bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foreign experience in ensuring penitentiary security
Authors: Shcherbakov Andrey , Kolarov Georgiy
Published: August 2020

The article constructively examines the activities of penitentiary institutions of leading foreign countries to ensure penitentiary security, taking into account the possibility of its use in domestic practice. The general characteristic of the modern Penal system of Russia is given, the main stages of its reform are noted, the political line of humanization of the Penal sphere while ensuring security for society, citizens and the state is pointed out. The internal and external aspects of penitentiary security, their organic interrelation and its integral and complex character are noted. On the basis of comparative legal method, in combination with other methods of scientific knowledge, the foreign experience of ensuring security of penitentiary institutions by differentiating convicts and conditions of serving sentences, as well as taking into account the wide use of advanced technical means of control and supervision in the process of penitentiary activity, is considered. As a result of generalization of foreign experience and its comparison with domestic practice, the existing problems of legal regulation in terms of differentiation of convicts serving sentences with isolation from society, as well as in the use of technical means to ensure prison security, are identified, and amendments to the current Penal legislation are proposed. As a matter of discussion, taking into account the review of best foreign experience, issues relevant to domestic practice, concerning the peculiarities of ensuring prison security in emergency situations, the model of a private prison institution, and the development of forms of social control and supervision of persons released from prison institutions, are noted. In this regard, conclusions about the parameters of foreign experience use in domestic practice are formulated.
On the Interplay between Poets’ and Philologists’ Translations of Chinese Poetry into German
Authors: Landa Sara
Published: August 2020

‘[I]t has unfortunately become a fashion that people who obviously cannot claim to have any legitimation or any understanding in the field of sinology […], take hold of the sinological works of others and exploit them merely for business reasons’, complains the sinologist Leopold Woitsch in 1924, referring to Albert Ehrenstein's newest translations of Chinese poetry. The debate on who could authoritatively translate Chinese poetry was fiercely contested in German modernist circles and still rages to this day. Most scholars still contrast ‘poetical’ and ‘scholarly’ translations of Chinese poetry, either claiming that the former in an intuitive way come closer to the original, or criticizing the work of the poets who did not possess the linguistic and cultural background knowledge to dare approach Chinese poetry. However, it is exactly the interaction between the two modes that shaped the German reception of Chinese poetry in the twentieth century. Referring to a number of examples from the early-twentieth-century adaptations of Tang poetry, this article offers a more differentiated perspective on the cooperative and competitive relations between poets’ and scholars’ translations of Chinese poetry. Against the background of controversies surrounding ‘legitimate’ translations which shaped literary modernism in the early twentieth century, I show how the poetic and scholarly approaches were (and remain) closely interconnected, and discuss the thematic and aesthetic implications of this interrelationship.
Time Lost, Time Regained: Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Authors: Marcus Laura
Published: August 2020

This article discusses Billy Wilder's 1970 film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, which, though not enthusiastically received by audiences at the time, has subsequently become a work highly valued by critics and cineastes. Radically cut from its original four-part structure by the studio, it has come to be perceived as a film about loss. This relates both to its themes – suppressed love, the vanished world of Holmes and Watson – and to the history of the film itself, whose missing episodes exist only in fragmentary form. The first part of the essay looks at the ways in which the film constructs an image of Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Stephen), with a focus on the question of his sexuality, while the second part turns to the ways in which the film became an ‘obsession’ for one writer in particular, the novelist Jonathan Coe.
Nostalgic Masculinity: Homosocial Desire and Homosexual Panic in James Ellroy'sThis Storm
Authors: Ashman Nathan
Published: August 2020

The second volume in James Ellroy's ‘Second LA Quartet’, This Storm (2019), offers a complex miscellany of war profiteering, fifth column sabotage, and institutional corruption, all of which is starkly projected against the sobering backdrop of the internment of Japanese-Americans. Whilst presenting Ellroy's most diverse assemblage of characters to date, the narrative is, nonetheless, principally centred on the intersecting bonds between men. Although the prevalence of destructive masculine authority in Ellroy's works has been widely discussed, what has often been overlooked are the specifically ‘homosocial’ dimensions of these relationships. Whilst these homosocial bonds are frequently energised and solidified by homophobic violence (both physical and rhetorical), this paper will argue that they are simultaneously wrought by ‘homosexual panic’; the anxiety deriving for the indeterminate boundaries between homosocial and homosexual desire. This panic is expressed most profoundly in This Storm in the form of corrupt policeman Dudley Smith. Haunted by a repressed homosexual encounter, Smith's paranoid behaviour and increasingly punitive violence derives from his inability to establish clear boundaries between his intense homosocial bonds and latent homosexual desires. Thus, whilst Ellroy's ‘nostalgic masculinity’ attempts to circumscribe the dimensions and inviolability of male identity, the paranoia and violence that underscores the various machinations of Ellroy's crooked cops ultimately exposes the fragility of such constructions.
Factors Affecting Fish Consumption of Traditional Subsistence Fishers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Authors: QASİM Muhammad , QASİM Said , NAZİR Naila
Published: August 2020

Subsistence inland fisheries are underreported in developing countries like Pakistan. This study attempted to find out fish consumption determinants of traditional subsistence fishers in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province of Pakistan. Data were collected between March and December 2019 through 36 predetermined questions applied to 286 randomly selected households. The data were analyzed through multiple linear regression model. Study found that average fish consumption of the sample households was 3.3 kg per capita per annum, which is higher than Pakistan’s national average of 1.9 kg per capita per annum. The most viable reasons of fish consumption among the sample households were that most of them were; subsistence fishers, lived closed to water bodies and had easy access to fishing grounds. Majority of them consumed fish once a month in summer season but consumption increased in winter season. The regression results indicated that fish price, proximity to rivers, and family size have negative, whereas number of fishing equipment’s, education and family income have positive effect on fish consumption. Actions are needed to improve fish production in local rivers through hatcheries development and aquaculture encouragement, so that fish meat become affordable to other areas located far away from water bodies.
Seasonal population patterns of Holothuria Arenicola Semper, 1868 from Karachi coast, Northern Arabian Sea
Authors: AHMED Quratulan , BENZER Semra , ALİ Qadeer Mohammad
Published: August 2020

The present study was carried out to assess the reproduction weight-length based growth and condition factor of Holothuria arenicola Semper, 1868, from January to December 2018, in Karachi coast, Northern Arabian Sea. The sex percentage was determined as 33.3% females and 66.7% males. Length of specimens ranged from 14 and 38 cm and weight of specimens ranged from 21 and 82 g. The relationship was W = 2.408 L0.9482 (R2 = 0.999) for females, W = 0.989 L0.9482 (R2 = 0.998) for males and W = 1.234 L1.1565 (R2 = 0.999) for all individual. The condition factor ranged between 0.84 and 2.62 (mean: 1.52±0.70) in females and between 0.83 and 2.67 (mean: 1.43±0.71) in males. The gonadosomatic index of specimens ranged between 5.50 and 10.66 (mean: 7.95±1.24). The gutted weight of specimens ranged between 2.10 and 11.44 g (mean: 4.91±1.77). Studies about environmental variables and characteristics are necessary in order to complement the understanding of reproduction, the length-weight relationships and condition of sea cucumber in Karachi coast.
EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE AND MECHANICAL RELIABILITY FOR HIGH PRESSURE CO2 INTEGRALLY GEARED COMPRESSOR
Authors: Baba Toshiaki , Fujioka Koumei , Arihara Hirotoshi , Baba Yoshitaka , Iwata Takuya
Published: August 2020

Energy saving has become a trend as well as a countermeasure for global environmental issues. It can be one of the efficient solutions for reducing energy consumptions by adopting integrally geared compressors instead of inline compressors for industrial plants. The development of key technologies for the design centrifugal compressor such as CFD, FEM, Rotor dynamic Analysis has enabled integrally geared centrifugal compressors for higher pressure applications than ever.
A commercial size, 5 stages integrally geared CO2 centrifugal compressor of 20MPaG discharge pressure level was designed, manufactured and evaluated the fluid dynamic performances and rotor stability. It was installed in OEM’s factory and the full load and full pressure test was carried out using real CO2 gas. The actual compressor fluid dynamic performance has shown superior results even at high pressure supercritical gas conditions at the high pressure stages of the compressor. The mechanical performances such as rotor vibration and bearing temperature were also measured and observed that the vibration was substantially low and within safe limits even at high pressure operating conditions above 20MPaG.
Also the authors established a novel on Direct Rotor Excitation Method to experimentally investigate the rotor stability even at a high operating pressure level of 20MPaG. With this technique the measurements of the actual rotor natural frequencies and the damping ratios (log decrement) during high pressure operating conditions provided more precise results rather than conventional casing excitation method. The open impeller blade vibration was measured during running condition by using a non-contact blade vibration measurement technique. This measurement results revealed that impeller blades stress against the centrifugal force and the external excitation force was very low compared to the allowable stress value of the impeller material.
The fluid dynamic characteristics and mechanical reliability are assessed as acceptable including super critical gas condition of CO2 gas.
Representation in Politics: Transcendental Dreaming and Existential Crisis
Authors: Ziegler Micheal
Published: August 2020

This paper focuses on what Voegelin calls “unrestrained modernity” alongside an exploration of the problem of infinity in language representations discussed by Aristotle in Physics. Focusing my search on unlimited-representation leads me towards a discussion of what tradition is, how one represents traditions both in life and politics, and how modern traditions have failed to transcend beyond the occasion of their becoming, ultimately leading towards an existential crisis. For Voegelin, the failure of transcendental social representation creates the “phenomenon of a dream world” that leads to the ‘end of modernity.’ The institutional traditions most important for this paper are those of western representative democracies. Thus, the paper (1) aims at understanding how, for Voegelin, the threat of “unrestrained modernity” brings about “strong institutional traditions” of economic materialism, racism, corrupt psychology, scientism and technological ruthlessness, and (2) developing a means of helping us overcome the menace of dangerous socio-political conventions.
What we (do not) know about mammal coronavirus and general virus? Using bibliometric information to identify neglected taxonomic groups and potential viral reservoirs of zoonotic importance
Authors: Nunes Rhewter , Dias Renata Oliveira , Rodrigues Flavia Melo , Telles Mariana Pires de Campos
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently advancing in the world and has killed more people than other recent coronavirus outbreaks like SARS and MERS together. Coronaviruses known to infect humans were all associated to mammal sources, with different species acting as both natural and/or intermediate hosts of these viruses. Although the zoonotic origin of human coronaviruses is well accepted, a great number of mammal species were not yet investigated as their potential to carry these viruses. This work aimed to provide an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about what are the mammal groups well known to be associated to coronaviruses and other viruses and what are the most neglected groups in these studies. Here we analyze the production of scientific publications about these and other viruses in association with the 29 taxonomic orders of the Mammalia class. Our results highlighted that most of these taxonomic orders have been little studied or completely unexplored in researches with this focus, with only six orders accumulating more than 99% of the articles on coronaviruses in mammals. Ten mammal groups were not found in any scientific publication in association with coronaviruses, with four of them not found even in works mentioning any type of viruses. These results reinforce the importance of identify all the natural and intermediate hosts for viruses to improve monitoring of potential zoonosis and reduce the chances of new disease outbreaks.
Novel Endotherapy-Based Applications of Ozonated Water to Bobal Grapevines: Effect on Grape Quality
Authors: Campayo Ana , Serrano de la Hoz Kortes , García-Martínez M. Mercedes , Salinas M. Rosario , Alonso Gonzalo L.
Published: August 2020

Ozonated water has recently been incorporated in the management of grapevine diseases, which in turn can alter the fruit quality. When wood-inhabiting pathogens are involved, trunk injection or “endotherapy” represents a promising application method. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect on grape quality of ozonated water applied to Vitis vinifera L. cv. Bobal grapevines through endotherapy (E) or its combination with spraying (E + S). Grape quality at harvest was evaluated through several enological and chromatic parameters, the phenolic maturity, the varietal aroma potential index (IPAv) and the phenolic and volatile composition. The E treatment improved the chromatic characteristics and favored the accumulation of phenolic compounds. Conversely, E + S had a detrimental effect on the color and phenolic content and, although their synthesis was enhanced, the extractability of anthocyanins was negatively affected. In terms of aroma, both treatments reduced the content of glycosylated precursors but increased certain free volatiles. The application of ozonated water to grapevines, even when injected into the trunk, results in changes in fruit quality and a possible impact on wine attributes. Our findings and those in the literature support that, with the appropriate dose, frequency and method of application, ozonated water could be used with a twofold objective: disease management and grape quality improvement.
Bacterial Community Tolerance to Tetracycline Antibiotics in Cu Polluted Soils
Authors: Santás-Miguel Vanesa , Arias-Estévez Manuel , Díaz-Raviña Montserrat , Fernández-Sanjurjo María José , Álvarez-Rodríguez Esperanza , Núñez-Delgado Avelino , Fernández-Calviño David
Published: August 2020

The increase of bacterial community tolerance to Cu, and of cotolerance to the antibiotics tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and chlortetracycline (CTC), was studied in three soils spiked with six different Cu concentrations (resulting in 0, 125, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg kg−1 into soils) in a laboratory experiment, after 42 days of incubation. The results show significant increases of bacterial community tolerance to the metal when soil Cu concentrations were between 125 and 500 mg kg−1. Moreover, Cu soil pollution also caused cotolerance to the three antibiotics studied but for higher Cu concentrations (1000 mg kg−1).
Phytomanagement of Chromium-Contaminated Soils Using Cannabis sativa (L.)
Authors: Raimondi Giorgia , Rodrigues Joana , Maucieri Carmelo , Borin Maurizio , Bona Stefano
Published: August 2020

This study aimed to assess whether hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) behaves as a Cr(III)-tolerant or a hyperaccumulator species and whether it could be a suitable species for the phytomanagement of Cr(III)-contaminated soils. The experiment was conducted in pots under greenhouse conditions comparing two fiber hemp (Fibranova and Carmagnola) and two seed hemp (Futura 75 and Fedora 17) varieties under four different soil Cr levels (24.3, 40.1, 55.8, and 87.4 mg kg−1) supplied with tannery sludge. The Cr level did not significantly influence hemp biomass production or Cr accumulation in the aboveground biomass. Focusing on marketable fractions, Cr uptake was 0.03 ± 0.04 mg plant−1 in the stems of fiber varieties and 0.60 ± 0.17 mg plant−1 in the seeds of seed varieties. The only significant accumulation of Cr content was indeed observed in the root system, where it reached 0.63 mg plant−1 for the fiber varieties and 1.76 mg plant−1 for the seed varieties in the fertilization with 200% N by tannery sludge (T200) treatment. The Cr translocation factor (aboveground-to-belowground biomass) decreased from 2.17 to 0.37, increasing the Cr level applied from 24.3 to 87.4 µg g−1. The maximum Cr concentrations in aboveground biomass fractions (average value of 40.4 mg kg−1) were found in the seeds, regardless of treatment. The low Cr content in the aboveground biomass suggests that hemp can be considered an excluder species, valid as a candidate for Cr-contaminated soils’ phytomanagement.
Optimal Methods of Documenting Analgesic Efficacy in Neonatal Piglets Undergoing Castration
Authors: Sheil Meredith , Polkinghorne Adam
Published: August 2020

Analgesic products for piglet castration are critically needed. This requires extensive animal experimentation such as to meet regulatory-required proof of efficacy. At present, there are no validated methods of assessing pain in neonatal piglets. This poses challenges for investigators to optimize trial design and to meet ethical obligations to minimize the number of animals needed. Pain in neonatal piglets may be subtle, transient, and/or variably expressed and, in the absence of validated methods, investigators must rely on using a range of biochemical, physiological and behavioural variables, many of which appear to have very low (or unknown) sensitivity or specificity for documenting pain, or pain-relieving effects. A previous systematic review of this subject was hampered by the high degree of variability in the literature base both in terms of methods used to assess pain and pain mitigation, as well as in outcomes reported. In this setting we provide a narrative review to assist in determining the optimal methods currently available to detect piglet pain during castration and methods to mitigate castration-induced pain. In overview, the optimal outcome variables identified are nociceptive motor and vocal response scores during castration and quantitative sensory-threshold response testing and pain-associated behaviour scores following castration.
Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid Empirical Oral Therapy for the Management of Children with Acute Haematogenous Osteomyelitis
Authors: Serrano Elena , Ferri Irene , Galli Luisa , Chiappini Elena
Published: August 2020

According to the Guidelines of the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID), in low methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) prevalence settings, short intravenous therapy is recommended in uncomplicated cases of acute haematogenous osteomyelitis (AHOM), followed by empirical oral therapy, preferentially with first/second-generation cephalosporin or dicloxacillin or flucloxacillin. However, several practical issues may arise using some of the first-line antibiotics such as poor palatability or adherence problems. Clinical, laboratory and therapeutic data from children with AHOM hospitalized in one Italian Paediatric Hospital between 2010 and 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The aim of the study was to highlight the extent of the use and the possible role of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in the oral treatment of children with AHOM. Two hundred and ten children were included. S.aureus was identified in 42/58 children (72.4% of identified bacteria); 2/42 S.aureus isolates were MRSA (4.8%). No Kingella kingae was identified. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was the most commonly used oral drug (60.1%; n = 107/178) and it was associated with clinical cure in all treated children. Overall, four children developed sequelae. One (0.9%) sequela occurred among the 107 children treated with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Our results suggest that amoxicillin-clavulanic acid might be an option for oral antibiotic therapy in children with AHOM.
Olive Leaf Extract Modulates Quorum Sensing Genes and Biofilm Formation in Multi-Drug Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: El-sayed Nazly R. , Samir Reham , Jamil M. Abdel-Hafez Lina , Ramadan Mohammed A.
Published: August 2020

Biofilm acts as a complex barrier against antibiotics. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory activities of Olea europaea (olive) leaves Camellia sinensis (green tea), Styrax benzoin, Ocimum basilicum, Humulus lupulus, Ruta graveolens, and Propolis extracts on the biofilm formation, pyocyanin production, and twitching motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Moreover, we investigated the effect of olive leaf extract on the transcription of some biofilm related genes. A total of 204 isolates of Pseudomonas were collected from different Egyptian hospitals. A susceptibility test, carried out using the disc diffusion method, revealed that 49% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant. More than 90% of the isolates were biofilm-forming, of which 26% were strong biofilm producers. At subinhibitory concentrations, green tea and olive leaf extracts had the highest biofilm inhibitory effects with 84.8% and 82.2%, respectively. The expression levels of lasI, lasR, rhlI, and rhlR treated with these extracts were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) by around 97–99% compared to untreated isolates. This study suggests the ability of olive leaf extract to reduce the biofilm formation and virulence factor production of P. aeruginosa through the down regulation of quorum sensing (QS) genes. This may help in reducing our dependence on antibiotics and to handle biofilm-related infections of opportunistic pathogens more efficiently.
Ablation of Peroxiredoxin V Exacerbates Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Kidney Injury in Mice
Authors: Park Jiyoung , Lee Eun Gyeong , Yi Ho Jin , Kim Nam Hee , Rhee Sue Goo , Woo Hyun Ae
Published: August 2020

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is one of the major causes of acute kidney injury (AKI) and associated with increased mortality and progression to chronic kidney injury (CKI). Molecular mechanisms underlying I/R injury involve the production and excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Peroxiredoxin (Prx) V, a cysteine-dependent peroxidase, is located in the cytosol, mitochondria, and peroxisome and has an intensive ROS scavenging activity. Therefore, we focused on the role of Prx V during I/R-induced AKI using Prx V knockout (KO) mice. Ablation of Prx V augmented tubular damage, apoptosis, and declined renal function. Prx V deletion also showed higher susceptibility to I/R injury with increased markers for oxidative stress, ER stress, and inflammation in the kidney. Overall, these results demonstrate that Prx V protects the kidneys against I/R-induced injury.
Influence of the Ion Mass in the Radial to Orbital Transition in Weakly Collisional Low-Pressure Plasmas Using Cylindrical Langmuir Probes
Authors: Regodón Guillermo Fernando , Díaz-Cabrera Juan Manuel , Fernández Palop José Ignacio , Ballesteros Jerónimo
Published: August 2020

This paper presents an experimentally observed transition from the validity of the radial theories to the validity of the orbital theories that model the ion current collected by a cylindrical Langmuir probe immersed in low-pressure, low-temperature helium plasma when it is negatively biased with respect to the plasma potential, as a function of the positive ion-neutral collision mean free path to the Debye length ratio Λ=λ+/λD. The study has been also conducted on argon and neon plasmas, which allows a comparison based on the mass of the ions, although no transition has been observed for these gases. As the radial or orbital behavior of the ions is essential to establish the validity of the different sheath theories, a theoretical analysis of such a transition not only as a function of the parameters Λ and β=T+/Te, T+ and Te being the positive ion and electron temperature, respectively, but also as a function of the ion mass is provided. This study allows us to recognize the importance of the mass of the ion as the parameter that explains the transition in helium plasmas. Motivated by these theoretical arguments, a novel set of measurements has been performed to study the relationship between the Λ and β parameters in the transition that demonstrate that the effect of the ion mean free path cannot be completely ignored and also that its influence on the ion current collected by the probe is less important than the effect of the ion temperature.
The Effect of Light on Antioxidant Properties and Metabolic Profile of Chia Microgreens
Authors: Mlinarić Selma , Gvozdić Vlatka , Vuković Ana , Varga Martina , Vlašiček Ivan , Cesar Vera , Begović Lidija
Published: August 2020

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) is a one-year plant known as a source of nutrients that can be consumed in the diet in the form of seeds or sprouts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of illumination for 24 and 48 h on dark-grown chia microgreens. Total antioxidant capacity was measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, along with the total phenolics, ascorbic acid and cellulose content, and chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to evaluate the biochemical composition and elucidate the changes in compound structures between dark-grown and illuminated chia microgreens. Analysis of the results showed that illumination significantly increased the content of all measured bioactive compounds as well as antioxidative capacity, especially 48 h after exposure to light. FTIR analyses supported structural and molecular changes in chia microgreens grown under different light regimes. Our results suggest that illumination has a positive effect on the antioxidant potential of chia microgreens, which may present a valuable addition to the human diet.
Machine Learning Classifiers for Modeling Soil Characteristics by Geophysics Investigations: A Comparative Study
Authors: Lim Chee Soon , Mohamad Edy Tonnizam , Motahari Mohammad Reza , Armaghani Danial Jahed , Saad Rosli
Published: August 2020

To design geotechnical structures efficiently, it is important to examine soil’s physical properties. Therefore, classifying soil with respect to geophysical parameters is an advantageous and popular approach. Novel, quick, cost, and time effective machine learning techniques can facilitate this classification. This study employs three kinds of machine learning models, including the Decision Tree, Artificial Neural Networks, and Bayesian Networks. The Decision tree models included the chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), classification and regression trees (CART), quick, unbiased, and efficient statistical tree (QUEST), and C5; the Artificial Neural Networks models included Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Radial Basis Function (RBF); and BN models included the Tree Augmented Naïve (TAN) and Markov Blanket, which were employed to predict the soil classifications using geophysics investigations and laboratory tests. The performance of each model was assessed through the accuracy, stability and gains. The results showed that while the BAYESIANMARKOV model achieved the highest overall accuracy (100%) in training phase, this model achieved the lowest accuracy (34.21%) in testing phases. Thus, this model had the worst stability. The QUEST had the second highest overall training accuracy (99.12%) and had the highest overall testing accuracy (94.74%). Thus, this model was somewhat stable and had an acceptable overall training and testing accuracy to predict the soil characteristics. The future studies can use the findings of this paper as a benchmark to classify the soil characteristics and select the best machine learning technique to perform this classification.
Synthesis, Characterization and Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposites Based on Novel Carbon Nanowires and Polystyrene
Authors: Kostas Vasilis , Baikousi Maria , Barkoula Nektaria-Marianthi , Giannakas Aris , Kouloumpis Antonios , Avgeropoulos Apostolos , Gournis Dimitrios , Karakassides Michael A.
Published: August 2020

Carbon into polymer nanocomposite is so far a common additive for the enhancement of the polymer properties. The properties of the polymer, such as thermal, and especially its mechanical properties, are improved by the homogeneously dispersed carbon nanoparticles on the polymer matrix. In this study, carbon wires in nano dimensions are, for the very first time, synthesized via the hard templating method from the silicate matrix MCM-41, and used as nano additives of polystyrene. The carbon nanowires were chemically oxidized, and further modified by attaching octadecylamine molecules, for the development of organic functionalities onto carbon nanowires surface. The nanocomposite materials of polystyrene with the modified carbon nanowires were prepared by a solution-precipitation method at three nano additive to polymer loadings (1, 3 and 5 wt%). The as-derived nanocomposites were studied with a combination of characterization and analytical techniques. The results showed that the thermal and mechanical properties of the polystyrene nanocomposites gradually improved while increasing nano-additive loading until 3 wt%. More specifically, the 3 wt% loading sample showed the best mechanical properties, while the 5 wt% sample was difficult to achieve satisfactory dispersion of carbon nanowires and consequently has a wide range of values.
Effective Generalized Partial Response Target and Serial Detector for Two-Dimensional Bit-Patterned Media Recording Channel Including Track Mis-Registration
Authors: Nguyen Thien An , Lee Jaejin
Published: August 2020

With the development of 5G technology, programs are gradually moving to cloud services. This leads to an increasing demand for storage. In the field of high-density data storage, bit-pattern media recording (BPMR) is considered a promising approach, as it can expand the data density to 4 Tb/in2. However, in high-density BPMR, bits or magnetic islands are very close to each other, leading to significant intertrack interference (ITI) from the cross-track direction and intersymbol interference (ISI) from the down-track direction. To minimize two-dimensional interference, including ITI and ISI, the serial detector method has been highly effective. However, in this method, the signal at the output of the first decoder is still a hard output. Therefore, we suggest methods to convert the output of the first detector into a soft output. Additionally, we have developed a new form of generalized partial response target to overcome the track mis-registration. The results show that our proposed methods apparently improve bit error rate performance.
Monte Carlo-Based Performance Analysis for Underwater Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution
Authors: Mao Yiyu , Wu Xuelin , Huang Wenti , Liao Qin , Deng Han , Wang Yijun , Guo Ying
Published: August 2020

There is a growing interest in the security of underwater communication with the increasing demand for undersea exploration. In view of the complex composition and special optical properties of seawater, this paper deals with a performance analysis for continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) over an underwater link. In particular, we focus on analyzing the channel transmittance and detection efficiency based on Monte Carlo simulation for different water types, link distances and transceiver parameters. A comparison between the transmittance obtained by simple Beer’s law and Monte Carlo simulation reveals that the transmittance of underwater link may be severely underestimated in the previous underwater CVQKD research. The effect of the receiver aperture and field of view (FOV) on detection efficiency under different water types is further evaluated based on Monte Carlo. Simulation results show that the transmission distance of the underwater CVQKD system obtained by Monte Carlo simulation in pure sea water, clear ocean water and coastal ocean water is larger than that obtained by Beer’s law, while the key rate of the system in all types of water is smaller than that obtained by Beer’s law because the size and FOV of the receiver aperture are taken into account. By considering the practical system parameters, this paper establishes a comprehensive model for evaluating the security of underwater CVQKD systems with different system configurations.
Data-Assisted Persona Construction Using Social Media Data
Authors: Spiliotopoulos Dimitris , Margaris Dionisis , Vassilakis Costas
Published: August 2020

User experience design and subsequent usability evaluation can benefit from knowledge about user interaction, types, deployment settings and situations. Most of the time, the user type and generic requirements are given or can be obtained and used to model interaction during the design phase. The deployment settings and situations can be collected through the needfinding phase, either via user feedback or via the automatic analysis of existing data. Personas may be defined using the aforementioned information through user research analysis or data analysis. This work utilizes an approach to activate an accurate persona definition early in the design cycle, using topic detection to semantically enrich the data that are used to derive the persona details. This work uses Twitter data from a music event to extract information that can be used to assist persona creation. A user study in persona construction compares the topic modelling metadata to a traditional user collected data analysis for persona construction. The results show that the topic information-driven constructed personas are perceived as having better clarity, completeness and credibility. Additionally, the human users feel more attracted and similar to such personas. This work may be used to model personas and recommend suitable ones to designers of other products, such as advertisers, game designers and moviegoers.
The Protective Role of Decorin in Hepatic Metastasis of Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: Reszegi Andrea , Horváth Zsolt , Karászi Katalin , Regős Eszter , Postniková Victoria , Tátrai Péter , Kiss András , Schaff Zsuzsa , Kovalszky Ilona , Baghy Kornélia
Published: August 2020

Decorin, the prototype member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan gene family of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, acts as a powerful tumor suppressor by inducing the p21Waf1/Cip1 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, as well as through its ability to directly bind and block the action of several tyrosine kinase receptors. Our previous studies suggested that the lack of decorin promotes hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. Based on this, we set out to investigate whether excess decorin may protect against the liver metastases of colon carcinoma. We also analyzed the effect of decorin in tissue microarrays of human colon carcinoma liver metastasis and examined whether the tumor cells can directly influence the decorin production of myofibroblasts. In humans, low levels of decorin in the liver facilitated the development of colon carcinoma metastases in proportion with more aggressive phenotypes, indicating a possible antitumor action of the proteoglycan. In vitro, colon carcinoma cells inhibited decorin expression in LX2 hepatic stellate cells. Moreover, liver-targeted decorin delivery in mice effectively attenuated metastasis formation of colon cancer. Overexpressed decorin reduced the activity of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), an important player in colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis. Downstream of that, we observed weakened signaling of ERK1/2, PLCγ, Akt/mTOR, STAT and c-Jun pathways, while p38 MAPK/MSK/CREB and AMPK were upregulated culminating in enhanced p53 function. In conclusion, decorin may effectively inhibit metastatic tumor formation in the liver.
Expression and Purification of Recombinant GHK Tripeptides Are Able to Protect against Acute Cardiotoxicity from Exposure to Waterborne-Copper in Zebrafish
Authors: Hsiao Chung-Der , Wu Hsin-Hui , Malhotra Nemi , Liu Yen-Ching , Wu Ying-Hsuan , Lin Yu-Nung , Saputra Ferry , Santoso Fiorency , Chen Kelvin H.-C.
Published: August 2020

In this study, an alternative method is developed to replace chemical synthesis to produce glycyl-histidyl-lysine (GHK) tripeptides with a bacterial fermentation system. The target GHK tripeptides are cloned into expression plasmids carrying histidine-glutathione-S-transferase (GST) double tags and TEV (tobacco etch virus) cleavage sites at the N-terminus. After overexpression in Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21 cells, the recombinant proteins are purified and recovered by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). UV-vis absorption spectroscopy was used to investigate the chemical and biological properties of the recombinant GHK tripeptides. The results demonstrated that one recombinant GHK tripeptide can bind one copper ion to form a GHK-Cu complex with high affinity, and the recombinant GHK peptide to copper ion ratio is 1:1. X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) of the copper ions indicated that the oxidation state of copper in the recombinant GHK-Cu complexes here was Cu(II). All of the optical spectrum evidence suggests that the recombinant GHK tripeptide appears to possess the same biophysical and biochemical features as the GHK tripeptide isolated from human plasma. Due to the high binding affinity of GHK tripeptides to copper ions, we used zebrafish as an in vivo model to elucidate whether recombinant GHK tripeptides possess detoxification potential against the cardiotoxicity raised by waterborne Cu(II) exposure. Here, exposure to Cu(II) induced bradycardia and heartbeat irregularity in zebrafish larvae; however, the administration of GHK tripeptides could rescue those experiencing cardiotoxicity, even at the lowest concentration of 1 nM, where the GHK-Cu complex minimized CuSO4-induced cardiotoxicity effects at a GHK:Cu ratio of 1:10. On the other hand, copper and the combination with the GHK tripeptide did not significantly alter other cardiovascular parameters, including stroke volume, ejection fraction, and fractional shortening. Meanwhile, the heart rate and cardiac output were boosted after exposure with 1 nM of GHK peptides. In this study, recombinant GHK tripeptide expression was performed, along with purification and chemical property characterization, which revealed a potent cardiotoxicity protection function in vivo with zebrafish for the first time.
Polymorphisms Involved in Response to Biological Agents Used in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Pallio Giovanni , Mannino Federica , Irrera Natasha , Eid Ali H. , Squadrito Francesco , Bitto Alessandra
Published: August 2020

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease that leads to joint destruction. During the last decade, the therapy of RA has been principally based on biological drugs. Although the efficacy of biological therapy has been established, patients demonstrated a high heterogeneity in clinical response to treatment. Several genetic polymorphisms play a part in the different response to biological drugs. This review summarizes the pharmacogenetics of biological agents approved for clinical RA treatment. We reviewed PubMed papers published over the past 20 years (2000–2020), inserting as the search term “rheumatoid arthritis and polymorphisms”. Despite some studies showing important correlations between genetic polymorphisms and response to biological therapy in RA patients, most of these findings are still lacking and inconsistent. The personalized treatment according to a pharmacogenetics approach is promising but the available pharmacogenetics data on biological treatment in RA are not adequate and reliable to recommend pharmacogenetic tests before starting biological therapy in RA patients.
Multivalent and Bidirectional Binding of Transcriptional Transactivation Domains to the MED25 Coactivator
Authors: Jeffery Heather M. , Weinzierl Robert O. J.
Published: August 2020

The human mediator subunit MED25 acts as a coactivator that binds the transcriptional activation domains (TADs) present in various cellular and viral gene-specific transcription factors. Previous studies, including on NMR measurements and site-directed mutagenesis, have only yielded low-resolution models that are difficult to refine further by experimental means. Here, we apply computational molecular dynamics simulations to study the interactions of two different TADs from the human transcription factor ETV5 (ERM) and herpes virus VP16-H1 with MED25. Like other well-studied coactivator-TAD complexes, the interactions of these intrinsically disordered domains with the coactivator surface are temporary and highly dynamic (‘fuzzy’). Due to the fact that the MED25 TAD-binding region is organized as an elongated cleft, we specifically asked whether these TADs are capable of binding in either orientation and how this could be achieved structurally and energetically. The binding of both the ETV5 and VP16-TADs in either orientation appears to be possible but occurs in a conformationally distinct manner and utilizes different sets of hydrophobic residues present in the TADs to drive the interactions. We propose that MED25 and at least a subset of human TADs specifically evolved a redundant set of molecular interaction patterns to allow binding to particular coactivators without major prior spatial constraints.
Fatigue in Cancer and Neuroinflammatory and Autoimmune Disease: CNS Arousal Matters
Authors: Ulke Christine , Surova Galina , Sander Christian , Engel Christoph , Wirkner Kerstin , Jawinski Philippe , Hensch Tilman , Hegerl Ulrich
Published: August 2020

The term fatigue is not only used to describe a sleepy state with a lack of drive, as observed in patients with chronic physical illnesses, but also a state with an inhibition of drive and central nervous system (CNS) hyperarousal, as frequently observed in patients with major depression. An electroencephalogram (EEG)-based algorithm has been developed to objectively assess CNS arousal and to disentangle these pathophysiologically heterogeneous forms of fatigue. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that fatigued patients with CNS hyperarousal score higher on depressive symptoms than those without this neurophysiological pattern. Methods: Subjects with fatigue (Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory sum-score > 40) in the context of cancer, neuroinflammatory, or autoimmune diseases were drawn from the 60+ cohort of the Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases. CNS arousal was assessed by automatic EEG-vigilance stage classification using the Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig (VIGALL 2.1) based on 20 min EEG recordings at rest with eyes closed. Depression was assessed by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR). Results: Sixty participants (33 female; median age: 67.5 years) were included in the analysis. As hypothesized, fatigued patients with CNS hyperarousal had higher IDS-SR scores than those without hyperarousal (F1,58 = 18.34; p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.240). Conclusion: hyperaroused fatigue in patients with chronic physical illness may be a sign of comorbid depression.
The Application of 3D-Printing Techniques in the Manufacturing of Cement-Based Construction Products and Experiences Based on the Assessment of Such Products
Authors: Sotorrío Ortega Guillermo , Alonso Madrid Javier , Olsson Nils O. E. , Tenorio Ríos José Antonio
Published: August 2020

The construction industry has embraced digitisation and industrialisation in response to the need to increase its productivity, optimise material consumption and improve workmanship. Additive manufacturing (AM), more widely known as 3D printing, has driven substantial progress in these respects in other industries, and a number of national and international projects have helped to introduce the technique to the construction industry. As with other innovative processes not covered by uniform standards, appropriate assessments and testing methodologies to control the quality of the 3D-printed end products, while not obligatory, are advisable. This article shows that regulation is not an obstacle to the use of an innovative product, such as 3D printing, by proposing quality-control tests and an assessment methodology, in the understanding that standardisation ensures the viability of a technology. The information, including the methods and results, is based on the authors’ experiences in the development of three research projects pertaining to 3D printing. This paper also discusses whether the performance of the materials used in 3D printing could be superior to traditional ones.
Proteomic Analysis of Exosomes for Discovery of Protein Biomarkers for Prostate and Bladder Cancer
Authors: Wang Yi-Ting , Shi Tujin , Srivastava Sudhir , Kagan Jacob , Liu Tao , Rodland Karin D.
Published: August 2020

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by nearly all cell types as part of normal cell physiology, transporting biological cargo, including nucleic acids and proteins, across the cell membrane. In pathological states such as cancer, EV-derived cargo may mirror the altered state of the cell of origin. Exosomes are the smaller, 50–150 nanometer-sized EVs released from fusion of multivesicular endosomes with the plasma membrane. Exosomes play important roles in cell-cell communication and participate in multiple cancer processes, including invasion and metastasis. Therefore, proteomic analysis of exosomes is a promising approach to discover potential cancer biomarkers, even though it is still at an early stage. Herein, we critically review the advances in exosome isolation methods and their compatibility with mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic analysis, as well as studies of exosomes in pathogenesis and progression of prostate and bladder cancer, two common urologic cancers whose incidence rates continue to rise annually. As urological tumors, both urine and blood samples are feasible for noninvasive or minimally invasive analysis. A better understanding of the biological cargo and functions of exosomes via high-throughput proteomics will help provide new insights into complex alterations in cancer and provide potential therapeutic targets and personalized treatment for patients.