bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interpreting common garden studies to understand cueing mechanisms of spring leafing phenology in temperate and boreal tree species
Authors: Salk Carl
Published: November 2020

Trees are particularly susceptible to climate change due to their long lives and slow dispersal. However, trees can adjust the timing of their growing season in response to weather conditions without evolutionary change or long-distance migration. This makes understanding phenological cueing mechanisms a critical task to forecast climate change impacts on forests. Because of slow data accumulation, unconventional and repurposed information is valuable in the study of phenology. Here, I develop and use a framework to interpret what phenological patterns among provenances of a species in a common garden reveal about their leafing cues, and potential climate change responses. Species whose high elevation/latitude provenances leaf first likely have little chilling requirement, or for latitude gradients only, a critical photoperiod cue met relatively early in the season. Species with low latitude/elevation origins leafing first have stronger controls against premature leafing; I argue that these species are likely less phenologically flexible in responding to climate change. Among published studies, the low to high order is predominant among frost-sensitive ring-porous species. Narrow-xylemed species show nearly all possible patterns, sometimes with strong contrasts even within genera for both conifers and angiosperms. Some also show complex patterns, indicating multiple mechanisms at work, and a few are largely undifferentiated across broad latitude gradients, suggesting phenotypic plasticity to a warmer climate. These results provide valuable evidence on which temperate and boreal tree species are most likely to adjust in place to climate change, and provide a framework for interpreting historic or newly-planted common garden studies of phenology.
Reappraising the AITSL Professional Engagement Domain: Clarifying Social Capacity Building for School Leaders to Enhance Overall Teacher Job Satisfaction and Career Longevity
Authors:   Edith Cowan University, Lowe Geoffrey , Prout Peter ,   Edith Cowan University, Gray Christina ,   Edith Cowan University, Jefferson Sarah ,   Edith Cowan University
Published: November 2020

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2018) stipulate what teachers should know and do through each career stage. School leaders are complicit in promoting the Standards are met by all staff, including Professional Engagement (Standards Six and Seven). While the Standards emphasise content and pedagogical capacity building, we contend that teaching is a social enterprise. Although social capacity building is implied in the Professional Engagement domain through terms such as ‘collegiality, collaboration and dialogue’, we question the degree to which it is understood by school leaders. We ask this in light of influential studies by Waldinger (2010) and Vaillant (1977) which highlight the importance of workplace social connection in terms of job satisfaction and career longevity. Using an Appreciative Inquiry lens, we interviewed a number of positive school leaders about social capacity building among their staff against the Professional Engagement domain. While interviews affirmed many inspiring examples of its application, we also uncovered a degree of uncertainty, lack of clarity and practical difficulties experienced by these exemplary leaders. As per our research approach, we do not suggest that there is any fundamental problem with the Professional Engagement domain per se. However, findings indicate value for AITSL in reappraising this domain in relation to its wording, implications and application. A more explicit emphasis on the social context may in turn help address some of the issues confronting Australia’s aging teaching workforce.
Climate Observing During Canada’s Empires, 1742–1871: People, Places and Motivations
Authors: Slonosky Victoria , Mayer-Jouanjean Isabelle
Published: November 2020

A wealth of pre-Confederation weather and climate observations were recorded in Canada by individuals and institutions during both the French and British empires. This scientific heritage came about for a number of reasons. For instance, the Hudson’s Bay Company wanted to reduce operating costs by having their posts in Canada’s north-west become self-sufficient in agriculture. Others wished to save lives from cholera or shipwrecks, or to satisfy curiosity about the ever-present debate concerning anthropogenic climate change. Today, historical climate observations can be found in many diverse locations. Despite our rich scientific heritage, turning archival paper and ink observations into scientific data remains an enormous technical challenge. This challenge falls to our generation, both to use this heritage to investigate the historical context of current climate change and variability, and to use the digital resources in development today to safeguard our scientific heritage for future generations.
Isolation and Characterization of Stigmasterol from Fritillaria roylei
Authors: Kaur Gunpreet , Gupta Vikas , Singhal R G , Bansal Parveen
Published: November 2020

Fritillaria roylei (Kshirakakoli) is the threatened species of “Ashtwarga” group suffers lot of confusion for identification & authentification in Ayurvedic system of medicine. Due to lack of natural sources and insufficient availability of kshirakakoli, chances of adulteration and substitution increases which in turn leads to loss of faith of people in herbal drugs. Thus for identification and differentiation, quality standardization and quality assurance of kshirakakoli containing herbal formulations there is a need to isolate chemical marker compound using advanced analytical techniques. The methanol extract of root samples of plant was prepared and phytochemical screening was performed. Marker compound was isolated from the extract using column chromatography. Single compound having Rf value 0.31 was isolated with TLC by using mobile phase n-hexane: ethyl acetate: formic acid (8:2:0.1 v/v/v) and purified by re-crystallization with methanol. Isolated compound was further characterized by using melting point and spectral analysis. The methanol extract was dark brown in color and showed the presence of steroids, amino acids and flavonoids. The isolated compound was found to be white crystalline powder with melting point range of 167-169°C. Spectral analysis confirmed the presence of Stigmasterol. In present study stigmasterol was isolated for the first time and can be used as chemical marker for identification and differentiation of the plant from its substitutes.
Zachowanie człowieka jako przedmiot badań psychologii społecznej – fakt czy mit?
Authors: Doliński Dariusz
Published: November 2020

Social psychologists only to very small degree investigate real human behavior. This article is an analysis of the reasons why this is so. The author points out that the otherwise valuable phenomenon of cognitive shift, which occurred precisely in the 1960s, naturally boosted the interest of social psychologists in such phenomena like stereotypes and values; at the same time, it unfortunately decreased interest in others, like aggression or altruism. Researchers today generally preferring to employ survey studies (even if they are a component of experiments being conducted) to analysis of behavioural variables. This gives rise to the question of whether social psychology remains a science of behavior.
(BV,Lp)-decomposition,p= 1,2, of functions in metric random walk spaces
Authors: Mazón José M. , Solera Marcos , Toledo Julián
Published: November 2020

In this paper we study the(BV,Lp){(\mathrm{BV},L^{p})}-decomposition,p=1,2{p=1,2}, of functions in metric random walk spaces, a general workspace that includes weighted graphs and nonlocal models used in image processing. We obtain the Euler-Lagrange equations of the corresponding variational problems and their gradient flows. In the casep=1{p=1}we also study the associated geometric problem and the thresholding parameters describing the behavior of its solutions.
Imaging vehicle-to-vehicle communication using visible light
Authors: Ziehn Jens R. , Roschani Masoud , Ruf Miriam , Bruestle Dennis , Beyerer Jürgen , Helmer Melanie
Published: November 2020

With advances in automated and connected driving, secure communication is increasingly becoming a safety-critical function. Injection of manipulated radio messages into traffic can cause severe accidents in the foreseeable future, and can currently be achieved without having to manipulate on-board vehicle systems directly, for example by hijacking cellphones instead and using these as senders. Thereby, large-scale attacks on vehicles can be executed remotely, and target relatively vulnerable devices. To mitigate remaining vulnerabilities in current automotive security architectures, this paper proposes a secondary communication channel using vehicle head and taillights. In contrast to existing approaches, this method allows both to achieve a sufficient data rate and to extract the angular position of the sender, by means of an imaging process which only requires close-to-market, cost-efficient technology. Through this, injecting false messages by masquerading as a different sender is considerably more challenging: The receiver can verify a message’s source position with the supposed position of the sender, e.g. by using on-board sensors or communicated information. Thereby, reliably faking both the communicated messages and the position of the sender will require direct manipulation of on-board vehicle systems, raising the security level of the function accordingly, and precluding low-threshold, wide-range attacks.
Why Children, Parrots, and Actors Cannot Speak: The Stoics on Genuine and Superficial Speech
Authors: Assaturian Sosseh
Published: November 2020

At Varro LL VI.56 and SE M 8.275-276, we find reports of the Stoic view that children and articulate non-rational animals such as parrots cannot genuinely speak. Absent from these testimonia is the peculiar case of the superficiality of the actor’s speech, which appears in one edition of the unstable text of PHerc 307.9 containing fragments of Chrysippus’ Logical Investigations. Commentators who include this edition of the text in their discussions of the Stoic theory of speech do not offer a univocal account of the superficiality of the parrot’s, the child’s, and the actor’s speech. In this paper, I offer a reconstruction of the Stoic account of genuine and superficial speech and show that not only is there an account of superficial speech that univocally explains the superficiality of the speech of parrots, children, and actors, but that this account challenges traditional assumptions about the entities at the heart of the Stoic theory of language—lekta. It will turn out that genuine speech is the expression of alektonby way of performing a speech act, and that this account of superficial speech can be used to explain other linguistic phenomena that are of interest to the Stoics, such as sentences in insoluble sophisms and sentences containing demonstratives that do not refer to anything in the subject term. Importantly, my reconstruction shows, against the near consensus view oflekta, thatlektado not primarily explain what makes an utterance meaningful. Rather, they primarily explain what makes an utterance an instance of genuine speech.
Critical autoethnographic narrative: Ideological contention, metacommentary and aesthetic labor in language education
Authors: Fallas-Escobar Christian
Published: November 2020

Based on the premise that human experience is storied, the researcher engaged in the writing of critical autoethnographic narratives to examine ideological contention in language learning, language use, and language teaching. Using raciolinguistic ideologies as theoretical framework, he shows the ways ideological orientations embedded in circulating metacommentary push individuals to engage in aesthetic labor around the ways they employ their linguistic resources. Findings suggest that language educators and learners should engage in critical examination of seemingly innocent metalinguistic commentary, as these contain contradictory and multiple ideological orientations that largely shape the perception and employment of speakers’ linguistic repertoires.
Fast moving horizon estimation using multi-level iterations for microgrid control
Authors: Gutekunst Jürgen , Scholz Robert , Nurkanović Armin , Mešanović Amer , Bock Hans Georg , Kostina Ekaterina
Published: November 2020

Accurate state-estimation is a vital prerequisite for fast feedback control methods such as Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC). For efficient process control, it is of great importance that the estimation process is carried out as fast as possible to provide the feedback mechanism with fresh information and enable fast reactions in case of any disturbances. We discuss how Multi-Level Iterations (MLI), known from NMPC, can be applied to the Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE) method for estimating the states and parameters of a system described by a Differential Algebraic Equation model. A challenging field of application for the proposed MLI-MHE method are electric microgrids. These push current control approaches to their limits due to the rising penetration of volatile renewable energy sources and the fast electrical system dynamics. We investigate the closed-loop control performance of the proposed MLI-MHE algorithm in combination with an NMPC controller for a realistic sized microgrid as a numerical example.
Europäische Gelehrtennetzwerke digital rekonstruieren: Vernetzung von Briefmetadaten mit Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO)
Authors: Carius Hendrikje
Published: November 2020

Für die Vernetzung weltweit verteilter Daten und Ressourcen in den historisch arbeitenden Kultur- und Geisteswissenschaften haben sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten eine Vielzahl an digitalen Forschungsinfrastrukturen etabliert, darunter die Briefdatenbank Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO). Der Bericht gibt einen Einblick in ein laufendes Projekt der Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt, in dem die im Kalliope-Verbundkatalog erschlossenen Briefmetadaten einer Gelehrtenkorrespondenz aus dem 18. Jahrhundert in EMLO eingespielt werden. In den Blick genommen werden insbesondere Potentiale, Workflow sowie Herausforderungen der Datenvernetzung mit EMLO.
CircSAMD4A contributes to cell doxorubicin resistance in osteosarcoma by regulating the miR-218-5p/KLF8 axis
Authors: Wei Wei , Ji Liefeng , Duan Wanli , Zhu Jiang
Published: November 2020

Circular RNA sterile alpha motif domain containing 4A (circSAMD4A) was found to be differentially expressed in osteosarcoma and contributed to the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma. However, the role of circSAMD4A in doxorubicin (DXR) resistance of osteosarcoma is yet to be elucidated. Levels of circSAMD4A, microRNA (miR)-218-5p and Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) were detected using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Western blot was applied to detect the protein levels of KLF8, cyclin D1 and p21. Cell viability, cell cycle, migration and invasion were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry and transwell assay, respectively. The interaction between miR-218-5p and circSAMD4A or KLF8 was verified using dual-luciferase reporter assay or RNA immunoprecipitation assay. In vivo experiments were performed using murine xenograft models. CircSAMD4A and KLF8 were elevated in osteosarcoma, and knockdown of circSAMD4A or KLF8 sensitized osteosarcoma cells to DXR by mediating resistant cell viability, migration and invasion inhibition, and cell cycle arrest in vitro. miR-218-5p was decreased in osteosarcoma, and miR-218-5p inhibition enhanced DXR resistance. Besides, miR-218-5p was found to bind to circSAMD4A or KLF8, and subsequent rescue experiments indicated that miR-218-5p inhibition reversed the inhibitory effects of circSAMD4A silencing on DXR resistance, and silencing miR-218-5p enhanced DXR resistance by targeting KLF8 in osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, circSAMD4A could indirectly regulate KLF8 via miR-218-5p. Additionally, circSAMD4A knockdown enhanced the cytotoxicity of DXR in osteosarcoma in vivo via regulating miR-218-5p and KLF8. In all, circSAMD4A enhanced cell DXR resistance in osteosarcoma by regulating the miR-218-5p/KLF8 axis, suggesting a novel therapeutic target for therapy-resistant osteosarcoma.
In vitro induction and characterisation of tetraploid drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.)
Authors: Zhang Junjie , Pian Ruiqi , Yang Endian , Zhou Wei , He Qian , Chen Xiaoyang
Published: November 2020

Artificial induction of polyploidy is widely used in breeding programmes to improve the agronomic traits. The drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera Lam.) has a range of potential commercial uses, as the vegetative organs have high nutritional, medicinal, and feed values. In the present study, in vitro tetraploidisation in drumstick tree was performed by treating leaf segments with colchicine and subsequently verifying the ploidy levels. For polyploidisation, explant survival and regeneration rates were affected more by exposure time than by colchicine concentration, and the highest polyploidisation efficiency was observed at 500 mg/L colchicine for 3 days, which yielded 21% tetraploids. The morphological characteristics and contents of seven fodder-related nutrients (crude protein, ether extract, ash, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, and phosphorus) in the leaves and shoots were compared between tetraploid and diploid drumstick trees. The resulting tetraploids showed significantly enhanced leaf and stomatal size. In addition, the contents of seven fodder-related nutrients were higher, although to varying degrees, in tetraploids than in diploids. The results indicated that the tetraploid produced in this study exhibited superior agronomical traits and improved biomass yield than diploids, and may represent excellent raw materials for fodder to enhance biomass and nutrition.
A detailed and comparative work for retinal vessel segmentation based on the most effective heuristic approaches
Authors: Çetinkaya Mehmet Bahadır , Duran Hakan
Published: November 2020

Computer based imaging and analysis techniques are frequently used for the diagnosis and treatment of retinal diseases. Although retinal images are of high resolution, the contrast of the retinal blood vessels is usually very close to the background of the retinal image. The detection of the retinal blood vessels with low contrast or with contrast close to the background of the retinal image is too difficult. Therefore, improving algorithms which can successfully distinguish retinal blood vessels from the retinal image has become an important area of research. In this work, clustering based heuristic artificial bee colony, particle swarm optimization, differential evolution, teaching learning based optimization, grey wolf optimization, firefly and harmony search algorithms were applied for accurate segmentation of retinal vessels and their performances were compared in terms of convergence speed, mean squared error, standard deviation, sensitivity, specificity. accuracy and precision. From the simulation results it is seen that the performance of the algorithms in terms of convergence speed and mean squared error is close to each other. It is observed from the statistical analyses that the algorithms show stable behavior and also the vessel and the background pixels of the retinal image can successfully be clustered by the heuristic algorithms.
The end of the laboratory developed test as we know it? Recommendations from a national multidisciplinary taskforce of laboratory specialists on the interpretation of the IVDR and its complications
Authors: Bank Paul C.D. , Jacobs Leo H.J. , van den Berg Sjoerd A.A. , van Deutekom Hanneke W.M. , Hamann Dörte , Molenkamp Richard , Ruivenkamp Claudia A.L. , Swen Jesse J. , Tops Bastiaan B.J. , Wamelink Mirjam M.C. , Wessels Els , Oosterhuis Wytze P.
Published: November 2020

The in vitro diagnostic medical devices regulation (IVDR) will take effect in May 2022. This regulation has a large impact on both the manufacturers of in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVD) and clinical laboratories. For clinical laboratories, the IVDR poses restrictions on the use of laboratory developed tests (LDTs). To provide a uniform interpretation of the IVDR for colleagues in clinical practice, the IVDR Task Force was created by the scientific societies of laboratory specialties in the Netherlands. A guidance document with explanations and interpretations of relevant passages of the IVDR was drafted to help laboratories prepare for the impact of this new legislation. Feedback from interested parties and stakeholders was collected and used to further improve the document. Here we would like to present our approach to our European colleagues and inform them about the impact of the IVDR and, importantly we would like to present potentially useful approaches to fulfill the requirements of the IVDR for LDTs.
Thermal analysis: basic concept of differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry for beginners
Authors: Zainal Nurul Fatahah Asyqin , Saiter Jean Marc , Halim Suhaila Idayu Abdul , Lucas Romain , Chan Chin Han
Published: November 2020

We present an overview for the basic fundamental of thermal analysis, which is applicable for educational purposes, especially for lecturers at the universities, who may refer to the articles as the references to “teach” or to “lecture” to final year project students or young researchers who are working on their postgraduate projects. Description of basic instrumentation [i.e. differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TGA)] covers from what we should know about the instrument, calibration, baseline and samples’ signal. We also provide the step-by-step guides for the estimation of the glass transition temperature after DSC as well as examples and exercises are included, which are applicable for teaching activities. Glass transition temperature is an important property for commercial application of a polymeric material, e.g. packaging, automotive, etc. TGA is also highlighted where the analysis gives important thermal degradation information of a material to avoid sample decomposition during the DSC measurement. The step-by-step guides of the estimation of the activation energy after TGA based on Hoffman’s Arrhenius-like relationship are also provided.
Pistis, Persuasion, andLogosin Aristotle
Authors: Goldin Owen
Published: November 2020

The core sense ofpistisas understood inPosterior Analytics,De Anima, and theRhetoricis not that of a logical relation in which cognitively grasped propositions stand in respect to one another, but the result of an act of socially embedded interpersonal communication, a willing acceptance of guidance offered in respect to action. Even whenpistisseems to have an exclusively epistemological sense, this focal meaning ofpistisis implicit; to havepistisin a proposition is to willingly accept that proposition as a basis for some kind of activity (albeit possibly theoretical) as a result of some kind of communicative act. This is in accordance with Aristotle’s understanding of argumentation as a social practice, entered into in order lead others to certain actions, for certain ends. Understandingpistisin this way allows us to understand how it is thatpistisadmits of quantitative variation.
De lakrasisprésocratique à lakrasisstoïcienne : l’émergence d’un modèle organique de l’individualité
Authors: Bourbon Marion
Published: November 2020

This paper focuses on the materialistic account of the blending and the way it shapes an original organism model. I aim to shed light on the threads of connections we can gather between the Presocratic and the Stoic views on the physicalkrasisof the body. The Stoics share with Parmenides and Empedocles the idea of a single material cosmiccontinuumin which thought and perception depend on the various blendings of the physical constituents of the body. Both of these naturalistic traditions are committed to the view that substance is continuous and undergoes constant and qualitative change. My point is to underline how this view of a sympathetic cosmos presupposes a model of the individuality that is radically open. Thus, by taking off the notion of thekrasis, the Stoics take off a problem – namely, that of the organism – that is first fleshed out by the Presocratics – Parmenides and Empedocles in particular – philosophers. In this respect, the Stoic view of relational identity indebts to the Presocratic account, beyond and against the Aristotelian one.
Solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene dynamic melt
Authors: Wang Long , Huang Xingyuan , Wang Duyang
Published: November 2020

The solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene (PS) dynamic melt were studied by using a new constant pressure experimental device. By comparing the experimental results with those of other researchers, the validity of the experimental device and the reliability of the calculated results are verified. The solubility and diffusion coefficient of supercritical CO2 in polystyrene dynamic melts at different temperatures and pressures were obtained. The numerical calculation method, dissolution process, and experimental results are analyzed and compared with that of the static melt. Finally, the effects of stirring speed, pressure, and temperature fluctuation on the solubility and diffusion coefficient are also analyzed.
Remembering Pablo: Escobar refuses to be forgotten
Authors: Karczewska Anna Maria
Published: November 2020

Synonymous with Colombian cocaine and narcoterrorism, Pablo Escobar (1949–1993) was despised by the leaders of nations and became the primary target of the US government’s war on drugs. At the same time, Escobar gained fame and adulation, he entered popular culture through television and cinema, and became romanticized, idealized and turned into a myth. The aim of the paper is to analyze how Pablo Escobar became a legend and attained immortality, why this mythologizing occurred and how cultural industries added to the mythmaking process and his shaping as a folk hero.
The Social Value of Improvement in Activities of Daily Living among the Advanced Parkinson’s Disease Population
Authors: Sullivan Jeffrey , Shih Tiffany M. , van Eijndhoven Emma , Jalundhwala Yash J. , Lakdawalla Darius N. , Zadikoff Cindy , Benner Jennifer , Marshall Thomas S. , Sail Kavita R.
Published: November 2020

Objectives

Quantify the value of functional status (FS) improvements consistent in magnitude with improvements due to levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment, among the advanced Parkinson’s disease (APD) population.

Methods

The Health Economic Medical Innovation Simulation (THEMIS), a microsimulation that estimates future health conditions and medical spending, was used to quantify the health and cost burden of disability among the APD population, and the value of quality-adjusted life-years gained from FS improvement due to LCIG treatment compared to standard of care (SoC). A US-representative Parkinson’s disease (PD)-comparable cohort was constructed in THEMIS based on observed PD patient characteristics in a nationally representative dataset. APD was defined from the literature and clinical expert input. The PD and APD cohorts were followed from 2010 over their remaining lifetimes. All individuals were ages 65 and over at the start of the simulation. To estimate the value of FS improvement due to LCIG treatment, decreases in activities of daily living (ADL) limitations caused by LCIG treatment were calculated using data from a randomized, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy clinical trial and applied to the APD population in THEMIS.

Results

Total burden of disability associated with APD was $17.7 billion (B). From clinical trial data, LCIG treatment versus SoC lowers the odds of difficulties in walking, dressing, and bathing by 76%, 42% and 39%, respectively. Among the APD population, these reductions generated $2.6B in value to patients and cost savings to payers. The added value was 15% of the burden of disability associated with APD and offsets 15% of the cost of LCIG treatment.

Conclusions

FS improvements, consistent with improvements due to LCIG treatment, in the APD population created health benefits and reduced healthcare costs in the US.
Modeling of Landslide susceptibility in a part of Abay Basin, northwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Wubalem Azemeraw
Published: November 2020

The study area in northwestern Ethiopia is one of the most landslide-prone regions, which is characterized by frequent high landslide occurrences. To predict future landslide occurrence, preparing a landslide susceptibility mapping is imperative to manage the landslide hazard and reduce damages of properties and loss of lives. Geographic information system (GIS)-based frequency ratio (FR), information value (IV), certainty factor (CF), and logistic regression (LR) methods were applied. The landslide inventory map is prepared from historical records and Google Earth imagery interpretation. Thus, 717 landslides were mapped, of which 502 (70%) landslides were used to build landslide susceptibility models, and the remaining 215 (30%) landslides were used to model validation. Eleven factors such as lithology, land use/cover, distance to drainage, distance to lineament, normalized difference vegetation index, drainage density, rainfall, soil type, slope, aspect, and curvature were evaluated and their relationship with landslide occurrence was analyzed using the GIS tool. Then, landslide susceptibility maps of the study area are categorized into very low, low, moderate, high, and very high susceptibility classes. The four models were validated by the area under the curve (AUC) and landslide density. The results for the AUC are 93.9% for the CF model, which is better than 93.2% using IV, 92.7% using the FR model, and 87.9% using the LR model. Moreover, the statistical significance test between the models was performed using LR analysis by SPSS software. The result showed that the LR and CF models have higher statistical significance than the FR and IV methods. Although all statistical models indicated higher prediction accuracy, based on their statistical significance analysis result (Table 5), the LR model is relatively better followed by the CF model for regional land use planning, landslide hazard mitigation, and prevention purposes.
Super-resolution reconstruction of a digital elevation model based on a deep residual network
Authors: Jiao Donglai , Wang Dajiang , Lv Haiyang , Peng Yang
Published: November 2020

The digital elevation model (DEM) is an important basic data tool applied in geoscience applications. Because of its high cost and long development cycle of enhancing hardware performance, designing the related models and algorithms to improve the resolution of DEM is of considerable significance. At present, there is little research on DEM super-resolution based on deep learning, and the results of the reconstructed DEMs obtained by existing methods are inaccurate. Therefore, deepening of the network layers is utilized to improve the accuracy of a reconstructed DEM. This paper designs a neutral network model with 30 convolutional layers to learn the feature mapping relationship between a low- and high-resolution DEM. To avoid the problem of network degradation caused by increasing the number of convolutional layers, residual learning is introduced to accelerate the convergence speed of the model, thereby preferably realizing the DEM super-resolution process. The results show that DEM super-resolution based on a deep residual network is better than that obtained using a neural network with fewer convolutional layers, and the reconstructed result of the DEM based on a deep residual network is remarkably improved in terms of the peak signal to noise ratio and visual effect.
Efficacy of chitosan silver nanoparticles from shrimp-shell wastes against major mosquito vectors of public health importance
Authors: Alshehri Mohammed Ali , Aziz Al Thabiani , Trivedi Subrata , Panneerselvam Chellasamy
Published: November 2020

Mosquito-borne diseases are causing serious damage to public health worldwide, and control of these deadly mosquito vectors is a major thrust area for epidemiologists and public health workers. Therefore, the present research reports an eco-friendly solution with multipotency of silver nanoparticle fabricated from shrimp shell biowaste in controlling mosquitoes and bacterial pathogens. The biofabricated chitosan silver nanoparticles (Cs-AgNPs) were confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and zeta potential analysis. The TEM studies showed that the obtained Cs-AgNPs were mostly spherical in shape. Low doses of chitosan and Cs-AgNPs showed high mosquitocidal properties against both larvae and adult ofAnopheles stephensi,Aedes aegypti, andCulex quinquefasciatus.The LC50(lethal concentration 50%) of Cs-AgNPs was 10.240 ppm (fourth instar larvae) and 9.671 ppm (adult) forAn. stephensi; 11.349 ppm (fourth instar) and 12.015 ppm (adult) forAe. aegyptiand 12.426 ppm (fourth instar) and 12.965 ppm (adult) forCx. quinquefasciatus.The concerning part of antibacterial studies showed that Cs-AgNP had significant inhibition on tested bacterial pathogens. Overall, this study shows that chitosan extracted from the shrimp shell wastes can be used as a potential source for controlling major mosquito vectors.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Benzodioxole Derivatives as Potential Anticancer and Antioxidant agents
Authors: Hawash Mohammed , Eid Ahmad M , Jaradat Nidal , Abualhasan Murad , Amer Johnny , Naser Zaid Abdel , Draghmeh Saja , Daraghmeh Donia , Daraghmeh Haifa , Shtayeh Tahrir , Sawaftah Hadeel , Mousa Ahmed
Published: November 2020

a series of benzodioxole compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against cervical (Hela), colorectal (Caco-2), and liver (Hep3B) cancer cell lines. Compounds 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b showed very weak or negligible anticancer activity with IC50 3.94-9.12 mM. On the contrary, carboxamide containing compounds 2a and 2b showed anticancer activity. Both 2a and 2b reduced Hep3B secretions of α-fetoprotein (α-FP) to 1625.8 ng/ml and 2340 ng/ml, respectively, compared to 2519.17 ng/ml in untreated cells. The results also showed that compound 2a has potent anticancer activity against Hep3B cancer cell line. Furthermore, in cell cycle analysis, compound 2a induced arrest in the G2-M phase in value of 8.07% that was very close to the activity of doxorubicin (7.4%). These results indicate that compound 2a has a potent and promising antitumor activity. However, benzodiazepine derivatives (7a and 7b) showed moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 39.85 and 79.95 μM, respectively compared with the potent antioxidant agent Trolox (IC50 = 7.72 μM).
The exploitation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed and other parts for human nutrition, medicine and the industry
Authors: Rauf Saeed , Ortiz Rodomiro , Shehzad Muhammad , Haider Waseem , Ahmed Israr
Published: November 2020

Sunflower is cultivated around the globe to meet various nutritional, medicinal and industrial needs. The seed is a rich source of edible oil, protein, vitamins, antioxidants and other micronutrients. It is considered a source of healthy diets and has been recommended to improve the human immune system as well as to cure various chronic diseases. Sunflower seed oil contained polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid), tocopherols and phytosterols, which tends to lower low-density lipid and improve immunity against various human diseases. Its seed and plants parts have been directly exploited as a source of herbal medicine. Methanolic extract of seed and other parts contained diterpene, carboxylic acid, aldehyde, steroid, polyphenol, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, trans-caffeic acid, coumaric acid, nicotinic acid, allelochemical and other aromatic compounds, which may help to cure several chronic human diseases without side effects as mentioned in this review. Future research should be carried out to fully exploit the usefulness of this plant against epidemic outbreaks.
Artificial neural networks modelling based on visual analysis of coated cross laminated timber (CLT) to predict color change during outdoor exposure
Authors: Bobadilha Gabrielly S. , Stokes C. Elizabeth , Verly Lopes Dercilio Junior
Published: November 2020

In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was designed to predict color change based on visual assessment of coated cross laminated timber (CLT) exposed outdoors. Coatings and stains were investigated based on ASTM protocols to assess wood surface visual rating, against checking, flaking, erosion, and mildew growth in the State of Mississippi (USA) during one year (2019–2020). It was hypothesized that accurate ratings would promote precise color prediction by the ANN model. Visual assessment inputs were used to develop the model for predicting total color change (ΔE). The training and validation splits of the network were based on a 10-fold cross-validation technique, and the ANN model performance was assessed on the validation set using mean squared error (MSE), mean average precision (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R
2) after permutation feature importance analysis (PFI). Results indicated that coating was the most important feature in color change model. Erosion, checking and flaking achieved similar importance with an approximate difference of 6%. The ANN model was able to effectively predict color change values based on visual ratings with overall accuracy of 95% on truly unseen data. These findings revealed that coating properties, visual appearance, time of exposure, are associated with discoloration. Accurate visual assessment and a well-trained ANN can successfully provide the desired values of ΔE with a smaller number of complex test procedures.
Targeting spectrin redox switches to regulate the mechanoproperties of red blood cells
Authors: Barbarino Frederik , Wäschenbach Lucas , Cavalho-Lemos Virginia , Dillenberger Melissa , Becker Katja , Gohlke Holger , Cortese-Krott Miriam M.
Published: November 2020

The mechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) are fundamental for their physiological role as gas transporters. RBC flexibility and elasticity allow them to survive the hemodynamic changes in the different regions of the vascular tree, to dynamically contribute to the flow thereby decreasing vascular resistance, and to deform during the passage through narrower vessels. RBC mechanoproperties are conferred mainly by the structural characteristics of their cytoskeleton, which consists predominantly of a spectrin scaffold connected to the membrane via nodes of actin, ankyrin and adducin. Changes in redox state and treatment with thiol-targeting molecules decrease the deformability of RBCs and affect the structure and stability of the spectrin cytoskeleton, indicating that the spectrin cytoskeleton may contain redox switches. In this perspective review, we revise current knowledge about the structural and functional characterization of spectrin cysteine redox switches and discuss the current lines of research aiming to understand the role of redox regulation on RBC mechanical properties. These studies may provide novel functional targets to modulate RBC function, blood viscosity and flow, and tissue perfusion in disease conditions.
Decreased level of miR-1301 promotes colorectal cancer progression via activation of STAT3 pathway
Authors: Yang Fangfang , Wang Hua , Yan Bianbian , Li Tong , Min Lulu , Chen Erfei , Yang Jin
Published: November 2020

The molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC) has been widely investigated in recent years. Accumulating evidence has indicated that microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation participates in the processes of driving CRC initiation and progression. Aberrant expression of miR-1301 has been found in various tumor types. However, its role in CRC remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we identified miR-1301 was enriched in normal colorectal tissues and significantly down-regulated in CRC. Decreased level of miR-1301 strongly correlated with aggressive pathological characteristics, including advanced stage and metastasis. Bioinformatics and dual luciferase assay demonstrated that STAT3 is a direct target of miR-1301. Gain and loss-of-function assays showed that miR-1301 had no effect on cell proliferation. Overexpression of miR-1301 suppressed cell migration and invasion capacity of pSTAT3-positive LoVo cells, but not pSTAT3-negative SW480 cells, while inhibition of miR-1301 consistently promoted cell migration and invasion in both cell lines. Additionally, miR-1301 inhibition restored the suppressed migration and invasion of STAT3-knockdown LoVo cells. MiR-1301 functioned as a tumor suppressor to modulate the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway. In summary, this study highlights the significant role of miR-1301/STAT3 axis in CRC metastasis.
Regulation of RNA stability at the 3′ end
Authors: Frederick Mallory I. , Heinemann Ilka U.
Published: November 2020

RNA homeostasis is regulated by a multitude of cellular pathways. Although the addition of untemplated adenine residues to the 3′ end of mRNAs has long been known to affect RNA stability, newly developed techniques for 3′-end sequencing of RNAs have revealed various unexpected RNA modifications. Among these, uridylation is most recognized for its role in mRNA decay but is also a key regulator of numerous RNA species, including miRNAs and tRNAs, with dual roles in both stability and maturation of miRNAs. Additionally, low levels of untemplated guanidine and cytidine residues have been observed as parts of more complex tailing patterns.
Konkurrenzbeziehungen: Allgemeine und konfessionelle Kunstvereine im Kunstfeld des 19. Jahrhunderts
Authors: Karstein Uta
Published: November 2020

The article compares secular and faith-based art societies in the 19th century. Of special interest are the societies’ missions and purposes, as well as their activities and organizational structures. The main thesis is based on the work of German sociologist Georg Simmel and his conflict theory. I argue that the competition of these societies had invigorating effects on the field of art and its institutionalization in the course of the 19th century.
The effects of reaction parameters on the non-enzymatic browning reaction between l-ascorbic acid and glycine
Authors: Yang Yan , Li Ya , Feng Liang , Yu Ai-Nong , Sun Bao-Guo , Liu Yu-Ping
Published: November 2020

The non-enzymatic browning (NEB) reaction between l-ascorbic acid (ASA) and glycine (Gly), including the effects of temperature (110–150 °C), time (10–150 min) and pH (4.5, 6.8, 8.0 and 9.5) on the formation of un-colored intermediate products (UIPs), browning products (BPs) and volatile products (VPs), were investigated. The results showed that pH had a remarkable effect on the reaction. The characteristics of zero-order kinetics for the formation of UIPs and BPs were discussed, and the corresponding activation energy (E

a
) was also calculated. When the pH was 4.5, the E

a
for the formation of UIPs was approximate 53.76 kJ/mol and less than that at other pH values; while the E

a
for BPs formation was approximate 94.06 kJ/mol and much higher than that at other pH values. The results suggested that an acidic environment facilitated the generation of UIPs, but did not remarkably promote the formation of BPs. The possible reaction pathway between ASA and Gly was proposed according to the experimental results.
Investigation of nitrogen purging prior to UV treatment on quality of milk
Authors: Ansari Jawaad Ahmed , Ismail Marliya , Farid Mohammed
Published: November 2020

Ultraviolet treatment (UV-C) is well known for its antimicrobial effects and current research shows that it has the potential to inactivate microorganisms in milk at much lower temperatures than conventional thermal treatment. However, Ultraviolet irradiation may result in adverse effects on milk quality, which arises due to photo oxidation in the presence of oxygen. Limiting the dissolved oxygen content in milk can minimize oxidative damage and thus, result in a better product quality. Nitrogen purging could be an effective method for reducing dissolved oxygen from liquids. The present study evaluates effects of nitrogen purging (prior to UV treatment) on milk quality. It was found that nitrogen purged UV treated milk causes minimal changes to physicochemical properties of milk.
“Hey BCC this is Australia and we speak and read English:” Monolingualism and othering in relation to linguistic diversity
Authors: Sinkeviciute Valeria
Published: November 2020

This paper explores how linguistic diversity gave rise to a multi-party interaction with strong elements of monolingualism and othering. The data analyzed comes from the official Facebook page of Brisbane City Council that very rarely creates posts in languages other than English. One of such rare posts in Korean attracted a number of negative comments in relation to the language used. This paper examines how the discourses of monolingualism and othering are constructed in those comments. The findings of this qualitative study show that, in the analyzed data, monolingualism is primarily indexed through the following discourses: “English only”, English as the language of Australia, English as a national identity and monolingual beliefs, in general. Othering includes such practices as predominantly engaging in the “us vs them” discourse, positioning the non-dominant language and its speakers as the different ‘other’, ascribing negative identity and using impoliteness practices, such as challenges, warnings or accusations.
Concordancing in writing pedagogy and CAF measures of writing
Authors: Samoudi Negin , Modirkhamene Sima
Published: November 2020

Since the early twenty-first century, data-driven learning (DDL) approach that is a pedagogical application of corpus linguistics in classroom, has introduced a paradigm shift in EFL instruction. Research output, however, concerning this inductive, discovery-oriented learning is equivocal. This study, thus, explored the application of both native-speaker and local learner corpora, attesting the effect of direct vs. indirect DDL activities on 39 EFL learners’ development in CAF measures of writing. To this end, two experimental groups were taught through corpus consultation, but the control group received the conventional method of using a textbook, teacher explanations, and classroom exercises. Results obtained from three (two experimental and one control) groups of participants’ writing performances pre and post to seven sessions of paragraph writing confirmed the significant role of indirect DDL in writing more accurate and fluent paragraphs; however, no statistical evidence was found as regards syntactic complexity. Moreover, no significant effect of the direct DDL method in improving learners’ writing was observed, which is, thus, interpreted as suggestive that applying indirect DDL could be more effective than the direct DDL approach. It is concluded that classroom-based computers are not necessarily essential tools to implement the DDL pedagogy.
Commuting graph of 𝐴-orbits
Authors: Güloğlu İsmail Ş. , Ercan Gülin
Published: November 2020

Let 𝐴 be a finite group acting by automorphisms on the finite group 𝐺.
We introduce the commuting graph

Γ
⁢

(
G
,
A
)

\Gamma(G,A)

of this action and study some questions related to the structure of 𝐺 under certain graph theoretical conditions on

Γ
⁢

(
G
,
A
)

\Gamma(G,A)

.