wireless medical devices and WBANs may cause a high packet drop rate and high latency, which is harmful to patients using healthcare services. Nonetheless, cognitive radio is a promising technology for sharing the precious spectrum, which has high efficiency of the wireless resource. Thus, WBANs with cognitive radio capability are also exploited. We propose a spectrum-aware priority-based link scheduling (SPLS) algorithm for cognitive radio body area networks (CRBANs) in a real hospital scenario. In SPLS, three channels are used: DataCh, EDataCh, and CtrlCh for normal data, emergency data, and control messages, respectively. To avoid collision during data transmission, neighboring CRBANs send messages regarding the channel state with CtrlCh before the scheduling. The CRBANs can share DataCh in the time domain for improving the throughput. The SPLS algorithm allows a CRBAN to access idle channels on the licensed and unlicensed spectrum according to the CRBAN traffic. Our simulation results show that the proposed SPLS outperformed the conventional scheme in terms of packet delivery ratio, system throughput, latency, and energy efficiency.
Young Pacific Male Rugby Players’ Perceptions and Experiences of Mental Wellbeing
Authors: Marsters Caleb , Tiatia-Seath Jemaima
Published: April 2019

Recent studies and increased media reporting across Australasia have linked young Pacific male elite athletes to depression, suicide, and other adverse mental health-related events. Despite these accounts, little is known about the way this group experience emotions and mental wellbeing. The aim of this study was to explore young Pacific male athletes’ perceptions and experiences of emotions and mental wellbeing. This qualitative study involved 20 face-to-face interviews with young Pacific males (16–24 years) engaged in elite rugby union and rugby league programmes in Auckland, New Zealand. The results identified that athletes defined mental wellbeing in a holistic and relational manner and perceived mental wellbeing as the culmination of several interconnected factors, including: Family support, reciprocating family support, living a ‘well-balanced’ life, athletic performance, and personal development away from sports. The maintenance of a well-balanced athletic identity and positive social relations were deemed central to sustaining mental wellbeing for these young men.
Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization of Aflatoxin M1 Intake through Consumption of Milk and Yoghurt by Student Population in Serbia and Greece
Authors: Udovicki Bozidar , Djekic Ilija , Kalogianni Eleni P. , Rajkovic Andreja
Published: April 2019

The objective of this research was to perform an exposure assessment of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) intake through the consumption of milk and yoghurt by the student population in Serbia and Greece. A food consumption survey of milk and yoghurt was performed during the first half of 2018 in the two countries with at least 500 interviewees (aged between 18 and 27 years) per country, covering their dietary habits and body weight based on one-day and seven-day recall methods. Values for the concentration of AFM1 were extracted from published research. Finally, a Monte Carlo analysis of 100,000 iterations was performed to estimate the intake of AFM1 from the consumption of the two dairy products. Results revealed that the estimated average exposure of students to AFM1 was in the range of 1.238–2.674 ng kg−1 bw day−1 for Serbia, and 0.350–0.499 ng kg−1 bw day−1 for Greece, depending on the dietary recall method employed. High estimations for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases/year/105 individuals, depending on the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen positive individuals (HBsAg+), were 0.0036–0.0047 and 0.0007–0.0009 for Serbia and Greece, respectively. Presented Margin of Exposure (MOE) and Hazard Index (HI) values indicate increased risk from exposure to AFM1, particularly in Serbia.
Prediction of Severe Drought Area Based on Random Forest: Using Satellite Image and Topography Data
Authors: Park Haekyung , Kim Kyungmin , Lee Dong kun
Published: April 2019

The uncertainty of drought forecasting based on past meteorological data is increasing because of climate change. However, agricultural droughts, associated with food resources and determined by soil moisture, must be predicted several months ahead for timely resource allocation. Accordingly, we designed a severe drought area prediction (SDAP) model for short-term drought without meteorological data. The predictions of our proposed SDAP model indicate a forecast of serious drought areas assuming non-rainfall, not a probability prediction of drought occurrence. Furthermore, this prediction provides more practical information to help with rapid water allocation during a real drought. The model structure using remote sensing data consists of two parts. First, the drought function f(x) from the training area by random forest (RF) learned the changes in the pattern of soil moisture index (SMI) from the past drought and the training performance was found to be root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.052, mean absolute error (MAE) = 0.039, R2 = 0.91. Second, derived f(x) predicted the SMI of the study area, which is 20 times larger than the training area, of the same season of another year as RMSE = 0.382, MAE = 0.375, R2 = 0.58. We also obtained the variable importance stemming from RF and discussed its meaning along with the advantages and limitations of the model, training areas selection, and prediction coverage.
Effects of Drying and Re-Wetting on Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Recycling: A Manipulative Experiment
Authors: Palmia Beatrice , Bartoli Marco , Laini Alex , Bolpagni Rossano , Ferrari Claudio , Viaroli Pierluigi
Published: April 2019

Climate change and water abstraction may change stream flow from perennial into intermittent lotic systems, modifying their abiotic and biotic benthic environment and impacting ecosystem processes such as nutrient turnover. We conducted a microcosm experiment to investigate the interactive effect of water intermittency, macrofauna and leaf size (Populus nigra leaves) on nutrient mineralization and recycling. Leaf disks (1 or 5 cm diameter) were incubated for 40 days with or without the leaf-consumer, Potamophylax cingulatus larvae (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) and with or without an intervening, 10-days simulation of stream drying and subsequent rewetting. Nutrient fluxes, residual leaf biomass and leaf elemental composition were measured to evaluate how intermittency, macrofauna and leaf size affect organic matter mineralization rates and stoichiometry. Results suggest that drying slows decomposition rates, impacting both the microbial and setting to zero macrofauna activities. The presence of macrofauna increases mineralization and nutrient (C, N and P) regeneration rates. Our findings also suggest that leaf disks with higher diameter display higher microbial activity and NH4+ regeneration. During the experiment, the C:N:P ratios of residual litter changed, as the leaf material became enriched with N and P. Our study suggests that increasingly frequent dry events might slow mineralization rates and downstream nutrient transport.
Diferencia de género en la profesión de contador público en Panamá: Un problema ético
Authors: Chanmarín Reyes Carlos Antonio
Published: April 2019

El objetivo general de esta investigación fue determinar si el hombre y la mujer se pueden desempeñar en igualdad de condiciones en la profesión de contador público en Panamá, en el año 2015. Los objetivos específicos tienen que ver con las variables: preparados, reciben, familia, crediticias, discriminación, prejuicio, estrictos, experiencia y ético. Se aplicó, a los datos recibidos de 240 encuestados, los análisis Alfa de Cronbach, Pearson y Espearman, tabulación simple y resultó que la condición de la mujer no es igual que la del hombre, que ambos están preparados para ejercer la profesión de contador público, la mujer no recibe el mismo salario, ni facilidades crediticias, ni condición de familia, que son más estrictas que el hombre, que es importante la experiencia y que sí es un problema ético.

 

Palabras clave: economía de género, discriminación laboral

 

ABSTRACT

 

The general objective of this research was to: Determine if men and women can play under equal conditions in the profession of public accountant in Panama, in 2015. The specific objectives have to do with the variables: prepared, receive, family, credit, discrimination, prejudice, strict, experience and ethical. It applied, to the data received from 240 respondents, the Alpha analyzes of Cronbach, Pearson and Espearman, Simple Tabulation and it turned out that the condition of the woman is not the same as that of the man, that both are prepared to practice the profession of public accountant , women do not receive the same salary, credit facilities, or family status, which are stricter than men, which is important experience and which is an ethical problem.

 

Key words: gender economics, employment discrimination
La organización del trabajo en la carrera de Agroindustria – Espam MFL
Authors: Ormaza María Piedad , Palacios Zurita Wladimir
Published: April 2019

El diagnóstico de los factores que inciden en la organización del trabajo permitió proponer un programa de mejoras, capaz de garantizar la calidad de vida laboral (CVL) de los trabajadores(as) de la carrera de Agroindustria – ESPAM MFL. Se diseñó y aplicó un procedimiento que propició la familiarización con el área, se realizó entrevistas a trabajadores de las unidades de docencia, investigación y vinculación (UDIV) adscritas a la carrera. La evaluación de la organización del trabajo se dio por la implementación de un cuestionario de valoración general y otro de valoración específica para el estudio del régimen de trabajo y descanso, empleando la técnica de estudio de tiempos; además se utilizó la técnica del diagrama bimanual para describir los métodos de trabajo aplicados a los procesos de producción. En los resultados se detectó duplicidad de actividades, fatiga, estrés, y operaciones rutinarias, todas estas fueron priorizadas mediante el método Kendall para someterlas a un análisis causa-efecto, y reconocer las sub-causas que las generan.
La carga física de los trabajadores: estrategia administrativa en la mejora de procesos
Authors: Real Pérez Grether Lucía , Hidalgo Ávila Argelio Antonio , Ramos Alfonso Yanelis
Published: April 2019

La administración surge cuando existe la necesidad de manejar recursos. Los administradores deben planificar, organizar, dirigir y controlar todos los elementos de los procesos, considerando los medios de trabajo, los objetos de trabajo y las personas. Este último es el eslabón fundamental del proceso productivo o de servicio. Se debe considerar además el entorno y su relación con el medio ambiente, permitiendo ser a las empresas responsables con los tres pilares fundamentales: la sociedad, el medio ambiente, y la economía. La Ergonomía, como ciencia aplicada, permite garantizar las condiciones de seguridad, salud y bienestar a sus trabajadores, logrando ser más productivos, eficientes, eficaces y competitivos. El objetivo de la investigación fue conocer las implicaciones de la carga física en los trabajadores, utilizando una herramienta de diagnóstico que permitió, como resultado fundamental, el establecimiento de programas de mejoras ajustados a cada una de las realidades de los puestos de trabajo.

Palabras clave: Ergonomía, Administración, Carga física, Factores de riesgo, Programa de mejoras