bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social and Environmental Mechanisms of Management in Agri-Business
Authors: BARBAKOV Oleg M. , GERASIMOVA Galina A. , PEZIN Dmitry A.
Published: July 2019

Existing technologies and technological processes in production areas in the overwhelming majority are open systems in which natural resources are inefficiently used and significant waste is generated. Irrational water use and environmental degradation in traditional irrigation zones necessitate an analysis of the problems of environmental assessment and the applicability of irrigation systems, which makes this study relevant. The article aims to develop a methodology for assessing the technological process in agrolandscape systems from the point of view of resource conservation, ensuring strict regulation of environmentally friendly and waste-free technology and technological schemes for irrigating crops. The main principles of non-waste production process technologies are used. On the basis of them, a system of integral criteria for assessing the environmental reliability of irrigation technology and irrigation systems is presented, which allows creating an environmentally safe resource-saving technological process in agrolandscape systems. It was concluded that the task of managing the agro-industrial complex should be the creation of environmentally sustainable agricultural landscapes. The results of the study can be the basis for the formation of sustainable management decisions in the management of the agro-industrial complex from the standpoint of resource saving
Effects of Seasonal and Perennial Climatic Fluctuations on Geographical Distribution of the Enhanced Vegetation Index EVI of Arable Land in the Bryansk Region
Authors: LOBANOV Grigory V. , AVRAMENKO Marina V. , CHAROCHKINA Anna Yu. , DROZDOV Nikolay N.
Published: July 2019

This article discusses the patterns of geographical distribution of the enhanced vegetation index EVI within the Bryansk region (upper Dnieper basin, south-western Russia) in the spring months of 2010-2015. The factors of index distribution, based on agricultural land monitoring data in other regions, are described. The crucial role of abiotic (topography, soil) and biotic factors in the distribution of the EVI is shown. The generalized data of meteorological observations of 2010-2015 are presented; the effects of their high variability on the range of the EVI values and its geographical distribution are shown. Data on the differences in the EVI distribution in the spring months of 2010-2015 is presented, which are explained by the differing periods of phenological seasons, surface relief characteristics (flat and convex watersheds, drainage conditions), lithological composition and humus content in the upper horizons of arable soil. A qualitative relationship between spring changes in the EVI for arable land and the combination of edaphic factors of agro-landscape functioning is established and the mechanisms that ensure such differences are presented. The use of the EVI distribution patterns is justified in the years with different climatic conditions to identify arable lands with different surface topography and soil characteristics.
An Analysis of Input Substitution Elasticity in Natural Resource-Based Industry in Indonesia. The Application of CES Function
Authors: BADRIAH Lilis Siti , RAHAJUNI Dijan , SUHARNO SUHARNO
Published: July 2019

The proportion of resource-based industry groups in the industrial structure in Indonesia is 42.01%, yet its productivity is low because of its labor-intensive nature and limited capital, despite the direct contribution of the use of capital and labor to the creation of output. To optimize production, an input can be substituted by another input. However, it depends on the elasticity of substitution of the two inputs. The main objective of this research is to analyze the level of substitutability of inputs used in the natural resource-based industry group in Indonesia. Using the function of Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES), the results of the study show that the substitutability level of capital and labor is inelastic, meaning that input substitution is relatively difficult. The results of this study imply that to increase its productivity, this industry group needs to strengthen the support from (government) policies to improve its workforce quality.
Environmental Mechanisms to Improve the Quality Control System for the Enhancement of Production Competitiveness
Authors: BELONOZHKO Lydia N. , IGNATENKO Valentina A. , MAYER Vladimir V.
Published: July 2019

The purpose of the article is to study the specifics of creating, promoting products and ecology control of quality in the practice of domestic enterprises, as well as forming recommendations for improving the quality system of environmental management to improve product competitiveness in modern conditions. In the process of research, system analysis, economic analysis, ecology analysis and synthesis, statistical and analytical methods, generalization, systematization, structuring were used. It is revealed that the increasing competition, the diversity of the same goods in the same price segment directs enterprises to search for new ways to create additional competitive advantages aimed at winning customer loyalty. The current situation requires quality management at all stages of the promotion of food to the consumer – from the production of agricultural products, their processing, transportation and storage to the sale to the public. The article studied practical experience. Problems were identified, theoretical and methodological aspects of the subject of research were investigated, on the basis of which scientific, methodological and practical guidelines were developed for structuring the system of product quality ecology management, choosing directions for improving the management of enterprise competitiveness through improving product quality.
Assessing the Environmental Impact of the Intensification of Agricultural Production
Authors: VORONKOVA Olga , SYCHEVA Irina , KOVALEVA Irina , KHASANOVA Alfiia , GOROVOY Sergey , VOROZHEYKINA Tatiana
Published: July 2019

The article presents the results and consequences of the intensification of agricultural production over the past decades. The aim of the study is to assess the environmental consequences of the intensification of agricultural production, as well as the land and agrarian reforms, in particular, the consequences of the development of virgin and fallow lands. The article presents the emerged dilemma of further development of agricultural production and preservation of the natural environment as the basis for the life of future generations, which predetermined the search for alternative development options for the industry. At the present stage of development of agricultural production, one of the main tasks is to optimize the use of land resources and to choose methods that ensure the stability of functioning of agricultural landscapes in accordance with their natural properties. The fallow land area for agricultural use in Russia is more than 30 million hectares. This concerns, first of all, arable land, subject to wind and water erosion, left to be used as fallow land in difficult socio-economic conditions during the years of reform.
Examining the relationship of teacher perception of accountability and assessment policies on teacher turnover during NCLB
Authors: Wronowski Meredith L. , Urick Angela
Published: July 2019

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between teachers’ perception of their work, their intent to leave their current position, and their realized turnover at the height of the federal accountability policy era in the United States. The study uses a framework of teacher de-professionalization and demoralization operationalized by teacher responses to the Schools and Staffing Surveys and Teacher Follow-up Surveys from the National Center for Education Statistics. We tested the relationship of de-professionalization and demoralization to turnover with two competing structural equation models for teachers who cited accountability policies as a factor in their employment decision, and those who did not. We find that teacher worry and stress associated with demoralization is a significant predictor of intent to leave in both groups of teachers. However, teacher worry and stress is only a significant predictor of teachers leaving the profession and moving schools in teachers who cite accountability policies as a factor in their employment decision. These findings demonstrate a relationship between teachers’ perceptions of accountability policies, perception of their working conditions, and turnover. These results have important implications for policy makers and educational leaders as the U.S. transitions from the No Child Left Behind era to the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Teacher shortage as a local phenomenon: District leader sensemaking, responses, and implications for policy
Authors: McHenry-Sorber Erin , Campbell Matthew P.
Published: July 2019

While the teacher shortage is a national crisis, the manifestations of the shortage are felt most acutely at the local district level. The diversity of these micro-contexts often leads to disparities in the ways local school systems are served by large-scale initiatives. District leaders provide an important lens for understanding the localized manifestation of teacher shortages. This research contributes to the existing macro-level literature on teacher shortages through investigation of the ways in which district leaders in West Virginia make sense of and respond to the teacher shortage. As part of a broader study, we share analyses of interviews with seven district leaders across five county school districts and highlight the ways in which leaders made sense of the phenomenon in paradoxical ways, both in terms of the most salient causes as well as the perceived locus of control in addressing the teacher shortage. Findings also highlight the way district leader sensemaking led to action, with responses differing based on relative affordances of metropolitan versus rural contexts. We conclude with implications for policy and research to further understand the local nature of teacher shortages and to address the problem, particularly in rural contexts underserved by current research and policy.
Determination of Serum B12 Vitamin and Folic Acid Levels in Patient with Stroke
Authors: Yılmaz Necat , Yılmaz Mustafa , Pençe Sadrettin , Özaslan Jale , Koçoğlu Hasan , Yılmaz Gözen
Published: August 2019

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether any relationship between stroke and vitamin B12, folic acid concentration. We examined 50 patients with stroke (male: 26 and female: 24) aged between (X±SD, year) 59±14 and 16 control subjects (male: 6 and female: 10) aged between (X±SD, year) 53±11. Patients were classified into two groups as infarct and hemorrhagic by using Computerised Brain Tomography and Cranial Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques. The percentage of patients with infract was 47.5 % in female and 52.5 % in male while it was 40 % in female and 60 % in male with hemorrhagic. The vitamin B12levels of patients with infarct, hemorrhagic and control group were found as X±SEM, 355±47 pg/ml, 313±58 pg/ml, 1569±258 pg/ml and folic acid levels 13.4±2.6 ng/ml, 7.7±1.0 ng/ml, 14.8±4.0 ng/ml, respectively. The significant difference was found between subgroups of patients with stroke and control group in both folic acid and B12vitamin levels (p<0.001 and p<0.0001, respectively). But, there was no significant difference between vitamin B12and folic acid levels of patients with hemorrhagic and infarct. In order to well understand the effects of these vitamin in patients with stroke, more detailed follow up studies with long period are needed.
Architekturzeichnung und ihre Rolle beim ­Entwurf komplexer Werksteinkonstruktionen in Spätmittelalter und Früher Neuzeit
Authors: Wendland David
Published: July 2019

Although the affinity of medieval architectural drawings to the graphic procedures of setting-out has been extensively discussed, the role of scale drawings in the design practice of the late Middle-Ages and the Early Modern period is still subject of debate. This regards also the drawings of complex late Gothic rib vaults. An opportunity for better understanding their precise use and function within the design and planning of complex stone structures is given by a case study on the vault in St. Catherine’s chapel in Strasbourg Cathedral, where an original drawing of the plan can be compared with the existing structure as it was actually built. The vault with looping ribs was completed in 1547. The comparative study of the drawing and the building is based on the previous research on the procedures of stone-planning in late Gothic vaults, and comprises also building archaeology, surveys, and geometric analyses of the vault.
Das Turnierhaus am Münchner Hofgarten
Authors: Knobling Clemens
Published: July 2019

The tournament house at the Munich Hofgarten was once a place of glittering festivals and spectacles. There, tournaments on horseback, as well as elaborately staged theater performances and court balls took place. Despite its former importance, the building is more or less forgotten, possibly because it had to give way to the urban redevelopment of Munich in 1825. The great feature of the building was its construction, especially the roofing, which held additional places for spectators. The master builder, Marx Schinnagl, created a construction that spanned over 23.30 m, without any support and without tie beams. The tournament house with its roofing system, which was exceptional for the 17th century, was reconstructed in the course of recent research and rebuilt as a model.
Jean-Louis de Cordemoy
Authors: Valensise Francesca
Published: July 2019

First published in Paris in 1706, the ›Nouveau Traité de toute l’architecture ou l’art de Bastir‹ by Jean-Louis de Cordemoy marked a provocatively unprecedented point of view in the panorama of 18th century architectural theories. Through a critical revision of the excesses of the Baroque, which was considered the last rhetorical public manifestation of the Ancien Régime, and in the name of a logical renewal of design, the work immediately became the focus of a broad cultural debate, which continued until 1713 in a polemic with Amédée François Frézier. Revolutionary in its challenge to the Vitruvian orthodoxy, the Nouveau Traité developed the search for a Greek-Gothic architectural ideal, which, in a comparison between classical and modern, was realized in the querelle des Anciens et des Modernes and developed in France in the effort to define a ›national‹ architectural style. As precursor and inspiration for the aesthetics of Marc-Antoine Laugier, Cordemoy subjected adornment to the laws of bienséance and was a harbinger of the modern functionalist language – the principles of simplification of surfaces, a rigorous volumetric study that anticipated what in later decades would result in stereometric purity of Enlightenment experiments.
Sichtbackstein des 19. Jahrhunderts
Authors: Potgeter Wilko , Holzer Stefan M.
Published: July 2019

19th century brick façades between craft and industrialization: Towards an onsite reading of traces.

Brick facades are one of the characteristic ingredients of 19th century architecture. They became ubiquitous during the period. The spread of visible brick and the development of heat-insulating façade claddings are intimately connected to the industrialization of the brick production, providing new moulding techniques such as extrusion, and new products such as hollow bricks. The present article presents the main steps of innovation, based on a review of contemporary technical literature, and establishes the direct link to traces which can be observed on site, providing necessary information for a first assessment, coarse dating and structural hypothesis on the basis of a visual inspection.
Leo von Klenzes Konzept für die Gestaltung des Hauptmarktes von Athen
Authors: Fountoulakis Olga
Published: July 2019

The architect Leo von Klenze was invited by the Greek government to modify the map of Athens of the architects Stamatios Kleanthes and Eduard Schaubert in 1834. One of Klenze’s major modifications concerns the separation of the market area into a commercial and an amusement part. Our recently conducted research in Greek archives brought to light documents which reveal an unknown contribution of Klenze in the establishment of a modern market in the center of Athens. The market of Athens would have included stores, apartments, green areas and a fountain and would have been realized by the French entrepreneur François Théophile Feraldi. Klenze designed a three-story building type for the stores and the apartments in Italian style. The government would have bought the building ground from private owners at a low price and would have sold it to Feraldi at the same price. The market center was finally not realized, but the drawing, which, on the basis of the new archive material, can be clearly attributed to Klenze, shows how Klenze had imagined the architectural form of the private buildings in Athens. Another novelty our research brought to light and which is discussed in our paper is a concept of the section of architects for the central market of Athens, submitted one year later, which was not implemented either.
Projecting Stars, Triangles and Concrete
Authors: Fernández-Serrano Martino Peña , López José Calvo
Published: July 2019

Sometimes scientific-technical objects can be given an extended meaning as cultural icons and be received in art and architecture. To this end, the object must be detached from its original context and viewed from different, new perspectives.

In 1922 Walter Bauersfeld constructed one of the first geodesic domes for testing projection devices in Jena. Walter Gropius and Lázló Moholy-Nagy were among the first to visit the Jena Planetarium; Moholy-Nagy received the dome in his book ›Von Material zu Architektur‹. Richard Buckminster Fuller further developed Bauersfeld’s concept from the 1940s and patented the construction principle of a geodesic dome under the name ›Building Construction‹ in 1954. His patent bears resemblances to the Bauersfeld Planetarium in Jena, which can be demonstrated by manuscripts by Bauersfeld from the Zeiss Archive in Jena. Fuller, on the other hand, also used the geodesic dome to explain his theory as Synergetic. The article traces the transformation of the technical object conceived by Bauersfeld via Moholy-Nagy and Fuller into a cultural icon of the 20th century.
Zbąszynek (Neu Bentschen)
Authors: Urbaniak Miron
Published: July 2019

Zbąszynek (Neu Bentschen), a German border post, with accommodation for railway workers, customs officials, postmen and border guards, was established primarily between 1923 and 1930. It was built in the middle of the countryside, designed according to the garden city concept and provided with an urban technical infrastructure. In the years 1932 to 1945, the town had the status of a rural parish. The majority of the houses and civic buildings (railway station, school, town hall, Protestant church, Catholic church, inn) were designed by Wilhelm Beringer from the Deutsche Reichsbahn administration in Frankfurt (Oder). He incorporated neo-baroque and expressionist motifs. The monumental and expressionist water tower, designed by Bruno Möhring from Berlin, is also worth noting. The town comprised two parts. The eastern part contained housing for company workers and officials, a school at the main town square and an inn; the western part was intended – though the idea was short-lived – to comprise privately owned houses, both churches and the town hall. By design, the slaughterhouse, sewage treatment plant and cemetery were all placed on the periphery of the town. The two parts were, and still are divided by ul. Wojska Polskiego, Zbąszynek’s main street. Its southern end is the imposing pl. Dworcowy, the Station Square, taking the form of a cour d’honneur.
Das Landhaus des Marqués de Murrieta bei Córdoba
Authors: Arnold Felix
Published: July 2019

The architecture of Spain of the 1920s and 1930s remains a little studied aspect of the emergence of the modern movement. In 1926 –1931 the architects Carlos Arniches and Martín Domínguez, both prominent members of the so called ›Generación del 25‹, constructed a country estate near Córdoba for the Marqués de Murrieta. The remains of the now lost villa and garden have recently been investigated by the German Archaeological Institute, as part of a comprehensive study of the 10th century Islamic palace on which the estate had been built. The singular design of the building attests to the search for a new style of architecture based on the ›honest‹ rural architecture of Andalusia, as called for by Fernando García Mercadal and others. The design of a promenade architecturale moreover hints at the innovative potential of the architects and their contribution to the modern movement in Spain.
Der Wettbewerb für den Wiederaufbau Am Steintor in Goch am Niederrhein
Authors: Wild Moritz
Published: July 2019

In the reconstruction of German cities after the Second World War, public administrations attempted to find solutions for essential urban situations through targeted competitions. In the city of Goch on the Lower Rhine the area around the medieval Steintor (Stone Gate) had to be adapted to modern traffic requirements. In the course of the urban planning the private interests of the residents who were willing to build up clashed with the planned construction as a concern of the common good, which was represented by the district government of Düsseldorf. The solution was to be found through an urban design competition among selected experts, from whose proposals the City Planning Office drew up an alignment plan. The exemplary recapitulation of this urban planning process illustrates aspects of the history of planning, monument preservation and reconstruction competitions
Pattern recognition of head movement based on mechanomyography and its application
Authors: Gu Xiaolin , Wu Qing , Zhang Yue , Zhong Hao , Zhang Shengli , Xia Chunming , Yu Jing
Published: July 2019

The first part of this study investigated pattern recognition of head movements based on mechanomyography (MMG) signals. Four channel MMG signals were collected from the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles and the splenius capitis (SPL) muscles in the subjects’ neck when they bowed the head, raised the head, side-bent to left, side-bent to right, turned to left and turned to right. The MMG signals were then filtered, normalized and divided using an unequal length segmentation algorithm into a single action frame. After extracting the energy features of the wavelet packet coefficients and the feature of the principal diagonal slices of the bispectrum, the dimension of the energy features were reduced by the Fisher linear discriminant analysis (FLDA). Finally, all the features were classified through the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The recognition rate was up to 95.92%. On this basis, the second part of this study used the head movements to control a car model for simulating the control of a wheelchair, and the success rate was 85.74%.
New record of the rare brown alga Dictyota hauckiana from Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen-Nhat Nhu-Thuy , Dao Viet-Ha , Nguyen Xuan-Vy
Published: July 2019

In the present paper, Dictyota hauckiana is reported for the first time from Vietnam. It was found growing with other marine macroalgae nearshore, at 1–2 m depth in Ninh Hai waters, Ninh Thuan province. Morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis based on the concatenated rbcL and psbA are presented. There are now 13 species of Dictyota known from Vietnamese waters.
A study on reference interval transference via linear regression
Authors: Mu Runqing , Yun Ke , Yu Xiaoou , Cheng Shitong , Ma Ming , Zhang Xin , Wang Shuo , Zhao Min , Shang Hong
Published: July 2019

Background

Reference intervals (RIs) transference can expand the applicability of established RIs. However, the study on transference methodology is insufficient, and RIs validation based on small samples cannot adequately identify transferred risk under complex situations. This study aimed to find appropriate conditions to ensure the effect of transference.

Methods

We established the RIs of Roche and Beckman systems for 27 analytes based on 681 healthy individuals. Roche RIs were converted into the Beckman RIs using linear regression (least squares method) which is divided into two methods – Methodref (500 test numbers with relatively narrow data range) and Methodep (80 test numbers with relatively wide data range). Taking the RIs established by Beckman results as standard, we assessed the accuracy, precision and trueness of transferred results under various conditions.

Results

A total of 29.6% and 48.1% of analytes were consistent between the two systems for the lower and upper reference limits, respectively. The concordance rates between transferred and measured RIs for Methodref were up to 74.1% and 92.6%, which were better than Methodep (44.4% and 59.3%). The CV of transferred reference limits decreased gradually with increasing test number under the same data range. For most analytes, excluding some electrolyte tests, we could obtain accurate results when r > 0.800 and the test number was sufficient regardless of the regression equation types.

Conclusions

Transferability of RIs is affected by many factors, such as correlation, test number, regression equation type, and quality requirement. To reduce the risk of transference, it is very important to select right method with reasonable conditions.
An updated review on TiNi alloy for biomedical applications
Authors: Zhu Jianing , Zeng Qunfeng , Fu Tao
Published: July 2019

This manuscript has provided an overview of the development of TiNi alloys and their applications in biomedicine. The microstructures and properties of TiNi alloys are first introduced. The breakthroughs in the manufacturing and applications in biomedicine of TiNi alloys in recent years have been achieved by scientists and are presented in the present paper. It is well known that the properties of TiNi alloys are affected by the modification methods on the surface of bulk TiNi alloys. The main preparation technologies of TiNi alloy coatings are evaluated, with particular attention to several spray technologies. Then, the biocompatibility, strong anticorrosion and antiwear properties, and mechanism of TiNi alloys are also described in detail. Several advanced manufacturing processes of TiNi alloys are also briefly outlined such as selective laser melting and spark plasma sintering. The performance of TiNi alloy coatings prepared by thermal spraying techniques are fully qualified for medical applications. Thermal spraying techniques have great prospects in reducing the cost and improving the quality of TiNi alloy medical products.
Recurrent pleural effusion and pain in the shoulder in women of reproductive age could have a gynecological cause: case series
Authors: Matak Luka , Bačić Ivan , Mihanović Jakov , Lisica-Šikić Nataša , Dukić Branko , Petani Barbara , Stanojević Milan
Published: July 2019

Background

Endometriosis is a benign disorder defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside of the uterine cavity. It has been estimated that approximately 10% of the women of reproductive age and 30–50% of the women with infertility are affected.

Case presentation

We report two nulliparous patients with recurrent pleural effusion and pain in the right shoulder highly suspicious for thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES).

Conclusion

The objective of this study was to present patients with unusual symptoms related to gynecological disease. The second aim was to show our single institution experience as a second level hospital in terms of treatment and diagnosis of TES and diaphragmatic endometriosis.
Embedding a longitudinal diagnostic reasoning curriculum in a residency program using a bolus/booster approach
Authors: Harris Katherine I. , Rowat Jane S. , Suneja Manish
Published: July 2019

Background

Diagnostic reasoning skills are essential to the practice of medicine, yet longitudinal curricula to teach residents and evaluate performance in this area is lacking. We describe a longitudinal diagnostic reasoning curriculum implemented in a university-based internal medicine residency program and self-evaluation assessment of the curriculum’s effectiveness.

Methods

A longitudinal diagnostic reasoning curriculum (bolus/booster) was developed and implemented in the fall of 2015 at the University of Iowa. R1, R2, and R3 cohorts were taught the “bolus” curriculum at the beginning of each academic year followed by a “booster” component to maintain and build upon diagnostic reasoning skills taught during the “bolus” phase. Self-administered diagnostic thinking inventory (DTI) scores were collected in the spring of pre-curriculum (baseline, 2014–2015) and post-curriculum (2016–2017).

Results

The overall DTI scores improved in the R1 cohort, although statistically significant differences were not seen with R2s and R3s. In the original DTI categories, R1s improved in both flexibility of thinking and structure of thinking, the R2s improved in structure of thinking and the R3s did not improve in either category. R1s showed improvement in three of the four subcategories – data acquisition, problem representation, and hypothesis generation. The R2s improved in the subcategory of problem representation. R3s showed no improvement in any of the subcategories. The R3 cohort had higher mean scores in all categories but this did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions

Our program created and successfully implemented a longitudinal diagnostic reasoning curriculum. DTI scores improved after implementation of a new diagnostic reasoning curriculum, particularly in R1 cohort.
High intensity intermittent training induces anti-inflammatory cytokine responses and improves body composition in overweight adolescent boys
Authors: Alizadeh Hamid , Safarzade Alireza
Published: August 2019

Background

Anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) modulate systemic energy metabolism through modifying body composition parameters. Hence, this study aimed at overweight adolescent boys to explore the effect of high intensity intermittent training (HIIT) on these anti-inflammatory cytokines and body composition parameters.

Materials and methods

Twenty overweight adolescent boys [aged: 18.0 ± 1.5 years, weight: 81.8 ± 4.3 kg, body mass index (BMI): 27.6 ± 0.8 kg/m2] completed this study. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups of control (CG, n = 10) and training (TG, n = 10). Subjects in the TG performed their training sessions 3 days/week for 6 weeks. The baseline serum values of IL-4 and IL-13 and anthropometric features were measured 1 day before the beginning of exercise intervention and 1 day after the last training session in a fasting state.

Results

Six weeks of HIIT significantly increased the baseline serum levels of IL-4 (p = 0.022) and IL-13 (p = 0.014) in overweight adolescent boys. In addition, body weight (BW), BMI and body fat percent (BF%) were reduced in response to HIIT. Moreover, significantly negative correlations were found between changes of IL-4 and IL-13 with changes of BW, BMI and BF%.

Conclusions

HIIT seems to be an appropriate exercise modality for overweight adolescent boys to induce an anti-inflammatory cytokine response and, to improve body composition.
Thioredoxin inhibitor PX-12 induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells
Authors: Ehrenfeld Vanessa , Fulda Simone
Published: July 2019

Imbalances in redox homeostasis have been described to be involved in the development, progression and relapse of leukemia. As the thioredoxin (Trx) system, one of the major cellular antioxidant networks, has been implicated in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), we investigated the therapeutic potential of Trx inhibition in ALL. Here, we show that the Trx inhibitor PX-12 reduced cell viability and induced cell death in a dose- and time-dependent manner in different ALL cell lines. This antileukemic activity was accompanied by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and enhanced PRDX3 dimerization. Pre-treatment with the thiol-containing ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC), but not with non-thiol-containing scavengers α-tocopherol (α-Toc) or Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid) porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP), significantly rescued PX-12-induced cell death. Furthermore, PX-12 triggered activation of BAK. Importantly, knockdown of BAK reduced PX-12-stimulated ROS production and cell death. Similarly, silencing of NOXA provided significant protection from PX-12-mediated cell death. The relevance of mitochondria-mediated, caspase-dependent apoptosis was further supported by data showing that PX-12 triggered cleavage of caspase-3 and that addition of the broad-range caspase inhibitor carbobenzoxy-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl-[O-methyl]-fluoromethylketone (zVAD.fmk) potently blocked cell death upon PX-12 treatment. This study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of PX-12-induced cell death in ALL and further highlights the therapeutic potential of redox-active compounds in ALL.
Chronic health conditions and adolescent friendship: perspectives from social network analysis
Authors: Long Emily , Barrett Tyson , Lockhart Ginger
Published: July 2019

Objective

The current study uses methods from social network analysis to examine the relationship between chronic health conditions (CHCs) and adolescent friendships. Particular attention is given to the processes of peer marginalization, peer withdrawal and homophily related to CHCs.

Methods

Exponential random graph models were used to investigate the extent to which a CHC is associated with patterns in adolescent friendship connections, while controlling for important social network properties and covariates. The study uses cross-sectional data from six small US high schools (n = 461) within the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Results

Findings demonstrate no significant differences between adolescents with CHCs and adolescents without CHCs in the number of incoming friendship nominations (peer marginalization) or outgoing friendship nominations (peer withdrawal). In addition, similarity in CHCs (homophily) was not significantly related to friendship between two individuals.

Conclusions

In sum, the presence of an adolescent CHC was not significantly associated with adolescent social network structure, including peer marginalization, peer withdrawal, and homophily related to CHCs, after controlling for alternative social network processes. Although previous literature suggests that adolescents with CHCs experience negative social consequences, the current findings demonstrate that the social network structure of adolescents with CHCs did not differ significantly from that of their peers without CHCs. Thus, findings from the current study suggest that CHCs are not related to objective reductions in social connections.
The correlation between marital satisfaction and childbearing characteristics in women in Tehran
Authors: Ghahremani Fereshte , Ahmadi Doulabi Mahbobeh , Eslami Mohammad
Published: July 2019

Background

Pregnancy and childbearing can change the relationship between a couple and their degree of marital satisfaction.

Objectives

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of women’s childbearing characteristics, including age at marriage, childbearing age, the interval between marriage and the birth of the first child, the number of children, age differences between children and children’s gender composition (only sons, only daughters or both sons and daughters) on marital satisfaction in women of childbearing age in Tehran.

Materials and methods

This descriptive correlational study was conducted on 213 married females aged 15–45 years presenting to health centers in Tehran in 2016. The demographic questionnaire, the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale and a devised questionnaire on childbearing were used for data collection. The data collected were analyzed with SPSS-17 using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Pearson’s correlation test, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the stepwise regression test.

Results

According to the stepwise regression test, of all the factors associated with marital satisfaction, the number of children showed the highest correlation with marital satisfaction (p < 0.001, r = −0.22). In those with three children, the age difference between the second and third children had the highest correlation with marital satisfaction (p < 0.001, r = −0.5). The variables of age at first childbirth (r = 0.18) and children’s gender composition were also significantly related to marital satisfaction (p < 0.005).

Conclusion

The findings suggest that of all the factors associated with marital satisfaction, the number and spacing of children affect marital satisfaction.
Best Precision–Recall Confidence Threshold and F-Measure to Determine Quality of Camel Meat by Support Vector Regression Based Electronic Nose
Authors: Varidi Mohammad J. , Varidi Mehdi , Vajdi Meisam , Sharifpour Azam , Akbarzadeh-T Mohammad-R.
Published: July 2019

Maintaining fresh quality of camel meat and devising an effective validation instrument were the goals of this project. The minced samples were packed in bags with five different atmospheres and stored 20 days at 4 °C. Head space gas analysis and total viable count of bacteria were performed as references. Meat samples were tested with an electronic nose machine through dynamic sampling. Principal component analysis technique resulted in two distinct clusters in consistence with reference methods. Carbon dioxide was the best modified atmosphere to retain meat freshness. Support vector regression was trained with different confidence thresholds.  The best precision–recall and F-measure values were obtained at threshold 0.5 that are promising to avoid false-positive and false-negative diagnoses which would be very crucial for regulatory decision-making organizations.
Comparative Analysis of High Speed 20/20 Gbps OTDM-PON, WDM-PON and TWDM-PON for Long-Reach NG-PON2
Authors: Kumari Meet , Sharma Reecha , Sheetal Anu
Published: July 2019

Nowadays, bandwidth demand is enormously increasing, that causes the existing passive optical network (PON) to become the future optical access network. In this paper, next generation passive optical network 2 (NG-PON2) based, optical time division multiplexing passive optical network (OTDM-PON), wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) and time & wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (TWDM-PON) systems with 20 Gbps (8 × 2.5 Gbps) downstream and 20 Gbps (8 × 2.5 Gbps) upstream capacity for eight optical network units has been proposed. The performance has been compared by varying the input power (−6 to 27 dBm) and transmission distance (10–130 km) in terms of Q-factor and optical received power in the presence of fiber noise and non-linearities. It has been observed that TWDM-PON outperforms OTDM-PON and WDM-PON for high input power and data rate (20/20 Gbps). Also, TWDM-PON shows its superiority for long-reach transmission up to 130 km, which is a cost-effective solution for future NG-PON2 applications.
Acoustic identification of two morphologically similar bat species, Miniopterus magnater and Miniopterus fuliginosus (Chiroptera, Miniopteridae)
Authors: Wu Hui , Jiang Tinglei , Liu Sen , Lu Guanjun , Feng Jiang
Published: July 2019

Bats play important roles in ecosystems, and are thus considered bioindicators. Libraries of echolocation calls provide huge potential resources for bat species identifications, ecological studies and conservation surveys. Here, the echolocation calls of two morphologically similar bat species (Miniopterus magnater and Miniopterus fuliginosus) were recorded and described in order to characterize vocal signatures for field identification in China. Both M. magnater and M. fuliginosus emitted short frequency modulated echolocation calls with narrow bandwidths. Each call of the former species included two harmonics, with the first harmonic being the strongest, whereas calls of the latter species normally contained one harmonic. Although call durations were similar between the two species, there were significant differences in start, end and peak frequencies between M. magnater and M. fuliginous. The results showed that 92.3% of all calls recorded in China were attributed to the correct species based on spectral features of echolocation calls. We concluded that echolocation calls are valuable characters for the identification of morphologically similar bat species.
Properties and Inference for a New Class of Generalized Rayleigh Distributions with an Application
Authors: Biçer Hayrinisa Demirci
Published: July 2019

In the present paper, we introduce a new form of generalized Rayleigh distribution called the Alpha Power generalized Rayleigh (APGR) distribution by following the idea of extension of the distribution families with the Alpha Power transformation. The introduced distribution has the more general form than both the Rayleigh and generalized Rayleigh distributions and provides a better fit than the Rayleigh and generalized Rayleigh distributions for more various forms of the data sets. In the paper, we also obtain explicit forms of some important statistical characteristics of the APGR distribution such as hazard function, survival function, mode, moments, characteristic function, Shannon and Rényi entropies, stress-strength probability, Lorenz and Bonferroni curves and order statistics. The statistical inference problem for the APGR distribution is investigated by using the maximum likelihood and least-square methods. The estimation performances of the obtained estimators are compared based on the bias and mean square error criteria by a conducted Monte-Carlo simulation on small, moderate and large sample sizes. Finally, a real data analysis is given to show how the proposed model works in practice.
Nonfragile observer-based guaranteed cost finite-time control of discrete-time positive impulsive switched systems
Authors: Liu Leipo , Xing Hao , Cao Xiangyang , Cai Xiushan , Fu Zhumu
Published: July 2019

This paper considers the nonfragile observer-based guaranteed cost finite-time control of discrete-time positive impulsive switched systems(DPISS). Firstly, the positive observer and nonfragile positive observer are designed to estimate the actual state of the underlying systems, respectively. Secondly, by using the average dwell time(ADT) approach and multiple linear co-positive Lyapunov function (MLCLF), two guaranteed cost finite-time controller are designed and sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the corresponding closed-loop systems are guaranteed cost finite-time stability(GCFTS). Such conditions can be solved by linear programming. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Algebraic loop structures on algebra comultiplications
Authors: Lee Dae-Woong
Published: July 2019

In this paper, we study the algebraic loop structures on the set of Lie algebra comultiplications. More specifically, we investigate the fundamental concepts of algebraic loop structures and the set of Lie algebra comultiplications which have inversive, power-associative and Moufang properties depending on the Lie algebra comultiplications up to all the possible quadratic and cubic Lie algebra comultiplications. We also apply those notions to the rational cohomology of Hopf spaces.
Crystal structure of (E)-4-bromo-N-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)aniline, C12H9BrN2
Authors: Diko Nyameka , Zamisa Sizwe J. , Friedrich Holger B. , Shozi Mzamo L.
Published: July 2019

C12H9BrN2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 19.2197(12) Å, b = 4.8579(3) Å, c = 11.4679(9) Å, β = 106.880(4)°, V = 1024.60(12) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0449, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1257, T = 100(2) K.
Nonlinear H-infinity control for switched reluctance machines
Authors: Rigatos Gerasimos , Siano Pierluigi , Ademi Sul
Published: July 2019

The article proposes a nonlinear H-infinity control method for switched reluctance machines. The dynamic model of the switched reluctance machine undergoes approximate linearization round local operating points which are redefined at each iteration of the control algorithm. These temporary equilibria consist of the last value of the reluctance machine’s state vector and of the last value of the control signal that was exerted on it. For the approximate linearization of the reluctance machine’s dynamics, Taylor series expansion is performed through the computation of the associated Jacobian matrices. The modelling errors are compensated by the robustness of the control algorithm. Next, for the linearized equivalent model of the reluctance machine an H-infinity feedback controller is designed. This requires the solution of an algebraic Riccati equation at each time-step of the control method. It is shown that the control scheme achieves H-infinity tracking performance, which implies maximum robustness to modelling errors and external perturbations. The stability of the control loop is proven through Lyapunov analysis.
Measuring delayed luminescence by FES to evaluate special quality aspects of food samples – an overview
Authors: Stolz Peter , Wohlers Jenifer , Mende Gudrun
Published: July 2019

The measuring devices which are used for measuring delayed luminescence by Fluorescence Excitation Spectroscopy (FES) are described. Results are given to show the measured emission of food samples in relation to farming practices (biodynamic, organic, or conventional) and growing conditions. This overview points to the special food-quality aspects which could be evaluated by FES. A relation to molecular structures, the physiological status, or possible physiological processes are discussed as important for the characteristic delayed luminescence after colour- (wavelength-) specific excitation.
United in the Commonwealth. The Participation of Lithuanian troops in the Zborów battle in 1649
Authors: Sawicki Mariusz
Published: July 2019

In 1648, an uprising broke out in Ukraine that belonged to Poland at the time. The war was not successful for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Cossacks and Tartars, who were helping them during the war, surrounded Zbaraż, about whose defense everyone knew in the country. King Jan Kazimierz decided to set out to rescue the besieged fortress. It was decided that not only Polish troops, but also soldiers of Lithuania would set out for Ukraine. Not only state armies, but also private regiments set out to fight. The article discusses the problem of the reasons for the participation of Lithuanians in the war, which was not only due to the provisions of the union, but also to be in the king’s party. Therefore, only the branches of magnates who belong to the Jan Kazimierz party joined the Polish army. The king’s army reached Zborów, where the battle ended with treaties. The Polish nobility was not happy with them, but they caused a temporary suspension of the war. Important will also be the international echoes of the battle of Zborow with the greater strength of the Cossacks and Tartars.