bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ANALISIS FAKTOR PENGHAMBAT PROSES BELAJA MENGAJAR GURU MATEMATIKA SMA SE-KABUPATEN PULAU MOROTAI (Analysis of Problem Factors in learning process of Mathematics teachers)
Authors: Taib Zulkifli
Published: February 2020

This study is aimed to answer the question in this research such as: (1) wha problems are faced by the teachers in learning mathematics at Senior High school of Morotai? (2) what kinds of effort by the teachers in learning process? (3) what is the solution for the problems in learning process ? data collecting   technique   in   this   research   is   anklet,   questioners,   interview,   observation,   and documentation. The subject of this research is the of Mathematics subject at Senior High school Morotai Island which is consisted of 8 teachers. There are several angket which is possible to have as problem in learning process include of teachers, learning process, facility and learning evaluation. Generally, the result of this resereach shows that all the factors who have the potential to influence unsuccessable in learning mathematics subject. Otherwise, the dominant part here is the students who have a very low motivation and interest to learn mathematics subject. In overcoming   that problem, all the teachers in Morotai Island do not yet carry out an real action to solve the problem as well wich is only SMAll meeting that carry out in learning process. Based on the result of the research above, it can be concluded that learning problem is a complex problem which must be paid attention. That is why, even the SMAll barrier can also influence the learning success as well. And the teacher at once has very big responsibility that must innovate students in learning process as well. Key word: Faktor penghambat, belajar-mengajar, matematika
PENERAPAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN TEMATIK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN AKTIVITAS BELAJAR MATEMATIKA PADA SISWA KELAS II SD COKROMINOTO 01 MANADO
Authors: Mahmud Nurhamsa , Muhammad Ikmal
Published: February 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan aktivitas belajar matematika pada siswa kelas II SD Cokrominoto 01Manado dengan jumlah 21siswa. Metode yang digunakan adalah penelitian tindakan kelas yang terdiri dari dua siklus setiap siklus terdiri dari empat tahapan yakni 1, tahap perencanaan,2 tahap pelaksanaan, 3 tahap pengamatan, 4. Tahap refleksi,  untuk data aktivitas dan hasilbelajar melalui tes kemudian dianalisis menggunakan deskriptif dan presentase hasil penelitian dan pembehasan menunjukan penerapan model pembelajaran tematik dapat meningkatkan aktivitas dan hasil belajar matematika yang signifikan dilihat dari siklus I aktivitas  memperhatikan penjelasan guru sebanyak 25% hal ini belum menunjukan peningkatan  karena masih banyak siswa yang ngobrol dengan teman-teman dalam kelasnya, selanjutnya pada aktivitas bertanya dan menjawab pertanyaan guru adalah 30%, dan pada aktivitas menjawab pertanyaan guru 25% pada aktivitas ini juga belam ada peningkatan, karena siswa masih merasa takut dankaku dalam menjawab pertanyaan yang diberikan oleh guru, selanjutnya pada aktivitas mengikuti games 40% dan aktivitas mengerjakan tugas 40%,dan padahasil tes belajar 45,50%.  Selanjutnya  pada siklus II sudah mengalami peningkatan yang signifikan hal tersebut dapat dilihat pada aktivitas penjalasan guru pada siklus II sudah mencapai 60% dan pada aktivitas bertanyapada guru sudah mencapai 65%, selanjutnya pada aktivitas menjawab pertanyaan guru 80,23% dan pada aktivitas mengikuti games 87,25%, dan pada mengerjakan tugas 87,35%  dan pada hasil tes belajar 90,75%.Kata kunci: model pembelajaran, tematik, aktivitas belajar matematika
PERANAN KEPALA SEKOLAH SEBAGAI SUPERVISIOR DALAM MENINGKATKAN KUALITAS PEMBELAJARAN (Telaah Teortik)
Authors: Hasim Rustam , Hayun Subhan
Published: February 2020

Principal as a supervisor has important roles in learning and teaching process, and has educational standards and qualities. In performing his or her roles, principal always pays attention to human relations among teachers, employers and students. Supervision is an effort to help and service teachers to improve their teaching ability. Supervisor is not directly linked to students, since teachers manage students. Supervisor is not a directive task but more likely to be a consultative one (such as supporting, suggesting, and guiding). Method used in this research is descriptive qualitative method which illustrates and describes the roles of principal in improving the learning quality. The roles of principal as administrator and supervisor are the main object. Based on teacher competency, the ability of teachers shows a slight improvement. The improvement of teachers' ability is resulted from supervision ways and approaches at school in managing, supporting and guiding the elements of schools. Based on quality standard, the implementation of supervision is improved. This means that the assistance and the management of the supervisor of the principal, and supervision approaches implemented by the principal in his or her effort to increase and to develop teachers' competency in the process of learning and teaching show better qualities and progression.Keywords: Supervision, Principal, and Teachers' Competency
MODEL STUDENT TEAMS ACHIEVIEMENT DEVISION (STAD) BERPENDEKATAN SAITIFIK UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN KOGNITIF BIOLOGI SISWA SMA
Authors: Saleh Sumiyati , Bahtiar Bahtiar , Haerullah Ade
Published: February 2020

Model Student Teams Achieviement Devision (STAD) merupakan pembelajaran kooperatif yang sederhana, yang terdiri atas langkah utama yaitu: presentasi kelas, kerja tim, kuis, dan rekognisi tim. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh model pembelajaran STAD terhadap kemampuan kognitif siswa di SMA Negeri 2 Kota Ternate pada materi berbagai tingkat keanekaragaman hayati di Indonesia beserta ancaman dan pelestariannya. Penelitian ini merupakan quasy eksperimen dengan rancangan Pretest–Posttes Nonequivalent Control Group. Populasi penelitian ini adalah siswa kelas X IPA, sementara populasi penelitian adalah peserta didik kelas X IPA1 dan  X IPA2, dengan jumlah siswa masing-masing 25  orang.  Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah tes kemapuan (preetes dan posttes). Hasil uji anacova menunjukkan nilai sig. 0,000˂0,05, sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa penerapan model pembelajaran STAD berpendekatan saintifik berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kemampuan kognitif peserta didik.Kata kunci:  Model STAD,  saintifik , kemampuan kognitif.
Montelukast use over the past 20 years: monitoring of its effects and safety issues
Authors: Lee Yong Ju , Kim Chang-Keun
Published: February 2020

Montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, was launched 20 years ago in Korea. It is recommended as an alternative treatment for asthma in children with mild persistent symptoms or as an add-on treatment to existing low-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in children who require additional treatment. However, in the real-world setting, many doctors and patients prefer montelukast over ICSs despite their lower efficacy. Although montelukast is considered to be a safe drug, there are concerns regarding adverse drug reactions, including the rare occurrence of Churg-Strauss syndrome and, despite insufficient data, the possibility of neuropsychiatric events such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and suicidality. This review identified that montelukast has significantly contributed to asthma control over the past 20 years in Korea and has been critical for reducing asthma severity, especially early wheezing and disease control. Our findings suggest that the effects of montelukast treatment can be monitored by measuring serum eosinophilderived neurotoxin levels.
Short- and long-term outcomes of very low birth weight infants in Korea: Korean Neonatal Network update in 2019
Authors: Lee Jang Hoon , Youn YoungAh , Chang Yun Sil ,   Korean Neonatal Network
Published: February 2020

Korea currently has the world’s lowest birth rate but a rapidly inreasing number of preterm infants. The Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), launched by the Korean Society of Neonatology under the support of Korea Centers for Disease Control, has collected population-based data for very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) born in Korea since 2013. In terms of the short-term outcomes of VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2016 registered in the KNN, the survival rate of all VLBWIs was 86%. Respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were observed in 78% and 30% of all VLBWIs, respectively. Necrotizing enterocolitis occurred in 7%, while 8% of the VLBWIs needed therapy for retinopathy of prematurity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Sepsis occurred in 21% during their NICU stay. Intraventricular hemorrhage (grade ≥III) was diagnosed in 10%. In terms of the long-term outcomes for VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2014 registered in the KNN, the post-discharge mortality rate was approximately 1.2%–1.5%, mainly owing to their underlying illness. Nearly half of the VLBWIs were readmitted to the hospital at least once in their first 1–2 years of life, mostly as a result of respiratory diseases. The overall prevalence of cerebral palsy was 6.2%–6.6% in Korea. Bilateral blindness was reported in 0.2%–0.3% of VLBWIs, while bilateral hearing loss was found in 0.8%–1.9%. Since its establishment, the KNN has published annual reports and papers that facilitate the improvement of VLBWI outcome and the formulation of essential healthcare policies in Korea.
Association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk of bone fractures in offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ayubi Erfan , Safiri Saeid , Mansori Kamyar
Published: February 2020

This study aimed to investigate the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) on the risk of bone fractures in the offspring through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were systematically searched for relevant articles published through July 2019. According to heterogeneity, the pooled risk ratio (RR) and odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained using fixed or random effects models. The heterogeneity and quality of the included studies were assessed by the I-squared (I2 ) statistic and the NewcastleOttawa scale, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the effect of MSDP misclassification on the results. The review of 842 search records yielded 5 studies including 8,746 mother-child pairs that were included in the meta-analysis. Pooling adjusted effect measures showed that MSDP was not associated with a later risk of bone fractures in the offspring (pooled RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.84–1.58; I2 =66.8%; P=0.049). After the adjustment for misclassification, MSDP may be associated with a 27% increased risk of bone fracture (pooled OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.00–1.62; I2 =0%; P=0.537). After the adjustment for misclassification, MSDP is associated with an increased risk of bone fractures among children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy.
VIDEOCOLUMNISMO. Desafíos para el periodismo de opinión
Authors: Gaviria Cuartas Cesar Augusto , Polo Paredes Diego Alberto
Published: February 2020

El artículo presenta la reflexión teórica, resultado de investigación, acerca del fenómeno mediático denominado “videocolumnismo”. Se exponen algunos de los aspectos históricos de aparición de la prensa en Occidente, proposiciones acerca de la esfera de lo público y la Modernidad, el modelo clásico de periodismo de opinión y las apropiaciones tecnológicas por parte de usuarios que se mueven en el escenario de la esfera pública virtual. Al final del escrito, se muestran las continuidades y discontinuidades del columnista de opinión clásico frente al videocolumnista como figura del comentario político en línea.
MELAMPAUI KESEPIAN DALAM KOMUNIKASI INTRAPERSONAL PADA FILM JOKER KARYA TODD PHILLIPS
Authors: Sasongko Yohanes Probo Dwi , Marta Rustono Farady
Published: February 2020

ABSTRAKPerkembangan serta kemajuan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi telah menghantar dan menghadirkan dampak perubahan tersendiri dalam kehidupan manusia. Namun, perlu disadari, laju pertumbuhan pengetahuan yang semakin tinggi tidak dapat menjadi penawar ketika manusia mengalami kesepian dalam hidupnya. Film Joker karya Todd Phillpis menjadi salah satu cerminan bahwa ditengah arus kemajuan teknologi, pertumbuhan ekonomi yang semakin dirasa sulit. Manusia kerap mengalami degradasi dalam  moralitas. Ketika manusia tidak mampu mengenal dekat mengenai kesepiannya, tindakan pelepasan, pelarian dan pelampiasannya dapat dilakukan secara tidak wajar dan manusiawi. Melalui komunikasi intarpersonal yang baik dan benar kita dapat mengenali, berdamai dan melampaui dengan kesepian ituKata-kata kunci : Melampaui, Komunikasi Intrapersonal, Kesepian, Joker, Arhur ABSTRACTThe development and progress of science and technology has brought and brought the impact of its own changes in human life. However, we need to realize that the higher rate of knowledge growth cannot be an antidote when people experience loneliness in their lives. Todd Phillpis's Joker film is a reflection that in the midst of technological advances, economic growth is increasingly difficult. Humans often experience degradation in morality. When humans are not able to know closely about their loneliness, the act of release, escape and impingement can be done unnaturally and humanly. Through good and true interpersonal communication we can recognize, reconcile and transcend that loneliness.Keywords: Beyond,  Intrapersonal Communication, Lonely, Joker, Arthur
HUMAS DALAM PERSPEKTIF ONTOLOGIS: TINJAUAN FUNGSIONAL MANAJEMEN HUMAS
Authors: Faiz Faiz , Rahwiniyanto Didik
Published: February 2020

This paper aims to examine the functional review of public relations management from an ontology perspective. Public Relations is an organizational activity that is manifested in the form of activities and at the same time is a process of communication between one individual with an individual or a community. The communication process that occurs and is created in this activity, is very important for the smooth and sustainable organization. Therefore, an ontology approach is needed, as part of a philosophical study to dissect about public relations management in terms of its function. As part of the study of philosophy, ontology has a very important role in finding out what and to what extent public relations management is to be achieved. In this perspective, the study of the functional review of public relations management concerns matters that have an existence in the dimensions of space and time, and can be reached by sensory experience, which includes the phenomenon of public relations that can be observed, measured and can be obtained and can be interpreted, so that it can be drawn a conclusion. This study uses a qualitative research type library approach. The data analysis technique used is content analysis. The results of the study show that; the managerial functional review of public relations covers the activities of fact finding, planning, communication, actuating, and evaluating.
Regulating Sin in the City: The Moral Geographies of Naval Port Towns in Britain and Germany, c.1860–1914
Authors: Beaven Brad , Seiter Mathias
Published: February 2020

Naval towns were regarded as potent symbols of imperial power. Beneath this image however, contemporaries were concerned about the prostitution and heavy drinking which were associated with the sailortowns of naval ports. While historians have analysed merchant ports to explore social structures and economic networks, this study will evaluate how imperial and national discourses created distinct moral geographies which separated sailortown from the more ‘respectable’ urban spaces. We shall argue that while the naval and civic authorities in Portsmouth and Kiel shared the concern that a sailortown culture had the potential to undermine naval effectiveness, they imagined and regulated urban space differently. In imagining, analysing and regulating sailortown, the British authorities and social reformers drew inspiration from colonial missionaries in their Empire. In contrast, their German counterparts focused on national and moral degeneration and followed a more continental European tradition in regulating urban space. Although, historians have prioritised economic forces in shaping urban space, this article will argue that imperial and national cultural discourses were critical in how contemporaries imagined and regulated moral geographical boundaries in the nineteenth-century city.
The Fabianisation of the British Empire: Post-War Colonial Summer Conferences and Community Development in Kenya, 1948–1956
Authors: Snyder Joseph M.
Published: February 2020

This article examines the influence of the Fabian Society on post-war colonial development from 1948 to 1956. This study demonstrates that a primary vehicle for the ‘Fabianisation’ of the British Empire was the Cambridge Summer Conference series, particularly the conference convened in 1948. Held on the encouragement of initiative in African society, the conference devised a policy framework of community development based on a model of mass education long favoured by Arthur Creech Jones, secretary of state for the colonies and former chair of the Fabian Colonial Bureau (FCB).

This article also looks at the practical outcomes of that influence through a case study of community development in Kenya. It demonstrates that, despite Creech Jones' appointment as secretary of state for the colonies, severe challenges remained for the realisation of Fabian-favoured designs, including those posed by inertia and resistance in the territories, which emanated from both colonial officialdom and indigenous populations. Moreover, the findings indicate that the fulfilment of British development goals was critically dependent on the translation of those goals through the medium of indigenous cultural institutions.

While the findings attest that ‘Fabianisation’ during this period produced tangible development projects that concretely impacted social welfare in the colonies, the results suggest an ambiguity surrounding the relative success of ‘Fabianised’ development. The findings indicate that ‘Fabianisation’, dependent upon the processes of negotiation that transpired between the African communities being ‘developed’ and the agents responsible for change, and the ability of those agents to inspire and motivate the indigenous populations, was at best partial.
PENGARUH DUAL-TASK TRAINING (MOTOR-COGNITIVE) TERHADAP MEMORI JANGKA PENDEK PADA ANAK USIA SEKOLAH
Authors: Lestari Eka -
Published: February 2020

ABSTRAK

Anak usia sekolah merupakan masa anak terjun ke dalam lingkungan sosial yang lebih luas dan mulai menghadapi tugas-tugas baru. Perkembangan anak pada masa ini harus selalu diperhatikan, mulai dari perkembangan kognitif, motorik, sensorik, fisik, bahasa, dan emosional anak. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh dual-task training (motor-cognitive) terhadap perubahan memori jangka pendek pada anak usia sekolah. Penelitian ini menggunakan quasi experimental design dengan jenis rancangan time series experimental design (post-test setiap minggu dilakukan). Subyek penelitian yaitu anak usia 10-11 tahun di SD Inpres Kera-Kera, Makassar yang dalam kondisi sehat baik secara fisik dan mental, memiliki IMT normal dan tidak mengalami gangguan keseimbangan. Jumlah repsonden sebanyak 30 orang (diluar dropout) dan menjalani pelatihan dual-task training selama 4 minggu (12 kali perlakuan). Hasil penelitian setelah dilakukan uji normalitas Shapiro Wilk diperoleh sebaran data tidak normal (p<0,05), kemudian dilakukan uji hipotesis menggunakan uji Friedman+Pos Hoc Wilcoxon dan diperoleh nilai signifikan p=0,000 (p<0,05). Hasil analisis data yang dillihat mulai dari pretest, post-test 1, post-test 2, post-test 3, dan post-test 4 menunjukkan adanya peningkatan. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh dual-task training (motor-cognitive) terhadap perubahan memori jangka pendek pada anak usia sekolah.

 Kata Kunci: dual-task training, memori jangka pendek, anak usia sekolah, digit span test

 ABSTRACT

School-age children are the childhood years of plunging into the wider social environment and start facing new tasks. The child's development period must always be considered, starting from cognitive, motoric, sensory, physical, language, and emotional development of children. This study aims to determine the effect of dual-task training (motor-cognitive) on changes in short-term memory in school-age children. This study uses a quasi-experimental design with the type of experimental time series design (post-test every week is done). The research subjects were children aged 10-11 years in SD Inpres Kera-Kera, Makassar who were in good health both physically and mentally, had a normal BMI and had no impaired balance.. The number of respondents was 30 peoples (out of dropout) and underwent dual-task training for 4 weeks (12 times treatments). The results of this study after Shapiro Wilk normality test obtained abnormal distribution of data (p <0.05), then carried out hypothesis testing using Friedman + Pos Hoc Wilcoxon test and obtained a significant value p = 0,0001 (p <0.05). The results of the data analysis starting from the pretest, post-test 1, post-test 2, post-test 3 and post-test 4 showed an increase.. This shows that there is an influence of dual-task training (motor-cognitive) on changes short-term memory in school-age children.

 Keywords: dual-task training, short-term memory, school-age children, digit span test
Course Designs for Critical Thinking in Online Courses in Political Theory: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Phillips John
Published: February 2020

This paper uses regression analysis to test design features and assignment types on 411 essays scored with the Washington State Critical Thinking rubric over the period of 11 semesters (2013-2019). Quizzes, exams, and specially designed critical thinking exercises (CTEs) are not found to boost critical thinking for online students. Participation in discussions (mainly through post reading), reading, and essay writing are all found to have a positive impact on subsequently measured CT, while the overall number of assignments in a semester tends to operate in the opposite direction. Comparatively, asynchronous discussion is not clearly superior to essay writing when it comes to promoting CT. However, the greatest payoff in online political theory courses might be to find ways to get students to read more (discussion posts and posted materials).
Is Sex Addiction an Addiction?
Authors: Edery Rivka A
Published: February 2020

In the past decade or so there has been a development for the addiction paradigm to be applied to sexual behaviors. An increasing number of people are reporting excessive thoughts or behavior that is sexual in nature, and that they claim causes them suffering. They attribute this suffering as sex "addiction" [1]. Diagnosing sex addictions implicate narratives of a compulsive obsession with behaviors of a sexual nature. It also needs to obstruct everyday living [2].
EXPERIENCE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF HOT IN-PLACE RECYCLING OF ASPHALT CONCRETE IN UKRAINE
Authors: Nagaychuk Vasyl , Illiash Sergii , Tereshchenko Tatyana
Published: February 2020

Rehabilitation of asphalt concrete layers of road pavements using HIR technologies enables effective elimination of surface defects (rutting, cracking, raveling, bleeding (flushing)) including defects caused by the non-conformity of asphalt concrete to the standard specifications. Due to the economical and ecological advantages, HIR technologies belong to the present-day effective alternative methods of rehabilitation of asphalt concrete pavements.
In Ukraine, HIR technologies were first applied on intermediate repair works on an area of the international road I-01 “Kyiv-Chernihiv-Novyye Yarylovichi” in the 2013. Now, HIR technologies have been applied on repair works on numerical objects including areas on such state motor roads as I-01, I-06, N-09, R-10, R-67.
The presented paper analyzes the results of monitoring of materials and technologies which was aimed on HIR performance investigation supported by State Road Agency of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) throughout 2014-2018.
The results of monitoring of HIR technologies including laboratory evaluation of materials and also field testing of the rehabilitated pavements led to the conclusions fitted by the world-wide experience on implementation of HIR technologies.
1. Being applied to the structurally sound pavements, HIR provides effective elimination of surface defects of flexible pavement to a depth of (50-60) mm including defects caused by the non-conformity of asphalt concrete to the standard specifications. However, HIR is not suitable for existing asphalt pavements which have too much variation in asphalt concrete composition and thickness within the project limits.
2. The efficiency of asphalt pavement rehabilitation using HIR technologies largely depends on precise engineering consideration which determines the efficiency of preparatory (repair) works including some special works such as:
– correction of cracks in case of cracking that extends below the depth of hot recycling;
– re-compaction of an unbound base layer(s) in case of the insufficient compaction causing “alligatored” network-like cracking of asphalt pavement.
3. Proper technical and working conditions of the rehabilitated pavement during the nominal life cycle could be maintained by overlaying the surface treatment using bituminous emulsion materials or by single-pass overlaying a new hot-mixed asphalt concrete layer.
Investigations accomplished during the implementation of HIR technologies allow enhance quality of recycled materials and also promote the entire adaptation of HIR technologies to the Ukrainian standards.
Keywords: asphalt pavement rehabilitation, hot in-place recycling, recycled asphalt concrete, field testing, road pavement strength measurement, rutting measurement.
Protective Effects of Sulforaphane on Exercise-Induced Organ Damage via Inducing Antioxidant Defense Responses
Authors: Ruhee Ruheea Taskin , Ma Sihui , Suzuki Katsuhiko
Published: February 2020

Regular exercise is beneficial to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but the beneficial effects are lost in the case of acute exhaustive exercise; this causes significant inflammation, oxidative stress along with organ damage. Recently, sulforaphane (SFN), an indirect antioxidant, has drawn special attention for its potential protective effect against inflammation and oxidative stress. However, no studies have been performed regarding acute exhaustive exercise-induced organ damage in association with SFN administration. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of SFN on acute exhaustive exercise-induced organ damage and the mechanisms involved. To perform the study, we divided mice into four groups: Control, SFN, exercise, and SFN plus exercise. The SFN group was administered orally (50 mg/kg body wt) 2 h before the running test. We measured plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and acute exhaustive exercise significantly increased these biomarkers. In addition, the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, were significantly increased in the liver of exercise group. However, the SFN plus exercise group showed a significant reduction in the expression of cytokines and blood biomarkers of tissue damage or cell death. Furthermore, we measured mRNA expression of Nrf2, heme oxygenase (HO)-1, and antioxidant defense enzymes expression, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD1), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) in the liver. The expression of all these biomarkers was significantly upregulated in the SFN plus exercise group. Collectively, SFN may protect the liver from exhaustive exercise-induced inflammation via inducing antioxidant defense response through the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signal transduction pathway.
Defect Detection in Striped Images Using a One-Dimensional Median Filter
Authors: Lee Wei-Chen , Tai Pei-Ling
Published: February 2020

Defect detection is a key element of quality assurance in many modern manufacturing processes. Defect detection methods, however, often involve a great deal of time and manual work. Image processing has become widely used as a means of reducing the required detection time and effort in manufacturing. To this end, this study proposes an image-processing algorithm for detecting defects in images with striped backgrounds—defect types include scratches and stains. In order to detect defects, the proposed method first pre-processes images and rotates them to align the stripes horizontally. Then, the images are divided into two parts: blocks and intervals. For the blocks, a one-dimensional median filter is used to generate defect-free images, and the difference between the original images and the defect-free images is calculated to find defects. For the intervals, defects are identified using image binarization. Finally, the method superposes the results found in the blocks and intervals to obtain final images with all defects marked. This study evaluated the performance of the proposed algorithm using 65 synthesized images and 20 actual images. The method achieved an accuracy of 97.2% based on the correctness of the defect locations. The defects that could not be identified were those whose greyscales were very close to those of the background.
Recent Progress in Biochar-Based Photocatalysts for Wastewater Treatment: Synthesis, Mechanisms, and Applications
Authors: Cui Jiali , Zhang Feng , Li Hongyan , Cui Jianguo , Ren Yatao , Yu Xiaochen
Published: February 2020

Biochar (BC) is a carbon-rich material produced from pyrolysis of biomass. In addition to its low toxicity, environmental compatibility, and low cost, BC has the desired advantages of well-developed mesoporous structure and abundant surface functional groups. In recent years, BC-based photocatalysts (BCPs) have played a significant role in many environmental fields. In this paper, we highlight the current progress and several exciting results of BCPs by focusing on their synthesis, characterization, mechanisms, and applications in wastewater treatment. Details on various preparation methods include sol–gel, hydrothermal/solvothermal, ultrasound, calcination, and in situ methods are summarized and discussed. The underlying mechanisms and the applications of BCPs for different semiconductors are reviewed. Furthermore, some future trends and potentials are outlined.
Impact of a Hybrid Assisted Wheelchair Propulsion System on Motion Kinematics during Climbing up a Slope
Authors: Wieczorek Bartosz , Warguła Łukasz , Rybarczyk Dominik
Published: February 2020

Overcoming terrain obstacles presents a major problem for people with disabilities or with limited mobility who are dependent on wheelchairs. An engineering solution designed to facilitate the use of wheelchairs are assisted-propulsion systems. The objective of the research described in this article is to analyze the impact of the hybrid manual–electric wheelchair propulsion system on the kinematics of the anthropotechnical system when climbing hills. The tests were carried out on a wheelchair ramp with an incline of 4°, using a prototype wheelchair with a hybrid manual–electric propulsion system in accordance with the patent application P.427855. The test subjects were three people whose task was to propel the wheelchair in two assistance modes supporting manual propulsion. The first mode is hill-climbing assistance, while the second one is assistance with propulsion torque in the propulsive phase. During the tests, several kinematic parameters of the wheelchair were monitored. An in-depth analysis was performed for the amplitude of speed during a hill climb and the number of propulsive cycles performed on a hill. The tests performed showed that when propelling the wheelchair only using the hand rims, the subject needed an average of 13 ± 1 pushes on the uphill slope, and their speed amplitude was 1.8 km/h with an average speed of 1.73 km/h. The climbing assistance mode reduced the speed amplitude to 0.76 km/h. The torque-assisted mode in the propulsive phase reduced the number of cycles required to climb the hill from 13 to 6, while in the climbing assistance mode the number of cycles required to climb the hill was reduced from 12 to 10 cycles. The tests were carried out at various values of assistance and assistance amplification coefficient, and the most optimally selected parameters of this coefficient are presented in the results. The tests proved that electric propulsion assistance has a beneficial and significant impact on the kinematics of manual wheelchair propulsion when compared to a classic manual propulsion system when overcoming hills. In addition, assistance and assistance amplification coefficient were proved to be correlated with operating conditions and the user’s individual characteristics.
3D Numerical Modeling of Induced-Polarization Grounded Electrical-Source Airborne Transient Electromagnetic Response Based on the Fictitious Wave Field Methods
Authors: Ji Yanju , Meng Xiangdong , Huang Weimin , Wu Yanqi , Li Gang
Published: February 2020

The grounded electrical-source airborne transient electromagnetic (GREATEM) system is widely used in mineral exploration. Meanwhile, the induced polarization (IP) effect, which indicates the polarizability of the earth, is often found. In this paper, the Maxwell equations in the frequency domain are transformed into fictitious wave domain, where Maxwell equations are solved by the time domain finite difference method. Then, an integral transformation method is used to convert the calculation results back to the time domain. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation in a polarizable medium is presented. The accuracy of this method is proven by comparing it with the analytical solution and the existing method, and the calculation efficiency is increased five-fold. The simulation results show that the GREATEM system has a higher response amplitude in the conductive region, while IP effects cannot be identified in the conductive area. The GREATEM system has a higher response amplitude in the low-resistance region, but IP effects cannot be identified in the low-resistance area, and the detection of IP effects is more suitable for the high-resistance area. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the detection ability of the GREATEM system in the low-resistance area.
Side-Scan Sonar Image Fusion Based on Sum-Modified Laplacian Energy Filtering and Improved Dual-Channel Impulse Neural Network
Authors: Zhou Ping , Chen Gang , Wang Mingwei , Liu Xianglin , Chen Song , Sun Runzhi
Published: February 2020

The operation mode of a single strip provides incomplete side-scan sonar image in a specific environment and range, resulting in the overlapping area between adjacent strips often with imperfect detection information or inaccurate target contour. In this paper, a sum-modified Laplacian energy filtering (SMLF) and improved dual-channel pulse coupled neural network (IDPCNN) are proposed for image fusion of side-scan sonar in the domain of nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT). Among them, SMLF energy is applied to extract the fusion coefficients of the low frequency sub-band, which combines the characteristics of energy information, human visual contrast, and guided filtering to eliminate the pseudo contour effect of block flow. In addition, the IDPCNN model, which utilizes the average gradient, soft limit function, and novel sum-modified Laplacian (NSML) to adaptively represent the corresponding excitation parameters, is applied to improve the depth and activity of pulse ignition, so as to quickly and accurately select the image coefficients of the high frequency sub-band. The experimental results show that the proposed method displays fine geomorphic information and clear target contour in the overlapping area of adjacent strips. The objective index values are generally optimal, which reflect the information of image edge, clarity, and overall similarity.
Denoising Directional Room Impulse Responses with Spatially Anisotropic Late Reverberation Tails
Authors: Massé Pierre , Carpentier Thibaut , Warusfel Olivier , Noisternig Markus
Published: February 2020

Directional room impulse responses (DRIR) measured with spherical microphone arrays (SMA) enable the reproduction of room reverberation effects on three-dimensional surround-sound systems (e.g., Higher-Order Ambisonics) through multichannel convolution. However, such measurements inevitably contain a nondecaying noise floor that may produce an audible “infinite reverberation effect” upon convolution. If the late reverberation tail can be considered a diffuse field before reaching the noise floor, the latter may be removed and replaced with an extension of the exponentially-decaying tail synthesized as a zero-mean Gaussian noise. This has previously been shown to preserve the diffuse-field properties of the late reverberation tail when performed in the spherical harmonic domain (SHD). In this paper, we show that in the case of highly anisotropic yet incoherent late fields, the spatial symmetry of the spherical harmonics is not conducive to preserving the energy distribution of the reverberation tail. To remedy this, we propose denoising in an optimized spatial domain obtained by plane-wave decomposition (PWD), and demonstrate that this method equally preserves the incoherence of the late reverberation field.
Security Architecture for Cloud-Based Command and Control System in IoT Environment
Authors: Koo Jahoon , Oh Se-Ra , Lee Sang Hoon , Kim Young-Gab
Published: February 2020

With the development of the fourth industrial technology, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, developed countries including the U.S. are investigating the efficiency of national defense, the public sector and national innovation, and constructing the infrastructure for cloud computing environments through related policies. The Republic of Korea is enacting the related legislation and considering the fourth industrial technology in various fields. Particularly, it is considering the adaptation of the cloud to the command and control system in the national defense sector; hence, related research and pilot projects are being conducted. However, if the existing information system is converted to a cloud computing system by introducing IoT devices, existing security requirements cannot solve problems related to the security vulnerabilities of cloud computing. Therefore, to build a cloud-based secure command and control system, it is necessary to derive additional cloud computing-related security requirements that are lacking in the existing security requirements, and to build a secure national defense command and control system architecture based upon it. In this paper, we derive security requirements for a cloud-based command control system, propose a security architecture designed based thereupon, and implement a security architecture with an open-stack-based cloud platform, “OpenStack”.
Influence of Myeloperoxidase Levels on Periodontal Disease: An Applied Clinical Study
Authors: Polizzi Alessandro , Torrisi Salvatore , Santonocito Simona , Di Stefano Mattia , Indelicato Francesco , Lo Giudice Antonino
Published: February 2020

In this trial, we evaluated the influence on plasma and salivary myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels of periodontal health, coronary heart disease (CHD), periodontitis, or both periodontitis and CHD. Clinical and periodontal parameters were collected from periodontitis patients (n = 31), CHD patients (n = 31), patients with both periodontitis and CHD (n = 31), and from healthy patients (n = 31) together with saliva and plasma samples. The median concentrations of salivary and plasma MPO were statistically higher in the CHD patients [plasma: 26.2 (18.2–34.4) ng/mg; saliva 83.2 (77.4–101.5) ng/mL, p < 0.01] and in the periodontitis plus CHD patients [plasma: 27.8 (22.5–35.7) ng/mg; saliva 85.6 (76.5–106.7) ng/mL, p < 0.001] with respect to periodontitis and control patients. Through a univariate regression analysis, c-reactive protein (CRP) and CHD (both p < 0.001) and periodontitis (p = 0.024) were statistically correlated with MPO in plasma. The multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that only CRP was statistically the predictor of MPO in plasma (p < 0.001). The multivariate regression analysis in saliva demonstrated that, regarding MPO levels the only predictors were CRP (p < 0.001) and total cholesterol (p = 0.035). The present study evidenced that subjects with CHD and periodontitis plus CHD had higher plasma and salivary levels of MPO compared to subjects with periodontitis and healthy controls.
Applicability of a Design Assessment and Management for the Current Ammunition Depots in Taiwan
Authors: Lai Hsin-hung
Published: February 2020

In Taiwan, many ammunition depots have become outdated after having been in service for a long period of time, and if they are not properly managed, then accidental explosions might erupt inside. Leakage pressure after an explosion is closely related to the opening of the structure and the thickness of the wall. In order to reduce the risk of implosion, it is necessary to design a new structure or strengthen the existing ammunition libraries for the storage of ammunition required for combat. In order to evaluate the applicability of an existing ammunition depot design, making management simpler and safer, this study integrates the scale model experiment of an ammunition depot with computer simulation, the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) algorithm in ANSYS/LS-DYNA software, and it compares the results with the UFC3-340-02 specification in order to verify its applicability. The results show that computer simulation can verify that the data related to an implosion of an ammunition depot is similar to the specification. Therefore, the design results of the ammunition depot optimized by computer simulation can be used as a reference for the construction or strengthening of ammunition depots.
Large Genetic Intraspecific Diversity of Autochthonous Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeasts Isolated from PDO Tuscan Bread Sourdough
Authors: Palla Michela , Cristani Caterina , Giovannetti Manuela , Agnolucci Monica
Published: February 2020

The diverse metabolites, positively affecting the nutritional, organoleptic and technological traits of leavened baked goods, are produced by different sourdough lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast strains, as the result of their genetic intraspecific diversity. Therefore, the molecular and functional strain-level characterization of sourdough microbiota is crucial to valorize traditional or origin protected baked end-products, develop innovative starter cultures and design functional cereal-based foods. To this aim, the genetic intraspecific diversity of 96 Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, 65 Kazachstania humilis and three Saccharomyces cerevisiae characterizing Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Tuscan bread sourdough, was investigated, using P4, P7 and M13 random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR), (GTG)5 repetitive element sequence-based (rep)-PCR and inter-delta region analyses, respectively. Regarding LAB, the combination of P4, P7 and M13 RAPD-PCR analyses revealed a huge degree of intraspecific variability, discriminating 43 biotypes out of 96 isolates of L. sanfranciscensis. (GTG)5 rep-PCR showed a discriminatory index of 0.95, grouping the 65 K. humilis isolated from PDO Tuscan bread sourdough in 9 biotypes. The high polymorphism among both LAB and yeast isolates of PDO Tuscan bread sourdough outlines a highly complex microbial community structure, whose relative composition and specific physiological characteristics could be responsible for the peculiar organoleptic, rheological, nutritional and potentially nutraceutical features of PDO Tuscan bread.
A Method for Evaluating the Impact Wear Behavior of Multilayer TiN/Ti Coating
Authors: Cao Xin , Xu Weisheng , He Weifeng
Published: February 2020

An energy-controlled cycling impact test was applied to evaluate the impact wear behavior of hard coating. A multilayer TiN/Ti coating with a total thickness of ~10 μm, containing two TiN layers and two Ti layers, with the thickness ratio of these two kinds of the layers being 9:1, was chosen as the research object. The impact velocities were 60, 120, and 180 mm/s, and the impact cycles were 10, 102, 103, and 104, respectively. Damage morphology observation and numerical simulation were used to analyze the failure mechanisms. The results show that the contact time keeps almost constant under different impact velocities and cycles. Impact peak forces remain unchanged with increasing cycles at the same velocity, but they increase linearly with impact velocities, reaching a maximum value of 262.26 N at 180 mm/s. The energy dissipated rate (EDR) increases from 31.58% at 60 mm/s to 35.59% at 180 mm/s, indicating the degenerative toughness. Two impact-wear failure mechanisms are found in impact zones of the coating; these are peeling and circular cracks. Peelings are induced by cycling high-stress gradients in hard layers and interfaces. Circular cracks are caused by cycling tensile stresses in the form of fatigue at the edge of impacted pits.
Antibacterial Coatings for Improving the Performance of Biomaterials
Authors: Olmo Jon Andrade-Del , Ruiz-Rubio Leire , Pérez-Alvarez Leyre , Sáez-Martínez Virginia , Vilas-Vilela José Luis
Published: February 2020

Biomedical devices have become essential in the health care. Every day, an enormous number of these devices are used or implanted in humans. In this context, the bacterial contamination that could be developed in implanted devices is critical since it is estimated that infections kill more people than other medical causes. Commonly, these infections are treated with antibiotics, but the biofilm formation on implant surfaces could significantly reduce the effectiveness of these antibiotics since bacteria inside the biofilm is protected from the drug. In some cases, a complete removal of the implant is necessary in order to overcome the infection. In this context, antibacterial coatings are considered an excellent strategy to avoid biofilm formation and, therefore, mitigate the derived complications. In this review, the main biomaterials used in biomedical devices, the mechanism of biofilm formation, and the main strategies for the development of antibacterial coatings, are reviewed. Finally, the main polymer-based strategies to develop antibacterial coatings are summarized, with the aim of these coatings being to avoid the bacteria proliferation by controlling the antibacterial mechanisms involved and enhancing long-term stability.
Analysis of Encystment, Excystment, and Cyst Structure in Freshwater Eutardigrade Thulinius ruffoi (Tardigrada, Isohypsibioidea: Doryphoribiidae)
Authors: Janelt Kamil , Poprawa Izabela
Published: February 2020

Encystment in tardigrades is relatively poorly understood. It is seen as an adaptive strategy evolved to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions. This process is an example of the epigenetic, phenotypic plasticity which is closely linked to the molting process. Thulinius ruffoi is a freshwater eutardigrade and a representative of one of the biggest eutardigrade orders. This species is able to form cysts. The ovoid-shaped cysts of this species are known from nature, but cysts may also be obtained under laboratory conditions. During encystment, the animals undergo profound morphological changes that result in cyst formation. The animals surround their bodies with cuticles that isolate them from the environment. These cuticles form a cuticular capsule (cyst wall) which is composed of three cuticles. Each cuticle is morphologically distinct. The cuticles that form the cuticular capsule are increasingly simplified. During encystment, only one, unmodified and possibly functional buccal-pharyngeal apparatus was found to be formed. Apart from the feeding apparatus, the encysted specimens also possess a set of claws, and their body is covered with its own cuticle. As a consequence, the encysted animals are fully adapted to the active life after leaving the cyst capsule.