bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvement of Fifth Grade Students’ Mathematical Reasoning and Learning Activity with the Implementation of Problem Solving Learning Model
Authors: Yenny Efry , Fauzan Ahmad , Fitria Yanti
Published: October 2020

This research is background by a low mathematical ability of students’ reasoning and learning activities in mathematics. Therefore, the aim of this research is to increase students’ reasoning and learning activities with the implementation of problem solving learning model. Type of research is classroom action research which have a cycle model consist of  four components, namely planning, action, observation and reflection. This research conducted in two cycles that consisting of four meetings. At each cycle student activities during the learning process were observed, and at the end of each cycle a test of learning outcomes was given. The research is carried out with 30 fifth grade students from a public elementary school in semester 2 of the 2019/2020 school year. The instruments used were observation, and field notes, interviews and test results. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using qualitative analysis, analyzing the collection of data until all data has been collected. The data is reduced based on the problem under study, followed by the presentation of the data and finally the conclusion or verification. The results show that fifth grade students’ mathematicalreasoning and learning activities increase after the implementation of problem solving learning model.
ANALYSIS OF STUDENT RESPONSE TO KWLA (WHAT I ALREADY KNOW, WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, WHAT I LEARNED, AND THE AFFECT OF THE STORY) STRATEGY IN THE LEARNING READING COMPREHENSION
Authors: Prihatin Yulianah , Sari Raras Hafiidha
Published: October 2020

This study aims to determine students' responses to learning to read narrative text comprehension using the KWLA strategy (What I Already Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned, and The Affect of the Story). A collecting data in this study used a questionnaire in the form Unstructured questionnaires and interviews The results of the data were obtained and analyzed quantitatively qualitatively The data generated in the form of numbers were then described Based on the results of the study, it was found that aspects 1 to 5 that contained responses of students' interest in learning thus obtained by 90.4% included in the category very good.In aspects 6 to 10 which contain student responses to ease in understanding and learning the material obtained a percentage of 89.1% included in the very good category.In aspects 11 to 13 which contain student responses in the activity and courage to express opinions in the learning process a percentage of 87 is obtained , 9% in the category of very good, and aspects 14 to 15 which contain responses to the ease of students in concluding learning activities get an average percentage of 90.2% included in the very good category. This shows that the KWLA strategy is able to increase student interest in efforts to improve reading comprehension skills.
DEVELOPING QUALITY OF LEARNING IN THE PANDEMIC COVID-19 THROUGH CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING ATTITUDES
Authors: Zulhafizh Zulhafizh , Permatasari Silvia
Published: October 2020

UNIESCO and WHO records show Covid-19 has a major impact on learning activities. This condition changes the learning order of students. So the role of creative and critical thinking is needed in fostering the quality of learning. Students must maximize themselves in order to remain knowledgeable and insightful in accordance with the target learning outcomes. This observation was carried out on a sample of 73 students of the Indonesian Language and Literature Study Program. The analysis was carried out with descriptive statistics, namely substituting all respondents' answers for processing. To see the relevance and relevance of the instrument to the problem of fostering learning quality through creative and critical thinking using the Product Moment correlation method, normality with chi squared, variable role predictions through ANOVA. The results of the analysis show that the role of the creative and critical thinking variables provides a significant contribution in fostering the quality of learning up to 97.5% at an average standard of 4.168. Overall the observed variables were at a very high standard. Students have been doing creative and critical thinking activities to build or maintain the quality of their learning during the Covid-19 pandemic.
MATHEMATICAL THINKING PROCESS IN GRAPH THEORY MATERIAL IN TERMS OF STUDENT LEARNING STYLES
Authors: Patmawati Hetty
Published: October 2020

This research is motivated by the lack of understanding  students have in working on graph theory material problems due to differences in students' thinking processes, and  student learning styles when studying discrete mathematics, which requires different thinking with Boolean algebra material. Each student has a different way of thinking skills and learning style. This study uses descriptive qualitative methods so that this study has the objective to find out how the students' mathematical thinking processes in working on graph theory material problems and what obstacles are experienced by students in terms of their learning styles. The focus of research in this study, namely to analyze mathematical thinking processes on graph theory material in terms of student learning styles. The instruments in this study were researchers and also graph theory test questions that were used to view students' thought processes. The research subjects were 5 semester students, as many as 3 people with visual, auditory and kinesnetik learning styles. Then given the problem of graph theory as much as 2 questions, one question in the form of text and another in the form of images. The results show that students with visual learning styles tend to be included in students who have a conceptual thinking process, students with auditory learning styles tend to be included in students who have semi-conceptual thinking processes, while students with kinesthetic learning styles, including students who have computational thinking process . Barriers experienced by students include the lack of understanding of the basic concepts of graph theory and the trajectories and trajectories of Euler and Hamilton.
IMPROVING TEACHER MOTIVATION THROUGH THE USE OF TEACHING TOOLS WITH DIRECT LEARNING
Authors: Sudarmiatun Sudarmiatun
Published: October 2020

This study aims to determine whether using teaching aids in direct learning can increase the teaching motivation of teachers at SMP Negeri 1 Bangko, Rokan Hilir Regency. This research is only limited to increasing teacher motivation in teaching by using teaching aids at SMP Negeri 1 Bangko, Rokan Hilir Regency. The research subjects consisted of 23 teachers. Based on the results of the analysis and discussion, it can be concluded that the aspect of the principal's activity as a facilitator is achieved with a score of 25 or with a percentage of 63 from all aspects of the assessment or by 63% of all activities are achieved. Then in the second cycle, the score obtained was 38 or with a percentage of 95% of all aspects achieved. In the aspect of teacher activity as a participant in this study, in the first cycle, the score obtained from the implementation of the direction by the principal got a score of 52 or with a percentage of achievement of 28%. Then in cycle II, the participation rate was 76% higher than cycle I and with an implementation score of 80. In terms of teacher motivation during the implementation of the direction from cycle I to cycle II, teacher motivation in using teaching aids tended to increase. In the first cycle, the percentage of achievement was 64% in the good category, then the second cycle got a percentage of 82% or in the very good category.
CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENT ERRORS IN SOLVING THE QUADRATIC EQUATION AND QUADRATIC FUNCTION IN CLASS IX SMP JUARA PEKANBARU
Authors: Hamdani Adi , Sadrina Nurul
Published: October 2020

The aims of this researches to classification the mistakes made by students osf SMP Juara Pekanbaru in solving the equation of square and the function of square. This research was conducted in SMP Juara pekanbaru in the odd semester of Academic Year 2019/2020. This research uses a descriptive method with research form is a case study. The subject of his research is the IX Class (ninth grade). The result of this study indicate that systematic errors are as many as 6 errors or equal to 5,50%, random errors that is as much as 11 errors or equal to 10,09%, mistake carelessness as much as 111 mistakes or by 84,41%.
Compliant Singaporean Christians? State-Centred Christian Responses to COVID-19 in a Single-Party Dominant State
Authors: Sim Joshua Dao Wei
Published: October 2020

Since the political suppression and decline of liberal Christianity in Singapore during the 1980s, Christian groups in the city-state have striven to maintain subordinate relations with the government by largely supporting and not challenging the major socio-economic policies and discourses of the dominant People's Action Party (PAP). The COVID-19 pandemic supplies us with a unique window of opportunity to understand how Singaporean Christian groups have been compliant actors to the state's policies, even during this health crisis. By evaluating the differing responses of various churches and organisations, I argue that in spite of inadequacies in the state's public health and social measures, Christian leaders and groups crafted state-centred responses, and engaged in crisis-driven social action and the construction of state-affirming narratives within government-promoted boundaries. This also meant that Christians have projected an image of themselves as being socially-responsible Singaporeans who are willing to adhere to the government's crisis-mandated standards, while sacrificing their regular faith-based practices and physical gatherings for the greater good of the nation. The willingness to adhere to the single-party state's measures and boundaries has, nevertheless, disclosed the Christian community's inability to provide a critical voice about public health gaps and socio-economic injustices during this crisis. Secular civil-society groups and academics have filled this gap by highlighting these problems and criticising the government's failures. In sum, the COVID-19 episode reveals the lack of a ‘prophetic’ capacity in the responses of contemporary Christian groups and leaders because of their predilection to firstly acquiesce with the state.
Affective Ecology: Presenting ‘Tragedy’ in the Performance of "Zindagi Ne Ek Din Kaha" (One Day the Life Spoke, 1996)
Authors: Kumar Anirban
Published: October 2020

Referring to the performance of "Zindagi Ne Ek Din Kaha" (One Day the Life Spoke, 1996), the paper attempts to address one of the biggest human made environmental hazard, Bhopal Gas Tragedy (December 3, 1983), and critically analyse the knotting of performance and ecology. Inspired by the sequence of events in the aftermath of the 'tragedy', the paper adduces the creative mien of "Zindagi Ne Ek Din Kaha" and argues for an unpacking of “the experiences of ecological relationship” (Woynarski 2015) with respect to ‘tragedy’. In this vein, the paper carries out a ‘aesthetico-philosophical’ deliberation on how ‘tragedy’ was conceptualized in the performative moment of being "vikṣipt" (unsound mind). The paper argues that since being "vikṣipt" testifies a performative ‘inability’ to express feelings and thoughts when one encounters a tragedy, an ecology of theatre construes the thought of feeling a tragedy and the feeling of thinking the inexplicable.
EVALUASI PELAKSANAAN TUTORIAL TATAP MUKA PENDIDIKAN DASAR DI KABUPATEN SERAM BAGIAN BARAT PADA UPBJJ-UT AMBON
Authors: Sahusilawane Wildoms
Published: October 2020

This article presents the results of the evaluation of the implementation of Face to Face Tutorial in the District of West Seram, Maluku province on the implementation and the factors inhibiting the implementation of Face to Face Tutorial. Field data collection was done by using interviews and questionnaires. Data were analyzed descriptively that gives meaning to any data collected and presented in the form of percentages and graphs. The results obtained showed that the Face to Face Tutorial implementation consisting of initial activities, core activities and activities performing well late in accordance with the conditions set by the Open University. Meanwhile. inhibiting factors in the implementation of the tutorial, is the distance, transportation, human resources (tutors), and the limited means of communication.

Artikel ini menyajikan hasil evaluasi pelaksanaan Tutorial Tatap Muka (TTM) di Kabupaten Seram Bagian Barat, Provinsi Maluku mengenai pelaksanaan dan faktor-faktor penghambat pelaksanaan TTM. Pengumpulan data di lapangan dilakukan dengan menggunakan teknik wawancara dan kuesioner. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif yaitu memberikan makna pada setiap data yang dikumpulkan, serta disajikan dalam bentuk persentase dan grafik. Hasil yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa pelaksanaan kegiatan TTM yang terdiri atas kegiatan awal, kegiatan inti dan kegiatan akhir terlaksana dengan baik sesuai dengan ketentuan yang ditetapkan oleh UT. Sedangkan faktor-faktor penghambat dalam pelaksanaan tutorial, adalah jarak, transportasi, sumber daya manusia (tutor), dan keterbatasan sarana komunikasi.
Acute Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress Does Not Affect Immediate or Delayed Precursor Cell Mobilization in Healthy Young Males
Authors: Schmid Michelle , Gruber Hans-Jürgen , Kröpfl Julia M. , Spengler Christina M.
Published: October 2020

Exercise is known to acutely and transiently mobilize precursor cells to the peripheral blood. To date, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated and we hypothesized that exercise-induced oxidative stress could be a mobilizing agent, either directly or via circulating apoptotic cells as mediators. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of acute exercise-induced oxidative stress on numbers of circulating angiogenic precursor cells (CACs), circulating non-angiogenic precursor cells (nCACs), mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs), mature endothelial cells (ECs), and mononuclear cells (MNCs), as well as their apoptotic subsets. Healthy, young males (n = 18, age: 24.2 ± 3.5 years) completed two identical, standardized incremental cycling tests. The first, un-supplemented control test was followed by a 7-day-long supplementation of vitamin C (1,000 mg/day) and E (400 I.U./day), immediately preceding the second test. Blood samples were collected before, directly after, 30, 90, 180, and 270 min after exercise, and aforementioned circulating cell numbers were determined by flow cytometry and a hematology analyzer. Additionally, total oxidative capacity (TOC) and total antioxidative capacity (TAC) were measured in serum at all timepoints. Antioxidative supplementation abolished the exercise-induced increase in the oxidative stress index (TOC/TAC), and reduced baseline concentrations of TOC and TOC/TAC. However, it did not have any effect on CACs, nCACs, and MPC numbers or the increase in apoptotic MNCs following exercise. Our results indicate that exercise-induced oxidative stress is neither a main driver of lymphocyte and monocyte apoptosis, nor one of the mechanisms involved in the immediate or delayed mobilization of precursor cells.
Influence of Microbial Inoculation of Igneous Rock Phosphate-Amended Cow and Pig Manures on Vermidegradation and Nutrient Release
Authors: Ajibade Sinazo , Mupambwa Hupenyu Allan , Manyevere Alen , Mnkeni Pearson Nyari Stephano
Published: October 2020

Vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida has been shown to improve phosphorus mineralization from rock phosphate (RP). There is, however, a lack of information on the potential of integrating microbial inoculants like phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) during vermicomposting as a way of improving vermidegradation, and the release of nutrients from igneous RP-amended composts. This study evaluated the potential of using Eisenia fetida and Pseudomonas fluorescence in enhancing the vermidegradation, and nutrient release in igneous RP- amended cow and pig manure-based vermicomposts at a C/N ratio of 30. Compost maturity, nutrient and phytotoxicity parameters were measured to determine vermicompost quality. Final vermicompost results showed that the pig manure treatments achieved greater maturity as indicated by lower C/N of 10.3, high humification index (HI) of 7.6%, and humification ratio (HR) of 12.89% in the treatment with E. fetida and P. fluorescence. The inclusion of E. fetida alone in cow manure treatment resulted in the highest Olsen P of 2600 mg/kg, followed by the pig manure treatment with E. fetida only (2246.15 mg/kg). In conclusion, both E. fetida and P. fluorescence are necessary in the vermicomposting of RP-enriched pig and cow manure for efficient vermi-degradation and nutrient release.
Intensified Use of Reproductive Technologies and Reduced Dimensions of Breeding Schemes Put Genetic Diversity at Risk in Dairy Cattle Breeds
Authors: Doublet Anna-Charlotte , Restoux Gwendal , Fritz Sébastien , Balberini Laura , Fayolle Guillaume , Hozé Chris , Laloë Denis , Croiseau Pascal
Published: October 2020

In the management of dairy cattle breeds, two recent trends have arisen that pose potential threats to genetic diversity: the use of reproductive technologies (RT) and a reduction in the number of bulls in breeding schemes. The expected outcome of these changes, in terms of both genetic gain and genetic diversity, is not trivial to predict. Here, we simulated 15 breeding schemes similar to those carried out in large French dairy cattle breeds; breeding schemes differed with respect to their dimensions, the intensity of RT use, and the type of RT involved. We found that intensive use of RT resulted in improved genetic gain, but deteriorated genetic diversity. Specifically, a reduction in the interval between generations through the use of ovum pick-up and in vitro fertilization (OPU-IVF) resulted in a large increase in the inbreeding rate both per year and per generation, suggesting that OPU-IVF could have severe adverse effects on genetic diversity. To achieve a given level of genetic gain, the scenarios that best maintained genetic diversity were those with a higher number of sires/bulls and a medium intensity of RT use or those with a higher number of female donors to compensate for the increased intensity of RT.
Forecasting of Power Demands Using Deep Learning
Authors: Kang Taehyung , Lim Dae Yeong , Tayara Hilal , Chong Kil To
Published: October 2020

The forecasting of electricity demands is important for planning for power generator sector improvement and preparing for periodical operations. The prediction of future electricity demand is a challenging task due to the complexity of the available demand patterns. In this paper, we studied the performance of the basic deep learning models for electrical power forecasting such as the facility capacity, supply capacity, and power consumption. We designed different deep learning models such as convolution neural network (CNN), recurrent neural network (RNN), and a hybrid model that combines both CNN and RNN. We applied these models to the data provided by the Korea Power Exchange. This data contains the daily recordings of facility capacity, supply capacity, and power consumption. The experimental results showed that the CNN model outperforms the other two models significantly for the three features forecasting (facility capacity, supply capacity, and power consumption).
Joining of Thermoplastic Composites with Metals Using Resistance Element Welding
Authors: Troschitz Juliane , Vorderbrüggen Julian , Kupfer Robert , Gude Maik , Meschut Gerson
Published: October 2020

Joining is a key enabler for a successful application of thermoplastic composites (TPC) in future multi-material systems. To use joining technologies, such as resistance welding for composite-metal joints, auxiliary joining elements (weld inserts) can be integrated into the composite and used as an interface. The authors pursue the approach of embedding metal weld inserts in TPC during compression moulding without fibre damage. The technology is based on the concept of moulding holes by a pin and simultaneously placing the weld insert in the moulded hole. Subsequently, the composite component can be joined with metal structures using conventional spot welding guns. For this purpose, two different types of weld inserts were embedded in glass fibre reinforced polypropylene sheets and then welded to steel sheets. A simulation of the welding process determined suitable welding parameters. The quality of the joints was analysed by microsections before and after the welding process. In addition, the joint strength was evaluated by chisel tests as well as single-lap shear tests for the different weld insert designs. It could be shown that high-quality joints can be achieved by using the innovative technology and that the load-bearing capacity is significantly influenced by the weld inserts head design.
Combining Machine Learning and Logical Reasoning to Improve Requirements Traceability Recovery
Authors: Li Tong , Wang Shiheng , Lillis David , Yang Zhen
Published: October 2020

Maintaining traceability links of software systems is a crucial task for software management and development. Unfortunately, dealing with traceability links are typically taken as afterthought due to time pressure. Some studies attempt to use information retrieval-based methods to automate this task, but they only concentrate on calculating the textual similarity between various software artifacts and do not take into account the properties of such artifacts. In this paper, we propose a novel traceability link recovery approach, which comprehensively measures the similarity between use cases and source code by exploring their particular properties. To this end, we leverage and combine machine learning and logical reasoning techniques. On the one hand, our method extracts features by considering the semantics of the use cases and source code, and uses a classification algorithm to train the classifier. On the other hand, we utilize the relationships between artifacts and define a series of rules to recover traceability links. In particular, we not only leverage source code’s structural information, but also take into account the interrelationships between use cases. We have conducted a series of experiments on multiple datasets to evaluate our approach against existing approaches, the results of which show that our approach is substantially better than other methods.
State-of-the-Art Review on Determining Prestress Losses in Prestressed Concrete Girders
Authors: Bonopera Marco , Chang Kuo-Chun , Lee Zheng-Kuan
Published: October 2020

Prestressing methods were used to realize long-span bridges in the last few decades. For their predictive maintenance, devices and dynamic nondestructive procedures for identifying prestress losses were mainly developed since serviceability and safety of Prestressed Concrete (PC) girders depend on the effective state of prestressing. In fact, substantial long term prestress losses can induce excessive deflections and cracking in large span PC bridge girders. However, old unsolved problematics as well as new challenges exist since a variation in prestress force does not significantly affect the vibration responses of such PC girders. As a result, this makes uncertain the use of natural frequencies as appropriate parameters for prestress loss determinations. Thus, amongst emerging techniques, static identification based on vertical deflections has preliminary proved to be a reliable method with the goal to become a dominant approach in the near future. In fact, measured vertical deflections take accurately and instantaneously into account the changes of structural geometry of PC girders due to prestressing losses on the equilibrium conditions, in turn caused by the combined effects of tendon relaxation, concrete creep and shrinkage, and parameters of real environment as, e.g., temperature and relative humidity. Given the current state of quantitative and principled methodologies, this paper represents a state-of-the-art review of some important research works on determining prestress losses conducted worldwide. The attention is principally focused on a static nondestructive method, and a comparison with dynamic ones is elaborated. Comments and recommendations are made at proper places, while concluding remarks including future studies and field developments are mentioned at the end of the paper.
The Flexural Fatigue Behavior of Honeycomb Sandwich Composites Following Low Velocity Impacts
Authors: Solmaz Murat Yavuz , Topkaya Tolga
Published: October 2020

This study experimentally investigated the flexural fatigue behaviors of honeycomb sandwich composites subjected to low velocity impact damage by considering the type and thickness of the face sheet material, the cell size and the core height parameters. Carbon-fiber reinforced composite and the aluminum alloy was used as the face sheet material. First, the static strength of undamaged and damaged specimens was determined by three-point bending loads. Secondly, the fatigue behaviors of the damaged and undamaged specimens were determined. Low velocity impact damage decreased the flexural strength and fatigue lives but increased the damping ratio for all specimens. Maximum damping ratio values were observed on specimens with a aluminum face sheet.
Audio–Visual Speech Recognition Based on Dual Cross-Modality Attentions with the Transformer Model
Authors: Lee Yong-Hyeok , Jang Dong-Won , Kim Jae-Bin , Park Rae-Hong , Park Hyung-Min
Published: October 2020

Since attention mechanism was introduced in neural machine translation, attention has been combined with the long short-term memory (LSTM) or replaced the LSTM in a transformer model to overcome the sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) problems with the LSTM. In contrast to the neural machine translation, audio–visual speech recognition (AVSR) may provide improved performance by learning the correlation between audio and visual modalities. As a result that the audio has richer information than the video related to lips, AVSR is hard to train attentions with balanced modalities. In order to increase the role of visual modality to a level of audio modality by fully exploiting input information in learning attentions, we propose a dual cross-modality (DCM) attention scheme that utilizes both an audio context vector using video query and a video context vector using audio query. Furthermore, we introduce a connectionist-temporal-classification (CTC) loss in combination with our attention-based model to force monotonic alignments required in AVSR. Recognition experiments on LRS2-BBC and LRS3-TED datasets showed that the proposed model with the DCM attention scheme and the hybrid CTC/attention architecture achieved at least a relative improvement of 7.3% on average in the word error rate (WER) compared to competing methods based on the transformer model.
Validation of the Accuracy of Postoperative Analysis Methods for Locating the Actual Position of Implants: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Oh Se-Mok , Lee Du-Hyeong
Published: October 2020

Assessment of the accuracy of an implant guide system is essential, yet the reliability of postoperative methods for locating the implant position has still not been clarified. This study therefore sought to evaluate the accuracy of postoperative methods for locating the actual position of implants in terms of their linear and angular deviations. The implant position in a dentiform model was located using the following three methods: manual matching on a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image (MC group), manual matching on a mesh model of CBCT (MM group), and automatic matching on a scan abutment of a scan image (AS group). Thirty clinicians adopted each method, and the estimated position of the implant in each group was compared three-dimensionally with the reference implant position using image analysis software in terms of the linear, vertical, and angular deviations. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post-hoc test were used for statistical analyses (α = 0.05). In general, the deviations were the largest in the MC group, followed by the MM group and the AS group. The ANOVA results suggested that all deviations values were markedly smaller in the AS group than in the MC group (p < 0.001). The interoperator measurement variability of all deviations was relatively smaller in the AS group than in the other two groups. The automatic matching method using scan abutments was more accurate than the manual matching methods using CBCT and mesh images in assessing the deviations that existed between the planned and actual positions of the implant. The use of scan abutments is recommended for the postoperative assessment of an implant’s placement location.
Grouting Power Prediction Using a Hybrid Model Based on Support Vector Regression Optimized by an Improved Jaya Algorithm
Authors: Xue Linli , Zhu Yushan , Guan Tao , Ren Bingyu , Tong Dawei , Wu Binping
Published: October 2020

Grouting power is a vital parameter that can be used as an indicator for simultaneously controlling grouting pressure and injection rate. Accurate grouting power prediction contributes to the real-time optimization of the grouting process, guaranteeing grouting safety and quality. However, the strong nonlinearity of the grouting power time series makes the forecasting task challenging. Hence, this paper proposes a novel hybrid model for accurate grouting power forecasting. First, empirical wavelet transform (EWT) is employed to decompose the original grouting series into several subseries and one residual adaptively. Second, partial autocorrelation function (PACF) is applied to identify the optimal input variables objectively. Then, support vector regression (SVR) is adopted to obtain prediction outcomes of each subseries, while an improved Jaya (IJaya) algorithm by coupling chaos theory and Lévy flights to improve the algorithm’s accuracy performance is proposed to optimize the SVR hyperparameters. Finally, the prediction results of decomposed subseries are superimposed to produce the final results. A consolidation grouting project is taken as a case study and the computation results with the RMSE = 0.2672 MPa·L/min, MAE = 0.2165 MPa·L/min, MAPE = 3.85% and EC = 0.9815 demonstrate that the proposed model exhibits superior forecasting ability and can provide a viable reference for grouting construction.
Detecting Diabetic Retinopathy Using Embedded Computer Vision
Authors: Vora Parshva , Shrestha Sudhir
Published: October 2020

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States and other countries around the world. People who have diabetic retinopathy may not have symptoms until the condition becomes severe, which may eventually lead to vision loss. Thus, the medically underserved populations are at an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy-related blindness. In this paper, we present development efforts on an embedded vision algorithm that can classify healthy versus diabetic retinopathic images. Convolution neural network and a k-fold cross-validation process were used. We used 88,000 labeled high-resolution retina images obtained from the publicly available Kaggle/EyePacs database. The trained algorithm was able to detect diabetic retinopathy with up to 76% accuracy. Although the accuracy needs to be further improved, the presented results represent a significant step forward in the direction of detecting diabetic retinopathy using embedded computer vision. This technology has the potential of being able to detect diabetic retinopathy without having to see an eye specialist in remote and medically underserved locations, which can have significant implications in reducing diabetes-related vision losses.
Day Ahead Bidding of a Load Aggregator Considering Residential Consumers Demand Response Uncertainty Modeling
Authors: Song Zhaofang , Shi Jing , Li Shujian , Chen Zexu , Yang Wangwang , Zhang Zitong
Published: October 2020

As the electricity consumption and controllability of residential consumers are gradually increasing, demand response (DR) potentials of residential consumers are increasing among the demand side resources. Since the electricity consumption level of individual households is low, residents’ flexible load resources can participate in demand side bidding through the integration of load aggregator (LA). However, there is uncertainty in residential consumers’ participation in DR. The LA has to face the risk that residents may refuse to participate in DR. In addition, demand side competition mechanism requires the LA to formulate reasonable bidding strategies to obtain the maximum profit. Accordingly, this paper focuses on how the LA formulate the optimal bidding strategy considering the uncertainty of residents’ participation in DR. Firstly, the physical models of flexible loads are established to evaluate the ideal DR potential. On this basis, to quantify the uncertainty of the residential consumers, this paper uses a fuzzy system to construct a model to evaluate the residents’ willingness to participate in DR. Then, based on the queuing method, a bidding decision-making model considering the uncertainty is constructed to maximize the LA’s income. Finally, based on a case simulation of a residential community, the results show that compared with the conventional bidding strategy, the optimal bidding model considering the residents’ willingness can reduce the response cost of the LA and increase the LA’s income.
Hypothermic Effect of Acute Citral Treatment during LPS-induced Systemic Inflammation in Obese Mice: Reduction of Serum TNF-α and Leptin Levels
Authors: Emílio-Silva Maycon T. , Rodrigues Vinicius P. , Bueno Gabriela , Ohara Rie , Martins Marina G. , Horta-Júnior José A. C. , Branco Luiz G. S. , Rocha Lúcia R. M. , Hiruma-Lima Clélia A.
Published: October 2020

Citral is a mixture of monoterpenes present in the essential oil of several plants, such as Cymbopogon citratus and Zingiber officinale, possessing anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, and antipyretic actions. We investigated the action of citral on body temperature (Tb) and inflammatory signaling in eutrophic and obese mice during Systemic Inflammation (SI) induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Thus, we assessed the effect of citral (25, 100, and 300 mg/kg) and ibuprofen in LPS-induced SI in Swiss male mice fed a standard diet (SD) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Following SI induction, we measured Tb and collected the serum, hypothalamus, and gastric mucosa for biochemical measurements. Acute treatment with citral decreased the Tb of both SD and HFD-fed animals. Citral (300 mg/kg) treatment caused a significantly lower Tb variation in HFD-fed animals than in those fed the SD. Citral reduced peripheral levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in SD and HFD mice and decreased serum leptin concentration in HFD mice 90 min after the LPS challenge. Furthermore, citral also reduced interleukin (IL)-6 levels in the hypothalamus of obese mice. In summary, citral effectively reduced Tb during SI by reducing inflammatory mediators with a distinct action profile in HFD mice when compared with SD.
Integrated Experimental and Theoretical Studies on an Electrochemical Immunosensor
Authors: Rafat Neda , Satoh Paul , Calabrese Barton Scott , Worden Robert Mark
Published: October 2020

Electrochemical immunosensors (EIs) integrate biorecognition molecules (e.g., antibodies) with redox enzymes (e.g., horseradish peroxidase) to combine the advantages of immunoassays (high sensitivity and selectivity) with those of electrochemical biosensors (quantitative electrical signal). However, the complex network of mass-transfer, catalysis, and electrochemical reaction steps that produce the electrical signal makes the design and optimization of EI systems challenging. This paper presents an integrated experimental and modeling framework to address this challenge. The framework includes (1) a mechanistic mathematical model that describes the rate of key mass-transfer and reaction steps; (2) a statistical-design-of-experiments study to optimize operating conditions and validate the mechanistic model; and (3) a novel dimensional analysis to assess the degree to which individual mass-transfer and reaction steps limit the EI’s signal amplitude and sensitivity. The validated mechanistic model was able to predict the effect of four independent variables (working electrode overpotential, pH, and concentrations of catechol and hydrogen peroxide) on the EI’s signal magnitude. The model was then used to calculate dimensionless groups, including Damkohler numbers, novel current-control coefficients, and sensitivity-control coefficients that indicated the extent to which the individual mass-transfer or reaction steps limited the EI’s signal amplitude and sensitivity.
Predicting Academic Achievement with Cognitive Abilities: Cross-Sectional Study across School Education
Authors: Tikhomirova Tatiana , Malykh Artem , Malykh Sergey
Published: October 2020

The relationship between cognitive abilities and academic achievement across schooling from the first to the eleventh grade was analyzed. Information processing speed, visuospatial working memory, number sense, and fluid intelligence were considered predictors of general academic achievement, which was derived from grades in mathematics, language, and biology. This cross-sectional study involved 1560 pupils who were in grades 1–11 at general education schools and were aged from 6.8 to 19.1 years (50.4% were boys). Information processing speed, visuospatial working memory, and number sense were measured using the Choice Reaction Time, Corsi Block-Tapping, and Number Sense computerized tests, respectively. Fluid intelligence was measured using the paper-and-pencil version of the Standard Progressive Matrices test. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were carried out. It was shown that it is possible to describe the structure of the relationship between cognitive abilities and academic achievement for all levels of schooling with a single model. In this model, information processing speed is the key predictor of fluid intelligence, working memory, and number sense, which in turn contribute to individual differences in academic success. Additionally, the specificity of the relationship between individual indicators of cognitive abilities and academic achievement at each level of schooling was revealed.
Genomic Instability in Circulating Tumor Cells
Authors: Freitas Monique Oliveira , Gartner John , Rangel-Pozzo Aline , Mai Sabine
Published: October 2020

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can promote distant metastases and can be obtained through minimally invasive liquid biopsy for clinical assessment in cancer patients. Having both genomic heterogeneity and instability as common features, the genetic characterization of CTCs can serve as a powerful tool for a better understanding of the molecular changes occurring at tumor initiation and during tumor progression/metastasis. In this review, we will highlight recent advances in the detection and quantification of tumor cell heterogeneity and genomic instability in CTCs. We will focus on the contribution of chromosome instability studies to genetic heterogeneity in CTCs at the single-CTC level by discussing data from different cancer subtypes and their impact on diagnosis and precision medicine.
Mass Spectrometry as a Highly Sensitive Method for Specific Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis in NSCLC: A Comparison Study
Authors: Lamy Pierre-Jean , van der Leest Paul , Lozano Nicolas , Becht Catherine , Duboeuf Frédérique , Groen Harry J. M. , Hilgers Werner , Pourel Nicolas , Rifaela Naomi , Schuuring Ed , Alix-Panabières Catherine
Published: October 2020

Plasma-based tumor mutational profiling is arising as a reliable approach to detect primary and therapy-induced resistance mutations required for accurate treatment decision making. Here, we compared the FDA-approved Cobas® EGFR Mutation Test v2 with the UltraSEEK™ Lung Panel on the MassARRAY® System on detection of EGFR mutations, accompanied with preanalytical sample assessment using the novel Liquid IQ® Panel. 137 cancer patient-derived cell-free plasma samples were analyzed with the Cobas® and UltraSEEK™ tests. Liquid IQ® analysis was initially validated (n = 84) and used to determine ccfDNA input for all samples. Subsequently, Liquid IQ® results were applied to harmonize ccfDNA input for the Cobas® and UltraSEEK™ tests for 63 NSCLC patients. The overall concordance between the Cobas® and UltraSEEK™ tests was 86%. The Cobas® test detected more EGFR exon19 deletions and L858R mutations, while the UltraSEEK™ test detected more T790M mutations. A 100% concordance in both the clinical (n = 137) and harmonized (n = 63) cohorts was observed when >10 ng of ccfDNA was used as determined by the Liquid IQ® Panel. The Cobas® and UltraSEEK™ tests showed similar sensitivity in EGFR mutation detection, particularly when ccfDNA input was sufficient. It is recommended to preanalytically determine the ccfDNA concentration accurately to ensure sufficient input for reliable interpretation and treatment decision making.
Involvement of a Transcription factor, Nfe2, in Breast Cancer Metastasis to Bone
Authors: Zhang Di , Iwabuchi Sadahiro , Baba Tomohisa , Hashimoto Shin-ichi , Mukaida Naofumi , Sasaki So-ichiro
Published: October 2020

Patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is frequently complicated by bone metastasis, which deteriorates the life expectancy of this patient cohort. In order to develop a novel type of therapy for bone metastasis, we established 4T1.3 clone with a high capacity to metastasize to bone after orthotopic injection, from a murine TNBC cell line, 4T1.0. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying a high growth ability of 4T1.3 in a bone cavity, we searched for a novel candidate molecule with a focus on a transcription factor whose expression was selectively enhanced in a bone cavity. Comprehensive gene expression analysis detected enhanced Nfe2 mRNA expression in 4T1.3 grown in a bone cavity, compared with in vitro culture conditions. Moreover, Nfe2 gene transduction into 4T1.0 cells enhanced their capability to form intraosseous tumors. Moreover, Nfe2 shRNA treatment reduced tumor formation arising from intraosseous injection of 4T1.3 clone as well as another mouse TNBC-derived TS/A.3 clone with an augmented intraosseous tumor formation ability. Furthermore, NFE2 expression was associated with in vitro growth advantages of these TNBC cell lines under hypoxic condition, which mimics the bone microenvironment, as well as Wnt pathway activation. These observations suggest that NFE2 can potentially contribute to breast cancer cell survival in the bone microenvironment.
Commonly Applied Selection Criteria for Lung Cancer Screening May Have Strongly Varying Diagnostic Performance in Different Countries
Authors: Brenner Hermann , Krilaviciute Agne
Published: October 2020

Lung cancer (LC) screening often focuses heavy smokers as a target for screening group. Heavy smoking can thus be regarded as an LC pre-screening test with sensitivities and specificities being different in various populations due to the differences in smoking histories. We derive here expected sensitivities and specificities of various criteria to preselect individuals for LC screening in 27 European countries with diverse smoking prevalences. Sensitivities of various heavy-smoking-based pre-screening criteria were estimated by combining sex-specific proportions of people meeting these criteria in the target population for screening with associations of heavy smoking with LC risk. Expected specificities were approximated by the proportion of individuals not meeting the heavy smoking definition. Estimated sensitivities and specificities varied widely across countries, with sensitivities being generally higher among men (range: 33–80%) than among women (range: 9–79%), and specificities being generally lower among men (range: 48–90%) than among women (range: 70–99%). Major variation in sensitivities and specificities was also seen across different pre-selection criteria for LC screening within individual countries. Our results may inform the design of LC screening programs in European countries and serve as benchmarks for novel alternative or complementary tests for selecting people at high risk for CT-based LC screening.
Removal of Nonylphenol Polyethylene Glycol (NPEG) with Au-TiO2 Catalysts: Kinetic and Initial Transformation Path
Authors: Aguilar Claudia , Garcia Mayra , Montalvo Carlos , Anguebes Francisco , Moctezuma Edgar , Abatal Mohamed , Figueroa Sandra
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the Au-TiO2 catalyst in the degradation of nonylphenol polyethylene glycol (NPEG). In the first part of the study, the catalyst was synthesized and characterized. Initially, the catalyst (TiO2 Degussa P-25) was doped with gold precursor salts (HAuCl4) at different concentrations (5, 10, and 15%) and the photodeposition method with UV light. It was determined by diffuse reflectance (DF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that the photodeposition method was effective for the inclusion of gold particles on the surface. The catalyst band gap showed a reduction to 2.9 e.v (compared to TiO2 Degussa P-25), and it was observed that the gold-doped catalyst showed absorption in the visible light range 500 to 600 nm. The percentage of deposited gold was determined by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). In the second part of the study, various NPEG degradation experiments were performed; with the catalyst that showed the best conversion percentages of NPEG, the experimental data were analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry and TOC (total organic carbon). With these results, a carbon-based mass balance and reaction kinetics were generated using the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) heterogeneous catalysis model. For the estimation of the kinetic constants, the non-linear regression of the Levenger–Marquardt algorithm was used. With these results, kinetic models of the degradation of the molecule and the generation and consumption of organic intermediate products (OIPs) were generated.
ER-to-Golgi Transport in HeLa Cells Displays High Resilience to Ca2+ and Energy Stresses
Authors: Rauter Thomas , Burgstaller Sandra , Gottschalk Benjamin , Ramadani-Muja Jeta , Bischof Helmut , Hay Jesse C. , Graier Wolfgang F. , Malli Roland
Published: October 2020

One third of all human proteins are either transmembrane or soluble secretory proteins that first target the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These proteins subsequently leave the ER and enter the Golgi apparatus via ER-Golgi intermediate vesicular structures. Live-cell imaging of cargos fused to fluorescent proteins (FPs) enables the high-resolution visualization and characterization of secretory transport processes. Here, we performed fluorescence time-lapse imaging to assess the Ca2+ and energy dependency of ER-to-Golgi transport in living HeLa cells, a cancer cell model which has been well investigated. Our data revealed that ER-to-Golgi transport remained highly efficient in the absence of ATP-generating substrates, despite clear reductions in cytosolic and mitochondrial ATP levels under these energy stress conditions. However, cell treatment with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), which severely diminished subcellular ATP levels, abolished ER-to-Golgi transport. Interestingly, while 2-DG elevated cytosolic Ca2+ levels and reduced long-distance movements of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-positive vesicles, robust short-term ER Ca2+ mobilizations, which strongly affected the motility of these vesicles, did not considerably impair ER-to-Golgi transport. In summary, we highlight that ER-to-Golgi transport in HeLa cells remains functional despite high energy and Ca2+ stress levels.