bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Allergic Sensitization Increases Contractile Responses to 5-HT in Guinea Pig Aorta
Authors: CAMPOS-BEDOLLA P. , DE-LA-CRUZ-NEGRETE R. , VARGAS M. , TORREJÓN-GONZÁLEZ E. , MENDOZA-MEJÍA D. , ISLAS-HERNÁNDEZ A. , SEGURA-MEDINA P. , CÓRDOBA-RODRÍGUEZ G. , OROZCO-SUÁREZ S. , ARREOLA-RAMÍREZ J.
Published: March 2020

Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that asthma is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but its mechanism is uncertain. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a mediator involved in asthma and in cardiovascular functioning. Thus, in the present study, we explored whether allergic sensitization in guinea pigs modifies 5-HT-induced contractile responses and 5-HT2A receptor expression in thoracic aorta rings. We found that sensitization produced a significant increase of 100 µM 5-HT-induced contractions of aorta rings (~27 % greater contraction than in non-sensitized animals, p<0.05). Preincubation with 10 nM ketanserin (a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist) reduced by ~30 % (p=0.003) and ~36 % (p=0.005) the area under the curve of 5-HT-induced contractions in aortas from non-sensitized and sensitized animals, respectively. There were no differences between sensitized and non-sensitized animals with respect to mRNA (qPCR) and protein (Western blot) expression of 5-HT2A receptor in thoracic aortas. We concluded that in this guinea pig model of asthma, allergic sensitization is not confined to airways, but also affects arterial contractile responses to 5-HT; changes in the expression of the 5-HT2A receptor appear not to be involved in this phenomenon.
Intra-Articular Injection of Mitomycin C Prevents Progression of Immobilization-Induced Arthrogenic Contracture in the Remobilized Rat Knee
Authors: KANEGUCHI A. , OZAWA J. , YAMAOKA K.
Published: March 2020

This study tested whether cell cycle inhibitor mitomycin C (MMC) prevents arthrogenic contracture progression during remobilization by inhibiting fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis in the joint capsule. Rat knees were immobilized in a flexed position to generate flexion contracture. After three weeks, the fixation device was removed and rat knees were allowed to freely move for one week. Immediately after and three days after fixator removal, rats received intra-articular injections of MMC or saline. The passive extension range of motion (ROM) was measured before and after myotomy of the knee flexors to distinguish myogenic and arthrogenic contractures. In addition, both cellularity and fibrosis in the posterior joint capsule were assessed histologically. Joint immobilization significantly decreased ROMs both before and after myotomy compared with untreated controls. In saline-injected knees, remobilization increased ROM before myotomy, but further decreased that after myotomy compared with that of knees immediately after three weeks of immobilization. Histological analysis revealed that hypercellularity, mainly due to fibroblast proliferation, and fibrosis characterized by increases in collagen density and joint capsule thickness occurred after remobilization in saline-injected knees. Conversely, MMC injections were able to prevent the remobilization-enhanced reduction of ROM after myotomy by inhibiting both hypercellularity and joint capsule fibrosis. Our results suggest that joint capsule fibrosis accompanied by fibroblast proliferation is a potential cause of arthrogenic contracture progression during remobilization, and that inhibiting fibroblast proliferation may constitute an effective remedy.
Exposure to Sodium Salicylate Disrupts VGLUT3 Expression in Cochlear Inner Hair Cells and Contributes to Tinnitus
Authors: ZHANG W. , PENG Z. , YU S. , SONG Q.-L. , QU T.-F. , LIU K. , GONG S.-S.
Published: March 2020

To examine whether exposure to sodium salicylate disrupts expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) and whether the alteration in expression corresponds to increased risk for tinnitus. Rats were treated with saline (control) or sodium salicylate (treated) Rats were examined for tinnitus by monitoring gap-pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (GPIAS). Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was applied to evaluate hearing function after treatment. Rats were sacrificed after injection to obtain the cochlea, cochlear nucleus (CN), and inferior colliculus (IC) for examination of VGLUT3 expression. No significant differences in hearing thresholds between groups were identified (p>0.05). Tinnitus in sodium salicylate-treated rats was confirmed by GPIAS. VGLUT3 encoded by solute carrier family 17 members 8 (SLC17a8) expression was significantly increased in inner hair cells (IHCs) of the cochlea in treated animals, compared with controls (p<0.01). No significant differences in VGLUT3 expression between groups were found for the cochlear nucleus (CN) or IC (p>0.05). Exposure to sodium salicylate may disrupt SLC17a8 expression in IHCs, leading to alterations that correspond to tinnitus in rats. However, the CN and IC are unaffected by exposure to sodium salicylate, suggesting that enhancement of VGLUT3 expression in IHCs may contribute to the pathogenesis of tinnitus.
Early Postnatal Hypoxia Induces Behavioral Deficits but not Morphological Damage in the Hippocampus in Adolescent Rats
Authors: RILJAK V. , LAŠTŮVKA Z. , MYSLIVEČEK J. , BORBÉLYOVÁ V. , OTÁHAL J.
Published: March 2020

Hypoxia is one of the major pathological factors affecting brain function. The aim of the present study was to describe the effect of neonatal hypobaric hypoxia on the behavior of rats and to analyze its effect on hippocampal neurodegeneration. Hypobaric hypoxia at a simulated altitude of 9000 m was induced for one hour in neonatal rat pups (PND7 and PND9) of both sexes. Subsequently, the rats underwent behavioral testing on PND25 and PND35 using a LABORAS apparatus to assess spontaneous behavior. Hypoxia did not cause any morphological damage in the hippocampus of rats. However, hypoxia on PND7 led to less horizontal locomotor activity both in males (on PND25) and females (on PND35). Hypoxia on PND9 led to higher rearing in females on PND25. Hypoxic males exhibited higher grooming activity, while females lower grooming activity on PND35 following hypoxia induced on PND7. In females, hypoxia on PND9 resulted in higher grooming activity on PND25. Sex differences in the effect of hypoxia were observed on PND35, when hypoxic males compared to hypoxic females displayed more locomotor, rearing and grooming activity. Our data suggest that hypoxia on PND7 versus PND9 differently affects locomotion and grooming later in adolescence and these effects are sex-dependent.
New Insights in the Mechanisms of Impaired Redox Signaling and its Interplay With Inflammation and Immunity in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: MICHALIČKOVÁ D. , ŠÍMA M. , SLANAŘ O.
Published: March 2020

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurological disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS), leading to demyelination and axonal damage and resulting in a range of physical, mental or even psychiatric symptoms. Key role of oxidative stress (OS) in the pathogenesis of MS has been suggested, as indicated by the biochemical analysis of cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples, tissue homogenates, and animal models of multiple sclerosis. OS causes demyelination and neurodegeneration directly, by oxidation of lipids, proteins and DNA but also indirectly, by inducing a dysregulation of the immunity and favoring the state of pro-inflammatory response. In this review, we discuss the interrelated mechanisms of the impaired redox signaling, of which the most important are inflammation-induced production of free radicals by activated immune cells and growth factors, release of iron from myelin sheath during demyelination and mitochondrial dysfunction and consequent energy failure and impaired oxidative phosphorylation. Review also provides an overview of the interplay between inflammation, immunity and OS in MS. Finally, this review also points out new potential targets in MS regarding attenuation of OS and inflammatory response in MS.
Prediction on Deposit Subscription of Customer based on Bank Telemarketing using Decision Tree with Entropy Comparison
Authors: Luthfiarta Ardytha , Zeniarja Junta , Faisal Edi , Wicaksono Wibowo
Published: March 2020

Banking system collect enormous amounts of data every day. This data can be in the form of customer information,  transaction  details,  risk profiles,   credit   card   details,   limits   and   collateral    details, compliance  Anti Money Laundering (AML) related information, trade  finance  data,  SWIFT  and  telex  messages. In addition,  Thousands  of decision  are  made in Banking system. For example, banks everyday creates credit decisions,  relationship  start  up,  investment   decisions, AML  and  Illegal  financing  related decision.  To create this decision, comprehensive review on various  reports  and drills  down  tools  provided  by the banking systems is needed.  However, this is a manual process which  is  error  prone  and  time  consuming  due  to  large volume of transactional  and historical  data available. Hence, automatic knowledge mining is needed to ease the decision making process.  This research focuses on data mining techniques to handle the mentioned problem. The technique will focus on classification method using Decision Tree algorithms.  This research provides an overview of the data mining techniques and   procedures will be performed.   It also provides   an insight   into how these techniques can be used in deposit subscription  in banking system to make a decision making process easier and more productive. Keywords - Telemarketing, bank deposit, decision tree, classification, data mining, entropy.
Rabbit Type Classification Using Multi-SVM Based on Feature Extraction
Authors: Mintorini Ery , Mahmud Wildan
Published: March 2020

Rabbits reputation of being cute, fluffy, cuddly critters lend then to being a popular choice for children pets. But in raising a rabbit is not easy, this depends on the type of rabbit. Rabbits that commonly pet are Rex Rabbits, American Rabbits, and Giant Rabbits. Rex Rabbits itself has some species including Rex Amber and Rex Lilac species, Giant Rabbits rabbits includes Giant Chekered rabbit, Harleyquin, dan American White Rabbit. Classification technology can be used to help the classification process of rabbits are Multi-SVM method and image feature extraction to classify rabbit species. Feature extraction used in this study is mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, entropy. The five features are classified with Multi-SVM. The data used in this study are 125 images, consisting of 100 training images and 25 test images. The accuracy of this method reached 92%. Keywords – Classification, Multi-SVM, Rabbit, Feature Extraction
Konsep Sehat dan Sakit pada Budaya Etnis Dayak Kebahan
Authors: Herlan Herlan , Praptantya Donatianus BSE , Juliansyah Viza , Efriani Efriani , Dewantara Jagad Aditya
Published: March 2020

Tidak setiap masyarakat menghubungkan kondisi sehat ataupun sakit hanya dengan kondisi tubuh seseorang, namun nilai, kepercayaan dan budaya juga memainkan peran penting di dalam pendefinisian kondisi kesehatan seseorang. Oleh karena itu, kajian ini penting untuk dilakukan. Kajian ini dimaksudkan untuk mengungkapkan konsep sehat dan sakit pada masyarakat lokal dan menemukan teknik-teknik pengobatan berdasarkan falsafah lokal. Kajian ini dilakukan dengan metode kualitatif dan etnografi (emic) dengan objek kajian pada komunitas Dayak Kebahan di Kabupaten Sintang, Kalimantan Barat. Adapun temuan dalam kajian ini ialah: (1) sehat adalah seseorang yang memiliki badan yang sehat, mental yang kuat dan mampu beraktivitas dengan lancar tanpa mengalami gangguan; (2) Penyakit didefinisikan sebagai suatu yang tidak terlihat secara langsung, tidak berbentuk dan tidak terasa, tiba-tiba saja bisa menyerang, dan berbentuk suatu wabah atau kumpulan penyakit; (3) Sakit didefinisikan sebagai sakit pada umumnya, sakit ingatan atau garing panas (sakit jiwa), garing pulasit (kemasukan roh jahat), sakit kuning dan kapidaraan; (4) Teknik pengobatan yang dilakukan ialah dengan pengobatan menggunakan tanaman, mantra, dan ritual balian/batra.
A General Framework for International Conflict under Incomplete Information
Authors: Dekker Mark , Walentek Dawid , Haslbeck Jonas , Broere Joris
Published: March 2020

The crisis bargaining literature identifies the incentives and constraints that states face in an international conflict. It shows that the size of and the relation between economic cost resulting from engaging in a coercion and domestic audience cost resulting from issuing empty threats determines states’ prospects to succeed at the threat stage and engage in coercion. This article further develops the crisis bargaining framework by providing a specification of uncertainty about the economic and domestic audience cost. Specifically, we introduce uncertainty by modelling economic and domestic audience costs as probability distributions, instead of fixed values as in earlier studies. We develop our argument with the use of a game theory model, expanding the current crisis bargaining framework. In contrast to earlier work, we find that an increase in uncertainty decreases the effectiveness of threats of coercion and decreases the probability of engagement in coercion.
Music Composition Today
Authors: Tsao Ming
Published: March 2020

In this essay, composer Ming Tsao presents a critical overview of today's new music scene, with a special emphasis on the task of teaching music composition today and the culture of new music festivals. Tsao's main critique delves into the current tendency towards entertainment predominantly displayed in some German new music festivals, commonly advertised as experimental music. Alongside this critique, Tsao presents Steven Takasugi's musical theater work "Side Show" (2009-15) as an example of today's music composition that resists this emerging commercialism in concert music. In this text, Tsao makes reference to the writings and ideas of German composer Helmut Lachenmann, mainly on his concepts of Geräuschmusik, Kadenzklänge, Texturklänge, and the language-like aspects of music, as well as to the writings of poet J. H. Prynne [note by editor].
CAMBIOS EN LA AGILIDAD EN LOS ESTUDIANTES DE CULTURA FÍSICA, DEPORTE Y RECREACIÓN DE COHORTE 2013-1: ESTUDIO PROSPECTIVO
Authors: Castro Laura Elizabeth , Godoy Gomez Oskar David , Argüello Gutierrez Yenni Paola
Published: March 2020

Introducción. La agilidad es la capacidad de cambiar de un movimiento a otro en el menor tiempo posible generando así gran cantidad de energía utilizada permitir la respuesta a un estímulo controlad, bien sea motriz y/o corporal. Por consiguiente, la universidad Santo Tomás evalúa las capacidades físicas de los aspirantes al programa de cultura física, deporte y recreación en los componentes motor, corporal y físico para identificar y analizar el perfil de cada uno de los sujetos. Las cuales tuvieron un seguimiento prospectico desde el inicio de su periodo académico y al finalizar su periodo académico para ser analizados y evidenciar los cambios existentes de las capacidades físicas durante su paso por la universidad. Metodología. Se realizó un estudio cuantitativo con seguimiento prospectivo por la aplicación del test de agilidad en adaptación al móvil y habilidad en tierra pre-ingreso universitario y pre finalización del programa de Cultura Física, Deporte y Recreación para identificar cuáles eran los cambios y hallazgos más relevantes de la condición física de los estudiantes de la Universidad Santo Tomás 2013-1. Resultados. Se encontró en la cohorte 2013- 1 en la prueba de habilidades en tierra una media en el género masculino de 30.95 segundos con una DS ± de 5.02 con un percentil bueno y en el género femenino de 38.95 percentil bueno; continuando el seguimiento prospectivo hasta 2016, aproximadamente 4 años después de su primera toma se encontró una media de 30.87 seg. con una DS± de 8.49 con un percentil bueno y las mujeres una media de 30.06 seg. con una DS± de 9.64 con un percentil excelente. Conclusiones. Se encontró una mejora de los tiempos de ejecución, donde se disminuye el tiempo promedio de realización de la prueba.
Satisfacción de padres de familia con intervención intrahospitalaria pediátrica de sobrepeso-obesidad en Costa Rica
Authors: Rojas-Valverde Daniel , Brenes-Marcano Maigualida , Valverde-Arce Sonia
Published: March 2020

La obesidad es una problemática que se extiende alrededor del mundo, cada vez se convierte en una condición más frecuente y común en personas menores de edad, por múltiples factores, entre ellos, el comportamiento dentro del hogar con respecto a hábitos alimenticios, el papel del sistema educativo en la alimentación y los patrones de actividad física. Costa Rica no es la excepción a este comportamiento global. Muchos esfuerzos se realizan desde las instituciones del país para contraatacar la condición. En el caso de los menores de dieciocho años, existe un antecedente desde un hospital regional, en el cual se realizó una intervención con el objetivo de que atendiera la condición de obesidad de forma integral. En el esfuerzo de conocer, el grado de satisfacción de los usuarios se plantea una evaluación del mismo, para identificar las necesidades que se presentan. Para ello se indagó acerca de diferentes aspectos sobre la percepción que tienen los tutores de los niños menores de edad acerca del programa y su participación en el mismo. Estos tutores dejaron entrever la necesidad de contar con talleres de temáticas nutricionales, mayor cantidad de experiencias por medio de la actividad o ejercicio físico. A su vez se expusieron deficiencias a nivel administrativo y de poca frecuencia de atención. Existe también una relación entre los tutores que se involucran en las actividades, que están conscientes de su importancia y los cambios en los hábitos de vida en el hogar.
Genomic Prediction Accuracy Using Haplotypes Defined by Size and Hierarchical Clustering Based on Linkage Disequilibrium
Authors: Won Sohyoung , Park Jong-Eun , Son Ju-Hwan , Lee Seung-Hwan , Park Byeong Ho , Park Mina , Park Won-Chul , Chai Han-Ha , Kim Heebal , Lee Jungjae , Lim Dajeong
Published: March 2020

Genomic prediction is an effective way to estimate the genomic breeding values from genetic information based on statistical methods such as best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP). The used of haplotype, clusters of linked single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) as markers instead of individual SNPs can improve the accuracy of genomic prediction. Since the probability of a quantitative trait loci to be in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with a cluster of markers is higher compared to an individual marker. To make haplotypes efficient in genomic prediction, finding optimal ways to define haplotypes is essential. In this study, 770K or 50K SNP chip data was collected from Hanwoo (Korean cattle) population consisted of 3,498 cattle. Using SNP chip data, haplotype was defined in three different ways based on 1) the number of SNPs included, 2) length of haplotypes (bp), and 3) agglomerative hierarchical clustering based on LD. To compare the methods in parallel, haplotypes defined by all methods were set to have comparable sizes; 5, 10, 20 or 50 SNPs on average per haplotype. A linear mixed model using haplotype to calculated the covariance matrix was applied for testing the prediction accuracy of each haplotype size. Also, conventional SNP-based linear mixed model was tested to evaluate the performance of the haplotype sets on genomic prediction. Carcass weight (CWT), eye muscle area (EMA) and backfat thickness (BFT) were used as the phenotypes. This study reveals that using haplotypes generally showed increased accuracy compared to conventional SNP-based model for CWT and EMA, but found to be small or no increase in accuracy for BFT. LD clustering-based haplotypes specifically the five SNPs size showed the highest prediction accuracy for CWT and EMA. Meanwhile, the highest accuracy was obtained when length-based haplotypes with five SNPs were used for BFT. The maximum gain in accuracy was 1.3% from cross-validation and 4.6% from forward validation for EMA, suggesting that genomic prediction accuracy can be increased by using haplotypes. However, the improvement from using haplotypes may depend on the trait of interest. In addition, when the number of alleles generated by each haplotype defining methods was compared, clustering by LD generated the least number of alleles, thereby reducing computational costs. Therefore, finding optimal ways to define haplotypes and using the haplotype alleles as markers can improve the accuracy of genomic prediction.
MDAN-UNet: Multi-Scale and Dual Attention Enhanced Nested U-Net Architecture for Segmentation of Optical Coherence Tomography Images
Authors: Liu Wen , Sun Yankui , Ji Qingge
Published: March 2020

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an optical high-resolution imaging technique for ophthalmic diagnosis. In this paper, we take advantages of multi-scale input, multi-scale side output and dual attention mechanism and present an enhanced nested U-Net architecture (MDAN-UNet), a new powerful fully convolutional network for automatic end-to-end segmentation of OCT images. We have evaluated two versions of MDAN-UNet (MDAN-UNet-16 and MDAN-UNet-32) on two publicly available benchmark datasets which are the Duke Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) dataset and the RETOUCH dataset, in comparison with other state-of-the-art segmentation methods. Our experiment demonstrates that MDAN-UNet-32 achieved the best performance, followed by MDAN-UNet-16 with smaller parameter, for multi-layer segmentation and multi-fluid segmentation respectively.
A Concentric Design of a Bypass Magnetorheological Fluid Damper with a Serpentine Flux Valve
Authors: Idris Muhammad Hafiz , Imaduddin Fitrian , Ubaidillah  , Mazlan Saiful Amri , Choi Seung-Bok
Published: March 2020

This work presents a new concentric design structure of a bypass magnetorheological (MR) damper with a serpentine flux valve type. In this design, the serpentine valve is installed not in the middle of the piston but on the bypass channel of the damper. However, to make it less bulky, the location of the valve installation is chosen to be in line with the cylinder axis, which is different from the common configuration of the bypass damper. With the proposed design concept, the performance flexibility of the bypass configuration and the compactness of the piston valve configuration can be accomplished. In this study, these benefits were demonstrated by firstly deriving an analytical model of the proposed MR damper focusing on the bypass concentric valve structure, which is vital in determining the damping force characteristics. The prototype of MR damper was also fabricated and characterized using the dynamic test machine. The simulation results show that the damping force could be adjusted from 20 N in the off-state to around 600 N in the on-state with 0.3 A of excitation current. In the experiments, during low piston velocity measurement, the on-state results from the simulation were generally in good agreement with the experimental results. However, with the increase in piston velocity, the deviation between the simulation and the experiment gets higher. The deviations are most probably due to seal frictions that were not accounted for in the model. The seal friction is probably dominant as the seals in the prototype need to be prepared for handling higher fluid pressure. As a result, the frictions are quite prevalent and significantly affect the measured off-state damping forces as well, where it was recorded ten times higher than the predicted values from the model. Nevertheless, although there were deviations, the dynamic range of the concentric bypass structure is still 1.5 times higher than the conventional structure and the new structure can be potentially explored more to achieve an improved MR damper design.
Analysis of Current Ripples in Electromagnetic Actuators with Application to Inductance Estimation Techniques for Sensorless Monitoring
Authors: König Niklas , Nienhaus Matthias , Grasso Emanuele
Published: March 2020

Techniques for estimating the plunger position have successfully proven to support operation and monitoring of electromagnetic actuators without the necessity of additional sensors. Sophisticated techniques in this field make use of an oversampled measurement of the rippled driving current in order to reconstruct the position. However, oversampling algorithms place high demands on AD converters and require significant computational effort which are not desirable in low-cost actuation systems. Moreover, such low-cost actuators are affected by eddy currents and parasitic capacitances, which influence the current ripple significantly. Therefore, in this work, those current ripples are modeled and analyzed extensively taking into account those effects. The Integrator-Based Direct Inductance Measurement (IDIM) technique, used for processing the current ripples, is presented and compared experimentally to an oversampling technique in terms of noise robustness and implementation effort. A practical use case scenario in terms of a sensorless end-position detection for a switching solenoid is discussed and evaluated. The obtained results prove that the IDIM technique outperforms oversampling algorithms under certain conditions in terms of noise robustness, thereby requiring less sampling and calculation effort. The IDIM technique is shown to provide a robust position estimation in low-cost applications as in the presented example involving a end-position detection.
Has Rural Migration Weakened Agricultural Cultivation? Evidence from the Mountains of Southwest China
Authors: Zhang Shaoyao , Deng Wei , Peng Li , Zhou Peng , Liu Ying
Published: March 2020

Linkages between rural migration and agricultural restructuring have become a key aspect of rapid urbanization in developing countries and a research focus for optimizing rural–urban development and rural reconstruction. Using continuous statistical data from the mountains of Southwest China, we examined the structure, changes and regional differences in agricultural cultivation under urbanization, analyzed the reasons for the restructuring of agricultural cultivation, and revealed the adaptation linkages between the rural–urban transition and agricultural restructuring. The results showed that land-use changes and rural migration caused by urbanization significantly affected the cultivation structure and its change trends: the proportion of food crops decreased, while the proportion of vegetables and orchards increased. However, regional differences in the agricultural cultivation structure were significant in the various township zones. Rural migration weakened agricultural cultivation in the lake basin and nationality townships but enhanced agricultural cultivation in the river valley townships. On the basis of the adaptation linkages of urbanization, rural migration, agricultural intensification, cultivation structure and economic development, chain-type changes and adaptation processes between rural migration and agricultural restructuring were demonstrated. These findings indicate that favorable locations and appropriate policies can promote the integration and restructuring of smallholder agriculture for commercialization and intensification and vice versa.
Sustainable Agri-Food Economies: Re-Territorialising Farming Practices, Markets, Supply Chains, and Policies
Authors: Berti Giaime
Published: March 2020

Today, technological global agri-food economies dominated by vertically integrated large enterprises are failing in meeting the challenge of feeding a growing global population within the limits of the “Planetary Boundaries”, and are characterised by a “triple fracture” between agri-food economies and their three constitutive elements: nature, consumers, and producers. In parallel to this crisis, new eco-ethical-driven agri-food economies are built around new farming and food distribution practices to face the challenge of food system transition to sustainability. By exploring these new emerging agri-food economies in both developing and developed countries, this Special Issue aims to develop a multidisciplinary discussion on “re-territorialisation” as a strategy to face the existing global agri-food economies crisis. These new agri-food economies are built starting from the farm level, involve the construction of innovative supply chains and markets and are developed through the support of public policies.
Understanding the Quality of Local Vineyard Soils in Distinct Viticultural Areas: A Case Study in Alcubillas (La Mancha, Central Spain)
Authors: Jiménez-Ballesta Raimundo , Bravo Sandra , Amorós José Angel , Pérez-de los Reyes Caridad , García-Pradas Jesús , García-Navarro Francisco J.
Published: March 2020

The essential features of the soils of a pilot zone in La Mancha (Central Spain), namely the Alcubillas municipability, have been characterized. The soil properties that may contribute to a better understanding of the impact of soil on grape production have also, been evaluated. For this, several soil profiles have been described and analyzed and the profiles have been mapped. The soils are mainly Entisols, Inceptisols and Alfisols, with their evolution controlled by the action of a xerophytic Mediterranean climate. Most of these soils have a loamy clay texture, with medium clay contents and sufficient nutrient contents (despite the low content in organic matter 1.39% and 1.04%, and the high concentrations of calcium carbonate 23.7% and 26.9% in the surface and subsurface horizons, respectively). Drainage problems were not observed and it can therefore be stated that the Alcubillas vineyards are based on a ‘terroir’ term for the production of high quality grapes. In general, the soils are not subjected to treatments to control possible diseases or pests and we have therefore postulated that the soils represent the ideal scenario to establish a distinctive zone and for the increasingly valued ecological and natural viticulture.
Fosfomycin Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates from South Korea and in vitro Activity of Fosfomycin Alone and in Combination with Other Antibiotics
Authors: Seok Hyeri , Choi Ji Young , Wi Yu Mi , Park Dae Won , Peck Kyong Ran , Ko Kwan Soo
Published: March 2020

We investigated fosfomycin susceptibility in Escherichia coli clinical isolates from South Korea, including community-onset, hospital-onset, and long-term care facility (LTCF)-onset isolates. The resistance mechanisms and genotypes of fosfomycin-resistant isolates were also identified. Finally, the in vitro efficacy of combinations of fosfomycin with other antibiotics were examined in susceptible or extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli isolates. The fosfomycin resistance rate was 6.7% and was significantly higher in LTCF-onset isolates than community-onset and hospital-onset isolates. Twenty-one sequence types (STs) were identified among 19 fosfomycin-resistant E. coli isolates, showing diverse genotypes. fosA3 was found in only two isolates, and diverse genetic variations were identified in three genes associated with fosfomycin resistance, namely, GlpT, UhpT, and MurA. Some fosfomycin-resistant E. coli isolates carried no mutations. In vitro time-kill assays showed that fosfomycin alone did not exhibit an excellent killing activity, compared with ciprofloxacin in susceptible isolates and with ertapenem in ESBL producers. However, combining fosfomycin with cefixime or piperacillin-tazobactam eradicated susceptible or ESBL-producing isolates, respectively, even with 0.5× minimum inhibitory concentrations. Overall, we found a relatively high fosfomycin resistance rate in E. coli isolates from South Korea. Based on their genotypes and resistance mechanisms, most of the fosfomycin-resistant E. coli isolates might occur independently. Antibiotic combinations with fosfomycin could be a suitable therapeutic option for infections caused by E. coli isolates.
Oxyresveratrol Induces Autophagy via the ER Stress Signaling Pathway, and Oxyresveratrol-Induced Autophagy Stimulates MUC2 Synthesis in Human Goblet Cells
Authors: Yeom Jiah , Ma Seongho , Lim Young-Hee
Published: March 2020

Background: Autophagy is a cell protection system invoked to eliminate the damaged organelles and misfolded proteins that induce various stresses, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Autophagy can control mucin secretion in goblet cells. Oxyresveratrol (OXY), an antioxidant, stimulates expression of MUC2. Thus, we investigated the effect of OXY on autophagy and found that OXY-induced autophagy stimulates MUC2 expression in human intestinal goblet cells. Methods: Autophagy-related genes and proteins were examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Autophagy was assessed by immunocytochemistry (ICC). To analyze the protein expression profiles of OXY-treated LS 174T goblet cells, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) and peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) were performed. MUC2 expression in cells was evaluated by ICC. Results: OXY significantly increased the expression levels of genes related to autophagy induction, and activated phagosome elongation resulted in the formation of autophagosomes. OXY also activated the ER stress signaling pathway and promoted MUC2 synthesis, which was inhibited by treatment with an autophagy inhibitor. Conclusion: OXY induces autophagy via the ER stress signaling pathway, and OXY-induced autophagy increases MUC2 production in intestinal goblet cells.
Reversible Thiol Oxidation Inhibits the Mitochondrial ATP Synthase in Xenopus laevis Oocytes
Authors: Cobley James , Noble Anna , Bessell Rachel , Guille Matthew , Husi Holger
Published: March 2020

Oocytes are postulated to repress the proton pumps (e.g., complex IV) and ATP synthase to safeguard mitochondrial DNA homoplasmy by curtailing superoxide production. Whether the ATP synthase is inhibited is, however, unknown. Here we show that: oligomycin sensitive ATP synthase activity is significantly greater (~170 vs. 20 nmol/min−1/mg−1) in testes compared to oocytes in Xenopus laevis (X. laevis). Since ATP synthase activity is redox regulated, we explored a regulatory role for reversible thiol oxidation. If a protein thiol inhibits the ATP synthase, then constituent subunits must be reversibly oxidised. Catalyst-free trans-cyclooctene 6-methyltetrazine (TCO-Tz) immunocapture coupled to redox affinity blotting reveals several subunits in F1 (e.g., ATP-α-F1) and Fo (e.g., subunit c) are reversibly oxidised. Catalyst-free TCO-Tz Click PEGylation reveals significant (~60%) reversible ATP-α-F1 oxidation at two evolutionary conserved cysteine residues (C244 and C294) in oocytes. TCO-Tz Click PEGylation reveals ~20% of the total thiols in the ATP synthase are substantially oxidised. Chemically reversing thiol oxidation significantly increased oligomycin sensitive ATP synthase activity from ~12 to 100 nmol/min−1/mg−1 in oocytes. We conclude that reversible thiol oxidation inhibits the mitochondrial ATP synthase in X. laevis oocytes.
Melatonin Mitigates Chilling-Induced Oxidative Stress and Photosynthesis Inhibition in Tomato Plants
Authors: Wang Meiling , Zhang Shuoxin , Ding Fei
Published: March 2020

Melatonin has been demonstrated to play a variety of roles in plants. Of particular importance is its role as a potent antioxidative agent. In the present study, we generated melatonin-deficient tomato plants using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) approach and melatonin-rich tomato plants by foliar application of melatonin. These tomato plants were used to assess the effect of melatonin on chilling-induced oxidative stress and chilling-induced photosynthesis inhibition. We found that melatonin deficiency increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aggravated lipid peroxidation in chilling-stressed tomato leaves, while exogenous application of melatonin had the opposite effect. Under chilling stress, melatonin-deficient tomato plants showed impaired antioxidant capacity as evidenced by lower activities of antioxidant enzymes and decreased rations of reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and reduced ascorbate (AsA)/oxidized ascorbate (DHA), compared with melatonin-rich tomato plants. Furthermore, suppression of melatonin biosynthesis led to more photosynthesis inhibition under the chilling condition and compromised the capability of subsequent photosynthesis recovery in tomato plants. In addition, melatonin-deficient tomato plants displayed less activity of an important Calvin-Benson cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) than melatonin-rich tomato plants under chilling stress. Collectively, our data indicate that melatonin is critical for antioxidant capacity and redox balance and is in favor of photosynthesis in tomato plants under chilling stress.
Electromagnetic Waves in Annular Regions
Authors: Funaro Daniele
Published: March 2020

In suitable bounded regions immersed in vacuum, time periodic wave solutions solving a full set of electrodynamics equations can be explicitly computed. Analytical expressions are available in special cases, whereas numerical simulations are necessary in more complex situations. The attention here is given to selected three-dimensional geometries, which are topologically equivalent to a toroid, where the behavior of the waves is similar to that of fluid-dynamics vortex rings. The results show that the shape of the sections of these rings depends on the behavior of the eigenvalues of a certain elliptic differential operator. Time-periodic solutions are obtained when at least two of such eigenvalues attain the same value. The solutions obtained are discussed in view of possible applications in electromagnetic whispering galleries or plasma physics.
Bonding Characteristics of Single- and Joggled-Lap CFRP Specimens: Mechanical and Acoustic Investigations
Authors: Barile Claudia , Casavola Caterina , Moramarco Vincenzo , Pappalettere Carmine , Vimalathithan Paramsamy Kannan
Published: March 2020

Two different configurations of adhesive-bonded carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) specimens, joggled lap-joint specimens and single lap-joint specimens, are mechanically tested. The mechanical tests show that the joggled lap specimens have lower strength than the single lap specimens. The damage modes in both the specimens are analysed by the Acoustic Emission descriptors recorded during the mechanical tests. The acoustic data as cumulative counts and cumulative energy show the critical points of failure in both the specimen groups under loading. Moreover, they also show that the damage modes in both the specimens are dissimilar. Finally, the data provided by acoustic emission descriptors are verified by fractographic analysis on the failed surface.
Opal-Like Photonic Structuring of Perovskite Solar Cells Using a Genetic Algorithm Approach
Authors: Lobet Michaël , Mayer Alexandre , Maho Anthony , Piron Pierre , Dewalque Jennifer , Henrist Catherine , Loicq Jérôme
Published: March 2020

Light management is an important area of photovoltaic research, but little is known about it in perovskite solar cells. The present work numerically studies the positive effect of structuring the photo-active layer of perovskite material. This structuration consists of a hybrid absorbing layer made of an uniform part and an opal-like part. A genetic algorithm approach allows us to determine the optimal combination among more than 1.4 × 10 9 potential combinations. The optimal combination provides an internal quantum efficiency of 98.1%, nearly 2% higher than for an equivalent unstructured photo-active layer. The robustness of the optimum against potential experimental deviations, as well as the angular dependency of the proposed structure, are examined in the present study.
Designing Dual-Function Nanostructures for Water Purification in Sunlight
Authors: Saber Osama , Kotb Hicham Mahfoz
Published: March 2020

The current study aims at combining two building blocks together into well-designed nanostructures to act as dual-function materials; active photocatalysts in sunlight and effective adsorbents for increasing the efficiency of water purification. By these nanostructures, we could avoid the drawbacks of the existing technologies for water purification and remove the industrial pollutants by a dual process; adsorption and photocatalytic degradation. In this trend, Zn-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are combined with graphene oxide to produce a series of nanolayered structures. These nanolayered structures are effective for converting Zn-Al LDHs to be photo-active in sunlight through decreasing its band gap energy from 5.5 eV to 2.5 eV. In addition, these nanolayered structures caused complete decolorization and mineralization of green dyes in sunlight through accelerating the reaction rate of the photocatalytic degradation of dyes seven times higher than that of the pure Zn-Al LDHs. In the same time, they improved the adsorption process of green dyes through creating new micro- and meso-porous structures and high surface area for Zn-Al LDHs. Finally, the well-designed nanostructures between Zn-Al LDHs and graphene oxide led to converting non-photoactive materials to be active in the visible light in addition to a complete and fast removal for organic pollutants.
Effect of Foam Parameters on Cohesionless Soil Permeability and Its Application to Prevent the Water Spewing
Authors: Zhou Xiong , Yang Yuyou
Published: March 2020

Water spewing from the screw conveyor often occurs in cohesionless soil strata below the groundwater level during tunnel excavation with earth pressure balanced (EPB) tunnel boring machines (TBM). Foaming agents have been extensively employed as soil conditioner during the use of EPB TBMs to change the properties of soil, and the conditioned soil, with its low permeability, was the key to reduce the frequency of water spewing. To determine effect of foam parameters on cohesionless soil permeability, the conditioned sand permeability under different foam liquid half-lives ( T hl ) foam expansion rates (FERs), and foam injection rates (FIRs) was tested. To verify the permeability test results, a case study was carried out to optimize the foam parameters for preventing water spewing. Based on these results, this paper suggests that high-stability foaming agents with a medium FER and FIR represent an effective way to reduce cohesionless soil permeability and to prevent water spewing.
Multi-Objective Optimization Study of Regenerative Braking Control Strategy for Range-Extended Electric Vehicle
Authors: Liu Hanwu , Lei Yulong , Fu Yao , Li Xingzhong
Published: March 2020

Currently, the researches on the regenerative braking system (RBS) of the range-extended electric vehicle (R-EEV) are inadequate, especially on the comparison and analysis of the multi-objective optimization (MOO) problem. Actually, the results of the MOO problem should be mutually independent and balanced. With the aim of guaranteeing comprehensive regenerative braking performance (CRBP), a revised regenerative braking control strategy (RRBCS) is introduced, and a method of the MOO algorithm for RRBCS is proposed to balance the braking performance (BP), regenerative braking loss efficiency (RBLE), and battery capacity loss rate (BCLR). Firstly, the models of the main components related to the RBS of the R-EEV for the calculation of optimization objectives are built in MATLAB/Simulink and AVL/Cruise. The BP, RBLE, and BCLR are selected as the optimization objectives. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is applied in RRBCS to solve the MOO problem, and a group of the non-inferior Pareto solution sets are obtained. The simulation results show a clear conflict that three optimization objectives cannot be optimal at the same time. Then, we evaluate the performance of the proposed method by taking the individual with the optimal CRBP as the final optimal solution. The comparation among BP, RBLE, BCLR, and CRBP before and after optimization are analyzed and discussed. The results illustrate that characteristic parameters of RRBCS is crucial to optimization objectives. After parameters optimization, regenerative braking torque works early to increase braking energy recovery on low tire-road adhesion condition, and to reduce the battery capacity loss rate at the expense of small braking energy recovery on the medium tire-road adhesion condition. In addition, the results of the sensitivity analysis show that after parameter optimization, RRBCS is proved to perform better road adaptability regarding the distribution of solutions. These results thoroughly validate the proposed approach for multi-objective optimization of RRBCS and have a strong directive to optimize the control strategy parameters of RBS.
Message from the Editor-in-Chief: Professor Takayoshi Kobayashi
Authors: Kobayashi Takayoshi
Published: March 2020

Two decades have passed since the first year of the 21st century [...]
Prediction of Structural Type for City-Scale Seismic Damage Simulation Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Xu Zhen , Wu Yuan , Qi Ming-zhu , Zheng Ming , Xiong Chen , Lu Xinzheng
Published: March 2020

Being the necessary data of the city-scale seismic damage simulations, structural types of buildings of a city need to be collected. To this end, a prediction method of structural types of buildings based on machine learning (ML) is proposed herein. Specifically, using the training data of 230,683 buildings in Tangshan city, China, a supervised ML solution based on a decision forest model was designed for the prediction. The scale sensitivity and regional applicability of the designed solution are discussed, respectively, and the results show that the supervised ML solution can maintain high accuracy for different scales; however, it is only suitable for cities similar to the sample city. For wide applicability for various cities, a semi-supervised ML solution was designed based on sampling investigation and self-training procedures. The downtowns of Daxing and Tongzhou districts in Beijing were selected as a case study for the designed semi-supervised ML solution. The overall prediction accuracies of structural types for Daxing and Tongzhou downtowns can reach 94.8% and 99.5%, respectively, which are acceptable for seismic damage simulations. Based on the predicted results, the distributions of seismic damage in Daxing and Tongzhou downtown were output. This study provides a smart and efficient method for obtaining structural types for a city-scale seismic damage simulation.
Emotional Training and Modification of Disruptive Behaviors through Computer-Game-Based Music Therapy in Secondary Education
Authors: Chao-Fernández Rocío , Gisbert-Caudeli Vicenta , Vázquez-Sánchez Rubén
Published: March 2020

Music education research has shown interest in music therapy for integral development of the person, both in their performance and academic knowledge and in their personality. This project aims to analyze the benefits of music therapy in the comprehensive training of students with disruptive behaviors (n = 6). Tests designed by Gallego, Alonso, Cruz, and Lizama (1999) were conducted to assess emotional intelligence, which showed very low results. A series of activities were designed based on the use of the music videogame Musichao, the curricular content of which was adapted for this pilot experience. Subsequently, the emotional intelligence tests were applied again to determine the effectiveness of the teaching experience. The results indicate that, with the use of this videogame, significant improvements were obtained, both in the development of multiple intelligences and in self-motivation, self-awareness, self-control, and more specifically, in social skills, minimizing behaviors that were classified as inappropriate and/or aggressive, and becoming more skilled in their interactions with the surrounding environment.