bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GLYPROLINE PEPTIDE PHARMACODYNAMICS IN RATS IN THE SETTING OF METABOLIC SYNDROME BY THE PARAMETERS OF LIPID METABOLISM AND TROMBOELASTOGRAMMA
Authors: Obergan T. Yu. , Lyapina M. G. , Grigorjeva M. E. , Lyapina L. A.
Published: December 2019

In this study, experimental data on the biological action of glyproline peptides — Pro-Gly-Pro, Pro-ArgPro, Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro and Pro-Gly-Pro-Leu — on the processes of blood coagulation and lipid metabolism were obtained using animal models of metabolic syndrome. Under the conditions of increased blood clotting and hypercholesterolemia, the regulatory peptides under study were administered intranasally for 7 days once every 24 hours. 20 hours after the last peptide administration, thromboelastogram parameters confi rmed the restoration of the functional state of the coagulating and anticoagulant systems. In addition, a simultaneous positive shift in the parameters of lipid metabolism was observed. These changes lasted for 7 days following the withdrawal of the drugs. It is found that the biological action of the peptides under study consists in their simultaneous regulatory impact on the processes of hemostasis and lipid metabolism.
Eşik: Olgular ve İmgeler Bağlamında Bir Mekân Analizi
Authors: GÖKÇEN Ahmet
Published: December 2019

Çalışmanın amacı
“eşik”in mekân sosyolojisi bağlamında değerlendirilmesidir. Eşik bir mekân
olarak; özel ve kamusal alanın ayrımında bir çizgi, güvenlik noktası olan bir
hudut, sanat ve edebiyatta bir imge, inançlarda bir simge, bir aşama, psikolojik
bir sınır ve aynı zamanda kararsızlık ve umut gibi durumların yaşandığı bir
yerdir. Eşik, bilimlerde de terim olarak kullanılagelmiştir. Eşik hem
ulaşılması gereken hem de aşılması gereken bir mekân olabileceği gibi
aşılmaması gereken bir mekân olarak da inşa edilebilir. Günlük hayatımızda sık
kullandığımız eşik kelimesinin fiziksel ve zihinsel boyutlarını ortaya koymak,
çalışmanın ana konularındandır.
RECEPTION OF SPANISH PAINTING IN RUSSIAN TRAVELOGUES OF XIX CENTURY
Authors: Gauzer Irina
Published: December 2019

The article deals with reception of images of Spanish painting in Russian essays of the
XIX century. Study materials are travelogues, letters and memoirs of Russian travelers. The subject of the study is peculiarities of interpreting Spanish artists’ creativity and images created by them in the texts of Russian culture.
Motion Type Verification Studies Using Accelerometer Sensor Data With Local Mean Decomposition
Authors: Esas Mustafa Yasin , Latifoğlu Fatma
Published: December 2019

It is a significant improvement that the physical movements directly related to human physiology can be detected with high accuracy using sensors. In our study, three-axis accelerometer data recorded using a cell phone sensor in a controlled manner were used. Validation of walking, jogging, up-stairs, down-stair movements is aimed. For this purpose, local mean decomposition (LMD) function was used. The axis (x, y, z) in which the orthogonality value obtained from LMD was high was determined. Then, it was evaluated that there is movement in the direction of high value axis. While there is a high degree of accuracy in up-stair, down-stair and jogging movements, the desired success in walking movement was not achieved.
Assessment of Wavelet Types in DWT-based Power Quality Disturbance Detection Method
Authors: Yılmaz Alper , Bayrak Gökay
Published: December 2019

Power quality parameters are the limit values that allow an electrical device to function as intended without significant loss of performance and life expectancy. It is important to detect power quality disturbances quickly and reliably to ensure reliability and continuity of the power system. Today, unlike conventional methods, signal processing-based disturbance and fault detection methods have gained great importance. Wavelet transform (WT)-based disturbance detection methods are the most prominent among these methods. In this study, the performance of the discrete wavelet transforms (DWT)-based disturbance detection method used in the detection of voltage sag and voltage swell events were evaluated for different wavelet types. Process calculation load, response to event signal and performance values were compared for different wavelet types. The results will be an important source for the selection of appropriate wavelets in the methods using WTs.
Çevresel Veri Problemleri için Veri Madenciliği ile Veri Ön İşleme
Authors: Eren Beytullah , Aksangür İpek
Published: December 2019

Atık yönetiminin yapıldığı çevresel tesislerin kontrolünde gerçekçi modellere ve doğru tahminlere ihtiyaç vardır. Doğru tahmin modelinin geliştirilmesinin en önemli adımı sağlıklı verin olmasıdır. Çevresel tesislerden temin edilen verilerin ön işlem aşamasında kalitesiz verilerinin temizlenmesi ve eksik verilerin tamamlanması gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmada bir çevresel tesisten Ocak 2016 - Eylül 2018 tarihleri arasında toplanan verilerden veri madenciliği programı ile modelleme öncesi temiz verilerin elde edilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Verilerin temizlenmesi aşamasında; pH, Eİ, AKM, KOİ, BOİ5, Yağ-Gres ve TÇK parametrelerine ait sırasıyla 25, 141, 26, 22, 241, 645 ve 688 adet eksik veri tespit edilmiştir. Eksik veriler ortalama değerler göz önüne alınarak tamamlanmıştır. Sonrasında 10 adet gürültülü veri belirlenmiş ve satır bazlı temizleme yapılmıştır. Sezonluk ortalama değerlerin belirlenmesi için BOİ5 parametresi kullanılmış ve sezonluk ortalama değerler program aracılığı ile hesaplanmıştır. Böylece bir çevresel tesisin ham verilerinin veri madenciliği programları yardımı ile temizlenmesi ve eksik verilerin tamamlanarak modelleme uygulanması için hazır hale getirilmesi sağlanmıştır.
The Old Adapazarı Atatürk City Stadium Risk Assessment
Authors: Bol Ertan , Özocak Aşkın , Sert Sedat
Published: December 2019

The land of the Old Adapazarı Atatürk City Stadium, which was laid in the center of Adapazarı in the 1950s, was designed as the Sakarya National Garden due to the construction of the new stadium structure. In the National Garden, the masonry stone section to the north of the old stadium was requested to be preserved. In this study, a scientific evaluation has been made in terms of superstructure and soil properties in order to prevent damage in a possible earthquake. Eight cone penetration tests were conducted in the field and the results were evaluated. Liquefaction potential index values were determined for each sounding as a result of liquefaction analyzes performed by cyclic stress analysis and the results were associated with Geographical Information Systems and a liquefaction thematic map was prepared. As a result, it has been concluded that liquefaction may occur in the western part of the ground where the foundation of the building is located.
Determination of the cohesion, powder flow speed dependency and caking tendency of cocoa powders
Authors: Dogan Mahmut , Türker Duygu Aslan
Published: December 2019

Cocoa is one of the most popular foodstuffs known for centuries and cocoa powders are particularly exposed to caking, a phenomenon of agglomeration of solid particles that disrupt powder functionality. This study aimed to identify the main powder flow characteristics such as caking, cohesion and powder flow speed dependency of cocoa powders, according to their fat content. The loose and tapped bulk density, as well as Carr ratio of cocoa powders, was determined as bulking properties for comparing and interpreting the flowability. The caking was observed in all three samples. With increasing fat content, a decrease in the powder flowability was detected. The mean cake strength of the low fat, reduced fat and full-fat cocoa powders was recorded as 110.42±1.71; 164.175±1.75 and 207.96±0.93, respectively. These results suggest that the fat contents of the food powders may be a useful parameter to describe the powder flowability.
Improvement of Machining Processes: A Case Study
Authors: Gökçe Hakan , Yeşilay Ramazan , Uçak Necati , Teke Ali , Çiçek Adem
Published: December 2019

In material removal processes, determination of optimal machining strategy is a key factor to increase productivity. This situation is gaining more importance when machining components with complex geometry. The current practice in the determination of machining strategy mostly depends on the experience of the machine operator. However, poorly designed machining processes lead to time-consuming and costly solutions. Therefore, the improvement of machining processes plays a vital role in terms of machining costs. In this study, the machining process of a boom-body connector (GGG40) of a backhoe loader was improved. Improvements of toolpaths and cutting conditions of 22 different material removal processes were checked through a CAM software. According to the simulation results, the process plan was rearranged. Besides, some enhancements in casting model were conducted to decrease in the number of machining operations. When compared to current practice, a reduction of 55% in machining time was achieved.
Design and Analysis of A Microwave Dual Band Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA) for Wireless Communication Applications
Authors: Erat Abdurrahim
Published: December 2019

This paper presents the design and simulation of a microstrip patch antenna (MPA) which is modeled by placing several rectangular copper layer with conductive characteristics on a substrate material with dielectric constant 3.0 and 22x18x1 mm3 geometry. This microstrip path was designed with copper material which had a very thin thickness for patch and ground. In this study, a change in resonance frequency and return loss characteristics were observed for several substrate thickness values. The radiation characteristics of the single and dual band microstrip patch antennas (MPAs) are analysed in the frequency range of 5 – 25 GHz. The microstrip patch antenna (MPA) radiate at a frequency of 15.32 GHz with -45 dB return loss. For the designed single and dual band MPA design, some electromagnetic properties such as return loss, surface current and radiation patterns were simulated. The characteristic of goods and chattels of the proposed antenna are analyzed by using the software CST Microwave Studio.
Bipolar Plaka Akış Alanları Üzerine Deneysel Çalışmalar
Authors: Koçak Nuri Furkan , Topcu Alparslan , Aydın Kadir , Çelik Selahattin , Topcu Merve
Published: December 2019

Temiz ve alternatif enerji arayışı, insanlığın sürekli artan enerji talebini karşılama doğrultusunda artış göstermektedir. Yakıt pilleri, yakıtın kimyasal enerjisini kullanarak doğrudan elektriğe dönüştüren yüksek verimli enerji dönüşüm sistemleridir. Klasik elektrik enerjisi üretim çevriminde yakıt önce yakılarak ısı enerjisi elde edilmekte, ardından buhar etkisi ile türbin döndürülmekte, jeneratörde akım elde edilmekte ve depolanmaktadır. Bu enerji dönüşümü oldukça karmaşık ve çok makineli bir sistem gerektirirken, her enerji dönüşümünde enerji kayıpları da meydana gelmektedir. Yakıt pillerinde ise sadece yakıtın elektronlarını devreden geçirerek yüksek elektriksel verimle enerji elde edilmektedir. Bu çalışmada yakıt pili çeşitlerinden PEM yakıt pilleri ele alınarak, PEM yakıt pillerinde kullanılan bipolar plakaların akış alanları incelenmiştir. Literatürde nümerik çalışmalar da bulunmakla birlikte, yakıt pillerinin oldukça değişken çalışma şartlarından dolayı deneysel olarak test etmek büyük önem arz etmektedir. Bu nedenle son on yılda yapılmış olan deneysel çalışmalar, yöntemleriyle sunulmuştur. Günümüzde çok popüler bazı akış kanalları verilmekle beraber, akış kanallarını birbirleriyle karşılaştırma yöntemiyle üstünlüğün belirlendiği anlaşılmış ve günümüzde hala optimum akış kanalına ulaşılamadığı gözlemlenmiştir.
Methods of Assessing Fusarium Damage to Wheat Kernels
Authors: M. Khaeim Hussein , Clark Anthony , Pearson Tom , Van Sanford Dr. David
Published: December 2019

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), or head scab, primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum Schw., is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). It has reemerged worldwide as a disease of economic importance. Damage produced by the fungus includes: reduction of yield, mycotoxin contamination (DON), discolored, shriveled “tombstone” kernels and reduction in seed quality. The disease also reduces the test weight and lowers the market grade. Thus, there is great interest among breeders in selecting for resistance to both traits of DON and fusarium damaged kernel (FDK). This study was conducted to determine the effect of mass selection for FHB resistance using an image-based optical sorter compared to other methods. Fusariun damaged kernel (FDK) percentage on a count basis is more accurate than the weight basis, which was obvious in the visual estimate method although they were highly correlated. Visually adjusting the scabby portion (output of air separation machine) increases the accuracy of FDK percentage. Moderate correlations existed between FDK and DON measured by using traditional methods (FDK on basis of visual estimate, FDK on basis of air-separation, traditional methods of DON measurement), NIR, and image-based optical sorter. DON was correlated better with FDK measured by the image-based optical sorter than FDK measured by the air

separation machine, NIR, or a visual estimate. The image-based optical sorter is easier to run, not time

consuming compared to other methods since the speed of sorting can be adjusted according to the user, and its ability to detect variation among the populations at 0.05 level of significance. Over the twenty populations tested, the data suggest that the image-based optical sorter effectively provides a better way to assess FDK and DON. This method could accelerate FDK and DON assessment, and can be a great tool for breeding programs to assess and select for low FDK and DON.
THE ALBANIAN COMMUNITY OUTLINE ACCORDING TO ARBEN XHAFERI
Authors: Bexheti Flakron
Published: December 2019

The study aims to address Arben Xhaferi’s political thought about the idea of ​​establishing a single nation-wide association that would deal with the resolution of many open issues of Albanians spread across several states. He is aware that the non-realization of the rights of Albanians in various different areas requires an interaction of the Albanian factor, despite their division with several boundaries. Recognizing the past of his compatriots and their commitment to a single alphabet, a single standard language, an Albanian school and many other areas of life related to cultural and identity issues, Arben Xhaferi designed a nationwide program called, “An Outline of the Common Prosperity.” According to him, this project that deals with the issues of identity, unification of national standards, democracy, economy, education, gender equality, secularism, human rights, judiciary, sport, and youth, will not be against the interests of the states where Albanians live; on the contrary, it will benefit them, because it is about advancing the rights of their own citizens. He justifies this project as something very positive, taking the example of some other states and nations that have already achieved results in this regard. On this occasion, he mentions the Francophone or the Commonwealth project, founded by civilized nations. The functioning and collaboration of Albanians, according to these models, will make it easier for them to utilize all their intellectual and human capacities.
Field Evaluation of RD6 Introgression Lines for Yield Performance, Blast, Bacterial Blight Resistance, and Cooking and Eating Qualities
Authors: Aung Nan Myo San , Janto Jirayoo , Sribunrueang Arthit , Monkham Tidarat , Sanitchon Jirawat , Chankaew Sompong
Published: December 2019

Glutinous rice cultivar “RD6” is well known for its fragrance and high cooking and eating qualities, and is the most popular glutinous cultivar in the north and northeastern regions of Thailand. However, it’s susceptible to blast and bacterial blight (BB) diseases. Previously, four blast resistance QTLs on chromosomes 1, 2, 11, and 12, and a single BB resistance gene xa5 pyramided to the background of the RD6 cultivar were tested for a broad spectrum of disease resistance under greenhouse conditions. In the present study, a field experiment was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, across three locations, for performance evaluations of promising lines in terms of disease reaction, agronomical characteristics, grain yield, and quality attributes. The results revealed that the ILs (BC2F5 2-7-5-36, BC2F5 2-7-5-43, BC2F5 2-8-2-25, and BC2F5 6-1/15-2-11) exhibited higher level resistance to leaf blast and neck blast disease. The BC2F5 2-8-2-52 showed resistance to both blast and BB diseases and, like all ILs, exhibited superior yield compared to the original RD6. Furthermore, the agronomic traits and grain qualities were similarly displaced, and were therefore recommended as near-isogenic lines to the RD6. This clearly demonstrated that farm phenotypic selection plays an important role in achieving not only NIL resistance to diseases, but also high yield potential, as well as representing an effective way in which to enhance BB, leaf blast, and neck blast resistance in rice planting in the north and northeastern regions of Thailand.
Day-Ahead Optimal Battery Operation in Islanded Hybrid Energy Systems and Its Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Authors: Lujano-Rojas Juan M. , Yusta José M. , Artal-Sevil Jesús Sergio , Domínguez-Navarro José Antonio
Published: December 2019

This paper proposes a management strategy for the daily operation of an isolated hybrid energy system (HES) using heuristic techniques. Incorporation of heuristic techniques to the optimal scheduling in day-head basis allows us to consider the complex characteristics of a specific battery energy storage system (BESS) and the associated electronic converter efficiency. The proposed approach can determine the discharging time to perform the load peak-shaving in an appropriate manner. A recently proposed version of binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO), which incorporates a time-varying mirrored S-shaped (TVMS) transfer function, is proposed for day-ahead scheduling determination. Day-ahead operation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are studied through different operating conditions. The complexity of the optimization problem depends on the available wind resource and its relationship with load profile. In this regard, TVMS-BPSO has important capabilities for global exploration and local exploitation, which makes it a powerful technique able to provide a high-quality solution comparable to that obtained from a genetic algorithm.
Entanglement and Entropy of a Three-Qubit System Interacting with a Quantum Spin Environment
Authors: Abo-Kahla Doaa Abo M. , Farouk Ahmed
Published: December 2019

Throughout this paper, we describe an analytical solution for a three-qubit system characterized by a finite temperature within a thermodynamic limit influenced by a quantum spin environment. As applications to the presented solution, we investigate the effect of the temperature, the coupling constant ϵ 0 within the spin- qubit system and an external magnetic field on the three-particles residual entanglement N a b c , the concurrence C ( ρ ) , the information entropy H ( σ Z ) and the linear entropy P P ( t ) . The results show an inverse relationship between the entanglement and entropy, where the degree of both is controlled by controlling the temperature T and the coupling constant ϵ 0 .
Optimal Scheduling of Residential Home Appliances by Considering Energy Storage and Stochastically Modelled Photovoltaics in a Grid Exchange Environment Using Hybrid Grey Wolf Genetic Algorithm Optimizer
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad Muzaffar , Sajjad Malik Intisar Ali , Amin Salman , Haroon Shaikh Saaqib , Liaqat Rehan , Khan Muhammad Faisal Nadeem , Waseem Muhammad , Shah Muhammad Athar
Published: December 2019

The transformation of a conventional power system to a smart grid has been underway over the last few decades. A smart grid provides opportunities to integrate smart homes with renewable energy resources (RERs). Moreover, it encourages the residential consumers to regulate their home energy consumption in an effective way that suits their lifestyle and it also helps to preserve the environment. Keeping in mind the techno-economic reasons for household energy management, active participation of consumers in grid operations is necessary for peak reduction, valley filling, strategic load conservation, and growth. In this context, this paper presents an efficient home energy management system (HEMS) for consumer appliance scheduling in the presence of an energy storage system and photovoltaic generation with the intention to reduce the energy consumption cost determined by the service provider. To study the benefits of a home-to-grid (H2G) energy exchange in HEMS, photovoltaic generation is stochastically modelled by considering an energy storage system. The prime consideration of this paper is to propose a hybrid optimization approach based on heuristic techniques, grey wolf optimization, and a genetic algorithm termed a hybrid grey wolf genetic algorithm to model HEMS for residential consumers with the objectives to reduce energy consumption cost and the peak-to-average ratio. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated through simulations performed for a residential consumer with several domestic appliances and their scheduling preferences by considering real-time pricing and critical peak-pricing tariff signals. Results related to the reduction in the peak-to-average ratio and energy cost demonstrate that the proposed hybrid optimization technique performs well in comparison with different meta-heuristic techniques available in the literature. The findings of the proposed methodology can further be used to calculate the impact of different demand response signals on the operation and reliability of a power system.
Electronically Controllable Phase Shifter with Progressive Impedance Transformation at K Band
Authors: ElKhorassani Mohamed T. , Palomares-Caballero Angel , Alex-Amor Antonio , Segura-Gómez Cleofás , Escobedo Pablo , Valenzuela-Valdés Juan F. , Padilla Pablo
Published: December 2019

This communication presents the design of a two-port electronically tunable phase shifter at K band. The phase shifter consists of a 3 dB hybrid coupler loaded with reflective phase-controllable circuits. The reflective circuits are formed by varactors and non-sequential impedance transformers which increase the operational bandwidth and the provided phase shift. The final phase shifter design is formed by two loaded-coupler stages of phase shifting to guarantee a complete phase turn. An 18 GHz phase shifter design with dynamic range of 600 degrees of phase shift is depicted in this document. The prototype is manufactured and validated through measurements showing good agreement with the simulation results.
Genipin Attachment of Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles to a Decellularized Tissue Scaffold
Authors: Bellrichard Mitch , Snider Colten , Dittmar Cornelia , Brockman John , Grant Dave , A. Grant Sheila
Published: December 2019

Decellularized allograft tissue is used for a wide array of tissue injuries and repair with tenons and ligament repair being among the most common. However, despite their frequent use there is concern over the lengthy inflammatory period and slow healing associated with allografts. One promising solution has been the use of nanoparticles. There is currently no easy, fast method to achieve consistent conjugation of nanoparticles to tissue. The available conjugation methods can be time-consuming and/or may create numerous cytotoxic byproducts. Genipin, a naturally derived crosslinking agent isolated from the fruits of Gardenia jasminoides was investigated as a conjugation agent to achieve fast, consistent crosslinking without cytotoxic byproducts. The rational of utilizing genipin is that is reacts spontaneously with amino-group-containing compounds such as proteins, collagens, and gelatins, and does not require extensive washing after conjugation. Porcine diaphragm tendons were decellularized and then immersed in cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles and genipin for various time points. Tissue scaffolds were tested for the degree of crosslinking, gold nanoparticle concentrations, and fibroblast attachment and biocompatibility. Results demonstrated that genipin can successfully and reproducibly attach gold nanoparticles to tissue in as little as 15 min. The genipin had no cytotoxic effects and improved fibroblast attachment and proliferation. Genipin can be used to attach gold nanoparticles to tissue in a fast, cell safe manner.
An Approach for the Pan Sharpening of Very High Resolution Satellite Images Using a CIELab Color Based Component Substitution Algorithm
Authors: Rahimzadeganasl Alireza , Alganci Ugur , Goksel Cigdem
Published: December 2019

Recent very high spatial resolution (VHR) remote sensing satellites provide high spatial resolution panchromatic (Pan) images in addition to multispectral (MS) images. The pan sharpening process has a critical role in image processing tasks and geospatial information extraction from satellite images. In this research, CIELab color based component substitution Pan sharpening algorithm was proposed for Pan sharpening of the Pleiades VHR images. The proposed method was compared with the state-of-the-art Pan sharpening methods, such as IHS, EHLERS, NNDiffuse and GIHS. The selected study region included ten test sites, each of them representing complex landscapes with various land categories, to evaluate the performance of Pan sharpening methods in varying land surface characteristics. The spatial and spectral performance of the Pan sharpening methods were evaluated by eleven accuracy metrics and visual interpretation. The results of the evaluation indicated that proposed CIELab color-based method reached promising results and improved the spectral and spatial information preservation.
α-Mangostin Hydrogel Film Based Chitosan–Alginate for Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis
Authors: Wathoni Nasrul , Yuniarsih Nia , Cahyanto Arief , Muhctaridi Muhctaridi
Published: December 2019

Many antiseptic drugs, local anaesthetics, and corticosteroids have been used for effective therapy of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). However, these drugs have harmful side effects. α-mangostin (α-M), a main compound of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L.) peel, has been known as a wound healing agent. In addition, hydrogel film as dressings designed to separate mucosal lesions from the oral environment, and improve the effectiveness of RAS therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop α-M hydrogel film based chitosan–alginate (ChAlg/α-M HF) for RAS. The in silico study by Discovery studio visualizer and AutoDock confirmed that hydrogen bonding between Ch, Alg, and α-M occurred. The results of physicochemical characterizations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the ChAlg/α-M HF had a lower crystalline form compared to pure α-M. In addition, ChAlg/α-M HF significantly improved the swelling ratio and tensile strength compared to that of ChAlg HF. Moreover, the existence of Alg increased the degradability of Ch, and closely related to the release of α-M from ChAlg HF. The in vitro release study confirmed that the release of α-M from ChAlg/α-M HF was the Fickian diffusion model. Finally, the mucoadhesive study revealed that ChAlg/α-M HF had a good mucoadhesive property. These results suggest that hydrogel film-based chitosan–alginate have the potential as carriers of α-M for RAS therapy.
Directed Silica Co-Deposition by Highly Oxidized Silver: Enhanced Stability and Versatility of Silver Oxynitrate
Authors: Spina Carla J. , Ladhani Roohee , Goodall Carlie , Hay Michelle , Precht Rod
Published: December 2019

Novel silver compounds in higher oxidation states, Ag (II) and Ag (III), have emerged as desirable alternatives to existing forms of antimicrobial silver compounds. Offering enhanced efficacy without sacrificing biocompatibility. Unique physiochemical characteristics associated with higher oxidation state silver confer desirable therapeutic traits. However, these same characteristics create challenges in terms of long-term stability and chemical compatibility with conventional biomedical materials. Core-shell methodologies, utilizing silica as a mesoporous or amorphous shell, have been adopted to enhance the stability of reactive active ingredients or cores. These methodologies commonly utilize controlled condensation of silicic acids in non-aqueous media by way of hydrolyzing alkyl silicates: the Stöber process or modified processes thereof. However, these strategies are not conducive to cores of higher oxidation state silver wherein hydroxyl organic precursors and by-products are incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. Addressing these challenges, we present a strategy herein for the preparation of a self-directed silver oxynitrate-silica, Ag7NO11:SiO2, framework. The method described utilizes pH gradients generated from the oxidation reaction of soluble silver, Ag (I), with a strong oxidizing agent/alkaline silicate media to facilitate spatial control over the protonation and subsequent condensation of silicic acid from aqueous solution. The resulting Ag7NO11:SiO2 framework confers enhanced long term and thermal stability to silver oxynitrate without impairing aqueous degradation profiles or subsequent antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities.
A Comparative Evaluation of Cement and By-Product Petrit T in Soil Stabilization
Authors: Al-Jabban Wathiq , Laue Jan , Knutsson Sven , Al-Ansari Nadhir
Published: December 2019

This study presents a comparison between the effectiveness of adding low binder amounts of industrial by-product Petrit T as well as cement to modify and improve fine-grained soil. Binder amount was added by soil dry weight; cement at 1%, 2%, 4% and 7% and Petrit T at 2%, 4% and 7%. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) was used as an indicator of soil strength. In addition, the consistency limits, laser particle size analysis, and pH tests were also conducted on the treated soil. The samples were cured at 20 °C for different periods from 7 to 90 days before testing. Results indicate that cement is more effective at improving the physical and engineering properties of the treated soil. Soil plasticity index decreases after treatment and with time. Liquidity index and the water content to plastic limit ratio are introduced as new indices to define the improvement in the workability of treated soil. Soil particle size distribution is changed by reducing the clay size fraction and increasing the silt size fraction after treatment. The findings confirm that adding small binder contents improve soil properties, which subsequently reduce the environmental threats and costs that are associated with using a high amount of binder.
Uncertainty Analysis of Two Methods in Hydrocarbon Prediction under Different Water Saturation and Noise Conditions
Authors: Liu Changcheng , Ghosh Deva , Salim Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed
Published: December 2019

The uncertainty of two recently proposed methods, “new fluid factor” and “delta K”, is analyzed under different water saturation and noise conditions through Monte Carlo modelling. The new fluid factor performs reliably (all metric parameters are above 0.9) when the water saturation is up to 95%. The delta K has better performance (all metric parameters are close to 1) such that it is able to distinguish hydrocarbon from brine without the interference of high water saturation. The results prove the performances of the two methods are stable in a high water-saturation scenario. The analysis of noise indicates the methods are sensitive to noise in the input data in that the performance is excellent when the noise is relatively low (−20 dB) and decreases with increasing noise energy. The new fluid factor, which is in the interface domain, is more sensitive than delta K in the impedance domain. The metric parameters of the new fluid factor and delta K are in the range of 0.5 to 0.8 when the noise is high (−7 dB). High-quality input data and integration with other geophysical methods can effectively reduce these risks. In addition, two widely used traditional methods (fluid factor and Lambda-Rho) are analyzed as comparisons. It turns out the new fluid factor and delta K have better performance than traditional methods in both high water saturation and noise conditions.
Near Real-Time Monitoring of Formaldehyde in a Low-Energy School Building
Authors: Trocquet Claire , Bernhardt Pierre , Guglielmino Maud , Malandain Isabelle , Liaud Céline , Englaro Stéphanette , Le Calvé Stéphane
Published: December 2019

The emergence of new super-insulated buildings to reduce energy consumption places the quality of indoor air at the center of the debate. Among the indoor air pollutants, aldehydes are often present, and formaldehyde is of major interest regarding its multiple sources and its health impact. Therefore, French regulations expect to reduce formaldehyde concentrations below 10 μg m−3 in public buildings by 2023. Formaldehyde and other aldehydes were measured for two weeks during an intensive field campaign conducted in a school recently built and equipped with programmable dual-flow ventilation. Aldehydes were monitored with the ISO 16000-3 reference method based on sampling with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) tubes while formaldehyde concentration was continuously measured by using a sensitive near real-time formaldehyde microanalyzer with a detection limit of 1 µg m−3. Formaldehyde was the major aldehyde. Its concentrations varied in the range of 2–25 µg m−3 and decreased by half when mechanical ventilation was ON, while the other ones were always below 5 µg m−3. In addition, an excellent agreement was observed between the different analytical techniques deployed to quantify formaldehyde levels. The microanalyzer was able to measure fast variations of formaldehyde concentration in the studied room, according to the building's ventilation periods.
Precision of a Small Brew House by Determining the Repeatability of Different Brews to Guarantee the Product Stability of the Beer
Authors: Bastgen Nele , Ginzel Michel , Titze Jean
Published: December 2019

The most important success factors of a brewery are to brew a high-standard beer and to sell this product successfully on the market. Especially, guaranteeing an objective product quality is a difficult task, in terms of beer quality, for craft brewers. Following these product stability parameters is not only necessary to secure the expiry date but also with regard to the repeatability of the brews (from batch to batch). To evaluate the precision of a small brew house (1 hL), three different beer types, lager beer (Pilsener), pale ale (Kölsch), and wheat beer (Weißbier) were repeatedly produced and analyzed. It was found that small fluctuations in the wort preparation, in terms of time or analysis, have no noticeable difference on the sensory characteristics of the final product. Nevertheless, strict adherence to the brew recipe and raw material monitoring are necessary in order to keep these deviations as minimal as possible. Finally, this study verified that microbrews can be repeated so that the consumers will not detect any differences with their five senses in the end.
Macromolecule Particle Picking and Segmentation of a KLH Database by Unsupervised Cryo-EM Image Processing
Authors: Carrasco Miguel , Toledo Patricio , Tischler Nicole D.
Published: December 2019

Segmentation is one of the most important stages in the 3D reconstruction of macromolecule structures in cryo-electron microscopy. Due to the variability of macromolecules and the low signal-to-noise ratio of the structures present, there is no generally satisfactory solution to this process. This work proposes a new unsupervised particle picking and segmentation algorithm based on the composition of two well-known image filters: Anisotropic (Perona–Malik) diffusion and non-negative matrix factorization. This study focused on keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) macromolecules which offer both a top view and a side view. Our proposal was able to detect both types of views and separate them automatically. In our experiments, we used 30 images from the KLH dataset of 680 positive classified regions. The true positive rate was 95.1% for top views and 77.8% for side views. The false negative rate was 14.3%. Although the false positive rate was high at 21.8%, it can be lowered with a supervised classification technique.
Deregulation of the Histone Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 Is Involved in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Kim Sangchul , Bolatkan Amina , Kaneko Syuzo , Ikawa Noriko , Asada Ken , Komatsu Masaaki , Hayami Shinya , Ojima Hidenori , Abe Nobutsugu , Yamaue Hiroki , Hamamoto Ryuji
Published: December 2019

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Given that the standard-of-care for advanced liver cancer is limited, there is an urgent need to develop a novel molecular targeted therapy to improve therapeutic outcomes for HCC. In order to tackle this issue, we conducted functional analysis of the histone lysine-specific demethylase (LSD1) to explore the possibility that this enzyme acts as a therapeutic target in HCC. According to immunohistochemical analysis, 232 of 303 (77%) HCC cases showed positive staining of LSD1 protein, and its expression was correlated with several clinicopathological characteristics, such as female gender, AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) levels, and HCV (hepatitis C virus) infectious. The survival curves for HCC using the Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test indicate that positive LSD1 protein expression was significantly associated with decreased rates of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS); the multivariate analysis indicates that LSD1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS in patients with HCC. In addition, knockout of LSD1 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system showed a significantly lower number of colony formation units (CFUs) and growth rate in both SNU-423 and SNU-475 HCC cell lines compared to the corresponding control cells. Moreover, LSD1 knockout decreased cells in S phase of SNU-423 and SNU-475 cells with increased levels of H3K4me1/2 and H3K9me1/2. Finally, we identified the signaling pathways regulated by LSD1 in HCC, including the retinoic acid (RA) pathway. Our findings imply that deregulation of LSD1 can be involved in HCC; further studies may explore the usefulness of LSD1 as a therapeutic target of HCC.
A 4-Year Retrospective Analysis of Salivary Gland Cytopathology Using the Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytology and Ancillary Studies
Authors: Dubucs Charlotte , Basset Céline , D’Aure Dominique , Courtade-Saïdi Monique , Evrard Solène M.
Published: December 2019

The cytopathology of salivary glands presents major challenges due to the heterogeneity of benign and malignant neoplasms, which is reflected in the large range of WHO 2017 Classifications. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of salivary gland tumours is still the favoured initial approach as it results in good sensitivity and specificity. The Milan System for Reporting Salivary Gland Cytopathology (MSRSGC) was published in 2018 and comprises seven categories. We report results from a 4-year retrospective analysis of 328 salivary gland FNAs which were reviewed and classified according to the MSRSGC. We assess the risk of neoplasm, the risk of malignancy and the contribution of ancillary studies to the diagnosis. Benign neoplasms were the most frequent diagnosis (44.2%). Malignant and suspicious for malignancy were identified in 11.3% and 4.9% of diagnosed cases, respectively. Histopathological analysis after surgery was available for 216 (65.8%) of the cases. All malignant cases were confirmed post-surgery, and 68.8% of suspicious for malignancy were confirmed as malignant tumours. Immunocytochemistry was informative in 72.3% of cases. Immunocytochemistry and FISH provided the definitive diagnosis in 23.7% and 33% of cases, respectively. In conclusion, the MSRSGC is more effective when specific features of neoplasms can be identified. Ancillary studies help to further characterise salivary gland tumours and thereby increase the accuracy of MSRSGC.
Systematic Approach for Drug Repositioning of Anti-Epileptic Drugs
Authors: Ko Younhee , Lee Chulho , Lee Youngmok , Lee Jin-Sung
Published: December 2019

Epilepsy is a central neurological disorder affecting individuals of all ages and causing unpredictable seizures. In spite of the improved efficacy of new antiepileptic drugs and novel therapy, there are still approximately 20%~30% of patients, who have either intractable or uncontrolled seizures. The epilepsy drug–target network (EDT) is constructed and successfully demonstrates the characteristics and efficacy of popularly used AEDs through the identification of causative genes for 60 epilepsy patients. We discovered that the causative genes of most intractable patients were not the targets of existing AEDs, as well as being very far from the etiological mechanisms of existing AEDs in the functional networks. We show that the existence of new drugs that target the causative genes of intractable epilepsy patients, which will be potential candidates for refractory epilepsy patients. Our systematic approach demonstrates a new possibility for drug repositioning through the combination of the drug-target and functional networks.
Automatic Translation and Enforcement of Cybersecurity Policies Using A High-Level Definition Language
Authors: Rivera Diego , Monje Fernando , Villagrá Victor A. , Vega-Barbas Mario , Larriva-Novo Xavier , Berrocal Julio
Published: December 2019

The increasing number of cyber-attacks, their potential destructive capabilities, and the enormous threat they pose for organizations, require the constant design and development of new, faster, and easier to use systems to address them. The automation of security enforcement systems is one of the most important techniques for enabling a fast response to security challenges, but the complexity of security management might hinder the successful achievement of the desired security. Our proposal integrates the automatic enforcement of security rules based on intrusion detection systems with the definition of a high-level user-centered language for the definition of policies. We have designed a translation process from this language to specific network-wise and device-aware rules that can be installed and enforced. The deployment of these rules is determined by an automatic risk assessment process ruled by the detection system monitoring the network. This way, both the automation and easiness of use goals can be achieved using an integrated system. The solution was tested and validated in two different virtualized networks.
Matrix Information Geometry for Signal Detection via Hybrid MPI/OpenMP
Authors: Feng Sheng , Hua Xiaoqiang , Wang Yongxian , Lan Qiang , Zhu Xiaoqian
Published: December 2019

The matrix information geometric signal detection (MIGSD) method has achieved satisfactory performance in many contexts of signal processing. However, this method involves many matrix exponential, logarithmic, and inverse operations, which result in high computational cost and limits in analyzing the detection performance in the case of a high-dimensional matrix. To address these problems, in this paper, a high-performance computing (HPC)-based MIGSD method is proposed, which is implemented using the hybrid message passing interface (MPI) and open multiple processing (OpenMP) techniques. Specifically, the clutter data are first modeled as a Hermitian positive-definite (HPD) matrix and mapped into a high-dimensional space, which constitutes a complex Riemannian manifold. Then, the task of computing the Riemannian distance on the manifold between the sample data and the geometric mean of these HPD matrices is assigned to each MPI process or OpenMP thread. Finally, via comparison with a threshold, the signal is identified and the detection probability is calculated. Using this approach, we analyzed the effect of the matrix dimension on the detection performance. The experimental results demonstrate the following: (1) parallel computing can effectively optimize the MIGSD method, which substantially improves the practicability of the algorithm; and (2) the method achieves superior detection performance under a higher dimensional HPD matrix.
Rotation Angle Estimation of JPEG Compressed Image by Cyclic Spectrum Analysis
Authors: Dai Shuxian , Zhang Yujin , Song Wanqing , Wu Fei , Zhang Lijun
Published: December 2019

Image rotation is a common auxiliary method of image tampering, which can make the forged image more realistic from the geometric perspective. Most algorithms of image rotation angle estimation employ the peak value on the Fourier spectrum; however, JPEG post-processing brings additional peak interferences to the spectrum, which has a great impact on algorithm performance. In this paper, angle estimation is carried out for images compressed by JPEG. Firstly, the Fourier cyclic spectrum of image covariance is calculated, followed by semi-soft threshold wavelet transform to eliminate the block artefacts brought by JPEG compression. According to the shortest distance principle in the range of the limited amplitude, the processed cyclic spectral data are sorted to select the peak points. Finally, according to the selected peak point, the corresponding position coordinates of the theoretical peak point are found, and the rotation angle of the image is estimated by the theoretical peak point. Experimental results demonstrate that the average absolute error of the proposed algorithm is significantly lower than that of the state-of-the-art methods investigated, which highlights the promising potential of the proposed method as an image resampling detector in practical forensics applications.
WiFreeze: Multiresolution Scalograms for Freezing of Gait Detection in Parkinson’s Leveraging 5G Spectrum with Deep Learning
Authors: Tahir Ahsen , Ahmad Jawad , Shah Syed Aziz , Morison Gordon , Skelton Dawn A. , Larijani Hadi , Abbasi Qammer H. , Imran Muhammad Ali , Gibson Ryan M.
Published: December 2019

Freezing of Gait (FOG) is an episodic absence of forward movement in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients and represents an onset of disabilities. FOG hinders daily activities and increases fall risk. There is high demand for automating the process of FOG detection due to its impact on health and well being of individuals. This work presents WiFreeze, a noninvasive, line of sight, and lighting agnostic WiFi-based sensing system, which exploits ambient 5G spectrum for detection and classification of FOG. The core idea is to utilize the amplitude variations of wireless Channel State Information (CSI) to differentiate between FOG and activities of daily life. A total of 225 events with 45 FOG cases are captured from 15 patients with the help of 30 subcarriers and classification is performed with a deep neural network. Multiresolution scalograms are proposed for time–frequency signatures of human activities, due to their ability to capture and detect transients in CSI signals caused by transitions in human movements. A very deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), VGG-8K, with 8K neurons each, in fully connected layers is engineered and proposed for transfer learning with multiresolution scalogram features for detection of FOG. The proposed WiFreeze system outperforms all existing wearable and vision-based systems as well as deep CNN architectures with the highest accuracy of 99.7% for FOG detection. Furthermore, the proposed system provides the highest classification accuracies of 94.3% for voluntary stop and 97.6% for walking slow activities, with improvements of 9% and 23%, respectively, over the best performing state-of-the-art deep CNN architecture.