bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of production variables on dimensional stability of bamboo–gmelina cement-bonded particle board
Authors: Oriire L.T. , Olajide O.B. , Awe A.B.
Published: October 2019

Negative environmental impacts caused by many materials, such as asbestos and various types of polymers, have triggered the search for environmentally friendly inputs, wood – cement composite materials are now being investigated with their potentials in this area.This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of selected production variables of dimensional stability on cement-bonded particle board produced from a mixture of Bambusa vulgaris, Gmelina arborea cement and addictive. The production variables are particle geometries (2.0 mm and 2.5 mm), mixing ratios (2.0:1.0:1.0, 2.5:1.0:1.0 and 3.0:1.0:1.0) and density of 1000 kg/m3, 1100 kg/m3 and 1200 kg/m3. The experiment was 2x3x3 factorial in Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Parameters investigated in the study were Water Absorption (%) and  Thickness swelling (%).The result showed that the highest mean values for water absorption (WA) was observed in density 1000 kg/m3 at mixing ratio 2:1:1 with mean values of 31.8% and 30.45%, while the least mean value was observed in density 1200 kg at mixing ratio 3:1:1 with mean value of 8.0% and 6.25% for both particle sizes (2.0mm and 2.5mm) respectively. However in thickness swelling the highest mean values, was observed in density 1000kg/m3 at the mixing ratio 2:1:1 with mean value7.99% and 6.18% while the least mean value was observed at the density 1200kg/m3 at mixing ratio 3:1:1 with mean value 0.86%, and 1.48% for both particle sizes (2.0mm and 2.5mm) respectively in cold water immersion. Production variables such as mixing ratio, board density and particle size have great influence on the selected physical properties of Bamboo – Gmelina cement-bonded particle board investigated.Keywords: Productionvariables,Cement-bonded particle board,Dimensional Stability
Axial and radial variations in the dimensional stability of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. wood
Authors: Areghan S.E. , Ogutuga S.O.
Published: October 2019

The introduction of Lesser-used species is as a result of the reduction in the availability of economic hard wood species also, the suitability of wood for end users has been linked with its Tangential and Radial shrinkage. This study therefore assessed the dimensional stability of Elaeis guineensis wood to determine its appropriate application and proper utilization. Three fully matured trees of E. guineensis of over 25years were selected and felled from Ogunsiji Village, Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Bolts of 50cm long were cut along the axial direction at the base (10%), middle (50%) and top (90%) from the felled trees and thereafter, converted into test samples. Samples from peripheral, centre and inner along the radial position (Across the bole) were collected for base, middle and top. Dimensional stability (shrinkage) test were carried out on the E. guineensis samples and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance at P<0.05. From the results, the mean value for Tangential shrinkage, Radial shrinkage and Volumetric shrinkage is 3.98±1.54%, 3.54±1.41% and 7.53±2.66%% respectively. Results further showed that shrinkage (tangential, radial and volumetric) increases along the axial direction (sampling height) from base to top and also increase radially from the bark (peripheral) to the inner part of the wood of E. guineensis . It is therefore concluded that the wood of E. guineensis from the base at the peripheral is more dimensionally stable than the other portions and is also suitable for building or structural application.Keywords: Elaeis guineensis, Lesser-used species, Radial position, Axial direction,Dimensional stability, Shrinkage
The Markov Model of Years to Final Separation from the Labor Force 2012-17: Extended Tables of Central Tendency, Shape, Percentile Points, and Bootstrap Standard Errors
Authors: Skoog Gary R. , Ciecka James E. , Krueger Kurt V.
Published: October 2019

In this paper, we estimate characteristics of years to final separation from the labor force. We use data for the same time period, the same data set, the same education groups for both genders, and similar recursive methods as in our paper on years of labor force activity (Skoog, Ciecka, and Krueger, 2019). Years of labor market activity are a subset of years to final separation from the labor force, with the latter including any years of inactivity that occur prior to final labor force separation. The last set of extended tables for years to final separation from the labor force appeared in 2003 and was based on 1997-98 data (Skoog and Ciecka, 2003).
Associations of ORMDL1 gene copy number variations with growth traits in four Chinese sheep breeds
Authors: Wang Xiaogang , Cao Xiukai , Wen Yifan , Ma Yilei , Elnour Ibrahim Elsaeid , Huang Yongzhen , Lan Xianyong , Chaogetu Buren , Hu Linyong , Chen Hong
Published: October 2019

Abstract. Copy number variations (CNVs) are gains and losses of genomic sequence of more
than 50 bp between two individuals of a species. Also, CNV is considered to be one
of the main elements affecting the phenotypic diversity and evolutionary
adaptation of animals. ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 1
(ORMDL1) is a protein-coding gene associated with diseases and development. In our
study, the polymorphism of ORMDL1 gene copy numbers in four Chinese sheep breeds
(abbreviated CK, HU, STH, and LTH) was detected. In addition, we analyzed the
transcriptional expression level of ORMDL1 gene in different tissues of sheep and
examined the association of ORMDL1 CNV with growth traits. The statistical
analysis revealed that ORMDL1 CNV was remarkably correlated with body height,
heart girth, and circumference of cannon bone in HU sheep (P<0.05),
and there are significant effects on body weight, body height, body length,
chest depth, and height of hip cross in STH sheep (P<0.05). In
conclusion, our results provide a basis for the relationship between CNV of
ORMDL1 gene and sheep growth traits, suggesting that ORMDL1 CNV may be considered a promising marker for the molecular breeding of Chinese sheep.
INTERFEROMETRIC POINT TARGET ANALYSIS (IPTA) FOR LANDSLIDE MONITORING
Authors: Yarmohammad Touski M. , Veiskarami M. , Dehghani M.
Published: October 2019

Abstract. By the advent of Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) time-series analysis, this technique has demonstrated high performance in producing accurate measurements of ground displacements. However, due to several limitations such as high deformation rate, lack of man-made features and rough topographic characteristic, the efficiency of the PSI significantly decreases. The main goal of this paper is to illustrate the potential of one of the PSI methods namely the Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) to measure the deformation caused by landslide. The landslide occurs in an area lacking man-made features with rough topography. To this end, 28 Sentinel-1A SLC images spanning from October 14 2014 to October 27 2016, were used to generate single-master interferograms. The PS pixels were identified using amplitude dispersion and spectral diversity criteria. The PS pixels were unwrapped considering a linear model for the deformation behavior in an iterative manner. The residual topography and atmospheric contributions were estimated in each iteration and subtracted from the PS pixels phases. The results were finally compared to those extracted from conventional Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) time series analysis applied on the same datasets. A good agreement existed between two methods in some locations whereas unwrapping errors probably due to improper deformation model were observed in a couple of points.
SPECKLE REDUCTION IN SAR IMAGES USING A BAYESIAN MULTISCALE APPROACH
Authors: Zakeri F. , Saradjian M. R. , Sahebi M. R.
Published: October 2019

Abstract. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are corrupted by speckles, which influence the interpretation of the images. Therefore, to reduce speckles and obtain reliable information from images, researchers studied different methods. This study proposes a Bayesian multiscale method, to reduce speckles in SAR images. First, it was shown that Laplacian probability density function can capture the characteristics of noise-free curvelet coefficients, and then, a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator was designed for estimating them. Comparison of the results obtained with those obtained from conventional speckle filters, such as Lee, Kuan, Frost, and Gamma filters, and also curvelet non-Bayesian despeckling, shows better achievement of the proposed algorithm. For instance, the improvement in different parameters is as follows: ‘noise mean value’ (NMV) 0.24 times, ‘noise standard deviation’ (NSD) 0.34 times, ‘mean square difference’ (MSD) 2.6 times and ‘equivalent number of looks’ (ENL) 0.61 times.
COLLECTIVE SPATIAL COGNITION OF KIDS IN COMMUNITY MAPPINGS
Authors: Zare Zardiny A. , Hakimpour F.
Published: October 2019

Abstract. Due to the importance of spatial data in decision making and the cost of collecting these data, in recent years various communities have collaborated on spatial data collection. In these communities some expert and non-expert volunteers record their observations of a region in order to create a map. In these activities one of the most effective tools for recording observations is the sketch map. Due to ease of use and no need to comply with the common rules in Geospatial Information Systems, sketch maps can be drawn by a wide range of people. Because these maps are easy to use and following the GIS rules is not required, sketch maps can be drawn by a wide range of people. Although several studies have focused on raising the level of participation of ordinary people in the field of mapping, less attention has been given to the role of kids as an important part of the society. Hence, this paper including a field study examines the effect of collective spatial cognition of kids in a community mapping activity. For this purpose, the sketches drawn by some school kids are matched and then integrated together, and finally, the output of this process is compared with available metric maps. The results of this study show that despite the stringent conditions and the low age of the participants, the results have been beyond expectations. In this study, kids have provided several points of interest as well as more descriptive information of the region compared to the available data downloaded from OpenStreetMap and Google Maps. Therefore, the output of this study can be used to enrich the available metric map.
INVESTIGATING OF FOREST CHANGE IN GOLESTAN PROVINCE USING LANDSAT IMAGE
Authors: Zoraghi M. , Saadi R. , Hasanlou M.
Published: October 2019

Abstract. In recent years, forests in the north of the country have been attacked due to human interference. Increasing population and development of residential and agricultural areas have led to deforestation. Change detection is one of the most common methods for evaluating natural resources. The aim of this study is to monitor changes in forests of Golestan province in two period times from 1990 to 2019, using Landsat images. Accordingly, by incorporating those data sets land use maps are produced. Also, the SVM algorithm is used with six different classes including forest (F), urban area (U), agriculture (A), uncultivated land (UL), water (w) and bare soil (BS). The achieved overall accuracies are 85.48% and 89.86%. Then the map and matrix changes were obtained by post-classification comparison method. The results showed that the Golestan province's forests were reduced and converted to agricultural and urban land uses.
Application of Levy Processes in Modelling (Geodetic) Time Series With Mixed Spectra
Authors: Montillet Jean-Philippe , He Xiaoxing , Yu Kegen
Published: October 2019

Abstract. Recently, various models have been developed, including the fractional Brownian motion (fBm), to analyse the stochastic properties of geodetic time series, together with the extraction of geophysical signals. The noise spectrum of these time series is generally modeled as a mixed spectrum, with a sum of white and coloured noise. Here, we are interested in modelling the residual time series, after deterministically subtracting geophysical signals from the observations. This residual time series is then assumed to be a sum of three random variables (r.v.), with the last r.v. belonging to the family of Levy processes. This stochastic term models the remaining residual signals and other correlated processes. Via simulations and real time series, we identify three classes of Levy processes: Gaussian, fractional and stable. In the first case, residuals are predominantly constituted of short-memory processes. Fractional Levy process can be an alternative model to the fBm in the presence of long-term correlations and self-similarity property. Stable process is characterized by a large variance, which can be satisfied in the case of heavy-tailed distributions. The application to geodetic time series implies potential anxiety in the functional model selection where missing geophysical information can generate such residual time series.
AVALIAÇÃO DA EFICIÊNCIA HIDROLÓGICA DE PAVIMENTOS PERMEÁVEIS E SISTEMAS DE BIORRETENÇÃO EM LOTEAMENTO RESIDENCIAL
Authors: Silva Lucas Humberto , Menezes Filho Frederico Carlos Martins de
Published: October 2019

Visto os avanços no âmbito da drenagem urbana ao longo dos anos, o desafio para projetar sistemas de drenagem eficientes ainda é complexo devido à grande impermeabilização dos espaços urbanos, e aos efeitos advindos das mudanças do ciclo hidrológico nas condições urbanas. O presente trabalho analisou a eficiência hidrológica de sistemas de biorretenção e pavimentos permeáveis em um loteamento residencial em Patrocínio-MG. A eficiência foi calculada por meio da comparação dos volumes escoados provenientes de diversas simulações hidrológicas utilizando o Método Santa Bárbara. Os resultados da eficiência para os sistemas de biorretenção variaram de 7 % a 12,9 %, enquanto que para o uso combinado dos sistemas de biorretenção com pavimentos permeáveis, os resultados alcançaram a faixa de 30,01 % a 49,84 %. Evidencia-se, portanto, a aplicabilidade das técnicas compensatórias em conjunto, promovendo a redução do escoamento superficial durante eventos chuvosos severos, além da melhoria paisagística e sustentável da área de estudo.
History of Feminism from Routledge Historical Resources
Authors: Beach Jennifer
Published: October 2019

History of Feminism (HoF) was released in 2016 as the first resource in the Routledge Historical Resources series. The stated purpose of HoF is to present “the fascinating subject of feminism over the long nineteenth century (1776‐1928).” HoF brings together a wide
range of primary and secondary resources, “including full books, selected chapters, and journal articles, as well as new thematic essays, and subject introductions on its structural themes.” The resource is available as a perpetual access, one-time purchase. Resources within History
of Feminism will not be updated, though technical upgrades are a possibility. The complex materials HoF provides and its browsability and keyword searching make this a useful resource for advanced undergraduate students, scholars, and researchers. HoF will be most valuable for institutions
that are not invested heavily in the Taylor & Francis monographs included in HoF.
AnythingResearch
Authors: Phillips Ryan
Published: October 2019

AnythingResearch provides industry reports on 1,300 United States industries drawn from statistical analysis of the U.S. Economic Census as well as dozens of other sources. Reports cover industry environments, trends, market size and other metrics, five-year forecasts, as well as aggregated
company financial metrics, web news, executive briefings, and more. AnythingResearch is a straightforward and uncluttered tool, providing a standard methodology for analyzing U.S. industries.
Performance of New Superior Varieties of Hybrid and Composite Corn in Papua
Authors: Palobo Fransiskus , Tirajoh Siska , Rumbarar Merlin K. , Thamrin Muhammad
Published: October 2019

One effort to increase corn production is through the use of new superior varieties (NSV) hybrid corn and composite corn. This study aims to determine the performance of growth and yields of four NSV hybrid corn and composite corn. The study was conducted in Merauke Regency, Papua since August to December 2018. The design used was Randomized Group Design (RGD) based on one factorial with 5 sub factors, each hybrid corn; HJ 21 Nasa variety, Nasa 29 variety and composite corn; Lamuru variety, Bisma variety, Sukmaraga variety. The results of the study at various ages of plant height were not affected significantly, the number of leaves were significantly affected by 30 days after planting (DAP) and at harvest time. Leaves width at various ages had no significant effect, while leaves length and stem diameter were all observed at the highest leaf length with the effect of 30 days after planting (DAP) Nasa 29 (75 cm) but 60 days after planting (DAP) and at harvest HJ 21 Agritan 93 cm. Then the largest stem diameter of Nasa 29 (1.7 cm) was 30 days after planting (DAP) and 60 days after planting (DAP)- at harvest was each 2.5 cm. Difference of the longest cob length of HJ 21 agritan 38.4 cm, diameter of the largest cob 5.1 cm, the highest number of lines per cob 15.8 seeds, the heaviest weight of 1000 HJ 21 Agritan 420.6 g, heaviest dry harvest Nasa 29 (12.4 t/ha) and the heaviest dry pipelines Nasa 29 (9.2 t/ha). The overall performance of the results significantly affected both hybrid corn and composite corn.
Influence of Calcium Silicate on Soil Fertility and Corn Morphology
Authors: Fernandes Patrick Bezerra , Bitencourt Leandro Pires , Theodoro Gustavo De Faria , Curcio Uriel De Almeida , Theodoro Willian De Assis , Arruda Cássia Oliveira Camargo Barros de
Published: October 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the development of corn (Zea mays) and soil fertility are influenced by the application of increasing doses of calcium silicate (CaSiO3) in substitution to limestone. The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions and the experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a 3x2+1 factorial arrangement and four replications. The factors were: doses of CaSiO3 (7.62 mg.dm-3, 19.05 mg.dm-3 and 38.09 mg.dm-3) and liming (absence and presence). The soil of the control treatment did not receive limestone or CaSiO3. At 21 days after emergence (DAE), it was found that the control treatment plants had significantly lower height and stem diameter. At 35 DAE was observed that using exclusively CaSiO3 promoted 6% higher stem height values. At 63 DAE, no oscillations were observed in the biomass of aerial part and root between liming and CaSiO3 doses (P>0.05). Using the limestone allied the silicate doses increased in higher concentration of Mg in the soil. The lowest dose of CaSiO3 reduced the concentrations of Ca and Mg. Calcium silicate can be used as an alternative source to limestone for soil acidity correction.
Monetary Policy and Financial Stability in the Nigerian Banking Industry
Authors: Chukwudi Oparah Felix , Henry James Tumba
Published: October 2019

This study examined the impact of monetary policy on financial stability in the Nigerian banking industry for the period 2008Q1 to 2016Q2, using an error correction model. Banking industry financial stability index (BIFSI) was computed within the study and was used as a measure of financial stability in the Nigerian banking industry. The study discovered that the impact of monetary policy on financial stability in the Nigerian banking industry was weak. It also revealed a significant long run equilibrium relationship between monetary policy and financial stability in the Nigerian banking industry with a speed of adjustment to long run equilibrium of 66.54%. It was concluded that open market operation and exchange rate channels are more effective channels of transmitting monetary policy to financial stability in the banking industry, than interest rate channel.
A Sociolinguistic Study of the Realization of Refusals Among Yemeni EFL Learners
Authors: Alrefaee Yasser , Alghamdi Naimah , Almansoob Najeeb
Published: October 2019

The present paper attempts to study the realization of refusal responses to invitations and requests among Yemen EFL learners in equal, higher and lower social status. It also aims to find out the pragmatic failure resulted from negative pragmatic transfer. In order to do so, refusals of 40 Yemeni EFL (20 high and 20 low proficient) learners were compared with refusals of 20 native speakers of English (ENS) and 20 native speakers of Arabic (ANS). Data were collected using a Written Discourse Completion Test (WDCT) consisting of six refusals to invitations and requests in higher, equal and lower social status. This study finds out that Yemenis and Americans used different refusal strategies when refusing persons of equal and lower social status. ANS also used the adjunct of invoking the name of God which is religiously rooted and culturally specific to assert their excuses. Interestingly, Yemeni EFL learners showed a tendency toward the L1 pragmatic norms in the use of invoking the name of God and also in the use of more Direct strategies when refusing someone equal or lower in status. With respect to the content of refusals, Yemenis used general and vague excuses when refusing someone equal or lower in social status whereas Americans, on the other hand, were found to use detailed and clear excuses with persons of different social status.
Rosyjska Arktyka w 2019 roku
Authors: Galoch Bronisław
Published: October 2019

W polityce Władimira Putina ważne miejsce zajmuje Arktyka. Znajdują się tam ogromne
zasoby ropy i gazu. Ocenia się, że niemal czwarta część światowych złóż ropy i połowa
globalnych złóż gazu mogą zalegać pod dnem morskim tego lodowatego pustkowia.
Wzrost temperatury na Ziemi powoduje topnienie polarnej pokrywy lodowej, to zaś
sprawia, że obszar Arktyki staje się łatwiejszy do eksploracji. Region ten budzi zainteresowanie
wielu państw, między innymi: Kanady, Danii (i zależnej od niej Grenlandii),
Norwegii, Rosji oraz Stanów Zjednoczonych.
Obecnie w działania na obszarze arktycznym najbardziej jest zaangażowana Rosja
i próbuje ona wciągnąć świat zachodni w arktyczny wyścig zbrojeń. Na wyspach szelfu
kontynentalnego Europy, który stanowi północny skraj całego kontynentu, znajduje się
475 rosyjskich baz, od zachodniej granicy Federacji Rosyjskiej do Cieśniny Beringa na
wschodzie. Rozlokowane są w nich systemy przeciwlotnicze S-400 oraz dodatkowo
obrony powietrznej w pobliskiej lądowej bazie lotniczej. Środki te mogą pracować w temperaturze
–50oC. Wojsko w bazach ma za zadanie radiolokacyjną kontrolę ruchu lotniczego
i Północnej Drogi Morskiej oraz likwidowanie szkód ekologicznych.
Zgodnie z decyzją prezydenta Putina do 2024 roku ruch żeglugowy na trasie północnomorskiej
ma zwiększyć się dziesięciokrotnie. W rosyjskim rządzie powstało nowe ministerstwo,
które odpowiada za rozwój Arktyki.
Kształcenie oficerów
dyplomowanych.
Kilka refleksji na temat taktyki
i historii
Authors: Więcek Wojciech Robert
Published: October 2019

Choć sztuka wojenna dynamicznie się przeobraża, niezmiennie znaczącą rolę odgrywa
w niej człowiek. Można więc sądzić, że w najbliższej przyszłości nie zmniejszy
się znaczenie odpowiedniego przygotowania personelu wojskowego na potrzeby sił
zbrojnych. Ważne będzie kształcenie oficerów dyplomowanych – podstawowego zasobu
wyższych kadr wojskowych. Istotną część takiego kształcenia, prowadzonego
w Akademii Sztuki Wojennej w ramach Podyplomowych Studiów Operacyjno-Taktycznych,
stanowi wiedza z zakresu taktyki, wyjaśnienie słuchaczom istoty wyższych poziomów
dowodzenia.
Takie podejście zmusza do refleksji nad zagadnieniami nie tylko natury taktycznej,
lecz także historycznej, warto bowiem przybliżyć cenne doświadczenia zdobyte
w czasie funkcjonowania Wyższej Szkoły Wojennej w Warszawie.
Ewolucja systemu obrony
powietrznej państw NATO
w latach 1950–2015
Authors: Radomyski Adam
Published: October 2019

Autor przedstawia wyniki badań nad genezą systemu obrony powietrznej państw NATO
oraz jego rozwojem w latach 1955–2015. Omawia przebieg integracji obrony powietrznej
NATO w okresie zimnej wojny – w latach intensywnego wyścigu zbrojeń oraz dynamicznego
rozwoju środków przenoszenia broni atomowej przez lotnictwo strategiczne
i rakiety dalekiego zasięgu. Koncentruje się zwłaszcza na zmianach technicznych i nowych
technologiach, które były sukcesywnie implementowane do zintegrowanego systemu
obrony powietrznej NATO (NATINADS).
Ważną część artykułu stanowią rozważania nad koncepcjami rozwoju obrony powietrznej
opracowywanymi i wdrażanymi w XXI wieku, stanowiącymi bazę transformacji
zintegrowanego systemu obrony powietrznej NATO, w tym wyposażenia go w zdolności
do zwalczania rakiet balistycznych oraz innego rodzaju rakiet.
Feminismo y sororidad en la comunicación digital
Authors: Martínez Martínez Silvia
Published: October 2019

O lo que es lo mismo, igualdad y solidaridad en un contexto comunicativo que ofrece posibilidades para la reivindicación y el activismo contra del sistema patriarcal. Oportunidades sí, pero también un entorno en el que se difunden discursos de odio y se reacciona contra aquellas personas que aprovechan los nuevos canales para visibilizar, sensibilizar y denunciar la violencia y la desigualdad por cuestiones de género. En estas líneas, nos centramos en reconocer el uso de los social media para dar voz a nuevos actores y difundir el mensaje a más colectivos.
Software and resources for experiments and data analysis of MEG and EEG data
Authors: Andersen Lau M.
Published: October 2019

Data from magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) is extremely rich and multifaceted. For example, in a standard MEG recording with 306 sensors and a sampling rate of 1,000 Hz, 306,000 data points are sampled every second. To be able to answer the question, which was the ultimate reason for acquiring the data, thus necessitates efficient data handling. Luckily, several software packages have been developed for handling MEG and/or EEG data. To name some of the most popular: MNE-Python; FieldTrip; Brainstorm; EEGLAB and SPM. These are all available under a public domain licence, meaning that they can be run, shared and modified by anyone. Commercial software released under proprietary licences include BESA and CURRY. It is important to be aware of that for clinical diagnosis of for example epilepsy, certified software is required FieldTrip, MNE-Python, Brainstorm, EEGLAB and SPM for example cannot be used for that. In this chapter, the emphasis will be on MNE-Python and FieldTrip. This will allow users of both Python and MATLAB (or alternatively GNU Octave to code along as the chapter unfolds. As a general remark, all that MNE-Python can do, FieldTrip can do and vice versa – though with some small difference. A full analysis going from raw data to a source reconstruction will be presented, illustrated with both code and figures with the aim of providing newcomers to the field a stepping stone towards doing their own analyses of their own datasets.
Effect of Plant- and Animal-Based Foods on Prostate Cancer Risk
Authors: Shin John , Millstine Denise , Ruddy Barbara , Wallace Mark , Fields Heather
Published: October 2019

Context

Many studies have explored whether plant and animal-based food consumption is associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk, but there is much discordance.

Objective

To perform an updated review of the literature that further investigates the association of plant- and animal-based food consumption with PCa risk.

Methods

This review was conducted by using 3 databases and produced a total of 550 references. The search was limited to a publication date range of 2006 to February 2017, English language, and humans. After case reports, comments, letters, editorials, and duplicate references were removed, 297 citations remained for review. Articles that did not investigate the association of dietary patterns or a major component of diet with PCa were excluded.

Results

Of the 297 references found, 47 were eligible for inclusion in this review. The authors identified 2 very large cohort studies (≥100,000 participants), 6 large cohort studies (≥40,000 participants), 11 medium cohort studies (≥10,000 participants), 10 small cohort studies (<10,000 participants), 13 case-control studies, 4 meta-analyses, and 1 population study investigating diet and PCa risk. Most studies showed that plant-based foods are associated with either decreased or unchanged risk of PCa, whereas animal-based foods, particularly dairy products, are associated with either increased or unchanged risk of PCa.

Conclusion

This review of the literature suggests that consumption of higher amounts of plant-based foods may be associated with decreased PCa risk, and consumption of higher amounts of dairy products may be associated with increased PCa risk.
Classification of RNA backbone conformations into rotamers using 13C′ chemical shifts: exploring how far we can go
Authors: Icazatti Alejandro A. , Loyola Juan M. , Szleifer Igal , Vila Jorge A. , Martin Osvaldo A.
Published: October 2019

The conformational space of the ribose-phosphate backbone is very complex as it is defined in terms of six torsional angles. To help delimit the RNA backbone conformational preferences, 46 rotamers have been defined in terms of these torsional angles. In the present work, we use the ribose experimental and theoretical 13C′ chemical shifts data and machine learning methods to classify RNA backbone conformations into rotamers and families of rotamers. We show to what extent the experimental 13C′ chemical shifts can be used to identify rotamers and discuss some problem with the theoretical computations of 13C′ chemical shifts.
Mercuric pollution of surface water, superficial sediments, Nile tilapia (Oreochromis nilotica Linnaeus 1758 [Cichlidae]) and yams (Dioscorea alata) in auriferous areas of Namukombe stream, Syanyonja, Busia, Uganda
Authors: Omara Timothy , Karungi Shakilah , Kalukusu Raymond , Nakabuye BrendaVictoria , Kagoya Sarah , Musau Bashir
Published: October 2019

The mercury content and the contamination characteristics of water, sediments, edible muscles of a non-piscivorous fish (Oreochromis nilotica Linnaeus 1758 [Cichlidae]) and yams (Dioscorea alata) from Namukombe stream in Busia gold district of Uganda were evaluated. Human health risk assessment from consumption of contaminated fish and yams as well as contact with contaminated sediments from the stream were performed. Forty-eight (48) samples of water (n = 12), sediments (n = 12), fish (n = 12) and yams (n = 12) were taken at intervals of 10 m from three gold recovery sites located at up, middle and down sluices of the stream and analyzed for total mercury (THg) using US EPA method 1631. Results (presented as means  ±  standard deviations) showed that water in the stream is polluted with mercury in the range of < detection limit to 1.21  ±  0.040 mg/L while sediments contain mean THg from < detection limit to 0.14  ±  0.040 ugg−1. Mean THg content of the edible muscles of O. nilotica ranged from < detection limit to 0.11 ± 0.014 ugg−1while D. alata contained from < detection limit to 0.30  ±  0.173 ugg−1mean THg. The estimated daily intake ranged from 0.0049 ugg−1day−1 to 0.0183 ugg−1day−1 and 0.0200 ugg−1day−1 to 0.0730 ugg−1day−1 for fish consumed by adults and children respectively. The corresponding health risk indices ranged from 0.0123 to 0.0458 and 0.0500 to 0.1830. Estimated daily intake was from 0.0042 ugg−1day−1 to 0.1279 ugg−1day−1 and 0.0130 ugg−1day−1 to 0.3940 ugg−1day−1 for D. alata consumed by adults and children respectively. The health risk indices recorded were from 0.011 to 0.320 and 0.033 to 0.985 for adults and children respectively. The mean THg content of the sediments, edible muscles of O. nilotica and D. alata were within acceptable WHO/US EPA limits. About 91.7% of the water samples had mean THg above US EPA maximum permissible limit for mercury in drinking water. Consumption of D. alata grown within 5 m radius up sluice of Namukombe stream may pose deleterious health risks as reflected by the health risk index of 0.985 being very close to one. From the pollution and risk assessments, mercury use should be delimited in Syanyonja artisanal gold mining areas. A solution to abolish mercury-based gold mining in the area needs to be sought as soon as possible to avert the accentuating health, economic and ecological disaster arising from the continuous discharge of mercury into the surrounding areas. Other mercury-free gold recovering methods such as use of borax, sluice boxes and direct panning should be encouraged. Waste management system for contaminated wastewater, used mercury bottles and tailings should be centralized.
Impaired cognition predicts the risk of hospitalization and death in cirrhosis
Authors: Kim Minjee , Liotta Eric M. , Zee Phyllis C. , Ganger Daniel R. , Ladner Daniela P. , Karmarkar Ameeta , Peipert John D. , Sorond Farzaneh A. , Prabhakaran Shyam , Reid Kathryn J. , Naidech Andrew M. , Maas Matthew B.
Published: October 2019

Objective

Cognitive impairment, detected in up to 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis, is associated with negative health outcomes but is underdiagnosed in the clinical setting due to the lack of practical testing method. This single‐center prospective observational study aimed to test the feasibility and prognostic utility of in‐clinic cognitive assessment of patients with liver cirrhosis using the NIH Toolbox cognition battery (NIHTB).

Methods

Patients recruited from a hepatology/transplant clinic underwent cognitive assessments using West‐Haven Grade (WHG) and NIHTB between November 2016 and August 2018 and were prospectively followed until December 2018. The primary outcome was a composite end point of hospitalization related to overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) and all‐cause mortality during follow‐up, evaluated by a Cox proportional hazards regression model that adjusted for a priori covariates (age and MELD‐Na).

Results

Among 127 patients (median age 60 years, 48 [38%] women) assessed, cognitive performance was significantly impaired in 82 [78%] patients with WHG 0 and 22 [100%] patients with WHG 1 and 2. Over a median of 347 days follow‐up, 18 OHE and 8 deaths were observed. Lower cognitive performance was associated with an increased risk of OHE/death adjusting for age and MELD‐Na. Subclinical cognitive impairment detected by NIH Toolbox in WHG 0 patients was significantly associated with greater mortality. Median time to complete the two prognostically informative NIH Toolbox tests was 9.4 min.

Interpretation

NIH Toolbox may enable a rapid cognitive screening in the outpatient setting and identify patients at high risk for death and hospitalization for severe encephalopathy.
Palindromic Rheumatism Frequently Precedes Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From an Incident Cohort
Authors: Ellingwood L. , Schieir O. , Valois M. F. , Bartlett S. J. , Bessette L. , Boire G. , Hazlewood G. , Hitchon C. , Keystone E. C. , Tin D. , Thorne C. , Bykerk V. P. , Pope J. E. ,   on behalf of CATCH Investigators
Published: October 2019

Background

This multicenter incident cohort aimed to characterize how often early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients self‐report episodic joint inflammation (palindromic rheumatism) preceding ERA diagnosis and which characteristics differentiate these patients from those without prior episodic symptoms.

Methods

Data were from patients with early confirmed or suspected RA (more than 6 weeks and less than 12 months) enrolled in the Canadian Early ArThritis CoHort (CATCH) between April 2017 to March 2018 who completed study case report forms assessing joint pain and swelling prior to ERA diagnosis. Chi‐square and t tests were used to compare characteristics of patients with and without self‐reported episodic joint inflammation prior to ERA diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify sociodemographic and clinical measures associated with past episodic joint inflammation around the time of ERA diagnosis.

Results

A total of 154 ERA patients were included; 66% were female, and mean (SD) age and RA symptom duration were 54 (15) years and 141 (118) days. Sixty‐five (42%) ERA patients reported a history of episodic joint pain and swelling, half of whom reported that these symptoms preceded ERA diagnosis by over 6 months. ERA patients with past episodic joint inflammation were more often female, had higher income, were seropositive, had more comorbidities, fewer swollen joints, and lower Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) around the time of ERA diagnosis (P < 0.05). These associations remained significant in multivariable regression adjusting for other sociodemographic and RA clinical measures.

Conclusion

Almost half of ERA patients experienced episodic joint inflammation prior to ERA diagnosis. These patients were more often female, had higher income, and presented with milder disease activity at ERA diagnosis.
Adaptive‐optimal control under time‐varying stochastic uncertainty using past learning
Authors: Abdollahi Ali , Chowdhary Girish
Published: October 2019

An adaptive‐optimal control architecture is presented for adaptive control of constrained aerospace systems with matched uncertainties that are subject to dynamic stochastic change. The architecture brings together three key elements, ie, model predictive control–based reference command shaping, Gaussian process (GP)–based Bayesian nonparametric model reference adaptive control (MRAC), and online GP clustering over nonstationary GPs. Model predictive control optimizes reference model and its shaped output is passed into GP–based MRAC, which is used to learn the model in presence of significant time‐varying stochastic uncertainty while maintaining stability. Based on a likelihood ratio test, the changepoints are detected and learned. Lastly, the models are created and clustered by non‐Bayesian clustering algorithm. The key salient feature of our architecture is that not only can it detect changes but also it uses online GP clustering to enable the controller to utilize past learning of similar models to significantly reduce learning transients. Furthermore, persistence of excitation conditions are significantly relaxed due to the use of GP‐MRAC. Stability of the architecture is argued theoretically and performance is validated empirically on different scenarios for wing rock dynamics.
Tailoring of Silver Nanoparticle Size Distributions in Hydrogenated Amorphous Diamond‐Like Carbon Nanocomposite Thin Films by Direct Femtosecond Laser Interference Patterning
Authors: Jurkevičiūtė Aušrinė , Klimaitė Gerda , Tamulevičius Tomas , Fiutowski Jacek , Rubahn Horst-Günter , Tamulevičius Sigitas
Published: October 2019

Patterning of nanocomposites by conventional lithography processes is problematic due to the different physical properties of matrix and filler. Direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) promises rapid micromachining of virtually any material with subwavelength resolution. A control of intense laser light modifies the filler particle size distribution in nanocomposite films. Herein, DLIP of periodic patterns with half‐pitch <1 μm in reactive magnetron‐sputtered hydrogenated amorphous diamond‐like carbon nanocomposite thin films with embedded silver nanoparticles (DLC:Ag) is demonstrated. Periodic patterns of regularly repeating areas with modified size distributions of silver nanoparticles are obtained by a variation of fluences and number of pulses of 515 nm wavelength femtosecond laser. Depending on the silver content in nanocomposite films, nanoparticle size distributions are either bimodal (for 14.1 at% Ag containing films) or unimodal (7.9 at%) with effective average diameters shifting from 13 to 69 nm, depending on the laser processing parameters. The importance of localized surface plasmon absorption and localized field enhancement at the DLC–Ag interface for lowering the ablation threshold of DLC:Ag nanocomposites below 6 mJ cm−2 at 1000 pulses is demonstrated. This is at least four times lower than the threshold for pure DLC obtained using the same DLIP setup.
2D Boron Sheets: Structure, Growth, and Electronic and Thermal Transport Properties
Authors: Li Dengfeng , Gao Junfeng , Cheng Peng , He Jia , Yin Yan , Hu Yanxiao , Chen Lan , Cheng Yuan , Zhao Jijun
Published: October 2019

The structures of boron clusters, such as flat clusters and fullerenes, resemble those of carbon. Various two‐dimensional (2D) borophenes have been proposed since the production of graphene. The recent successful fabrication of borophene sheets has prompted extensive researches, and some unique properties are revealed. In this review, the recent theoretical and experimental progress on the structure, growth, and electronic and thermal transport properties of borophene sheets is summarized. The history of prediction of boron sheet structures is introduced. Existing with a mixture of triangle lattice and hexagonal lattice, the structures of boron sheets have peculiar characteristics of polymorphism and show significant dependence on the substrate. Due to the unique structure and complex BB bonds, borophene sheets have many interesting electronic and thermal transport properties, such as strong nonlinear effect, strong thermal transport anisotropy, high thermal conductance in the ballistic transport and low thermal conductivity in the diffusive transport. The growth mechanism and synthesis of borophene sheets on different metal substrates are also presented. The successful prediction and synthesis will shed light on the exploration of new novel materials. Besides, the outstanding and peculiar properties of borophene make them tempting platform for exploring novel physical phenomena and extensive applications.
Direct Ink Writing of Wearable Thermoresponsive Supercapacitors with rGO/CNT Composite Electrodes
Authors: Jiang Yizhou , Cheng Meng , Shahbazian‐Yassar Reza , Pan Yayue
Published: October 2019

Developing intelligent wearable energy storage devices that can endure harsh conditions is of interest for emerging applications in next‐generation electronics. Despite recent success in exploring functional materials for sophisticated self‐adaptivity in energy storage devices, it remains challenging to obtain both high reliability and superior performance. Herein, a novel method for fabricating micropatterned wearable thermoresponsive supercapacitors via direct ink writing (DIW) technique is reported. Thermal runaway of typical electrochemical storage devices with high power delivery capability can cause serious safety problems. The proposed temperature‐dependent structure works as self‐protection against the common thermal runaway issues of electrochemical energy storage devices. Such construction provides an automatic adjustment as high as 8 F g−1 in specific capacitance, resulting in an overall heat reduction by up to 40%. The printing resolution of the electrodes (175 µm) is among the best in recently reported planar carbon‐based energy storage devices by DIW technique. Manufacturing‐related parameters such as time‐dependent printing speed and curing temperature are also investigated to fabricate this integrated design with varied materials and accuracy. This strategy shows tremendous promise for future intelligent energy storage devices.
Modeling and Correcting Cure‐Through in Continuous Stereolithographic 3D Printing
Authors: Pritchard Zachary D. , de Beer Martin P. , Whelan Riley J. , Scott Timothy F. , Burns Mark A.
Published: October 2019

Continuous stereolithography offers significant speed improvements over traditional layer‐by‐layer approaches but is more susceptible to cure‐through, undesired curing along the axis of exposure. Typically, cure‐through is mitigated at the cost of print speed by reducing penetration depth in the photopolymer resin via the addition of nonreactive light absorbers. Here, a mathematical approach is presented to model the dose profile in a part produced using continuous stereolithography. From this model, a correction method is developed to modify the projected images and produce a chosen dose profile, thereby reducing cure‐through while maintaining print speed. The method is verified experimentally on a continuous stereolithographic 3D printer, and the practicality of various dose profiles is investigated. In optimizing the critical dose parameter, the measured gelation dose Dgel is found to be insufficient for accurate reproduction of features, and an optimal value of Dc = 5Dgel is chosen for the test resin. Using optimized parameters with a high‐absorbance height resin (ha = 2000 µm), feature height errors are reduced by over 85% in a test model while maintaining a high print speed (s = 750 mm h−1).
Comprehensive experimental investigation on biomass‐glass beads binary fluidization: A data set for CFD model validation
Authors: Gao Xi , Yu Jia , Li Cheng , Panday Rupen , Xu Yupeng , Li Tingwen , Ashfaq Huda , Hughes Bryan , Rogers William A.
Published: October 2019

Fluidization behavior of biomass and glass beads binary mixtures in a bubbling fluidized bed was experimentally investigated. Mixtures containing different mass fraction of Loblolly Pine white wood and glass beads were fluidized at different fluidization velocities. The particle properties were characterized in a QICPIC that uses a dynamic image processing method to measure both particle size and sphericity. The minimum fluidization velocity was determined using the pressure drop method. An image processing method was developed to capture the dynamic expanded bed height at a very high frequency. The effect of biomass mass fraction and inlet gas velocity on mixing and segregation behavior was studied and analyzed through pressure drop measurements. Pressure drop fluctuations and expanded bed height fluctuations via fast Fourier transform were analyzed and compared. The complete and accurate experimental data reported in this study could provide a benchmark data set for various computational fluid dynamics models validation, calibration, and identification.
Tyrosinemia Type 1 and symptoms of ADHD: Biochemical mechanisms and implications for treatment and prognosis
Authors: Barone Helene , Bliksrud Yngve T. , Elgen Irene B. , Szigetvari Peter D. , Kleppe Rune , Ghorbani Sadaf , Hansen Eirik V. , Haavik Jan
Published: October 2019

Hereditary tyrosinemia Type 1 (HT‐1) is a rare metabolic disease where the enzyme catalyzing the final step of tyrosine breakdown is defect, leading to accumulation of toxic metabolites. Nitisinone inhibits the degradation of tyrosine and thereby the production of harmful metabolites, however, the concentration of tyrosine also increases. We investigated the relationship between plasma tyrosine concentrations and cognitive functions and how tyrosine levels affected enzyme activities of human tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2). Eight Norwegian children between 6 and 18 years with HT‐1 were assessed using questionnaires measuring Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)‐symptoms and executive functioning. Recent and past levels of tyrosine were measured and the enzyme activities of TH and TPH2 were studied at conditions replicating normal and pathological tyrosine concentrations. We observed a significant positive correlation between mean tyrosine levels and inattention symptoms. While TH exhibited prominent substrate inhibition kinetics, TPH2 activity also decreased at elevated tyrosine levels. Inhibition of both enzymes may impair syntheses of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin in brain tissue. Inattention in treated HT‐1 patients may be related to decreased production of these monoamines. Our results support recommendations of strict guidelines on plasma tyrosine levels in HT‐1. ADHD‐related deficits, particularly inattention, should be monitored in HT‐1 patients to determine whether intervention is necessary.