bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hydro-Priming Effects on Seed Germination and Field Performance of Faba Bean in Spring Sowing
Authors: Damalas Christos A. , Koutroubas Spyridon D. , Fotiadis Sideris
Published: September 2019

Seed priming has been used to advance germination and stand in several crops, but relevant research on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is scarce. Laboratory and field trials were carried out for two years to study the effect of hydro-priming on faba bean germination and field performance in spring sowing. In laboratory trials, the effects of hydro-priming for 0, 8, 16, 24, 36, and 48 h on final germination percentage, germination speed, Timson’s germination index, mean germination time, mean daily germination, synchronization index, and seedling vigor index were studied. All hydro-priming treatments improved germination parameters of faba bean seeds, except for final germination percentage and mean daily germination compared with non-primed seeds. Averaged over priming duration treatments, hydro-priming improved germination speed by 16.2%, germination synchrony by 20.7%, and seedling vigor index by 13.4%. All hydro-priming durations improved germination synchrony, while hydro-priming for 8, 16, and 24 h provided the highest values of germination speed (2.56, 2.58, and 2.37 seeds day−1, respectively). Hydro-priming for 8 and 16 h provided the lowest values of mean germination time (5.81 and 5.96 days, respectively). In field trials, hydro-priming periods of 0, 8, 16, and 24 h were compared. On average, seed hydro-priming did not affect significantly seedling emergence 14 days after sowing in the first year, but significantly improved seedling emergence by 34.4% in the second year. No significant effect of seed hydro-priming was noted in the number of plants at 28 and 35 days after sowing. Seed priming for 8 h resulted in higher fresh weight at anthesis by 22.3% and 8.6% in the first and the second year, respectively, than the non-primed control. Similarly, seed priming for 8 h provided higher seed yield by 12.0% in the first year and by 5.9% in the second year compared with non-primed control. Overall, seed hydro-priming accelerated faba bean germination and seedling emergence, but the magnitude of the response was associated with the environment and was more evident under limited soil moisture after sowing, whereas the beneficial effect of priming was masked when rainfall followed sowing. Similarly, the beneficial effect of priming on seed yield was more pronounced with limited soil moisture after anthesis.
Does the Acknowledgement of αS1-Casein Genotype Affect the Estimation of Genetic Parameters and Prediction of Breeding Values for Milk Yield and Composition Quality-Related Traits in Murciano-Granadina?
Authors: Pizarro Inostroza María Gabriela , Landi Vincenzo , Navas González Francisco Javier , León Jurado Jose Manuel , Martínez Martínez Amparo , Fernández Álvarez Javier , Delgado Bermejo Juan Vicente
Published: September 2019

A total of 2090 lactation records for 710 Murciano-Granadina goats were collected during the years 2005–2016 and analyzed to investigate the influence of the αS1-CN genotype on milk yield and components (protein, fat, and dry matter). Goats were genetically evaluated, including and excluding the αS1-CN genotype, in order to assess its repercussion on the efficiency of breeding models. Despite no significant differences being found for milk yield, fat and dry matter heritabilities, protein production heritability considerably increased after aS1-CN genotype was included in the breeding model (+0.23). Standard errors suggest that the consideration of genotype may improve the model’s efficiency, translating into more accurate genetic parameters and breeding values (PBV). Genetic correlations ranged from −0.15 to −0.01 between protein/dry matter and milk yield/protein and fat content, while phenotypic correlations were −0.02 for milk/protein and −0.01 for milk/fat or protein content. For males, the broadest range for reliability (RAP) (0.45–0.71) was similar to that of females (0.37–0.86) when the genotype was included. PBV ranges broadened while the maximum remained similar (0.61–0.77) for males and females (0.62–0.81) when the genotype was excluded, respectively. Including the αS1-CN genotype can increase production efficiency, milk profitability, milk yield, fat, protein and dry matter contents in Murciano-Granadina dairy breeding programs.
Comprehensive Evaluation of AC/DC Hybrid Microgrid Planning Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process and Entropy Weight Method
Authors: Zhao Guopeng , Wang Dong
Published: September 2019

The comprehensive evaluation of AC/DC hybrid microgrid planning can provide reference for the planning of AC/DC hybrid microgrids. This is conducive to the realization of reasonable and effective microgrid planning. Aiming at comprehensive evaluation of AC/DC hybrid microgrids, this paper establishes an evaluation index system for planning of AC/DC hybrid microgrids. This paper combines the subjective evaluation method with the objective evaluation method, and proposes a comprehensive evaluation method of AC/DC hybrid microgrid planning based on analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method. Finally, the validity and rationality of the evaluation method are verified by an example.
Mechanical Behavior of Ti6Al4V Scaffolds Filled with CaSiO3 for Implant Applications
Authors: Rahmani Ramin , Antonov Maksim , Kollo Lauri , Holovenko Yaroslav , Prashanth Konda Gokuldoss
Published: September 2019

Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) are becoming increasingly attractive due to their biomedical applications and ease of production using additive manufacturing techniques. In the present paper, the architecture of porous scaffolds was utilized to seek for the optimized cellular structure subjected to compression loading. The deformation and stress distribution of five lightweight scaffolds, namely: Rectangular, primitive, lattice, gyroid and honeycomb Ti6Al4V structures were studied. Comparison of finite element simulations and experimental compressive test results was performed to illustrate the failure mechanism of these scaffolds. The experimental compressive results corroborate reasonably with the finite element analyses. Results of this study can be used for bone implants, biomaterial scaffolds and antibacterial applications, produced from the Ti6Al4V scaffold built by a selective laser melting (SLM) method. In addition, Ti6Al4V manufactured metallic lattice was filled by wollastonite (CaSiO3) through spark plasma sintering (SPS) to illustrate the method for the production of a metallic-ceramic composite suitable for bone tissue engineering.
Analysis of Optical Integration between Si3N4 Waveguide and a Ge-Based Optical Modulator Using a Lateral Amorphous GeSi Taper at the Telecommunication Wavelength of 1.55 µm
Authors: Traiwattanapong Worawat , Wada Kazumi , Chaisakul Papichaya
Published: September 2019

We report on the theoretical investigation of using an amorphous Ge0.83Si0.17 lateral taper to enable a low-loss small-footprint optical coupling between a Si3N4 waveguide and a low-voltage Ge-based Franz–Keldysh optical modulator on a bulk Si substrate using 3D Finite-Difference Time-Domain (3D-FDTD) simulation at the optical wavelength of 1550 nm. Despite a large refractive index and optical mode size mismatch between Si3N4 and the Ge-based modulator, the coupling structure rendered a good coupling performance within fabrication tolerance of advanced complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. For integrated optical modulator performance, the Si3N4-waveguide-integrated Ge-based on Si optical modulators could simultaneously provide workable values of extinction ratio (ER) and insertion loss (IL) for optical interconnect applications with a compact footprint.
Effects of Glazing with Preservatives on the Quality Changes of Squid during Frozen Storage
Authors: Tan Mingtang , Li Peiyun , Yu Wenhui , Wang Jinfeng , Xie Jing
Published: September 2019

This study aimed to investigate the effects of glazing with sodium polyacrylate (SP) and D-sodium erythorbate (DSE) on the quality changes of squid during frozen storage. Frozen squid samples were randomly divided into seven groups: (1) CK (unglazed); (2) WG (distilled water-glazed); (3) SG (0.1% SP -glazed); (4) SG-1DSE (0.1% SP with 0.1% DSE -glazed); (5) SG-3DSE (0.1% SP with 0.3% DSE-glazed); (6) SG-5DSE (0.1% SP with 0.5% DSE-glazed); (7) WG-1DSE (0.1% DSE-glazed). The efficacy of the different coatings was evaluated using various indicators, such as water holding capacity (WHC), pH value, low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), color, malondialdehyde (MDA) content value, free amino acids (FAAs) content, intrinsic fluorescence intensity (IFI) and the total sulfhydryl content (SH) content. Intrinsic fluorescence intensity (IFI) and low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) were used as fast monitoring techniques to monitor changes in quality of squid samples. The results showed that compared with the CK and WG groups, coating with either SG or DSE alone resulted in reduced rate of moisture loss (p < 0.05), lipid oxidation (p < 0.05) protein degradation (p < 0.05) and prolonged its shelf-life. The combination of glazing treatment with SG and DSE (groups SG-1DSE, SG-3DSE and SG-5DSE) further improved the protective effects of coating, particularly in the SG-3DSE group. Therefore, the glazing of SG-3DSE is recommended to be used to control the quality of frozen squid and to prolong its shelf-life during frozen storage.
Multi-Objective Optimal Capacity Planning for 100% Renewable Energy-Based Microgrid Incorporating Cost of Demand-Side Flexibility Management
Authors: Kiptoo Mark Kipngetich , Adewuyi Oludamilare Bode , Lotfy Mohammed Elsayed , Senjyu Tomonobu , Mandal Paras , Abdel-Akher Mamdouh
Published: September 2019

The need for energy and environmental sustainability has spurred investments in renewable energy technologies worldwide. However, the flexibility needs of the power system have increased due to the intermittent nature of the energy sources. This paper investigates the prospects of interlinking short-term flexibility value into long-term capacity planning towards achieving a microgrid with a high renewable energy fraction. Demand Response Programs (DRP) based on critical peak and time-ahead dynamic pricing are compared for effective demand-side flexibility management. The system components include PV, wind, and energy storages (ESS), and several optimal component-sizing scenarios are evaluated and compared using two different ESSs without and with the inclusion of DRP. To achieve this, a multi-objective problem which involves the simultaneous minimization of the loss of power supply probability (LPSP) index and total life-cycle costs is solved under each scenario to investigate the most cost-effective microgrid planning approach. The time-ahead resource forecast for DRP was implemented using the scikit-learn package in Python, and the optimization problems are solved using the Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) algorithm in MATLAB®. From the results, the inclusion of forecast-based DRP and PHES resulted in significant investment cost savings due to reduced system component sizing.
Parallel Image Completion with Edge and Color Map
Authors: Zhao Dan , Guo Baolong , Yan Yunyi
Published: September 2019

Over the last few years, image completion has made significant progress due to the generative adversarial networks (GANs) that are able to synthesize photorealistic contents. However, one of the main obstacles faced by many existing methods is that they often create blurry textures or distorted structures that are inconsistent with surrounding regions. The main reason is the ineffectiveness of disentangling style latent space implicitly from images. To address this problem, we develop a novel image completion framework called PIC-EC: parallel image completion networks with edge and color maps, which explicitly provides image edge and color information as the prior knowledge for image completion. The PIC-EC framework consists of the parallel edge and color generators followed by an image completion network. Specifically, the parallel paths generate edge and color maps for the missing region at the same time, and then the image completion network fills the missing region with fine details using the generated edge and color information as the priors. The proposed method was evaluated over CelebA-HQ and Paris StreetView datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that PIC-EC achieves superior performance on challenging cases with complex compositions and outperforms existing methods on evaluations of realism and accuracy, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
European Strategies for Adaptation to Climate Change with the Mayors Adapt Initiative by Self-Organizing Maps
Authors: Abarca-Alvarez Francisco Javier , Navarro-Ligero Miguel Lorenzo , Valenzuela-Montes Luis Miguel , Campos-Sánchez Francisco Sergio
Published: September 2019

The European Union (EU) has assigned municipal governments a key role in the transformations needed to achieve its climate and energy objectives. One of the main initiatives of the EU has been the “The Covenant of Mayors”, launched in 2008, with impacts beyond Europe due to integration with the “Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy”. This research focuses on local measures to adapt to climate change, verifying their differences between themselves, and aims to identify and characterize patterns in the different adaptation strategies examined. Further aims are (i) the collection of good practices, framed in the Mayors Adapt initiative, managing multidimensional data from the context and from its adaptation proposals; (ii) the classification of strategies in profiles and patterns using artificial neural networks based on the previous variables; (iii) the characterization and comparison of such profiles. The results substantiate the existence of several well-differentiated approaches, connected with their geographical context, vulnerability and politics. These results provide valuable information for its interpretation and for the planning of climate change adaptation actions, highlighting the value of the creation of networks of institutional collaboration targeted at each strategic framework.
Precipitation Diurnal Cycle in Germany Linked to Large-Scale Weather Circulations
Authors: Ghada Wael , Yuan Ye , Wastl Clemens , Estrella Nicole , Menzel Annette
Published: September 2019

The precipitation diurnal cycle (PDC) varies with the season and location. Its link to large-scale weather circulations has been studied in different regions. However, comparable information is lacking for Central Europe. Two decades of hourly precipitation data were combined with records of objective weather patterns over Germany, focusing on the general atmospheric wind directions (WD). The PDC is characterized by the frequency and the average amount of hourly precipitation. The precipitation frequency generally has two peaks: one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The morning peak of the precipitation amount is small compared to that of the afternoon peak. Remarkably, WD has a prominent influence on the PDC. Days with southwesterly WD have a high afternoon peak and a lower morning peak, while days with northwesterly WD have a high morning peak and a lower afternoon peak. Furthermore, the seasonal variations of PDC are dominated by the seasonal frequency of WD classes. This study presents a general overview of the PDC in Germany with regard to its variation with seasonality, geographical location, elevation, and WD.
Diet in Brain Health and Neurological Disorders: Risk Factors and Treatments
Authors: Brandt Jason
Published: September 2019

The role of nutrition in health and disease has been appreciated from time immemorial [...]
Allosteric AKT Inhibitors Target Synthetic Lethal Vulnerabilities in E-Cadherin-Deficient Cells
Authors: Bougen-Zhukov Nicola , Nouri Yasmin , Godwin Tanis , Taylor Megan , Hakkaart Christopher , Single Andrew , Brew Tom , Permina Elizabeth , Chen Augustine , Black Michael A. , Guilford Parry
Published: September 2019

The CDH1 gene, encoding the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin, is one of the most frequently mutated genes in gastric cancer and inactivating germline CDH1 mutations are responsible for hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome (HDGC). Using cell viability assays, we identified that breast (MCF10A) and gastric (NCI-N87) cells lacking CDH1 expression are more sensitive to allosteric AKT inhibitors than their CDH1-expressing isogenic counterparts. Apoptosis priming and total apoptosis assays in the isogenic MCF10A cells confirmed the enhanced sensitivity of E-cadherin-null cells to the AKT inhibitors. In addition, two of these inhibitors, ARQ-092 and MK2206, preferentially targeted mouse-derived gastric Cdh1−/− organoids for growth arrest. AKT protein expression and activation (as measured by phosphorylation of serine 473) were differentially regulated in E-cadherin-null MCF10A and NCI-N87 cells, with downregulation in the normal breast cells, but upregulation in the gastric cancer cells. Bioinformatic analysis of the TCGA STAD dataset revealed that AKT3, but not AKT1 or AKT2, is upregulated in the majority of E-cadherin-deficient gastric cancers. In conclusion, allosteric AKT inhibitors represent a promising class of drugs for chemoprevention and chemotherapy of cancers with E-cadherin loss.
In Silico Drug Prescription for Targeting Cancer Patient Heterogeneity and Prediction of Clinical Outcome
Authors: Piñeiro-Yáñez Elena , Jiménez-Santos María José , Gómez-López Gonzalo , Al-Shahrour Fátima
Published: September 2019

In silico drug prescription tools for precision cancer medicine can match molecular alterations with tailored candidate treatments. These methodologies require large and well-annotated datasets to systematically evaluate their performance, but this is currently constrained by the lack of complete patient clinicopathological data. Moreover, in silico drug prescription performance could be improved by integrating additional tumour information layers like intra-tumour heterogeneity (ITH) which has been related to drug response and tumour progression. PanDrugs is an in silico drug prescription method which prioritizes anticancer drugs combining both biological and clinical evidence. We have systematically evaluated PanDrugs in the Genomic Data Commons repository (GDC). Our results showed that PanDrugs is able to establish an a priori stratification of cancer patients treated with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. Patients labelled as responders according to PanDrugs predictions showed a significantly increased overall survival (OS) compared to non-responders. PanDrugs was also able to suggest alternative tailored treatments for non-responder patients. Additionally, PanDrugs usefulness was assessed considering spatial and temporal ITH in cancer patients and showed that ITH can be approached therapeutically proposing drugs or combinations potentially capable of targeting the clonal diversity. In summary, this study is a proof of concept where PanDrugs predictions have been correlated to OS and can be useful to manage ITH in patients while increasing therapeutic options and demonstrating its clinical utility.
Next-Generation Sequencing Improves Diagnosis, Prognosis and Clinical Management of Myeloid Neoplasms
Authors: Carbonell Diego , Suárez-González Julia , Chicano María , Andrés-Zayas Cristina , Triviño Juan Carlos , Rodríguez-Macías Gabriela , Bastos-Oreiro Mariana , Font Patricia , Ballesteros Mónica , Muñiz Paula , Balsalobre Pascual , Kwon Mi , Anguita Javier , Díez-Martín José Luis , Buño Ismael , Martínez-Laperche Carolina
Published: September 2019

Molecular diagnosis of myeloid neoplasms (MN) is based on the detection of multiple genetic alterations using various techniques. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been proved as a useful method for analyzing many genes simultaneously. In this context, we analyzed diagnostic samples from 121 patients affected by MN and ten relapse samples from a subset of acute myeloid leukemia patients using two enrichment-capture NGS gene panels. Pathogenicity classification of variants was enhanced by the development and application of a custom onco-hematology score. A total of 278 pathogenic variants were detected in 84% of patients. For structural alterations, 82% of those identified by cytogenetics were detected by NGS, 25 of 31 copy number variants and three out of three translocations. The detection of variants using NGS changed the diagnosis of seven patients and the prognosis of 15 patients and enabled us to identify 44 suitable candidates for clinical trials. Regarding AML, six of the ten relapsed patients lost or gained variants, comparing with diagnostic samples. In conclusion, the use of NGS panels in MN improves genetic characterization of the disease compared with conventional methods, thus demonstrating its potential clinical utility in routine clinical testing. This approach leads to better-adjusted treatments for each patient.
Differential Consequences of Bmp9 Deletion on Sinusoidal Endothelial Cell Differentiation and Liver Fibrosis in 129/Ola and C57BL/6 Mice
Authors: Desroches-Castan Agnès , Tillet Emmanuelle , Ricard Nicolas , Ouarné Marie , Mallet Christine , Feige Jean-Jacques , Bailly Sabine
Published: September 2019

The aim of the present work was to address the role of BMP9 in different genetic backgrounds (C57BL/6, BALB/c, and 129/Ola) of mice deleted for Bmp9. We found that Bmp9 deletion led to premature mortality only in the 129/Ola strain. We have previously shown that Bmp9 deletion led to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) capillarization and liver fibrosis in the 129/Ola background. Here, we showed that this is not the case in the C57BL/6 background. Analysis of LSEC from Wild-type (WT) versus Bmp9-KO mice in the C57BL/6 background showed no difference in LSEC fenestration and in the expression of differentiation markers. Comparison of the mRNA expression of LSEC differentiation markers between WT C57BL/6 and 129/Ola mice showed a significant decrease in Stabilin2, Plvap, and CD209b, suggesting a more capillary-like phenotype in WT C57BL/6 LSECs. C57BL/6 mice also had lower BMP9 circulating concentrations and hepatic Vegfr2 mRNA levels, compared to the 129/Ola mice. Taken together, our observations support a role for BMP9 in liver endothelial cell fenestration and prevention of fibrosis that is dependent on genetic background. It also suggests that 129/Ola mice are a more suitable model than C57BL/6 for the study of liver fibrosis subsequent to LSEC capillarization.
Activity and Trafficking of Copper-Transporting ATPases in Tumor Development and Defense against Platinum-Based Drugs
Authors: Petruzzelli Raffaella , Polishchuk Roman S.
Published: September 2019

Membrane trafficking pathways emanating from the Golgi regulate a wide range of cellular processes. One of these is the maintenance of copper (Cu) homeostasis operated by the Golgi-localized Cu-transporting ATPases ATP7A and ATP7B. At the Golgi, these proteins supply Cu to newly synthesized enzymes which use this metal as a cofactor to catalyze a number of vitally important biochemical reactions. However, in response to elevated Cu, the Golgi exports ATP7A/B to post-Golgi sites where they promote sequestration and efflux of excess Cu to limit its potential toxicity. Growing tumors actively consume Cu and employ ATP7A/B to regulate the availability of this metal for oncogenic enzymes such as LOX and LOX-like proteins, which confer higher invasiveness to malignant cells. Furthermore, ATP7A/B activity and trafficking allow tumor cells to detoxify platinum (Pt)-based drugs (like cisplatin), which are used for the chemotherapy of different solid tumors. Despite these noted activities of ATP7A/B that favor oncogenic processes, the mechanisms that regulate the expression and trafficking of Cu ATPases in malignant cells are far from being completely understood. This review summarizes current data on the role of ATP7A/B in the regulation of Cu and Pt metabolism in malignant cells and outlines questions and challenges that should be addressed to understand how ATP7A and ATP7B trafficking mechanisms might be targeted to counteract tumor development.
MicroRNA-99a is a Potential Target for Regulating Hypothalamic Synaptic Plasticity in the Peri/Postmenopausal Depression Model
Authors: Yang Jin , Zhang Ling , Cao Lu-Lu , Qi Jun , Li Ping , Wang Xi-Peng , Sun Xiu-Lan
Published: September 2019

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that there is a growing trend of menopausal women suffering from depression. However, the pathogenesis of menopausal depression still remains unclear. Hence, this paper aims to reveal the pathological mechanisms involved in postmenopausal depression by using a novel peri- to postmenopausal depression model induced by a two-step ovariectomy plus chronic mild stress (CMS). The results of metabolic chambers and serum hormone/cytokine determination revealed that peri/postmenopausal depressive mice exhibited endocrine and metabolic disorders. Electrophysiological recordings indicated that the hippocampal synaptic transmission was compromised. Compared to the sham group, the microRNA-99a (miR-99a) level decreased significantly in the hypothalamus, and its target FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) enormously increased; in contrast, the nuclear translocation of the progesterone receptor (PR) decreased in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in the peri/postmenopausal depression mouse model. Additionally, synaptic proteins, including postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) and synaptophysin (SYN), showed a similar decrease in the hypothalamus. Accordingly, the present work suggests that miR-99a may be involved in the regulation of hypothalamic synaptic plasticity and that it might be a potential therapeutic target for peri/postmenopausal depression.
Endoglin Protein Interactome Profiling Identifies TRIM21 and Galectin-3 as New Binding Partners
Authors: Gallardo-Vara Eunate , Ruiz-Llorente Lidia , Casado-Vela Juan , Ruiz-Rodríguez María J. , López-Andrés Natalia , Pattnaik Asit K. , Quintanilla Miguel , Bernabeu Carmelo
Published: September 2019

Endoglin is a 180-kDa glycoprotein receptor primarily expressed by the vascular endothelium and involved in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Heterozygous mutations in the endoglin gene (ENG) cause hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1, a vascular disease that presents with nasal and gastrointestinal bleeding, skin and mucosa telangiectases, and arteriovenous malformations in internal organs. A circulating form of endoglin (alias soluble endoglin, sEng), proteolytically released from the membrane-bound protein, has been observed in several inflammation-related pathological conditions and appears to contribute to endothelial dysfunction and cancer development through unknown mechanisms. Membrane-bound endoglin is an auxiliary component of the TGF-β receptor complex and the extracellular region of endoglin has been shown to interact with types I and II TGF-β receptors, as well as with BMP9 and BMP10 ligands, both members of the TGF-β family. To search for novel protein interactors, we screened a microarray containing over 9000 unique human proteins using recombinant sEng as bait. We find that sEng binds with high affinity, at least, to 22 new proteins. Among these, we validated the interaction of endoglin with galectin-3, a secreted member of the lectin family with capacity to bind membrane glycoproteins, and with tripartite motif-containing protein 21 (TRIM21), an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase. Using human endothelial cells and Chinese hamster ovary cells, we showed that endoglin co-immunoprecipitates and co-localizes with galectin-3 or TRIM21. These results open new research avenues on endoglin function and regulation.
Evaluation of Moisture Level Using Precipitation Indices as a Landslide Triggering Factor—A Study of Coonoor Hill Station
Authors: Suribabu C. R. , Sujatha Evangelin Ramani
Published: September 2019

Extreme heavy rainfall events in the hilly region pose a great threat to public safety and causes dangerous landslides in the region. Several factors contribute to a landslide and, hence, it is essential to analyze the causes of such related incidents in all possible ways. Though rainfall is the major triggering factor for most of the landslides in the Western Ghats, the long period antecedent moisture level prevailing in the soil of a hilly terrain cannot be ignored. Few of the drought assessing and monitoring indices available in literature can be adopted to predict the degree of wetness from long-term precipitation data of the region. In the present work, three moisture level assessment indices, namely, standardized precipitation index (SPI), China Z-index (CZI), and statistical Z-Score (SZS) index are used to categorize the antecedent moisture level of Coonoor station. Monthly rainfall data for a period of 81 years is used for the study. It is evident from the study that higher level of moisture followed by heavy rainfall triggers medium- to large-scale landslides. Further, from the study it is inferred that an early warning for a landslide can be given once cumulative rainfall exceeds 300 mm during continuous storm periods.
Value Modeling for Ecosystem Analysis
Authors: Arreola González Alejandro , Pfaff Matthias , Krcmar Helmut
Published: September 2019

Scholars have proposed many approaches to represent and analyze value creation. Value creation in ecosystems such as platform ecosystems often relies on a specific structure of partner alignment. Value modeling techniques can improve the understanding of how ecosystem risks and non-generic complementarities determine value creation and the alignment structures required. First, we conceptualize ecosystem analysis as a tool for alignment in the context of business innovation. Then, we carry out a structured literature review to identify existing techniques, which could support ecosystem analysis. Further, we provide a comprehensive overview of the value modeling techniques and integrate our ecosystem analysis conceptualization with existing classification frameworks. This integrative framework allows researchers and scholars to identify techniques that suit specific needs in terms of internal alignment reach, tooling, innovation phase and ecosystem analysis. Our results show limited support for ecosystem analysis. Still we are able to identify techniques that can provide a useful conceptual or tooling basis to enable ecosystem analysis.
Towards a Framework for Assessing IT Strategy Execution
Authors: Rodríguez José-Ramón , Clarisó Robert , Marco-Simó Josep Maria
Published: September 2019

In this paper, we explore a framework for assessing the implementation of IT Strategic planning, grounded in the combination and iteration of different methods. It is a part of an Action Design Research exercise being made up at a leading online European university. The assessment mixes three main dimensions (strategy, performance and governance), extracted from the professional and academic research. Its application to this context through a varied scaffolding of methods, tools and techniques seems robust and helpful to work out with the business and IT senior stakeholders. It allows a quick deployment, even in a complex institutional environment.
Two Tetranuclear Butterfly-Shaped Co(II) Complexes: Structure, Mass Spectrometric, and Magnetism
Authors: Deng Qian-Jun , Chen Min , Chen Dong-Chu , Chen Chang-Ai
Published: September 2019

The organic ligand (1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methanol (HL) was used to react with CoX2·6H2O (X = Cl and Br) under solvothermal conditions to obtain the complex [Co4(L)6(X)2] (1, X = Cl; 2, X = Br). The butterfly-shaped structure of complex 1 and 2 suggest that Co(II) ions have two different coordinated modes, which are five coordination with O3NX environment and six coordination with O4N2 environment. In addition, the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis indicated that the ion molecular fragment of highest intensity was [Co4(L)6]2+, and there existed a high nuclear fragment peak of [Co7(L)12]2+. Interestingly, it was basically completely transformed into [Co7(L)12]2+ two days later, so those two complexes were relatively stable in CH3OH. Magnetic characterization exhibited that complex 1 and 2 display field-induced single-molecule magnetic behavior, of which the energy hills Ueff/kB were 28 and 20 K under direct-current field of 0.1 T, respectively.
Intermolecular Interactions in Functional Crystalline Materials: From Data to Knowledge
Authors: Vologzhanina Anna V.
Published: September 2019

Intermolecular interactions of organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds are the key to many composition–structure and structure–property networks. In this review, some of these relations and the tools developed by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center (CCDC) to analyze them and design solid forms with desired properties are described. The potential of studies supported by the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD)-Materials tools for investigation of dynamic processes in crystals, for analysis of biologically active, high energy, optical, (electro)conductive, and other functional crystalline materials, and for the prediction of novel solid forms (polymorphs, co-crystals, solvates) are discussed. Besides, some unusual applications, the potential for further development and limitations of the CCDC software are reported.
Application of GISAXS in the Investigation of Three-Dimensional Lattices of Nanostructures
Authors: Basioli Lovro , Salamon Krešimir , Tkalčević Marija , Mekterović Igor , Bernstorff Sigrid , Mičetić Maja
Published: September 2019

The application of the grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) technique for the investigation of three-dimensional lattices of nanostructures is demonstrated. A successful analysis of three-dimensionally ordered nanostructures requires applying a suitable model for the description of the nanostructure ordering. Otherwise, it is possible to get a good agreement between the experimental and the simulated data, but the parameters obtained by fitting may be completely incorrect. In this paper, we theoretically examine systems having different types of nanostructure ordering, and we show how the choice of the correct model for the description of ordering influences the analysis results. Several theoretical models are compared in order to show how to use GISAXS in the investigation of self-assembled arrays of nanoparticles, and also in arrays of nanostructures obtained by ion-beam treatment of thin films or surfaces. All models are supported by experimental data, and the possibilities and limitations of GISAXS for the determination of material structure are discussed.
Critical Review of Scintillating Crystals for Neutron Detection
Authors: Cieślak Michał , Gamage Kelum , Glover Robert
Published: September 2019

There exists an ongoing need to develop and improve methods of detecting radioactive materials. As each radioactive isotope leaves a unique mark in a form of the particles it emits, new materials capable of detecting and measuring these particles are constantly sought. Neutrons and their detectors play a significant role in areas such as nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning and decontamination, border security, nuclear proliferation and nuclear medicine. Owing to the complexity of their detection, as well as scarcity of 3He, which has historically been the preferred choice for neutron detection in many application fields, new sensitive materials are sought. Organic and inorganic scintillating crystals have been recognised as particularly good alternatives, and as such systems that utilise them are increasingly common. As they allow investigation of the neutron energy spectra, greater information about the radioactive source can be inferred. Therefore, in this article, an extensive review of scintillating crystals used for neutron detection is presented. By describing the history of scintillating crystals and discussing changes that occurred in their use and development of methods for radiation detection, the authors present a comprehensive overview of the current situation. Supported by a practical example, possible future directions of the research area are also presented.
Potential Invasion Risk of Pet Traded Lizards, Snakes, Crocodiles, and Tuatara in the EU on the Basis of a Risk Assessment Model (RAM) and Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK)
Authors: Kopecký Oldřich , Bílková Anna , Hamatová Veronika , Kňazovická Dominika , Konrádová Lucie , Kunzová Barbora , Slaměníková Jana , Slanina Ondřej , Šmídová Tereza , Zemancová Tereza
Published: September 2019

Because biological invasions can cause many negative impacts, accurate predictions are necessary for implementing effective restrictions aimed at specific high-risk taxa. The pet trade in recent years became the most important pathway for the introduction of non-indigenous species of reptiles worldwide. Therefore, we decided to determine the most common species of lizards, snakes, and crocodiles traded as pets on the basis of market surveys in the Czech Republic, which is an export hub for ornamental animals in the European Union (EU). Subsequently, the establishment and invasion potential for the entire EU was determined for 308 species using proven risk assessment models (RAM, AS-ISK). Species with high establishment potential (determined by RAM) and at the same time with high potential to significantly harm native ecosystems (determined by AS-ISK) included the snakes Thamnophis sirtalis (Colubridae), Morelia spilota (Pythonidae) and also the lizards Tiliqua scincoides (Scincidae) and Intellagama lesueurii (Agamidae).
Frequency Dependence of the Entanglement Entropy Production in a System of Coupled Driven Nonlinear Oscillators
Authors: Zhang Shi-Hui , Yan Zhan-Yuan
Published: September 2019

Driven nonlinear systems have attracted great interest owing to their applications in quantum technologies such as quantum information. In quantum information, entanglement is a vital resource and can be measured by entropy in bipartite systems. In this paper, we carry out an investigation to study the impact of driving frequency on the entanglement with a bipartite system of two coupled driven nonlinear oscillators. It is numerically found that the time evolution of the entanglement entropy between the subsystems significantly depends on the driving frequency. The dependence curve of the entropy production on the driving frequency exhibits a pronounced peak. This means the entanglement between the subsystems can be greatly increased by tuning the driving frequency. Further analyses show that the enhancement of the entropy production by the driving frequency is closely related to the energy levels involved in the quantum evolution. This is confirmed by the results related to the quantum spectrum and the dispersion of the wave function in the phase space. Our work gives a convenient way to enhance the entanglement in driven nonlinear systems and throws light on the role of driven nonlinear systems in quantum information technologies.
A Fractional-Order Element (FOE)-Based Approach to Wireless Power Transmission for Frequency Reduction and Output Power Quality Improvement
Authors: Zhang Guidong , Ou Zuhong , Qu Lili
Published: September 2019

A wireless power transmission (WPT) requires high switching frequency to achieve energy transmission; however, existing switching devices cannot satisfy the requirements of high-frequency switching, and the efficiency of current WPT is too low. Compared with the traditional power inductors and capacitors, fractional-order elements (FOEs) in WPT can realize necessary functions though requiring a lower switching frequency, which leads to a more favorable high-frequency switching performance with a higher efficiency. In this study, a generalized fractional-order WPT (FO-WPT) is established, followed by a comprehensive analysis on its WPT performance and power efficiency. Through extensive simulations of typical FO wireless power domino-resonators (FO-WPDRS), the functionality of the proposed FO-WPT for medium and long-range WPT is demonstrated. The numerical results show that the proposed FOE-based WPT solution has a higher power efficiency and lower switching frequency than conventional methods.
Design and Characterization of a Microwave Planar Sensor for Dielectric Assessment of Vegetable Oils
Authors: Ivanov Aleksandr , Agliullin Timur , Laneve Dario , Portosi Vincenza , Vorobev Artem , Nigmatullin Raoul R. , Nasybullin Aydar , Morozov Oleg , Prudenzano Francesco , D’Orazio Antonella , Grande Marco
Published: September 2019

We report on the numerical simulations and experimental validation of a microwave planar sensor based on two coupled rings operating in the 4–6 GHz range. The fabricated sensor is used to characterize the dielectric permittivity of vegetable oils. We optimized the geometrical parameters in order to improve the overlap between the oil samples under study and the electric field. The experimental results showed an excellent match with the simulation results. The fabricated sensor allowed to retrieve the oil permittivity with a sensitivity of about 35 MHz per permittivity unit in the frequency range of interest. This paves the way to the realization of compact and sensitive sensors for a wide plethora of fields ranging from industry and food to chemistry and biology.
Layer Selection in Progressive Transmission of Motion-Compensated JPEG2000 Video
Authors: Maturana-Espinosa José Carmelo , García-Ortiz Juan Pablo , Müller Daniel , González-Ruiz Vicente
Published: September 2019

MCJ2K (Motion-Compensated JPEG2000) is a video codec based on MCTF (Motion- Compensated Temporal Filtering) and J2K (JPEG2000). MCTF analyzes a sequence of images, generating a collection of temporal sub-bands, which are compressed with J2K. The R/D (Rate-Distortion) performance in MCJ2K is better than the MJ2K (Motion JPEG2000) extension, especially if there is a high level of temporal redundancy. MCJ2K codestreams can be served by standard JPIP (J2K Interactive Protocol) servers, thanks to the use of only J2K standard file formats. In bandwidth-constrained scenarios, an important issue in MCJ2K is determining the amount of data of each temporal sub-band that must be transmitted to maximize the quality of the reconstructions at the client side. To solve this problem, we have proposed two rate-allocation algorithms which provide reconstructions that are progressive in quality. The first, OSLA (Optimized Sub-band Layers Allocation), determines the best progression of quality layers, but is computationally expensive. The second, ESLA (Estimated-Slope sub-band Layers Allocation), is sub-optimal in most cases, but much faster and more convenient for real-time streaming scenarios. An experimental comparison shows that even when a straightforward motion compensation scheme is used, the R/D performance of MCJ2K competitive is compared not only to MJ2K, but also with respect to other standard scalable video codecs.
The Impact of Substrate–Enzyme Proportion for Efficient Hydrolysis of Hay
Authors: Mezule Linda , Berzina Ieva , Strods Martins
Published: September 2019

Fuel alcohol production yields can be influenced by lignocellulosic biomass loading. High solid loadings (>20 wt%) are suggested to have the potential to produce more products. However, most often, low substrate loadings (<5% solids, w/w) are used to ensure good wetting and enzyme accessibility, and to minimize any inhibitory effect on the hydrolysis products. Here, we analyzed the effect of substrate loading on the enzymatic hydrolysis of hay with non-commercial enzyme products obtained from white-rot fungi. A significant negative effect on hydrolysis was observed when 10 wt% hay loading was used with the commercial enzyme, however, non-commercial enzyme products from white-rot fungi had no impact on hydrolysis in biomass loading rates from 1 to 10 wt%. Moreover, it was estimated that enzymes extracted from white-rot fungi could be used at a concentration of 0.2 FPU/mL at a biomass loading from 1–10 wt%, resulting in 0.17–0.24 g of released reducing carbohydrates per gram of biomass. Higher concentrations did not result in any significant conversion increase. A mixing impact was only observed in test runs at a substrate loading of 10 wt%. The apparently positive features of the non-commercial enzyme mixes give rise to their future use. The combination and upgrade of existing technologies, e.g., efficient pre-treatment, membrane purification, and concentration and efficient product recovery, should result in even higher conversion yields.
The Conundrum of Carbon Trading Projects towards Sustainable Development: A Review from the Palm Oil Industry in Malaysia
Authors: Tengku Hamzah Tengku Adeline Adura , Zainuddin Zainorfarah , Mohd Yusoff Mariney , Osman Saripah , Abdullah Alias , Md Saini Khairos , Sisun Arno
Published: September 2019

Palm oil’s utilization as a renewable energy (RE) source has led the government to intervene by introducing emission reduction projects. Carbon trading projects are part of the strategic direction adopted within the climate mitigation plan and sustainability drive in the palm oil industry. The perquisites and opportunities encountered within emissions trading are expected to aid palm oil producers economically, environmentally, and socially. This study addresses and analyses how the carbon trading projects’ targets in Malaysia can be achieved, the problematic, and pressing issues around their implementation and whether these projects are sustainable and create a positive impact. This paper is based on literature reviews and semi-structured interviews with expert palm oil producers in Malaysia. The findings have revealed that carbon trading implementation in Malaysia has delivered new insights towards the international climate policy approach on the feasibility and impact of long-term sustainability goals. However, the impact of the implementation needs support from the government for further development. In conclusion, the major contribution of this study is that the carbon trading implementation in Malaysia complies with the objectives and principles of sustainable development and creates a significant influx in investment for Malaysia’s economic growth.
Modeling Migratory Flight in the Spruce Budworm: Temperature Constraints
Authors: Régnière Jacques , Delisle Johanne , Sturtevant Brian R. , Garcia Matthew , Saint-Amant Rémi
Published: September 2019

We describe an individual-based model of spruce budworm moth migration founded on the premise that flight liftoff, altitude, and duration are constrained by the relationships between wing size, body weight, wingbeat frequency, and air temperature. We parameterized this model with observations from moths captured in traps or observed migrating under field conditions. We further documented the effects of prior defoliation on the size and weight (including fecundity) of migrating moths. Our simulations under idealized nocturnal conditions with a stable atmospheric boundary layer suggest that the ability of gravid female moths to migrate is conditional on the progression of egg-laying. The model also predicts that the altitude at which moths migrate varies with the temperature profile in the boundary layer and with time during the evening and night. Model results have implications for the degree to which long-distance dispersal by spruce budworm might influence population dynamics in locations distant from outbreak sources, including how atmospheric phenomena such as wind convergence might influence these processes. To simulate actual migration flights en masse, the proposed model will need to be linked to regional maps of insect populations, a phenology model, and weather model outputs of both large- and small-scale atmospheric conditions.