bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NEW ECONOMIC MILLENNIUM: INDIAN PERSPECTIVE
Authors: SHARMA MRITUNJAY , SAHOO SARADA PRASAD
Published: November 2020

An Entrepreneur is and individual who, rather than working as an employee, runs a small business and assumes all the risk and reward of a given business venture, idea, or good or service offered for sale. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as a business leader and innovator of new ideas and business processes Today’s entrepreneur, a person, who has initiative in investment and decision to the enterprise; seeking all resource of factor of production, resources of Management, Behavior, cultural, Economical and Political factor for establishing, innovation and founded enterprise, having assumption of risk, profit and future growth. Entrepreneurship has rightly been identified with the individual, as success of enterprise depends upon imagination, vision, innovativeness and risk taking. The production is possible due to the cooperation of the various factors of production, popularly known as land, labour, capital, market management and of course entrepreneurship. Basic objective in developing entrepreneurship and multiplying them in the society has been to enable the society to generate productive human resource, mobilize and sustain the same in subsequent process of development. The government at the national and state level in India has been keen on promoting entrepreneurship. A well designed value chain is necessary for and enterprise to reap the benefits of market advantage and this should be modified to suit the demands of modern enterprise.
The Effect of Stress Factors On the Reading Habits among Gen-Y students
Authors: Nagaratnam Shalini , Kaur Harpaljit , Rasiah R. Ratneswary V.
Published: November 2020

The complexity in teaching the generation Y students is a challenge faced by academics in many higher institutions. This includes the evolution from conventional reading to reading using the ever expanding web based resources. This quantitative study was undertaken to examine the relationship between stress factors and reading habits among Gen Y students. The purpose of this study is to identify the type of stress which affects Gen Y students, the effect of these stress factors on the Gen Y reading habits and the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between stress factors and reading habits. The data was collected from 206 business students in a private higher institution of education using a structured questionnaire after a prior pilot test of 76 samples. The data was analyzed using reliability, factor analysis, and multivariate General Linear Model. The use of factor analysis identified four constructs for readership and two constructs for stress factors. An association between stress factors and reading habits was established. It was discovered that stress affected the knowledge and the exam purpose readers. Further investigation showed that gender moderates the effect of stress on the Gen Y reading habits. These findings will be of value to educators as they seek a better understanding of the needs and priorities of the millennial students. It is hoped that these findings will enable educators to establish a good understanding of the Gen Y students and their distinct needs so as to promote the use of more innovative teaching methodologies to further encourage a healthier learning environment.
Medical Human Factor Engineering and Workspace Design
Authors: Bhoi Akash Kumar , Choudhury Kshyudha Sagar
Published: November 2020

Making India to a global healthcare hub, it is not only about bringing new technology but also we have to take care of the existing technology. The healthcare hub is the leading factor for current economic growth of India. Human Factor Engineering (HFE) plays a vital role in this field. In medical or healthcare, the field is named as Medical Human Factor Engineering (MHFE). This paper discusses on how MHFE responsible for strengthen the Technology Management of Hospital, Hazards from device failure and use related, Human Factors consideration in medical device use and case study on (Infusion Pumps) errors committed by users in each clinical area. Now the challenging issue for HFE is to design a proper workspace to avoid human errors and the four workspace design principles of Sanders & McCormick (1993) is also discussed. This paper deals with the Computer-aided-design (CAD) systems and a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) technique with Simple Organizational Structure of HFE in designing the workspace.
Dimensional Accuracy of 3D-printed Models of the Right First Metacarpal Bones of Cadavers
Authors: Macatangay Ian Oliver D. , Malipot Jessa Joy C. , Lopez Alyanna Marie M. , Mabulay Robert Earl C. , Magpantay Rodee Ann Kate O. , Malecdan Larysa S. , Malingan Jana Louria M. , Malolos Grace Zurielle C. , Mamaril Philippe Angelo A. , Mananghaya Angela Nicole M. , C. Bundoc Rafael
Published: November 2020

Background. The use of 3D printing in medical education, prosthetics, and preoperative planning requiresdimensional accuracy of the models compared to the replicated tissues or organs.Objective. To determine the dimensional accuracy of 3D-printed models replicated from metacarpal bones fromcadavers.

Methods. Fifty-two models were 3D-printed using fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA),digital light processing (DLP), and binder jetting method from 13 right first metacarpal bones of cadavers fromthe College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila. Six dimensional parameters of the 3D-printedmodels and their control bones were measured using 0.01 mm calipers — length, midshaft diameter, base width,base height, head width, and head height. Mean measurements were compared using non-inferiority testing andmultidimensional scaling.

Results. Mean measurements of the 3D-printed models were slightly larger than their control bones (standarddeviation range: 1.219-4.264; standard error range, 0.338-1.183). All models were found to be at least 90% accurateand statistically non-inferior compared to control bones. DLP-printed models were the most accurate (base width,99.62 %) and most similar to their control bone (–0.05, 90% CI –0.34, 0.24). Through multidimensional scaling,DLP-printed models (coordinate = 0.437) were the most similar to the control bone (coordinate = 0.899).

Conclusion. The 3D-printed models are dimensionally accurate when compared to bones.
Concentrations of Trace Elements in Bottled Water Consumed in Angono, Philippines
Authors: Maruyama Seiji , Kato Hisaaki , Hirata Takafumi , Juban Noel R.
Published: November 2020

Introduction. We analyzed the concentrations of the trace elements [chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd),cesium (Cs), lead (Pb), thorium (Th), and uranium (U)] in commercial bottled water consumed in the town of Angono,Rizal province, Luzon island, Philippines to evaluate the health risks of the trace elements in drinking water. Thereare some arguments that water resources available in the Philippines are heavily polluted by various materials, inparticular heavy metal elements.

Method. The concentrations of seven trace elements in commercial bottled water produced and consumed in thePhilippines were analyzed using a solution nebulization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SN−ICP−MS).

Result. The concentrations of the trace elements except for Cs, which does not yet have a WHO guideline value,in the locally produced bottled water were below the WHO guideline values. The Cs concentrations (<0.6 μg/L) ofthe bottled water of the Philippines were generally similar to those of the bottled water produced and consumed inother countries such as Japan, China, and Indonesia.

Conclusion. The concentrations of trace elements in bottled water consumed in Angono, Philippines can be regardedas being at safe levels, as well as those of daily life water (i.e. tap, well, and spring water) consumed in the said town.
Rural and Urban Differences in Household Food Insecurity and Diet Diversity of Preschool Children (PSC) in Occidental Mindoro
Authors: Dela Luna Kim Leonard G. , Bullecer Ernani R.
Published: November 2020

Objective. Rural and urban differences affect food availability, accessibility, and sustainability; thus, it has a greatimpact on household food security and dietary diversity. The relationship between the human environment andother factors threatens different domains of food systems resulting in food security. The objective of this study isto determine significant differences between the prevalence of household food security and diet diversity betweenurban and rural communities in Occidental Mindoro. Specifically, to determine the pattern of usual food intake ofpreschool children between rural and urban communities

Methods. This study utilized a comparative, cross-sectional, analytic study design in order to determine theprevalence of each variable of interest in the two study areas. Radimer-Cornell Tool was utilized to assess the foodsecurity status of the household while the FAO-Dietary Diversity Score Questionnaire was used to the diversityof diet among PSC. A total of 480 (rural: n=240; urban: n=240) preschool children were recruited to participatein this study. Ratio and proportion using the point and interval estimate were used to determine the prevalencein different areas, meanwhile, chi-square of homogeneity was used to determine significant difference in the twoareas under study.

Results. Food insecurity in rural communities was found to be at 56.25% (95% CI: 49.97% to 62.53%) while theprevalence in urban communities was 45.83% (95% CI: 39.53% to 52.14%). There was a significant differencein the prevalence of household food insecurity between rural and urban communities (p=0.0224). Meanwhile,the prevalence of less dietary diversity among preschool children in rural communities was 37.08% (95%: 30.97%to 43.19%) and 26.25% (CI: 20.68% to 31.82%) for urban communities. There was a significant differencein prevalence of low dietary diversity score among preschool children between rural and urban communities(p=0.0107).

Conclusion. There were significant differences in terms of household food insecurity and less diverse dietbetween two community settings. Higher prevalence in rural areas signifies that there is a need to prioritize thesevulnerable communities in terms of hunger mitigation and nutrition programs. A combination of milk-rice-meat-fishwas observed in the diet of preschool children for both communities however, higher prevalence of less dietarydiversity was detected among rural communities.
UNSUPERVISED METHODOLOGY TO IN-SEASON MAPPING OF SUMMER CROPS IN URUGUAY WITH MODIS EVI’S TEMPORAL SERIES AND MACHINE LEARNING
Authors: Cal A. , Tiscornia G.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. This paper presents a new methodology for mapping summer crops in Uruguay, during the season, based on time-series analysis of the EVI vegetation index derived from the MODIS sensor. Time-series were processed with the k-means unsupervised machine learning algorithm. For this algorithm, the ideal number of clusters was estimated using the elbow method. Once the clusters were obtained, for each one, the average phenological signature was adjusted using a nonlinear smoothing spline regression technique. Additionally, using the derivative analysis, the key points of the curve were estimated (minimum, maximum and inflection points). When analyzing the average signature of each cluster, those whose signature follows the seasonal pattern of an agricultural crop (similar to a Gaussian function) were selected to generate a binary map of crops/non-crops. The estimated crop area is 2,336,525 hectares, higher than the official statistics of 1,667,400 hectares for the 2014–15 season. This overestimation can be explained by the resolution of the MODIS pixel (250 meters), where each has a different degree of purity; and commission errors. The methodology was validated with 5,317 ground truth points, with a general accuracy of 95.8%, kappa index of 85.6, production and user accuracy of 85.1% and 91.3% for crops/non-crops.
USING REMOTE SENSING IMAGES AND CLOUD SERVICES ON AWS TO IMPROVE LAND USE AND COVER MONITORING
Authors: Ferreira K. R. , Queiroz G. R. , Camara G. , Souza R. C. M. , Vinhas L. , Marujo R. F. B. , Simoes R. E. O. , Noronha C. A. F. , Costa R. W. , Arcanjo J. S. , Gomes V. C. F. , Zaglia M. C.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) produces official information about deforestation as well as land use and cover in the country, based on remote sensing images. The current open data policy adopted by many space agencies and governments worldwide provided access to petabytes of remote sensing images. To properly deal with this vast amount of images, novel technologies have been proposed and developed based on cloud computing and big data systems. This paper describes the INPE’s initiatives in using remote sensing images and cloud services of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure to improve land use and cover monitoring.
Clientelismo en la gestión local. El caso de los alcaldes en Chile, 2015-2016
Authors: Belmar Fabián , Morales Mauricio
Published: November 2020

Los representantes se vinculan programática y no programáticamente con sus votantes. Ofrecen políticas públicas y resuelven demandas particulares de sus electores. Sobre esto último, en Chile la ley del lobby obliga a los alcaldes a hacer públicas sus agendas de relación directa con los ciudadanos, denominadas “audiencias”. Analizamos 44.162 audiencias para los 345 municipios entre 2015 y 2016. Concluimos, primero, que más del 80% de las audiencias están asociadas a demandas personales de los ciudadanos (audiencias no programáticas) y no a solicitudes de política pública (audiencias programáticas). Segundo, que en año de elecciones locales los alcaldes otorgan más audiencias no programáticas, mientras que en año de elecciones nacionales otorgan más audiencias programáticas. Tercero, que las audiencias son más recurrentes en municipios rurales. Cuarto, que los alcaldes hacen mayor uso del mecanismo, pero dejan de utilizarlo cuando ganan la elección por amplio margen. Con los alcaldes novatos sucede lo opuesto.
Presentación
Authors: García Selgas Fernando José , Urieta Bastardés Elena
Published: November 2020

La presentación de este monográfico recoge el recorrido que las materializaciones y sus objetos encontraban en el constructivismo socio-discursivo, así como en planteamientos posthumanos que cuestionaban la centralidad del ser humano como único agente del despliegue social, material o semiótico del mundo. Para articular de forma simétrica una hibridación que no separe lo social de lo natural, lo humano de lo no humano o el discurso de la materialidad; ni imponga una jerarquía a una serie de entidades existentes (objetos, tecnologías, animales, vegetales, etc.) neutrales respecto a su condición de ser, surgen los denominados Nuevos Materialismos para atribuir a los “objetos” un dinamismo con capacidad de hacerse sentir y de producir, de afectar y de padecer. Así, este último giro materialista descentraliza la preminencia ontológica y ético-política del ser humano, que no solo abandona el centro del hacer y del saber, sino también del ser. Más allá de los distintos debates y autoras, nos interesa presentar esta nueva ontología general en la medida en que muestra a todas las existentes como co-constituidas relacional e interdependientemente en el despliegue de un mundo semiótico-material.
La grasa en acción. Un acercamiento a las grasas en los laboratorios científicos
Authors: Urieta Bastardés Elena
Published: November 2020

Este texto, que se inspira en las redes sociotécnicas de la ANT y los nuevos materialismos, propone, a partir de las experiencias de trabajo de campo etnográfico en laboratorios, un acercamiento a los objetos como elementos que participan de las relaciones que hacen emerger la grasa como hecho científico. Aquí se trata de describir el modo en el que en los laboratorios químicos y tecnológicos se pone en marcha un proceso semiótico-material con las máquinas, definiciones, tecnologías, cacharros, texturas y textos para hacer grasas. Las grasas que emergen en relaciones científicas por medio de fraccionamientos, cromatógrafos, catálisis enzimáticas, congresos, secuencias genéticas, esterificaciones, reuniones, batidoras, programas informáticos, emulsiones, artículos, etc. no serían, por tanto, un componente necesario del proceso de investigación (soporte sin agencia), sino un ensamblaje activo en el que las grasas devienen fenómenos científicos en acción, es decir, relaciones con capacidad de agencia.
La invención de los objetos: deporte, estandarización y subjetividad moderna
Authors: González Abrisketa Olatz
Published: November 2020

Este artículo aborda la naturaleza apática que la modernidad ha atribuido a los objetos. Se centra en la estandarización de los mismos en el deporte y ofrece un caso anómalo dentro del mismo: el de la pelota vasca. A pesar de la regulación de sus límites, en dimensiones y peso, las pelotas en el juego vasco son singulares, es decir, cada una de ellas posee una personalidad propia que debe ser reconocida. Tres días antes del partido, los pelotaris se reúnen para elegir las pelotas y mostrarlas al público, un acontecimiento que abre un juego de perspectivas que tiene efectos en la conceptualización de pelotas y pelotaris y que dificulta considerarlos objetos y sujetos respectivamente. Haciendo uso de conceptos como cuasi-objeto (Michel Serres) o reciprocidad de perspectivas (Roy Wagner), el artículo defiende que la “invención de los objetos” producida por la modernidad niega procesos de reconocimiento con las cosas que son sustanciales para la comprensión del sí-mismo y de los otros. Los “sujetos” sostienen la ilusión de que son ellos, y nada más ellos, los que están dirimiendo sus propias diferencias y obvian el hecho de que son a la vez objeto y sujeto para el otro, sea este persona, animal o cosa.
Gobiernos autonómicos españoles y transparencia activa de sus repositorios digitales. Una revisión taxonómica
Authors: Curto-Rodríguez Ricardo
Published: November 2020

Las administraciones públicas suministran datos sobre su desempeño, implementando los principios del gobierno abierto. Con el doble objetivo de cuantificar la divulgación proactiva de información digital de las Comunidades Autónomas españolas en diciembre de 2013 y de 2017, así como buscar tipologías, nos serviremos de una lista de comprobación propia inspirada en la Ley nacional 19/2013 de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno, que ponderando su facilidad reutilizadora según la escala cinco estrellas de Tim Berners-Lee, nos permitirá formular dos indicadores: transparencia open data, que recoge únicamente la información de los portales de datos abiertos, y transparencia global, que amplía la búsqueda a los portales de transparencia y a la web institucional. Los resultados muestran que los niveles de divulgación dejan bastante que desear y, aunque existe una ligera mejoría con el paso del tiempo, solo es relevante para transparencia global gracias al desarrollo y aportación de los portales de transparencia que eclipsan la utilidad de la web institucional. El análisis tipológico identifica dos conglomerados bastante equilibrados dando soporte al postulado de dos teorías contrapuestas: agencia y neoinsitucional.
Counter-Propaganda and Spy Fever: Germans in Washington, DC, During World War I
Authors: Manz Stefan , Benbow Mark E.
Published: November 2020

During the First World War, the German immigrant community in Washington, DC, came under particular pressure due to its proximity to politically and strategically sensitive institutions. Accusations of sabotage and “hyphenated” loyalty led to an atmosphere of suspicion, suppression, internment, and expulsion. Ethnic leaders produced counter-propaganda to feed both their compatriots and the American public with alternative narratives of warfare. This work argues that these bellicose pro-German utterances aggravated tensions with the host society. Within a theoretical framework of diasporic connectedness, this article shows that reverberations of war affected civilians in places far removed from the frontlines. Studying the totality of war must include the study of diasporas and “enemy minorities.”
Developments in design of wood structures for earthquake resistance
Authors: Buchanan Andrew H.
Published: November 2020

This paper briefly describes the major factors affecting the behaviour of wood structures in earthquakes. Recent developments in timber engineering have resulted in increasing interest in wood as an engineering material, which is being extended to earthquake resistance of wood structures, particularly in New Zealand. This paper suggests how recent advances in timber engineering and earthquake engineering can be combined to produce improvements in the design of wood structures for seismic regions.
Managing International Assignments (Expatriates and Inpatriates): Effect of Cultural Diversity
Authors: Jawad Amal M.
Published: November 2020

Research on the management of expatriates and inpatriates’ international assignments within MNCs, such as tasks that include issues expatriates and inpatriates face in different environments. This study verified the challenges of managing expatriates and inpatriates within MNCs in an IHRM field. A qualitative semi-structured interview approach was used with 15 participants (professional engineer’s senior’s, juniors, and management staff, who held international assignments or worked in abroad positions within MNC (organisation A). The study results that expatriates and inpatriates management in cross-culture diversity allowed them to build their career aspirations. The study described cross-cultural career progression for expatriates and inpatriates management.
Deforestation in Legal Amazon: A Panel Data Analysis of Potential Interferers
Authors: Gomes Fernanda Bento Rosa , Canella Cecilia de Mattos , Branco Otávio Eurico de Aquino , Castro Mariana C. Coelho Silva , Castro Samuel Rodrigues
Published: November 2020

The knowledge on the significant factors that lead to environmental changes can be an attractive tool for directing priority actions of management, sustainability and impact minimization. In this regard, this work suggests the use of panel data analysis in environmental assessments, proposing a panel data regression model for the context of the Amazon forest, aiming to evaluate the role of primary activities over deforestation in Legal Amazon between 1988 and 2018. For this, the deforested areas in Legal Amazon were assessed regarding the potential explanatory variables: (i) area intended for soybean cultivation; (ii) area intended for palm oil cultivation; (iii) cattle ranching; and (iv) firewood and wood extraction. The model developed in this work evidenced cattle ranching and palm oil cultivation as significant factors for the increase of deforested areas, as well as the contribution of other factors besides primary activities in Amazon deforestation from 1988 to 2018. These results are in accordance with the literature, evidencing the applicability and assertiveness of the proposed method. This approach can help decision-makers of several other fields of environmental management. Additionally, this work also assessed the evolution of deforestation rates from 1988 to 2018, as well as possible regionalities and temporal trends in Legal Amazon deforestation. Statistically significant upward trends in deforestation rates in Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, and Rondônia since 2012 were noticed. The spatial homogeneity in deforestation reinforces the need for effective oversight in Amazon.
BORESIGHTING OF UNMANNED WEAPON PLATFORMS
Authors: Senatorov Volodymyr , Husliakov Oleg , Melnyk Olexander
Published: November 2020

An analysis of modern devices boresighting the optical-electronic sights and taking into consideration peculiarities of their installation on unmanned weapon platforms is given in the paper. A universal barrel collimator is described, which ensures a boresighting for television and thermal sights for different kinds of unmanned weapon platforms.
Hydrogen effect on the high-nickel
surface steel properties during
machining and wear with lubricants
Authors: Balitskii O.A. , Kolesnikov V.O. , Balitskii A.I. , Eliasz J.J. , Havrylyuk M.R.
Published: November 2020

Purpose: The aim of the proposed research is to investigate the hydrogen effect on the
high-nickel steel surface properties changing during machining and wear with participation
of lubricant-cooling environments.
Design/methodology/approach: The approach of the fracture mechanics and physicalchemical
methods surface properties investigation was used to formulate the conclusions.
Applying of lubricant-cooling (liquid, solid, gaseous) technological environments (LCTE)
has change the morphology of chips and roughness of contact 23Ni1Mo3Ti steel surfaces
depending on the experimentally fixed hydrogen concentrations (4.62…12.0 ppm). It
correlates with both the roughness of the treated surface and the nature of the cutting
products fragmentation: the maximum concentration of hydrogen - in the chips coincides
with the minimum size of its defragmentation and reduction of the surface roughness. For
nitrogen and oxygen, a similar relationship is traced poorly.
Findings: On the basis of the fracture mechanics approaches it is confirmed, that in the
conditions of the application of hydrogen containing (as chemical composition) (up to 12
ppm) and hydrogen accumulated (in nano container) (up to 600 ppm) LCTE, hydrogen enters
the near crack initiation contact zone before fracture and taking part in changing structural
material fracture mechanisms, improves its mashinning processes.
Research limitations/implications: The results obtained on laboratory specimens
should be tested during machining of real details made from high-nickel steel.
Practical implications: The created technological approaches can be used in practice
evaluation of mechanical properties and residual of modern gas turbine parts.
Originality/value: It was shown, that hydrogen containing (in chemical composition) and
hydrogen accumulated (in nano container) LCTE permits the hydrogen to enter in the near
crack initiation contact zone before fracture and taking part in changing structural material
fracture mechanisms.
Soft computing based prediction
of friction angle of clay
Authors: Dutta R.K. , Gnananandarao T. , Ladol S.
Published: November 2020

Purpose: This article uses soft computing-based techniques to elaborate a study on the
prediction of the friction angle of clay.
Design/methodology/approach: A total of 30 data points were collected from
the literature to predict the friction angle of the clay. To achieve the friction angle, the
independent parameters sand content, silt content, plastic limit and liquid limit were used in
the soft computing techniques such as artificial neural networks, M5P model tree and multi
regression analysis.
Findings: The major findings from this study are that the artificial neural networks are
predicting the friction angle of the clay accurately than the M5P model and multi regression
analysis. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the clay content is the major influencing
independent parameter to predict the friction angle of the clay followed by sand content,
liquid limit and plastic limit.
Research limitations/implications: The proposed expressions can used to predict the
friction angle of the clay accurately but can be further improved using large data for a wider
range of applications.
Practical implications: The proposed equations can be used to calculate the friction
angle of the clay based on sand content, silt content, plastic limit and liquid limit.
Originality/value: There is no such expression available in the literature based on soft
computing techniques to calculate the friction angle of the clay.
Moisture Buffer Value of Composite Material Made of Clay- Sand Plaster and Wastepaper
Authors: Nutt Nele , Kubjas Ardo
Published: November 2020

The scope of the Nordtest method is to evaluate the moisture buffer value (MBV) for materials exposed to indoor air. The test is intended to simulate daily variations with relative humidity (RH) of 75% during 8 hours and 33% during 16 hours.Many authors have noted that clay plaster has a very good MBV (Altmäe et al. 2019). Our previous tests have shown that the MBV of clay plaster can be increased by adding paper plaster mixture (Nutt et al. 2020a). The specimen made according to a recipe contains the following: waste paper, glue, clay plaster mixture and water. Eleven paper plaster mixtures with different percentages were used.Test results showed that a large percentage of paper in the plaster increases the MBV. An impressive result, which needs to be studied further, was that the MBV was the highest in the mixture that consisted of 80% paper.
Style-Based Unsupervised Learning for Real-World Face Image Super-Resolution
Authors: Cheikh Sidiya Ahmed , Li Xin
Published: November 2020

Face image synthesis has advanced rapidly in recent years. However, similar success has not been witnessed in related areas such as face single image super-resolution (SISR). The performance of SISR on real-world low-quality face images remains unsatisfactory. In this paper, we demonstrate how to advance the state-of-the-art in face SISR by leveraging style-based generator in unsupervised settings. For real-world low-resolution (LR) face images, we propose a novel unsupervised learning approach by combining style-based generator with relativistic discriminator. With a carefully designed training strategy, we demonstrate our converges faster and better suppresses artifacts than Bulat’s approach. When trained on an ensemble of high-quality datasets (CelebA, AFLW, LS3D-W, and VGGFace2), we report significant visual quality improvements over other competing methods especially for real-world low-quality face images such as those in Widerface. Additionally, we have verified that both our unsupervised approaches are capable of improving the matching performance of widely used face recognition systems such as OpenFace.
Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Soil Microbial Communities in a Pasture: A Case Study ofBromus inermisPasture in Eastern Nebraska
Authors: Changa Taity , Asiyo Okalebo Jane , Wang Shaokun
Published: November 2020

Today’s intensified agricultural production is characterized by crop and pasture monocultures, which have a significant impact on soil microbial diversity and abundance. This chapter provides a case study in which the relative importance of brome grass (Bromus inermis) monoculture pasture versus intra-site microhabitat diversity is explored using fatty acid methyl ester (FAMEs) assay to delineate the presence and abundance of several classes of soil microbes instrumental in soil nutrient cycling, plant health, plant organic matter decomposition, and soil stabilization. The chapter explores spatio-temporal variability of bacteria, actinomycetes, saprophytes, mycorrhizae, and micro-eukaryotes over two durations (summer and fall) collected using two distinct sampling methods. One of the methods is commonly employed, namely, transect-based, while the other is informed by soil electroconductivity measurements conducted over the entire pasture site from a previous survey.
Bayesian Analysis of Additive Factor Volatility Models with Heavy-Tailed Distributions with Specific Reference to S&P 500 and SSEC Indices
Authors: Davasligil Atmaca Verda , Mestav Burcu
Published: November 2020

The distribution of the financial return series is unsuitable for normal distribution. The distribution of financial series is heavier than the normal distribution. In addition, parameter estimates obtained in the presence of outliers are unreliable. Therefore, models that allow heavy-tailed distribution should be preferred for modelling high kurtosis. Accordingly, univariate and multivariate stochastic volatility models, which allow heavy-tailed distribution, have been proposed to model time-varying volatility. One of the multivariate stochastic volatility (MSVOL) model structures is factor-MSVOL model. The aim of this study is to investigate the convenience of Bayesian estimation of additive factor-MSVOL (AFactor-MSVOL) models with normal, heavy-tailed Student-t and Slash distributions via financial return series. In this study, AFactor-MSVOL models that allow normal, Student-t, and Slash heavy-tailed distributions were estimated in the analysis of return series of S&P 500 and SSEC indices. The normal, Student-t, and Slash distributions were assigned to the error distributions as the prior distributions and full conditional distributions were obtained by using Gibbs sampling. Model comparisons were made by using DIC. Student-t and Slash distributions were shown as alternatives of normal AFactor-MSVOL model.
2D Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Light-Absorbing Layer in Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Meng , Song Qunliang , Zhang Sam
Published: November 2020

With the rapid development of high-performance perovskite solar cell, its instability has become an urgent problem to be solved. 2D perovskite is considered as a potential light absorbing material for perovskite solar cells due to its excellent stability. However, the preparation of high quality 2D perovskite films suitable for photovoltaic devices remains a challenge. In this chapter, based on the structural and photophysical properties of 2D perovskite thin film materials, the latest progress in 2D perovskite cells in recent years and the strategy of controlling the film quality of 2D perovskite are summarized, which is of great significance for the further development of 2D perovskite photovoltaic devices.
Current Status and Potential Challenges of Cell-Based Therapy for Treating Status Epilepticus and Chronic Epilepsy
Authors: Zhao Huifang , Li Zhiyuan
Published: November 2020

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Chronic and recurrent seizures may give rise to cell necrosis, astrocyte activation, neuron death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondria dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that cell-based therapy is a promising treatment option for epilepsy. Various stem cell types were used for treatment of epilepsy in basic and experimental researches. It is especially vital to gauge the efficacy of distinct donor cell types, such as the embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), hippocampal precursor cells, γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic progenitors, neural stem cells. The goal of this chapter is to evaluate the progress made hitherto in this area and to discuss the prospect for cell-based therapy for epilepsy.
Generative Adversarial Networks for Visible to Infrared Video Conversion
Authors: Shahab Uddin Mohammad , Li Jiang
Published: November 2020

Deep learning models are data driven. For example, the most popular convolutional neural network (CNN) model used for image classification or object detection requires large labeled databases for training to achieve competitive performances. This requirement is not difficult to be satisfied in the visible domain since there are lots of labeled video and image databases available nowadays. However, given the less popularity of infrared (IR) camera, the availability of labeled infrared videos or image databases is limited. Therefore, training deep learning models in infrared domain is still challenging. In this chapter, we applied the pix2pix generative adversarial network (Pix2Pix GAN) and cycle-consistent GAN (Cycle GAN) models to convert visible videos to infrared videos. The Pix2Pix GAN model requires visible-infrared image pairs for training while the Cycle GAN relaxes this constraint and requires only unpaired images from both domains. We applied the two models to an open-source database where visible and infrared videos provided by the signal multimedia and telecommunications laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. We evaluated conversion results by performance metrics including Inception Score (IS), Frechet Inception Distance (FID) and Kernel Inception Distance (KID). Our experiments suggest that cycle-consistent GAN is more effective than pix2pix GAN for generating IR images from optical images.
Groundwater Recharges Technology for Water Resource Management: A Case Study
Authors: Veeranna Jatoth , Jeet Pawan
Published: November 2020

The irregularity in monsoon has severely affected the water availability at surface and sub-surface systems. Diminishing surface and sub-surface availability has not only decreased the water availability, but it additionally affected the ecosystem and increased disastrous situations like floods and droughts, resulting problems of stress on groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is a technique by which infiltrated water passes through the unsaturated region of groundwater and joins the water table. It is based upon soil type, land use land cover, geomorphology, geophysical and climate (viz. rainfall, temperature, humidity etc.) characteristics of a region. Over the years, due to variations in weather pattern and overexploitation of aquifers groundwater recharge has decreased and groundwater level has reduced in the most parts of the country. This has led to severe water deficit problems in several parts of the country. This can be solved by different direct and indirect methods of groundwater recharge technology. This technology can reduce the wastage of water and enhance groundwater availability for uses in different sector like irrigation, domestic and industrial uses.
Atomistic Simulation of Severely Adhesive Wear on a Rough Aluminum Substrate
Authors: Zhong Jun
Published: November 2020

In this Chapter, a severely adhesive wear on a rough aluminum (Al) substrate is simulated by molecular dynamics (MD) under a high velocity impact of a hard-asperity (a hard-tip) with the Al-asperity. Multiple simulations include effects of four factors: the inter-asperity bonding, the geometry overlap between two asperities, the impact velocity between two asperities and the starting temperature of the Al-substrate. It is observed that the deformation mechanism on the Al-substrate would involve a local melting (from 1200 to 2500 K) which forms liquid type layers (amorphous textures) in the contact area between two asperities. Also, temperature profiles on the hard-tip and the Al-substrate is depicted. Moreover, a method in the Design of Experiments (DOE) is employed to interpret above all simulations. The DOE results indicate that the inter-asperity bonding and the geometry overlap between two asperities would substantially increase the wear rate (for about 53.56% and 67.29% contributions), while the starting temperature of the Al-substrate and the impact velocity between two asperities would play less important roles (about 10.30% and 6.61%) in raising the wear rate.
System-of-Systems Enterprise CONOPS Assessment Decision Support Tools
Authors: O. Freeze Thomas , M. Nguyen Tien , H. Lee Charles
Published: November 2020

This chapter discusses the implementation of System-of-Systems Enterprise Architecture (SOSEA) CONOPS assessment framework and models in Matlab, and presents preliminary results concerning SOSEA resiliency in the presence of a notional Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) scenario. The chapter provides an overview of the SOSEA CONOPS Assessment Framework, and discusses related SOS Resiliency Models including Resilient Assessment Index Against RFI (RAI-RFI), Spectrum Resiliency Assessment Index (SRAI), and Resilient Capacity (RC).
Investigation of Alternative Techniques for Graphene Synthesis
Authors: Gürünlü Betül , Bayramoğlu Mahmut
Published: November 2020

In recent years, a great deal of concentration has addressed the electronic and morphological characteristics of carbonaceous substances. Nowadays, particularly, graphene is one of the most popular materials in condensed-matter physics and materials science. It is used in different fields such as desalination of seawater, smartphones, computers, satellites, planes, cars, building materials, obtaining protective coatings and rust-free cars, nuclear clean up, transistors, sensors, electron microscopy, Li ion batteries, super capacitors, and bionics. Mechanical cleaving (exfoliation), chemical exfoliation, chemical synthesis, and thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis are the most commonly used methods today. Some other techniques are also reported such as unzipping nanotube and microwave synthesis. In graphene synthesis, starting material is usually graphite. On the other hand, different starting materials such as rice husks, fenugreek seeds, hibiscus flower petals, camphor, alfalfa plants, petroleum asphalt are used as a carbon source for graphene synthesis. In this study, alternative methods for graphene synthesis specially microwave irradiation and ultrasound energy were studied, and the performances of the final products were compared with the help of different characterization techniques. Advantages and drawbacks of these methods were clearly discussed for enhancing the understanding of the graphene synthesis phenomena.
Molecular-Level Understanding of the Anticancer Action Mechanism of Anthracyclines
Authors: Shandilya Manish , Sharma Shrutika , Prasad Das Prabhu , Charak Sonika
Published: November 2020

Anthracyclines drugs are used as a treatment regime to combat cancer owing to their great chemotherapeutic potential. They are characterized by the presence of a wide range of derivatives, the most famous are doxorubicin and daunorubicin. The proposed action mechanism of anthracyclines and their derivatives to exert cytotoxic effect involves the intercalation of the drug molecule into nucleic acid and inhibition of the activity of topoisomerases. These events consequences in halting DNA replication and transcription mechanisms of the cell. Understanding of the structural and conformational changes associated with nucleic acid after binding with drugs provides significant knowledge for the development of more effective drugs. A comprehensive elucidation of the molecular mechanism(s) of action of anthracyclines drugs plays a significant role in the rational drug designing to obtain an effective, selective, and safe anti-cancer drugs.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Animal Models: Applications on Translational Research
Authors: Vicari de Figueiredo Pessôa Laís , Caroline Godoy Pieri Naira , Recchia Kaiana , Fernandes Bressan Fabiana
Published: November 2020

Over the history of humankind, knowledge acquisition regarding the human body, health, and the development of new biomedical techniques have run through some animal model at some level. The mouse model has been primarily used as the role model for a long time; however, it is severely hampered regarding its feasibility for translational outcomes, in particular, to preclinical and clinical studies. Herein we aim to discuss how induced pluripotent stem cells generated from non-human primates, pigs and dogs, all well-known as adequate large biomedical models, associated or not with gene editing tools, can be used as models on in vivo or in vitro translational research, specifically on regenerative medicine, drug screening, and stem cell therapy.
Finite Element Magnetic Method for Magnetorheological Based Actuators
Authors: Ubaidillah  , Wangsa Lenggana Bhre
Published: November 2020

Magnetorheological materials based actuators have been currently exciting research topic for more than half-decades. Some actuators have been developed based on magnetorheological fluids and elastomers such as dampers, brakes, haptic devices, clutches, mountings, etc. These devices have their exciting properties which are capable of changing characteristic based on the amount of magnetic flux applied to them. Due to this capability, they are usually called semi-active devices. These devices employ an electromagnetic coil for magnetic flux production. Therefore, during the design process, magnetostatic simulation using the finite element method magnetic is carried out to make a better magnetic circuit. This chapter will consider several discussions such as necessary magnetostatic using free software finite element method magnetic (FEMM); design consideration for the magnetic circuit of the device and case studies of several type simulation in magnetorheological materials based devices.
Application of Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
Authors: Vuletić Marko , Lončar Brzak Božana , Smojver Igor , Marković Luka , Sušić Mato , Gabrić Dragana
Published: November 2020

Osteonecrosis as term represents the death of bone tissue in the body and causes of necrosis can be different. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) is nowadays known as an inability of the alveolar bone to respond to a local trauma and it can result in severe local and systemic complications. In the etiology of medication-related osteonecrosis there are antiangiogenic and antiresorptive agents which have great effect on alveolar bone, producing an imbalance between resorption (osteoclastic activity) and deposition (osteoblastic activity). The exact mechanisms of development are not todays completely resolved. It is thought that it is a result from combination of medication interactions, microbiological contamination of the area and local tissue trauma. Typical signs and symptoms are painful mucosal lesions, swelling, exposed necrotic bone in the jaws, discomfort and dysesthesias. There is currently no gold standard or clearly defined treatment protocol for the disease itself. Process of treatment is demanding and main goal is to eliminate pain, control infection of soft and hard tissue and minimize progression of osteonecrosis. Besides the conventional surgical treatment, photodynamic therapy can be a viable supportive tool of initial and advanced stages of osteonecrosis and may contribute to improvements of patient′s quality of life.
Human Evolution in the Center of the Old World: An Updated Review of the South Asian Paleolithic
Authors: R. Chauhan Parth
Published: November 2020

The Indian Subcontinent was an important geographic region for faunal and hominin evolution in Asia. While the Oldowan as the earliest technocomplex continues to be elusive, the oldest Acheulean is dated to ~1.5 Ma and the early Middle Paleolithic is ~385 ka (from the same site). New Late Pleistocene dates have been reported for the Middle Paleolithic which continues up to 38 Ka in southern India. The Upper Paleolithic remains ambiguous and requires critically multidisciplinary investigations. The microlithic evidence appears to spread rapidly across the subcontinent soon after its emergence at ~48 Ka (though its origin is debated) and continues into the Iron Age. The timeline of the initial arrival of Homo sapiens continues to be debated based on the archaeology (advanced Middle Paleolithic vs. microlithic) and genetic studies on indigenous groups. Other issues that need consideration are: interactions between archaics and arriving moderns, the marginal occurrence of symbolic behavior, the absolute dating of rock art and the potential role of hominins in specific animal extinctions and ecological marginalization. The region does not appear to have been a corridor for dispersals towards Southeast Asia (although gene flow may have occurred). Instead, once various prehistoric technologies appeared in the Subcontinent, they possibly followed complex trajectories within relative isolation.