bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Heat Stress and Health among Construction Workers in a Changing Climate: A Review
Authors: Acharya Payel , Boggess Bethany , Zhang Kai
Published: February 2018

Construction workers are at an elevated risk of heat stress, due to the strenuous nature of the work, high temperature work condition, and a changing climate. An increasing number of workers are at risk, as the industry’s growth has been fueled by high demand and vast numbers of immigrant workers entering into the U.S., the Middle East and Asia to meet the demand. The risk of heat-related illnesses is increased by the fact that little to no regulations are present and/or enforced to protect these workers. This review recognizes the issues by summarizing epidemiological studies both in the U.S. and internationally. These studies have assessed the severity with which construction workers are affected by heat stress, risk factors and co-morbidities associated with heat-related illnesses in the construction industry, vulnerable populations, and efforts in implementing preventive measures.
Women’s Ideas about the Health Effects of Household Air Pollution, Developed through Focus Group Discussions and Artwork in Southern Nepal
Authors: Devakumar Delan , Qureshi Zeshan , Mannell Jenevieve , Baruwal Manju , Sharma Neha , Rehfuess Eva , Saville Naomi M. , Manandhar Dharma S. , Osrin David
Published: February 2018

Household air pollution is a major cause of ill health, but few solutions have been effective to date. While many quantitative studies have been conducted, few have explored the lived experiences and perceptions of women who do the cooking, and as a result are those most exposed to household air pollution. In this study, we worked with groups of home cooks, and sought to use art as a means of engaging them in discussions of how household air pollution from cooking affects their lives. In the Terai district of southern Nepal, we held four focus groups that included 26 local women from urban and peri-urban areas, as well as six local artists. The women then met approximately weekly over four months, and produced images related to air pollution. Transcripts from the focus groups were reviewed independently by two authors, who initially categorised data deductively to pre-defined nodes, and subsequently inductively reviewed emergent themes. Women identified a number of health effects from air pollution. The main physical effects related to the eye and the respiratory system, and women and young children were seen as most vulnerable. The psychosocial effects of air pollution included reduced food intake by women and lethargy. Suggested solutions included modifications to the cooking process, changing the location of stoves, and increasing ventilation. The main barriers were financial. The lived experiences of women in southern Nepal around the problem of air pollution offers a more nuanced and context-specific understanding of the perceptions and challenges of addressing air pollution, which can be used to inform future interventions.
Using Twitter to Better Understand the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Public Sentiment: A Case Study in Massachusetts, USA
Authors: Cao Xiaodong , MacNaughton Piers , Deng Zhengyi , Yin Jie , Zhang Xi , Allen Joseph
Published: February 2018

Twitter provides a rich database of spatiotemporal information about users who broadcast their real-time opinions, sentiment, and activities. In this paper, we sought to investigate the holistic influence of land use and time period on public sentiment. A total of 880,937 tweets posted by 26,060 active users were collected across Massachusetts (MA), USA, through 31 November 2012 to 3 June 2013. The IBM Watson Alchemy API (application program interface) was employed to quantify the sentiment scores conveyed by tweets on a large scale. Then we statistically analyzed the sentiment scores across different spaces and times. A multivariate linear mixed-effects model was used to quantify the fixed effects of land use and the time period on the variations in sentiment scores, considering the clustering effect of users. The results exposed clear spatiotemporal patterns of users’ sentiment. Higher sentiment scores were mainly observed in the commercial and public areas, during the noon/evening and on weekends. Our findings suggest that social media outputs can be used to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of public happiness and well-being in cities and regions.
Angiopoietin-Like Proteins in Angiogenesis, Inflammation and Cancer
Authors: Carbone Carmine , Piro Geny , Merz Valeria , Simionato Francesca , Santoro Raffaela , Zecchetto Camilla , Tortora Giampaolo , Melisi Davide
Published: February 2018

Altered expression of secreted factors by tumor cells or cells of the tumor microenvironment is a key event in cancer development and progression. In the last decade, emerging evidences supported the autocrine and paracrine activity of the members of the Angiopoietin-like (ANGPTL) protein family in angiogenesis, inflammation and in the regulation of different steps of carcinogenesis and metastasis development. Thus, ANGPTL proteins become attractive either as prognostic or predictive biomarkers, or as novel target for cancer treatment. Here, we outline the current knowledge about the functions of the ANGPTL proteins in angiogenesis, cancer progression and metastasis. Moreover, we discuss the most recent evidences sustaining their role as prognostic or predictive biomarkers for cancer therapy. Although the role of ANGPTL proteins in cancer has not been fully elucidated, increasing evidence suggest their key effects in the proliferative and invasive properties of cancer cells. Moreover, given the common overexpression of ANGPTL proteins in several aggressive solid tumors, and their role in tumor cells and cells of the tumor microenvironment, the field of research about ANGPTL proteins network may highlight new potential targets for the development of future therapeutic strategies.
Adsorption Behavior of Surfactant on Lignite Surface: A Comparative Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study
Authors: He Meng , Zhang Wei , Cao Xiaoqiang , You Xiaofang , Li Lin
Published: February 2018

Experimental and computational simulation methods are used to investigate the adsorption behavior of the surfactant nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPEO10), which contains 10 ethylene oxide groups, on the lignite surface. The adsorption of NPEO10 on lignite follow a Langmuir-type isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption process show that the whole process is spontaneous. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis indicates that a significant fraction of the oxygen-containing functional groups on the lignitic surface were covered by NPEO10. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that the NPEO10 molecules were found to adsorb at the water-coal interface. Moreover, polar interactions are the main effect in the adsorption process. The density distributions of coal, NPEO10, and water molecules along the Z axis show that the remaining hydrophobic portions of the surfactant extend into the solution, creating a more hydrophobic coal surface that repels water molecules. The negative interaction energy calculated from the density profiles of the head and tail groups along the three spatial directions between the surfactant and the lignitic surface suggest that the adsorption process is spontaneous. The self-diffusion coefficients show that the presence of NPEO10 causes higher water mobility by improving the hydrophobicity of lignite.
Rings and Bricks: Expression of Cohesin Components is Dynamic during Development and Adult Life
Authors: Bettini Laura , Graziola Federica , Fazio Grazia , Grazioli Paolo , Scagliotti Valeria , Pasquini Mariavittoria , Cazzaniga Giovanni , Biondi Andrea , Larizza Lidia , Selicorni Angelo , Gaston-Massuet Carles , Massa Valentina
Published: February 2018

Cohesin complex components exert fundamental roles in animal cells, both canonical in cell cycle and non-canonical in gene expression regulation. Germline mutations in genes coding for cohesins result in developmental disorders named cohesinopaties, of which Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is the best-known entity. However, a basic description of mammalian expression pattern of cohesins in a physiologic condition is still needed. Hence, we report a detailed analysis of expression in murine and human tissues of cohesin genes defective in CdLS. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods in fetal and adult tissues, cohesin genes were found to be ubiquitously and differentially expressed in human tissues. In particular, abundant expression was observed in hematopoietic and central nervous system organs. Findings of the present study indicate tissues which should be particularly sensitive to mutations, germline and/or somatic, in cohesin genes. Hence, this expression analysis in physiological conditions may represent a first core reference for cohesinopathies.
The Zinc Sensing Receptor, ZnR/GPR39, in Health and Disease
Authors: Hershfinkel Michal
Published: February 2018

A distinct G-protein coupled receptor that senses changes in extracellular Zn2+, ZnR/GPR39, was found in cells from tissues in which Zn2+ plays a physiological role. Most prominently, ZnR/GPR39 activity was described in prostate cancer, skin keratinocytes, and colon epithelial cells, where zinc is essential for cell growth, wound closure, and barrier formation. ZnR/GPR39 activity was also described in neurons that are postsynaptic to vesicular Zn2+ release. Activation of ZnR/GPR39 triggers Gαq-dependent signaling and subsequent cellular pathways associated with cell growth and survival. Furthermore, ZnR/GPR39 was shown to regulate the activity of ion transport mechanisms that are essential for the physiological function of epithelial and neuronal cells. Thus, ZnR/GPR39 provides a unique target for therapeutically modifying the actions of zinc in a specific and selective manner.
A Survey on Portuguese Lexical Knowledge Bases: Contents, Comparison and Combination
Authors: Gonçalo Oliveira Hugo
Published: February 2018

In the last decade, several lexical-semantic knowledge bases (LKBs) were developed for Portuguese, by different teams and following different approaches. Most of them are open and freely available for the community. Those LKBs are briefly analysed here, with a focus on size, structure, and overlapping contents. However, we go further and exploit all of the analysed LKBs in the creation of new LKBs, based on the redundant contents. Both original and redundancy-based LKBs are then compared, indirectly, based on the performance of automatic procedures that exploit them for solving four different semantic analysis tasks. In addition to conclusions on the performance of the original LKBs, results show that, instead of selecting a single LKB to use, it is generally worth combining the contents of all the open Portuguese LKBs, towards better results.
Environmental Emissions from Chemical Etching Synthesis of Silicon Nanotube for Lithium Ion Battery Applications
Authors: Ma Lulu , Guan Dongsheng , Wang Fenfen , Yuan Chris
Published: February 2018

Silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) have been researched as a promising anode material to replace graphite in next-generation lithium ion batteries. Chemical etching synthesis of SiNTs is a simple, controllable and scalable process for SiNT fabrication, but the environmental emissions are of grave concern. In this paper, the process emissions from chemical etching synthesis of SiNTs as anode for lithium ion batteries is studied through experimental techniques, considering the categories of aqueous wastes, gaseous emissions, aqueous nano-particle emissions, and gaseous aerosol emissions. The synthesized SiNTs are measured at 10 μm length and 1–2.2 μm diameter, and can maintain a specific capacity of over 800 mAh/g after 100 cycles in battery testing. In aqueous waste, the chemical compositions of all elements participating in the chemical etching are experimentally determined, with AgNO3 and Co(NO3)2 identified as the major pollutants. The only gaseous emission generated from the chemical etching synthesis process is H2, with 0.0088 ± 0.0002 mol H2 generated to produce 1.0 mg SiNTs. The aqueous nanoparticle sizes are found to be between 250 nm and 1540 nm. A large number of aerosol nanoparticle emissions of up to 2.96 × 107 particles/cm3 are detected through in situ experimental measurement.
Glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchors from Galactomannan and GPI-Anchored Protein Are Synthesized by Distinct Pathways in Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Li Jizhou , Mouyna Isabelle , Henry Christine , Moyrand Frédérique , Malosse Christian , Chamot-Rooke Julia , Janbon Guilhem , Latgé Jean-Paul , Fontaine Thierry
Published: February 2018

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are lipid anchors allowing the exposure of proteins at the outer layer of the plasma membrane. In fungi, a number of GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) are involved in the remodeling of the cell wall polymers. GPIs follow a specific biosynthetic pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum. After the transfer of the protein onto the GPI-anchor, a lipid remodeling occurs to substitute the diacylglycerol moiety by a ceramide. In addition to GPI-APs, A. fumigatus produces a GPI-anchored polysaccharide, the galactomannan (GM), that remains unique in the fungal kingdom. To investigate the role of the GPI pathway in the biosynthesis of the GM and cell wall organization, the deletion of PER1—coding for a phospholipase required for the first step of the GPI lipid remodeling—was undertaken. Biochemical characterization of the GPI-anchor isolated from GPI-APs showed that the PER1 deficient mutant produced a lipid anchor with a diacylglycerol. The absence of a ceramide on GPI-anchors in the Δper1 mutant led to a mislocation of GPI-APs and to an alteration of the composition of the cell wall alkali-insoluble fraction. On the other hand, the GM isolated from the Δper1 mutant membranes possesses a ceramide moiety as the parental strain, showing that GPI anchor of the GM follow a distinct unknown biosynthetic pathway.
Effect of Homogenization on Microstructure Characteristics, Corrosion and Biocompatibility of Mg-Zn-Mn-xCa Alloys
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Li Jingyuan , Lai Huiying , Xu Yuzhao
Published: February 2018

The corrosion behaviors of Mg-2Zn-0.2Mn-xCa (denoted as MZM-xCa alloys) in homogenization state have been investigated by immersion test and electrochemical techniques in a simulated physiological condition. The microstructure features were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and the corrosion mechanism was illustrated using atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The electrochemical and immersion test verify the MZM-0.38% Ca owns the best corrosion performance with the corrosion rate of 6.27 mm/year. Furthermore, the film layer of MZM-0.38% Ca is more compact and denser than that of others. This improvement could be associated with the combined effects of the suitable content of Zn/Ca dissolving into the α-Mg matrix and the modification of Ca-containing compounds by heat-treatment. However, the morphologies were transformed from uniform corrosion to localized pitting corrosion with Ca further addition. It could be explained that the excessive Ca addition can strengthen the nucleation driving force for the second phase formation, and the large volumes fraction of micro-galvanic present interface sites accelerate the nucleation driving force for corrosion propagation. In addition, in vitro biocompatibility tests also show the MZM-0.38% Ca was safe to bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and was promising to be utilized as implant materials.
Scale-Up of the Electrodeposition of ZnO/Eosin Y Hybrid Thin Films for the Fabrication of Flexible Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Modules
Authors: Bittner Florian , Oekermann Torsten , Wark Michael
Published: February 2018

The low-temperature fabrication of flexible ZnO photo-anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by templated electrochemical deposition of films was performed in an enlarged and technical simplified deposition setup to demonstrate the feasibility of the scale-up of the deposition process. After extraction of eosin Y (EY) from the initially deposited ZnO/EY hybrid films, mesoporous ZnO films with an area of about 40 cm2 were reproducibly obtained on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)-glass as well as flexible indium tin oxide (ITO)–polyethylenterephthalate (PET) substrates. With a film thickness of up to 9 µm and a high specific surface area of up to about 77 m2·cm−3 the ZnO films on the flexible substrates show suitable properties for DSSCs. Operative flexible DSSC modules proved the suitability of the ZnO films for use as DSSC photo-anodes. Under a low light intensity of about 0.007 sun these modules achieved decent performance parameters with conversion efficiencies of up to 2.58%. With rising light intensity the performance parameters deteriorated, leading to conversion efficiencies below 1% at light intensities above 0.5 sun. The poor performance of the modules under high light intensities can be attributed to their high series resistances.
Numerical Methods for Solving Fuzzy Linear Systems
Authors: Inearat Lubna , Qatanani Naji
Published: February 2018

In this article, three numerical iterative schemes, namely: Jacobi, Gauss–Seidel and Successive over-relaxation (SOR) have been proposed to solve a fuzzy system of linear equations (FSLEs). The convergence properties of these iterative schemes have been discussed. To display the validity of these iterative schemes, an illustrative example with known exact solution is considered. Numerical results show that the SOR iterative method with ω = 1.3 provides more efficient results in comparison with other iterative techniques.
Finite Automata Capturing Winning Sequences for All Possible Variants of the PQ Penny Flip Game
Authors: Andronikos Theodore , Sirokofskich Alla , Kastampolidou Kalliopi , Varvouzou Magdalini , Giannakis Konstantinos , Singh Alexander
Published: February 2018

The meticulous study of finite automata has produced many important and useful results. Automata are simple yet efficient finite state machines that can be utilized in a plethora of situations. It comes, therefore, as no surprise that they have been used in classic game theory in order to model players and their actions. Game theory has recently been influenced by ideas from the field of quantum computation. As a result, quantum versions of classic games have already been introduced and studied. The

P
Q

penny flip game is a famous quantum game introduced by Meyer in 1999. In this paper, we investigate all possible finite games that can be played between the two players Q and Picard of the original

P
Q

game. For this purpose, we establish a rigorous connection between finite automata and the

P
Q

game along with all its possible variations. Starting from the automaton that corresponds to the original game, we construct more elaborate automata for certain extensions of the game, before finally presenting a semiautomaton that captures the intrinsic behavior of all possible variants of the

P
Q

game. What this means is that, from the semiautomaton in question, by setting appropriate initial and accepting states, one can construct deterministic automata able to capture every possible finite game that can be played between the two players Q and Picard. Moreover, we introduce the new concepts of a winning automaton and complete automaton for either player.
Combination Treatment of Deep Sea Water and Fucoidan Attenuates High Glucose-Induced Insulin-Resistance in HepG2 Hepatocytes
Authors: He Shan , Peng Wei-Bing , Zhou Hong-Lei
Published: February 2018

Insulin resistance (IR) plays a central role in the development of several metabolic diseases, which leads to increased morbidity and mortality rates, in addition to soaring health-care costs. Deep sea water (DSW) and fucoidans (FPS) have drawn much attention in recent years because of their potential medical and pharmaceutical applications. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of combination treatment of DSW and FPS in improving IR in HepG2 hepatocytes induced by a high glucose concentration. The results elucidated that co-treatment with DSW and FPS could synergistically repress hepatic glucose production and increase the glycogen level in IR-HepG2 cells. In addition, they stimulated the phosphorylation levels of the components of the insulin signaling pathway, including tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1, and serine phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3β. Furthermore, they increased the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC, which in turn decreased the intracellular triglyceride level. Taken together, these results suggested that co-treatment with DSW and FPS had a greater improving effect than DSW or FPS alone on IR. They might attenuate IR by targeting Akt/GSK-3β and AMPK pathways. These results may have some implications in the treatment of metabolic diseases.
Fabrication of Electromagnetically-Driven Tilted Microcoil on Polyimide Capillary Surface for Potential Single-Fiber Endoscope Scanner Application
Authors: Yang Zhuoqing , Shi Jianhao , Sun Bin , Yao Jinyuan , Ding Guifu , Sawada Renshi
Published: February 2018

The design and fabrication of a Micro-electromechanical Systems (MEMS)-based tilted microcoil on a polyimide capillary are reported in this paper, proposed for an electromagnetically-driven single-fiber endoscope scanner application. The parameters of the tilted microcoil were optimized by simulation. It is proved that the largest driving force could be achieved when the tilt-angle, the pitch and the coil turns of the designed microcoil were 60°, 80 µm and 20, respectively. The modal simulation of the designed fiber scanner was carried out. The prototypes of the tilted microcoils were fabricated on the surface of polyimide capillary with 1 mm-diameter using our developed cylindrical projection lithography system. The dimensions of the two tilted microcoils were as follows: one was tilt-angle 45°, line width 10 ± 0.2 µm, coil pitch 78.5 ± 0.5 µm, and the other was tilt-angle 60°, line width 10 ± 0.2 µm, coil pitch 81.5 ± 0.5 µm. Finally, a direct mask-less electroplating process was employed to fabricate the copper microcoil with 15 µm thickness on the gold (Au) seed-layer, and the corresponding line width was expanded to 40 µm.
Fundamental Study for a Graphite-Based Microelectromechanical System
Authors: Sone Junji , Murakami Mutsuaki , Tatami Atsushi
Published: February 2018

We aimed to develop a process for constructing a carbon-based microelectromechanical system (MEMS). First, we prepared a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) crystal microsheet by exfoliation. We fabricated cantilevers and a double-clamped beam by controlling the thickness of the HOPG microsheet using a MEMS process. Second, we used a graphite sheet with contour line adhesion by metal sputter deposition. Third, we used a highly accurate graphite sheet with face adhesion and laser cutting. The first resonance frequencies were evaluated. We confirmed improvement in Q values to 1/10 level of a quarts vibrator, high performance, and a simple structure.
13C-NMR Study on Structure Evolution Characteristics of High-Organic-Sulfur Coals from Typical Chinese Areas
Authors: Wei Qiang , Tang Yuegang
Published: February 2018

The structure evolution characteristics of high-organic-sulfur (HOS) coals with a wide range of ranks from typical Chinese areas were investigated using 13C-CP/MAS NMR. The results indicate that the structure parameters that are relevant to coal rank include CH3 carbon (fal*), quaternary carbon, CH/CH2 carbon + quaternary carbon (falH), aliphatic carbon (falC), protonated aromatic carbon (faH), protonated aromatic carbon + aromatic bridgehead carbon (faH+B), aromaticity (faCP), and aromatic carbon (farC). The coal structure changed dramatically in the first two coalification jumps, especially the first one. A large number of aromatic structures condensed, and aliphatic structures rapidly developed at the initial stage of bituminous coal accompanied by remarkable decarboxylation. Compared to ordinary coals, the structure evolution characteristics of HOS coals manifest in three ways: First, the aromatic CH3 carbon, alkylated aromatic carbon (faS), aromatic bridgehead carbon (faB), and phenolic ether (faP) are barely relevant to rank, and abundant organic sulfur has an impact on the normal evolution process of coal. Second, the average aromatic cluster sizes of some super-high-organic-sulfur (SHOS) coals are not large, and the extensive development of cross bonds and/or bridged bonds form closer connections among the aromatic fringes. Moreover, sulfur-containing functional groups are probably significant components in these linkages. Third, a considerable portion of “oxygen-containing functional groups” in SHOS coals determined by 13C-NMR are actually sulfur-containing groups, which results in the anomaly that the oxygen-containing structures increase with coal rank.
MicroRNA-125a-5p Mediates 3T3-L1 Preadipocyte Proliferation and Differentiation
Authors: Xu Yan , Du Jingjing , Zhang Peiwen , Zhao Xue , Li Qiang , Jiang Anan , Jiang Dongmei , Tang Guoqing , Jiang Yanzhi , Wang Jinyong , Li Xuewei , Zhang Shunhua , Zhu Li
Published: February 2018

Excessive accumulation of adipose tissue is a main cause of obesity or overweight, which is significantly involved in increasing the risk of diseases. Recently, numerous studies have proved that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in adipogenesis by negatively regulating gene expression at posttranscriptional levels. In this study, we showed that miR-125a-5p was expressed at lower levels in the adipose tissues of high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice than the normal chow (NCW)-fed mice. MiR-125a-5p expression were strongly up-regulated by nearly five-fold, when 3T3-L1 preadipocyte were induced and differentiated into mature adipocytes. Functional analysis indicated that overexpression of miR-125a-5p promoted 3T3-L1 preadipocyte proliferation and inhibited its differentiation. By contrast, inhibition of miR-125a-5p repressed 3T3-L1 preadipocyte proliferation and accelerated its differentiation. Furthermore, a dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a direct target gene of miR-125a-5p during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. Further analysis confirmed that the process of miR-125a-5p inhibiting 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation might be associated with the regulation of fatty acid metabolism related genes. Taken together, our results indicated that miR-125a-5p might promote 3T3-L1 preadipocyte proliferation, whereas inhibiting 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation by negatively regulating STAT3.
Effect of SiC Nanoparticles on Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Maps of Magnesium Alloy AZ91
Authors: Nie Kaibo , Kang Xinkai , Deng Kunkun , Wang Ting , Guo Yachao , Wang Hongxia
Published: February 2018

The hot deformation behavior and processing characteristics of AZ91 alloy and nano-SiCp/AZ91 composite were compared at temperature ranges of 523 K–673 K and strain rates of 0.001–1 s−1. Positive impact of SiC nanoparticles on pinning grain boundaries and inhibiting grain growth was not obvious when deformation temperature was below 623 K, but was remarkable when the temperature was above 623 K. By comparing compressive stress-strain curves of AZ91 alloy and nano-SiCp/AZ91 composites, the addition of nanoparticles could improve the deformation ability of a matrix alloy under high-temperature conditions. There was no essential difference of deformation mechanism between AZ91 alloy and the composite, but hot deformation activation energy of the composite was significantly lower than that of the AZ91 alloy. The AZ91 alloy and the composite had the same workability region of 600 K–673 K and 0.001–1 s−1, while instability region for the composite was reduced compared with that of AZ91 alloy at high temperature.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Molecular Determinants of Infection, Survival Strategies, and Vulnerable Targets
Authors: Ferraris Davide , Miggiano Riccardo , Rossi Franca , Rizzi Menico
Published: February 2018

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis, an ancient disease which, still today, represents a major threat for the world population. Despite the advances in medicine and the development of effective antitubercular drugs, the cure of tuberculosis involves prolonged therapies which complicate the compliance and monitoring of drug administration and treatment. Moreover, the only available antitubercular vaccine fails to provide an effective shield against adult lung tuberculosis, which is the most prevalent form. Hence, there is a pressing need for effective antitubercular drugs and vaccines. This review highlights recent advances in the study of selected M. tuberculosis key molecular determinants of infection and vulnerable targets whose structures could be exploited for the development of new antitubercular agents.
Patterns of Self-Medication Behavior for Oral Health Problems Among Adults Living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Aldeeri Arwa , Alzaid Haya , Alshunaiber Renad , Meaigel Shahad , Shaheen Naila , Adlan Abdallah
Published: February 2018

Abstract: Self-medication is a widespread behavior worldwide. It is defined as the practice of self-diagnosis and drug prescription without proper professional consultation. Aim: To determine the prevalence and predictors of self-medication for oral health problems among adults living in Riyadh city. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a structured close-ended questionnaire was distributed among adults visiting shopping malls in all different five regions of Riyadh. A two-stage sampling technique was used: cluster and simple random sampling. The questionnaire was composed of two main sections: demographic characteristics and questions assessing the behavior of self-medication. Results: The prevalence of self-medication was found to be 63.25%, with a higher prevalence among females than males. Gender and nationality were significantly associated with self-medication. Salt in hot water locally (52.57%) and acetaminophen (47.43%), a type of an analgesic, were, systemically, the most frequently used. Pharmacy shops were the main source of these medicaments (66.01%). Similarly, the advice for using them was mainly given by pharmacists (53.36%). Lack of time was claimed to be the main reason for practicing self-medication (54.55%) with abscess, toothache, and gingival bleeding being the main predictors. Conclusions: Self-medication was found to be a common practice among the population of Riyadh city.
PLA Melt Stabilization by High-Surface-Area Graphite and Carbon Black
Authors: D’Urso Luciana , Acocella Maria , Guerra Gaetano , Iozzino Valentina , De Santis Felice , Pantani Roberto
Published: February 2018

Small amounts of carbon nanofillers, specifically high-surface-area graphite (HSAG) and more effectively carbon black (CB), are able to solve the well-known problem of degradation (molecular weight reduction) during melt processing, for the most relevant biodegradable polymer, namely poly(lactic acid), PLA. This behavior is shown by rheological measurements (melt viscosity during extrusion experiments and time sweep-complex viscosity) combined with gel permeation chromatography (GPC) experiments. PLA’s molecular weight, which is heavily reduced during melt extrusion of the neat polymer, can remain essentially unaltered by simple compounding with only 0.1 wt % of CB. At temperatures close to polymer melting by compounding with graphitic fillers, the observed stabilization of PLA melt could be rationalized by scavenging traces of water, which reduces hydrolysis of polyester bonds. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) indicate that the same carbon fillers, on the contrary, slightly destabilize PLA toward decomposition reactions, leading to the loss of volatile byproducts, which occur at temperatures higher than 300 °C, i.e., far from melt processing conditions.
Surface Hydrophilicity of Poly(l-Lactide) Acid Polymer Film Changes the Human Adult Adipose Stem Cell Architecture
Authors: Argentati Chiara , Morena Francesco , Montanucci Pia , Rallini Marco , Basta Giuseppe , Calabrese Nicolino , Calafiore Riccardo , Cordellini Marino , Emiliani Carla , Armentano Ilaria , Martino Sabata
Published: February 2018

Current knowledge indicates that the molecular cross-talk between stem cells and biomaterials guides the stem cells’ fate within a tissue engineering system. In this work, we have explored the effects of the interaction between the poly(l-lactide) acid (PLLA) polymer film and human adult adipose stem cells (hASCs), focusing on the events correlating the materials’ surface characteristics and the cells’ plasma membrane. hASCs were seeded on films of pristine PLLA polymer and on a PLLA surface modified by the radiofrequency plasma method under oxygen flow (PLLA+O2). Comparative experiments were performed using human bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) and human umbilical matrix stem cells (hUCMSCs). After treatment with oxygen-plasma, the surface of PLLA films became hydrophilic, whereas the bulk properties were not affected. hASCs cultured on pristine PLLA polymer films acquired a spheroid conformation. On the contrary, hASCs seeded on PLLA+O2 film surface maintained the fibroblast-like morphology typically observed on tissue culture polystyrene. This suggests that the surface hydrophilicity is involved in the acquisition of the spheroid conformation. Noteworthy, the oxygen treatment had no effects on hBM-MSC and hUCMSC cultures and both stem cells maintained the same shape observed on PLLA films. This different behavior suggests that the biomaterial-interaction is stem cell specific.
Site-Specific DBCO Modification of DEC205 Antibody for Polymer Conjugation
Authors: Beck Simone , Schultze Jennifer , Räder Hans-Joachim , Holm Regina , Schinnerer Meike , Barz Matthias , Koynov Kaloian , Zentel Rudolf
Published: February 2018

The design of multifunctional polymer-based vectors, forming pDNA vaccines, offers great potential in cancer immune therapy. The transfection of dendritic immune cells (DCs) with tumour antigen-encoding pDNA leads to an activation of the immune system to combat tumour cells. In this work, we investigated the chemical attachment of DEC205 antibodies (aDEC205) as DC-targeting structures to polyplexes of P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA). The conjugation of a synthetic block copolymer and a biomacromolecule with various functionalities (aDEC205) requires bioorthogonal techniques to avoid side reactions. Click chemistry and in particular the strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) can provide the required bioorthogonality. With regard to a SPAAC of both components, we firstly synthesized two different azide-containing block copolymers, P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA)-N3(stat) and P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA)-N3(end), for pDNA complexation. In addition, the site-specific incorporation of ring-strained dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO) moieties to the DEC205 antibody was achieved by an enzymatic strategy using bacterial transglutaminase (BTG). The chemical accessibility of DBCO molecules within aDEC205 as well as the accessibility of azide-functionalities on the polyplex’ surface were investigated by various SPAAC experiments and characterized by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS).
High Performance Motion-Planner Architecture for Hardware-In-the-Loop System Based on Position-Based-Admittance-Control
Authors: La Mura Francesco , Todeschini Giovanni , Giberti Hermes
Published: February 2018

This article focuses on a Hardware-In-the-Loop application developed from the advanced energy field project LIFES50+. The aim is to replicate, inside a wind gallery test facility, the combined effect of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads on a floating wind turbine model for offshore energy production, using a force controlled robotic device, emulating floating substructure’s behaviour. In addition to well known real-time Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) issues, the particular application presented has stringent safety requirements of the HIL equipment and difficult to predict operating conditions, so that extra computational efforts have to be spent running specific safety algorithms and achieving desired performance. To meet project requirements, a high performance software architecture based on Position-Based-Admittance-Control (PBAC) is presented, combining low level motion interpolation techniques, efficient motion planning, based on buffer management and Time-base control, and advanced high level safety algorithms, implemented in a rapid real-time control architecture.
The Accuracies of Himawari-8 and MTSAT-2 Sea-Surface Temperatures in the Tropical Western Pacific Ocean
Authors: Ditri Angela , Minnett Peter , Liu Yang , Kilpatrick Katherine , Kumar Ajoy
Published: February 2018

Over several decades, improving the accuracy of Sea-Surface Temperatures (SSTs) derived from satellites has been a subject of intense research, and continues to be so. Knowledge of the accuracy of the SSTs is critical for weather and climate predictions, and many research and operational applications. In 2015, the operational Japanese MTSAT-2 geostationary satellite was replaced by the Himawari-8, which has a visible and infrared imager with higher spatial and temporal resolutions than its predecessor. In this study, data from both satellites during a three-month overlap period were compared with subsurface in situ temperature measurements from the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) array and self-recording thermometers at the depths of corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Results show that in general the Himawari-8 provides more accurate SST measurements compared to those from MTSAT-2. At various locations, where in situ measurements were taken, the mean Himawari-8 SST error shows an improvement of ~0.15 K. Sources of the differences between the satellite-derived SST and the in situ temperatures were related to wind speed and diurnal heating.
Permafrost Distribution along the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, China Using High-Resolution Statistical Mapping and Modeling Integrated with Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Niu Fujun , Yin Guoan , Luo Jing , Lin Zhanju , Liu Minghao
Published: February 2018

Permafrost distribution in the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) is of growing interest due to the increase in infrastructure development in this remote area. Empirical models of mountain permafrost distribution have been established based on field sampled data, as a tool for regional-scale assessments of its distribution. This kind of model approach has never been applied for a large portion of this engineering corridor. In the present study, this methodology is applied to map permafrost distribution throughout the QTEC. After spatial modelling of the mean annual air temperature distribution from MODIS-LST and DEM, using high-resolution satellite image to interpret land surface type, a permafrost probability index was obtained. The evaluation results indicate that the model has an acceptable performance. Conditions highly favorable to permafrost presence (≥70%) are predicted for 60.3% of the study area, declaring a discontinuous permafrost distribution in the QTEC. This map is useful for the infrastructure development along the QTEC. In the future, local ground-truth observations will be required to confirm permafrost presence in favorable areas and to monitor permafrost evolution under the influence of climate change.
Quantifying the Severity of Phytophthora Root Rot Disease in Avocado Trees Using Image Analysis
Authors: Salgadoe Arachchige , Robson Andrew , Lamb David , Dann Elizabeth , Searle Christopher
Published: February 2018

Phytophthora root rot (PRR) infects the roots of avocado trees, resulting in reduced uptake of water and nutrients, canopy decline, defoliation, and, eventually, tree mortality. Typically, the severity of PRR disease (proportion of canopy decline) is assessed by visually comparing the canopy health of infected trees to a standardised set of photographs and a corresponding disease rating. Although this visual method provides some indication of the spatial variability of PRR disease across orchards, the accuracy and repeatability of the ranking is influenced by the experience of the assessor, the visibility of tree canopies, and the timing of the assessment. This study evaluates two image analysis methods that may serve as surrogates to the visual assessment of canopy decline in large avocado orchards. A smartphone camera was used to collect red, green, and blue (RGB) colour images of individual trees with varying degrees of canopy decline, with the digital photographs then analysed to derive a canopy porosity percentage using a combination of ‘Canny edge detection’ and ‘Otsu’s’ methods. Coinciding with the on-ground measure of canopy porosity, the canopy reflectance characteristics of the sampled trees measured by high resolution Worldview-3 (WV-3) satellite imagery was also correlated against the observed disease severity rankings. Canopy porosity values (ranging from 20–70%) derived from RGB images were found to be significantly different for most disease rankings (p < 0.05) and correlated well (R2 = 0.89) with the differentiation of three disease severity levels identified to be optimal. From the WV-3 imagery, a multivariate stepwise regression of 18 structural and pigment-based vegetation indices found the simplified ratio vegetation index (SRVI) to be strongly correlated (R2 = 0.96) with the disease rankings of PRR disease severity, with the differentiation of four levels of severity found to be optimal.
A Decentralized Framework for Multi-Agent Robotic Systems
Authors: Jiménez Andrés , García-Díaz Vicente , Bolaños Sandro
Published: February 2018

Over the past few years, decentralization of multi-agent robotic systems has become an important research area. These systems do not depend on a central control unit, which enables the control and assignment of distributed, asynchronous and robust tasks. However, in some cases, the network communication process between robotic agents is overlooked, and this creates a dependency for each agent to maintain a permanent link with nearby units to be able to fulfill its goals. This article describes a communication framework, where each agent in the system can leave the network or accept new connections, sending its information based on the transfer history of all nodes in the network. To this end, each agent needs to comply with four processes to participate in the system, plus a fifth process for data transfer to the nearest nodes that is based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and data history. To validate this framework, we use differential robotic agents and a monitoring agent to generate a topological map of an environment with the presence of obstacles.
Sensitive and Flexible Polymeric Strain Sensor for Accurate Human Motion Monitoring
Authors: Khan Hassan , Razmjou Amir , Ebrahimi Warkiani Majid , Kottapalli Ajay , Asadnia Mohsen
Published: February 2018

Flexible electronic devices offer the capability to integrate and adapt with human body. These devices are mountable on surfaces with various shapes, which allow us to attach them to clothes or directly onto the body. This paper suggests a facile fabrication strategy via electrospinning to develop a stretchable, and sensitive poly (vinylidene fluoride) nanofibrous strain sensor for human motion monitoring. A complete characterization on the single PVDF nano fiber has been performed. The charge generated by PVDF electrospun strain sensor changes was employed as a parameter to control the finger motion of the robotic arm. As a proof of concept, we developed a smart glove with five sensors integrated into it to detect the fingers motion and transfer it to a robotic hand. Our results shows that the proposed strain sensors are able to detect tiny motion of fingers and successfully run the robotic hand.
Study of the Integration of the CNU-TS-1 Mobile Tunnel Monitoring System
Authors: Du Liming , Zhong Ruofei , Sun Haili , Zhu Qiang , Zhang Zhen
Published: February 2018

A rapid, precise and automated means for the regular inspection and maintenance of a large number of tunnels is needed. Based on the depth study of the tunnel monitoring method, the CNU-TS-1 mobile tunnel monitoring system (TS1) is developed and presented. It can efficiently obtain the cross-sections that are orthogonal to the tunnel in a dynamic way, and the control measurements that depend on design data are eliminated. By using odometers to locate the cross-sections and correcting the data based on longitudinal joints of tunnel segment lining, the cost of the system has been significantly reduced, and the interval between adjacent cross-sections can reach 1–2 cm when pushed to collect data at a normal walking speed. Meanwhile, the relative deformation of tunnel can be analyzed by selecting cross-sections from original data. Through the measurement of the actual tunnel, the applicability of the system for tunnel deformation detection is verified, and the system is shown to be 15 times more efficient than that of the total station. The simulation experiment of the tunnel deformation indicates that the measurement accuracy of TS1 for cross-sections is 1.1 mm. Compared with the traditional method, TS1 improves the efficiency as well as increases the density of the obtained points.
The Impact of Curviness on Four Different Image Sensor Forms and Structures
Authors: Wen Wei , Khatibi Siamak
Published: February 2018

The arrangement and form of the image sensor have a fundamental effect on any further image processing operation and image visualization. In this paper, we present a software-based method to change the arrangement and form of pixel sensors that generate hexagonal pixel forms on a hexagonal grid. We evaluate four different image sensor forms and structures, including the proposed method. A set of 23 pairs of images; randomly chosen, from a database of 280 pairs of images are used in the evaluation. Each pair of images have the same semantic meaning and general appearance, the major difference between them being the sharp transitions in their contours. The curviness variation is estimated by effect of the first and second order gradient operations, Hessian matrix and critical points detection on the generated images; having different grid structures, different pixel forms and virtual increased of fill factor as three major properties of sensor characteristics. The results show that the grid structure and pixel form are the first and second most important properties. Several dissimilarity parameters are presented for curviness quantification in which using extremum point showed to achieve distinctive results. The results also show that the hexagonal image is the best image type for distinguishing the contours in the images.
La-CTP: Loop-Aware Routing for Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Sun Guodong , Shang Xinna , Zuo Yan
Published: February 2018

In emerging energy-harvesting wireless sensor networks (EH-WSN), the sensor nodes can harvest environmental energy to drive their operation, releasing the user’s burden in terms of frequent battery replacement, and even enabling perpetual sensing systems. In EH-WSN applications, usually, the node in energy-harvesting or recharging state has to stop working until it completes the energy replenishment. However, such temporary departures of recharging nodes severely impact the packet routing, and one immediate result is the routing loop problem. Controlling loops in connectivity-intermittent EH-WSN in an efficient way is a big challenge in practice, and so far, users still lack of effective and practicable routing protocols with loop handling. Based on the Collection Tree Protocol (CTP) widely used in traditional wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a loop-aware routing protocol for real-world EH-WSNs, called La-CTP, which involves a new parent updating metric and a proactive, adaptive beaconing scheme to effectively suppress the occurrence of loops and unlock unavoidable loops, respectively. We constructed a 100-node testbed to evaluate La-CTP, and the experimental results showed its efficacy and efficiency.