bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suçsuzluk Karinesi Bağlamında Soruşturma Yapılmasına Yer Olmadığı Kararı
Authors: ÖZEN Muharrem , KÖKSAL Atacan
Published: April 2019

            Suçsuzluk

karinesi, ceza muhakemesinin her evresinde gözetilen bir temel haktır.

Suçsuzluk karinesi, ceza muhakemesinde adil yargılanmanın gerçekleştirilmesini

sağlamaktadır. Genel olarak, kamu görevlilerinin görevleriyle bağlantılı olarak

işledikleri iddia edilen suçlarla ilgili ihbar ve şikâyetler bakımından özel bazı

hükümlerin bulunduğu görülmektedir. Söz konusu hükümler kamu görevlilerini

haksız isnatlardan korumayı amaçlamaktadır. Soruşturma yapılmasına yer olmadığı

kararıyla, bu koruma mekanizmasının kamu görevlisi olmayan kişiler bakımından

da getirilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Bu çalışmada hukukumuzda yeni bir karar türü

olarak soruşturma yapılmasına yer olmadığı kararı incelenecektir. Konu

incelenirken öncelikle hukukumuzda ihbar ve şikâyete ilişkin genel bilgiler

verilecektir. Daha sonra Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi’nin suçsuzluk

karinesiyle ilgili kararları değerlendirilecektir. Son bölümde ise 5271 sayılı

Ceza Muhakemesi Kanunu’na eklenen düzenlemeyle soruşturma yapılmasına yer

olmadığı kararının koşulları incelenecektir. Ayrıca getirilen yeni kanuni düzenlemeyle

ilgili eleştiri ve önerilere yer verilecektir.
Bireysel Başvuru Kararlarında Makul Sürede Yargılanma Hakkı
Authors: ÖZKAN DUVAN Ayşe
Published: April 2019

Makul sürede yargılanma hakkı, adil yargılanma hakkının en önemli unsurlarından biridir. Avrupa İnsan Hakları Sözleşmesinin 6. maddesi ve Anayasanın 141. maddesiyle güvence altına alınmıştır. Gerek Avrupa İnsan Hakları Mahkemesi gerekse Anayasa Mahkemesinde görülen bireysel başvuru uyuşmazlıklarının büyük bölümü makul sürede yargılanma hakkıyla ilgilidir. Ülkemizde uzun yargılama süreleri özellikle belirli dava türleriyle ilgili olarak patolojik bir hal almıştır. Bu çalışmanın birinci bölümünde hukuksal, cezai ve idari yargılamada makul sürenin aşılmasına yol açan nedenler üzerinde durulmaktadır. İkinci bölümde AİHS, Anayasa ve Usul Yasalarında makul sürede yargılanma hakkıyla ilişkili mevzuat hükümleri ele alınmakta; üçüncü bölümde bireysel başvuru mekanizmasında kullanılan makul süre ölçütleri üzerinde durulmaktadır.  Makul süre kavramının içeriği ve uygulanma ilkeleri, büyük ölçüde ilgili mevzuatla değil AİHM ve Anayasa Mahkemesinin bireysel başvuru içtihadıyla geliştirilmiştir. Bu nedenle çalışmamızda makul sürede yargılanma hakkı, mahkemelerin bireysel başvuru yolunda verdikleri kararlardan yola çıkılarak değerlendirilmektedir.
The Environmental Analysis of Polymers Process
Authors: Altuwair Ibrahim
Published: April 2019

The chemical industrial processes with their energy-intensive production methods and unpleasant image have become “business as usual”. Polycarbonate (PC) is one example of energy intensive methods that has become one of the largest industrial processes. Moreover, a large number of hazardous chemicals are used throughout its manufacturing stages. This study is concerned with environmental aspects of PC production. It investigates life cycle based environmental performance evaluation of supercritical fluid (SCF) Application to PC production, more specifically in i) Environmental performance assessment of SFC as chlorinating alternative and ii) Environmental performance assessment of plasticizing scenario as stabilizing step in the PC production. The advantages of using SCF are tied to the cleaner aspects of the technology, minimization of raw materials and energy demand, reduction of emissions and effluent discharge into the environment and maximization of environmental benefits. Environmental performance of polycarbonates production by SCF was compared with that of traditional production methods. It was observed that supercritical fluid technology has an impact on the emissions reduction compared with traditional methods. This research contributes to understanding the challenges that the industry of polycarbonate production will face in the future where the chemical emissions are increased resulting from production and energy consumptions.
The Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation Among Acute Medical Admission in Kuwait University Hospital in Sana'a City
Authors: Khaled Al-Aghbari , Mohammed Bamashmoos , Faiza Askar
Published: April 2019

Objectives: The aim of the study is to Determine, prevalence, possible risk factors, aetiology and outcome of patient with atrial fibrillation admitted into medical and cardiac units at Kuwait University hospital during 2014-2017.
Methods and patients: Cross sectional retrospective review of all files of patients admitted to hospital during 2014 t0 2017. We reviewed 2030 Cardiac cases among which 179 were atrial fibrillation. Special form was designed to record general characters, risk factors & out come during hospitalization.
Results: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (A F) was 8% (179/2030). The male to female ratio was 5:4 and their main age was 54±9. The common risk factors were ischemic heart disease, Qat chewer, hyperlipidemia, rheumatic heart disease and smoker represented to (46%,41%, 39%, 38%,38%) respectively. Transthoracic echo was performed for all patients and revealed that 92 (51.9%) had systolic dysfunction, while only 34(18.9%) patient had diastolic dysfunction. Mitral stenosis was detected in 30 (16.7%) patients among rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Regarding outcome of AF we found that 137(77%) was improved and discharged, while 42 (13.4%) was expired, however, 18 patients (10%) was referred to other hospitals.
Conclusion: The prevalence of AF in this study was higher than that reported from other countries, and occurred in younger age group. Ischemic heart disease and RHD were prominent risk factors for AF in this study.
CT Coronary Angiography versus Coronary Angiography to Detect Specificity and Sensitivity of CT Coronary
Authors: Zaghloul Sheref M , Hassan Walid , M Reda Ashraf , M Sultan Ghada , A Salah Mohamed , O Balubid Hassan , Inamurrahim Safia , Tammam Khalid , Zaatar Ahmad , S Gassar Mohammed
Published: April 2019

Background: Various diagnostic tests including conventional invasive coronary angiography and non-invasive Computed Tomography (CT) coronary angiography are used in the diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Objective: The present report aims to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of CT coronary angiography in diagnosis of coronary artery disease compared to the standard invasive coronary angiography.
Methods: A retrospective study was done over 2 years started from May of 2015 up to May of 2017. The medical evaluation was based on systematic reviews of diagnostic studies with invasive coronary angiography and those with CT coronary angiogram. Data on special indications (bypass grafts, in-stent-restenosis) were also included in the evaluation. The CT scanners used with 320 slices. The study included patients with diabetes, hypertension, and data included age, glomerular filtration rate and ejection fraction. Results: Of the 99 patients included in the study, sensitivity of the total lesions were 87.1% which was highest for the graft lesions (100% sensitivity) and lowest for the Left Main (LM) lesions (83.3% sensitivity), on the other hand the specificity of the total lesion were high (98.1% specificity) which also was highest for the graft lesions (100% specificity) and lowest for the Left Anterior Descending (LAD) lesions (95% specificity). Regarding accuracy, CT coronary was 96.6% accurate for the whole lesions. Conclusions: From a medical point of view, CT coronary angiography using scanners with at least 320 slices should be recommended as a test to rule in obstructive coronary stenosis in order to avoid inappropriate invasive coronary angiography in patients with an intermediate pretest probability of CAD. Multi detector CT (MDCT) has reasonably high accuracy for detecting significant obstructive CAD when assessed at artery level.
SHINe: Simulator for Satellite on-Board High-Speed Networks Featuring SpaceFibre and SpaceWire Protocols
Authors: Leoni Alessandro , Nannipieri Pietro , Davalle Daniele , Fanucci Luca , Jameux David
Published: April 2019

The continuous innovation of satellite payloads is leading to an increasing demand of data-rate for on-board satellite networks. In particular, modern optical detectors generate and need to transfer data at more than 1 Gbps, a speed that cannot be satisfied with standardized technologies such as SpaceWire. To fill this gap, the European Space Agency (ESA) is supporting the development of a new high-speed link standard, SpaceFibre. SpaceFibre provides a data-rate higher than 6.25 Gbps, together with the possibility to use multiple Virtual Channels running over the same physical link, each one configurable with flexible Quality of Service parameters. These features make a SpaceFibre network very appealing but also complex to set up in order to achieve the desired end-to-end requirements. To help this process, a Simulator for HIgh-speed Network (SHINe) based on the open-source toolkit OMNeT++ has been developed and is presented in this paper. It supports the simulation of SpaceFibre and SpaceWire protocols in order to help both the final steps of the standardization process and the system engineers in the setup and test of new networks. SHINe allows to precisely simulate common network metrics, such as latency and bandwidth usage, and it can be connected to real hardware in a Hardware-in-the-Loop configuration.
Mulch Treatment Effect on Weed Biomass and Yields of Organic Sweetpotato Cultivars
Authors: Nwosisi Sochinwechi , Nandwani Dilip , Hui Dafeng
Published: April 2019

Weeds are a challenge, particularly in organic agriculture, due to restrictions on the application of synthetic herbicides and chemicals. A preliminary cultivar evaluation trial of organic sweetpotato was conducted in 2015 at Tennessee State University certified organic farm. Three mulches: wheat straw, pine needle, and black plastic mulch, along with a control (no mulch), were evaluated for their weed management abilities in a sweetpotato field. Four cultivars of sweetpotato were planted in 0.91 m wide mulch beds with 0.3 m row spacing anddrip irrigated with four replications. Data was collected during the growing season on the dry weight of weeds that emerged in a quadrat and yield components at harvest. Results of two-way ANOVA revealed that mulch treatments affected the weed biomass, weed density, and cull yields. Though the use of mulches had no significant effect on other yield components of sweetpotato in this study; it was beneficial for weed management.
Microalgal Biostimulants and Biofertilisers in Crop Productions
Authors: Ronga Domenico , Biazzi Elisa , Parati Katia , Carminati Domenico , Carminati Elio , Tava Aldo
Published: April 2019

Microalgae are attracting the interest of agrochemical industries and farmers, due to their biostimulant and biofertiliser properties. Microalgal biostimulants (MBS) and biofertilisers (MBF) might be used in crop production to increase agricultural sustainability. Biostimulants are products derived from organic material that, applied in small quantities, are able to stimulate the growth and development of several crops under both optimal and stressful conditions. Biofertilisers are products containing living microorganisms or natural substances that are able to improve chemical and biological soil properties, stimulating plant growth, and restoring soil fertility. This review is aimed at reporting developments in the processing of MBS and MBF, summarising the biologically-active compounds, and examining the researches supporting the use of MBS and MBF for managing productivity and abiotic stresses in crop productions. Microalgae are used in agriculture in different applications, such as amendment, foliar application, and seed priming. MBS and MBF might be applied as an alternative technique, or used in conjunction with synthetic fertilisers, crop protection products and plant growth regulators, generating multiple benefits, such as enhanced rooting, higher crop yields and quality and tolerance to drought and salt. Worldwide, MBS and MBF remain largely unexploited, such that this study highlights some of the current researches and future development priorities.
Compost as a Substitute for Mineral N Fertilization? Effects on Crops, Soil and N Leaching
Authors: Maucieri Carmelo , Barco Alberto , Borin Maurizio
Published: April 2019

A three-year study was conducted to test the fertilization properties of different types of compost as the total or partial mineral nitrogen fertilization substitute in an herbaceous crop succession (Zea mays L., Triticum aestivum L. and Helianthus annus L.). Four types of compost (i. green cuttings and depuration sludge, ii. green cuttings, organic fraction of municipal wastes and other organic materials, iii. green cuttings, iv. green cuttings and organic fraction of municipal wastes) and eight fertilization treatments (combining: unfertilized control, 100% mineral fertilization, 100% compost, and 50% compost +50% mineral fertilization) were evaluated in terms of: (i) crop yields and nitrogen uptake, (ii) soil organic carbon and nitrate nitrogen soil contents variation, and (iii) residual nitrate nitrogen leached at the end of the experiment. Maize grain yield ranged from 5.2 ± 1.0 Mg ha−1 to 7.4 ± 0.7 Mg ha−1 with the highest value in the mineral fertilization treatment and the lowest values in the 100% compost fertilization. Wheat and sunflower grain yields were not significantly different among control, mineral, compost, or mineral/compost fertilization treatments with average values of 5.1 ± 0.7 Mg ha−1 and 2.3 ± 0.3 Mg ha−1, respectively. Cumulative crop yield at the end of the three years was not affected by the compost type, but was affected by fertilization treatment (highest values with mineral and 50% compost +50% mineral fertilization). The compost application did not highlight a relevant effect on soil organic carbon. Under 100% of compost fertilization, the crops did not take up a large amount of the N supplied, but it did not generate an increase of NO3-N leaching in the percolation water. Obtained results show the good fertilization properties of compost whereas the amendment property was not relevant, probably due to the low rates applied and the short experimental period.
Equine Welfare in Practice: A Collaborative Outreach and Education Program with Michigan State University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and Universidad Veracruzana
Authors: Schott Harold C. , Estrada-Coates Alejandro , Alva-Trujillo Miriam , Petersen Annette D. , Kinsley Marc A. , Esser Melissa M. , Casillas Jose , Garcia-Seco Elena , Madariaga-Najera Mauro , Fernando Martínez José Antonio , Herrera-León Arturo , Hernández-Gil Mariano
Published: April 2019

There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Addressing this need provides an opportunity for veterinary students to gain primary care experience. An annual two week collaborative outreach and educational program with Michigan State University (MSU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) was developed to provide care for working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 to 2019 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. They also treated many wounds, sarcoids, vampire bat bites and tick infestations and also saw unusual cases including tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, cervical vertebral malformation and suspected vesicular stomatitis. Development of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship required vision, learning, relationship building, creativity, fund-raising and perseverance to develop and agree on mutually beneficial objectives for all participants. The project is largely financed through private donations and supplies provided by pharmaceutical companies. The outcome has been a highly successful program that could be used as a model by other Colleges of Veterinary Medicine world-wide.
A Field Study on the Freezing Characteristics of Freeze-Sealing Pipe Roof Used in Ultra-Shallow Buried Tunnel
Authors: Hu Xiangdong , Wu Yuanhao , Li Xinyi
Published: April 2019

A new pre-supporting technology named the freeze-sealing pipe roof (FSPR) method was adopted in the construction of Gongbei tunnel (Zhuhai, China), a critical part of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau bridge (HZMB) project. The method combined pipe-roofing with artificial ground freezing (AGF). The pipe roof which included a number of large-diameter steel pipes was designed to play a primary role in load bearing, while the frozen wall between pipes was designed for water sealing. The refrigeration proceeded in two stages called the active freezing period and excavation period. This paper mainly focuses on the freezing characteristics of FSPR to explore how the frozen soil wall developed and changed over time during both periods based on field temperature data. The results show that the development of the frozen wall met the design requirements in fewer than 80 days of refrigeration considering the most unfavorable situation. The distribution of frozen soil along the entire tunnel was non-uniform. Frost heave and thaw weakening problems should be taken into account, since some of the bottom section of the frozen wall was more than 3 m. The frozen soil at the excavation side was visibly influenced by the replenishment of heat due to excavation, while the frozen soil outside the excavation face was much less influenced. The thermal effects of Hurricane Nicole on the frozen soil wall was also observed. The conclusions provide experience, reference, and guidance for the development of similar projects in the future.
Impact of Nonlinear Thermal Radiation on MHD Nanofluid Thin Film Flow over a Horizontally Rotating Disk
Authors: Shah Zahir , Dawar Abdullah , Kumam Poom , Khan Waris , Islam Saeed
Published: April 2019

Nanoscience can be stated as a superlative way of changing the properties of a working fluid. Heat transmission features during the flow of nanofluids are an imperative rule from the industrial and technological point of view. This article presents a thin film flow of viscous nanofluids over a horizontal rotating disk. The impact of non-linear thermal radiation and a uniform magnetic field is emphasized in this work. The governing equations were transformed and solved by the homotopy analysis method and the ND-Solve technique. Both analytical and numerical results are compared graphically and numerically, and excellent agreement was obtained. Skin friction and the Nusselt number were calculated numerically. It is concluded that the thin film thickness of nanofluids reduces with enhanced values of the magnetic parameter. In addition, the nanofluid temperature was augmented with increasing values of the thermal radiation parameter. The impact of emerging parameters on velocities and temperature profiles were obtainable through graphs and were deliberated on in detail.
Attention-Based LSTM Algorithm for Audio Replay Detection in Noisy Environments
Authors: Li Jiakang , Zhang Xiongwei , Sun Meng , Zou Xia , Zheng Changyan
Published: April 2019

Even though audio replay detection has improved in recent years, its performance is known to severely deteriorate with the existence of strong background noises. Given the fact that different frames of an utterance have different impacts on the performance of spoofing detection, this paper introduces attention-based long short-term memory (LSTM) to extract representative frames for spoofing detection in noisy environments. With this attention mechanism, the specific and representative frame-level features will be automatically selected by adjusting their weights in the framework of attention-based LSTM. The experiments, conducted using the ASVspoof 2017 dataset version 2.0, show that the equal error rate (EER) of the proposed approach was about 13% lower than the constant Q cepstral coefficients-Gaussian mixture model (CQCC-GMM) baseline in noisy environments with four different signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Meanwhile, the proposed algorithm also improved the performance of traditional LSTM on audio replay detection systems in noisy environments. Experiments using bagging with different frame lengths were also conducted to further improve the proposed approach.
Effects of Amendments on Soil Microbial Diversity, Enzyme Activity and Nutrient Accumulation after Assisted Phytostabilization of an Extremely Acidic Metalliferous Mine Soil
Authors: Yang Sheng-xiang , Liao Bin , Xiao Rong-bo , Li Jin-tian
Published: April 2019

Current criteria for successful phytostabilization of metalliferous mine wastelands have paid much attention to soil physico-chemical properties and vegetation characteristics. However, it remains poorly understood as to how the soil microbial community responds to phytostabilization practices. To explore the effects of amendments on the microbial community after assisted phytostabilization of an extremely acidic metalliferous mine soil (pH < 3), a pot experiment was performed in which different amendments and/or combinations including lime, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) compound fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer and river sediment were applied. Our results showed the following: (1) The amendments significantly increased soil microbial activity and biomass C, being 2.6–4.9 and 1.9–4.1 times higher than those in the controls, respectively. (2) The activities of dehydrogenase, cellulase and urease increased by 0.9–7.5, 2.2–6.8 and 6.7–17.9 times while acid phosphatase activity decreased by 58.6%–75.1% after the application of the amendments by comparison with the controls. (3) All the amendments enhanced the nutrient status of the mine soil, with organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus increased by 5.7–7.8, 3.1–6.8 and 1.1–1.9 times, relative to the mine soil. In addition, there were strong positive correlations between soil microbial community parameters and nutrient factors, suggesting that they were likely to be synergistic. From an economic view, the combination of lime (25 t ha−1) and sediment from the Pearl River (30%) was optimal for functional rehabilitation of the microbial community in the extremely acidic metalliferous mine soil studied.
Time-Delayed Feedback Control of Piezoelectric Elastic Beams under Superharmonic and Subharmonic Excitations
Authors: Peng Jian , Xiang Mingjiao , Li Luxin , Sun Hongxin , Wang Xiuyong
Published: April 2019

The time-delayed displacement feedback control is provided to restrain the superharmonic and subharmonic response of the elastic support beams. The nonlinear equations of the controlled elastic beam are obtained with the help of the Euler–Bernoulli beam principle and time-delayed feedback control strategy. Based on Galerkin method, the discrete nonlinear time-delayed equations are derived. Using the multiscale method, the first-order approximate solutions and stability conditions of three superharmonic and 1/3 subharmonic resonance response on controlled beams are derived. The influence of time-delayed parameters and control gain are obtained. The results show that the time-delayed displacement feedback control can effectively suppress the superharmonic and subharmonic resonance response. Selecting reasonably the time-delayed quantity and control gain can avoid the resonance region and unstable multi-solutions and improve the efficiency of the vibration control. Furthermore, with the purpose of suppressing the amplitude peak and governing the resonance stability, appropriate feedback gain and time delay are derived.
Three-Motorized-Stage Cyclic Stretching System for Cell Monitoring Based on Chamber Local Displacement Waveforms
Authors: Huang Wenjing , Zhang Sheng , Ahmad Belal , Kawahara Tomohiro
Published: April 2019

Researchers have developed a cell stretching device to mimic the in vivo mechanical environment in vitro in order to investigate cell mechanotransduction. Cyclic stretch is involved in lengthening and relaxation phases. Cells may respond to mechanical stimulation rapidly within a few seconds, and sudden disruption of cell cytoskeletons may also occur at any point in any phase of cyclic stretch. However, until now, no research has been done to establish a method of collecting cell images at the two phases of cyclic stretch. Because image processing is time-consuming, it is difficult to adjust focus and collect high-resolution images simultaneously at the two phases during the process. In this study, a three-motorized-stage system was developed to meet the requirements. The results demonstrated that linear compensation is effective for cell imaging, and it is applicable to have a feed-forward control method without image processing. A method was then developed to determine the maximum displacement of the target in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the linear compensation waveforms were designed using the C program automatically and immediately before stretching. Further, the cyclic stretch was applied to cells using the three motorized stages, and clear phase-contrast cell imaging (30 fps) were obtained almost at any point in time. Detailed cell changes such as sudden disruption of cell–cell junctions, not only long-term cell response, were observed. Therefore, our study established a methodology to greatly improve the time resolution of imaging of cyclic stretch for the research of detailed cellular mechanotransduction.
Full Field Inversion in Photoacoustic Tomography with Variable Sound Speed
Authors: Zangerl Gerhard , Haltmeier Markus , Nguyen Linh V. , Nuster Robert
Published: April 2019

To accelerate photoacoustic data acquisition, in [R. Nuster, G. Zangerl, M. Haltmeier, G. Paltauf (2010). Full field detection in photoacoustic tomography. Optics express, 18(6), 6288–6299] a novel measurement and reconstruction approach has been proposed, where the measured data consist of projections of the full 3D acoustic pressure distribution at a certain time instant T. Existing reconstruction algorithms for this kind of setup assume a constant speed of sound. This assumption is not always met in practice and thus can lead to erroneous reconstructions. In this paper, we present a two-step reconstruction method for full field detection photoacoustic tomography that takes variable speed of sound into account. In the first step, by applying the inverse Radon transform, the pressure distribution at the measurement time is reconstructed point-wise from the projection data. In the second step, a final time wave inversion problem is solved where the initial pressure distribution is recovered from the known pressure distribution at time T. We derive an iterative solution approach for the final time wave inversion problem and compute the required adjoint operator. Moreover, as the main result of this paper, we derive its uniqueness and stability. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed reconstruction scheme is fast and stable, and that ignoring sound speed variations significantly degrades the reconstruction.
Low-Cost Rapid Fabrication of Conformal Liquid-Metal Patterns
Authors: Elassy Kareem S. , Akau Tyler K. , Shiroma Wayne A. , Seo Soonmin , Ohta Aaron T.
Published: April 2019

Patterned conformal conductive structures are used to realize flexible electronics for applications such as electronic skin, communication devices, and sensors. Thus, there is a demand for low-cost rapid fabrication techniques for flexible and stretchable conductors. Spray-coating of liquid metals is a prototyping method that is compatible with elastic substrates. In this work, UV-curable and polyimide masks were used to pattern sprayed liquid metal (LM). The effect of the spraying parameters on the thickness and conductivity of the LM was characterized. A minimum LM linewidth of 48 µm was achieved, along with a minimum gap width of 34 µm. A LM patch antenna and transmission line, which can potentially be used for communication systems, were demonstrated using this fabrication process.
Mining for Oxysterols in Cyp7b1−/− Mouse Brain and Plasma: Relevance to Spastic Paraplegia Type 5
Authors: Meljon Anna , Crick Peter J. , Yutuc Eylan , Yau Joyce L. , Seckl Jonathan R. , Theofilopoulos Spyridon , Arenas Ernest , Wang Yuqin , Griffiths William J.
Published: April 2019

Deficiency in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 7B1, also known as oxysterol 7α-hydroxylase, in humans leads to hereditary spastic paraplegia type 5 (SPG5) and in some cases in infants to liver disease. SPG5 is medically characterized by loss of motor neurons in the corticospinal tract. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the fundamental biochemistry of this disorder, we have extended our previous profiling of the oxysterol content of brain and plasma of Cyp7b1 knockout (-/-) mice to include, amongst other sterols, 25-hydroxylated cholesterol metabolites. Although brain cholesterol levels do not differ between wild-type (wt) and knockout mice, we find, using a charge-tagging methodology in combination with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and multistage fragmentation (MSn), that there is a build-up of the CYP7B1 substrate 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) in Cyp7b1-/- mouse brain and plasma. As reported earlier, levels of (25R)26-hydroxycholesterol (26-HC), 3β-hydroxycholest-5-en-(25R)26-oic acid and 24S,25-epoxycholesterol (24S,25-EC) are similarly elevated in brain and plasma. Side-chain oxysterols including 25-HC, 26-HC and 24S,25-EC are known to bind to INSIG (insulin-induced gene) and inhibit the processing of SREBP-2 (sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2) to its active form as a master regulator of cholesterol biosynthesis. We suggest the concentration of cholesterol in brain of the Cyp7b1-/- mouse is maintained by balancing reduced metabolism, as a consequence of a loss in CYP7B1, with reduced biosynthesis. The Cyp7b1-/- mouse does not show a motor defect; whether the defect in humans is a consequence of less efficient homeostasis of cholesterol in brain has yet to be uncovered.
Self-Concepts in Reading and Spelling among Mono- and Multilingual Children: Extending the Bilingual Advantage
Authors: Festman Julia , Schwieter John W.
Published: April 2019

Cognitive representations and beliefs are what comprise an individual’s self-concept. A positive self-concept is related to and influences academic achievement, and the relationship between a domain-specific self-concept and achievement in the same domain is positive and strong. However, insufficient attention has been paid to these issues among multilingual children. More importantly, since instruction strongly contributes to the development of metacognition and executive functions (EFs), and since the bilingual advantage hypothesis holds that the constant management of multiple languages entails benefits for EF, we bring together these important issues in the present study. We examine the relationship between domain-specific self-concepts and standardized assessment of reading and spelling competences against the background of potential differences in self-concept between monolingual and multilingual German children. While between-group comparisons revealed no significant differences for self-concept nor reading competency, monolinguals outperformed multilinguals in spelling. Correlations between domain-specific self-concepts and academic achievement in reading comprehension, reading fluency, and spelling were positive and significant for both groups. Regardless of language background, children’s evaluations of their academic achievement (reading and spelling) were realistic. We argue, on a theoretical basis, that metacognition and EFs could facilitate a bilingual advantage and improve educational outcomes.
Analysis of Mass Transport through Anisotropic, Catalytic/Bio-Catalytic Membrane Reactors
Authors: Nagy Endre , Vitai Márta
Published: April 2019

This paper investigated the steady-state mass transport process through anisotropic, composite membrane layers with variable mass transport coefficients, such as the diffusion coefficient, convective velocity, or chemical/biochemical reaction rate constant. The transfer processes can be a solution-diffusion model or diffusive plus convective process. In the theoretical part, the concentration distribution as well as the inlet and outlet mass transfer rates’ expressions are defined for physical transport processes with variable diffusion or solubility coefficients and then that for transport processes accompanied by first- and zero-order reactions, in the presence of diffusive and convective flow, with constant and variable parameters. The variation of the transport parameters as a function of the local coordinate was defined by linear equations. It was shown that the increasing diffusion coefficient or convective flow induces much lower concentrations across the membrane layer than transport processes, with their decreasing values a function of the space coordinate. Accordingly, this can strongly affect the effect of the concentration dependent chemical/biochemical reaction. The inlet mass transfer rate can also be mostly higher when the transport parameter decreases across the anisotropic membrane layer.
Dibenzothiophene Hydrodesulfurization over P-CoMo on Sol-Gel Alumina Modified by La Addition. Effect of Rare-Earth Content
Authors: Escobar José , Barrera María C. , Valente Jaime S. , Solís-Casados Dora A. , Santes Víctor , Terrazas José E. , Fouconnier Benoit A.R.
Published: April 2019

Alumina-lanthana (La at 1, 3, or 5 wt%) supports were prepared by sol-gel from Al alkoxide sol where La(NO3)3 was added. Annealed (550 °C) xerogels were characterized by N2 physisorption, thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy- energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), CO2-adsorption studied in IR region, Raman and ultraviolet-vis (UV-vis) spectroscopies. The texture of amorphous binary matrices of high La dispersion was adequate to applications in catalysts for middle distillates hydrodesulfurization (HDS). Generally, the amount and strength of surface basic sites increased with La content in solids. Mo (at 2.8 at. nm−2) and Co (at Co/(Co+Mo) = 0.3) were deposited over carriers by one-pot simultaneous impregnation in the presence of PO43− (P2O5/(NiO+MoO3) = 0.2 mass ratio). Calcined (400 °C) Co-Mo-P impregnated precursors had decreased basicity as to that of corresponding carriers, suggesting strong La-deposited species interaction. As La content in carriers increased Mo=O Raman stretching vibrations shifted to lower wave-numbers (949 to 935 cm−1) suggesting octahedral molybdates coordination change to tetrahedral. Although La at the lowest concentration (1 wt%) enhanced dibenzothiophene, HDS (~38% higher as to the Al2O3-supported formulation) desulfurization was significantly diminished at augmented content. Presence of hardly sulfidable tetrahedral Mo originated during impregnation at basic conditions in pores of La-modified carriers seemed to dictate observed behavior. Rare earth content in formulations enhanced selectivity to biphenyl.
Optimization of Photocatalytic Degradation of Acid Blue 113 and Acid Red 88 Textile Dyes in a UV-C/TiO2 Suspension System: Application of Response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Authors: Mortazavian Soroosh , Saber Ali , James David E.
Published: April 2019

Textile industries produce copious amounts of colored wastewater some of which are toxic to humans and aquatic biota. This study investigates optimization of a bench-scale UV-C photocatalytic process using a TiO2 catalyst suspension for degradation of two textile dyes, Acid Blue 113 (AB 113) and Acid Red 88 (AR 88). From preliminary experiments, appropriate ranges for experimental factors including reaction time, solution pH, initial dye concentration and catalyst dose, were determined for each dye. Response surface methodology (RSM) using a cubic IV optimal design was then used to design the experiments and optimize the process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to determine significance of experimental factors and their interactions. Results revealed that among the studied factors, solution pH and initial dye concentration had the strongest effects on degradation rates of AB 113 and AR 88, respectively. Least-squares cubic regression models were generated by step-wise elimination of non-significant (p-value > 0.05) terms from the proposed model. Under optimum treatment conditions, removal efficiencies reached 98.7% for AB 113 and 99.6% for AR 88. Kinetic studies showed that a first-order kinetic model could best describe degradation data for both dyes, with degradation rate constants of k1, AB 113 = 0.048 min−1 and k1, AR 88 = 0.059 min−1.
Immobilization of Phospholipase D on Silica-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles for the Synthesis of Functional Phosphatidylserine
Authors: Han Qingqing , Zhang Haiyang , Sun Jianan , Liu Zhen , Huang Wen-can , Xue Changhu , Mao Xiangzhao
Published: April 2019

In this study, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4/SiO2) were synthesized and applied in the immobilization of phospholipase D (PLDa2) via physical adsorption and covalent attachment. The immobilized PLDa2 was applied in the synthesis of functional phosphatidylserine (PS) through a transphophatidylation reaction. The synthesis process and characterizations of the carriers were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The optimum immobilization conditions were evaluated, and the thermal and pH stability of immobilized and free PLDa2 were measured and compared. The tolerance to high temperature of immobilized PLDa2 increased remarkably by 10°C. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of the immobilized PLDa2 remained at 40% after eight recycles, which revealed that silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles have potential application for immobilization and catalytic reactions in a biphasic system.
Ion-Liquid Based Supercapacitors with Inner Gate Diode-Like Separators
Authors: Chowdhury Tazima S. , Grebel Haim
Published: April 2019

In order to minimize unintentional discharge, supercapacitors are interfaced with a membrane that separates the anode from the cathode—this membrane is called the separator. We focus here on separators, which are structured as electronic diode-like. We call an electrically structured separator “the gate”. Through experiments, it was demonstrated that ionic liquid-filled supercapacitors, which were interfaced with gated separators exhibited a substantial capacitance (C) increase and reduction in the equivalent series resistance (ESR) compared to cells with ordinary separators. These two attributes help to increase the energy, which is stored in a cell, since for a given cell’s voltage, the dissipated energy on the cell, UR = V2/4(ESR) and the stored energy, UC = CV2/2, would increase. These were indeed ionic diodes since the order of the diode layout mattered—the diode-like structures exhibited maximum capacitance when their p-side faced the auxiliary electrode.
Cosmetic Packaging to Save the Environment: Future Perspectives
Authors: Cinelli Patrizia , Coltelli Maria , Signori Francesca , Morganti Pierfrancesco , Lazzeri Andrea
Published: April 2019

Consumer awareness about the damages that plastic packaging waste cause to the environment, coupled with bio-economy and circular economy policies, are pushing plastic packaging versus the use of bio-based and biodegradable materials. In this contest, even cosmetic packaging is looking for sustainable solutions, and research is focusing on modifying bio-based and biodegradable polymers to meet the challenging requirements for cosmetic preservation, while maintaining sustainability and biodegradability. Several bio-based and biodegradable polymers such as poly(lactic acid), polyhydroxyalkanoates, polysaccharides, etc., are available, and some first solutions for both rigid and flexible packaging are already present on the market, while many others are under study and optimization. A fruitful cooperation among researchers and industries will drive the cosmetic sector toward being more ecological and contributing to save our environment.
No Signs of Genetic Erosion in a 19th Century Genome of the Extinct Paradise Parrot (Psephotellus pulcherrimus)
Authors: Irestedt Martin , Ericson Per G. P. , Johansson Ulf S. , Oliver Paul , Joseph Leo , Blom Mozes P. K.
Published: April 2019

The Paradise Parrot, Psephotellus pulcherrimus, was a charismatic Australian bird that became extinct around 1928. While many extrinsic factors have been proposed to explain its disappearance, it remains unclear as to what extent genetic erosion might have contributed to the species’ demise. In this study, we use whole-genome resequencing to reconstruct a 15x coverage genome based on a historical museum specimen and shed further light on the evolutionary history that preceded the extinction of the Paradise Parrot. By comparing the genetic diversity of this genome with genomes from extant endangered birds, we show that during the species’ dramatic decline in the second half of the 19th century, the Paradise Parrot was genetically more diverse than individuals from species that are currently classified as endangered. Furthermore, demographic analyses suggest that the population size of the Paradise Parrot changed with temperature fluctuations during the last glacial cycle. We also confirm that the Golden-shouldered Parrot, Psephotellus chrysopterygius, is the closest living relative of this extinct parrot. Overall, our study highlights the importance of museum collections as repositories of biodiversity across time and demonstrates how historical specimens can provide a broader context on the circumstances that lead to species extinctions.
Assessment of Texture Features for Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) Detection in Sugarcane Plantations
Authors: Girolamo-Neto Cesare Di , Sanches Ieda Del’Arco , Neves Alana Kasahara , Prudente Victor Hugo Rohden , Körting Thales Sehn , Picoli Michelle Cristina Araujo , Aragão Luiz Eduardo Oliveira e Cruz de
Published: April 2019

Sugarcane products contribute significantly to the Brazilian economy, generating U.S. $12.2 billion in revenue in 2018. Identifying and monitoring factors that induce yield reduction, such as weed occurrence, is thus imperative. The detection of Bermudagrass in sugarcane crops using remote sensing data, however, is a challenge considering their spectral similarity. To overcome this limitation, this paper aims to explore the potential of texture features derived from images acquired by an optical sensor onboard anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to detect Bermudagrass in sugarcane. Aerial images with a spatial resolution of 2 cm were acquired from a sugarcane field in Brazil. The Green-Red Vegetation Index and several texture metrics derived from the gray-level co-occurrence matrix were calculated to perform an automatic classification using arandom forest algorithm. Adding texture metrics to the classification process improved the overall accuracy from 83.00% to 92.54%, and this improvement was greater considering larger window sizes, since they representeda texture transition between two targets. Production losses induced by Bermudagrass presence reached 12.1 tons × ha−1 in the study site. This study not only demonstrated the capacity of UAV images to overcome the well-known limitation of detecting Bermudagrass in sugarcane crops, but also highlighted the importance of texture for high-accuracy quantification of weed invasion in sugarcane crops.
Czech Arts Therapies in Educational Institutions
Authors: Kantor Jiří , Chráska Miroslav , Ludíková Libuše
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this paper was to better understand the current practice of arts therapy in educational institutions in the Czech Republic comparing it to that in health-care institutions and other working environments. The research goal was to analyze the prevalence of the different fields of arts therapy, the main difficulties of clients, the therapeutic forms, the ways of interdisciplinary cooperation, and the groups of therapists (according to their age and duration of practice). The data collected from the first national survey using “The Practice of Arts Therapies” questionnaire were analyzed with descriptive and inductive statistics (Chi-square test). The 142 respondents who participated in the study were contacted mainly through professional associations. The significant characteristics of arts therapies in educational environments are linked to the diffusion of the respective arts therapy fields (music therapy being the most prevalent), the main difficulties of pupils (learning difficulties/multiple disabilities or no obvious problems), and to the length of practice of the respondents. The results can be used for the creation of a research-based map of Czech arts therapies in educational institutions and for further development of this area.
Optimal Physical Implementation of Radiation Tolerant High-Speed Digital Integrated Circuits in Deep-Submicron Technologies
Authors: Prinzie Jeffrey , Appels Karel , Kulis Szymon
Published: April 2019

This paper presents a novel scalable physical implementation method for high-speed Triple Modular Redundant (TMR) digital integrated circuits in radiation-hard designs. The implementation uses a distributed placement strategy compared to a commonly used bulk 3-bank constraining method. TMR netlist information is used to optimally constrain the placement of both sequential cells and combinational cells. This approach significantly reduces routing complexity, net lengths and dynamic power consumption with more than 60% and 20% respectively. The technique was simulated in a 65 nm Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology.
Discriminating People’s Attitude towards Building Physical Features in Sustainable and Conventional Buildings
Authors: Caniato Marco , Gasparella Andrea
Published: April 2019

At the present time, buildings technologies for residential constructions are essentially divided into two groups. The first one is associated to conventional techniques using concrete, masonry or in general heavyweight structures, while the second one is associated to timber, e.g., sustainable glulam, crosslam, etc. (lightweight structures). Technicians, scientist, designers and non-expert people have their own stereotyped ideas and attitudes, related to thermal and sound insulation, structural stability, fire resistance, service equipment, heating and cooling systems, etc. Nevertheless, for people who is not strongly related to both construction procedure studies, analysis, experiences or focuses, timber structures appear to be more comfortable, reliable and insulated. The need of investigating the role of non-physical and non-measurable parameters in affecting future inhabitants’ overall preconceptions related to new sustainable buildings is thus of paramount importance. The hypothesis that behavioral, physiological, past experiences and psychological factors can have a non-negligible role in determining the final user perception, interaction and adaptation to timber buildings has to be verified. For these reasons, an international survey was realized in order to investigate what individuals expect from these two different construction technologies. After focused statistical analysis, it could be demonstrated how geographical difference could influence results and that, for indoor comfort, stereotypes do exist for lightweight buildings in comparison to heavyweight ones, highlighting how timber construction are associated to thermal comfort and sensed as innovative even if there is no complete distrust in conventional ones. The influence of non-physical and non-measurable parameters is correlated to people’s attitudes.