bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Peranan Kinerja Amil Mengelola Zakat Produktif Dalam Mengentaskan Kemiskinan Di Kota Banda Aceh
Authors: Nurbismi Nurbismi , Maulida Zenitha , Ridha Ainul , Astuti Intan Novia
Published: August 2019

Aceh Province as an area with special authority that implementation of zakat distribution authority through non-structural institution Baitul Mal Based on Qanun 10/2007. The distribution of productive zakat targeted to be one of the achievement targets in reducing poverty in urban areas. Therefore, the distribution of productive zakat needs to be explored in a specific study in efforts to reduce poverty in Banda Aceh City. This research used multiple regression by placing the performance of amil zakat as a moderating variable. Sampling was conducted by 100 respondent of mustahik zakat productive in Banda Aceh. Based on the result, it is found that the amount of productive zakat, income, asset and business distribution are significantly influenced to decrease poverty level in Banda Aceh City. Performance amil not able to moderator variable for the field of business in zakat distribution. However, the performance of amil significantly effects as a moderating variable for productive zakat, income,and business assets in reducing the poverty of mustahik in Banda Aceh City. The moderation effects generated by the performance of amil are the pure moderator, the quasi moderator, and the predictor moderator. The conclusion that the performance of amil is able to reduce poverty levels in Kota Banda Aceh as a moderating variable.
The Vote of Silence: The Problem of Abstention in Municipal Elections in Mozambique
Authors: Baloi Jochua Abrão
Published: August 2019

This article analyzes the problem of absenteeism in the municipal elections in Mozambique, specifically analyzing Matola municipality in Maputo province. The central argument of this article is that the electoral absenteeism is a form of political questioning in order to demonstrate the dissatisfaction and protest of the electoral process per se. Most representative western democracies and Mozambique in particular, have experienced in recent times a higher percentage of abstention in electoral process. This phenomenon is due to the transformation of the way of understanding political participation through voting, which denotes the lack of political culture of elections. Therefore, it is concluded that in order to minimize the absenteeism in Matola municipality it is necessary to create a favorable institutional environment, where the citizens will feel the effect of their vote that guarantees them the exercise of citizenship.
Domestic Philosophy of Law as an Ideological Prerequisite of a Philosophical Type of Understanding of Law
Authors: Kozhevnikov Vladimir Valentinovich , Cherednichenko Anastasia Evgenievna
Published: August 2019

This scientific article is based on the analysis of some,           from our point of view, basic provisions of the textbook for masters by the famous Russian scientist, professor Martysciin Orestes Vladimirovich "Philosophy of the law". The purpose of the article is to prove scientific character the Philosophy of the Law against the background of the contrary statements of philosophers and lawyers-theorists about its not scientific nature; to consider Philosophy of the Law as an ideological prerequisite of philosophical type of understanding of the right and to analyses the last. For the achievement of this purpose the following tasks were set: 1) to analyses various arguments of the scientists who are not recognizing the scientific nature of Philosophy of the Law, considering it as a method of the human relation to the world; 2) to consider views of the scientists giving to the Philosophies of the Law the status of science; 3) to show features of philosophical type to which it is not given in science of due attention; 4) to critically evaluate positions of those scientists who unreasonably identify moral (natural and legal) and philosophical types of understanding of the law; 5) to show distinction of moral (natural and legal) and philosophical types of understanding of the law. The result of the article's research are the provisions: 1) the legal philosophy is to be considered as the independent science having the subject, methodology, performing the specific functions, corresponding to other both legal, and social sciences; 2) the Philosophy of the Law is an ideological prerequisite of philosophical type of understanding of the law which defines the sphere or border of a measure of freedom of the person. In conclusion it is to emphasize that joint efforts of lawyers, philosophers, representatives of other social sciences concerning this subject area and a subject matter are necessary for overcoming the existing disagreements on the matters of principle concerning Philosophy of the Law, and for the decision, arising in the course of its development and improvement of problems.
Political Imaging Techniques Carried Out by Baitul Muslimin Indonesia (BASUMI) in Increasing Public Political Support for PDI Perjuangan Medan City
Authors: Sutarto Sutarto , Lubis Suwardi , Katimin Katimin
Published: August 2019

BAMUSI is a new breakthrough for PDI Perjuangan to restore the negative stigmatization directed at PDI Perjuangan so far. BAMUSI is here to build a good image of PDI Perjuangan which has only been buzzing and narrating as a national and religious based party. BAMUSI will make a movement towards Islamic understanding that is rahmatan lil 'alamin bagi for the nation. Political imaging techniques carried out by BAMUSI in increasing the political support of the people of PDI Perjuangan Medan, namely to carry out social services: Social service activities carried out by BAMUSI Medan City is an accurate strategy in approaching and touching the hearts of Medan people in fostering community trust. Delivering Assistance: The political imaging technique carried out by BAMUSI Medan City in increasing community political support for PDI Perjuangan is by channeling aid.
Pelatihan TOEP Bagi Mahasiswa
Authors: Lutviana Rizky , Mafulah Siti
Published: August 2019

Kemampuan berbahasa Inggris yang dibuktikan dengan sertifikat keahliah berbahasa Inggris seperti TOEP merupakan salah satu pesyaratan yang umum digunakan dalam rangka melamar pekerjaan ataupun melanjutkan studi ke jenjang yang lebih tinggi. Oleh karena itu, mahasiswa perlu diberikan bekal kemampuan berbahasa Inggris yang dibuktikan dengan sertifikat. Permasalahan yang dihadapi oleh mitra program pengabdian masyarkat ini adalah (1) Kurang tersedianya materi ajar yang up to date and lengkap, (2) materi kurang terkoordinir dengan baik, (3) tersedianya waktu yang singkat untuk pelatihan, dan (4) nilai rata-rata yang rendah. Solusi dari permasalahan tersebut adalah memberikan pelatihan TOEP secara rutin selama 2 minggu, 4 pertemuan setiap kelas yang berisikan (1) pemberian materi mengenai pentingya kemampuan bahasa Inggris dalam era saat ini, (2) pelatihan TOEP dengan menggunakan metode pengajaran note taking untuk Listening Section (3) pelatihan TOEP dengan menggunakan metode error analysis untuk Structure and Written Expression Section, dan (3) pelatihan TOEP dengan menggunakan metode metacognitive strategy untuk Reading Section
PRAKTIK ORANGTUA DALAM PENGAWASAN PERGAULAN REMAJA GUNA MENCEGAH KEHAMILAN TIDAK DIINGINKAN (KTD)
Authors: Utami Fitriana Putri
Published: August 2019

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood accompanied by physical and hormonal changes. Sexual maturity in adolescence causes the emergence of sexual interest and high curiosity about sexuality. This makes adolescents very vulnerable to lead to premarital sexual behavior and the occurrence of unwanted pregnancies. This study aims to find out the practices of parents in providing adolescent social risk management at unwanted pregnancy. This research is a qualitative study with a case study approach. The informants in this study were seven people who were selected purposively with the criteria of parents who had teenage boys and girls (12-21 years) and were known to have been dating. Data validation uses triangulation of sources, namely teenagers who have been dating as many as three people. Data is taken by independent interview and analyzed using content analysis. Supervision by parents on child relationships includes parents having to know who their children are, supervising children's personal phone calls, setting curfew rules and giving penalties if the child violates. Parents also secretly checked children's personal items, even moved children's schools because the school environment was considered to have a bad influence. Monitoring by parents is intended so that children avoid bad relationships and risk the occurrence of unwanted pregnancy, but parents rarely give messages regarding reproductive health and sexuality to their teenagers. Parents are expected to be able to carry out family-based reproductive health and sexuality education to improve adolescents' understanding of the adverse effects and efforts to prevent unwanted pregnancy.
LEECH THERAPY IN KAZAKHSTAN: PATIENTS’ CHARACTERISTICS AND COMPLIANCE WITH TREATMENT
Authors: Konyrtaeva N N , Ivanov S V , Kausova G K , Zhernov V A , Grjibovski A M
Published: August 2019

Leech therapy is one of the most commonly used methods of complementary medicine. In Kazakhstan, leech therapy is officially recognized method of rehabilitation, however, no studies describing patients of leech therapy clinics or factors associated with compliance with this treatment with original data from Kazakhstan have been published yet. The aim of this study is to present socio-demographic characteristics of patients receiving leech therapy and assess factors associated with compliance with leech therapy in Kazakhstan. This is a cross-sectional study which includes all patients who attended the clinic "Hirudo" (Almaty, Kazakhstan) from July 2012 through December 2014. Data were collected from medical records and by interviews performed by the first author. Independent associations between predictors and the compliance to treatment were assessed by multiple binary logistic regression. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Cardiovascular patients comprised 67,5 % of all patients during the study period. Pensioners were the most common social group (41,7 %). The main factors associated with compliance with leech therapy were lower costs compared to standard treatment (aOR = 25,3; 95 % CI: 17,2-37,3), satisfaction by the quality of care (aOR = 4,0; 95 % CI: 1,8-19,6) male gender (aOR = 1,5; 95 % CI: 1,0-2,2) and married status (aOR = 6,4; 95 % CI: 4,1-10,2). We also observed an inverse association between patients' age and compliance. Thus, compliance with leech therapy among Kazakhstani patients is mainly determined by lower costs compared to standard treatment and subjective satisfaction by the quality of care. Men and married patients are also more likely to comply with this treatment. However, we emphasize that the evidence needed for such an extensive use of leech therapy as in Kazakhstan is still missing warranting further research by means of well-designed clinical trials.
DETERMINAN PENERIMAAN OPINI AUDIT GOING CONCERN PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR
Authors: Wahasusmiah Rolia , Indriani Poppy , Pratama Muhammad Iqbal Putra
Published: August 2019

Going concern adalah kemampuan entitas dalam  mempertahankan kelangsungan hidupnya selama periode waktu pantas, yaitu tidak lebih dari satu tahun sejak tanggal laporan keuangan (SPAP, 2001). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh  pertumbuhan perusahaan,  kinerja keuangan, reputasi auditor dan opini audit tahun sebelumnya terhadap opini audit going concern pada perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia selama tahun 2015 – 2016 dengan metode pemilihan sample data dengan purposive sampling. Dalam penelitian ini menggunakan teknik analisis regresi logistik untuk menganalisis pengaruh  pertumbuhan perusahaan, kinerja keuangan, reputasi auditor dan opini audit tahun sebelumnya terhadap opini audit going concern.  Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa: (1) Pertumbuhan perushaan tidak berpengaruh terhadap opini audit going concern, dikarenakan pertumbuhan penjualan yang tinggi akan berpengaruh terhadap biaya produksi yang meningkat, (2) kinerja keuangan tidak berpengaruh terhadap opini audit going concer, mengindikasikan profitabilitas yang tinggi tidak selalu mencerminkan baiknya kinerja perusahaan, (3) reputasi auditor tidak berpengaruh terhadap opini audit going concern,  berarti ukuran KAP tidak mempengaruhi kualitas audit yang diberikan oleh auditor, (4) opini audit tahun sebelumnya berpengaruh signifikan terhadap opini audit going concern, dikarenakan perusahaan yang menerima opini audit going concern pada tahun sebelumnya, diprediksi akan menerima opini audit serupa pada tahun berjalan.
Glucose Injections at Birth, Warmth and Placing at a Nurse Sow Improve the Growth of IUGR Piglets
Authors: Engelsmann Maiken N. , Hansen Christian F. , Nielsen Marlene N. , Kristensen Anders R. , Amdi Charlotte
Published: August 2019

Intrauterine growth-restricted piglets (IUGR) have a lower rectal temperature, whole-blood glucose, and lower glycogen storages at birth than normal piglets, giving them less energy to maintain body temperature and compete at the udder. The present paper investigated the effects of giving an energy supplementation three times after birth on rectal temperature, glucose levels, and growth until weaning in an on-farm trial. Eighty-eight newborn piglets were classified as IUGR (based on head morphology), placed under a heating lamp for one hour and allocated to one of four treatments—warmed water (WATER), glucose injection (GLUC), colostrum bolus (COLOS; porcine colostrum), and colostrum bolus and glucose injection (GLUC + COLOS)—before being placed at a nursing sow. Weight differences were found at day 21, with GLUC and GLUC + COLOS groups being the heaviest. Piglets in GLUC + COLOS had higher glucose levels at t = 3, 6, and 9 h compared to the other treatments (p = 0.027), but from t = 24 h and onwards, no difference was observed. For rectal temperature, no differences were observed. Collectively, these findings suggest that glucose injections at birth (i.e., as an energy source), one hour’s exposure to warmth and the placement of piglets with a nurse sow to reduce competition, enhance the growth of IUGR piglets.
Applying the Behavioural Change Wheel to Encourage Higher Welfare Food Choices
Authors: Cornish Amelia , Jamieson Jen , Raubenheimer David , McGreevy Paul
Published: August 2019

Over the last several decades, positive public attitudes towards animal welfare have continued to develop. Consumers’ attitudes towards farm animal welfare indicate increasing concern about animal welfare in food production. Yet, this growing interest in the lives of farm animals does not correspond with a wholesale increase in demand for higher welfare products, providing evidence of the citizen-consumer attitude-behaviour gap (herein referred to as the attitude-behaviour gap). Minimising the attitude–behaviour gap and supporting consumers to make higher animal welfare choices may help producers to enhance the lives of farm animals. However, despite increasing awareness in this area, solutions to resolve this gap often focus on knowledge transfer and do not appear to have had a significant impact. The aim of this article is to review current knowledge around the attitude-behaviour gap, and situate it within the context of the behaviour change wheel; exploring the capabilities, opportunities, and motivations driving, as well as the barriers inhibiting consumers from making higher welfare food choices. Using this framework, the review aims to identify interventions that may boost consumer demand for higher welfare products sold at a premium price and provide suggestions for future research. Further work to increase understanding in this area is then also suggested.
Design and Production of Bispecific Antibodies
Authors: Wang Qiong , Chen Yiqun , Park Jaeyoung , Liu Xiao , Hu Yifeng , Wang Tiexin , McFarland Kevin , Betenbaugh Michael J.
Published: August 2019

With the current biotherapeutic market dominated by antibody molecules, bispecific antibodies represent a key component of the next-generation of antibody therapy. Bispecific antibodies can target two different antigens at the same time, such as simultaneously binding tumor cell receptors and recruiting cytotoxic immune cells. Structural diversity has been fast-growing in the bispecific antibody field, creating a plethora of novel bispecific antibody scaffolds, which provide great functional variety. Two common formats of bispecific antibodies on the market are the single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-based (no Fc fragment) antibody and the full-length IgG-like asymmetric antibody. Unlike the conventional monoclonal antibodies, great production challenges with respect to the quantity, quality, and stability of bispecific antibodies have hampered their wider clinical application and acceptance. In this review, we focus on these two major bispecific types and describe recent advances in the design, production, and quality of these molecules, which will enable this important class of biologics to reach their therapeutic potential.
Hepatoprotection of Mentha aquatica L., Lavandula dentata L. and Leonurus cardiaca L.
Authors: Pereira Olívia R. , Macias Rocio I. R. , Domingues Maria R. M. , Marin Jose J. G. , Cardoso Susana M.
Published: August 2019

The phenolic composition of hydroethanolic extracts of Mentha aquatica L., Lavandula dentata L. and Leonurus cardiaca L., obtained from plants grown under organic cultivation, was determined and their hepatoprotective effects were investigated in vitro. L. cardiaca extract was rich in phenylethenoid glycosides, especially lavandolifolioside (254 ± 36 μg/mg), whereas rosmarinic acid and eriodictyol-O-rutinoside were the major phenolic compounds of L. dentata and M. aquatica extracts, accounting for 68 ± 7 μg/mg and 145 ± 22 μg/mg, respectively. These differential phenolic components presumably account for their dissimilar antioxidant properties. While L. cardiaca extract showed moderate biological effects, M. aquatica extract displayed high antioxidant activity in chemical models, and that of L. dentata was effective in counteracting potassium dichromate-induced ROS generation in human hepatocarcinoma cells. Moreover, M. aquatica extract (50 μg/mL) and its mixture (50%/50%) with L. dentata extract displayed an effective cytoprotective effect.
Emerging Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission Techniques to Identify Preclinical Warning Signs of Basal Cochlear Dysfunction Due to Ototoxicity
Authors: Poling Gayla L. , Vlosich Brittany , Dreisbach Laura E.
Published: August 2019

Hundreds of medications commonly prescribed for anticancer treatments and some infections are known to cause hearing damage, referred to as ototoxicity. Preventing or minimizing ototoxicity is critical in order to preserve quality of life for patients receiving treatment and to reduce the societal burden of hearing loss. Current clinical evaluations are restricted to a limited frequency range (≤8 kHz); however, this approach does not permit the earliest detection of ototoxicity, most likely to be observed at the highest frequencies (9–20 kHz). Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) offer a noninvasive, objective approach to monitor cochlear health in those unable to respond via conventional methods. The current report analyzes different DPOAE paradigms used in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments with various platinum derivatives. Individualized serial monitoring protocols were completed at the highest frequencies with measurable DPOAEs. This allowed the exploration of potential clinical translation opportunities for further quantification of the earliest signs of underlying cochlear damage, which may go undetected with conventional methods. Clinical practice has the potential to be enhanced by emerging DPOAE applications, including targeted monitoring protocols and high-frequency stimuli to assess cochlear function, especially at the highest frequencies, and advanced calibration techniques to ensure the stability of serial measurements.
Hierarchical Semantic Loss and Confidence Estimator for Visual-Semantic Embedding-Based Zero-Shot Learning
Authors: Seo Sanghyun , Kim Juntae
Published: August 2019

Traditional supervised learning is dependent on the label of the training data, so there is a limitation that the class label which is not included in the training data cannot be recognized properly. Therefore, zero-shot learning, which can recognize unseen-classes that are not used in training, is gaining research interest. One approach to zero-shot learning is to embed visual data such as images and rich semantic data related to text labels of visual data into a common vector space to perform zero-shot cross-modal retrieval on newly input unseen-class data. This paper proposes a hierarchical semantic loss and confidence estimator to more efficiently perform zero-shot learning on visual data. Hierarchical semantic loss improves learning efficiency by using hierarchical knowledge in selecting a negative sample of triplet loss, and the confidence estimator estimates the confidence score to determine whether it is seen-class or unseen-class. These methodologies improve the performance of zero-shot learning by adjusting distances from a semantic vector to visual vector when performing zero-shot cross-modal retrieval. Experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the performance of zero-shot learning in terms of hit@k accuracy.
Optical Interference Suppression Based on LCD-Filtering
Authors: Forkel Gilbert J. M. , Krohn Adrian , Hoeher Peter A.
Published: August 2019

Using light emitting diodes (LED) for the purpose of simultaneous communication and illumination is known as visible light communication (VLC). Interference by ambient light sources is among the most critical challenges. Owing to the wideband VLC spectrum, the efficiency of wavelength-dependent optical filtering is limited, especially in the presence of sunlight. Multi-user VLC causes additional interference, since LEDs are characterized by a wide viewing angle. Although algorithm-based interference suppression is a feasible method, receiver saturation and especially noise enhancement are two challenges that can only by addressed effectively by filtering in the optical domain prior to the photodetector. In this publication, we propose the use of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) as receiver-side filter unit. The main advantage of this technology is the possibility to focus the field-of-view of the receiver on a specific light source and thereby suppress interference. Interference by ambient light, modulated interference and multi-aperture interference are introduced and signal-to-interference ratio improvements are derived using experimental results for a given LCD characteristic. By deriving the bit error rate for MIMO communications, the potential of the proposed interference reduction method is demonstrated.
Computation of Psycho-Acoustic Annoyance Using Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Lopez-Ballester Jesus , Pastor-Aparicio Adolfo , Segura-Garcia Jaume , Felici-Castell Santiago , Cobos Maximo
Published: August 2019

Psycho-acoustic parameters have been extensively used to evaluate the discomfort or pleasure produced by the sounds in our environment. In this context, wireless acoustic sensor networks (WASNs) can be an interesting solution for monitoring subjective annoyance in certain soundscapes, since they can be used to register the evolution of such parameters in time and space. Unfortunately, the calculation of the psycho-acoustic parameters involved in common annoyance models implies a significant computational cost, and makes difficult the acquisition and transmission of these parameters at the nodes. As a result, monitoring psycho-acoustic annoyance becomes an expensive and inefficient task. This paper proposes the use of a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on a large urban sound dataset capable of efficiently predicting psycho-acoustic annoyance from raw audio signals continuously. We evaluate the proposed regression model and compare the resulting computation times with the ones obtained by the conventional direct calculation approach. The results confirm that the proposed model based on CNN achieves high precision in predicting psycho-acoustic annoyance, predicting annoyance values with an average quadratic error of around 3%. It also achieves a very significant reduction in processing time, which is up to 300 times faster than direct calculation, making CNN designed a clear exponent to work in IoT devices.
Therapeutic Potential of Rosmarinic Acid: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Nadeem Muhammad , Imran Muhammad , Aslam Gondal Tanweer , Imran Ali , Shahbaz Muhammad , Muhammad Amir Rai , Wasim Sajid Muhammad , Batool Qaisrani Tahira , Atif Muhammad , Hussain Ghulam , Salehi Bahare , Adrian Ostrander Elise , Martorell Miquel , Sharifi-Rad Javad , C. Cho William , Martins Natália
Published: August 2019

Naturally occurring food-derived active ingredients have received huge attention for their chemopreventive and chemotherapy capabilities in several diseases. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a caffeic acid ester and a naturally-occurring phenolic compound in a number of plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family, such as Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) from which it was formerly isolated. RA intervenes in carcinogenesis through different ways, including in tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and inflammation. On the other hand, it also exerts powerful antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and even antidepressant, anti-aging effects. The present review aims to provide an overview on anticancer activities of RA and to deliberate its therapeutic potential against a wide variety of diseases. Given the current evidence, RA may be considered as part of the daily diet in the treatment of several diseases, with pre-determined doses avoiding cytotoxicity.
Landmark Generation in Visual Place Recognition Using Multi-Scale Sliding Window for Robotics
Authors: Yang Bo , Xu Xiaosu , Li Jun , Zhang Hong
Published: August 2019

Landmark generation is an essential component in landmark-based visual place recognition. In this paper, we present a simple yet effective method, called multi-scale sliding window (MSW), for landmark generation in order to improve the performance of place recognition. In our method, we generate landmarks that form a uniform distribution in multiple landmark scales (sizes) within an appropriate range by a process that samples an image with a sliding window. This is in contrast to conventional methods of landmark generation that typically depend on detecting objects whose size distributions are uneven and, as a result, may not be effective in achieving shift invariance and viewpoint invariance, two important properties in visual place recognition. We conducted experiments on four challenging datasets to demonstrate that the recognition performance can be significantly improved by our method in a standard landmark-based visual place recognition system. Our method is simple with a single input parameter, the scales of landmarks required, and it is efficient as it does not involve detecting objects.
Wood Bark as Valuable Raw Material for Compounds with a Bioregulator Effect in Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) Plants
Authors: Tanase Corneliu , Nișca Adrian , Mirica Anca , Milan Andreea , Boz Irina
Published: August 2019

Over the past few years, special attention has been paid to biomass valorization. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the phenolic rich extracts obtained from raw materials on the growth and development of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.). The extracts were obtained from the bark of spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) separated as waste product during wood processing. The growth and development of the plants was assessed by measuring elongation of vegetative organs, biomasses including root, stem, and leaf, and photosynthetic pigment content. In addition, the analysis of some histo-anatomic characteristics of the vegetative organs were made. Elongation biomasses and photosynthetic pigments concentration presented higher values in case of plants treated with beech bark phenolic extract compared to control plants. The spruce bark phenolic extract had a stimulatory effect on the germination but inhibited the growth and development of the plants. Both extracts increased the percentage of lignification in stems. These findings could contribute to the development of natural and eco-friendly substances that favor cultivation of lemon balm plants. Future research is needed in order to identify potential qualitative and quantitative changes in the essential oil of the aromatic plant treated with the tested solutions.
Large-Signal Stability Analysis of the Undersea Direct Current Power System for Scientific Cabled Seafloor Observatories
Authors: Jiang Yamei , Lyu Feng
Published: August 2019

A large number of power electronic converters and long-distance submarine cables are an important part of the undersea direct current (DC) power system of the scientific cabled seafloor observatories (CSOs). However, the constant power load (CPL) characteristics of the converters and the distributed parameter characteristics of long-distance submarine cables greatly affect the stability of the CSO DC power system. This paper analyzes the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system, and the equivalent circuits of long-distance submarine cables are established by theoretical analysis and computer simulation. A simplified computer simulation model and an equivalent experimental prototype model of a single-node CSO DC power system was built in the laboratory to study this issue. The mixed potential function method is used to analyze the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system, and the large-signal stability criterion is obtained theoretically. The validity of the large-signal stability criterion is proved by simulations and experiments. The conclusion is that reducing the inductance of the submarine cable, increasing the capacitance of the submarine cable, increasing the output voltage of the shore station power feeding equipment (PFE) or reducing the power consumption of the undersea station, are beneficial to improve the large-signal stability of the CSO DC power system.
Damage Assessment of Porcelain Insulators through Principal Component Analysis Associated with Frequency Response Signals
Authors: Choi In Hyuk , Son Ju Am , Koo Ja Bin , Yoon Young Geun , Oh Tae Keun
Published: August 2019

More than 55% of porcelain insulators installed throughout Korea have exceeded their service life. Hence, utilities are extremely interested in determining the robustness of insulators in their systems. In this study, the identification of the peak ranges in the main natural modes by frequency response analysis, the principal component analysis (PCA) method by feature extraction in the time and frequency domains for the damage detection of porcelain insulators are investigated; among these, the PCA method, which utilizes frequency response data, is proposed for defect classification. The 67 porcelain insulators are secured as specimens from 154 kV transmission towers installed in various parts of Korea; their main materials are cristobalite and alumina. In these specimens, it is observed that the three types of damage, such as porcelain damage, cap damage, and internal damage, are those that are typically found in actual sites. Accordingly, the use of two eigenvectors (moments of real value and moments of imaginary value) considerably aids in the analysis of principal components. With the frequency response data, the material and damage types are found to be distinguishable. The classification accuracy is increased by including the third largest eigenvector (area of real value) in three-dimensional analysis. By employing frequency response data, the PCA method provides useful information for assessing the integrity of porcelain insulators; it may be used as basis for future machine learning applications.
Effects of an Inclined Blade on the Performance of a Sirocco Fan
Authors: Ni Shaosong , Cao Wenbin , Xu Jun , Wang Yingdong , Zhang Wei
Published: August 2019

The impeller is the primary working component of centrifugal fans, whose internal flow directly determines the performance of the whole system. This work presents a numerical investigation by using ANSYS-Fluent on the internal flow of a Sirocco fan to investigate the effects of the inclination angle of the blades on the fan performance. The orientation of the blade for the baseline model is strictly along the axial direction, while three inclination angles, i.e., 3.5°, 7.0°, and 10.5°, are chosen for the inclined blades of the modified impeller to improve the aerodynamic performance of the fan. The effects of the inclined blade are demonstrated by the variations in static pressure, efficiency, and pressure and velocity distributions at various inclination angles. The computed results reveal that there is an optimum inclination angle, which produces the best aerodynamic performance.
Combined Use of MRI, fMRIand Cognitive Data for Alzheimer’s Disease: Preliminary Results
Authors: Dachena Chiara , Casu Sergio , Fanti Alessandro , Lodi Matteo Bruno , Mazzarella Giuseppe
Published: August 2019

MRI can favor clinical diagnosis providing morphological and functional information of several neurological disorders. This paper deals with the problem of exploiting both data, in a combined way, to develop a tool able to support clinicians in the study and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In this work, 69 subjects from the ADNI open database, 33 AD patients and 36 healthy controls, were analyzed. The possible existence of a relationship between brain structure modifications and altered functions between patients and healthy controls was investigated performing a correlation analysis on brain volume, calculated from the MRI image, the clustering coefficient, derived from fRMI acquisitions, and the Mini Mental Score Examination (MMSE). A statistically-significant correlation was found only in four ROIs after Bonferroni’s correction. The correlation analysis alone was still not sufficient to provide a reliable and powerful clinical tool in AD diagnosis however. Therefore, a machine learning strategy was studied by training a set of support vector machine classifiers comparing different features. The use of a unimodal approach led to unsatisfactory results, whereas the multimodal approach, i.e., the synergistic combination of MRI, fMRI, and MMSE features, resulted in an accuracy of 95.65%, a specificity of 97.22%, and a sensibility of 93.93%.
A Compact Four-Port Coplanar Antenna Based on an Excitation Switching Reconfigurable Mechanism for Cognitive Radio Applications
Authors: O Yeonjeong , Jin Yunnan , Choi Jaehoon
Published: August 2019

In this paper, we propose a compact four-port coplanar antenna for cognitive radio applications. The proposed antenna consists of a coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna and three inner rectangular loop antennas. The dimensions of the proposed antenna are 42 mm × 50 mm × 0.8 mm. The UWB antenna is used for spectrum sensing and fully covers the UWB spectrum of 3.1–10.6 GHz. The three loop antennas cover the UWB frequency band partially for communication purposes. The first loop antenna for the low frequency range operates from 2.96 GHz to 5.38 GHz. The second loop antenna is in charge of the mid band from 5.31 GHz to 8.62 GHz. The third antenna operates from 8.48 GHz to 11.02 GHz, which is the high-frequency range. A high isolation level (greater than 17.3 dB) is realized among the UWB antenna and three loop antennas without applying any additional decoupling structures. The realized gains of the UWB antenna and three loop antennas are greater than 2.7 dBi and 1.38 dBi, respectively.
Comparison of Columnar, Surface, and UAS Profiles of Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth and Single-Scattering Albedo in South-East Poland
Authors: Chiliński Michał T. , Markowicz Krzysztof M. , Zawadzka Olga , Stachlewska Iwona S. , Lisok Justyna , Makuch Przemysław
Published: August 2019

The impact of absorbing aerosols on climate is complex, with their potential positive or negative forcing, depending on many factors, including their height distribution and reflective properties of the underlying background. Measurement data is very limited, due to insufficient remote sensing methods dedicated to the retrieval of their vertical distribution. Columnar values of absorbing aerosol optical depth (AAOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA) are retrieved by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). However, the number of available results is low due to sky condition and aerosol optical depth (AOD) limitation. Presented research describes results of field campaigns in Strzyżów (South-East Poland, Eastern Europe) dedicated to the comparison of the absorption coefficient and SSA measurements performed with on-ground in-situ devices (aethalomter, nephelometer), small unmanned aerial system (UAS) carrying micro-aethalometer, as well as with lidar/ceilometer. An important aspect is the comparison of measurement results with those delivered by AERONET. Correlation of absorption to scattering coefficients measured on ground (0.79) and correlation of extinction on ground to AOD measured by AERONET (0.77) was visibly higher than correlation between AOD and AAOD retrieved by AERONET (0.56). Columnar SSA was weakly correlated with ground SSA (higher values of columnar SSA), which were mainly explained by hygroscopic effects, increasing scattering coefficient in ambient (wet conditions), and partly high uncertainty of SSA retrieval. AAOD derived with the use of profiles from UAS up to PBL height, was estimated to contribute in average to 37% of the total AAOD. A method of AAOD estimation, in the whole troposphere, with use of measured vertical profiles of absorption coefficient and extinction coefficient profiles from lidars was proposed. AAOD measured with this method has poor correlation with AERONET data, however for some measurements, within PBL, AAOD was higher than reported by AERONET, suggesting potential underestimation in photometric measurement under particular conditions. Correlation of absorption coefficient in profile to on ground measurements decrease with altitude. Measurements of SSA from drones agree well with ground measurements and are lower than results from AERONET, which suggests a larger contribution of absorbing aerosols. As an alternative for AAOD estimation in case of lack of AERONET AAOD data simple models are proposed, which base on AOD scaling with SSA measured with different methods. Proposed solution increase potential of absorption coefficient measurements in vertical profiles and columns of the atmosphere. Presented solutions make measurements of absorption coefficients in vertical profiles more affordable and allow rough estimation of columnar values for the whole atmosphere.
Glycine-Nitrate Process for Synthesis of Na3V2(PO4)3 Cathode Material and Optimization of Glucose-Derived Hard Carbon Anode Material for Characterization in Full Cells
Authors: Väli Ronald , Aruväli Jaan , Härmas Meelis , Jänes Alar , Lust Enn
Published: August 2019

Cost-effective methods need to be developed to lower the price of Na-ion battery (NIB) materials. This paper reports a proof-of-concept study of using a novel approach to the glycine-nitrate process (GNP) to synthesize sodium vanadium phosphate (Na3V2(PO4)3 or NVP) materials with both high-energy (102 mAh g−1 at C/20) and high-power characteristics (60 mAh g−1 at 20 C). Glucose-derived hard carbons (GDHCs) were optimized to reduce both sloping and irreversible capacity. The best results were achieved for electrodes with active material heat treated at 1400 °C and reduced Super P additive. Sloping region capacity 90 mAh g−1, irreversible capacity 47 mAh g−1, discharge capacity 272 mAh g−1 (of which plateau 155 mAh g−1) and 1st cycle coulombic efficiency (CE) 85% were demonstrated. GDHC||NVP full cell achieved 80 mAh g−1 (reversible) by NVP mass out of which 60 mAh g−1 was the plateau (3.4 V) region capacity. Full cell specific energy and energy density reached 189 Wh kg−1 and 104 Wh dm−3, respectively. After 80 cycles, including rate testing from C/20 to 10 C, the cell cycled at 65 mAh g−1 with 99.7% CE. With further optimization, this method can have very high industrial potential.
Hyperbaric Storage at Room Temperature for Fruit Juice Preservation
Authors: Otero Laura
Published: August 2019

Hyperbaric storage is an innovative preservation method that consists of storing food under pressure, either at room or at low temperature, for time periods of days, weeks, or months. Recent scientific literature shows that hyperbaric storage at room temperature (HS-RT) could be an efficient method for fruit juice preservation. Depending on the level applied, pressure can inhibit and even inactivate the endogenous microflora of the fresh juice, while properly preserving other organoleptic and quality indicators. Even though the method has not yet been implemented in the food industry, its industrial viability has been evaluated from different points of view (product quality, consumer acceptation, vessel design, economic, or environmental, among others). The results reveal that HS-RT is effective in extending the shelf-life of both acidic and low-acidic fruit juices. Moreover, the energetic costs and the carbon footprint of HS-RT are considerably lower than those of refrigeration, therefore, HS-RT could be a reliable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cold storage. However, before industrial implementation, much more research is needed to clarify the effects of the storage conditions on the agents that cause fruit juice deterioration.
Short Term Results of Fibrin Gel Obtained from Cord Blood Units: A Preliminary in Vitro Study
Authors: Mallis Panagiotis , Gontika Ioanna , Dimou Zetta , Panagouli Effrosyni , Zoidakis Jerome , Makridakis Manousos , Vlahou Antonia , Georgiou Eleni , Gkioka Vasiliki , Stavropoulos-Giokas Catherine , Michalopoulos Efstathios
Published: August 2019

Background: Recent findings have shown that the fibrin gel derived from cord blood units (CBUs) play a significant role in wound healing and tissue regeneration. The aim of this study was to standardize the fibrin gel production process in order to allow for its regular use. Methods: CBUs (n = 200) were assigned to 4 groups according to their initial volume. Then, a two-stage centrifugation protocol was applied in order to obtain platelet rich plasma (PRP). The concentration of platelets (PLTs), white blood cells (WBCs) and red blood cells (RBCs) were determined prior to and after the production process. In addition, targeted proteomic analysis using multiple reaction monitoring was performed. Finally, an appropriate volume of calcium gluconate was used in PRP for the production of fibrin gel. Results: The results of this study showed that high volume CBUs were characterized by greater recovery rates, concentration and number of PLTs compared to the low volume CBUs. Proteomic analysis revealed the presence of key proteins for regenerative medicine. Fibrin gel was successfully produced from CBUs of all groups. Conclusion: In this study, low volume CBUs could be an alternative source for the production of fibrin gel, which can be used in multiple regenerative medicine approaches.
Multiple Modulation of Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 1a by the Alkaloid Daurisoline
Authors: Osmakov Dmitry I. , Koshelev Sergey G. , Lyukmanova Ekaterina N. , Shulepko Mikhail A. , Andreev Yaroslav A. , Illes Peter , Kozlov Sergey A.
Published: August 2019

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are proton-gated sodium-selective channels that are expressed in the peripheral and central nervous systems. ASIC1a is one of the most intensively studied isoforms due to its importance and wide representation in organisms, but it is still largely unexplored as a target for therapy. In this study, we demonstrated response of the ASIC1a to acidification in the presence of the daurisoline (DAU) ligand. DAU alone did not activate the channel, but in combination with protons, it produced the second peak component of the ASIC1a current. This second peak differs from the sustained component (which is induced by RF-amide peptides), as the second (DAU-induced) peak is completely desensitized, with the same kinetics as the main peak. The co-application of DAU and mambalgin-2 indicated that their binding sites do not overlap. Additionally, we found an asymmetry in the pH activation curve of the channel, which was well-described by a mathematical model based on the multiplied probabilities of protons binding with a pool of high-cooperative sites and a single proton binding with a non-cooperative site. In this model, DAU targeted the pool of high-cooperative sites and, when applied with protons, acted as an inhibitor of ASIC1a activation. Moreover, DAU’s occupation of the same binding site most probably reverses the channel from steady-state desensitization in the pH 6.9–7.3 range. DAU features disclose new opportunities in studies of ASIC structure and function.
The Scanpaths of Subjects with Developmental Prosopagnosia during a Face Memory Task
Authors: Lee Dong-Ho , Corrow Sherryse , Pancaroglu Raika , Barton Jason
Published: August 2019

The scanpaths of healthy subjects show biases towards the upper face, the eyes and the center of the face, which suggests that their fixations are guided by a feature hierarchy towards the regions most informative for face identification. However, subjects with developmental prosopagnosia have a lifelong impairment in face processing. Whether this is reflected in the loss of normal face-scanning strategies is not known. The goal of this study was to determine if subjects with developmental prosopagnosia showed anomalous scanning biases as they processed the identity of faces. We recorded the fixations of 10 subjects with developmental prosopagnosia as they performed a face memorization and recognition task, for comparison with 8 subjects with acquired prosopagnosia (four with anterior temporal lesions and four with occipitotemporal lesions) and 20 control subjects. The scanning of healthy subjects confirmed a bias to fixate the upper over the lower face, the eyes over the mouth, and the central over the peripheral face. Subjects with acquired prosopagnosia from occipitotemporal lesions had more dispersed fixations and a trend to fixate less informative facial regions. Subjects with developmental prosopagnosia did not differ from the controls. At a single-subject level, some developmental subjects performed abnormally, but none consistently across all metrics. Scanning distributions were not related to scores on perceptual or memory tests for faces. We conclude that despite lifelong difficulty with faces, subjects with developmental prosopagnosia still have an internal facial schema that guides their scanning behavior.