bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D Insufficiency Reduces Grip Strength, Grip Endurance and Increases Frailty in Aged C57Bl/6J Mice
Authors: Seldeen Kenneth Ladd , Berman Reem Nagi , Pang Manhui , Lasky Ginger , Weiss Carleara , MacDonald Brian Alexander , Thiyagarajan Ramkumar , Redae Yonas , Troen Bruce Robert
Published: September 2020

Low 25-OH serum vitamin D (VitD) is pervasive in older adults and linked to functional decline and progression of frailty. We have previously shown that chronic VitD insufficiency in “middle-aged” mice results in impaired anaerobic exercise capacity, decreased lean mass, and increased adiposity. Here, we examine if VitD insufficiency results in similar deficits and greater frailty progression in old-aged (24 to 28 months of age) mice. Similar to what we report in younger mice, older mice exhibit a rapid and sustained response in serum 25-OH VitD levels to differential supplementation, including insufficient (125 IU/kg chow), sufficient (1000 IU/kg chow), and hypersufficient (8000 IU/kg chow) groups. During the 4-month time course, mice were assessed for body composition (DEXA), physical performance, and frailty using a Fried physical phenotype-based assessment tool. The 125 IU mice exhibited worse grip strength (p = 0.002) and inverted grip hang time (p = 0.003) at endpoint and the 8000 IU mice transiently displayed greater rotarod performance after 3 months (p = 0.012), yet other aspects including treadmill performance and gait speed were unaffected. However, 125 and 1000 IU mice exhibited greater frailty compared to baseline (p = 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively), whereas 8000 IU mice did not (p = 0.341). These data indicate targeting higher serum 25-OH vitamin D levels may attenuate frailty progression during aging.
Plant Fortification of the Diet for Anti-Ageing Effects: A Review
Authors: Dhanjal Daljeet Singh , Bhardwaj Sonali , Sharma Ruchi , Bhardwaj Kanchan , Kumar Dinesh , Chopra Chirag , Nepovimova Eugenie , Singh Reena , Kuca Kamil
Published: September 2020

Ageing is an enigmatic and progressive biological process which undermines the normal functions of living organisms with time. Ageing has been conspicuously linked to dietary habits, whereby dietary restrictions and antioxidants play a substantial role in slowing the ageing process. Oxygen is an essential molecule that sustains human life on earth and is involved in the synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that pose certain health complications. The ROS are believed to be a significant factor in the progression of ageing. A robust lifestyle and healthy food, containing dietary antioxidants, are essential for improving the overall livelihood and decelerating the ageing process. Dietary antioxidants such as adaptogens, anthocyanins, vitamins A/D/C/E and isoflavones slow the ageing phenomena by reducing ROS production in the cells, thereby improving the life span of living organisms. This review highlights the manifestations of ageing, theories associated with ageing and the importance of diet management in ageing. It also discusses the available functional foods as well as nutraceuticals with anti-ageing potential.
Scaffold-Mediated Gene Delivery for Osteochondral Repair
Authors: Madry Henning , Venkatesan Jagadeesh Kumar , Carballo-Pedrares Natalia , Rey-Rico Ana , Cucchiarini Magali
Published: September 2020

Osteochondral defects involve both the articular cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone. If left untreated, they may lead to osteoarthritis. Advanced biomaterial-guided delivery of gene vectors has recently emerged as an attractive therapeutic concept for osteochondral repair. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the variety of biomaterials employed as nonviral or viral gene carriers for osteochondral repair approaches both in vitro and in vivo, including hydrogels, solid scaffolds, and hybrid materials. The data show that a site-specific delivery of therapeutic gene vectors in the context of acellular or cellular strategies allows for a spatial and temporal control of osteochondral neotissue composition in vitro. In vivo, implantation of acellular hydrogels loaded with nonviral or viral vectors has been reported to significantly improve osteochondral repair in translational defect models. These advances support the concept of scaffold-mediated gene delivery for osteochondral repair.
Therapeutic Applications of Solid Dispersions for Drugs and New Molecules: In Vitro and In Vivo Activities
Authors: Oliveira Verônica da Silva , de Almeida Amanda Silva , Albuquerque Ingrid da Silva , Duarte Fernanda Ílary Costa , Queiroz Bárbara Cristina Silva Holanda , Converti Attilio , Lima Ádley Antonini Neves de
Published: September 2020

This review aims to provide an overview of studies that address the use, in therapeutic applications, of solid dispersions (SDs) with biological activities in vitro and/or in vivo mainly made up of polymeric matrices, as well as to evaluate the bioactive activity of their constituents. This bibliographic survey shows that the development of solid dispersions provides benefits in the physicochemical properties of bioactive compounds, which lead to an increase in their biological potential. However, despite the reports found on solid dispersions, there is still a need for biological assay-based studies, mainly in vivo, to assist in the investigation and to devise new applications. Therefore, studies based on such an approach are of great importance to enhance and extend the use of solid dispersions in the most diverse therapeutic applications.
Gravity Signaling in Flowering Plant Roots
Authors: Su Shih-Heng , Keith Marie A. , Masson Patrick H.
Published: September 2020

Roots typically grow downward into the soil where they anchor the plant and take up water and nutrients necessary for plant growth and development. While the primary roots usually grow vertically downward, laterals often follow a gravity set point angle that allows them to explore the surrounding environment. These responses can be modified by developmental and environmental cues. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms that govern root gravitropism in flowering plant roots. In this system, the primary site of gravity sensing within the root cap is physically separated from the site of curvature response at the elongation zone. Gravity sensing involves the sedimentation of starch-filled plastids (statoliths) within the columella cells of the root cap (the statocytes), which triggers a relocalization of plasma membrane-associated PIN auxin efflux facilitators to the lower side of the cell. This process is associated with the recruitment of RLD regulators of vesicular trafficking to the lower membrane by LAZY proteins. PIN relocalization leads to the formation of a lateral gradient of auxin across the root cap. Upon transmission to the elongation zone, this auxin gradient triggers a downward curvature. We review the molecular mechanisms that control this process in primary roots and discuss recent insights into the regulation of oblique growth in lateral roots and its impact on root-system architecture, soil exploration and plant adaptation to stressful environments.
Selectivity of Current Extraction Techniques for Flavonoids from Plant Materials
Authors: Tzanova Milena , Atanasov Vasil , Yaneva Zvezdelina , Ivanova Donika , Dinev Toncho
Published: September 2020

Flavonoids have a broad spectrum of established positive effects on human and animal health. They find an application in medicine for disease therapy and chemoprevention, whence the interest in flavonoids increases. In addition, they are used in food and cosmetic industries as pigments and biopreservatives. Plants are an inexhaustible source of flavonoids. The most important step of plant raw material processing is extraction and isolation of target compounds. The quality of an extract and efficiency of a procedure are influenced by several factors: Plant material and pre-extracting sample preparation, type of solvent, extraction technique, physicochemical conditions, etc. The present overview discusses the common problems and key challenges of the extraction procedures and the different mechanisms for selective extraction of flavonoids from different plant sources. In summary, there is no universal extraction method and each optimized procedure is individual for the respective plants. For an extraction technique to be selective, it must combine an optimal solvent or mixture of solvents with an appropriate technique. Last but not least, its optimization is important for a variety of applications. Moreover, when the selected method needs to be standardized, it must achieve acceptable degree of repeatability and reproducibility.
Building Extraction from Airborne Multi-Spectral LiDAR Point Clouds Based on Graph Geometric Moments Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Li Dilong , Shen Xin , Yu Yongtao , Guan Haiyan , Li Jonathan , Zhang Guo , Li Deren
Published: September 2020

Building extraction has attracted much attentions for decades as a prerequisite for many applications and is still a challenging topic in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing. Due to the lack of spectral information, massive data processing, and approach universality, building extraction from point clouds is still a thorny and challenging problem. In this paper, a novel deep-learning-based framework is proposed for building extraction from point cloud data. Specifically, first, a sample generation method is proposed to split the raw preprocessed multi-spectral light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data into numerous samples, which are directly fed into convolutional neural networks and completely cover the original inputs. Then, a graph geometric moments (GGM) convolution is proposed to encode the local geometric structure of point sets. In addition, a hierarchical architecture equipped with GGM convolution, called GGM convolutional neural networks, is proposed to train and recognize building points. Finally, the test scenes with varying sizes can be fed into the framework and obtain a point-wise extraction result. We evaluate the proposed framework and methods on the airborne multi-spectral LiDAR point clouds collected by an Optech Titan system. Compared with previous state-of-the-art networks, which are designed for point cloud segmentation, our method achieves the best performance with a correctness of 95.1%, a completeness of 93.7%, an F-measure of 94.4%, and an intersection over union (IoU) of 89.5% on two test areas. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework and methods.
A Review of Advanced Technologies and Development for Hyperspectral-Based Plant Disease Detection in the Past Three Decades
Authors: Zhang Ning , Yang Guijun , Pan Yuchun , Yang Xiaodong , Chen Liping , Zhao Chunjiang
Published: September 2020

The detection, quantification, diagnosis, and identification of plant diseases is particularly crucial for precision agriculture. Recently, traditional visual assessment technology has not been able to meet the needs of precision agricultural informatization development, and hyperspectral technology, as a typical type of non-invasive technology, has received increasing attention. On the basis of simply describing the types of pathogens and host–pathogen interaction processes, this review expounds the great advantages of hyperspectral technologies in plant disease detection. Then, in the process of describing the hyperspectral disease analysis steps, the articles, algorithms, and methods from disease detection to qualitative and quantitative evaluation are mainly summarizing. Additionally, according to the discussion of the current major problems in plant disease detection with hyperspectral technologies, we propose that different pathogens’ identification, biotic and abiotic stresses discrimination, plant disease early warning, and satellite-based hyperspectral technology are the primary challenges and pave the way for a targeted response.
Evaporative Fluxes and Surface Soil Moisture Retrievals in a Mediterranean Setting from Sentinel-3 and the “Simplified Triangle”
Authors: Petropoulos George P. , Sandric Ionut , Hristopulos Dionissios , Nahum Carlson Toby
Published: September 2020

Earth Observation (EO) makes it possible to obtain information on key parameters characterizing interactions among Earth’s system components, such as evaporative fraction (EF) and surface soil moisture (SSM). Notably, techniques utilizing EO data of land surface temperature (Ts) and vegetation index (VI) have shown promise in this regard. The present study investigates, for the first time, the accuracy of one such technique, known as the “simplified triangle”, using Sentinel-3 EO data, acquired for 44 days in 2018 at three savannah FLUXNET sites in Spain. The technique was found to be able to predict both EF and SSM with reasonable accuracy when compared to collocated ground measurements. Comparisons performed for all days together showed relatively low Root Mean square Difference (RMSD) for both EF (0.191) and SSM (0.012 cm3 cm−3) and good correlation coefficients (R) of 0.721 and 0.577, respectively. Both EF and SSM were also largely in agreement with land cover and seasonal variability. The present study comprises the first detailed assessment of the “simplified triangle”, in this case, using Sentinel-3 data and in a Mediterranean setting. Findings, albeit preliminary, are of significant value regarding the use of the investigated technique as a tool of environmental management, and towards ongoing, worldwide efforts aiming at developing operationally relevant products based on the Ts/VI feature space and EO data based on new satellites such as Sentinel-3.
Indicators of Electric Power Instability from Satellite Observed Nighttime Lights
Authors: Elvidge Christopher D. , Hsu Feng-Chi , Zhizhin Mikhail , Ghosh Tilottama , Taneja Jay , Bazilian Morgan
Published: September 2020

Electric power services are fundamental to prosperity and economic development. Disruptions in the electricity power service can range from minutes to days. Such events are common in many developing economies, where the power generation and delivery infrastructure is often insufficient to meet demand and operational challenges. Yet, despite the large impacts, poor data availability has meant that relatively little is known about the spatial and temporal patterns of electric power reliability. Here, we explore the expressions of electric power instability recorded in temporal profiles of satellite observed surface lighting collected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) low light imaging day/night band (DNB). The nightly temporal profiles span from 2012 through to mid-2020 and contain more than 3000 observations, each from a total of 16 test sites from Africa, Asia, and North America. We present our findings in terms of various novel indicators. The preprocessing steps included radiometric adjustments designed to reduce variance due to the view angle and lunar illumination differences. The residual variance after the radiometric adjustments suggests the presence of a previously unidentified source of variability in the DNB observations of surface lighting. We believe that the short dwell time of the DNB pixel collections results in the vast under-sampling of the alternating current lighting flicker cycles. We tested 12 separate indices and looked for evidence of power instability. The key characteristic of lights in cities with developing electric power services is that they are quite dim, typically 5 to 10 times dimmer for the same population level as in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. In fact, the radiances for developing cities are just slightly above the detection limit, in the range of 1 to 10 nanowatts. The clearest indicator for power loss is the percent outage. Indicators for supply adequacy include the radiance per person and the percent of population with detectable lights. The best indicator for load-shedding is annual cycling, which was found in more than half of the grid cells in two Northern India cities. Cities with frequent upward or downward radiance spikes can have anomalously high levels of variance, skew, and kurtosis. A final observation is that, barring war or catastrophic events, the year-on-year changes in lighting are quite small. Most cities are either largely stable over time, or are gradually increasing in indices such as the mean, variance, and lift, indicating a trajectory that proceeds across multiple years.
Using the BFAST Algorithm and Multitemporal AIRS Data to Investigate Variation of Atmospheric Methane Concentration over Zoige Wetland of China
Authors: Yang Yuanyuan , Wang Yong
Published: September 2020

The monitoring of wetland methane (CH4) emission is essential in the context of global CH4 emission and climate change. The remotely sensed multitemporal Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) CH4 data and the Breaks for Additive Season and Trend (BFAST) algorithm were used to detect atmospheric CH4 dynamics in the Zoige wetland, China between 2002 and 2018. The overall atmospheric CH4 concentration increased steadily with a rate of 5.7 ± 0.3 ppb/year. After decomposing the time-series of CH4 data using the BFAST algorithm, we found no anomalies in the seasonal and error components. The trend component increased with time, and a total of seven breaks were detected within four cells. Six were well-explained by the air temperature anomalies primarily, but one break was not. The effect of parameter h on decomposition outcomes was studied because it could influence the number of breaks in the trend component. As h increased, the number of breaks decreased. The interplays of the observations of interest, break numbers, and statistical significance should determine the h value.
A Laboratory Assessment of the Influence of Crumb Rubber in Hot Mix Asphalt with Recycled Steel Slag
Authors: Crisman Bruno , Ossich Giulio , Lorenzi Lorenzo De , Bevilacqua Paolo , Roberti Roberto
Published: September 2020

To reduce thermal susceptibility and improve rutting and fatigue cracking resistance, increasingly more non-conventional additives and materials have been used in road pavement asphalt mixes in recent years. Non-conventional materials mainly include recycled materials, which reduce production costs and lead to environmental benefits related to their reuse. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of recycled tyre rubber in the production of asphalt concrete for road pavements built with recycled aggregates consisting of steel slag in relation to possible improvements in structural performance during operation (i.e., fatigue and rutting). Steel slag has a higher bulk specific gravity than natural aggregates, and it has a very porous surface that allows for a different interaction with the bitumen and the crumb rubber compared to traditional aggregates. To this end, two mixtures of asphalt concrete are compared. One was mixed with a modest percentage by weight of crumb rubber using the “dry” technique, and the other mixture did not contain crumb rubber. Indirect tensile and compression tests with cyclic loads were performed to determine the mechanical behaviour of the two mixtures at different temperatures and under different load frequencies. The results of this research indicate the better performance of the modified mixture with crumb rubber, which agrees with other experiments in the literature that have been made using natural aggregates. Furthermore, a significant increase in stiffness was found at high temperatures (up to 30%), a slight reduction (up to 8%) was found at low temperatures, and a reduction in permanent deformation was found under cyclic loads.
Design of Rotor Blades for Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Wind Flow Modifier for Low Wind Profile Areas
Authors: Anthony Mohanasundaram , Prasad Valsalal , Raju Kannadasan , Alsharif Mohammed H. , Geem Zong Woo , Hong Junhee
Published: September 2020

This work focuses on the design and analysis of wind flow modifier (WFM) modeling of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) for low wind profile urban areas. A simulation is carried out to examine the performance of an efficient low aspect ratio C-shaped rotor and a proposed involute-type rotor. Further, the WFM model is adapted with a stack of decreased diameter tubes from wind inlet to outlet. It accelerates the wind velocity, and its effectiveness is examined on the involute turbine. Numerical analysis is performed with a realizable K-ε model to monitor the rotor blade performance in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) ANSYS Fluent software tool. This viscous model with an optimal three-blade rotor with 0.96 m2 rotor swept area is simulated between the turbine rotational speeds ranging from 50 to 250 rpm. The parameters, such as lift–drag coefficient, lift–drag forces, torque, power coefficient, and power at various turbine speeds, are observed. It results in a maximum power coefficient of 0.071 for the drag force rotor and 0.22 for the lift force involute rotor. Moreover, the proposed WFM with an involute rotor extensively improves the maximum power coefficient to an appreciable value of 0.397 at 5 m/s wind speed, and this facilitates efficient design in the low wind profile area.
Adaptive Reuse of Architectural Heritage and Its Role in the Post-Disaster Reconstruction of Urban Identity: Post-Communist Łódź
Authors: Sowińska-Heim Julia
Published: September 2020

The article examines the role of the adaptive reuse of architectural heritage in urban identity reconstruction and strengthening undertaken after the disaster caused by a strong economic and social crisis. The main research material includes activities and projects implemented in post-communist Łódź, one of the largest Polish cities. The city developed extremely dynamically at the beginning of the 19th century as a centre of textile industry. Characteristic factories located in the city centre operated continuously until the end of the 1980s, when the transformation brought about radical political changes, as a result of which Łódź experienced a rapid process of deindustrialisation. The nineteenth-century architectural heritage played an important role in the search for ways to regenerate the city and redefine its identity. Starting from the local, i.e., historical, social or identity contexts, the reader is led to universal conclusions, concerning important problems, issues and challenges related to the confrontation of architectural heritage with contemporary needs and expectations.
Study on the Selection of Sections Applicable to Truck Platooning in the Expressway Network
Authors: Jeong Harim , Park Sangmin , Park Sungho , Cho Hyonbae , Yun Ilsoo
Published: September 2020

Several research studies are being actively conducted on truck platooning, in which several trucks are organized in one fleet. The main advantages of truck platooning are increased traffic efficiency, improved fuel consumption and driver performance, and enhanced safety. However, these effects may depend on the actual conditions of road geometry and traffic situation. Therefore, this study analyzed the sustainability of truck platooning on an expressway network in terms of road geometry and traffic situation. To select elements affecting truck platooning on an expressway network, an expert survey was conducted. In addition, the weight of each element selected in the survey was determined through an analytic hierarchy process. In this study, the geometric conformity and traffic environment indices for truck platooning were calculated based on the data collected by the congestion zone (Conzone) and the weights. Moreover, the calculated indices were clustered into three different categories through cluster analysis. Based on the cluster analysis result, each Conzone was classified into three types: Type 1, which is suitable for both traffic environment and geometric conformity to operate platooning; Type 2, which has geometrical conditions but requires improvement of traffic environment; and Type 3, which requires geometrical improvement. Finally, the Type 1 Conzones were expanded to expressway sections to consider the network connectivity and truck platoon operability. The obtained results revealed that 14 sections of 9 expressway lines are most applicable for truck platooning.
Enhanced Circular Chain Control for Parallel Operation of Inverters in UPS Systems
Authors: Shahparasti Mahdi , Savaghebi Mehdi , Hosseinpour Majid , Rasekh Navid
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a current sharing method based on the circular chain control (3C) method is proposed for controlling parallel inverters of unequal ratings in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) applications. Due to its circular structure, 3C is one of the most convenient methods which can be used in UPS as well as microgrid systems. However, the conventional 3C control strategy is only applicable to inverters of equal power ratings. The proposed method not only retains the circular structure of the 3C method, but also provides adaptability for the parallel operation of inverters with different power ratings. Moreover, this method adds hot-swap capability to the parallel inverter. A two-loop control structure is used to control the inverters. For proper current sharing, currents of inverters are conveyed in a circular structure with appropriate gains through control links. Simulation and experimental results for linear and nonlinear loads verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
Research on the Transformation Path of the Green Intelligent Port: Outlining the Perspective of the Evolutionary Game “Government–Port–Third-Party Organization”
Authors: Meng Bin , Kuang Haibo , Niu Erxuan , Li Jing , Li Zhenhui
Published: September 2020

While promoting the global economy and trade, ports impose serious pollution on the global ocean and atmosphere. Therefore, the development of ports is restrained by the policies and measures of governments and international organizations used to cope with climate change and environmental protection. With the development of information technology, the operation and expansion of ports is facing forms of green and intelligent reform. This research aims to link the development of green intelligent ports, government policies, and third-party organizations to find the most suitable evolutionary path for the development of green intelligent ports. This paper assumes that governments will push ports to transform into green intelligent ports from the perspective of benefiting long-term interests, that the goal of ports is to maximize their profits, and that third-party organizations will actively promote the development of green intelligent ports. Based on these assumptions, this paper has established an evolutionary game theory model of “government–port–third-party organization” regarding the development of green intelligent ports. The Jacobian matrix of the game theory system was constructed by using the replicator dynamic equation, and local stability analysis was performed to obtain the equilibrium stability point of the entire system. This research reveals the limitations of the development of green intelligent ports without government involvement and explores the ability of third-party organizations to promote the implementation of policies, confirming the role of government regulation and control in promoting the development of green intelligent ports. This paper may be helpful for the development of green intelligent ports in the future. The results show that: (1) The main factors affecting the choice of port strategy are the benefits of building a green intelligent port, the intensity of government regulation, and the quantitative influence of third-party evaluation results on the port strategy selection. (2) Government decision-making plays an important role in port transformation. If the relevant government chooses the wrong strategy, then the transformation of the port will be delayed. (3) Government regulation and control need to change with the change of the evolution stage. (4) Compared with the macro-control policies of the government, the influence of the third-party organization on the port is significantly smaller.
The Logistics Service Mode Selection for Last Mile Delivery Considering Delivery Service Cost and Capability
Authors: Li Feng , Fan Zhi-Ping , Cao Bing-Bing , Lv Hai-Mei
Published: September 2020

The last mile delivery service is an important part in the logistics service process of express enterprises. How to select a suitable logistics service mode for last mile delivery to maximize the delivery service capacity and minimize delivery service cost is a noteworthy problem, but studies on this problem are still lacking. In this paper, we first analyze three potential logistics service modes for last mile delivery, i.e., self-run mode, outsourcing mode, and alliance mode, and then propose a selection framework of logistics service mode for last mile delivery based on a two-dimensional matrix decision model according to the two dimensions of delivery service cost advantage and delivery service capability advantage. Next, we give the calculation formulas for the delivery service cost and delivery service capability. Furthermore, we propose a method for logistics service mode selection for last mile delivery according to delivery service costs and delivery service capabilities of three potential logistics service mode. Finally, we show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method by a case analysis.
Synthesis of Sustainable Circular Economy in Palm Oil Industry Using Graph-Theoretic Method
Authors: Yeo Jason Yi Juang , How Bing Shen , Teng Sin Yong , Leong Wei Dong , Ng Wendy Pei Qin , Lim Chun Hsion , Ngan Sue Lin , Sunarso Jaka , Lam Hon Loong
Published: September 2020

Huge generation of oil palm biomass has stimulated the development of biorefineries for synthesis of bioproducts. By targeting the palm oil industry and the biorefineries as the consumers of these products, a sustainable circular economy can be created by recycling the biomass wastes to the said consumers. To evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of the sustainable circular economy, a mathematical model demonstrating the biomass network with consideration of recycling is developed in this work. Besides, Process Graph (P-graph) is incorporated to perform the combinatorial optimization of the biomass network, which targets three common resources: fertilizer, steam, and electricity for regeneration and recycling. Although the result shows that the linear economy model is preferred in terms of profitability, the circular economy model shows potential in reducing 39.292% of the imported steam and 13.469% of the imported electricity, while being 0.642% lower in terms of the gross profit. Three scenarios are then proposed to identify the potential bottleneck that can hinder the implementation of the sustainable circular economy approach, with the aid of sensitivity analysis. This work is expected to benefit the biomass-based industry sectors and the policymakers on future development and transition to the sustainable circular economy.
On the Reliable Generation of 3D City Models from Open Data
Authors: Girindran Renoy , Boyd Doreen S , Rosser Julian , Vijayan Dhanya , Long Gavin , Robinson Darren
Published: September 2020

A 3D model communicates more effectively than a 2D model, hence the applications of 3D city models are rapidly gaining significance in urban studies. However, presently, there is a dearth of free of cost, high-resolution 3D city models available for use. This paper offers potential solutions to this problem by providing a globally replicable methodology to generate low-cost 3D city models from open source 2D building data in conjunction with open satellite-based elevation datasets. Two geographically and morphologically different case studies were used to develop and test this methodology: the Chinese city of Shanghai and the city of Nottingham in the UK. The method is based principally on OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Advanced Land Observing Satellite World 3D digital surface model (AW3D DSM) data and use GMTED 2010 DTM data for undulating terrain. Further enhancement of the resultant 3D model, though not compulsory, uses higher resolution elevation models that are not always open source, but if available can be used (i.e., airborne LiDAR generated DTM). Further we test and develop methods to improve the accuracy of the generated 3D models, employing a small subset of high resolution data that are not open source but can be purchased with a minimal budgets. Given these scenarios of data availability are globally applicable and time-efficient for 3D building generation (where 2D building footprints are available), our proposed methodology has the potential to accelerate the production of 3D city models, and thus to facilitate their dependent applications (e.g., disaster management) wherever commercial 3D city models are unavailable.
Gene Therapy Applications of Non-Human Lentiviral Vectors
Authors: Munis Altar M.
Published: September 2020

Recent commercialization of lentiviral vector (LV)-based cell therapies and successful reports of clinical studies have demonstrated the untapped potential of LVs to treat diseases and benefit patients. LVs hold notable and inherent advantages over other gene transfer agents based on their ability to transduce non-dividing cells, permanently transform target cell genome, and allow stable, long-term transgene expression. LV systems based on non-human lentiviruses are attractive alternatives to conventional HIV-1-based LVs due to their lack of pathogenicity in humans. This article reviews non-human lentiviruses and highlights their unique characteristics regarding virology and molecular biology. The LV systems developed based on these lentiviruses, as well as their successes and shortcomings, are also discussed. As the field of gene therapy is advancing rapidly, the use of LVs uncovers further challenges and possibilities. Advances in virology and an improved understanding of lentiviral biology will aid in the creation of recombinant viral vector variants suitable for translational applications from a variety of lentiviruses.
A New Approach to 3D Modeling of Inhomogeneous Populations of Viral Regulatory RNA
Authors: Osmer Patrick S. , Singh Gatikrushna , Boris-Lawrie Kathleen
Published: September 2020

Tertiary structure (3D) is the physical context of RNA regulatory activity. Retroviruses are RNA viruses that replicate through the proviral DNA intermediate transcribed by hosts. Proviral transcripts form inhomogeneous populations due to variable structural ensembles of overlapping regulatory RNA motifs in the 5′-untranslated region (UTR), which drive RNAs to be spliced or translated, and/or dimerized and packaged into virions. Genetic studies and structural techniques have provided fundamental input constraints to begin predicting HIV 3D conformations in silico. Using SimRNA and sets of experimentally-determined input constraints of HIVNL4-3 trans-activation responsive sequence (TAR) and pairings of unique-5′ (U5) with dimerization (DIS) or AUG motifs, we calculated a series of 3D models that differ in proximity of 5′-Cap and the junction of TAR and PolyA helices; configuration of primer binding site (PBS)-segment; and two host cofactors binding sites. Input constraints on U5-AUG pairings were most compatible with intramolecular folding of 5′-UTR motifs in energetic minima. Introducing theoretical constraints predicted metastable PolyA region drives orientation of 5′-Cap with TAR, U5 and PBS-segment helices. SimRNA and the workflow developed herein provides viable options to predict 3D conformations of inhomogeneous populations of large RNAs that have been intractable to conventional ensemble methods.
Variational Bayesian Neural Network for Ensemble Flood Forecasting
Authors: Zhan Xiaoyan , Qin Hui , Liu Yongqi , Yao Liqiang , Xie Wei , Liu Guanjun , Zhou Jianzhong
Published: September 2020

Disastrous floods are destructive and likely to cause widespread economic losses. An understanding of flood forecasting and its potential forecast uncertainty is essential for water resource managers. Reliable forecasting may provide future streamflow information to assist in an assessment of the benefits of reservoirs and the risk of flood disasters. However, deterministic forecasting models are not able to provide forecast uncertainty information. To quantify the forecast uncertainty, a variational Bayesian neural network (VBNN) model for ensemble flood forecasting is proposed in this study. In VBNN, the posterior distribution is approximated by the variational distribution, which can avoid the heavy computational costs in the traditional Bayesian neural network. To transform the model parameters’ uncertainty into the model output uncertainty, a Monte Carlo sample is applied to give ensemble forecast results. The proposed method is verified by a flood forecasting case study on the upper Yangtze River. A point forecasting model neural network and two probabilistic forecasting models, including hidden Markov Model and Gaussian process regression, are also applied to compare with the proposed model. The experimental results show that the VBNN performs better than other comparable models in terms of both accuracy and reliability. Finally, the result of uncertainty estimation shows that the VBNN can effectively handle heteroscedastic flood streamflow data.
Comparing the quantity and quality of randomised placebo-controlled trials of antibiotics for acute respiratory, urinary, and skin and soft tissue infections: a scoping review
Authors: Bakhit Mina , Hoffmann Tammy , Santer Miriam , Ridd Matthew , Francis Nick , Hummers Eva , Clark Justin , Hilliges Carmen , Del Mar Chris
Published: September 2020

Background

The management of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) should be guided by high quality evidence.

Aim

To compare the quantity and quality of randomised placebo-controlled trials of antibiotics for ARIs, UTIs, and SSTIs.

Design & setting

A scoping review of the literature was performed using comprehensive search strategies.

Method

PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched for published studies from inception until 17 April 2019. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared participants in primary care or in the community who had uncomplicated acute ARI, UTI, or studies, and were randomised to antibiotic or placebo (or no active treatment), were eligible for inclusion. Two groups of researchers independently screened articles for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies.

Results

A total of 108 eligible studies were identified: 80 on ARI, eight on UTI, and 20 on SSTI. The quality of studies varied with unclear risk of bias (RoB) prevalent in many domains. There was a gradual improvement in the quality of trials investigating ARIs over time, which could not be assessed in SSTI and UTI studies.

Conclusion

This review highlights a sparsity of trials assessing the effectiveness of antibiotics in people with UTIs and SSTIs, compared to trials targeting ARIs. This gap in the evidence needs to be addressed by conducting further high quality trials on the effects of antibiotics in patients with UTI and SSTI.
EXPLORING ENGLISH LISTENING PROBLEMS AMONG EFL STUDENTS AT IAIN KUDUS
Authors: Erzad Azizah Maulina
Published: September 2020

Listening comprehension becomes one of the most difficult skills for most of English learners especially EFL learners. As a foreign language, English is rarely used in communication by EFL learners in their daily life. Therefore, the learners or students always face some difficulties/problems in listening comprehension. It can be seen from the results of their tests. The purpose of this study is to investigate the problems occur in listening class of EFL students at IAIN Kudus and the solutions to overcome those problems. The EFL students in this study refer to the English Education Department students of IAIN Kudus. The participants of this study are the second semester of English Education Department students. This study is a qualitative research. Observation, interview and documentation were conducted to collect the data. By conducting this study, several problems in listening comprehension can be revealed. The listening problems encountered by the EFL students are the pronunciation (accents), speedy delivery and length of the listening, physical conditions, unfamiliar vocabularies and terminologies, and limited facility for listening. Some actions should be done to overcome these obstacles occurred during listening process. The solutions to overcome the problems are students should be focus, practice more in listening English, memorize vocabularies, and prepare a language laboratory.
DİJİTAL GÜLÜŞ TASARIMI: KULLANILAN SİSTEMLER VE AVANTAJLARI
Authors: DOĞAN Ayşe Nur
Published: September 2020

Teknolojik ilerlemeler diş hekimliğini de olumlu yönde etkilemektedir. Estetik tedavi öncesi dentofasiyal analiz yapmayı sağlayan dijital gülümseme tasarımı (DSD) için çeşitli bilgisayar yazılım programları geliştirilmiştir. DSD kullanımı kolay, klinik açıdan önemli avantajları olan çok yönlü bir kavramsal araçtır: estetik teşhis becerilerini güçlendirebilir, ekip üyeleri arasındaki iletişimi iyileştirebilir, tedavi aşamaları boyunca öngörülebilir sistemler oluşturabilir, hastanın motivasyonunu ve vaka sunumunun etkililiğini arttırır. Bu derlemenin amacı dijital ortamda gülüş tasarımı yapabilmek için estetik kurallar ışığında kullanılan sistemler ve avantajlarını açıklamaktır.
Pematahan Dormansi Umbi Bawang Putih (Allium sativum L.) Varietas Lumbu Hijau dengan Perlakuan Lama Penyimpanan Umbi pada Suhu Rendah dan Aplikasi Giberelin
Authors: Puspitasari Diah Rochana , Nuraini Anne , Sumadi Sumadi
Published: September 2020

Low temperature and gibberellin treatments affected on breaking dormancy. The effects of low temperature in storage duration and gibberellin treatrments on breaking of dormancy of garlic were examined in this study. The aims of this study to determinate the best treatments for breaking garlic bulb dormancy. The sorted garlic bulbs were stored at 4 ± 0.4 ° C for 0 (control), 15, 30 and 45 days. The bulbs that have been treated by low temperature then treated by gibberellins at various concentrations including 0, 75, 150, and 225 mgL-1 by soaking for 24 hours. The bulbs were  planted in the seedling house. The low temperature storage (4±0,4ᵒC) for 45 days is more effective than 0, 15 and 30 days, while the concentration of gibberellins were not have a significant effect on breaking dormancy.  GA3 endogenous was increased during low temperature storage, on the other hand, it accelerated on breaking dormancy . The highest percentage of sprouting  bulb produced by treatment at low temperature storage for 45 days. Growth parameters such as shoot length, shoot dry weight and leaves get the best at 45 days storage time. Low temperature storage (4±0,4ᵒC) is effective in breaking dormancy of garlic bulb.
In-Vitro Rooting Induction On The Embryo Somatic Of Dendrobium Species From Riau Province Indonesia
Authors: Heriansyah Pebra , Jumin Hasan Basri , Maizar Maizar
Published: September 2020

Rooting induction is a very important stage in in-vitro for the anticipation of the extinction, In this paper, the rooting induction of embryo somatic dendrobium species from Riau Province Indonesia is studied using different sucrose concentrations (0 g L-1; 25 g L-1; 50 g L-1; 75 g L-1), and Kinetin (0 mg L-1; 0,1 mg L-1; 1,0 mg L-1; 10 mg L-1), in a modified MS medium containing half the regular concentration of macronutrients at pH 5.6, with 50 g L-1 sucrose and 1,0 mg L-1  kinetin was optimal for a percentage of explant producing root, a number of roots, root high, root and shoot ratio  (T/R Ratio).
Keragaan Produktivitas Padi Sawah Jawa Barat Dan Faktor Yang Mempengaruhinya
Authors: Juswadi Juri , Sumarna Pandu , Mulyati Neneng Sri
Published: September 2020

This study aims to describe the performance of West Java wet land paddy productivity in the period 1997-2017, and identify the factors that influence it. Descriptive research results show that during the period 1997-2017, the average productivity of wet land paddy in West Java that observed from 16 districts experienced an increase from 53.22 Kw/ha in 1997 to 60.79 Kw/ha ton in 2017, with average productivity per year is 55.92 Kw/ha. Wet land paddy productivity has increased by 7.57 Kw/ha or an increase in an average of 0.83% per year. Increased productivity has fluctuated with a negative increase occurred in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2014, 2015 and 2017. There is still a gap between factual wet land paddy productivity with potential productivity of some superior varieties of wet land paddy. The results of statistical analysis of factors that affect wet land paddy productivity in West Java show that variable altitude and rainfall have a significant effect on wet land paddy productivity, while the irrigation area and cropping index (IP) have no significant effect
sistem pakar SISTEM PAKAR PENYAKIT KUDA DENGAN METODA CERTAINTY FACTOR
Authors: Purwasih Ratih , Wahyuni Suci
Published: September 2020

Sistem pakar ini dibangun untuk memberikan informasi kepada pengguna mengenai penyakit kuda yang jarang diketahui oleh masyarakat umum. Minimnya tempat untuk berkonsultasi merupakan salah satu alasan terciptanya sistem pakar. Sistem ini dibuat dengan menggunakan metode certainty factor. Metode ini memberikan nilai kepastian mengenai diagnosa terhadap kuda sesuai dengan kondisi yang disampaikan oleh pakar. Kesimpulan yang didapatkan user mengenai penyakit kuda ini diberikan berupa persentase keyakinan kuda tersebut mengalami kondisi yang dimaksudkan.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI PERSEPSI MAHASISWA DAN ALUMNI AKUNTANSI DALAM MEMILIH KARIR PROFESI SEBAGAI AKUNTAN DI KOTA KUPANG
Authors: Mutia Karmila Dwi Lestari
Published: September 2020

Salah satu yang diminati saat ini adalah profesi akuntansi, terdapat 4 (empat) jenis profesi akuntan, yaitu akuntan publik, akuntan pemerintah, akuntan perusahaan dan akuntan yang mendidik. Semua jenis profesi akuntansi masih memberikan peluang kerja yang besar bagi lulusan jurusan akuntansi, tetapi peluang ini tidak disertai dengan semakin banyaknya akuntan publik di Indonesia. Latar belakang fenomena ini adalah dasar dari penelitian ini. Pendekatan penelitian menggunakan analisis kuantitatif, dengan kuesioner sebagai instrumen penelitian, dan perhitungan menggunakan SPSS, hasil penelitian ini menemukan bahwa secara keseluruhan terdapat pengaruh persepsi mahasiswa akuntansi dan alumni dilihat dari keinginan karier akuntan dalam hal gaji keuangan, pelatihan profesional, pengakuan profesional, nilai-nilai sosial, lingkungan kerja dan pertimbangan pasar tenaga kerja. Sedangkan dari Kesetaraan Gender disimpulkan bahwa secara keseluruhan tidak ada pengaruh pada persepsi siswa dan alumni akuntansi dalam pilihan karir akuntansi.

Kata kunci: Persepsi, Akuntansi, Mahasiswa, Alumni, Karir Akuntan

 

One of the interests at this time is the accounting profession, there are 4 (four) types of accountant profession, namely public accountants, government accountants, corporate accountants and educating accountants. All types of the accounting professions still provide large employment opportunities for graduates of accounting majors, but this opportunity is not accompanied by an increasing number of public accountants in Indonesia. The background of this phenomenon is the basis of this research. The research approach uses quantitative analysis, with questionnaires as research instruments, and calculates using SPSS, the results of this study found that overall there is an influence of perceptions of accounting students and alumni seen from the desire of accountant careers in terms of financial salaries, professional training, recognition professionals, social values, work environment and labor market considerations. Whereas from Gender Equality it was concluded that overall there was no influence on the perceptions of students and accounting alumni in the accounting career choice.

Keywords: Perceptions, Accounting, Students, Alumni, Accountant Careers