bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial and Temporal Variations in Aboveground Woody Carbon Storage for Cerrado Forests and Woodlands of Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: Vourlitis George L. , Zappia Anthony , Borges Pinto Osvaldo , Zanella de Arruda Paulo Henrique , Santanna Franciele Bomfiglio , Dalmagro Higo J. , Lobo Francisco de Almeida , Nogueira José de Souza
Published: October 2019

Tropical forests and savanna account for nearly 65% of the total global terrestrial net primary production (NPP); however, there are still large uncertainties in tropical forest NPP because of limited field measurements, especially in the structurally diverse Brazilian savanna (cerrado). To address this uncertainty, we measured patterns of aboveground wood C stocks (Cw) and rates of wood C storage (ΔCw) over a 7‐year period for cerrado forests and woodlands of southern Mato Grosso, Brazil, arrayed across hydrological and soil fertility gradients. We focused on ΔCw because it is an important component of NPP, and wood is a stable, long‐term, C storage reservoir. Annual rates of ΔCw were significantly affected by estimates of P and cation (K and Ca) availability, and analysis of covariance indicated that relationships between ΔCw and nutrient availability were independent of stand hydrology. Both upland and hyperseasonal stands exhibited a decline in ΔCw during the 2015–16 El Niño event, which was exceptionally warm and dry. A limited analysis of the uncertainty associated with the field measurements ranged from 7% for wood density to 24% for tree density, while the uncertainty associated with derived quantities ranged from 10% for tree height to 41% for Cw. Overall, these results suggest that soil fertility and annual precipitation are important drivers of ΔCw and that warming and drying associated with climate change will cause a decline in aboveground woody C storage for these, and similar, tropical forests and woodlands.
Pyrolytic carbon resonators for micromechanical thermal analysis
Authors: Nguyen Long Quang , Larsen Peter Emil , Larsen Tom , Goswami Sanjukta Bose , Villanueva Luis Guillermo , Boisen Anja , Keller Stephan Sylvest
Published: October 2019

Thermal analysis is essential for the characterization of polymers and drugs. However, the currently established methods require a large amount of sample. Here, we present pyrolytic carbon resonators as promising tools for micromechanical thermal analysis (MTA) of nanograms of polymers. Doubly clamped pre-stressed beams with a resonance frequency of 233 ± 4 kHz and a quality factor (Q factor) of 800 ± 200 were fabricated. Optimization of the electrical conductivity of the pyrolytic carbon allowed us to explore resistive heating for integrated temperature control. MTA was achieved by monitoring the resonance frequency and quality factor of the carbon resonators with and without a deposited sample as a function of temperature. To prove the potential of pyrolytic carbon resonators as thermal analysis tools, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of semicrystalline poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and the melting temperature (Tm) of poly(caprolactone) (PCL) were determined. The results show that the Tg of PLLA and Tm of PCL are 61.0 ± 0.8 °C and 60.0 ± 1.0 °C, respectively, which are in excellent agreement with the values measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
Risk/Benefits Evaluation of Acrylamide Mitigation Initiatives in Cereal Products
Authors: Mesías Marta , Delgado-Andrade Cristina , Morales Francisco J.
Published: October 2019

Acrylamide formation in cereal-based foods is concomitant with the development of the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction improves palatability and sensorial properties of cereal-based foods that influence positively on consumer acceptance. Therefore, any strategy established to prevent or to reduce the formation of acrylamide should aim to ensure that neither the beneficial attributes of the food nor its sensory qualities are adversely affected. Beyond the potential modifications of the sensorial attributes of the finished product which are rapidly detected by consumers, it is necessary to undertake a risk/benefit and risk/risk evaluation of the impact of the mitigation strategies on nutritional and safety aspects. The increase in sodium content, the reduction in fiber, and the use of alternative crops and pseudo-cereals recipes are discussed.
Feasibility study for rapid near-infrared spectroscopic identification of different gallbladder diseases by direct analysis of bile juice
Authors: Jang Eunjin , Vu Tung Duy , Choi Dongho , Jung Yun Kyung , Lee Kyeong Geun , Chung Hoeil
Published: October 2019

A whole-sample-covering near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy scheme has been adopted for the simple drop-and-dry measurement of raw bile juice for the identification of gallbladder (GB) diseases of stone, polyp, and cancer.
Tumor regression and potentiation of polymeric vascular disrupting therapy through reprogramming of a hypoxia microenvironment with temsirolimus
Authors: Yu Haiyang , Shen Na , Bao Yanli , Chen Li , Tang Zhaohui
Published: October 2019

To relieve a tumor hypoxia microenvironment, the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus was employed to modulate the tumor microenvironment when treated with CA4-NPs.
Cp*CoIII-catalyzed formal [4+2] cycloaddition of benzamides to afford quinazolinone derivatives
Authors: Yang Jingshu , Hu Xiao , Liu Zijie , Li Xueyuan , Dong Yi , Liu Gang
Published: October 2019

A Cp*CoIII-catalyzed arene C–H bond amidation/annulation of benzamides was developed to afford quinazolinone derivatives in one-pot with high yields and broad substrate scope.
The reassigned pseudo Wigner–Ville transform in electrochemical noise analysis
Authors: Jevremovic Ivana , Erbe Andreas
Published: October 2019

Several different time–frequency transforms from signal processing were used to analyze electrochemical noise data to determine frequency components contained within the noise record and their time evolution.
Manganese oxides with hierarchical structures derived from coordination polymers and their enhanced catalytic activity at low temperature for selective catalytic reduction of NOx
Authors: Ji Byeonggab , Lee Junhyung , Kwak Seung-Yeop
Published: October 2019

Hierarchical manganese oxides for enhancing catalytic performance have been successfully synthesized via simple thermal annealing manganese coordination polymer, which is a facile, cost-effective, and environmentally benign preparation method.
Adsorption of aromatic carboxylic acids on carbon nanotubes: impact of surface functionalization, molecular size and structure
Authors: Li Shifan , Arsano Iskinder , Talapatra Saikat , Tsige Mesfin , Ma Xingmao
Published: October 2019

Surface functionalization and molecular properties affect the formation of (−)CAHB and the overall adsorption of carboxylic acids on MWNTs.
Photophysical properties of ball milled silicon nanostructures
Authors: Goyal Ankit , Demmenie Menno , Huang Chia-Ching , Schall Peter , Dohnalova Katerina
Published: October 2019

High-energy ball milling was used to synthesize blue-green emitting Si nanocrystals from micron sized silicon particles.
Amine-catalyzed and functional group-controlled chemo- and regioselective synthesis of multi-functionalized CF3-benzeneviaa metal-free process
Authors: Peng Fu , Zhao Qian , Huang Wei , Liu Shuai-Jiang , Zhong Ya-Jun , Mao Qing , Zhang Nan , He Gu , Han Bo
Published: October 2019

A novel strategy for the synthesis of CF3-containing multi-substituted benzenes with high chemo- and regioselectivities under metal-free and air-tolerant conditions was established.
Laboratory based synthesis of the pure form of gananite (BiF3) nanoparticles: a potential material for electrochemical supercapacitor application
Authors: Devi Nishu , Ghosh Sarit , Perla Venkata K , Pal Tarasankar , Mallick Kaushik
Published: October 2019

Gananite is a rare bismuth based mineral with a general formula of bismuth trifluoride (BiF3).
Visible-light-mediated de-aminative alkylation ofN-arylamines with alkyl Katritzky salts
Authors: Xu Yuliang , Xu Ze-Jun , Liu Zhao-Peng , Lou Hongxiang
Published: October 2019

A visible-light-mediated de-aminative alkylation ofN-arylamines has been developed, providing direct access to α-amino C–H functionalization from readily available Katritzky salts under mild conditions.
Development of cancer immunotherapy based on PD-1/PD-L1 pathway blockade
Authors: Zhang Min , Liu Kehai , Wang Mingfu
Published: October 2019

The possible reasons that caused low response rate and severe side effects of programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade therapy and corresponding strategies.
Influence of serum concentration and surface functionalization on the protein adsorption to mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Authors: Lin Chih-Yu , Yang Chia-Min , Lindén Mika
Published: October 2019

In this work, protein adsorption on MSNs at in vitro (10%) and in vivo (100%) relevant serum concentrations was studied using three types of MSNs and their functional derivatives.
Effective removal of calcium and magnesium sulfates from wastewater in the rare earth industry
Authors: Wang Yanliang , Guo Xiangguang , Bai Yan , Sun Xiaoqi
Published: October 2019

The wastewater discharged from the rare earth (RE) industry generally contains a high level of calcium and magnesium sulfates, which confers permanent hardness and causes difficulties in recycling this wastewater.
Removal of Cr(vi) from wastewater by a two-step method of oxalic acid reduction-modified fly ash adsorption
Authors: Jiang Xiaoling , Fan Wenqiang , Li Chunqing , Wang Yong , Bai Junbin , Yang Hongjian , Liu Xiaoli
Published: October 2019

Removal of Cr(vi) from wastewater using a two-step method.
Zr vacancy interfaces: an effective strategy for collaborative optimization of ZrNiSn-based thermoelectric performance
Authors: Zhang Yihua , Li Shuankui , Liu Fusheng , Zhang Chaohua , Hu Lipeng , Ao Weiqin , Li Yu , Li Junqing , Xie Heping , Xiao Yinguo , Pan Feng
Published: October 2019

Grain boundaries play a key role in carrier/phonon transport in thermoelectric materials.
A dual-responsive fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ and thiols based on N-doped silicon quantum dots and its application in cell imaging
Authors: Shen Sansan , Huang Bohui , Guo Xiaofeng , Wang Hong
Published: October 2019

An on–off–on fluorescent sensor based on N-SiQD has the advantages of fast response time and high sensitivity to Hg2+ and GSH.
Surface modificationviaplasmid-mediated pLAMA3-CM gene transfection promotes the attachment of gingival epithelial cells to titanium sheetsin vitroand improves biological sealing at the transmucosal sites of titanium implantsin vivo
Authors: Wang Jia , He Xiao-Tao , Xu Xin-Yue , Yin Yuan , Li Xuan , Bi Chun-Sheng , Hong Yong-Long , Chen Fa-Ming
Published: October 2019

Modification of the transmucosal site of an implant by plasmid-mediated pLAMA3-CM gene transfection is a potential method for future clinical applications.
The origin of glass-like phonon dynamics in binary Si and Ge clathrates-I
Authors: Bhattacharya Amrita
Published: October 2019

The filling of guests results in increase in anharmonicity in the host lattice leading to the observed “phonon glass” behavior in binary intermetallic clathrates.
Unusual stabilization of larger acenes and heteroacenes
Authors: Müller Matthias , Ahrens Lukas , Brosius Victor , Freudenberg Jan , Bunz Uwe H. F.
Published: October 2019

This review highlights recent developments concerning stabilization strategies of large (hetero-)acenes and discusses the resulting impact on the aromatic system.
Amelioration of heavy metal stress by endophytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 in rice by regulating metabolic changes: potential for bacterial bioremediation
Authors: Shahzad Raheem , Bilal Saqib , Imran Muhammad , Khan Abdul Latif , Alosaimi Areej Ahmed , Al-Shwyeh Hussah Abdullah , Almahasheer Hanan , Rehman Suriya , Lee In-Jung
Published: October 2019

This study aimed to investigate the bioremediation efficiency of phytohormone-producing endophytic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 isolated from rice seeds. In this study, we tested RWL-1 against various heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd). Among the tested heavy metals, RWL-1 showed the highest tolerance for Cu stress and we observed alterations in growth kinetics with various Cu concentrations (1, 2.5, and 5 mM). We confirmed the biosorption potential of RWL-1 by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry showing that Cu ions were adsorbed on RWL-1 cell surfaces. We further tested RWL-1 for its plant growth promoting and stress reliance efficiency in response to a dose-dependent increase in soil Cu (1, 2.5, and 5 mM). The RWL-1 inoculation significantly increased seedling biomass and growth attributes compared with non-inoculated control seedlings with and without Cu stress. Moreover, RWL-1 inoculation significantly promoted a physiochemical response in seedlings with and without Cu stress by reducing Cu uptake, improving carbohydrate levels (glucose, sucrose, fructose, and raffinose), enhancing amino acids regulation, and augmenting antioxidant levels (POD, PPO, and GHS). Levels of stress-responsive phytohormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid were significantly reduced in RWL-1-inoculated seedlings as compared with non-inoculated control seedlings under normal condition and same levels of Cu stress. In conclusion, the inoculation of B. amyloliquefaciens RWL-1 can significantly improve plant growth in Cu-contaminated soil and reduce metal accumulation, thus making plants safer for consumption. This approach could be tremendously helpful for safe and sustainable agriculture in heavy metal-contaminated areas.
Mode‐locked diode laser‐based two‐photon polymerisation
Authors: Surkamp N. , Zyla G. , Gurevich E.L. , Klehr A. , Knigge A. , Ostendorf A. , Hofmann M.R.
Published: October 2019

In this Letter, the authors present the construction of three‐dimensional microstructures by two‐photon polymerisation induced by ultrashort pulses of a mode‐locked diode laser. The ultrafast light source is based on a diode laser with segmented metallisation to realise a waveguide integrated saturable absorber. It is subsequently amplified and compressed resulting in ultrashort laser pulses of 440 fs length and average output power of 160 mW at a fundamental repetition rate of 383.1 MHz. These pulses are coupled into a customised two‐photon polymerisation setup. A series of suspended lines were fabricated between support cuboids for testing the process behaviour. A 3D structure with complex features was polymerised to demonstrate the high potential for mode‐locked diode lasers in the field of direct laser writing.
Uniform shallow trenches termination design for high‐voltage VDMOS transistor
Authors: Li Qi , Bao Tingting , Li Haiou , Sun Tangyou , Zuo Yuan
Published: October 2019

A new uniform shallow trenches termination (ST2) with field plate for high‐voltage VDMOS transistor is proposed in this Letter. In ST2 structure, the electric field near the source is decreased and the depletion region is extended by the field plate, besides, many electric field peaks are introduced in shallow trenches under the field plate and the average electric field strength is increased, both improve the characteristic of the breakdown voltage (BV). Simulation results show the BV of ST2 VDMOS is 706 V with a termination length Ld = 132 μm, which reaches 97% of that of the parallel‐plane junction, and the influence of the edge curvature effect is almost entirely eliminated. The ST2 structure is compatible with conventional CMOS process with only one additional mask and its fabrication is low‐cost.
Influence of impulsive noise from lifts on orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing digital radio mondiale signals
Authors: Landa Iratxe , Díez‐Bravo Ana , Velez Manuel , Arrinda Amaia
Published: October 2019

Wireless communications are constantly growing with the aim of providing solutions in complex scenarios, such as industrial environments and indoor locations, where impulsive noise sources interfere with the desired signal. Orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing (OFDM) is the most widely used technology, robust against Gaussian noise but sensitive to impulsive noise. To ensure better system performance, it is necessary to the study the impulsive noise and its effects. This work responds to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which in ITU‐R 214 6/3 question asks for new updated noise measurements to study the systems performance. On the one hand, the study provides novel results of the impulse noise parameters from lifts and, on the other hand, analyses the influence of the impulsive noise originated from lifts at 18 MHz on OFDM digital radio mondiale (DRM) signals. Some radio noise patterns have been measured when lifts are moving up and down. The Gaussian and the impulsive components of these measurements have been computed. The influence of noise patterns in the reception of DRM‐OFDM audio signals has been tested with different configuration parameters. The results provided in this report prove that OFDM signals tested are significantly degraded in the vicinity of lifts.
Impact of co‐channel interference on the leakage rate‐based untrustworthy relay selection
Authors: Ozduran Volkan
Published: October 2019

This study investigates the co‐channel interference effects on the leakage rate based untrustworthy relay selection strategies. The investigation considers half‐duplex, full‐duplex, and hybrid leakage rate‐based untrustworthy relay selection strategies. The hybrid‐based selection strategy dynamically switches between half‐duplex and full‐duplex modes. The investigation also considers a dual‐hop untrustworthy amplify‐and‐forward based half/full‐duplex bi‐directional wireless relaying network in the system model. In addition, a finite number of friendly jammers and co‐channel interference affect to the untrustworthy relay terminals. According to analytical, asymptotic, and Monte‐Carlo simulation results, the co‐channel interference slightly degrades the outage probability performance curves and causes system coding gain losses in high signal‐to‐noise ratio regimes. Results also show that the co‐channel interference degrades the system achievable rate performance and causes additional system coding gain losses in high SNR regimes. Results also show that co‐channel interference does not have any effect on the system security trade‐off performance.
Generalised uplink model for cellular and D2D transmissions
Authors: Liu Xian
Published: October 2019

This study investigates a hybrid wireless communication network consisting of both regular cellular users and device‐to‐device (D2D) users. A generalised uplink model is developed. The model is based on stochastic geometry and encompasses several new features, including heterogeneous pathloss links, non‐singular law, configurable pathloss‐compensation, and offset uniform distribution. A set of closed‐form solutions is derived for the coverage probability and ergodic capacity. Many recently proposed models can be regarded as special cases of the model presented in this study.
Performance of diffusive molecular communication systems with binary molecular shift keying modulation
Authors: Shi Lu , Yang Lie‐Liang
Published: October 2019

The authors analyse and investigate the bit error rate (BER) performance of the diffusive molecular communication (DMC) systems employing binary molecular shift keying (BMoSK) modulation. The DMC systems both without and with inter‐symbol interference compression (ISIC) are considered. Specifically, by modelling the number of molecules of one type presenting in a three‐dimensional (3D) detection space as a Poisson or Gaussian distributed random variable, they derive the BER expressions of the BMoSK‐modulated DMC systems without/with ISIC. However, the strong inter‐symbol interference (ISI) present in DMC systems makes the computation of the above‐mentioned BER formulas highly involved or even impossible. Therefore, they introduce some simplified approaches, namely the Monte–Carlo and the simplified Poisson (or simplified Gaussian) approaches, to reduce the computation complexity in the cases of long ISI. Furthermore, based on the statistics of decision variables, they analyse the effect of decision threshold on the BER performance. Finally, the BER performance of the BMoSK‐modulated DMC systems without/with ISIC is investigated by considering the impact from different aspects, while the different analytical approaches are compared in terms of the accuracy of the BER evaluated based on these approaches.
Cooperative‐routing mechanism based on node classification and task allocation for opportunistic social networks
Authors: Zheng Wenyu , Chen Zhigang , Wu Jia , Liu Kanghuai
Published: October 2019

With the development of big data, the authors have witnessed the great success of the mobile internet that the number of intelligent mobile devices (MDs) has increased dramatically and the data that needs to be transmitted grows exponentially. The traditional end‐to‐end communication mechanism in social networks is difficult to satisfy enormous communication demands. Therefore, opportunistic social networks proposed that message applications should choose relay nodes to perform effective data transmission processes. Currently, some routing algorithms that utilise contextual information associated with nodes need to handle heavy computing tasks and manage large numbers of messages, which usually results in higher network overhead and network latency. Furthermore, the computing power of MDs is usually limited, message carriers may not be able to quickly find the suitable relay node because of their insufficient computing power, resulting in higher network latency and network overhead. In this study, they construct a cooperative‐routing mechanism based on node classification and task allocation for opportunistic social networks. In their proposed strategy, the reliable relay nodes can be obtained by classifying nodes according to the social attributes of the nodes. The task of node classification will be uniformly assigned to other idle nodes according to their computing power.
Optimisation of linear dependence energy for object co‐segmentation in a set of images with heterogeneous contents
Authors: Merdassi Hager , Barhoumi Walid , Zagrouba Ezzeddine
Published: October 2019

This work proposes a framework for simultaneously segmenting foreground objects in a collection of images having heterogeneous contents. Rather than resorting to image co‐segmentation to segment similar objects in multiple images, which requires the use of categorised images, the authors’ idea disseminates segmentation information within images. In this way, it becomes easier to detect foreground objects in all of them simultaneously, mainly under the hypothesis of using similar or different images. General information is aggregated, on foregrounds as well as on backgrounds, from a set of images for joint segmentation of category‐independent objects. The key idea is to estimate the linear dependence of the foreground histograms of the input images to optimise a Markov random field‐based energy function. Iterative optimisation of each image permits after that the enhancement of the final segmentation results. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed method (PM) enables full‐object segmentation of foreground objects within a collection of images composed of different classes. Indeed, the validation of the accuracy on five challenging datasets (iCoseg, Oxford Flowers, MicroSoft Research Cambridge (MSRC), Caltech101 and Berkeley) shows that the PM achieves satisfactory results as compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods. Besides, it has the challenging ability to efficiently deal with uncategorised objects.
Design of fuzzy inference system for apple ripeness estimation using gradient method
Authors: Hamza Raja , Chtourou Mohamed
Published: October 2019

In this study, a fuzzy classification approach based on colour features has been investigated to estimate the ripeness of apple fruits according to three maturity stages; unripe, turning‐ripe and ripe. The K nearest neighbour algorithm was applied in order to segment the fruit image into four regions namely background, green area, yellow area and red area. The last three regions represent the colour features and were subsequently given as inputs to the fuzzy classifier. Gradient method has been used for tuning the fuzzy classifier in order to obtain the best performance. Image database used for simulation has been collected and exploited for the training and testing phases using cross‐validation. Simulation results indicate that the best classifier parameters can be obtained. The efficiency of the proposed system compared with the non‐use of the gradient method has been proved by the confusion matrix and the most known classification evaluation metrics. Moreover, the trained fuzzy classifier demonstrates its outperformance in terms of accuracy and execution time compared with other existing methods.
DRU‐net: a novel U‐net for biomedical image segmentation
Authors: Hu Xuegang , Yang Hongguang
Published: October 2019

With the wide applications of biomedical images in the medical field, the segmentation of biomedical images plays an important role in clinical diagnosis, pathological analysis, and medical intervention. Full convolutional neural networks, especially U‐net, have improved the performance of segmentation greatly in recent years. However, due to their regular geometric structure, the standard convolutions that they use are inherently limited in dealing with geometric transformations while biomedical objects have huge variations in shape and size. In this study, the authors propose the DRU‐net, which is a novel U‐net with deformable encoder and reshaping upsampling convolution decoder, for biomedical image segmentation. First, deformable convolutional networks are applied and improved to enhance the learning ability of the encoder for geometric transformations. Second, a novel upsampling method named reshape upsampling convolution is proposed for better‐restoring resolution and fusion features. Furthermore, focal loss is used to address class imbalance and model overwhelmed problems in biomedical image segmentation tasks. Theoretic analysis and experimental results have shown that the proposed algorithm not only reduces the number of parameters of U‐Net, but also achieves produces competitive results compared with the state‐of‐the‐art algorithms in terms of various quantitative measures on Drosophila electron microscopy dataset and Warwick‐QU dataset.
Fusing HOG and convolutional neural network spatial–temporal features for video‐based facial expression recognition
Authors: Pan Xianzhang
Published: October 2019

Video‐based facial expression recognition (VFER) is the fundamental feature of various computer vision applications. Visual features are the key factors for facial expression recognition. However, the gap between the visual features and the emotions is large. In order to bridge the gap, the proposed method utilises convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) to obtain the more comprehensive feature for VFER. Firstly, it extracts shallow features from the video frame through a number of convolutional kernels in CNNs, which has the characteristics of displacement, scale and deformation invariance. Then, the HOG is employed to extract HOG features from CNN's shallow features, which are strongly correlated with facial expressions. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) is employed to conduct the task of facial expression recognition. The extensive experiments on RML, CK+ and AFEW5.0 database show that this framework takes on the promising performance and outperforming the state of the arts.
Crystal growth of hydroxyapatite microplates synthesised by Sol–Gel method
Authors: Méndez‐Lozano Néstor , Apátiga‐Castro Lui M. , Rivera‐Muñoz Eric M. , Manzano‐Ramirez Alejandro , Gonzalez‐Gutierrez Carlos A. , Zamora‐Antuñano Marco A.
Published: October 2019

Hydroxyapatite microplates were synthesised by the Sol–Gel method using a mixture of calcium nitrate and potassium phosphate. The reaction took place at room temperature for 48 h, 300, 400, 500 and 600°C calcination temperatures were made in order to study the effect of this temperature on the growth and morphology of the nanostructures. Crystalline composition, functional groups and surface morphology were studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Hydroxyapatite microplates with average dimensions of 40 μm × 13 μm was obtained, the morphology of the surface is well defined in the form of a plate composed of a large number of small nanofibers. According to the studies by XRD, preferential orientations in the directions (200) and (002) were observed which is attributed to the conditions of synthesis.
KiDS-SQuaD
Authors: Khramtsov Vladislav , Sergeyev Alexey , Spiniello Chiara , Tortora Crescenzo , Napolitano Nicola R. , Agnello Adriano , Getman Fedor , de Jong Jelte T. A. , Kuijken Konrad , Radovich Mario , Shan HuanYuan , Shulga Valery
Published: October 2019

Context.The KiDS Strongly lensed QUAsar Detection project (KiDS-SQuaD) is aimed at finding as many previously undiscovered gravitational lensed quasars as possible in the Kilo Degree Survey. This is the second paper of this series where we present a new, automatic object-classification method based on the machine learning technique.

Aims.The main goal of this paper is to build a catalogue of bright extragalactic objects (galaxies and quasars) from the KiDS Data Release 4, with minimum stellar contamination and preserving the completeness as much as possible. We show here that this catalogue represents the perfect starting point to search for reliable gravitationally lensed quasar candidates.

Methods.After testing some of the most used machine learning algorithms, decision-tree-based classifiers, we decided to use CatBoost, which was specifically trained with the aim of creating a sample of extragalactic sources that is as clean of stars as possible. We discuss the input data, define the training sample for the classifier, give quantitative estimates of its performances, and finally describe the validation results withGaiaDR2, AllWISE, and GAMA catalogues.

Results.We built and made available to the scientific community the KiDS Bright EXtraGalactic Objects catalogue (KiDS-BEXGO), specifically created to find gravitational lenses but applicable to a wide number of scientific purposes. The KiDS-BEXGO catalogue is made of ≈6 million sources classified as quasars (≈200 000) and galaxies (≈5.7 M) up tor <  22m. To demonstrate the potential of the catalogue in the search for strongly lensed quasars, we selected ≈950 “Multiplets”: close pairs of quasars or galaxies surrounded by at least one quasar. We present cutouts and coordinates of the 12 most reliable gravitationally lensed quasar candidates. We showed that employing a machine learning method decreases the stellar contaminants within the gravitationally lensed candidates, comparing the current results to the previous ones, presented in the first paper from this series.

Conclusions.Our work presents the first comprehensive identification of bright extragalactic objects in KiDS DR4 data, which is, for us, the first necessary step towards finding strong gravitational lenses in wide-sky photometric surveys, but has also many other more general astrophysical applications.
Analysis of the H.E.S.S. public data release with ctools
Authors: Knödlseder J. , Tibaldo L. , Tiziani D. , Specovius A. , Cardenzana J. , Mayer M. , Kelley-Hoskins N. , Di Venere L. , Bonnefoy S. , Ziegler A. , Eschbach S. , Martin P. , Louge T. , Brun F. , Haupt M. , Bühler R.
Published: October 2019

The ctools open-source software package was developed for the scientific analysis of astronomical data from Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs), such as H.E.S.S., VERITAS, MAGIC, and the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). To date, the software has been mainly tested using simulated CTA data; however, upon the public release of a small set of H.E.S.S. observations of the Crab nebula, MSH 15–52, RX J1713.7–3946, and PKS 2155–304 validation using real data is now possible. We analysed the data of the H.E.S.S. public data release using ctools version 1.6 and compared our results to those published by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration for the respective sources. We developed a parametric background model that satisfactorily describes the expected background rate as a function of reconstructed energy and direction for each observation. We used that model, and tested all analysis methods that are supported by ctools, including novel unbinned and joint or stacked binned analyses of the measured event energies and reconstructed directions, and classical On-Off analysis methods that are comparable to those used by the H.E.S.S. Collaboration. For all analysis methods, we found a good agreement between the ctools results and the H.E.S.S. Collaboration publications considering that they are not always directly comparable due to differences in the datatsets and event processing software. We also performed a joint analysis of H.E.S.S. and Fermi-LAT data of the Crab nebula, illustrating the multi-wavelength capacity of ctools. The joint Crab nebula spectrum is compatible with published literature values within the systematic uncertainties. We conclude that the ctools software is mature for the analysis of data from existing IACTs, as well as from the upcoming CTA.
A MUSE study of the inner bulge globular cluster Terzan 9: a fossil record in the Galaxy
Authors: Ernandes H. , Dias B. , Barbuy B. , Kamann S. , Ortolani S. , Cantelli E. , Bica E. , Rossi L.
Published: October 2019

Context. Moderately metal-poor inner bulge globular clusters are relics of a generation of long-lived stars that formed in the early Galaxy. Terzan 9, projected at 4°.12 from the Galactic center, is among the most central globular clusters in the Milky Way, showing an orbit which remains confined to the inner 1 kpc.

Aims. Our aim is the derivation of the cluster’s metallicity, together with an accurate measurement of the mean radial velocity. In the literature, metallicities in the range between −2.0 <  [Fe/H] <  −1.0 have been estimated for Terzan 9 based on color-magnitude diagrams and CaII triplet (CaT) lines.

Methods. Given its compactness, Terzan 9 was observed using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope. The extraction of spectra from several hundreds of individual stars allowed us to derive their radial velocities, metallicities, and [Mg/Fe]. The spectra obtained with MUSE were analysed through full spectrum fitting using the ETOILE code.

Results. We obtained a mean metallicity of [Fe/H] ≈ −1.10 ±0.15, a heliocentric radial velocity of vhr = 58.1 ± 1.1 km s−1, and a magnesium-to-iron [Mg/Fe] = 0.27 ± 0.03. The metallicity-derived character of Terzan 9 sets it among the family of the moderately metal-poor Blue Horizontal Branch clusters HP 1, NGC 6558, and NGC 6522.
Analysis of financial risk of a hard coal mine participation in DSR mechanisms in Poland – a case study
Authors: Olczak Piotr , Kryzia Dominik , Matuszewska Dominika , Halbina Artur
Published: October 2019

The paper analyses possibilities of a hard coal mine operation as an electricity consumer capable of reducing instantaneous demand for electric power in the case of a Demand Side Response (DSR) call. The analyses considered the risk of service provision or non-provision based on the 2018 data on the electricity consumption and on parameters of the Polish power system. The analyses applied to two types of DSR participation programmes: guaranteed and current, and to an example of hard coal mine from the area of the Upper Silesia, which ordered power was 20 MW. For the current programme (without fines for service non-provision) the optimum value – from the financial risk point of view - was calculated as 6 MW, and for the guaranteed programme results were determined depending on the ratio of price for service provision to the fine for non-provision.
Assessment of the mutual influence of deformation-strength characteristics of the fastening system elements
Authors: Kovalevska Iryna , Pilecki Zenon , Husiev Oleksandr , Snihur Vasyl
Published: October 2019

The degree of influence has been determined of diversified deformation-strength characteristics of load-bearing elements in the fastening system of the preparatory mine workings, while maintaining them in a laminal massif of soft rocks. The analysis has been performed of multivariate computational experiments of the stress-strain state of the load-bearing elements of the fastening system in the preparatory mine workings from the position of the mutual influence of their deformation-strength characteristics and the support loading as a whole. An analysis is represented of the mutual influence of the operation modes of the mine working support elements between themselves and the fastening system as a whole; it has been studied the stress-strain state of the mine working fastening system with a central hydraulic prop stay, as well as a significant increase in reliability of the support performance has been analysed and determined. The tendency has been substantiated of minimizing the load on the mine working fastening system – increasing the coherence of the diversified operation modes of fastening elements by enhancing preferentially the yielding property of the rigid element. The application has been substantiated of the central yielding prop stays of the strengthening support of a frame in case of intensive rock pressure manifestation in the zone of the stope works active influence.
Selective mining of complex stuctured ore deposits by open stope systems
Authors: Stupnik Mukola , Kolosov Valerii , Pysmennyi Serhii , Kostiantyn Kovbyk
Published: October 2019

The article studies stability of intervening pillars at underground selective mining of complex structured ore bodies of Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin applying open stope systems that will enable the increased useful mineral component content in the mined ore mass. When calculating an exposure span, the current methods of determining room system constructive elements do not consider dirt thickness. So, it is essential to develop methods of determining room system constructive elements for mining complex structured ore bodies to provide stability of stope exposures. When mining a mine block, stoping is suggested to be fulfilled gradually from the footwall to the hanging wall of the ore body by room-and-pillar methods leaving a dirt or ore inclusion in the block. This enables decrease in concentrating tension and compression stresses in the middle part of the dirt or ore inclusion resulting in its 1.5 – 2.0 times greater stability. There is also determined that the stope stability is impacted by the horizontal thickness of the inclusion, the hardness ratio and the order of stoping in a mine block. Application of open stope methods in selective mining of complex structured ore bodies of Kryvyi Rih iron ore basin enables increased quality of the mined ore mass without significant capital and operating costs and results in better environment of the region.
Assessment of the technical state and the possibility of its control for the further safe operation of building structures of mining facilities
Authors: Otrosh Yurii , Rybka Yevhen , Danilin Oleksandr , Zhuravskyi Maksym
Published: October 2019

There are about 200 operating mines in Ukraine, most of which have not been reconstructed for more than 20 years. Modern anthropogenic and ecological impacts are caused by local technogenic catastrophes and the global ecological crisis. The statistical data on the safety of Ukrainian mines were considered. A literary analysis has been made of advanced expertise in the technical state assessment of the building structures. The purpose of the study is to make optimal decisions when constructing, operating and maintaining the buildings. The procedure for assessing the building state is the result of research, the purpose of which is to develop a technique for reliable and operational assessment of the building structures technical state. In this paper, a technique is proposed for inspecting the constructions and assessing their technical state. The maximum efforts in elements of the adapted frame were used for checking calculations and constructional design. The obtained calculation results were used in determining the sufficiency of existing cross section value of the structure elements. According to the calculation results, a conclusion has been made that hardness, stability and rigidity of the frame elements as a whole are ensured; further operation of the building structures is possible providing for the project development to strengthen building structures and to implement the design solutions at the construction site. In order to ensure the continued normal operation, it is necessary to develop a project for strengthening the structures, as well as a project for fire protection of building structures.
Ultrasonic control of the level of the heterogeneous surface medium in mining
Authors: Morkun Volodymyr , Hryshchenko Svitlana , Serdiuk Oleksandra , Ilnitskyi Аndrii
Published: October 2019

Topical One of the major problems of controlling the level of ore or moving fluid (slurry) is recording the reflected signal. Due to evident heterogeneity of the reflecting surface, dispersion of an ultrasonic wave greatly attenuates the reflected signal making it difficult to detect it against random noises. In this case, the only way to solve this problem is application of acoustic reflectors. To analyze this issue, a scheme of the conventional reflector with a radiator-receiver is under study. Efficiency of the acoustic reflector in recording the reflected signal is evaluated. The design of developed recording devices for ultrasonic control over fluid and solid media with heterogeneous surfaces allows increasing their accuracy and reliability due to receiving and transmitting a low-level signal in industrial noises. Industrial testing indicates that the developed ultrasonic device controlling lumpiness of ore materials produces a measuring error of under 1.5%, while efficiency of technological aggregates produced by the ultrasonic method based on measuring the level of the slurry in technological chutes of concentration plants can be evaluated with the ±1% error.
Management of sewage sludge energy use with the application of bi-functional bioreactor as an element of pure production in industry
Authors: Ciuła Józef , Gaska Krzysztof , Siedlarz Dariusz , Koval Viktor
Published: October 2019

The increase in sewage sludge makes it necessary to improve the direction of sewage sludge management policy and disposal, which requires a larger amount of incineration or land reclamation. It was shown that the result of methane fermentation, which is a more complex process of extracting energy contained in waste. High costs of implementation of sludge processing technology and low efficiency of sewage treatment plants in which sewage sludge is insufficient to recover energy from them, have a negative impact on the development of energy generation from sediments. The model waste system for energy is characterized, which includes two stages. The proposed solution can be applied to small wastewater treatment plants and it is justifiable to use the concept of bi-functional bioreactors in which anaerobic and aerobic processes can be carried out with much lower construction and maintenance costs. The use of bioreactors allows to exclude the energy demand needed to stabilize sewage sludge at a low cost compared to the expenditure that is currently incurred by disposal. The proposed solution works perfectly with industrial plants, due to the possibility of their creation in the time of the creation and application of a circular economy.
Modern management tools for sustainable development of mining enterprises
Authors: Kasych Alla , Rowland Zuzana , Yakovenko Yaroslava
Published: October 2019

The production growth rates, the generated volumes of waste by classes of hazard, an extent of fuel and energy resources and fresh water used for coal mining, as well as the volumes of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere of Ukrainian mining enterprises have been analyzed. It has been found that achieving the decoupling (reduction of anthropogenic load) is only possible under the condition of introducing the cleaner production technologies, non-waste technologies, innovations, replacement of obsolete capital funds, and the like. Mere changes in points will not significantly affect the situation, thus, companies should develop their own approach to the sustainable development by using the frameworks as templates. The calculations have been made of the decoupling phenomenon based on the volumes of emission, the volumes of generated waste by classes of hazard and used fuel and water resources, which showed an increased anthropogenic environmental impact and economic imbalance of the mining sector. The research has been made into the use of frameworks as an auxiliary tool for the implementation by mining companies of sustainable development principles. The developed DPSIR framework, illustrated with examples from foreign experience, is conceptual in character and makes it possible to understand the cause and effect relationships of the enterprise activities impact, including mining companies, on the environment and the mechanisms of better response to the resulting consequences.
Analyzing vibration effect on amber buoying up velocity
Authors: Malanchuk Zynovii , Korniienko Valerii , Malanchuk Yevhenii , Moshynskyi Viktor
Published: October 2019

Industrial use of hydromechanical method and equipment made it possible to represent quantitative assessment of parameters for efficient amber extraction from amber-bearing deposits. Mined-out deposits with non-commercial reserves, being technogenic ones, may become potential source of amber mining; however, it should involve technological development. Due to imperfection of available methods, losses of the mineral in pillars and mine dumps excess 50%. Taking into consideration positive vibration effect in the process of amber extraction from sandy deposits, special structure of vibration classifier has been designed making it possible to extract maximally even fine-size amber with the least technological losses. The studies have helped determine that the use of the vibration classifier to extract amber makes it possible to mine up to 95% of the mineral; in this context, both medium density and vibration effect amber-bearing sand dilution. Maximum velocity of amber buoying up achieves depending upon changes in water and air consumption for certain amber-bearing rock masses. Laboratory tests and full-scale experiments have determined that velocity values of amber buying up to the surface are 0.1 m/s – 0.21 m/s. The research has proved possibility of efficient use of integrated effect on rock mass of enhancing density of amber-bearing medium, vibration, and air flows in the form of bubbles. In this context, closed cycle on the liquid phase of the effect is implemented making it possible to substantiate the developed method for amber extraction.