bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do you see the -ing in SMOYING? Individual Differences in Nonword Processing
Authors: Schwarz Julia , Bozic Mirjana , Post Brechtje
Published: November 2020

Although the use of morphological information in reading is well-documented, it is unclear whether all readers benefit from the identification of morphemic constituents. Moreover, previous results from inflection priming – in contrast to stem priming – are inconclusive. In this paper we investigate (1) whether inflection priming effects can be found when the stem is not an existing word, and (2) whether morphological effects are dependent on subjects’ reading skills and vocabulary size. We conducted a visual suffix-priming experiment in English with pseudo-inflected nonwords. We found that an inflectional suffix prime facilitated nonword judgment, and this priming effect interacted with the readers’ error rates. Further analysis showed that only subjects with a high error rate and only slow readers displayed morphological priming. We suggest that this reflects activation of morphemes as a sub-lexical strategy when direct mapping of form to meaning is unavailable due to lower orthographic skills.
Explaining the Mathematical Word Problem Performance of Multilingual Children from Government Schools in Hyderabad, India
Authors: Webber Jodie
Published: November 2020

The present study analysed experimental data from the MultiLila project (2016-2020) and aimed to determine the explanatory factors in the Mathematical Word Problem (MWP) performance of multilingual primary school children of very low socioeconomic status (SES) from Hyderabad, India. It also considered the impact of the presentation of essential information (verbal or visual) within the problem. Subtraction and number recognition scores were the only statistically significant predictors of overall MWP performance, and children showed the strongest performance on problems with verbal presentation of information. Whilst children found the MWP task challenging, they performed well considering the complex demands of the task, and any poor performance was not found to be attributed to the children’s language proficiency or wider sociolinguistic factors. It is plausible that their performance was a result of minimal classroom exposure to this style of problem or sociocultural unfamiliarity with the scenarios presented in the problems.
Creativity through Oracy: A mixed methods study of creativity in L2 talk
Authors: Chan Abie
Published: November 2020

Creativity, although widely promoted in educational policy worldwide, is often problematic to translate it into real-life classroom practices. My research aims to investigate and identify teaching strategies that promote creativity as a higher-order thinking skill, and to understand how these strategies could be infused into the school curriculum, which is currently dominated by standardised testing and knowledge transmission. The research is conducted as a mixed methods study and data are gathered from pre- and post- tests, classroom observations during teaching intervention, and interviews with students and teachers. These data will be analysed through a sociocultural perspective of human cognitive development, in the hope of uncovering critical principles involved in developing an effective educational programme that promotes creativity. The findings will advance the understanding of how the teaching of creativity could be more explicitly embedded into the school curriculum, and eventually contributes to the pedagogical innovation at schools.
Dijital Yükseklik Modeli ve HEC-RAS Simülasyonu Kullanarak Hurman Çayı’ndaki Potansiyel Taşkın Ovasının Haritalanması
Authors: GÜLMEZ Ayşe , Vaheddoost Babak
Published: November 2020

Taşkın, büyük hasara ve sefalete neden olan doğal afetlerden biridir. Bu bağlamda, zaman ve mekandaki taşkının sıklığı ve büyüklüğü hakkında bilgi, kentsel planlama ve afet yönetiminde hayati önem taşımaktadır. Bununla birlikte, yüksek taşkın riski olan potansiyel alanlar, şimdi daha pratik olarak ayırt edilebilir. Bu genellikle hidrolik model ve ABD ordusu mühendisleri hidrolojik mühendislik merkezi tarafından tasarlanan ve geliştirilen hidrolojik mühendislik merkezi (CEIWR-HEC) nehir analiz sistemi (HEC-RAS) gibi gelişmiş simülasyon yazılımı kullanılarak yapılır. Buna göre, Kahramanmaraş'ta Güneydoğu Anadolu'dan bir örnek olay çalışması seçilmiştir. Çalışmanın yeri, Hurman deresinin kuzeyindeki Gözlerüstü çayı gözlem istasyonu ile Tanir kasabası arasındaki bir alanı kapsamaktadır. Nehir kıyısı, nehir akışı boyunca inşa edilen tarım arazilerini ve kırsal alanları kapsamaktadır. Potansiyel taşkın ovasını tahmin etmek için 10 ve 100 yıllık geri dönüş süresi olan iki hidrograf kullanılmıştır. Dijital yükseklik modeline ve HEC-RAS simülasyonuna dayanarak, tarım arazilerinin ve nehir kıyısının çeşitli bölümlerinin, bölgenin gelecekteki gelişim tesislerinde dikkate alınması gereken potansiyel sel olaylarına karşı son derece savunmasız olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.
Eğilme Etkisi Altındaki Lifli Betonarme Kirişlerin Doğrusal Olmayan Analizi
Authors: Serdar Ahmet Hamdi , Demirtaş Gamze , Sarıbıyık Mehmet , Çağlar Naci
Published: November 2020

Taşıyıcı sistem elemanlarının üretilmesinde lifli betonların kullanılması gün geçtikçe yaygınlaşmaktadır. Lifli betonlar, klasik betonlara göre süneklik, dayanım ve enerji yutma kapasitesi gibi parametreler açısından daha olumlu sonuçlar vermektedir. Bu çalışmada lif katkılı beton ile üretilen betonarme kirişlerin eğilme davranışının sayısal olarak incelenmiştir. Bu amaçla, ABAQUS sonlu elemanlar programı yardımıyla doğrusal olmayan sonlu eleman modeli oluşturulmuş ve modelin doğruluğu literatürden seçilen deneysel çalışmalar ile yapılmıştır. Doğrulanan sonlu eleman modeliyle parametrik bir çalışma gerçekleştirilmiş ve lif katkılı beton ile üretilen betonarme kirişlerin eğilme davranışına çekme donatısı oranındaki değişimin etkisi araştırılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar grafikler halinde sunularak yorumlanmıştır.
Pengaruh Variasi Intake Lobe Lift, Exhaust Lobe Lift Dan Celah Katup Terhadap Konsumsi Bahan Bakar Pada Sepeda Motor
Authors: Pangeran Musa Wahyu , Meydiant Endry , Pribadi M. Agung
Published: November 2020

Motorbikes that are very much operated every day need fuel oil which is a fossil fuel that has been depleted and cannot be renewed. With the current conditions, it is necessary to control fuel consumption on a motorcycle. Setting the intake lobe lift, the exhaust lobe lift and valve gap have a positive impact on fuel consumption. There has been a lot of research about setting the intake lobe lift, the exhaust lobe lift and valve gap. The number of conventional motorcycle vehicles that are still operating requires special arrangements and deeper studies to be able to be economical in fuel consumption. The objectives of this study are: (1) to identify the factors that cause high fuel consumption. The research method uses the experimental method. By using pertamax. . The results showed that: 1) modification 2 uses the longest fuel consumption, and 2) there are effects of variations in the intake lobe lift and exhaust lobe lift on fuel consumption, 3) there is an effect of adjusting valve gap variations on fuel consumption, 4) there are the effect of variations in the intake lobe lift and exhaust lobe lift and adjustment of valve gap variations on fuel consumption.
Hubungan Antara Arah dan Susunan Bulu Ayam Potong terhadap Kekuatan Lentur Komposit
Authors: Hantoro Arga Tri , Hadi Syamsul
Published: November 2020

The amount of chicken production and consumption produces large amounts of waste as well. The amount of available chicken feather waste is not used properly so it needs an alternative to utilize chicken feather waste to be something more useful and innovative, one of which is to waste broiler chicken feathers.

The main objective of this study was to obtain a variety of composite boards made from resin with broiler chicken feather filler instead of tile tiles. The making of composite specimens from polyester resin with yucalac 157 BQTN-EX type by adding different prepared chicken feather fillers in order to find out the best flexural and compressive strength from one variation of chicken feather filler arrangement. Composite specimens were made with the standard ASTM-D size 7264. Analysis of the test data using the TWO-WAY ANOVA approach ¬ to determine the effect of the transmission of chicken feather filler on flexural strength and press.The results of the flexural test obtained the lowest yield strength with a composition in the direction of 0 ° worth 11.3 MPa and the highest yield strength with a 45 ° alternating composition worth 54.5 MPa. For the compressive test results obtained the lowest compressive strength with a random composition of 23.9 MPa and the highest compressive strength of 34.5 Mpa. For the bending test and press on the tiles, the value of 1.1 MPa and 0.29 MPa means that the composite value is higher than the value of tile tiles.
Snapshot Study of Whole Genome Sequences of Escherichia coli from Healthy Companion Animals, Livestock, Wildlife, Humans and Food in Italy
Authors: Massella Elisa , Reid Cameron J. , Cummins Max L. , Anantanawat Kay , Zingali Tiziana , Serraino Andrea , Piva Silvia , Giacometti Federica , Djordjevic Steven P.
Published: November 2020

Animals, humans and food are all interconnected sources of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), allowing extensive and rapid exchange of AMR bacteria and genes. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize 279 Escherichia coli isolates obtained from animals (livestock, companion animals, wildlife), food and humans in Italy. E. coli predominantly belonged to commensal phylogroups B1 (46.6%) and A (29%) using the original Clermont criteria. One hundred and thirty-six sequence types (STs) were observed, including different pandemic (ST69, ST95, ST131) and emerging (ST10, ST23, ST58, ST117, ST405, ST648) extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) lineages. Eight antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and five chromosomal mutations conferring resistance to highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIAs) were identified (qnrS1, qnrB19, mcr-1, blaCTX-M1,15,55, blaCMY-2, gyrA/parC/parE, ampC and pmrB). Twenty-two class 1 integron arrangements in 34 strains were characterized and 11 ARGs were designated as intI1 related gene cassettes (aadA1, aadA2, aadA5, aad23, ant2_Ia, dfrA1, dfrA7, dfrA14, dfrA12, dfrA17, cmlA1). Notably, most intI1 positive strains belonged to rabbit (38%) and poultry (24%) sources. Three rabbit samples carried the mcr-1 colistin resistance gene in association with IS6 family insertion elements. Poultry meat harbored some of the most prominent ExPEC STs, including ST131, ST69, ST10, ST23, and ST117. Wildlife showed a high average number of virulence-associated genes (VAGs) (mean = 10), mostly associated with an ExPEC pathotype and some predominant ExPEC lineages (ST23, ST117, ST648) were identified.
Antioxidant Potential of Curcumin—A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Jakubczyk Karolina , Drużga Aleksandra , Katarzyna Janda , Skonieczna-Żydecka Karolina
Published: November 2020

Background: Antioxidant potential is defined as the ability to neutralize oxygen free radicals that are generated in excess due to environmental influences. The body’s defense mechanisms often require support in preventing the effects of oxidative stress. The literature data suggest that curcumin has antioxidant activity that can significantly reduce oxidative stress levels. The aim was to assess the impact of curcumin on oxidative stress markers. Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched from database inception until 27 September 2019 for randomized clinical trials in >20 patients treated with curcumin supplements and randomized to placebo/no intervention/physical activity to verify the antioxidant potential of curcumin. Results: Four studies were included in the meta-analysis, three of which were double-blind and one single-blind. A total of 308 participants took part in the research. A total of 40% of the respondents were men. The average age of participants was 27.60 ± 3.79 years. The average supplementation time was 67 days and the average dose of curcumin administered was 645 mg/24 h. Curcumin significantly increased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (SMD = 2.696, Z = 2.003, CI = 95%, p = 0.045) and had a tendency to decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (SMD = −1.579, Z = −1.714, CI = 95%, p = 0.086). Conclusions: Pure curcumin has the potential to reduce MDA concentration and increase total antioxidant capacity.
Continuous Genetic Algorithms in the Optimization of Logistic Networks: Applicability Assessment and Tuning
Authors: Ignaciuk Przemysław , Wieczorek Łukasz
Published: November 2020

Globalization opens up new perspectives for handling goods distribution in logistic networks. However, establishing an efficient inventory policy is challenging by virtue of the analytical and computational complexity. In this study, the goods distribution process that was governed by the order-up-to policy, implemented in either a distributed or centralized way, was investigated in the logistic systems with complex interconnection topologies. Uncertain demand may be imposed at any node, not just at conveniently chosen contact points, with a lost-sales assumption that introduces a non-linearity into the node dynamics. In order to adjust the policy parameters, the continuous genetic algorithm (CGA) was applied, with the fitness function incorporating both the operational costs and customer satisfaction level. This study investigated how to select the parameters of the popular inventory management policy when operating in the non-trivial networked structures. Moreover, precise guidelines for the CGA tuning in the considered class of problems were provided and evaluated in extensive numerical experiments.
Uncharted Stable Peninsula for Multivariable Milling Tools by High-Order Homotopy Perturbation Method
Authors: de la Luz Sosa Jose , Olvera-Trejo Daniel , Urbikain Gorka , Martinez-Romero Oscar , Elías-Zúñiga Alex , Lacalle Luis Norberto López de
Published: November 2020

In this work, a new method for solving a delay differential equation (DDE) with multiple delays is presented by using second- and third-order polynomials to approximate the delayed terms using the enhanced homotopy perturbation method (EMHPM). To study the proposed method performance in terms of convergency and computational cost in comparison with the first-order EMHPM, semi-discretization and full-discretization methods, a delay differential equation that model the cutting milling operation process was used. To further assess the accuracy of the proposed method, a milling process with a multivariable cutter is examined in order to find the stability boundaries. Then, theoretical predictions are computed from the corresponding DDE finding uncharted stable zones at high axial depths of cut. Time-domain simulations based on continuous wavelet transform (CWT) scalograms, power spectral density (PSD) charts and Poincaré maps (PM) were employed to validate the stability lobes found by using the third-order EMHPM for the multivariable tool.
Evaluation of Heat Insulation and Surface Resistivity of Mineral Lightweight Aggregate Concrete(MLAC)
Authors: Chang Jung-Nan , Chen Tung-Tsan , Hung Chang-Chi , Wang Her-Yung
Published: November 2020

In this study, the fixed water/binder ratio is 0.40, four mineral admixtures: fly ash (FA), blast furnace slag (BFS), desulphurization slag (DLS), and glass LED powder (GLP), were added to lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC), replacing 10% or 30% of the cement content, to study their heat insulation efficiency and engineering performance and to compare the economic impact of mineral admixtures on LWAC. In terms of heat insulation, the thermal conductivity (K value) of the controlled sample was 0.484 kcal/(m.h. °C) and the addition of mineral admixtures changed the concrete unit weight and water absorption ratio, thus reducing the K value by 0.41% to 25.71% and improving the heat insulation. As the mineral admixture hydration products and chemical contents differed, the heat insulation of the LWAC varied as well. The study indicated that the heat insulation is the greatest in concrete with the addition of 30% FA, followed by concrete with the addition of 10% GLP. The addition of mineral admixtures is 30%, the resistivity is 72–455% of the control group, and the resistivity of FA and GLP is higher than the control group. The study is indicated that the proper addition of mineral powder material has an apparent effect on increasing heat insulation efficiency.
Urban Free-Space Optical Network Optimization
Authors: Marbel Revital , Ben-Moshe Boaz , Grinshpoun Tal
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a set of graph optimization problems related to free-space optical communication networks. Such laser-based wireless networks require a line of sight to enable communication, thus a visibility graph model is used herein. The main objective is to provide connectivity from a communication source point to terminal points through the use of some subset of available intermediate points. To this end, we define a handful of problems that differ mainly in the costs applied to the nodes and/or edges of the graph. These problems should be optimized with respect to cost and performance. The problems at hand are shown to be NP-hard. A generic heuristic based on a genetic algorithm is proposed, followed by a set of simulation experiments that demonstrate the performance of the suggested heuristic method on real-life scenarios. The suggested genetic algorithm is compared with the Euclidean Steiner tree method. Our simulations show that in many settings, especially in dense graphs, the genetic algorithm finds lower-cost solutions than its competitor, while it falls behind in some settings. However, the run-time performance of the genetic algorithm is considerably better in graphs with 1000 nodes or more, being more than twice faster in some settings. We conclude that the suggested heuristic improves run-time performance on large-scale graphs and can handle a wider range of related optimization problems. The simulation results suggest that the 5G urban backbone may benefit significantly from using free-space optical networks.
Advances in the Monitoring of Algal Blooms by Remote Sensing: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Sebastiá-Frasquet Maria-Teresa , Aguilar-Maldonado Jesús-A , Herrero-Durá Iván , Santamaría-del-Ángel Eduardo , Morell-Monzó Sergio , Estornell Javier
Published: November 2020

Since remote sensing of ocean colour began in 1978, several ocean-colour sensors have been launched to measure ocean properties. These measures have been applied to study water quality, and they specifically can be used to study algal blooms. Blooms are a natural phenomenon that, due to anthropogenic activities, appear to have increased in frequency, intensity, and geographic distribution. This paper aims to provide a systematic analysis of research on remote sensing of algal blooms during 1999–2019 via bibliometric technique. This study aims to reveal the limitations of current studies to analyse climatic variability effect. A total of 1292 peer-reviewed articles published between January 1999 and December 2019 were collected. We read all the literature individually to build a database. The number of publications increased since 2004 and reached the maximum value of 128 in 2014. The publications originated from 47 countries, but the number of papers published from the top 10 countries accounted for 77% of the total publications. To be able to distinguish between climate variability and changes of anthropogenic origin for a specific variable is necessary to define the baseline. However, long-term monitoring programs of phytoplankton are very scarce; only 1% of the articles included in this study analysed at least three decades and most of the existing algal blooms studies are based on sporadic sampling and short-term research programs.
Genetic Stability of the Endangered Species Salix lapponum L. Regenerated In Vitro during the Reintroduction Process
Authors: Parzymies Marzena , Pogorzelec Magdalena , Głębocka Katarzyna , Śliwińska Elwira
Published: November 2020

Salix lapponum L. is a boreal relict species, threatened with extinction in Poland. An 80% decrease in the number of its stands was confirmed in the last half-century, so that to prevent the loss of downy willow, attempts were made to reintroduce this species in natural habitats. Micropropagation was chosen as a first stage of its active conservation. S. lapponum shoots were collected and disinfected with NaOCl, AgNO3, or HgCl2 or with a two-step disinfection with NaOCl and then placed on MS medium with BA 1 mg·dm−3 and IBA 0.1 mg·dm−3. Regenerated shoots were cultivated with addition of BA, KIN, or 2iP, alone or in combination with auxins, to find the highest multiplication rate. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis and flow cytometric analyses were conducted on in vitro regenerated plants to check their genetic stability. Disinfection was quite difficult and the use of HgCl2 was the most efficient. The highest multiplication rate was obtained in presence of KIN at 0.5 mg·dm−3 + IAA at 0.5 mg·dm−3. The analysis confirmed the genome size stability, which is in agreement with the results obtained by ISSR, revealing no somaclonal variation in plantlets and therefore allowing the use of the obtained plants for reintroduction.
Investigations of Carbon Nitride-Supported Mn3O4 Oxide Nanoparticles for ORR
Authors: Large Alexander I. , Wahl Sebastian , Abate Salvatore , da Silva Ivan , Delgado Jaen Juan Jose , Pinna Nicola , Held Georg , Arrigo Rosa
Published: November 2020

Earth-abundant Mn-based oxide nanoparticles are supported on carbon nitride using two different immobilization methods and tested for the oxygen reduction reaction. Compared to the metal free CN, the immobilization of Mn oxide enhances not only the electrocatalytic activity but also the selectivity towards the 4e- reduction reaction of O2 to H2O. The XPS analysis reveals the interaction of the pyridine N species with Mn3O4 nanoparticles being particularly beneficial. This interaction is realized—although to a limited extent—when preparing the catalysts via impregnation; via the oleic acid route it is not observed. Whilst this work shows the potential of these systems to catalyze the ORR, the main limiting factor is still the poor conductivity of the support which leads to overpotential.
Application of Spatial Supporting Construction as an Effective Method for Stabilising a Landslide
Authors: Ukleja Janusz
Published: November 2020

Buttresses constitute a spatial supporting construction (SSC) that can convey large loads coming from the pressure of unstable soil on deeper, more stable layers to make it safer with respect to the load-bearing capacity. They make the counteraction against the pressure, which initiates sliding when the forces to move the landslide body, not balanced by the internal frictional forces in the soil. Some specific features of known construction elements were used in the buttress, such as sheet pile walls and drilled piles. Although beneficial in this case, the specific shape of the axis of the wall made from piles and sheets formed a wave created from circle sections (in plan view). Thus, a stable steel buttress was formed. The interaction of the buttress with the soil mass pressure over it, which stabilises the landslide mass, was considered. To further strengthen the buttress, a reinforced concrete slab was added on the upper edge of the thin walls of sheets and piles, thereby integrating and stiffening the whole structure. The application of the concrete slab enabled the use of the stabilisation role of additional forces (become from its weight and above laysoil)to stabilise the buttress. The results of this study achieved a substantial stabilising effect, increasing maximal forces reacting against the pressure of the unstable soil block. Assumptions madeand the applied calculations confirm thestability of the buttress (by increasing the stability of the whole slump block of landslide) are described. Two cases are presented to illustrate the stabilisation and control of movement in which the block body moves along inadvance of the determined slip surface.
Technogenic Magnetic Particles in Soils and Ecological–Geochemical Assessment of the Soil Cover of an Industrial City in the Ural, Russia
Authors: Vasiliev Andrei , Gorokhova Svetlana , Razinsky Mikhail
Published: November 2020

The work is devoted to the study of pollution by technogenic magnetic particles and heavy metals of soils in the city of Gubakha, Middle Ural (Russia). The aim of the work is the ecological and geochemical assessment of the elemental chemical composition of the soils of the city of Gubakha, and the establishment of the geochemical role of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs). For the first time, the regularities of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility in the soils of the city of Gubakha were revealed, and the morphology, elemental and mineralogical compositions of magnetic particles in the soils of an industrial city in the Middle Urals were characterized using the methods of the chemical extraction of iron compounds, magnetic separation, ESEM/EDS, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic phase of soils contains magnetite/maghemite, hematite, pyrrhotite, intermetallic alloys and chromite. Spherical magnetic particles are hollow, and have a magnetite shell and a varied surface texture. The crystal lattice of magnetite is characterized by low stoichiometry. The heavy metals Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr are concentrated in magnetic particles and have a high correlation coefficient with magnetic susceptibility. The level of contamination of Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr and Mn in the soils of a residential zone of Gubakha, estimated by the value of the pollution load index (PLI), was high. The Igeo index for Fe ranges from 6.2 to 12.2, for Cu–1.1 and Ni–1.1. The combination of methods for measuring magnetic susceptibility, determining the mineralogical composition of iron compounds, and determining the elemental chemical composition by X-ray fluorescence, has shown the effectiveness of an integrated approach for carrying out an ecological–geochemical assessment of the soil cover of Gubakha.
Transmission Media of Foodborne Diseases as an Index Prediction of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli: Study at Elementary School, Surabaya, Indonesia
Authors: Syahrul Fariani , Wahyuni Chatarina U. , Notobroto Hari B. , Wasito Eddy B. , Adi Annis C. , Dwirahmadi Febi
Published: November 2020

Foodborne diseases (FBDs) have a large disease burden among children. The major type of FBD in children is diarrhea, caused mainly by contaminated food. One of the diarrhea pathogens is Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC). The aim of this study was to establish a model of microbial prediction (DEC) in stool, caused by the transmission of FBDs in elementary schoolchildren. An observational analytic study was conducted, with a nested case-control study design. In Stage I, the study population was children in a selected elementary school at Surabaya. The sample size for Stage I was 218 children. In Stage II, the case sample was all children with a positive test for DEC (15 children), and the control sample was all children who had tested negative for DEC (60 children). The result of the laboratory tests showed that the proportion of DEC in children was 6.88% (15 of 218 children) and the proportion of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in children was only 0.46%. The most significant mode of transmission included in the model was the snacking frequency at school and the risk classification of food that was often purchased at school. The formulation of the predicting model of DEC in stool can be used as an early warning against the incidence of FBDs in elementary schoolchildren.
Pioglitazone Is Associated with Lower Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events than DPP4-Inhibitors in Diabetic Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Taiwan Nationwide Cohort Study, 2006–2016
Authors: Lin Min-Hao , Yang Huang-Yu , Yen Chieh-Li , Wu Chao-Yi , Jenq Chang-Chyi , Kuo George , Peng Wei-Sheng , Liu Jia-Rou , Tian Ya-Chung , Yang Chih-Wei , Anderson Gerard F. , See Lai-Chu
Published: November 2020

While pioglitazone reduces insulin resistance and hepatic gluconeogenesis effectively in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), these benefits remained controversial in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). We compared major adverse cardiac cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) and mortality (overall, infection-related, and MACCE-related) of pioglitazone to that of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4-inhibitors) in patients with T2DM and ESRD. From Taiwan’s national health insurance research database (NHIRD), 647 pioglitazone users and 6080 DPP4-inhibitors users between 1 April 2006 and 31 December 2016 were followed from the 91th date after the ESRD certification until the study outcomes, independently; withdraw from the NHI program, death, or 31 December 2017, whichever came first. After weighting, risks of MACCEs (10.48% vs. 12.62% per person-years, hazard ratio (HR): 0.85, 95% (CI): 0.729–0.985) and all-cause mortality (12.86% vs. 13.22% per person-years, (HR): 0.88, 95% (CI): 0.771–0.995) are significantly lower in pioglitazone group. Subgroup analysis found lower MACCEs risk in the pioglitazone users without insulin therapy (6.44% vs. 10.04% (HR): 0.59, 95% (CI): 0.42–0.82) and lower MACCEs related death (2.76% vs. 3.84% (HR): 0.61, 95% (CI): 0.40–0.95) in the pioglitazone group with dyslipidemia, when comparing with DPP4-inhibitors users. Pioglitazone is associated with lower all-cause mortality and MACCEs in diabetic patients with ESRD, compared to DPP4-inhibitors. These benefits were even more significant in the non-insulin users and patients with dyslipidemia.
Clinical Relevance of Plasma Concentrations of MBL in Accordance with IgE Levels in Children Diagnosed with Bronchial Asthma
Authors: Borta Simona Maria , Dumitra Simona , Miklos Imola , Popetiu Romana , Pilat Luminița , Pușchiță Maria , Marian Cătălin
Published: November 2020

Background and objectives: Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous, multifactorial pulmonary disease characterized by variable airway obstruction caused by chronic inflammation. Our study investigates the clinical relevance of MBL plasma levels in accordance with IgE values in children who attended a pediatric consult for respiratory symptoms with bronchial asthma. Materials and Methods: The study population consists of patients <18-years-old and included 43 patients with bronchial asthma and 64 age-matched healthy subjects as a control group. We used the ELISA Human MBL Immunoassay kit and the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) kit for IgE determination. Results: Our results show significantly different distributions of patients in the bronchial asthma group and control group. The measured values were within the normal range for most controls, while the bronchial asthma patients displayed higher values of plasma MBL and IgE levels. We observed a wider heterogeneity in MBL concentrations in bronchial asthma patients when compared to the healthy age-matched controls. Our results also suggest a potential clinical usefulness of plasma MBL concentrations in accordance with IgE and eosinophil cells levels in the diagnosis of bronchial asthma, and our results may suggest a prognostic role of MBL in the evolution of asthmatic disease; however, further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. Conclusions: We can say that plasma MBL concentrations present a relative diagnostic role for bronchial asthma in pediatric patients and may suggest a more severe disease progression; however, further studies are needed to elucidate the role played by MBL in the determination and evolution of this disease.
Variation of Grain Height Characteristics of Electroplated cBN Grinding-Wheel Active Surfaces Associated with Their Wear
Authors: Bazan Anna , Kawalec Andrzej , Rydzak Tomasz , Kubik Pawel
Published: November 2020

During the operation of a single-layer grinding wheel (SLGW), irreversible changes occur on its active surface due to wear. The study of grinding-wheel microgeometry changes can be based on the measurement of the surface texture as well as the determination and analysis of its parameters. The article deals with the selection of suitable texture parameters and an appropriate mathematical model carrying information about the SLGW condition. In the study, samples of Pyrowear 53 steel were ground using electroplated cBN single-layer grinding wheels until they were completely worn out or removed assumed volume of the workpiece material. Each SLGW worked with constant process parameters. Among the 144 parameters tested, the highest sensitivity to changes in wheel active surfaces caused by wear was shown by the mean value of the mean island heights Zmean_m. In-depth research was conducted for Zmean_m and reduced peak height Spk. Compared to Spk, Zmean_m has proven to be a better measure of wear, especially when large areas of sticking occur. Moreover, the second-degree models linking Zmean_m and Spk to the process parameters and the specific material loss were better suited to the empirical data than the exponential models.
Effect of Solution Treatment Temperature on Microstructural Evolution, Precipitation Behavior, and Comprehensive Properties in UNS S32750 Super Duplex Stainless Steel
Authors: Li Junhe , Shen Wei , Lin Ping , Wang Fuming , Yang Zhanbing
Published: November 2020

The changes of microstructures, element distribution, and comprehensive properties were studied to explore their interactions with each other, induced by solution treatment of UNS S32750 super duplex stainless steel. The results showed that the ferrite content improved, while the austenite content declined as the temperature increased. From 900 to 1000 °C, the σ phase existing at α/γ grain boundaries and in ferrite grains gradually dissolved. At 1050 °C, the microstructures consisted of only ferrite and austenite. From 1050 to 1300 °C, the Cr2N precipitated in ferrite and gradually grew and coarsened. The impact energy and pitting potential of UNS S32750 first improved and then weakened, while the hardness is the opposite, owing to the combined effects of element distribution, microstructures, and precipitates. In the presence of the σ phase, the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of UNS S32750 correspond directly to the σ phase fraction. Subsequently, the rise in temperature promoted γ → α phase transformation, and the elements partitioning ratios of Cr and Mo declined, resulting in reduced toughness and corrosion resistance and a rise in hardness. Consequently, when the solution treatment temperature is 1050 °C, the α/γ ratio of UNS S32750 approached 1:1, with excellent overall properties.
Cyclic Stress Response Behavior of Near β Titanium Alloy and Deformation Mechanism Associated with Precipitated Phase
Authors: Zhang Siqian , Zhang Haoyu , Hao Junhong , Liu Jing , Sun Jie , Chen Lijia
Published: November 2020

The cyclic stress response behavior of Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr alloy with three different microstructures has been systematically studied. The cyclic stress response was highly related to the applied strain amplitude and precipitated phase. At low strain amplitude, the plastic deformation was mainly restricted to soft α phase, and a significant cyclic saturation stage was shown until fracture for all three alloys. At high strain amplitude, three alloys all displayed an initial striking cyclic softening. However, the softening mechanism was obviously difference. Interestingly, a significant cyclic saturation stage was noticed after an initial cyclic softening for alloy aging for 12 h, which could be attributed to the deformation of {332}<113> twin and precipitation of α″ martensite.
The Flame Retardancy of Polyethylene Composites: From Fundamental Concepts to Nanocomposites
Authors: Rezvani Ghomi Erfan , Khosravi Fatemeh , Mossayebi Zahra , Saedi Ardahaei Ali , Morshedi Dehaghi Fatemeh , Khorasani Masoud , Neisiany Rasoul Esmaeely , Das Oisik , Marani Atiye , Mensah Rhoda Afriyie , Jiang Lin , Xu Qiang , Försth Michael , Berto Filippo , Ramakrishna Seeram
Published: November 2020

Polyethylene (PE) is one the most used plastics worldwide for a wide range of applications due to its good mechanical and chemical resistance, low density, cost efficiency, ease of processability, non-reactivity, low toxicity, good electric insulation, and good functionality. However, its high flammability and rapid flame spread pose dangers for certain applications. Therefore, different flame-retardant (FR) additives are incorporated into PE to increase its flame retardancy. In this review article, research papers from the past 10 years on the flame retardancy of PE systems are comprehensively reviewed and classified based on the additive sources. The FR additives are classified in well-known FR families, including phosphorous, melamine, nitrogen, inorganic hydroxides, boron, and silicon. The mechanism of fire retardance in each family is pinpointed. In addition to the efficiency of each FR in increasing the flame retardancy, its impact on the mechanical properties of the PE system is also discussed. Most of the FRs can decrease the heat release rate (HRR) of the PE products and simultaneously maintains the mechanical properties in appropriate ratios. Based on the literature, inorganic hydroxide seems to be used more in PE systems compared to other families. Finally, the role of nanotechnology for more efficient FR-PE systems is discussed and recommendations are given on implementing strategies that could help incorporate flame retardancy in the circular economy model.
Naphthalenes and Quinolines by Domino Reactions of Morita–Baylis–Hillman Acetates
Authors: Annor-Gyamfi Joel K. , Ametsetor Ebenezer , Meraz Kevin , Bunce Richard A.
Published: November 2020

An efficient synthetic route to highly functionalized naphthalenes and quinolines has been developed using domino reactions between Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) acetates and active methylene compounds (AMCs) promoted by anhydrous K2CO3 in dry N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 23 °C. The substrates incorporate allylic acetates positioned adjacent to a Michael acceptor as well as an aromatic ring activated toward a SNAr ring closure. A control experiment indicated that the initial reaction was an SN2’-type displacement of a side chain acetoxy by the AMC anion to afford the alkene product bearing the added nucleophile trans to the SNAr aromatic ring acceptor. Thus, equilibration of the alkene geometry of the initial product was required prior to cyclization. Products were isolated in good to excellent yields. Numerous cases (24) are reported, and several mechanistic possibilities are discussed.
Double-Hybrid DFT Functionals for the Condensed Phase: Gaussian and Plane Waves Implementation and Evaluation
Authors: Stein Frederick , Hutter Jürg , Rybkin Vladimir V.
Published: November 2020

Intermolecular interactions play an important role for the understanding of catalysis, biochemistry and pharmacy. Double-hybrid density functionals (DHDFs) combine the proper treatment of short-range interactions of common density functionals with the correct description of long-range interactions of wave-function correlation methods. Up to now, there are only a few benchmark studies available examining the performance of DHDFs in condensed phase. We studied the performance of a small but diverse selection of DHDFs implemented within Gaussian and plane waves formalism on cohesive energies of four representative dispersion interaction dominated crystal structures. We found that the PWRB95 and ωB97X-2 functionals provide an excellent description of long-ranged interactions in solids. In addition, we identified numerical issues due to the extreme grid dependence of the underlying density functional for PWRB95. The basis set superposition error (BSSE) and convergence with respect to the super cell size are discussed for two different large basis sets.
Arthropod-Borne Disease Control at a Glance: What’s New on Drug Development?
Authors: Benelli Giovanni , Petrelli Riccardo , Canale Angelo
Published: November 2020

Discovering and validating effective drugs to manage arthropod-borne diseases (ABD) is a timely and important research challenge with major impacts on real-world control programs at the time of quick resistance development in the targeted pathogens. This editorial highlights major research advances in the development of drugs for the control of vector-borne diseases, with a significant focus on malaria, Chagas disease, dengue, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and Zika. Broad reviews providing new insights on ABD recently published in Molecules have also been covered in “The Editors’ pick” section.
Insights into a Protein-Nanoparticle System by Paramagnetic Perturbation NMR Spectroscopy
Authors: Hunashal Yamanappa , Cantarutti Cristina , Giorgetti Sofia , Marchese Loredana , Fogolari Federico , Esposito Gennaro
Published: November 2020

Background: The interaction between proteins and nanoparticles is a very relevant subject because of the potential applications in medicine and material science in general. Further interest derives from the amyloidogenic character of the considered protein, β2-microglobulin (β2m), which may be regarded as a paradigmatic system for possible therapeutic strategies. Previous evidence showed in fact that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are able to inhibit β2m fibril formation in vitro. Methods: NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and ESR (Electron Spin Resonance) spectroscopy are employed to characterize the paramagnetic perturbation of the extrinsic nitroxide probe Tempol on β2m in the absence and presence of AuNPs to determine the surface accessibility properties and the occurrence of chemical or conformational exchange, based on measurements conducted under magnetization equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions. Results: The nitroxide perturbation analysis successfully identifies the protein regions where protein-protein or protein-AuNPs interactions hinder accessibility or/and establish exchange contacts. These information give interesting clues to recognize the fibrillation interface of β2m and hypothesize a mechanism for AuNPs fibrillogenesis inhibition. Conclusions: The presented approach can be advantageously applied to the characterization of the interface in protein-protein and protein-nanoparticles interactions.
Impact of Rapid and Intensive Land Use/Land Cover Change on Soil Properties in Arid Regions: A Case Study of Lanzhou New Area, China
Authors: Zhang Runxia , Zhao Xueyong , Zhang Chencheng , Li Jing
Published: November 2020

Land use/land cover (LULC) change widely occurs during urbanization and can affect the functionality of soil ecosystems by altering soil physicochemical properties. However, few studies have evaluated the impacts of LULC change on soils in arid regions. This study investigates LULC change patterns during 2010–2017 in Lanzhou New Area, China based on remotely sensed data (Chinese GaoFen-1 and Advanced Land Observing Satellite). We identified five main land use change types and reference native grassland and farmland to determine soil properties at different depths. Principal component analysis and scatter matrix were employed to evaluate the effect of LULC change on soil properties. The results showed that LULC changes that occurred in Lanzhou New Area were characterized by the rapid growth of construction and bare land (increased by 13.06% and 5.97%, respectively) at the expense of farmland (decreased by 25.38%). The conversion of native grassland to artificial grassland and bare land, and farmland to bare land had similar effects on soil properties; i.e., a significant decline and a lower level in total nitrogen and soil organic carbon. The farmland to construction land transition deteriorated soil nutrients and increased soil compaction by both increasing bulk density (BD, mean = 1.63 g cm−3) and enhancing sand content by 69.21%. All land use change types increased BD and decreased soil water content and saturated soil water content when compared to the reference areas. These results indicate that changes in LULC have significant impacts on soil physicochemical properties. Thus, it is essential to optimize land planning and improve soil quality in arid ecosystems to ensure sustainable resource management and ecosystem conservation.
Investigating the Future of Ultrafast Charging: A Choice Experiment in the Netherlands
Authors: ten Have Simone Y. , Gkiotsalitis Konstantinos , Geurs Karst T.
Published: November 2020

Ultrafast charging is developing and will soon be available to electric vehicles (EV). This research focuses on the feasibility of ultrafast charging for EV passenger cars in the Netherlands. We carried out a stated choice experiment with 311 respondents (all EV drivers) and developed mixed logit models based on random utility maximization. In deciding which charging type to choose, this research identified the charging point characteristics, price, proximity to shopping facilities, certainty of charging availability and not having to make a detour as key influential factors for EV drivers. Price changes and not having to make a detour substantially affect users’ choices for the charging types. Contrary to expectations, no significant results were found for urban density, age, technology awareness and importance of sustainability. Finally, the research results show that there is demand for ultrafast charging in the Netherlands even if users have to pay slightly more compared to other forms of charging.
BUILDING MATERIALS BASED ON LIMESTONE DUST AND FINELY DISPERSED LIMESTONE
Authors:   V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, LYUBOMIRSKIY N.V. , BAKHTIN A.S. ,   V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, BAKHTINA T.A. ,   V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, NIKOLAENKO V.V. ,   V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
Published: November 2020

The paper presents research on the development of building materials with low CO2 emissions based on industrial man-made materials. The optimal recipe-technological parameters for the production of materials based on lime dust generated by mechanical deposition in cyclones and bag filters of shaft furnaces, as well as finely divided marble-like limestone with a fraction of up to 5 mm were determined. Studies have shown that it is possible to obtain a building material with compressive strength of more than 40 MPa from this recycled material by forced carbonization for three hours. Moreover, to obtain such strength indicators, the optimal content of lime dust in the raw materials is in the range of 35-40% wt. when the water content of the mixture is 6-7% wt. The carbonized material obtained at the indicated technological parameters will have an average density of 1.95-2.0 g / cm3 and water absorption by weight of not more than 12%. Accordingly, the data obtained make it possible to judge the possibility of obtaining high-quality construction products with physico-mechanical, physico-chemical, hydrophysical, and other properties sufficient for building materials.