bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifikasi Senyawa Aktif Kulit Batang Ampupu (Eucalyptus alba Reinw. Ex. Blume) dalam Menghambat Pertumbuhan Jamur Fusariummoniliforme
Authors: Metboki Bernadina
Published: November 2018

Produksi jagung yang rendah di Indonesia disebabkan oleh banyak faktor salah satunya adalah penyakit yang disebabkan oleh jamur. Pengendalian jamur dengan menggunakan bahan kimia sangat berbahaya bagi kesehatan. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan usaha pengembangan fungisida nabati yang ramah lingkungan, misalnya dengan menggunakan ekstrak kulit batang ampupu. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui efek anti jamur dari ekstrak kulit batang ampupu terhadap pertumbuhan jamur Fusarium sp. yangmenyebabkan busuk tongkoljagung. Pengujian hambatan pertumbuhan Fusarium sp. oleh ekstrak kulit batang ampupu dilakukan di laboratorium dengan metode sumur difusi pada media PDA. Ekstrak dengan konsentrasi 1,5%, 3,0%, 4,5% di masukkan dalam sumur difusi pada setiap petri. Identifikasi senyawa aktif menggunakan Kromatografi Gas-Spektroskopi Massa.Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa secara in vitro ekstrak kasar kulit batang ampupu dengan konsentrasi 1,5%, 3,0%, dan 4,5% mampu menghambat pertumbuhan jamur Fusarium moniliformedengan diameter zona hambatan masing-masing adalah 0,18 mm, 1,85 mm, 2,01 mm. peningkatan konsentrasi ekstrak yang diberikan menyebabkan zona hambatan yang terbentuk lebih besar. Sebelas senyawa dalam ekstrak methanol kulit batang ampupu diketahui berpotensi sebagai anti jamur yaitu Ethylbenzene, o-Xylene, ALPHA.-PINENE,DELTA.3-Carene, Azulene(CAS)Cyclopentacycloheptene, Tetradecane(CAS)n-Tetradecane, 2,6-Diisopropylnaphthalene, 7,9-Di-tert-butyl-1-oxaspiro(4,5)deca-6,9-dien, Hexadecanamide, 9-Octadecenamide, (Z)-(CAS)OLEOAMIDE, 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylicacid,mono(2-ethylhexyl). ©2018 dipublikasikan oleh Savana Cendana.
Pengaruh Penggunaan Kombinasi Kompos Teh dan Arang Kusambi terhadap Pertumbuhan Tanaman Bayam Hijau (Amaranthus Sp)
Authors: Banu Apolinarius , Tefa Anna
Published: November 2018

Bayam hijau merupakan salah satu sayuran daun terpenting di Asia dan Afrika. Pupuk yang sangat baik bagi pertumbuhan bayam adalah pupuk organik. Pupuk organik yang dikenal salah satunya adalah teh kompos yang dapat dikombinasikan dengan arang kusambi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh teh kompos dan arang kusambi terhadap pertumbuhan bayam hijau. Penelitian menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok (RAK) faktorial. Faktor pertama adalah arang kusambi yang terdiri dari tiga level, yaitu kontrol, 5 t/ha, 10 t/ha. Faktor kedua adalah konsentrasi teh kompos yang terdiri dari tiga level, yaitu: kontrol, 1:5, 1:10. Teh kompos diberikan setiap minggu semenjak tanaman berumur 7 sampai 28 hari. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan Januari – Februari 2017 di lahan percobaan Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Timor. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian arang kusambi 5 t/ha dan teh kompos dengan konsentrasi perbandingan 1:5 secara nyata memberikan hasil tanaman terbaik yaitu pada bobot segar tanaman (122,30 g) dan bobot segar tajuk (106,24 g). ©2018 dipublikasikan oleh Savana Cendana.
Faktor – Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Bioavailabilitas Besi bagi Tumbuhan
Authors: Gelyaman Gebhardus Djugian
Published: November 2018

Besi berperan penting dalam metabolisme tumbuhan, yang mana salah satunya adalah sebagai pembentuk kloroplas. Besi dibutuhkan dalam jumlah sedikit tetapi defisiensi besi dapat menyebabkan muncul bercak-bercak kuning pada daun, yang menandakan gagalnya pembentukan klorofil atau yang dikenal dengan klorosis. Oleh karena itu, besi menjadi unsur esensial atau unsur hara mikro yang keberadaannya mutlak harus dipenuhi oleh tumbuhan. Besi sangat melimpah di alam yang dijumpai dalam bentuk mineralnya. Namun, ketersediaan besi bagi tumbuhan sangat rendah. Ketersediaan besi berkaitan dengan kelarutan besi dalam larutan tanah atau air di alam. Tulisan ini akan mereview faktor - faktor yang mempengaruhi ketersedian besi bagi tumbuhan meliputi pengaruh pH air dan tanah, peran bakteri, material organik tanah dan potensial reduksi tanah atau air. Faktor-faktor ini berinteraksi menghasilkan nilai pH dan potensial reduksi(E) tertentu di air maupun di tanah. Spesi besi yang dihasilkan berdasarkan korelasi antara nilai pH dan nilai reaksi redoks lingkungan dapat diprediksi menggunakan diagram pourbaix Fe dalam air dan tanah.
Screening for the Heterotrophic Cultivation of Chlorella sorokiniana Using an Indirect Impedance Microbiological Technique
Authors: Nagy Balázs József , Czinkóczky Réka , Németh Áron
Published: November 2018

Heterotrophic culturing of microalgae is of great interest as it has the potential to produce feedstock for added-value bioproducts. The general expectation is to develop a method that can help screen for different media compositions and batch fermentation settings more easily and faster. In the current study, an indirect impedance microbiological technique was used to test the effects of various carbon and nitrogen sources on the growth of Chlorella sorokiniana. It was found that this technique has great potential to screen for heterotrophic cultivation conditions of microalgae as the metabolic rate of microorganisms can be determined by measuring the amount of CO2 produced. The BacTrac 4100® was proven to be a suitable instrument to compare several different small-scale culturing settings. Considering the relative changes in impedance observed, the initial cell cumber exhibits an inverse linear correlation with the detection time. Chlorella sorokiniana exhibited an enhanced degree of growth on yeast extract and tryptone, and preferred glucose over acetate or glycerol. An optimum rate of growth at a glucose concentration of 20 gL-1 was also determined. Our novel approach in the field of heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae envisages great prospects for the method in terms of the design of experiments in the field of media optimization.
The Triumph of Olemaun: Survivance, Empathic Unsettlement, and Restorying the History of Canadian Residential Schools
Authors: Markland Anah-Jayne
Published: November 2018

The ignorance of many Canadians regarding residential schools and their traumatic legacy is emphasised in the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a foundational obstacle to achieving reconciliation. Many of the TRC's calls to action involve education that dispels and corrects this ignorance, and the commission demands ‘age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples' historical and contemporary contributions to Canada’ to be made ‘a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students’ (Calls to Action 62.i). How to incorporate the history of residential schools in kindergarten and early elementary curricula has been much discussed, and one tool gaining traction is Indigenous-authored picturebooks about Canadian residential schools. This article conducts a close reading of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton and Christy Jordan-Fenton's picturebook When I Was Eight (2013). The picturebook gathers Indigenous and settler children together to contest master settler narratives regarding the history of residential schools. Using Gerald Vizenor's concept of ‘survivance’ and Dominick LaCapra's notion of ‘empathic unsettlement’, the article argues that picturebooks work to unsettle young readers empathetically as part of restorying settler myths about residential schools and implicating young readers in the work of reconciliation.
Paradoxes of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great's Writings for Children
Authors: Weld Sara Pankenier
Published: November 2018

An ‘enlightened despot’ who ruled the Russian empire as an absolute autocrat despite a tenuous claim to the throne, Catherine the Great embodied innumerable paradoxes during her long reign. This article examines the little-known fairy tales Catherine wrote for her grandsons to reveal the possible and impossible child she posits, envisions and instantiates through her writings for a young audience. Placing these works in a broader intellectual and historical context illuminates the paradoxes of the impossible infans she cultivates as part of an Enlightenment project and reveals how Catherine's writings for children (re)enact a kind of repossession of the child. Catherine's treatment of childhood within and without her texts reflects her ideological aims as a writer, ruler and matriarch. In addressing and attempting to instantiate an impossible child, whether an enlightened subject of her empire or an ideal absolute monarch of the future, Catherine reveals paradoxes that contrast with the reality of vulnerable young individuals in the historical record. These real children from the annals of Russian history offer an illuminating contrast for the impossibly idealised child protagonists constructed by Catherine's writings for children and shed light on the ideological context in which her treatment of childhood is embedded.
Weak Fault Detection of Tapered Rolling Bearing Based on Penalty Regularization Approach
Authors: Li Qing , Liang Steven Y.
Published: November 2018

Aimed at the issue of estimating the fault component from a noisy observation, a novel detection approach based on augmented Huber non-convex penalty regularization (AHNPR) is proposed. The core objectives of the proposed method are that (1) it estimates non-zero singular values (i.e., fault component) accurately and (2) it maintains the convexity of the proposed objective cost function (OCF) by restricting the parameters of the non-convex regularization. Specifically, the AHNPR model is expressed as the L1-norm minus a generalized Huber function, which avoids the underestimation weakness of the L1-norm regularization. Furthermore, the convexity of the proposed OCF is proved via the non-diagonal characteristic of the matrix BTB, meanwhile, the non-zero singular values of the OCF is solved by the forward–backward splitting (FBS) algorithm. Last, the proposed method is validated by the simulated signal and vibration signals of tapered bearing. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach can identify weak fault information from the raw vibration signal under severe background noise, that the non-convex penalty regularization can induce sparsity of the singular values more effectively than the typical convex penalty (e.g., L1-norm fused lasso optimization (LFLO) method), and that the issue of underestimating sparse coefficients can be improved.
Rearing Male Layer Chickens: A German Perspective
Authors: Giersberg Mona Franziska , Kemper Nicole
Published: November 2018

The killing of male layer hybrids in the hatcheries, at a day-old, is common practice but it also raises strong socio-ethical concerns. In recent years, three different approaches to avoid this killing have been developed—the in ovo sex determination, the rearing of male layers for meat, and the use of dual-purpose breeds. In Germany, about one million male layers are raised each year in the organic and conventional sector. Regarding animal health and welfare, this concept seems favourable. However, the main challenge, that is, to what extent these animals can be kept in a resource-friendly and ecologically sustainable way, remains yet to be solved. Currently, for a niche, this approach contributes to the diversification of the German market. It serves as an example for reacting to societal concerns immediately, before feasible solutions are available for the entire system of modern poultry production.
Reply to the Comment from Watson, K.M. “Letter to the Editor Re: Kipperman, B.S. and German, A.J. Animals 2018, 8, 143” Animals 2018, 8, 179
Authors: Kipperman Barry S. , German Alexander J.
Published: November 2018

We appreciate the interest [1] in our opinion paper [2] regarding companion animal obesity and, although there is limited published evidence, agree that some pet owners might respond negatively when this issue is addressed [...]
2D Micromechanical Modeling and Simulation of Ta-Particles Reinforced Bulk Metallic Glass Matrix Composite
Authors: Bian Pei-Liang , Liu Tian-Liang , Qing Hai , Gao Cun-Fa
Published: November 2018

The influence of particle shape, orientation, and volume fractions, as well as loading conditions, on the mechanical behavior of Ta particles reinforced with bulk metallic glass matrix composite is investigated in this work. A Matlab program is developed to output the MSC.Patran Command Language (PCL) in order to generate automatically two-dimensional (2D) micromechanical finite element (FE) models, in which particle shapes, locations, orientations, and dimensions are determined through a few random number generators. With the help of the user-defined material subroutine (UMAT) in ABAQUS, an implicit numerical method based on the free volume model has been implemented to describe the mechanical response of bulk metallic glass. A series of computational experiments are performed to study the influence of particle shapes, orientations, volume fractions, and loading conditions of the representative volume cell (RVC) on its composite mechanical properties.
Internal Mechanism and Improvement Criteria for the Runaway Oscillation Stability of a Pump-Turbine
Authors: Zhou Qin , Xia Linsheng , Zhang Chunze
Published: November 2018

The runaway oscillation process of the pump-turbine in a high head pumped-storage power plant is usually unstable. The root cause of its instability is still unclear. In this paper, its internal mechanism and the improvement method were studied in depth. First, the flow characteristics in a model pump-turbine during the runaway process at four guide-vane openings (GVOs) were investigated by 3D transient numerical simulations. Then, the energy dissipation characteristics of different types of backflow vortex structures (BFVSs) occurring at the runner inlet and their impacts on the runaway stability were investigated by the entropy production theory. The results show that the location change of BFVSs between the hub side and the mid-span of the runner inlet around the no-load point leads to the sharp change in the energy dissipation rate, which makes the slope of dynamic trajectory positive and the runaway oscillation self-excited. If the occurrence of BFVSs at the hub side is suspended, the runaway process will be damped. Finally, the pump-turbine runner was improved to obtain a wider stable operating range.
Analysis of Lightweight Feature Vectors for Attack Detection in Network Traffic
Authors: Meghdouri Fares , Zseby Tanja , Iglesias Félix
Published: November 2018

The consolidation of encryption and big data in network communications have made deep packet inspection no longer feasible in large networks. Early attack detection requires feature vectors which are easy to extract, process, and analyze, allowing their generation also from encrypted traffic. So far, experts have selected features based on their intuition, previous research, or acritically assuming standards, but there is no general agreement about the features to use for attack detection in a broad scope. We compared five lightweight feature sets that have been proposed in the scientific literature for the last few years, and evaluated them with supervised machine learning. For our experiments, we use the UNSW-NB15 dataset, recently published as a new benchmark for network security. Results showed three remarkable findings: (1) Analysis based on source behavior instead of classic flow profiles is more effective for attack detection; (2) meta-studies on past research can be used to establish satisfactory benchmarks; and (3) features based on packet length are clearly determinant for capturing malicious activity. Our research showed that vectors currently used for attack detection are oversized, their accuracy and speed can be improved, and are to be adapted for dealing with encrypted traffic.
Atomic and Molecular Processes in a Strong Bicircular Laser Field
Authors: Milošević Dejan B.
Published: November 2018

With the development of intense femtosecond laser sources it has become possible to study atomic and molecular processes on their own subfemtosecond time scale. Table-top setups are available that generate intense coherent radiation in the extreme ultraviolet and soft-X-ray regime which have various applications in strong-field physics and attoscience. More recently, the emphasis is moving from the generation of linearly polarized pulses using a linearly polarized driving field to the generation of more complicated elliptically polarized polychromatic ultrashort pulses. The transverse electromagnetic field oscillates in a plane perpendicular to its propagation direction. Therefore, the two dimensions of field polarization plane are available for manipulation and tailoring of these ultrashort pulses. We present a field that allows such a tailoring, the so-called bicircular field. This field is the superposition of two circularly polarized fields with different frequencies that rotate in the same plane in opposite directions. We present results for two processes in a bicircular field: High-order harmonic generation and above-threshold ionization. For a wide range of laser field intensities, we compare high-order harmonic spectra generated by bicircular fields with the spectra generated by a linearly polarized laser field. We also investigate a possibility of introducing spin into attoscience with spin-polarized electrons produced in high-order above-threshold ionization by a bicircular field.
On the Fixed-Circle Problem and Khan Type Contractions
Authors: Mlaiki Nabil , Taş Nihal , Özgür Nihal Yılmaz
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we consider the fixed-circle problem on metric spaces and give new results on this problem. To do this, we present three types of F C -Khan type contractions. Furthermore, we obtain some solutions to an open problem related to the common fixed-circle problem.
Use and Propensity to Use Substances as Cognitive Enhancers in Italian Medical Students
Authors: Pighi Marcella , Pontoni Giancarlo , Sinisi Arianna , Ferrari Silvia , Mattei Giorgio , Pingani Luca , Simoni Elena , Galeazzi Gian
Published: November 2018

International media has paid attention to the use of substances by healthy subjects to enhance cognitive performance. Medical students are liable to use cognitive enhancers (CE) with the aim of improving academic performance. The study explored use and attitudes toward the use of CE in Italian medical students. The authors anonymously surveyed 433 medical students of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia with an ad hoc 36-items questionnaire. CE were broadly defined as any substance taken with the purpose of improving cognitive functions, from readily available beverages and substances, such as coffee, tea, energy drinks, and supplements to prescription only medication, such as psychostimulants and modafinil. Response rate was 83.8% (n = 363). While the majority of the students (74.7%; n = 271) said that they had used substances to improve cognitive functions, only 2 students (0.6%) reported the use of prescription-only medications in the last 30 days. Main reasons for not taking prescription-only drugs were concerns about safety and side effects, reported by 83.3% of students (n = 295). A positive attitude toward use was held by 60.3% (n = 219) subjects. The surveyed Italian medical students used many substances as CE, but this did not seem to apply significantly to psychostimulants. A multivariable analysis showed that the following variables were related to the propensity to use substances as CE: male gender, self-reported memory impairment, concerns about worsening of cognitive performance, lifetime use of at least one illegal substance, use of any substance (both legal or illegal) in the last 30 days.
Recent Studies on Ponatinib in Cancers Other Than Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Musumeci Francesca , Greco Chiara , Grossi Giancarlo , Molinari Alessio , Schenone Silvia
Published: November 2018

Ponatinib is a third line drug for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia patients, especially those that develop the gatekeeper mutation T315I, which is resistant to the first and the second line drugs imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib and bosutinib. The compound was first identified as a pan Bcr-Abl and Src kinase inhibitor. Further studies have indicated that it is a multitargeted inhibitor that is active on FGFRs, RET, AKT, ERK1/2, KIT, MEKK2 and other kinases. For this reason, the compound has been evaluated on several cancers in which these kinases play important roles, including thyroid, breast, ovary and lung cancer, neuroblastoma, rhabdoid tumours and in myeloproliferative disorders. Ponatinib is also being tested in clinical trials to evaluate its activity in FLT3-ITD acute myelogenous leukemia, head and neck cancers, certain type of lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumours and other malignancies. In this review we report the most recent preclinical and clinical studies on ponatinib in cancers other than CML, with the aim of giving a complete overview of this interesting compound.
Comparative Biology of Centrosomal Structures in Eukaryotes
Authors: Gräf Ralph
Published: November 2018

The centrosome is not only the largest and most sophisticated protein complex within a eukaryotic cell, in the light of evolution, it is also one of its most ancient organelles. This special issue of “Cells” features representatives of three main, structurally divergent centrosome types, i.e., centriole-containing centrosomes, yeast spindle pole bodies (SPBs), and amoebozoan nucleus-associated bodies (NABs). Here, I discuss their evolution and their key-functions in microtubule organization, mitosis, and cytokinesis. Furthermore, I provide a brief history of centrosome research and highlight recently emerged topics, such as the role of centrioles in ciliogenesis, the relationship of centrosomes and centriolar satellites, the integration of centrosomal structures into the nuclear envelope and the involvement of centrosomal components in non-centrosomal microtubule organization.
Forward-Secure Linkable Ring Signatures from Bilinear Maps
Authors: Boyen Xavier , Haines Thomas
Published: November 2018

We present the first linkable ring signature scheme with both unconditional anonymity and forward-secure key update: a powerful tool which has direct applications in elegantly addressing a number of simultaneous constraints in remote electronic voting. We propose a comprehensive security model, and construct a scheme based on the hardness of finding discrete logarithms, and (for forward security) inverting bilinear or multilinear maps of moderate degree to match the time granularity of forward security. We prove efficient security reductions—which, of independent interest, apply to, and are much tighter than, linkable ring signatures without forward security, thereby vastly improving the provable security of these legacy schemes. If efficient multilinear maps should ever admit a secure realisation, our contribution would elegantly address a number of problems heretofore unsolved in the important application of (multi-election) practical Internet voting. Even if multilinear maps are never obtained, our minimal two-epoch construction instantiated from bilinear maps can be combinatorially boosted to synthesise a polynomial time granularity, which would be sufficient for Internet voting and more.
Drone-Based High-Resolution Tracking of Aquatic Vertebrates
Authors: Raoult Vincent , Tosetto Louise , Williamson Jane E.
Published: November 2018

Determining the small-scale movement patterns of marine vertebrates usually requires invasive active acoustic tagging or in-water monitoring, with the inherent behavioural impacts of those techniques. In addition, these techniques rarely allow direct continuous behavioural assessments or the recording of environmental interactions, especially for highly mobile species. Here, we trial a novel method of assessing small-scale movement patterns of marine vertebrates using an unmanned aerial vehicle that could complement longer-term tracking approaches. This approach is unlikely to have behavioural impacts and provides high accuracy and high frequency location data (10 Hz), while subsequently allowing quantitative trajectory analysis. Unmanned aerial vehicle tracking is also relatively low cost compared to single-use acoustic and GPS tags. We tracked 14 sharks for up to 10 min in a shallow lagoon of Heron Island, Australia. Trajectory analysis revealed that Epaulette sharks (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) displayed sinusoidal movement patterns, while Blacktip Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) had more linear trajectories that were similar to those of a Lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens). Individual shark trajectory patterns and movement speeds were highly variable. Results indicate that Epaulette sharks may be more mobile during diurnal low tides than previously thought. The approach presented here allows the movements and behaviours of marine vertebrates to be analysed at resolutions not previously possible without complex and expensive acoustic arrays. This method would be useful to assess the habitat use and behaviours of sharks and rays in shallow water environments, where they are most likely to interact with humans.
Optimization on theBuried Depth of Subsurface Drainage under Greenhouse Condition Based on Entropy Evaluation Method
Authors: Hou Maomao , Lin Zhiyuan , Chen Jingnan , Zhai Yaming , Jin Qiu , Zhong Fenglin
Published: November 2018

Numerous indicators under the plant-soil system should be taken into consideration when developing an appropriate agricultural water conservancy project. Entropy evaluation method offers excellent prospects in optimizing agricultural management schemes. To investigate the impact of different buried depths (30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 105 cm) of subsurface drainage pipes on greenhouse plant-soil systems, the tomato was employed as plant material, and the marketable yield, fruit sugar to acid ratio, soil electrical conductivity, nitrogen loss rate, as well as crop water and fertilizer use efficiency were observed. Based on these indicators, the entropy evaluation method was used to select the optimal buried depth of subsurface drainage pipes. Both the calculation results of objective and subjective weights indicated that tomato yield and soil electrical conductivity were relatively more crucial than other indexes, and their comprehensive weights were 0.43 and 0.34, respectively. The 45 cm buried depth possessed the optimal comprehensive benefits, with entropy evaluation value of 0.94. Under 45 cm buried depth, the loss rate of soil available nitrogen was 13.9%, the decrease rate of soil salinity was 49.2%, and the tomato yield, sugar to acid ratio, nitrogen use efficiency, and water use efficiency were 112 kg·ha−1, 8.3, 39.7%, and 42.0%, respectively.
Evaluation by Neutron Radiation of the NMR-MPar Fault-Tolerance Approach Applied to Applications Running on a 28-nm Many-Core Processor
Authors: Vargas Vanessa , Ramos Pablo , Velazco Raoul
Published: November 2018

Currently, there is a special interest in validating the use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) multi/many-core processors for critical applications thanks to their high performance, low power consumption and affordability. However, the continuous shrinking of transistor geometry and the increasing complexity of these devices dramatically affect their sensitivity to natural radiation, and thus diminish their reliability. One of the most common effects produced by natural radiation is the Single Event Upset which is the bit-flip of a memory content producing unexpected results at application-level. For this reason, manufacturers and users implement hardware and software error-mitigation techniques on multi/many-core processors. In this context, the present work aims at evaluating a new fault-tolerance approach based on N-Modular redundancy (NMR) and partitioning called NMR-MPar by means of 14 MeV neutron radiation ground testing in order to emulate the effects of high-energy neutrons present at avionics altitudes. For evaluation purposes, a case-study is implemented on the 28 nm CMOS KALRAY MPPA-256 many-core processor running two complementary benchmarks applications: a distributed Matrix Multiplication and the Travel Salesman Problem. Radiation experiments were conducted in GENEPI2 particle-accelerator. The correctness of the results of the application when an error is detected confirms the approach’s effectiveness and boosts their usage on avionics applications.
Robust Optimization of Power Consumption for Public Buildings Considering Forecasting Uncertainty of Environmental Factors
Authors: Xiao Jingshu , Xie Jun , Chen Xingying , Yu Kun , Chen Zhenyu , Luan Kaining
Published: November 2018

In recent years, with the advancement of urban construction in China, the optimization of power consumption in public buildings has been focused on. The optimization of power consumption in public buildings is based on the prediction of natural illuminance, outdoor air temperature and flow of people in public building. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study how to formulate a power consumption strategy with consideration of forecasting uncertainty of environmental factors. The robust-index method is proposed to deal with the problem of forecasting uncertainty. Firstly, this paper establishes power consumption models for lighting systems, air-conditioning systems, and elevator systems in public buildings. Secondly, the robust indexes for each system and the synthetic robust index are established. Thirdly, the objective function is formulated to reduce the total electricity cost with the robust indexes applied as additional constraints to the optimization problem, therefore the obtained power consumption schedules are able to reach the expected robust level. Finally, simulation results show attributes of the proposed method.
Regeneration of Native Forest Species in Mainland Portugal: Identifying Main Drivers
Authors: Monteiro-Henriques Tiago , Fernandes Paulo
Published: November 2018

Persistence of native forests is a global concern. We aimed at unveiling the main factors affecting tree recruitment in Portuguese native forests, modelling sapling data collected during the 5th Portuguese Forest Inventory, for five main Quercus taxa. Zero-inflated count data models allowed us to examine simultaneously (i) the absence of tree recruitment and (ii) the density of tree recruitment. Using Akaike weights, we obtained importance values for 15 relevant explanatory variables. Results showed that seed availability and climatic variables were determinant to understand regional absence of regeneration for all taxa. Seed availability was also an important driver of sapling density, except for Quercus suber. Other variables impacted on regeneration density: grazing hindered Q. suber regeneration; regeneration of Q. rotundifolia and Q. suber was lower in flat areas; recurrent fire hampered the regeneration of Q. robur and Q. pyrenaica; Q. broteroi and Q. pyrenaica showed depressed regeneration in regions where forest plantations abound, while Q. robur and Q. suber seemed selectively protected. We conclude that caution is warranted when analysing pooled data for Quercus spp. regeneration, as different variables affected Quercus taxa differently. Finally, we suggest dedicated management actions to enhance the establishment of new native forests.
Organochlorine Pesticide Residues and Microbiological Quality Assessment of Dried Barb, Puntius sophore, from the Northeastern Part of Bangladesh
Authors: Hussain Md. Ashraf , Kabir Md. Lutful , Sayeed Md. Abu , Mahbub-E-Elahi A.T.M. , Ahmed Md. Sultan , Islam Md Jakiul
Published: November 2018

The present study was carried out in the northeastern part of Bangladesh to investigate organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in and microbiological quality of dried barb (Puntius sophore). Samples were collected from both producers and retailers from December 2016 to April 2017. A control sample was also prepared in the laboratory with the same raw fish used by the producers to compare the results. Gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) was used to detect and quantify OCP residues. Six samples out of 27 (about 22%) were found to be contaminated with OCP residues. Among these six adulterated samples, four were from retailers and two from producers. Only aldrin was detected in four samples, and in the other two samples both aldrin + dieldrin and aldrin + endrin were detected. Aldrin was found in quantities between 0.332 and 0.967 ppm, dieldrin 0.762 ppm, and endrin 0.828 ppm. All these values were much higher than the maximum residual limit (MRL) of 0.1 ppm. Total plate count (TPC) of producer samples ranged from 5.3 ± 0.02 log cfu g−1 to 5.4 ± 0.03 log cfu g−1 and 6.2 ± 0.02 log cfu g−1 to 6.4 ± 0.02 log cfu g−1 for retailer samples and 5.0 ± 0.03 log cfu g−1 to 5.2 ± 0.04 log cfu g−1 for control samples. Fungal count ranged from 3.2 ± 0.04 log cfu g−1 to 3.5 ± 0.04 log cfu g−1, 3.4 ± 0.04 log cfu g−1 to 3.6 ± 0.03 log cfu g−1, and 2.2 ± 0.05 log cfu g−1 to 2.5 ± 0.03 log cfu g−1 for producer, retailer, and control samples, respectively. All the producer and retailer samples and one-third of the control samples were found to be contaminated with Escherichia coli, whereas Salmonella spp. were detected in amounts of 13.3% in producer samples and 20% in retailer samples and none in the control. In case of Vibrio spp., maximum count was found in retailer samples (13.3%), whereas producer and control samples showed none. The findings of the present study show that the presence of pesticides and poor microbiological quality of dried barb are alarming for consumers in Bangladesh and might cause prolonged disease and impending longstanding risk to human health.
Influence of Employment Conditions and Length of Residence on Adherence to Dietary Recommendations in Immigrant Workers in Spain
Authors: Benazizi Ikram , Ronda-Pérez Elena , Ortíz-Moncada Rocío , Martínez-Martínez José Miguel
Published: November 2018

The objective of this article is to analyze the influence of employment conditions on adherence to dietary recommendations among those born in Spain and immigrants by their time of residence. Data were used from the Platform of Longitudinal Studies of Immigrant Families (PELFI) cohort (n = 215) to compare Spaniards and immigrants with <14 and >14 years of residence. The questionnaire on frequency of food consumption (15 items) was used to measure adherence to dietary recommendations. Logistic regression models were used, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and employment conditions. Adherence to dietary recommendations was greater among Spaniards, followed by immigrants with >14 years of residence and <14 years of residence. The greatest adherence among Spaniards was for eggs (immigrants ≥ 14 years: 1/ORa = 2.89, <14 years: 1/ORa = 3.92), fish (immigrants ≥ 14 immigrants: 1/ORa = 2.33, <14 years: 1/ORa = 4.72), vegetables (immigrants ≥ 14 years: 1/ORa = 3.26, <14 years: 1/ORa = 4.87), dairy products (immigrants ≥ 14 years: 1/ORa = 14.34, <14 years: 1/ORa = 26.78), and sugary drinks (immigrants ≥14 years: 1/ORa = 2.12, <14 years: 1/ORa = 3.48), and the lowest adherence was for the consumption of sausages and cold cuts (immigrants ≥ 14 years: Ora = 7.62, <14 years: ORa = 24.65). Adjusting for sociodemographic and employment conditions variables did not result in variation in the observed differences between Spaniards, immigrants with <14 years of residence, and immigrants with >14 years of residence.
The Impact of Psychological Distress on Incident Functional Disability in Elderly Japanese: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study
Authors: Tomata Yasutake , Watanabe Takashi , Tanji Fumiya , Zhang Shu , Sugawara Yumi , Tsuji Ichiro
Published: November 2018

Background: Although psychological distress is known to be a risk factor for death, there are relatively few data on the impact of psychological distress on incident functional disability in older adults. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of psychological distress on incident functional disability in older adults. Methods: We conducted a cohort study of 12,365 disability-free individuals aged ≥65 years who live in Ohsaki City, Japan. In 2006, the level of psychological distress was assessed using the K6 (range: 0–24 points). Data on 10-year functional disability were retrieved from the public Long-term Care Insurance database. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and population attributable fractions (PAFs) according to the K6 groups (<5, 5–9, 10–12, and ≥13 points) were estimated. Results: Among 94,636 person-years, incident functional disability occurred in 4533 persons (36.7%). Significantly higher risk was observed in higher K6 score groups. The multiple-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of incident functional disability were 1.14 (1.06–1.22) for 5–9 points, 1.28 (1.15–1.43) for 10–12 points, and 1.62 (1.44–1.84) for ≥13 points, in comparison with <5 points (p-trend < 0.001). The PAFs in each of the K6 score groups were 3.0% for 5–9 points, 1.7% for 10–12 points, and 2.6% for ≥13 points. Conclusions: Even when mild to moderate, psychological distress had a considerable impact on incident functional disability in this cohort.
Linkage Effects Mining in Stock Market Based on Multi-Resolution Time Series Network
Authors: Xu Lingyu , Xu Huan , Yu Jie , Wang Lei
Published: November 2018

Previous research on financial time-series data mainly focused on the analysis of market evolution and trends, ignoring its characteristics in different resolutions and stages. This paper discusses the evolution characteristics of the financial market in different resolutions, and presents a method of complex network analysis based on wavelet transform. The analysis method has proven the linkage effects of the plate sector in China’s stock market and has that found plate drift phenomenon occurred before and after the stock market crash. In addition, we also find two different evolutionary trends, namely the W-type and M-type trends. The discovery of linkage plate and drift phenomena are important and referential for enterprise investors to build portfolio investment strategy, and play an important role for policy makers in analyzing evolution characteristics of the stock market.
Direction of Arrival Estimation Using Augmentation of Coprime Arrays
Authors: Hassan Tehseen Ul , Gao Fei , Jalal Babur , Arif Sheeraz
Published: November 2018

Recently, direction of arrival (DOA) estimation premised on the sparse arrays interpolation approaches, such as co-prime arrays (CPA) and nested array, have attained extensive attention because of the effectiveness and capability of providing higher degrees of freedom (DOFs). The co-prime array interpolation approach can detect O(MN) paths with O(M + N) sensors in the array. However, the presence of missing elements (holes) in the difference coarray has limited the number of DOFs. To implement co-prime coarray on subspace based DOA estimation algorithm namely multiple signal classification (MUSIC), a reshaping operation followed by the spatial smoothing technique have been presented in the literature. In this paper, an active coarray interpolation (ACI) is proposed to efficiently recovering the covariance matrix of the augmented coarray from the original covariance matrix of source signals with no vectorizing and spatial smoothing operation; thus, the computational complexity reduces significantly. Moreover, the numerical simulations of the proposed ACI approach offers better performance compared to its counterparts.
Radiotherapy for Elderly Patients Aged ≥75 Years with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer—Is There a Role of Brachytherapy?
Authors: Yamazaki Hideya , Masui Koji , Suzuki Gen , Nakamura Satoaki , Aibe Norihiro , Shimizu Daisuke , Nishikawa Tatsuyuki , Okabe Haruumi , Yoshida Ken , Kotsuma Tadayuki , Tanaka Eiichi , Otani Keisuke , Yoshioka Yasuo , Ogawa Kazuhiko
Published: November 2018

We compared radiotherapy outcomes between 241 elderly patients aged ≥75 years and 867 younger controls (age <75 years) with clinically localized prostate cancer. The elderly group showed an equivalent actuarial seven-year biochemical failure-free survival rate (7y-bNED) (94.9%) to the younger control group (96.4%, p = 0.593). The incidence of late genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities grade ≥2 was also similar between the elderly and younger cohorts, while no grade ≥4 adverse events occurred. We also examined the role of brachytherapy (BT) in the elderly group, in comparison with image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT). BT showed superior 7y-bNED (94.1%) than IG-IMRT (84.6%, p = 0.0183) in elderly patients, which was 100% (100% for BT and 100% for IG-IMRT, p > 0.999) for the low-risk group, 94.6% (92.8% and 100%, p = 0.203) for the intermediate-risk group, and 80.5% (91.2% and 73.6%, p = 0.0195) for the high-risk group. BT showed higher GU toxicity and equivalent GI toxicity to IG-IMRT. In conclusion, elderly patients showed bNED and toxicity that were equivalent to those observed in younger controls, and BT is a plausible option also for healthy elderly with potential to improve bNED, with higher but acceptable GU toxicity.
Maternal RANKL Reduces the Osteopetrotic Phenotype of Null Mutant Mouse Pups
Authors: Navet Benjamin , Vargas-Franco Jorge , Gama Andrea , Amiaud Jérome , Choi Yongwon , Yagita Hideo , Mueller Christopher , Rédini Françoise , Heymann Dominique , Castaneda Beatriz , Lézot Frédéric
Published: November 2018

RANKL signalization is implicated in the morphogenesis of various organs, including the skeleton. Mice invalidated for Rankl present an osteopetrotic phenotype that was less severe than anticipated, depending on RANKL’s implication in morphogenesis. The hypothesis of an attenuated phenotype, as a result of compensation during gestation by RANKL of maternal origin, was thus brought into question. In order to answer this question, Rankl null mutant pups from null mutant parents were generated, and the phenotype analyzed. The results validated the presence of a more severe osteopetrotic phenotype in the second-generation null mutant with perinatal lethality. The experiments also confirmed that RANKL signalization plays a part in the morphogenesis of skeletal elements through its involvement in cell-to-cell communication, such as in control of osteoclast differentiation. To conclude, we have demonstrated that the phenotype associated with Rankl invalidation is attenuated through compensation by RANKL of maternal origin.
Combination of Plasma Biomarkers and Clinical Data for the Detection of Myocardial Fibrosis or Aggravation of Heart Failure Symptoms in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Patients
Authors: Wu Cho-Kai , Su Mao-Yuan M. , Wu Yi-Fan , Hwang Juey-Jen , Lin Lian-Yu
Published: November 2018

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by heart failure symptoms and structural change (including fibrosis). The relationship between novel biomarkers and the above components remains unclear. Methods: Seventy-seven HFpEF patients were recruited. All patients underwent echocardiography with tissue doppler imaging, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), and measurement of plasma inflammatory, remodelling, endothelial function, and heart failure biomarker levels. Myocardial fibrosis was defined by CMRI-extracellular volume. Forward conditional logistic regression was applied to demonstrate the determinants of myocardial fibrosis or heart failure symptoms. Results: The levels of growth differentiation factor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, galectin-3, and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were significantly higher in patients with more myocardial fibrosis. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and galectin-3 were independent markers of ECV. After adjusting for confounding factors, plasma galectin-3 and MMP-2 levels were correlated with myocardial fibrosis levels (odds ratio (OR): 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02 to 1.09, p = 0.005 and OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.35–3.28, respectively), while NT-proBNP level only was associated with heart failure symptoms. We developed a score system consisted of biomarkers and clinical parameters. The area under the curve of the scoring system receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.838 to predict the degree of myocardial diffuse fibrosis. Conclusions: In conclusion, we found that galectin-3 and MMP-2 were significantly associated with global cardiac fibrosis in HFpEF patients. We also combined plasma biomarkers and clinical data to identify HFpEF patients with more severe cardiac fibrosis.
Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury after Liver Transplantation: Machine Learning Approaches vs. Logistic Regression Model
Authors: Lee Hyung-Chul , Yoon Soo , Yang Seong-Mi , Kim Won , Ryu Ho-Geol , Jung Chul-Woo , Suh Kyung-Suk , Lee Kook
Published: November 2018

Acute kidney injury (AKI) after liver transplantation has been reported to be associated with increased mortality. Recently, machine learning approaches were reported to have better predictive ability than the classic statistical analysis. We compared the performance of machine learning approaches with that of logistic regression analysis to predict AKI after liver transplantation. We reviewed 1211 patients and preoperative and intraoperative anesthesia and surgery-related variables were obtained. The primary outcome was postoperative AKI defined by acute kidney injury network criteria. The following machine learning techniques were used: decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting machine, support vector machine, naïve Bayes, multilayer perceptron, and deep belief networks. These techniques were compared with logistic regression analysis regarding the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC). AKI developed in 365 patients (30.1%). The performance in terms of AUROC was best in gradient boosting machine among all analyses to predict AKI of all stages (0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86–0.93) or stage 2 or 3 AKI. The AUROC of logistic regression analysis was 0.61 (95% CI 0.56–0.66). Decision tree and random forest techniques showed moderate performance (AUROC 0.86 and 0.85, respectively). The AUROC of support the vector machine, naïve Bayes, neural network, and deep belief network was smaller than that of the other models. In our comparison of seven machine learning approaches with logistic regression analysis, the gradient boosting machine showed the best performance with the highest AUROC. An internet-based risk estimator was developed based on our model of gradient boosting. However, prospective studies are required to validate our results.
A Mass Conservative Kalman Filter Algorithm for Computational Thermo-Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Introini Carolina , Lorenzi Stefano , Cammi Antonio , Baroli Davide , Peters Bernhard , Bordas Stéphane
Published: November 2018

This paper studies Kalman filtering applied to Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations for turbulent flow. The integration of the Kalman estimator is extended to an implicit segregated method and to the thermodynamic analysis of turbulent flow, adding a sub-stepping procedure that ensures mass conservation at each time step and the compatibility among the unknowns involved. The accuracy of the algorithm is verified with respect to the heated lid-driven cavity benchmark, incorporating also temperature observations, comparing the augmented prediction of the Kalman filter with the Computational Fluid-Dynamic solution found on a fine grid.
New Numerical Method for Solving Tenth Order Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Akgül Ali , Karatas Akgül Esra , Baleanu Dumitru , Inc Mustafa
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we implement reproducing kernel Hilbert space method to tenth order boundary value problems. These problems are important for mathematicians. Different techniques were applied to get approximate solutions of such problems. We obtain some useful reproducing kernel functions to get approximate solutions. We obtain very efficient results by this method. We show our numerical results by tables.