bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural Evaluation of Variable Gauge Railway
Authors: Usamah Rayhan , Kang Donghoon , Ha Youn Doh , Koo Bonyong
Published: October 2020

In the Eurasian railway network, a different gauge length is used across several countries. A railroad variable gauge allows railway vehicles in rail transport to travel across a gauge break caused by two railway networks with differing track gauges. The variable gauge railway consists of the bogie system to change the length of the wheel shaft and the gauge changing railroad track. Thus, it is important to assess the structural performance of the variable gauge system. In this study, as a performance improvement subject of the variable gauge bogie and railroad, a structural analysis using dynamic finite element calculation was performed to evaluate the reliability and life cycle of the release system and the variable gauge railway. First, the contact pressure and structural stress of the release disk and the release rail were calculated, which provided the wear condition and fatigue life prediction of variable gauge components. Second, a structural analysis of the gauge stabilization rail after the gauge release was executed. The maximum principal stress was evaluated to guarantee the required service life of the stabilization rail section. For the operational safety of the variable gauge system, the operation conditions and maintenance requirements of the variable gauge railway were proposed.
Predictive Maintenance of Bus Fleet by Intelligent Smart Electronic Board Implementing Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Massaro Alessandro , Selicato Sergio , Galiano Angelo
Published: October 2020

This paper is focused on the design and development of a smart and compact electronic control unit (ECU) for the monitoring of a bus fleet. The ECU system is able to extract all vehicle data by the on-board diagnostics-(ODB)-II and SAE J1939 standards. The integrated system Internet of Things (IoT) system, is interconnected in the cloud by an artificial intelligence engine implementing multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP-ANN) and is able to predict maintenance of each vehicle by classifying the driver behavior. The key performance indicator (KPI) of the driver behavior has been estimated by data mining k-means algorithm. The MLP-ANN model has been tested by means of a dataset found in literature by allowing the correct choice of the calculus parameters. A low means square error (MSE) of the order of 10−3 is checked thus proving the correct use of MLP-ANN. Based on the analysis of the results, are defined methodologies of key performance indicators (KPIs), correlating driver behavior with the engine stress defining the bus maintenance plan criteria. All the results are joined into a cloud platform showing fleet efficiency dashboards. The proposed topic has been developed within the framework of an industry research project collaborating with a company managing bus fleet.
CleanPage: Fast and Clean Document and Whiteboard Capture
Authors: Courtney Jane
Published: October 2020

The move from paper to online is not only necessary for remote working, it is also significantly more sustainable. This trend has seen a rising need for the high-quality digitization of content from pages and whiteboards to sharable online material. However, capturing this information is not always easy nor are the results always satisfactory. Available scanning apps vary in their usability and do not always produce clean results, retaining surface imperfections from the page or whiteboard in their output images. CleanPage, a novel smartphone-based document and whiteboard scanning system, is presented. CleanPage requires one button-tap to capture, identify, crop, and clean an image of a page or whiteboard. Unlike equivalent systems, no user intervention is required during processing, and the result is a high-contrast, low-noise image with a clean homogenous background. Results are presented for a selection of scenarios showing the versatility of the design. CleanPage is compared with two market leader scanning apps using two testing approaches: real paper scans and ground-truth comparisons. These comparisons are achieved by a new testing methodology that allows scans to be compared to unscanned counterparts by using synthesized images. Real paper scans are tested using image quality measures. An evaluation of standard image quality assessments is included in this work, and a novel quality measure for scanned images is proposed and validated. The user experience for each scanning app is assessed, showing CleanPage to be fast and easier to use.
Managing Cyber Security Risks of the Cyber-Enabled Ship
Authors: Kavallieratos Georgios , Katsikas Sokratis
Published: October 2020

One aspect of the digital transformation process in the shipping industry, a process often referred to as Shipping 4.0, is the increased digitization of on board systems that goes along with increased automation in and autonomy of the vessel. This is happening by integrating Information Technology with Operation Technology systems that results in Cyber Physical Systems on which the safe operations and sailing of contemporary and future vessels depend. Unavoidably, such highly interconnected and interdependent systems increase the exposure of the vessel’s digital infrastructure to cyber attacks and cyber security risks. In this paper, we leverage the STRIDE and DREAD methodologies to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the cyber risk of Cyber Physical Systems on board digitalized contemporary and future ships. Further, we propose appropriate cyber security baseline controls to mitigate such risks, by applying a systematic approach using a set of criteria that take into account the security requirements; the cyber risks; the possible attacks; and the possibly already existing controls, to select from the list of controls provided in the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) overlay of the NIST Guide to ICS Security. The results are expected to support the decision-making and the design of a security architecture for the cyber-enabled ship.
Diagnostic Performance of Bronchoalveolar Lavage (1,3)-β-d-Glucan Assay for Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia
Authors: Zhou Shiwei , Linder Kathleen A. , Kauffman Carol A. , Richards Blair J. , Kleiboeker Steve , Miceli Marisa H.
Published: October 2020

We evaluated the performance of the (1,3)-β-d-glucan (BDG) assay on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as a possible aid to the diagnosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. BALF samples from 18 patients with well-characterized proven, probable, and possible Pneumocystis pneumonia and 18 well-matched controls were tested. We found that the best test performance was observed with a cut-off value of 128 pg/mL; receiver operating characteristic/area under the curve (ROC/AUC) was 0.70 (95% CI 0.52–0.87). Sensitivity and specificity were 78% and 56%, respectively; positive predictive value was 64%, and negative predictive value was 71%. The low specificity that we noted limits the utility of BALF BDG as a diagnostic tool for Pneumocystis pneumonia.
Adjusted Net Savings of CEE and Baltic Nations in the Context of Sustainable Economic Growth: A Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Larissa Batrancea , Maran Rathnaswamy Malar , Ioan Batrancea , Anca Nichita , Mircea-Iosif Rus , Horia Tulai , Gheorghe Fatacean , Ema Speranta Masca , Dan Morar Ioan
Published: October 2020

The article investigates the contribution of adjusted net savings to sustainable economic growth for 10 Central and Eastern European and Baltic nations, which are former Soviet bloc nations known as transition economies, using panel data analysis for the period 2005–2016. Our results indicated that adjusted net savings impacted on the GDP across the 10 countries analyzed. Nevertheless, national authorities are called on to implement policy changes in these countries to achieve sustainable economic growth and make an efficient transition from a brown economy towards a green economy.
The Architecture of Financial Networks and Models of Financial Instruments According to the “Just Transition Mechanism” at the European Level
Authors: Manta Otilia , Gouliamos Kostas , Kong Jie , Li Zhou , Ha Nguyen Minh , Mohanty Rajendra Prasad , Yang Hongmei , Pu Ruihui , Yue Xiao-Guang
Published: October 2020

At the global level and in particular the European level, challenges related to climate change and the transition to green transactions have created an imperative where identifying or developing innovative financial instruments, appropriate for these priorities, have become our research priorities and objectives. Starting from the analysis of the European Investment Plan for green transactions, as well as the EU Directive 2018/410 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in conjunction with ongoing efforts to identify innovative financing tools, research is presented based on hypotheses using concepts and models of green financing. The paper aims to analyze the main concepts and phenomena that could be considered generative factors for current financial market trends, as well as the inventory of facts and acts that provide a picture of the financial market. Based on these investigations, this paper suggest how we can best analyze the economic environment, processes, and resources in terms of their predictions regarding the sustainability of financial markets in the context of current challenges. Moreover, our paper aims to highlight in our empirical research the above-mentioned aspects, including the analysis of the emergence of new financial instruments at the global level with a direct impact on financial sustainability at the European level, including reflecting certain particularities of financial markets Romania. This research will be both a scientific contribution to the specialized literature and a possible support tool for the practical activities of entrepreneurs in their economic endeavor of developing sustainable businesses.
The Odd Exponentiated Half-Logistic Exponential Distribution: Estimation Methods and Application to Engineering Data
Authors: Aldahlan Maha A. D. , Afify Ahmed Z.
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we studied the problem of estimating the odd exponentiated half-logistic exponential (OEHLE) parameters using several frequentist estimation methods. Parameter estimation provides a guideline for choosing the best method of estimation for the model parameters, which would be very important for reliability engineers and applied statisticians. We considered eight estimation methods, called maximum likelihood, maximum product of spacing, least squares, Cramér–von Mises, weighted least squares, percentiles, Anderson–Darling, and right-tail Anderson–Darling for estimating its parameters. The finite sample properties of the parameter estimates are discussed using Monte Carlo simulations. In order to obtain the ordering performance of these estimators, we considered the partial and overall ranks of different estimation methods for all parameter combinations. The results illustrate that all classical estimators perform very well and their performance ordering, based on overall ranks, from best to worst, is the maximum product of spacing, maximum likelihood, Anderson–Darling, percentiles, weighted least squares, least squares, right-tail Anderson–Darling, and Cramér–von-Mises estimators for all the studied cases. Finally, the practical importance of the OEHLE model was illustrated by analysing a real data set, proving that the OEHLE distribution can perform better than some well known existing extensions of the exponential distribution.
Analysis of the Dividend Policy Decision-Making Mechanism of Chinese and Taiwanese Lithium Battery Industries
Authors: Sheng Tzu-Chun , Chang Alvin , Lan Shu-Hui , Li Shih-Cheng
Published: October 2020

This study mainly focuses on the mechanisms and influencing factors of formulating dividend policies in the Chinese and Taiwanese lithium battery industries. According to the relevant literature, enterprises should consider financial status, project operations, the decision preferences of their executives, and shareholder equity when drawing up dividend policies. This study first uses the Modified Delphi Approach to set up the hierarchy analysis structure, and then use the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process for the study method. From the empirical results, this study finds that there exist differences between Chinese and Taiwanese lithium battery manufacturing supply chains, in terms of the process and considered factors when making decisions regarding dividend policies. The empirical results of the study show that dividend policies of Chinese lithium battery manufacturers emphasize more on the future growth of enterprises, earnings expectation and retained earnings, investment decisions, enterprise scale, and operating performance and profit whereas Taiwanese lithium battery manufacturers focus more on information asymmetry.
A New Geometric Metric in the Shape and Size Space of Curves in

R
n
Authors: Epifanio Irene , Gimeno Vicent , Gual-Arnau Ximo , Ibáñez-Gual M. Victoria
Published: October 2020

Shape analysis of curves in Rn is an active research topic in computer vision. While shape itself is important in many applications, there is also a need to study shape in conjunction with other features, such as scale and orientation. The combination of these features, shape, orientation and scale (size), gives different geometrical spaces. In this work, we define a new metric in the shape and size space, S2, which allows us to decompose S2 into a product space consisting of two components: S4×R, where S4 is the shape space. This new metric will be associated with a distance function, which will clearly distinguish the contribution that the difference in shape and the difference in size of the elements considered makes to the distance in S2, unlike the previous proposals. The performance of this metric is checked on a simulated data set, where our proposal performs better than other alternatives and shows its advantages, such as its invariance to changes of scale. Finally, we propose a procedure to detect outlier contours in S2 considering the square-root velocity function (SRVF) representation. For the first time, this problem has been addressed with nearest-neighbor techniques. Our proposal is applied to a novel data set of foot contours. Foot outliers can help shoe designers improve their designs.
Non-COVID Diseases during the Pandemic: Where Have All Other Emergencies Gone?
Authors: Ojetti Veronica , Covino Marcello , Brigida Mattia , Petruzziello Carmine , Saviano Angela , Migneco Alessio , Candelli Marcello , Franceschi Francesco
Published: October 2020

Background and objectives: the emergency department (ED) is frequently identified by patients as a possible solution for all healthcare problems, leading to a high rate of misuse of the ED, possibly causing overcrowding. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started in China; it then spread throughout Italy, with the first cases confirmed in Lombardy, Italy, in February 2020. This has totally changed the type of patients referred to EDs. The aim of this study was to analyze the reduction of ED admissions at a Second level urban teaching (Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: in this retrospective observational cross-sectional study, we reviewed and compared clinical records of all the patients consecutively admitted to our ED over a 40-day period (21 February –31 March) in the last three years (2018–2019–2020). Mean age, sex, triage urgency level, day/night admission, main presentation symptom, and final diagnosis, according to different medical specialties, hospitalization, and discharge rate, were analyzed. Results: we analyzed 16,281 patient clinical records. The overall reduction in ED admissions in 2020 was 37.6% compared to 2019. In 2020, we observed an increase in triage urgency levels for ED admissions (the main presentation symptom was a fever). We noticed a significant drop in admissions for cardio-thoracic, gastroenterological, urological, otolaryngologic/ophthalmologic, and traumatological diseases. Acute neurological conditions registered only a slight, but significant, reduction. Oncology admissions were stable. Admissions for infectious diseases were 30% in 2020, compared to 5% and 6% in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In 2020, the hospitalization rate increased to 42.9% compared to 27.7%, and 26.4% in previous years. Conclusions: the drastic reduction of ED admissions during the pandemic may be associated with fear of the virus, suggesting that patients with serious illnesses did not go to the emergency room. Moreover, there was possible misuse of the ED in the previous year. In particular, worrisome data emerged regarding a drop in cardiology and neurology admissions. Those patients postponed medical attention, possibly with fatal consequences, just for fear of exposure to COVID-19, leading to unnecessary morbidity and mortality.
Literature Review and Thermodynamic Modelling of Roasting Processes for Lithium Extraction from Spodumene
Authors: Fosu Allen Yushark , Kanari Ndue , Vaughan James , Chagnes Alexandre
Published: October 2020

This review adds to the public domain literature on the extraction of lithium from mineral ores. The focus is on the pyrometallurgical pre-treatment of spodumene. Information on the phase transformation from α to β, the heat treatment methods as well as the behavior of various compounds in the roasting processes are evaluated. Insight into the chemical thermodynamics of the baking process is evaluated using HSC Chemistry software up to 1200 °C. It was observed that the alkaline, sulfation, chlorination (using Cl2 and CaCl2), carbonizing (to form Li2CO3) and fluorination processes were feasible either throughout or at a point within the temperature range considered. Chlorination using KCl and carbonizing to form Li2O are the processes found to be nonspontaneous throughout the temperatures considered.
Deformation Behavior Causing Excessive Thinning of Outer Diameter of Micro Metal Tubes in Hollow Sinking
Authors: Kishimoto Takuma , Sakaguchi Hayate , Suematsu Saki , Tashima Kenichi , Kajino Satoshi , Gondo Shiori , Suzuki Shinsuke
Published: October 2020

The deformation behavior of microtubes during hollow sinking was investigated to clarify the mechanism of the excessive thinning of their outer diameters. Stainless-steel, copper, and aluminum alloy tubes were drawn without an inner tool to evaluate the effect of Lankford values on outer diameter reduction. Drawing stress and stress-strain curves were obtained to evaluate the yielding behavior during hollow sinking. The observed yielding behavior indicated that the final outer diameter of the drawn tube was always smaller than the die diameter due to the uniaxial tensile deformation starting from the die approach end even though the drawing stress was in the elastic range. The results of a loading-unloading tensile test demonstrated that the strain remained even after unloading. Therefore, the outer diameter is considered to become smaller than the die diameter during hollow sinking due to microscopic yielding at any Lankford value. Furthermore, the outer diameter becomes smaller than the die diameter as the Lankford value increases, as theorized. As the drawing stress decreases or the apparent elastic modulus of the stress-strain curve increases, the outer diameter seems to approach the die diameter during unloading, which is caused by the elastic recovery outside the microscopic yielding region.
An Experimental Investigation of Steel Surface Topography Transfer by Cold Rolling
Authors: Xu Dong , Yang Quan , Wang Xiaochen , He Hainan , Sun Youzhao , Li Wenpei
Published: October 2020

Automobile and household appliance panels require steel strips with extremely high-quality surfaces. Therefore, an in-depth study of the surface topography transfer of the steel strip during the rolling process is of considerable significance for improving product quality. In this study, the scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm is used to realize the large-field stitching and the correspondence measurement of the surface topography of the roll and strip. The surface topography transfer mechanism and microconvex change law during cold rolling are revealed. Further analysis is conducted regarding the effects of different reduction rates and the initial surface topography of the roll on the formation of strip surface topography. Experimental results reveal that the furrow phenomenon occurs during the rolling process owing to the backward slip effect but is eliminated by the elastoplastic deformation of the matrix and the forward slip action. No furrow occurred along the width direction of the strip. With an increase in the rolling reduction rate, the transfer rate increases, and the strip surface topography is closer to the roll surface topography. Under the same rolling roughness condition and a small reduction rate (5%), the transfer degree increases remarkably with a rise in the reduction rate and increases slowly as the reduction rate continues to grow (from 7 to 10%). This study serves as a theoretical basis for the subsequent improvement of the surface quality of cold rolled strips.
The Machine Vision Measurement Module of the Modularized Flexible Precision Assembly Station for Assembly of Micro- and Meso-Sized Parts
Authors: Zhang Zhiyong , Wang Xiaodong , Zhao Hongtu , Ren Tongqun , Xu Zheng , Luo Yi
Published: October 2020

The machine vision measurement module is indispensable for the Modularized Flexible Precision Assembly Station (MFPAS), which is a fully automatic assembly system being developed at Dalian University of Technology (DUT). MFPAS consists of basic and additional modules, and are expected to be flexible, expandable, and re-configurable to adapt to a variety of parts with a large size range, requiring the machine vision measurement module to be able to achieve accurate measurement of position, as well as orientation of the parts with different size scale. An automatic zooming vision system was set up for evaluation and final integration in MFPAS. Pixel equivalent, principal point and orientation deviation of images were analyzed and experimentally studied using different magnifications of the lens. A new template with circular patterns of different diameters was designed for zoom-lens calibration. The experiments show that the measurement error caused by the variation of the pixel equivalent, principal point and orientation is estimated under 10 μm without online calibration. When high accuracy is required, online calibration can be employed during assembly. The evaluation results of the vision system with or without on-line calibration were given for a better trade-off between accuracy and efficiency during assembly.
Postbiotics against Pathogens Commonly Involved in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Authors: Mantziari Anastasia , Salminen Seppo , Szajewska Hania , Malagón-Rojas Jeadran Nevardo
Published: October 2020

The Sustainable Development goals for 2020 included reducing all causes associated with infant and perinatal mortality in their priorities. The use of compounds with bioactive properties has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy due to their stimulating effect on the host’s immune system. Additionally, biotherapeutic products such as postbiotics, tentatively defined as compounds produced during a fermentation process that support health and well-being, promote intestinal barrier integrity without posing considerable risks to children’s health. Although this is a concept in development, there are increasing studies in the field of nutrition, chemistry, and health that aim to understand how postbiotics can help prevent different types of infections in priority populations such as minors under the age of five. The present review aims to describe the main mechanisms of action of postbiotics. In addition, it presents the available current evidence regarding the effects of postbiotics against pathogens commonly involved in pediatric infections. Postbiotics may constitute a safe alternative capable of modulating the cellular response and stimulating the host’s humoral response.
Bis-Lactam Peptide [i, i+4]-Stapling with α-Methylated Thialysines
Authors: Wu Bo , Zheng Weiping
Published: October 2020

Four bis-lactam [i, i+4]-stapled peptides with d- or l-α-methyl-thialysines were constructed on a model peptide sequence derived from p110α[E545K] and subjected to circular dichroism (CD) and proteolytic stability assessment, alongside the corresponding bis-lactam [i, i+4]-stapled peptide with l-thialysine. The % α-helicity values of these four stapled peptides were found to be largely comparable to each other yet greater than that of the stapled peptide with l-thialysine. An l-α-methyl-thialysine-stapled peptide built on a model peptide sequence derived from ribonuclease A (RNase A) was also found to exhibit a greater % α-helicity than its l-thialysine-stapled counterpart. Moreover, a greater proteolytic stability was demonstrated for the l-α-methyl-thialysine-stapled p110α[E545K] and RNase A peptides than that of their respective l-thialysine-stapled counterparts.
Transfer Durability of Line-Patterned Replica Mold Made of High-Hardness UV-Curable Resin
Authors: Marumo Tetsuma , Hiwasa Shin , Taniguchi Jun
Published: October 2020

Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) requires high durability of the mold for the mass production of nanostructures. To evaluate the durability of a line-patterned replica mold made of high-hardness UV curable resin, repetitive transfer and contact angle measurements of the replica mold were carried out. In the line patterns, as the contact angle decreases due to repeated transfer, capillary action occurs, and water flows along them. Therefore, it can be said that a mold with a line pattern exhibits an anisotropic contact angle because these values vary depending on the direction of the contact angle measurement. Subsequently, these anisotropic characteristics were investigated. It was determined that it was possible to predict the lifetime of line-and-space molds over repeated transfers. As the transcription was repeated, the contact angle along the line patterns decreased significantly before becoming constant. Moreover, the contact angle across the line pattern decreased slowly while maintaining a high contact angle with respect to the contact angle along the line pattern. The contact angle then decreased linearly from approximately 90°. The mold was found to be macroscopically defect when the values of the contact angle along the line pattern and the contact angle across the line pattern were close. Predicting the mold’s lifetime could potentially lead to a shortened durability evaluation time and the avoidance of pattern defects.
Computational Study of Cresyl Violet Covalently Attached to the Silane Coupling Agents: Application to TiO2-Based Photocatalysts and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Takeshita Tatsuya
Published: October 2020

The covalent attachment of photosensitizing dyes to TiO2 using silane coupling agents (SCAs) is a promising strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-based photocatalysts and the photovoltaic conversion of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). This approach can control the geometry and orientation of the photosensitizing dye on the TiO2 surface. In this study, a density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) investigation was carried out on cresyl violet (CV) covalently attached to SCAs with a terminal oxirane group (OTES–Cn) to reveal the influence of OTES–Cn on the geometry of the photosensitizing dyes. The potential of CV covalently attached to OTES–Cn (CV–OTES–Cn) to act as a photosensitizing dye was also analyzed. The hydroxyl group formed by the epoxy-opening reaction between CV and OTES–Cn strongly influenced the geometry of CV–OTES–Cn, which was attributed to a CH–O interaction. Additionally, TD-DFT, frontier molecular orbital and molecular electrostatic potential calculations revealed that CV–OTES–Cn has excellent optical properties and electron injection ability. In particular, the characteristics of the unbent conformation of CV–OTES–Cn are expected to contribute significantly to the photocurrent in TiO2-based photocatalysts and DSSCs. These findings enhance the understanding of the covalent attachment strategy using SCAs and contribute to improving TiO2-based photocatalysts and DSSCs.
Pharmacokinetic Monitoring of Levetiracetam in Portuguese Refractory Epileptic Patients: Effect of Gender, Weight and Concomitant Therapy
Authors: Silva Rui , Almeida Anabela , Bicker Joana , Gonçalves Joana , Carona Andreia , Silva Ana , Santana Isabel , Sales Francisco , Falcão Amílcar , Fortuna Ana
Published: October 2020

Levetiracetam is a second-generation antiepileptic drug, widely used in the treatment of focal and generalized epilepsy due to its pharmacokinetic and safety profiles. Its pharmacokinetic monitoring is ascribed as useful to personalize its dosing regimen. The aim of the present study was to describe, for the first time, the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam in Portuguese refractory epileptic patients. Therefore, a retrospective study was carried out on 65 Portuguese refractory epileptic patients (pharmacokinetic study: 48; validation study: 17) admitted to the Refractory Epilepsy Centre of the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. The pharmacokinetic parameters of levetiracetam were estimated by applying a one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination analysis. Male patients showed higher distribution volume (Vd/F) and oral clearance (CL/F) than female patients (median Vd/F: 52.40 L in males and 38.60 L in females, p = 0.011; median CL/F: 4.71 L/h in males and 3.91 L/h in females, p = 0.028). Higher values of Vd/F (p = 0.026) and CL/F (p = 0.003) were also found in overweight patients relative to normal weight and obese patients. Carbamazepine was the co-administered antiepileptic drug that mostly affected the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam, increasing both Vd/F (61.30 L with carbamazepine and 39.10 L without carbamazepine, p = 0.007) and CL/F (6.71 L/h with carbamazepine and 3.91 L/h without carbamazepine, p < 0.001). The pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam was affected by gender, body mass index, and co-administration of carbamazepine. This study highlights the impact of several factors on the CL/ and Vd/F of levetiracetam when administered to refractory epileptic patients. The importance of its pharmacokinetic monitoring in clinical pharmacy stands out, thereby enabling the optimization of antiepileptic drug therapy.
Enzymatic Synthesis of a Polyol Ester from Levulinic Acid and Trimethylolpropane and Its Tribological Behavior as Potential Biolubricant Basestock
Authors: Zhu Wenyuan , Liang Fangyuan , Hou Hewei , Chen Yuting , Liu Xiaohui , Zhu Xudong
Published: October 2020

In this study, a polyol ester from levulinic acid (LA) and trimethylolpropane (TMP) was synthesized by enzymatic catalysis in a solvent-free system. The total conversion of TMP reached up to 84% on average after lipase recycling for five times. The produced ester showed excellent lubrication properties, such as high viscosities at 40 °C (86.53 mm2/s) and 100 °C (8.91 mm2/s), a good viscosity index (49), a low pour point (−27 °C), and a high flash point (223 °C). The frictional wear behavior was evaluated on a four-ball test machine (FTM) by adding the ester into a reference mineral oil. The blend with 10% ester showed a smaller wear scar diameter (WSD) (0.62 mm) when compared with that of pure mineral oil (0.78 mm). The results demonstrated that the obtained ester has huge potential as biolubricant basestock.
Preparation of Poly-1-butene Nanofiber Mat and Its Application as Shutdown Layer of Next Generation Lithium Ion Battery
Authors: Jeong Hanjin , Kim Sohee , Gil Manjae , Song Sanghoon , Kim Tae-Ho , Lee Kyung Jin
Published: October 2020

Nonwoven nanofiber webs from polyolefin show great potential in various fields such as nanofilters, high performance membranes and separators in lithium ion batteries (LiB). Although nonwoven microfiber webs can be obtained by the well-established melt-blown method, it is relatively difficult to produce nonwoven nanofiber web using polyolefin (polyethylene and polypropylene). There have been several reports on the preparation of polyolefin nanofibers by melt-electrospinning, although this approach presents several intrinsic disadvantages, i.e., high processing costs, the requirement of complex equipment, and poor control over pore size or fiber diameter. Solution-based electrospinning has the potential to overcome the drawbacks of melt-electrospinning, but the solubility of most polyolefin is poor. In this study, we found that poly-1-butene, a member of the poly(alpha-olefin) family, can be used in the electrospinning process. We set the concentration of the polymeric solution for electrospinning at 0.65–1.7 g/mL. Here, we report on the fabrication of nonwoven fiber webs composed of poly-1-butene and their copolymers. The diameter of the nonwoven fiber mat was 0.2–0.4 μm, which can be applicable for shutdown layer. As a representative application, we prepared a poly-1-butene nanofiber separator with an appropriate pore size by electrospinning for use as the shut-down layer of a next-generation LiB. The PB-based nanofiber mat provided shutdown ability at around 100 to 120 °C.
A Review of the Use of Eutectic Solvents, Terpenes and Terpenoids in Liquid–liquid Extraction Processes
Authors: Rodríguez-Llorente Diego , Cañada-Barcala Andrés , Álvarez-Torrellas Silvia , Águeda Vicente Ismael , García Juan , Larriba Marcos
Published: October 2020

Diverse and abundant applications of the eutectic solvents have appeared in the last years. Their promising tunable properties, eco-friendly character and the possibility of being prepared from numerous compounds have led to the publication of numerous papers addressing their use in different areas. Terpenes and terpenoids have been employed in the formulation of eutectic solvents, though they also have been applied as solvents in extraction processes. For their hydrophobic nature, renewable character, low environmental impact, cost and being non-hazardous, they have also been proposed as possible substitutes of conventional solvents in the separation of organic compounds from aqueous streams, similarly to hydrophobic eutectic solvents. The present work reviews the application of eutectic solvents in liquid–liquid extraction and terpenes and terpenoids in extraction processes. It has been made a research in the current state-of-the-art in these fields, describing the proposed applications of the solvents. It has been highlighted the scale-up feasibility, solvent regeneration and reuse procedures and the comparison of the performance of eutectic solvents, terpenes and terpenoids in extraction with conventional organic solvents or ionic liquids. Ultimately, it has been also discussed the employ of predictive methods in extraction, the reliability of thermodynamic models in correlation of liquid–liquid equilibria and simulation of liquid–liquid extraction processes.
Characterization and Demulsification of the Oil-Rich Emulsion from the Aqueous Extraction Process of Almond Flour
Authors: F. G. Dias Fernanda , de Almeida Neiva M. , S. P. de Souza Thaiza , Taha Ameer Y. , L. N. de Moura Bell Juliana M.
Published: October 2020

The aqueous extraction process (AEP) allows the concurrent extraction of oil and protein from almond flour without the use of harsh solvents. However, the majority of the oil extracted in the AEP is present in an emulsion that needs to be demulsified for subsequent industrial utilization. The effects of scaling-up the AEP of almond flour from 0.7 to 7 L and the efficiency of enzymatic and chemical approaches to demulsify the cream were evaluated. The AEP was carried out at pH 9.0, solids-to-liquid ratio of 1:10, and constant stirring of 120 rpm at 50 °C. Oil extraction yields of 61.9% and protein extraction yields of 66.6% were achieved. At optimum conditions, enzymatic and chemical demulsification strategies led to a sevenfold increase (from 8 to 66%) in the oil recovery compared with the control. However, enzymatic demulsification resulted in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the cream protein and faster demulsification (29% reduction in the incubation time and a small reduction in the demulsification temperature from 55 to 50 °C) compared with the chemical approach. Reduced cream stability after enzymatic demulsification could be attributed to the hydrolysis of the amandin α-unit and reduced protein hydrophobicity. Moreover, the fatty acid composition of the AEP oil obtained from both demulsification strategies was similar to the hexane extracted oil.
World Youth Day 2016 in the Archdiocese of Lodz: An Example of the Eventization of Faith
Authors: Bik Joanna , Stasiak Andrzej
Published: October 2020

The organization of numerous religious mass events of international, or even global, reach is a phenomenon of the early 21st century. It is sometimes termed “eventization of faith”. This article presents a multifaceted analysis of the initial stage of the World Youth Day in 2016, which took place in the Archdiocese of Łódź (Poland). While multiple scholarly publications have been written about World Youth Day (WYD) itself, its first part of preparatory nature, the so-called “Days in Dioceses”, has not been studied yet. The authors of this paper used a wide array of research methods, such as participant observation, questionnaire (official statistics concerning 10,000 pilgrims), pilot survey (258 respondents), and analysis of media reports (over 100 films and 30 articles). The analysis of the organizational method of such a major religious event leads to a conclusion that it is a complex logistic undertaking, which requires professional preparation and implementation by a team of specialists in different fields as well as an army of deeply involved volunteers and public services employees. Over 10.2 thousand young pilgrims (mostly at the age of 15–29) participated in the youth meeting in the Archdiocese of Łódź; apart from spiritual motives (strengthening faith, meeting Pope Francis, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II) they exhibited strong social (willingness to be in the community of believers, making new friends), recreational and tourist (visiting Poland) needs as well. In view of the hermetic and low-budget character of World Youth Day, its impact on the economy of the region was deemed negligible. Above all, the event played a promotional and image-building part, which perhaps in the years to come will result in an increase in visits of foreign tourists to Łódź.
An Adaptive Multi-Channel Cooperative Data Transmission Scheduling in VANETs
Authors: Zhang Benhong , Yuan Baorui , Bi Xiang , Wei Zhenchun , Zhang Mingyue
Published: October 2020

The Internet of Vehicle (IoV) technology is one of the most important technologies of modern intelligent transportation. The data transmission scheduling method is a research hotspot in the technology of IoV. It is a challenge to ensure the stability of data transmission due to fast network topology changes, high data transmission delays, and some other reasons. Aiming at the above problems, a multi-channel data transmission cooperative scheduling algorithm is proposed. First, construct a feasible interference map based on the data items sent and received by vehicles in the road scene. Second, assign channels to the nodes in the interference map based on the Signal-to-Interference-Noise-Ratio (SINR). Finally, the optimal multi-channel data transmission cooperative scheduling scheme is achieved through the ISing model. Simulation results show that compared with the traditional algorithm, the network service capacity is increased by about 31% and the service delay is reduced by about 20%. It ensures that emergency data is preferentially transmitted to the target vehicle and the maximum weighted service capacity of the network.
Dimethoate Induces DNA Damage and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Triggering Apoptosis in Rat Bone-Marrow and Peripheral Blood Cells
Authors: Nazam Nazia , Lone Mohammad Iqbal , Hamid Abid , Qadah Talal , Banjar Alaa , Alam Qamre , Saeed Mohd , Ahmad Waseem
Published: October 2020

Dimethoate (DM) is an organophosphorus (OP) pesticide with wide use in the pest control. Its persistence in crops and soils could possibly cause adverse health consequences in humans as well as other non-target species. Since molecular studies confirming potential genotoxicity of DM have not been previously reported, the acute in vivo toxicological impact was evaluated in Wistar rats. Significant micronuclei induction and metaphase chromosome abnormalities in bone marrow cells exposed to three different DM doses (20, 40 and 60 mg/kg-bw) at multiple treatment durations (24, 48 and 72 h) indicated positive dose response relationship, confirming its genotoxic and cytotoxic potential. Significant mitotic index decrease was seen in dosed animals compared to vehicle control. The study used peripheral blood comet assay, indicating DM-mediated damage to DNA at all exposure levels in a time responsive manner. These assays were found to be an effective, precise, and fast technique with applied value in biomonitoring studies. Cell cycle and apoptosis along with mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in flow cytometric analyses confirmed DM exposure decreased MMP, affected the cell cycle, and inflicted DNA damage, which led to cellular apoptosis of leukocytes culminating into immunotoxic effects. The in silico experiments consequently augmented that DM showed acceptable binding energy value for Cyclin A2, suggesting that it could inhibit the cell cycle progression by inhibiting cyclin A2.
Co-Occurrence of Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins with Other Environmental Health Hazards: Impacts and Implications
Authors: Metcalf James S. , Codd Geoffrey A.
Published: October 2020

Toxin-producing cyanobacteria in aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environments can occur alongside a wide range of additional health hazards including biological agents and synthetic materials. Cases of intoxications involving cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, with exposure to additional hazards, are discussed. Examples of the co-occurrence of cyanobacteria in such combinations are reviewed, including cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins plus algal toxins, microbial pathogens and fecal indicator bacteria, metals, pesticides, and microplastics. Toxicity assessments of cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, and these additional agents, where investigated in bioassays and in defined combinations, are discussed and further research needs are identified.
Early Growth Parameters as Predictors of Developmental Delay among Children Conceived During the 2015–2016 Zika Virus Outbreak in Northeastern Brazil
Authors: Rose Charles E. , Bertolli Jeanne , Attell Jacob Elijah , Moore Cynthia A. , Melo Flavio , Kotzky Kim , Krishna Nevin , Satterfield-Nash Ashley , Pereira Isabela Ornelas , Pessoa Andre , Smith Donna Camille , Santelli Ana Carolina Faria e Silva , Peacock Georgina
Published: October 2020

Background: Identifying infants with congenital infection for early intervention will likely be challenging in future Zika virus outbreaks. We investigated indicators of risk for developmental delay among children born with and without obvious manifestations of congenital Zika virus infection. Methods: We evaluated 120 children conceived during the 2015−2016 Zika virus outbreak in Paraíba, Brazil. We analyzed data from children at birth; ages 1−7 months and approximately 24 months, using medical records (i.e., anthropometric measurements diagnoses), medical evaluation (i.e., Zika/other laboratory tests, dysmorphic features), and parent report (seizures, developmental delay). We used a Bayesian modeling approach to identify predictors of developmental delay. Results: Head circumference (HC) and length at birth and rates of growth for HC and length at follow-up were consistent across domains of developmental delay; (e.g., for every 1 cm per month decrease in HC growth rate; there was a corresponding decrease in the gross motor z-score). Modeling results indicated that HC and length at birth, and follow-up HC and length rates of growth, were predictive of developmental delay. Conclusion: These findings suggest that accurate measurement and frequent monitoring of HC and length, especially in the first few months of life, may be useful for identifying children possibly congenitally exposed to Zika virus who could benefit from early intervention services.
Integrating C- and L-Band SAR Imagery for Detailed Flood Monitoring of Remote Vegetated Areas
Authors: Refice Alberto , Zingaro Marina , D’Addabbo Annarita , Chini Marco
Published: October 2020

Flood detection and monitoring is increasingly important, especially on remote areas such as African tropical river basins, where ground investigations are difficult. We present an experiment aimed at integrating multi-temporal and multi-source data from the Sentinel-1 and ALOS 2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors, operating in C band, VV polarization, and L band, HH and HV polarizations, respectively. Information from the globally available CORINE land cover dataset, derived over Africa from the Proba V satellite, and available publicly at the resolution of 100 m, is also exploited. Integrated multi-frequency, multi-temporal, and multi-polarizations analysis allows highlighting different drying dynamics for floodwater over various land cover classes, such as herbaceous vegetation, wetlands, and forests. They also enable detection of different scattering mechanisms, such as double bounce interaction of vegetation stems and trunks with underlying floodwater, giving precious information about the distribution of flooded areas among the different ground cover types present on the site. The approach is validated through visual analysis from Google EarthTM imagery. This kind of integrated analysis, exploiting multi-source remote sensing to partially make up for the unavailability of reliable ground truth, is expected to assume increasing importance as constellations of satellites, observing the Earth in different electromagnetic radiation bands, will be available.
A Blockchain-Based Configuration for Balancing the Electricity Grid with Distributed Assets
Authors: AlSkaif Tarek , Holthuizen Bart , Schram Wouter , Lampropoulos Ioannis , van Sark Wilfried
Published: October 2020

This paper explores a future perspective to foster the provision of balancing services to the electricity grid by distributed assets. One recent test case, initiated by the Dutch Transmission System Operator (TSO), was to operate an Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet on the automatic Frequency Restoration Reserve (aFRR) market, which entails fast and automated reserves. To achieve that in a decentralised, automated and transparent manner, the role of blockchain technology for this specific application is explored. We propose a novel configuration that can serve as a basis for deploying distributed assets for aFRR markets using blockchain or any alternative Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). Automation can be achieved via the deployment of smart contracts, which also results in transparency in the system. The blockchain configurations are designed for three phases in the aFRR market, namely: (i) Operational planning and scheduling by a balancing service provider (i.e., formulation and submission of aFRR bid), (ii) Real-time operations (i.e., activation and measurements), and (iii) Verification and settlement (i.e., imbalance correction and financial settlement). The paper concludes that the scalability of distributed assets that can participate in the system, combined with the large transaction times and energy consumption of some consensus mechanisms, could put limitations on the proposed architecture. Future research should address benchmarking studies of other alternatives (e.g., DLTs, such as the ones based on directed acyclic graphs, and non-DLT solutions) with the proposed blockchain solution.