bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection and Quantification of ADP-Ribosylated RhoA/B by Monoclonal Antibody
Authors: Rohrbeck Astrid , Fühner Viola , Schröder Anke , Hagemann Sandra , Vu Xuan-Khang , Berndt Sarah , Hust Michael , Pich Andreas , Just Ingo
Published: April 2016

Clostridium botulinum exoenzyme C3 is the prototype of C3-like ADP-ribosyltransferases that modify the GTPases RhoA, B, and C. C3 catalyzes the transfer of an ADP-ribose moiety from the co-substrate nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to asparagine-41 of Rho-GTPases. Although C3 does not possess cell-binding/-translocation domains, C3 is able to efficiently enter intact cells, including neuronal and macrophage-like cells. Conventionally, the detection of C3 uptake into cells is carried out via the gel-shift assay of modified RhoA. Since this gel-shift assay does not always provide clear, evaluable results an additional method to confirm the ADP-ribosylation of RhoA is necessary. Therefore, a new monoclonal antibody has been generated that specifically detects ADP-ribosylated RhoA/B, but not RhoC, in Western blot and immunohistochemical assay. The scFv antibody fragment was selected by phage display using the human naive antibody gene libraries HAL9/10. Subsequently, the antibody was produced as scFv-Fc and was found to be as sensitive as a commercially available RhoA antibody providing reproducible and specific results. We demonstrate that this specific antibody can be successfully applied for the analysis of ADP-ribosylated RhoA/B in C3-treated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and HT22 cells. Moreover, ADP-ribosylation of RhoA was detected within 10 min in C3-treated CHO wild-type cells, indicative of C3 cell entry.
Removal of Six Estrogenic Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) from Municipal Wastewater Using Aluminum Electrocoagulation
Authors: Cook Monica , Symonds Erin , Gerber Bert , Hoare Armando , Van Vleet Edward , Breitbart Mya
Published: April 2016

Conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes are primarily designed to reduce the amount of organic matter, pathogens, and nutrients from the incoming influent. However, these processes are not as effective in reducing the concentrations of micropollutants, including endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which notoriously evade traditional wastewater treatment technologies and are found even in tertiary-treated effluent. For WWTPs practicing deep-well injection or surface-water discharge, EDCs in the treated effluent are discharged into groundwater or the aquatic environment where humans and wildlife may potentially suffer the effects of chemical exposure. In the current laboratory-scale study, we tested a bench-top electrocoagulation (EC) unit utilizing aluminum blades for the removal of six estrogenic EDCs [estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), bisphenol-A (BPA), and nonylphenol (NP)]. Samples of municipal wastewater influent and tertiary-treated effluent were spiked with the six EDCs in order to test the removal efficiency of the EC unit. The mean concentration of each EDC component was statistically lower after EC treatment (removal range = 42%–98%). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate aluminum electrocoagulation for removal of these specific EDCs, including nonylphenol (without the ethoxylate chain), as well as natural and synthetic estrogens.
Unraveling the biogeographic origins of the Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) invasion in North America
Authors: Moody Michael L. , Palomino Nayell , Weyl Philip S.R. , Coetzee Julie A. , Newman Raymond M. , Harms Nathan E. , Liu Xing , Thum Ryan A.
Published: April 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Using phylogeographic analyses to determine the geographic origins of biological invaders is important for identifying environmental adaptations and genetic composition in their native range as well as biocontrol agents among indigenous herbivores. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and its hybrid with northern watermilfoil (M. sibiricum) are found throughout the contiguous United States and southern Canada, forming one of the most economically costly aquatic plant invasions in North America, yet the geographic origin of the invasion remains unknown. The objectives of our study included determining the geographic origin of Eurasian watermilfoil in North America as well as the maternal lineage of the hybrids.

METHODS:

DNA sequence data from a cpDNA intron and the nrDNA ITS region were compiled for accessions from 110 populations of Eurasian watermilfoil and hybrids from North America and the native range (including Europe, Asia, and Africa). Datasets were analyzed using statistical parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetics to assess the geographic origin of the invasion.

KEY RESULTS:

The two Eurasian watermilfoil cpDNA haplotypes in North America are also found from China and Korea, but not elsewhere in the native range. These haplotypes did not overlap and were limited in native geographic range. The ovule parent for hybrids can come from either parental lineage, and multiple haplotypes from both parental species were found.

CONCLUSIONS:

The geographic origin of this prolific aquatic plant invasion of North America is in Asia. This provides critical information to better understand the invasion pathway and inform management into the future.
GAPIT Version 2: An Enhanced Integrated Tool for Genomic Association and Prediction
Authors: Tang You , Liu Xiaolei , Wang Jiabo , Li Meng , Wang Qishan , Tian Feng , Su Zhongbin , Pan Yuchun , Liu Di , Lipka Alexander E. , Buckler Edward S. , Zhang Zhiwu
Published: April 2016

Most human diseases and agriculturally important traits are complex. Dissecting their genetic architecture requires continued development of innovative and powerful statistical methods. Corresponding advances in computing tools are critical to efficiently use these statistical innovations and to enhance and accelerate biomedical and agricultural research and applications. The genome association and prediction integrated tool (GAPIT) was first released in 2012 and became widely used for genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic prediction. The GAPIT implemented computationally efficient statistical methods, including the compressed mixed linear model (CMLM) and genomic prediction by using genomic best linear unbiased prediction (gBLUP). New state‐of‐the‐art statistical methods have now been implemented in a new, enhanced version of GAPIT. These methods include factored spectrally transformed linear mixed models (FaST‐LMM), enriched CMLM (ECMLM), FaST‐LMM‐Select, and settlement of mixed linear models under progressively exclusive relationship (SUPER). The genomic prediction methods implemented in this new release of the GAPIT include gBLUP based on CMLM, ECMLM, and SUPER. Additionally, the GAPIT was updated to improve its existing output display features and to add new data display and evaluation functions, including new graphing options and capabilities, phenotype simulation, power analysis, and cross‐validation. These enhancements make the GAPIT a valuable resource for determining appropriate experimental designs and performing GWAS and genomic prediction. The enhanced R‐based GAPIT software package uses state‐of‐the‐art methods to conduct GWAS and genomic prediction. The GAPIT also provides new functions for developing experimental designs and creating publication‐ready tabular summaries and graphs to improve the efficiency and application of genomic research.
SIMULATING ASTRO-H OBSERVATIONS OF SLOSHING GAS MOTIONS IN THE CORES OF GALAXY CLUSTERS
Authors: ZuHone J. A. , Miller E. D. , Simionescu A. , Bautz M. W.
Published: April 2016

Astro-H will be the first X-ray observatory to employ a high-resolution microcalorimeter, capable of measuring the shift and width of individual spectral lines to the precision necessary for estimating the velocity of the diffuse plasma in galaxy clusters. This new capability is expected to bring significant progress in understanding the dynamics, and therefore the physics, of the intracluster medium. However, because this plasma is optically thin, projection effects will be an important complicating factor in interpreting future Astro-H measurements. To study these effects in detail, we performed an analysis of the velocity field from simulations of a galaxy cluster experiencing gas sloshing and generated synthetic X-ray spectra, convolved with model Astro-H Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) responses. We find that the sloshing motions produce velocity signatures that will be observable by Astro-H in nearby clusters: the shifting of the line centroid produced by the fast-moving cold gas underneath the front surface, and line broadening produced by the smooth variation of this motion along the line of sight. The line shapes arising from inviscid or strongly viscous simulations are very similar, indicating that placing constraints on the gas viscosity from these measurements will be difficult. Our spectroscopic analysis demonstrates that, for adequate exposures, Astro-H will be able to recover the first two moments of the velocity distribution of these motions accurately, and in some cases multiple velocity components may be discerned. The simulations also confirm the importance of accurate treatment of point-spread function scattering in the interpretation of Astro-H/SXS spectra of cluster plasmas.
Capecitabine-induced leukoencephalopathy involving the bilateral corticospinal tracts
Authors: Tan Mark Bangwei , McAdory Louis Elliott
Published: April 2016

An 80 year old lady with a history of metastatic sigmoid carcinoma presented with expressive dysphasia and unsteady gait 4 days after commencement of adjuvant capecitabine chemotherapy. MRI demonstrated restricted diffusion and T2/FLAIR hyperintensity involving the course of the bilateral corticospinal tracts, the corpus callosum and the middle cerebellar peduncles. Discontinuation of chemotherapy lead to symptom resolution in 2 days; repeat MRI at 2 months demonstrated reversal of the diffusion changes and improvement of the previous T2W/FLAIR hyperintensity. This report describes the first case of capecitabine induced leukoencephalopathy causing restricted diffusion along the corticospinal tracts, which should be differentiated from other entities that involve the corticospinal tracts (i.e. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), hypoglycemic coma, etc.)
Text Mining to Identify Customers Likely to Respond to Cross-Selling Campaigns
Authors: Ramsey Gregory , Bapna Sanjay
Published: April 2016

This paper reports on the results of extracting useful information from text notes captured within a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to segment and thus target groups of customers likely to respond to cross-selling campaigns. These notes often contain text that is indicative of customer intentions. The results indicate that the notes are meaningful in classifying customers who are likely to respond to purchase multiple communication devices. A Naïve Bayes classifier outperformed a Support Vector Machine classifier for this task. When combined with structured information, the classifier performed only marginally better. Thus, customer service notes can be an important source of predictive data in CRM systems.
Classification of File Data Based on Confidentiality in Cloud Computing using K-NN Classifier
Authors: Zardari Munwar Ali , Jung Low Tang
Published: April 2016

Cloud computing is a new paradigm model that offers different services to its customers. The increasing number of users for cloud services i.e. software, platform or infrastructure is one of the major reasons for security threats for customers' data. Some major security issues are highlighted in data storage service in the literature. Data of thousands of users are stored on a single centralized place where the possibility of data threat is high. There are many techniques discussed in the literature to keep data secure in the cloud, such as data encryption, private cloud and multiple clouds concepts. Data encryption is used to encrypt the data or change the format of the data into the unreadable format that unauthorized users could not understand even if they succeed to get access of the data. Data encryption is very expensive technique, it takes time to encrypt and decrypt the data. Deciding the security approach for data security without understanding the security needs of the data is a technically not a valid approach. It is a basic requirement that one should understand the security level of data before applying data encryption security approach. To discover the data security level of the data, the authors used machine learning approach in the cloud. In this paper, a data classification approach is proposed for the cloud and is implemented in a virtual machine named as Master Virtual Machine (Vmm). Other Vms are the slave virtual machines which will receive from Vmm the classified information for further processing in cloud. In this study the authors used three (3) virtual machines, one master Vmm and two slaves Vms. The master Vmm is responsible for finding the classes of the data based on its confidentiality level. The data is classified into two classes, confidential (sensitive) and non-confidential (non-sensitive/public) data using K-NN algorithm. After classification phase, the security phase (encryption phase) shall encrypt only the confidential (sensitive) data. The confidentiality based data classification is using K-NN in cloud virtual environment as the method to encrypt efficiently the only confidential data. The proposed approach is efficient and memory space friendly and these are the major findings of this work.
United States and European Students' Social-Networking Site Activities and Academic Performance
Authors: Karpinski Aryn C. , Kirschner Paul A. , Shreffler Anthony V. , Albert Patricia A. , Tomko Carrie A.
Published: April 2016

Different cultures communicate differently. Research is beginning to examine the differences in culture related to social-networking site (SNS) use. Differences in specific SNS activities related to academic performance among United States (US; n = 446) and European (n = 394) university students were examined. Moderated Multiple Regressions indicated that using SNSs for “career” and “school” were positively predictive of Grade Point Average (GPA) for both US and European students. For US students, “staying in touch with online friends” was negatively predictive. Results highlight the positive and negative relationships between various SNS activities and GPA, but specifically the use of SNSs for academic versus socialization purposes cross-culturally.
Comparing Online Personality of Americans and Chinese
Authors: Liu Xingyun , Zhu Tingshao
Published: April 2016

Internet is a newly invented product in recent tens of years and has a profound effect on personality. Here come the new concept-Online personality-in recent studies. In this review, we want to find what are the similarities and differences of online personality studies in China and USA, two representative countries of eastern and western cultures. Firstly, 349 articles were selected and divided into three main areas, such as online personality measurement, online personality and its related Internet behavior, online personality and problematic Internet usage respectively, to address the question. Second, the potential reasons of these similarities and differences are discussed and finally future research directions are proposed that more direct online personality measurement should be developed and culture differences should be taken into consideration while doing research of online personality in different countries.
The Role of Social Media Competencies in Effective Teaching and Teacher Performance
Authors: Kaur Irameet , Shri Charu , Mital K. M.
Published: April 2016

The “Digital India” is leading to mass harnessing of the power of social media in every industry including the academic fraternity. The vast reach of social media is now being captured by academicians worldwide and educators are actively adopting various social media tools for personal and professional use. However, with the multitude of available approaches and pedagogical ways, it becomes a challenge to select the most appropriate one for teaching related activities. The papers attempts to identify and analyse the social media competencies and their effect on the knowledge, skill and attitude to produce superior performance by teachers. The statistical technique of Structural Equation Modelling has been applied to develop a model. It was inferred that social media competencies have a significant impact on the core competencies of teachers to achieve superior performance. The results suggest that the use of social media should be encouraged and appropriate strategies should be devised for its usage to make learning more interesting and informative.
Towards a Faster Image Segmentation Using the K-means Algorithm on Grayscale Histogram
Authors: Benrais Lamine , Baha Nadia
Published: April 2016

The K-means is a popular clustering algorithm known for its simplicity and efficiency. However the elapsed computation time is one of its main weaknesses. In this paper, the authors use the K-means algorithm to segment grayscale images. Their aim is to reduce the computation time elapsed in the K-means algorithm by using a grayscale histogram without loss of accuracy in calculating the clusters centers. The main idea consists of calculating the histogram of the original image, applying the K-means on the histogram until the equilibrium state is reached, and computing the clusters centers then the authors use the clusters centers to run the K-means for a single iteration. Tests of accuracy and computational time are presented to show the advantages and inconveniences of the proposed method.
Software Implementation of Real-time Discrete Wavelet Transform Algorithm with Filter Banks
Authors: Bogdanovs Nikolajs , Grabs Elans , Petersons Ernests
Published: April 2016

This article describes real-time discrete wavelet transform algorithm implementation for high-level programming language. The article describes multiscale transform algorithms both for direct discrete wavelet transform and inverse discrete wavelet transform. This algorithm has been implemented in C++ programming language and tested with Raspberry Pi microprocessor system. This article proposes the improved delay line algorithm without full shifting of register. New algorithm requires single reading operation, single writing operation and one division calculation for any length of delay line. The article includes experimental measurements of processing time on Raspberry Pi for various scale numbers. The algorithm described in this article can be used with any software tool capable of using high level programming language, for example Matlab, Octave, Opnet, etc. This is the main purpose – to create algorithm which is not tied strictly to hardware implementation but also, nonetheless, provides real-time discrete wavelet analysis capability.
Investigation of Coating Liquid Layer Behaviour at Curved Solid Edges
Authors: Sommer Oliver , Wozniak Günter
Published: April 2016

In our study we examined the behaviour of thin liquid layers at curved solid edges experimentally and numerically by coating investigations based on the laser-induced fluorescence technique (LIF) and by numerical film simulations based on the Volume-of-Fluid multiphase flow model (VOF), respectively. The main motivation was to find optimal combinations of influencing quantities to reduce the so-called Fat-Edge effect. Therefore, we performed a study of these influencing quantities, in which application parameters like edge curvature radii of the solid substrates and application layer thicknesses as well as determining liquid properties like viscosity and surface tension have been varied. Results are described qualitatively at corresponding Fat-Edge shapes and quantified by suitable Fat-Edge parameters, which had to be identified and selected.We can show that adverse and appropriate influencing parameter combinations exist, which generate conspicuous and less distinctive Fat-Edges, respectively. The experimental findings and proportionalities regarding Fat-Edge shapes and dimensions are found to be physically plausible. Furthermore, an order of significance of the influencing quantities has been established.Eventually, we could derive a dimensionless quantity by dimensional analysis, which describes the Fat-Edge effect. Thus, the Fat-Edge effect may also be described by the application of similarity theory and a corresponding dimensionless number.
Influence of Nanoparticle Concentration on Thermal Properties of Thermal Oil-MWCNT Nanofluid
Authors: Cieśliński Janusz T. , Krygier Katarzyna , Smoleń Sławomir
Published: April 2016

The suspensions consisted of fluid phase and solid particles have been used for over 100 years. However, these tests concerned only the particles of dimension scale of mili-or micrometer, and application of such mixtures has caused serious problems that were a consequence of sedimentation of solid particles, wall erosion, clogging of the conduits or creating of sediments. The nanotechnology development has caused a vast availability of particles with dimensions less than 100 nm. Suspensions consisting of base fluid and particles (beads, filaments, plates) with dimensions less than 100 nm were given a name of nanofluids [1].
Coil Heat Exchanger with the Nanofluid Filled Buffer Layer
Authors: Smusz Robert , Wilk Joanna
Published: April 2016

The paper presents the preliminary design of the special heat exchanger. The device under consideration is the kind of immersed coil heat exchangers. It consists of three vertical coils: two coils are standard, water is used as a heating medium; one coil is filled by the refrigerant R134a which transfers the waste heat from refrigeration and air conditioning system during the boiling processes. In order to prevent the possible refrigerant leakage, the special buffer layer filled with the nanofluid is mounted in the Freon coil. Thermophysical properties of the nanofluid cause the intensification of the heat transfer through the buffer layer and the same increase of the heat transfer rate. Calculations of thermal power were made. Correlations of heat transfer coefficients in curved tubes, pressure drop correlations for flow through helical coil tubes and correlations describing the heat transfer in the buffer layer, were applied. Results of the calculations indicate of the influence of of Freon coil on the exchanger heat transfer rate. Heat power of Freon coil is about 7 – 25% of water coil thermal power. Thus, the waste heat applied significantly increases the exchanger heat transfer rate.
Numerical Modeling of the Combustion in a Lab-Scale Pulverized-Coal Fired Combustion Chamber
Authors: Ronewicz Karol , Sawicka Dorota , Cieśliński Janusz T. , Smoleń Sławomir
Published: April 2016

This work presents results of numerical modeling of the combustion process inside a lab-scale drop-tube chamber, designed to investigate the slagging properties of the flue ashes, created through the solid fuel firing. Interaction between turbulence and chemistry is accounted by use of probability density function (PDF). FLUENT inputs for non-premixed combustion chemistry modeling are defined. A discrete second phase of the coal particles is determined and a simulation involving reactions of the fuel is solved
Optimization of Overcritical Organic Rankine Cycle
Authors: Wang Qing Quan , Smoleń Sławomir
Published: April 2016

This paper explores the optimization cases for overcritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in various situations. First the ORC optimization in terms of working fluid selection is discussed. In this case, thermal efficiencies for 10 different working fluids have been calculated under certain temperature frames and the results are compared. Second, overcritical optimization case in terms of variation of hot temperature and evaporation pressure is presented. In this overcritical ORC case, the influence of evaporation pressure on ORC thermal efficiency is studied by conducting a case study of R234a, and first 1-D freedom optimization case is discussed within the variation of evaporation pressure. 2-D freedom optimization is also considered, in which the two independent variables, hot temperature and evaporation pressure, are both varied within certain boundaries. This study employs numerical method for this 2-D problem and it is also presented in detail in the case study.
Evaluation of Applying Heuristic Algorithm to Solve Inverse Heat Conduction Problem in Temperature Oscillation IR Thermography Method
Authors: Gałek Rafał
Published: April 2016

The paper investigates the possibility of applying a heuristic algorithm to solve an inverse heat conduction problem encountered in Temperature Oscillation IR Thermography method. The idea of TOIRT [24] is to infer about convection coefficient in given point h(x,y) from phase delay φ(x,y) of the temperature signal measured by means of thermography on the opposite side of heat conducting wall in steady-periodic conditions. Since the exact solution for inverse 3D heat conduction problem defined by TOIRT method is not available, there is a need to employ some kind of optimisation scheme to find the distribution h(x,y). In [22] it has been done by iterative solution of associated direct problem with finite difference method and updating the distribution h(x,y) in every iteration according to relative error between measured and computed values of φ(x,y) on the surface of the conducting wall. This paper presents an alternative approach based on symbolic regression with Genetic Algorithm to find an explicit formula relating amplitude as well as phase shift angle of temperature signal and the value of convection coefficient. Proposed procedure involves an offline training of the model with data previously generated with Finite Element Method which assures that time-consuming part of the calculation is carried out once and since then obtained explicit formula may be used in fast and straightforward manner. The results show that proposed approach gives solution with at least comparable accuracy to that obtained in [22], but requires careful selection of training data mainly in terms of their diversity and values of gradient of h(x,y).
Effect of Periodic Imposed Heat Flux on Three-Dimensional Natural Convection in a Partially Heated Cubical Enclosure
Authors: Belarche Lahoucine , Abourida Btissam
Published: April 2016

The three-dimensional numerical study of natural convection in a cubical enclosure, discretely heated, was carried out in this study. Two heating square sections, similar to the integrated electronic components, are placed on the vertical wall of the enclosure. The imposed heating fluxes vary sinusoidally with time, in phase and in opposition of phase. The temperature of the opposite vertical wall is maintained at a cold uniform temperature and the other walls are adiabatic. The governing equations are solved using Control volume method by SIMPLEC algorithm. The sections dimension ε = D / H and the Rayleigh number Ra were fixed respectively at 0,35 and 106. The average heat transfer and the maximum temperature on the active portions will be examined for a given set of the governing parameters, namely the amplitude of the variable temperatures a and their period τp. The obtained results show significant changes in terms of heat transfer, by proper choice of the heating mode and the governing parameters.
Gravitation Heat Pipe and Influence of Working Conditions
Authors: Kosa Ľuboš , Jobb Marián , Nemec Patrik , Malcho Milan
Published: April 2016

This work deals with heat transfer over heat pipe. In the introduction is knowledge about heat pipes. In the experimental part is influence of working conditions to heat transfer calculations of heat pipes Currently the problem with the increasing number of electronic devices is a problem with the outlet Joule heating. One of more alternatives of outlet joules heating without the using of mechanical equipment is the use of the heat pipe. Heat pipes are easy device to manufacture and maintenance of low input investment cost. The advantage of using the heat pipe is use it in hermetic closed electronic device which is separated exchange of air between the device and the environment. This experiment deals with the influence of changes in the working tube diameter, working position and changing the working medium depending on performance parameters. The result of this paper is finding the optimal working conditions with ideal working substance for the greatest heat transfer for 1cm2 sectional area tube. One of more alternatives using heat pipes is a heat transfer Joule heating without the using of mechanical equipment.
Design of the Reactor for the Partial Oxidation of the Pyrolysis Gas Using the Mathematical Modeling
Authors: Minář Ján , Honus Stanislav , Pavlík Petr , Němček Ondřej , Frantík Jaroslav , Sassmanová Veronika
Published: April 2016

This contribution describes a design of experime ntal reactor for decomposing the process of gasses with different contents of hydrocarbons (CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 6 , C 3 H 6 , C 3 H 8 ) . It shows pyrolysis process as a possible source for synthesis gas production . The mathematical modeling ( Ansys Fluent) was used to predict maximal temperature and velocity in three designs and the best result was chosen for manufacturing. Optimal dimensions and material s were chos en basing on the analysis. The ch emical analysis is a second step of research and it is not used in this article .
Design and Implementation of an Efficient Hybrid Parallel-Prefix Ling Adder Using 0.18micron CMOS Technology in Standard Cell Library
Authors: Gurusamy L. , Kashif Muhammad , Julai Norhuzaimin
Published: April 2016

This This paper addresses a novel technique in implementing hybrid parallel-prefix adder (HPA) incorporating prefix-tree structure with Carry Select Adder (CSEA). Ling’s algorithm is used to optimise the pre-processing blocks (white nodes) and intermediate Generate-Propagate blocks (Black nodes) of the prefix tree to minimise the congestion of wires which contributes to reduction in chip size and to improve performance. The resulting prefix-tree arrangement is then merged into a sequence of modified CSEA. Experimental results show that HPA has speed improvement of 62% and 13% power reduction in comparison of the traditional Carry Look-Ahead Adder (CLA).
Satellite Image Segmentation with the Application of PSO Algorithm
Authors: Jason O.C.K. , Masra S.M.W. , Muhammad Mohd Saufee
Published: April 2016

Satellite imaging consists of capturing images of the Earth through a series of artificial satellites. These images contain an abundance of information that can be used in several applications such as fishing, agriculture, regional planning, biodiversity conservation and many others. Digital image processing can help overcome the limitations of human vision by extracting key information from these images at a much higher rate through the speed of automation. This paper aims to achieve that by exploiting the potential of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm in image segmentation. Various satellite images were segmented using PSO algorithm before a trace of the objects that have been isolated in the image was run to evaluate the accuracy of segmentation. Three objective measurements which are Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE), were made on the outputs of the segmentation using PSO algorithm and the traditional segmentation technique which is Otsu’s method for comparison. The proposed method which applies the PSO algorithm proved to be superior in producing images of higher quality and accuracy as compared to the traditional segmentation technique.
Wrist Module as an Applied Health Monitoring System in Wireless Body Area Network System
Authors: Mohtadzar Nur Alia Athirah , Takayama Shigeru
Published: April 2016

Exercise intensity is classified into vigorous, moderate and low type of exercise intensity. They are classified based upon the amount of energy used by the body while doing the activity. Vigorous or over exercise may leads to over tiredness and physical problem while low or lack of exercise may leads to unhealthy lifestyle. Therefore, moderate exercise or regular physical activity in daily life helps to improve overall health and fitness and reduces the risk for many chronic diseases.
Smart Hybrid Energy Storage for Stand-Alone PV Microgrid: Optimization of Battery Lifespan through Dynamic Power Allocation
Authors: Jing Wen Long , Lai Chean Hung , Wong Wallace Shun Hui , Wong Dennis M.L.
Published: April 2016

Battery as the key component in stand-alone PV microgrid system tends to be the most vulnerable element in terms of durability. Poorly managed battery charge/discharge process turns out to be one of the main life-limiting factors. To improve the longevity of battery storage system, a novel energy storage system topology and its smart power management strategy is presented in this paper. This paper proposes a stand-alone 6 kW PV microgrid system with hybrid energy storage system that combines supercapacitors and batteries. Smart power allocation strategy among the SC and the battery modules is designed to dynamically allocate the power to optimally charge/discharge the batteries while fulfilling the variations in supply and load. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated via model simulation using Matlab/Simulink. The system is simulated under a typical 24-hours residential load profile and the results proved that the proposed system can provide sufficient power to regulate the fluctuations in supply and load. During the process, the batteries are charged / discharged with ideal charge rate and operated under a low depth-of-discharge that have proven to prolong the battery lifetime.
Mechanical Strength of Sago/Urea Formaldehyde Particleboard Affected by the Particle Size
Authors: Chiang Tay Chen , Hamdan Sinin , Osman Mohd Shahril
Published: April 2016

Every year, the sago processing industry in Sarawak-Mukah had generated huge amount of sago waste after the milling process and scientists have employ the waste into composite material. The fabrication and testing method are based on the Japanese A5908 Industrial Standard. Single-layer particleboards with targeted density of 600kg/m3 were produced from different sizes of sago particles. The mechanical properties of sago waste were investigated to study the feasibility of using this sample as a raw material in particleboard manufacturing. The results of the test demonstrate that samples with different sizes of particles have great influence on the mechanical properties such as Young’s Modulus, Tensile Strength and Impact Strength. The findings show that the performance of the board is affected by the different sizes of sago particles used in the experiment and had proved that sago plants can be used as an alternative raw material in the particleboard manufacturing industry.
Comparison of Biodiesel Production between Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Base Catalysts
Authors: Tan Yie Hua , Abdullah Mohammad Omar , Nolasco Hipolito Cirilo
Published: April 2016

Homogeneous base catalyst has wide acceptability in biodiesel production because of their fast reaction rates. However, postproduction costs incurred from aqueous quenching, wastewater and loss of catalysts led to the search for alternatives. Heterogeneous base catalyst is developed to cater these problems. The advantages of heterogeneous catalyst are their high basicity and non-toxicity. This work compared the production of biodiesel using two different kind of catalysts that is homogeneous catalyst (sodium hydroxide, NaOH and potassium hydroxide, KOH) and heterogeneous catalysts (calcium, oxide, CaO catalyst derived from chicken and ostrich eggshells). Transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) and methanol in the presence of heterogeneous base catalyst was conducted at an optimal reaction condition (calcination temperature for catalyst: 1000 °C; catalyst loading amount: 1.5 wt%; methanol/oil molar ratio: 10:1; reaction temperature: 65 °C; reaction time: 2 hours) with 97% biodiesel yield was obtained. While, the homogeneous base catalyst gave higher biodiesel yield of 98% at optimum operating condition (catalyst concentration: 0.75 wt%; methanol/oil molar ratio: 6:1; reaction temperature: 65 °C; reaction time: 1 hours). The slight difference in the biodiesel yield was due to the stronger basic strength in the homogeneous catalyst and were not statistically not different (p=0.05). However, despite these advances, the ultimate aim of producing biodiesel at affordable low cost and minimal-environmental-impact is yet to be realized.
The Influence of Particle Size of Cement and Different Additives on the Properties of Portland Cement Pastes
Authors: Šiler Pavel , Kolářová Iva , Sehnal Tomáš , Snop Roman , Opravil Tomáš , Šoukal František
Published: April 2016

The consumption of concrete as a building material is still increasing over the world. Concrete production is closely associated with CO2 and other greenhouse gases emissions. The reduction of these emissions can be achieved by a higher utilization of secondary raw materials in cement mixtures. Particle size is an important factor for more effective use of these materials. This work is focused on the calorimetric determination of the effect of particle size of cement, finely ground granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), high-temperature fly ash (FA) and fluidized fly ash (FFA) on the Portland cement hydration. Effect of particle size on the hydration of pure cement pastes and pastes with the addition of secondary raw materials is monitored by isoperibolic calorimetry. Other part of this work is aimed on the mechanical properties of resulting materials. The flexural strength and compressive strength were observed after 1, 7 and 28 days of curing.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Bacterial Cells - More Than just Storage Materials
Authors: Obruca Stanislav , Doskocil Leos , Krzyzanek Vladislav , Hrubanova Kamila , Sedlacek Petr , Mravec Filip , Samek Ota , Kucera Dan , Benesova Pavla , Marova Ivana
Published: April 2016

Since polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) belong among the most widespread storage materials within bacteria genus, it can be assumed that the ability of PHAs accumulation represent significant advantage in the natural environments. Of course, probably the most obvious is the possibility to utilize PHAs when external carbon sources are depleted. Nevertheless, it is likely that PHAs play much more complex role in the stress response of bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate possible influence of PHA accumulation in bacteria on physical properties of the cells and their cytoplasm with respect to possible stress survival. Cells of bacteria Cupriavidus necator H16 with various poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) content (25 – 91 % of cell dry weight) were subjected to analytical centrifugation employing LUMiSizer. We observed that slope of index instability of bacterial culture increased with rise of PHB content in cells. It indicates that accumulation of PHB granules in bacterial cells affects overall physico-mechanical properties of the cells in particular sedimentation potential and density which might influence their behavior in natural environment such as sedimentation, surface absorption and subsequent biofilm formation. Furthermore, when investigated by Cryo-SEM, the PHB containing cells showed needle-type plastic deformations while these structures were absent in the cells without polymer. This suggests that native intracellular PHB granules reveal completely different mechanical and physico-chemical properties than any other component of bacterial cytoplasm and their flexibility even in deeply-frozen state is significantly higher than that of PHB isolated from bacterial cells. Based on these observations, it can be expected that, aside from their involvement in metabolism, presence of PHB granules dramatically changes physico-mechanical properties of cytoplasm and overall properties of cells which might represent important advantage when cells are exposed to stress conditions.
Force-Assembled Fe3O4 Particle Chains in Polyurethane Matrix
Authors: Zboncak Marek , Ondreas Frantisek , Jancar Josef
Published: April 2016

Despite substantial research efforts, the potential of polymer nanocomposites has still not been fully revealed, mainly due to poor control over the dispersion and alignment of nanoparticles (NPs). Since nanocomposite properties are controlled by the structural variables, it is crucial to achieve control over the NP assembly process.Self-assembly of NPs offers limited control over the NP spatial arrangement. This process results in a poorly controlled variation of simple structures such as agglomerates, clusters and dispersed NPs with the resulting structure strongly dependent a on wide range of thermodynamic parameters.On the other hand, force-assembly exploits interactions between particles induced by external force fields overcoming the thermodynamic ones. Stimulus of external electric, magnetic or electro-magnetic field is applied as the main force controlling the assembly of NPs. Understanding this process gives us the opportunity to create prescribed NP structures with controlled shape, size, and anisotropy by simple change of the force field. Precise control of structure formation on different length scales (from nanoto macro) gives us the opportunity to imitate hierarchical biological structures possessing unique balance of stiffness and toughness.Here, we report on magnetic field force assembly of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the polyurethane matrix. Resulting NP chain structures were several NP wide and tens of micrometers long aligned along the magnetic force lines. Without the magnetic field, NP agglomerates of random size and shape were formed due to their self-assembly.
Interaction between Cationic Micelles and Hyaluronan
Authors: Pilgrová Tereza , Pekař Miloslav
Published: April 2016

Micelles are particles of colloidal dimension and it is known that in an aqueous phase can solubilize water insoluble molecules (hydrophobic biologically active substances) in their inner core. However surfactants may have adverse effects on biological structures. Association of micelles with suitable bioacceptable molecules (e.g. hyaluronan) may lead to enhance their biocompatibility, decrease the nanoparticles cytotoxicity and also to target to the specific receptors in a human body. In this study, results of the research of electrostatic coating of cationic micelle with hyaluronan are reported. The cationic micelle/hyaluronan complexes were studied using turbidimetry and dynamic light scattering method and were evaluated to determine their structure, average size and zeta potential as a function of the amount of the both component in the system. Turbidimetric titration was chosen as indicator of the loss of intensity of transmitted light due to the scattering effect of particles associated from hyaluronan and surfactant in it. Dynamic light scattering measurement provided information about size distribution and zeta potential during mixing of component. Pilot solubilization experiments were performed to evaluation of stability and solubilization ability of the complexes. Results of turbidimetry revealed that aggregates formation (turbidity increasing) depends especially on hyaluronan concentration while surfactant concentration (above critical micelle concentration) affects interaction insignificantly. Dynamic light scattering experiments indicate that hyaluronan molecular weight has insignificant effect on isoelectric point of the systems. It was found that solubilization ability of the complexes is influenced by molecular weight of hyaluronan.
Silver Nanoparticles Production with Probiotic Bacteria
Authors: Sásková Denisa , Pořízka Jaromír , Kulich Pavel , Španová Alena , Diviš Pavel , Rittich Bohuslav
Published: April 2016

Silver nanoparticles (colloidal silver) have a bactericidal effect against a variety of bacteria, fungi and viruses. They are promising for biomedical applications due to the limited toxicity against eukaryotic cells. Important role in the silver nanoparticles production have various microorganisms including lactic acid bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus. Probiotic Lactobacillus species are good candidates for nanoparticles producing in the laboratory and in industrial scale, too. The aim of this work was to test the production of colloidal silver nanoparticles with probiotic species Lactobacillus casei. Nanoparticles production was tested in the reaction mixtures (phosphate buffer, glucose, bacterial cells) upon addition of varying concentrations of AgNO3 (1 - 4mM). Production of the silver nanoparticles was proven by screening of reaction mixtures by Transmission electron microscopy. Level of Ag+ ions utilization to nanoparticles was analysed by optical emission spectrometry. Results showed high efficiency of nanosilver production with narrow size distribution of nanoparticles (12 - 27nm).
The Role of Temperature on Hydration of Binary System of Metakaolin/Portland Cement
Authors: Boháč Martin , Novotný Radoslav , Tkacz Jakub , Hajdúchová Miroslava , Palou Martin , Staněk Theodor
Published: April 2016

The role of temperature of metakaolin/Portland cement binary system was studied by isothermal calorimetry. Sample with 50 % of metakaolin replacement were monitored at 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C and 60 °C. Structural and chemical characterization of hardened pastes was obtained by scanning electron and Raman microscopy. Paper deals with kinetics of main exothermal reactions during early hydration of the system. Activation energies were calculated for processes related to each exothermic peak. The nature of hydration products at different temperatures was revealed by microstructural studies.
Effect of Phosphates on the Hydration Process of Alkali Activated Materials
Authors: Kalina Lukáš , Bílek Jr. Vlastimil , Komosná Kateřina , Novotný Radoslav , Tkacz Jakub
Published: April 2016

The study deals with the one of the important feature of alkali activated blast furnace slag which is very rapid initial setting. Therefore, the influence of the retarding agents such as phosphates was tested. It is shown that phosphates decreases the hydration heat evolution and retards the hydration reaction of alkali activated slag effectively. The mechanism of retardation is studied through the microcalorimeter and electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive analyzer (SEM-EDS). The optimal dosage of suitable retarding admixture in the means of mechanical properties has been determined.
The Basics of Low Volume Weight Aerated Autoclaved Concrete Preparation
Authors: Koutný Ondřej , Opravil Tomáš
Published: April 2016

This work deals with the basics and possibilities of preparation non-bearing, heat-insulating material based on autoclaved aerated concrete. The ultra-low volume weight (under 200 kg/m3) and sufficient compressive strength is achieved using standard industrial technology. The low volume weight and therefore low heat conductivity can be reached due to highly porous structure. Such a material can be prepared by foaming very fine material powder like silica fume and very finely ground sand. Unfortunately, foams consisting of fine inorganic hydrophilic particles are highly unstable. Therefore it is necessary to use an effective stabilization mechanism. In this work the stabilization mechanism is based on addition of small amount of water-soluble organic admixtures.