bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Labeling of ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonate with 153Sm and 177Lu,Comparison Study
Authors: MH Zakaly Hesham , Y. A. Mostafa Mostafa , Zhukovsky M
Published: October 2020

Background 177Lu and 153Sm are perspective radionuclides in terms of applying to nuclear medicine. High-energy beta particles and the relative half-life of the radionuclide are used to achieve an effective palliative treatment of bone metastases.
Materials and methods The absorbed doses in different organs and tissues of 177Lu and 153Sm in ionic form and labeled with EDTMP are determined by IDAC-Dose 2.1 (Internal Dose Assessment by Computer) software and WinAct software which used to calculate cumulative activity. 177Lu and 153Sm are lanthanide radionuclide which actively accumulates in liver and bone when used in ionic form. In the case of labeling with EDTMP, the distribution and elimination of the drug occur according to the kinetics of a carrier, EDTMP. The using of osteotropic (Describing any drug etc. that is attracted to, and targets bone) complex allows creating a large dose in the pathological areas and minimizing damages in healthy organs and tissues.
Results The effective dose per administered activity is 0.189 mSv/MBq for 177Lu-ionic form, 0.232 mSv/MBq for 153Sm-ionic form and 0.242 mSv/MBq for 177Lu-EDTMP and 0.139 mSv/MBq for 153sm-EDTMP.
Conclusion 177Lu and 153Sm labeled with EDTMP are decreasing the liver dose absorption and increasing the bone surface absorption for more effective treatment and minimize side effects.
Estimation of Minimum Miscibility Pressure for Hydrocarbon Gas Injection Based on EOS
Authors: Hadi Liqaa I. , Hamd-Allah Sameera M.
Published: October 2020

The important parameter used for determining the probable application of miscible displacement is the MMP (minimum miscibility pressure). In enhanced oil recovery, the injection of hydrocarbon gases can be a highly efficient method to improve the productivity of the well especially if miscibility developed through the displacement process. There are a lot of experiments for measuring the value of the miscibility pressure, but they are expensive and take a lot of time, so it's better to use the mathematical equations because of it inexpensive and fast. This study focused on calculating MMP required to inject hydrocarbon gases into two reservoirs namely Sadi and Tanomaa/ East Baghdad field. Modified Peng Robenson Equation of State was used to estimate MMP values for the two samples. The parameters of this equation have been tuned by splitting the plus component and regression process to obtain the best match for PVT properties between the calculated and that measured in the laboratory. Then the MMPs value compared with the results most reliable correlation.  Ternary diagram for these samples has been constructed to illustrate the occurrence of miscibility.
The Sensory Characteristics in Architectural Form
Authors: Al-Maamourihory Abdullah Saadoon , Aljbury Zahraa Ahmed
Published: October 2020

The architectural form affects the human through the sensations that are generated at the receiver as soon as he watches architectural buildings , Before he was  understanding and thinking what those shapes mean and what symbolic or ideas they may carry. Sensation is an immediate emotional response to these visual stimuli. These visual stimuli that existing in the architectural form - an intentionly or unintentionally by the designer - act as gestures and references provoke sensory stimuli and generate feelings that may negatively or positively affect the human psyche and the behavior of societies.  So the sensory characteristics of the architectural form is Knowed (the nature of the connotations carried by the architectural form and generated a sense at the recipient). This research sought to combine these sensory characteristics of architectural studies in three groups, which have physical components (body, size, color and material), and the process of arranging them, and the processes of transformation on them. The research concludes with a variety of characteristics that can benefit the architect when designing his buildings
Study of the waste heat recovery from kilns of Tartous cement factory
Authors: Iskandar Ahmad , Shash Mayssa , Ali Hasan
Published: October 2020

In this research we carried out a study on the thermal furnace in Tartous Cement Plant, it is a cylinder with a diameter of 4.6 m and a length of 69 m, and lined with 10 cm thickness of manganese bricks as a aim of thermal insulation. The temperature inside the furnace grades from 800 Co at the beginning the oven reaches 1400 Co at the end, which is relatively high heat. Although there is a liner for thermal insulation, this does not prevent thermal leakage to the outer surface of the furnace, where the values ​​of lost and leaked temperatures to the outer medium across the oven surface varies between (130-350 Co). Therefore, the idea of ​​the research is to design a heat exchanger to recover part of the waste heat and use it in thermal applications. For this reason, a laboratory model has been designed for the oven with a length of 1 m and a diameter of 27 cm with thermal conditions that correspond to the production process, and a model of heat exchanger has been applied with copper tubes of different diameters (0.86,1.36 and 1.86cm) and tested at different flow speeds (0.015-0.52 m/sec). The best yield for the exchanger was 1.36 cm in diameter and water flow velocity was 0.0354 m/sec. This ensures a thermal energy recovery 10121.4998 [kw], equivalent to burning 8246.8368 tonfuel/year, this amount can be used to steam 782161.88 m3w/year, the rate of heat recovery is 72.088%, and the rate of fuel recovery is 5.72697%.
Study The advantage of variable speed pumps Economically in pumping water lines using genetic algorithms
Authors: Abdaljlel Ibrahim Abdalrhman , Georgi Adel Youssef , Shaker Amjad Hamed
Published: October 2020

This study includes a comparison between the use of fixed and variable speed VSP pumps, in terms of investment cost, through finding the operating schedule of pumps, for three pumping stations, using the method of genetic algorithms. The use of VSP pumps will reduce the investment costs of the Water project by more than 15%, in relation to the use of fixed speed pumps (FSP) with the same speed, pressure, discharge and engine speed . The FSP has been modified to become a VSP, using a Variable  Frequency drive
Aprendizaje basado en proyectos para desarrollar la destreza de escritura en inglés como lengua extranjera
Authors: Larrea Vejar Maritza Lucia
Published: October 2020

Introducción. El método Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) se propone como una alternativa trascendental centrada en el estudiante que promueve la cooperación y el desarrollo de la motivación intrínseca y extrínseca. ABP contribuyó al procedimiento y, teóricamente, a la mejora de las habilidades de escritura y el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la clase. Con este método, los estudiantes interactuaron con otros compañeros de clase y maestros; desarrollaron conocimientos y mejoraron su habilidad para escribir. Los errores cometidos por los estudiantes de Ingeniería Industrial de la Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo en tareas de escritura es el problema estudiado en esta investigación Objetivo Determinar la influencia del método ABP en la redacción de párrafos, mensajes comunicativos cortos, historias, correos electrónicos e informes de los estudiantes de la ESPOCH. Metodología. Para obtener datos, se utilizó un cuestionario dirigido a maestros para comprender su perspectiva sobre ABP con respecto a las habilidades de escritura. Para evaluar el nivel de escritura de los estudiantes, se utilizó una prueba PET de la Universidad de Cambridge y su rúbrica de escritura. El último instrumento, una guía de observación, supervisó la aplicación de PBL en el aula. Resultados En los resultados obtenidos se compararon entre el Grupo Control y Grupo Experimental la mejora fue de 0.8 puntos más en el promedio del primer grupo con relación al segundo en la calificación total de la prueba PET, equivalente al 5%. La observación sistemática demostró una mejora en la calificación promedio de 0.8 en el promedio general del último proyecto ejecutado por los estudiantes, equivalente al 18%.  En términos cuantitativos los docentes a través de una encuesta reportaron los beneficios del método ABP en la destreza escritura. Conclusión. La aplicación de técnicas basadas en ABP mejoran significativamente la escritura. Este método y los resultados obtenidos con los instrumentos aplicados demostraron la relación entre las variables estudiadas.
IDAINILAIPPALLI TAMILAASIRIYARKALIN KADRAL KARPITTHALIL NUNNAAIVU CHINTHANAITHIRAN [CRITICAL THINKING IN TEACHING AND LEARNING SESSION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TAMIL TEACHERS]
Authors: RAJENDRAN RATHNESWARY
Published: October 2020

The research paper is entitled as “Critical Thinking in Teaching and Learning session among Secondary school Tamil Teachers”. This research consists of two objectives. First, to identify the use of critical thinking in teaching and learning session among Tamil teachers. Second, to identify the techniques to implement critical thinking in teaching and learning among Tamil teachers. Therefore, I have chosen an urban secondary school at Kuala Langat, Selangor as my research area for this research. Researcher also chooses 5 Tamil teachers consists of one senior assistant dan 2 form 2 teachers and 2 form 4 teachers as research's sample. The types of methods used to collect data in this research are Interview, Questionnaire and also Observation. Besides that, Quantitative and Qualitative analysis methods were used to analysis the data obtained in this research. As a Researcher I have used Bloom’s Theory for better results in this research. By using Interview and Questionnaire instruments, researcher had collected data for the first objective while done observation for second objective. Most of the teachers used Question & Answer (Q&A) and I-Think maps methods to improve critical thinking among the students.
PELAKSANAAN KEMAHIRAN BERFIKIR ARAS TINGGI (KBAT) DALAM PEMBELAJARAN DAN PEMUDAHCARAAN BAHASA CINA DI SEKOLAH MENENGAH [THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS (HOTS) IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS]
Authors: TAN ALEX SIAW WEI , NG MEOW HOON
Published: October 2020

The purpose of this research was to identify the level of understanding and the incorporation of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in the teaching and learning of the Chinese Language among Secondary Schools teachers in Selangor. The respondents were 183 Chinese Language teachers from 145 secondary schools in Selangor. Questionnaires were administered to collect data in this research. A descriptive analysis was done to obtain the mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage to identify the secondary school Chinese Language teachers’ level of understanding towards HOTS and the incorporation of HOTS in the teaching and learning process in their classrooms. The findings showed that teacher’s understanding and knowledge towards HOTS were satisfactory with an average mean above 3.5; while the mean for the incorporation of HOTS in teaching and learning implied that this aspect has to be improved. The findings were able to provide useful input on the level of implementation of HOTS among Secondary School Chinese Language teachers in Selangor.
CAṄKA ILAKKIYATTIL NĪR MĒLĀṆMAI [WATER MANAGEMENT IN SANGGAM LITERATURE]
Authors: N.HEMAMALINI
Published: October 2020

Water is a natural resource that every human being on earth rely to satisfy his or her needs. The earth is now facing many problems such as climate change droughts and water scarcity which is a result from human activity. Life on earth without water cannot be imagined and importance and usage of water has been discussed in Sanggam Literature. In Sanggam Literature water resource has been treated in a very high state and maintained well. Water maintenance has been equipped with skills and expertise of mankind in design the water construction of reservoirs to dams. A safe crop environment also has been developed and practiced to ensure the water in the pond is not contaminated. On the other hand, guards also assigned to guard the water levels throughout the day and night. This system ensures there is enough water to access and awareness of water disaster from beginning. This paper discuss by establishing the danger of water in proper way it is possible to live by hitting the level of self- sufficient.
SOSIOEKONOMI KELUARGA SEBAGAI FAKTOR PENDORONG GEJALA GENGSTERISME MURID INDIA PENDIDIKAN MORAL DI SEKOLAH MENENGAH [FAMILY SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AS AN IMPULSE FACTOR OF GANGSTERISM AMONG INDIAN MORAL EDUCATION STUDENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOL]
Authors: MARIMUTHU SREETHARAN , MALAYALAM NEDUJCHELYN , SUKADARI
Published: October 2020

This study is aimed to examine the family’s socioeconomic status which drives the symptoms of gangsterism among Indian Moral Education students from the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory National Secondary Schools. This study was conducted via survey design using the Parent and Peer Attachment Inventory (IPPA) questionnaire. Using purposive sampling technique a total of 234 students were selected as respondents. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 23.0, and descriptive and inference methodology was presented to the results. The results of one-way ANOVA revealed significant relationships and strong correlations between components such as residential social environment, family income, level of parental education, family institution, self and peers influence. High mean scores suggest these six components contribute to the involvement of gangster symptoms. The finding indicates that a major relationship exists between the family’s socioeconomic status as a driving factor in the symptoms of gangsterism among Indian Moral Education students from the National Secondary Schools. These results also have consequences for students, teachers, parents, community leaders, ministries of education, and NGOs in general. Nevertheless, a more extensive study should be carried out in all the states of Malaysia to examine the degree of "threat" to social, economic and political stability of these symptoms.
KEBERKESANAN PEMBELAJARAN MODUL BOROS MAAN BERASASKAN MULTIMEDIA INTERAKTIF TERHADAP PENCAPAIAN MURID DALAM KOSA KATA [THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA-BASED BOROS MAAN LEARNING MODULE OVER STUDENT VOCABULARY]
Authors: VALERIAN TRACY , TAISIN NORJIETTA , SUYATA PUJIATI
Published: October 2020

Vocabulary is a very important element in learning the Kadazandusun language. Without sufficient vocabulary, students will not only have the difficulty to understand the language either in written text or when communicating during the Kadazandusun Language teaching and learning session, but will also have difficulty in mastering other language skills. Therefore, this study was conducted to study the effectiveness of interactive multimedia based boros maan modules on student vocabulary accessibility. This study was a quasi-experimental study. Quantitative approaches are used in conjunction with pre- and post-test instruments. A total of 20 Year Four pupils at a school in Tambunan district were sampled for this study. The mean of the post-test was 8.15. Implications of the study show that using a multimedia interface based on interactive multimedia can serve as a platform for students to learn vocabulary and can help teachers to add teaching aids to Kadazandusun subjects. In conclusion, interactive multimedia based wasteful modules have a positive effect as vocabulary learning tools.
Mitä oppia jos ei lainoppia?
Authors: Tarvainen Paavo
Published: October 2020

Artikkeli liittyy työelämän koulutuksen historiaan ja käsittelee Suomen valtion hallintovirkamiesten koulutusta vuosina 1905–1945. Nykyaikaisessa valtiossa virkamiehen tulisi toimia alallaan aktiivisesti ja järjestävästi eikä vain soveltaa voimassa olevaa oikeutta. Siksi virkamiessivistykseksi ei riitä pelkkä lainoppi. Tällainen käsitys esitettiin ns. virkamieskysymystä käsiteltäessä jo vuosisadan alussa. Artikkelissa tarkastellaan, millaisia ajatuksia, ehdotuksia ja toimenpiteitä esitettiin virkamiesten perus- ja lisäkoulutuksen muuntamiseksi enemmän yhteiskunnallista näkemystä ja ajankohtaistietoa sisältäväksi. Toteutuneista suunnitelmista merkittävin oli valtiotieteellisen tiedekunnan perustaminen Helsingin yliopistoon v. 1945. Tiedekunnan syntyyn johtivat ensi sijassa virkamieskoulutuksen tarpeet. Hallintovirkamieskoulutuksen pitkää kiistaa ei silti saatu ratkaistuksi.
Työllisyyskoulutus
Authors: Silvennoinen Heikki , Kivirauma Joel
Published: October 2020

Koulutuksen merkitys osana työvoimapolitiikkaa on varsin huomattava. Työllisyyskoulutukseen erikoistuneita ammattikurssikeskuksia on toiminnassa 42, ja niissä kurssitetaan vuosittain lähes 30 tuhatta työtöntä ja työttömyysuhan alaista henkilöä. Kurssin jälkeen työpaikan on saanut viimeisen 15 vuoden aikana keskimäärin useampi kuin joka toinen. Työttöminä kursseille tulleet ovat työllistyneet muita heikommin. Yhtenä kurssituksen tavoitteena oleva alueellinen liikkuvuus ei ole toteutunut. Työllisyyskoulutuksen asema työvoimapolitiikan osana on suhteellisen vakiintunut. Suhde koulutuspolitiikkaan on epämääräisempi. Työllisyyskoulutuksen joustavuus on merkinnyt markkina-arvonsa nopeasti menettäviä ”pikatutkintoja”, jotka eivät turvaa työntekijän asemaa työmarkkinoilla. Saman joustavuuden nimissä tällainen työvoima on helpommin siirrettävissä uudelleen työllisyyskortistoon. Osana muuta aikuiskoulutusjärjestelmää työllisyyskoulutus saattaisi vapautua ainakin osittain koulutusjärjestelmän alimpana askeleena olemisen väistämättä mukanaan tuomista ongelmista. Työttömien asemaa se parantaa vain siinä tapauksessa, että koulutus rinnastetaan muihin vastaaviin ammatillisen koulutuksen tutkintoihin, jolloin opiskelijoiden työmarkkina-asema paranee.
Henkilöstökoulutuksen taloudellinen vaikuttavuus
Authors: Aaltonen Rainer
Published: October 2020

Koulutuksesta on tulossa osa menestyneimpien yritysten selviytymisstrategiaa. Samalla kun henkilöstökoulutukseen käytettävät taloudelliset investoinnit ovat kasvaneet huomattavasti, on kiinnostus myös niiden tuottoihin ja vaikutuksiin lisääntynyt. Artikkelissa esitellään utiliteettianalyyttinen menetelmä, jonka avulla yritysten koulutusinvestointien taloudellinen hyöty voidaan arvioida. Lopuksi pohditaan eräitä vaikuttavuustutkimuksen metodologisia ongelmia.
Satelliittivälitteinen opetus teknisen alan täydennyskoulutuksessa
Authors: Manninen Tuovi
Published: October 2020

Monimuoto-opetus on aikuiskoulutuksen uutta käsitteistöä. Monimuoto-opetukseen kuuluu myös tekniikan hyötykäyttö. Tuovi Manninen käsittelee artikkelissaan uuden teknologian yhtä aluetta opetuksessa, satelliittien avulla välitettävää opetusta. Kun uusimman tekniikan opetuskäytöstä on kyse, asialla on juuri tekninen ala itse. Satelliitin kanssa ei voi keskustella eikä liioin tehdä sille tarkentavia kysymyksiä. Millaista siis on täydentää teknisen alan taitoja tällaisen yksisuuntaisen aparaatin avulla?
Työn, aikuiskoulutuksen ja tutkimuksen yhteydet
Authors: Kirjonen Juhani
Published: October 2020

Professori Juhani Kirjonen on haastatellut Yhdysvaltain matkansa yhteydessä marraskuussa 1989 kahdeksaa aikuiskoulutuksen tutkijaa ja teoreetikkoa. Haastattelut liittyvät työtieteellisen täydennyskoulutusohjelman kehittämiseen, jonka ensimmäisestä vaiheesta kerrotaan haastatteluosuuksien jälkeen. Aikuiskasvatus-lehti julkaisee professori Kirjosen haastattelut kahdessa osassa. Numerossa 1/90 ilmestyvät professorien Jack Mezirow, Donald Schön ja Lee Boman haastattelut ja numerossa 2/90 professorien David Kolb, Lynn Davie, Don Brundage ja Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi sekä tohtori Elizabeth Burgen haastattelut.
NOPUS-projekti
Authors: Terhi Katariina
Published: October 2020

Yhteispohjoismaisella sosiaalialan jatko- ja täydennyskoulutuskurssilla, NOPUS-kurssilla, korostuu pohjoismaisuus suhteessa yhdentyvään Eurooppaan. Ainoaksi ongelmaksi kurssilaiset nimeävät kielivaikeudet. Etenkin suomenkielinen kokee suhteessa muihin pohjoismaisiin eriarvoisuutta, koska hän ei pysty ilmaisemaan itseään omalla äidinkielellään, ja kielivaikeuksien takia suomalainen alkaa epäillä ja tuntea epävarmuutta oman maansa kuulumisesta Pohjoismaihin.
Projektisihteeri Katariina Terhi tekee seuraavassa katsauksen yhteispohjoismaiseen, kolmen vuoden mittaiseen sosiaalipalveluiden kehittämisprojektiin.
Käykö vapaa sivistystyö kaupaksi?
Authors: Koivunen Hannele
Published: October 2020

Puheenvuoron käyttäjä Hannele Koivunen on Vantaan kaupungin kirjastotoimenjohtaja. Hänen näkökulmansa vapaan sivistystyön houkuttelevuuteen ja tarpeellisuuteen on hänen oma työkenttänsä, kirjasto. Hänen jälkeensä samaa kysymystä koulutuspäällikkö Risto Seppänen Jyväskylän yliopiston täydennyskoulutuskeskuksesta näkökulmanaan kansalais- ja työväenopistot sekä kansanopistot. Molemmat puheenvuorot on pidetty Yleisradion samannimisessä sarjassa tammikuussa.
Sisäistetty byrokratiamme
Authors: Korhonen Liisa
Published: October 2020

Riittävätkö opintokeskusten ja järjestöaktivistien kaunopuheisuuden lahjat nykypäivänä hälventämään sitä tervettä ja kokemukseen nojautuvaa karsastusta, mitä ihmiset kokevat kuunnellessaan sanan opintokerho? Missä vika, jos opintokerho ei käy kaupaksi?
Puheenvuoron käyttäjä Liisa Korhonen on Kansan Sivistystyön Liiton pedagoginen sihteeri.
Itäinen ja läntinen lukutaito
Authors: Koivunen Hannele
Published: October 2020

Kirjoittaja pohdiskelee lukutaidon itäistä ja läntistä maailmankuvaa. Hän näkee läntisen teollisen ihmisen pahimmillaan avuttomana silloin, kun hänen pitäisi osata lukea eleitä, ilmeitä ja luontoa. Traditionaalisen ja funktionaalisen sekä tietokonelukutaidon rinnalle kirjoittaja tuo ”neljännen lukutaidon” käsitteen, kokonaisuuksien ymmärryksen, elämän eheyden ja sosiaalisen ykseyden vaatiman elämän ”lukutaidon”.
Management of Metabolic Acidosis in the Post-Cardiac Surgical Patient
Authors: Francis Jeevan , Prothasis Sneha , Varghese Richard , Jomon Midhuna , Roy Rexy , Buchan Keith
Published: October 2020

The base deficit is the best way to evaluate severity of Metabolic Acidosis (MA). It indicates a value corresponding to the number of mmol/L below 24 of the measured bicarbonate concentration. Base deficit between 0 and 5 mmol/L indicates that the patient is not at risk of immediate harm. Arterial blood gases are typically measured every 2-4 hours following cardiac surgery and there is always a trend in base deficit changes to consider. Where the base deficit is diminishing, this indicates that the patient is improving, whereas when it is worsening, the opposite is true. Base deficits between 5 and 10 indicate that a serious problem is present which requires urgent correction. Where the base deficit is greater than 10, cardiac arrest may occur, and such patients require constant supervision by a doctor if active management is being pursued. Where the base deficit is persistently greater than 15, survival is extremely unlikely. This degree of acidosis is associated with widespread disruption of mitochondria at cellular level. The mitochondria often do not recover even if the precipitating cause of the MA is corrected, in which case the patient develops fatal multisystem organ failure. The management of MA in post-cardiac surgical patients is indivisibly bound up in optimizing circulatory physiology. We have not expounded on how this foundational knowledge should be applied but without it the management of MA in this patient population will be severely hampered.
Trichoderma Contributes to the Germination and Seedling Development of Açaí Palm
Authors: Campos Bruno Fróes , Araújo Anselmo Junior Corrêa , Felsemburgh Cristina Aledi , Vieira Thiago Almeida , Lustosa Denise Castro
Published: October 2020

The application of Trichoderma fungus can be used to obtain seedlings of higher quality for plantations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Trichoderma isolates on the germination and initial growth of açaí seedlings. Two trials were set up. In the laboratory, the seeds were inoculated in suspensions prepared with each of the isolates for 24 h, and they were arranged in trays containing filter paper in a completely randomized design with five replicates containing 50 seeds each. For the control, the seeds were submerged only in water. Part of the seedlings resulting from seeds treated and not treated with Trichoderma were transferred to bags containing forest soil and were submitted to seven modes of application of Trichoderma and kept in a nursery. The speed of germination and hypocotyl were not influenced by the biological treatment. The application of the different Trichoderma isolates positively influenced the height, collar diameter, number of leaves, root size, leaf area and root, and aerial part dry mass of the açaí seedlings. The application of the Trichoderma isolate TAM01 on the preplanting substrate and biweekly applications on the postplanting substrate was the combination that most positively influenced the development of açai seedlings.
Study on Parameterization of Vortex-Induced Vibration Energy Harvester in Agricultural Environment
Authors: Liao Zhangyi , Xiong Anping , Liu Renxin
Published: October 2020

In many special agricultural environments, many wireless sensors have a problem of power supply selection. Energy harvesting in the agricultural environment based on vortex-induced vibration (VIV) has the potential to solve the problem. In this paper, an energy harvester based on the VIV is designed in an agricultural environment. Relevant parameters of the harvester are studied with wind tunnel experiment to improve the efficiency of energy conversation. The results show that: (i) For large mass ratio, m*≫1, and the same mass ratio m*, the smaller the damping ratio ζ, the larger the normalized amplitude A*, the larger the maximum efficiency η of VIV energy harvesting; (ii) m*≫1, and under a certain range of Reynolds numbers, the smaller the mass-damping parameter m*ζ, the larger the normalized amplitude A*, the larger the maximum and average efficiency η of VIV energy harvesting. (iii) m*≫1, the larger the mass ratio m*, the larger the range of resonance; the normalized frequency f*≃1, the stable VIV locked state appears. The research results can provide references for the design of VIV energy harvesters in agricultural environments.
Rate of Nitrogen Rather Than Timing of Application Influence Yield and NUE of Canola in South Australian Mediterranean Environments
Authors: Riar Amritbir , Gill Gurjeet , McDonald Glenn K.
Published: October 2020

Canola has a high nitrogen requirement and optimal nitrogen (N) management in environments with variable rainfall is a challenge. This study investigated the impact of timing of N as a single or split application at different growth stages on seed yield, N uptake and water-use efficiency in canola. Nitrogen rates of 100 and 200 kg ha−1 were applied after sowing when two leaves were unfolded or equally split between the rosette, green bud and first flower stages. The experiments were conducted at two sites with contrasting rainfall and a supplementary irrigation treatment at the low rainfall site, generating a third environment. Nitrogen application increased seed yield by up to 20% at a high rainfall site and by up to 77% at a medium rainfall site, but the timing of N did not significantly affect the yield response to N. Seed yield was closely associated with total dry matter production and seed m−2. N-use efficiency was influenced more by N recovery and uptake efficiency, rather than physiological efficiency, which highlights the importance of soil moisture availability and the ability of the crop to exploit soil water and N reserves. The results suggest that better use of subsoil moisture by overcoming some of the subsoil constraints may be an avenue for further improvements in yield and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) of canola in this environment.
Genetic Variation Putatively Associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resistance to Perchlozone, a New Thiosemicarbazone: Clues from Whole Genome Sequencing and Implications for Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Authors: Mokrousov Igor , Vyazovaya Anna , Akhmedova Gulnora , Solovieva Natalia , Turkin Eugeni , Zhuravlev Viacheslav
Published: October 2020

Perchlozone ([PCZ] 4-thioureido-iminomethylpyridinium perchlorate) is a new thiosemicarbazone approved for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Russia and some other countries. The ethA and hadABC mutations may confer PCZ resistance. At the same time, ethA mutations are known to mediate resistance to ethionamide (ETH) and prothionamide (PTH). We aimed to study the genetic variation underlying Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistance to PCZ through whole genome sequencing (WGS) of consecutive isolates recovered during long-term treatment. This prospective study included patients admitted in 2018–2019 to the regional tuberculosis dispensary, Kaliningrad, Russia, whose treatment regimen included PCZ. Multiple M. tuberculosis isolates were recovered during PCZ treatment, and the bacterial DNA was subjected to WGS followed by bioinformatics analysis. We identified mutations in the genes putatively associated with PCZ resistance, ethA, and hadA. The most frequent one was a frameshift ethA 106 GA > G (seven of nine patients) and most of the other mutations were also likely present before PCZ treatment. In one patient, a frameshift mutation ethA 702 CT > C emerged after six months of PCZ treatment. A frequent presence of cross-resistance mutations to PCZ and ETH/PTH should be taken into consideration when PCZ is included in the treatment regimen of MDR-TB patients.
Research and Regulatory Advancements on Remediation and Degradation of Fluorinated Polymer Compounds
Authors: Olsavsky Nathaniel J. , Kearns Victoria M. , Beckman Connor P. , Sheehan Pamela L. , Burpo F. John , Bahaghighat H. Daniel , Nagelli Enoch A.
Published: October 2020

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals used in various commercial industries to include food packaging, non-stick repellent, and waterproof products. International environmental protection agencies are currently looking for ways to detect and safely remediate both solid and aqueous PFAS waste due to their harmful effects. Incineration is a technique that disposes of chemicals by breaking down the chemicals at high temperatures, upwards of 1400 °C. Incineration has been used on other related compounds, but PFAS presents a challenge during thermal degradation due to the molecular stability and reactivity of fluorine. Research on the efficacy of this method is currently limited, as the degradation byproducts of PFAS are not fully characterized. Current research is mostly focused on the development of benchtop methods for the safe remediation of solid PFAS waste. Aqueous fire fighting foams (AFFFs) have garnered significant attention due to extensive use since development in the 1960s. Numerous communities that are closely located near airports have been shown to have higher than average PFAS contamination from the repeated use. Detection and remediation of surface, subsurface, and wastewater have become a primary concern for environmental agencies. Use of electrochemical techniques to remove the PFAS contaminants has shown recent promise to help address this issue. Critical to the remediation efforts is development of standardized detection techniques and the implementation of local and international regulations to control the production and use of fluorinated products. No single solution has yet been developed, but much progress has been made in recent years in governmental regulation, detection, and remediation techniques.
The Effect of Supplementing Pig Diet with Chestnut Wood Extract or Hops on Fresh Meat and Dry-Cured Products
Authors: Tomažin Urška , Škrlep Martin , Prevolnik Povše Maja , Batorek-Lukač Nina , Karolyi Danijel , Červek Matjaž , Čandek-Potokar Marjeta
Published: October 2020

Oxidation is one of the major reasons for impaired quality of meat and meat products but can be prevented by the addition of antioxidants. In the present study, the effect of dietary sweet chestnut wood extract and hop cones on the quality and oxidative stability of meat and dry-cured products was investigated. Control pigs (N = 11) were fed a commercial diet (13.1 MJ metabolizable energy, 15.5% crude protein), while the other two experimental groups were supplemented with 3% of sweet chestnut wood extract (Tannin; N = 12) or 0.4% of hop cones (Hops; N = 11). The quality of meat and dry-cured products was evaluated by means of chemical composition, water holding capacity, objective color, and lipid and protein oxidation. No major effects of sweet chestnut wood extract or of hops supplementation were observed, nevertheless, some indications of improved water holding capacity could be attributed to antioxidants supplementation. The color evolution of dry-cured bellies from Tannin and Hops groups of pigs during refrigerated storage was also indicative of an improved oxidative stability.
Variable Compliance Control for Robotic Peg-in-Hole Assembly: A Deep-Reinforcement-Learning Approach
Authors: Beltran-Hernandez Cristian C. , Petit Damien , Ramirez-Alpizar Ixchel G. , Harada Kensuke
Published: October 2020

Industrial robot manipulators are playing a significant role in modern manufacturing industries. Though peg-in-hole assembly is a common industrial task that has been extensively researched, safely solving complex, high-precision assembly in an unstructured environment remains an open problem. Reinforcement-learning (RL) methods have proven to be successful in autonomously solving manipulation tasks. However, RL is still not widely adopted in real robotic systems because working with real hardware entails additional challenges, especially when using position-controlled manipulators. The main contribution of this work is a learning-based method to solve peg-in-hole tasks with hole-position uncertainty. We propose the use of an off-policy, model-free reinforcement-learning method, and we bootstraped the training speed by using several transfer-learning techniques (sim2real) and domain randomization. Our proposed learning framework for position-controlled robots was extensively evaluated in contact-rich insertion tasks in a variety of environments.
A Numerical Evaluation of Structural Hot-Spot Stress Methods in Rib-To-Deck Joint of Orthotropic Steel Deck
Authors: Iqbal Nouman , Fang Heng , Naseem Ahsan , Kashif Muhammad , De Backer Hans
Published: October 2020

This study numerically investigates the limitations of structural hot-spot stress (SHSS) methods and proposes a guideline for the calculation of hot-spot stresses, which can be used for the better evaluation of fatigue-related problems. Four different SHSS evaluation methods have been applied to the rib-to-deck (RD) welded joint in orthotropic steel deck (OSD). These methods are used to calculate SHSS at this critical joint utilizing finite element analyses (FEA) based software Siemens NX.12. The limitations and the accuracy of these methods have been observed under different element types and meshing techniques. Moreover, the effect of the nodal-averaging feature is being studied. Two types of governing stresses are produced by the application of Eurocode fatigue load model-4. Essentially, the bending in deck-plate produces highly non-linear stress at the deck-toe, and the membrane effect in rib-plate generates linear stress at the rib-toe. Guidelines are proposed considering different parameters on these two stress states by applying SHSS evaluation methods. In comparison to other SHSS approaches, the International Institute of Welding (IIW) quadratic stress extrapolation (QSE) method shows better results for solid single-element, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) through thickness stress linearization (TTSL) method stands out in solid cubic-mesh technique. In general, shell elements have more consistent SHSS results as compared to solid elements for both stress states.
Thermal Behavior and Flammability of Epoxy Composites Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Expanded Graphite: A Comparative Study
Authors: Bannov Alexander G. , Nazarenko Olga B. , Maksimovskii Evgeny A. , Popov Maxim V. , Berdyugina Irina S.
Published: October 2020

Reduction of flammability and improvement of thermal stability of polymers during heating can be achieved by the introduction of fillers. Epoxy composites filled with different loadings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and expanded graphite (EG) were prepared. The thermal oxidation stability of the prepared samples was investigated under heating in an oxidizing atmosphere using thermal analysis. The hardness was measured using the Shore D hardness test. The flammability of the prepared composites was evaluated by the ignition temperature and time-to-ignition. It was found that there was a rise in temperature corresponding to a 5% weight loss during heating for both epoxy/MWCNT and epoxy/EG composites compared to neat epoxy resin. The Shore D hardness of epoxy/MWCNT composites increased with content growth up to 0.1 wt.% and decreased with further concentration rise. The addition of MWCNTs and EG leads to an increase in the ignition temperature. It has been shown that MWCNTs improve the thermal behavior of epoxy resin in a low temperature region (below ~300 °C) whereas EG shows almost the same thermal behavior above 300 °C. The improvement of thermal properties can be achieved using MWCNTs and EG as fillers.
Commercial Hemp Seed Oils: A Multimethodological Characterization
Authors: Spano Mattia , Di Matteo Giacomo , Rapa Mattia , Ciano Salvatore , Ingallina Cinzia , Cesa Stefania , Menghini Luigi , Carradori Simone , Giusti Anna Maria , Di Sotto Antonella , Di Giacomo Silvia , Sobolev Anatoly P. , Vinci Giuliana , Mannina Luisa
Published: October 2020

Nine commercial hemp seed oils from different countries were studied using a multimethodological approach to obtain information about their quality and chemical composition. Due to the lack of a specific regulation for hemp seed oils, quality parameters used in the case of olive oils (free acidity, peroxides number, spectrophotometer parameters) and anisidine number were measured and compared with those reported for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Free acidity and peroxides number showed a great variability, ranging from 0.4 to 17.24% and from 4.32 to 22.14 meqO2/kg, respectively, whereas the anisidine number ranged from 0.11 to 3.58. K232 value turned out to be generally below the limit reported for EVOO, whereas K270 and ΔK values were higher, with respect to EVOO limits, due to the high amount of tri-unsaturated fatty chains. Colorimetric analysis showed a peculiar curve trend that could represent the fingerprint of this product. Untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance methodology allowed to measure the amount of fatty chains, ω-6:ω-3 ratio, β-sitosterol, and aldehydes. The ω-6:ω-3 ratio turned out to be, in some cases, different from that reported on the bottle labels. Finally, lipoperoxidation assays were also carried out under different storage (light and temperature) and time exposure conditions, confirming that the exposure to direct light is the condition that interferes more with the product quality.
Development of Ti/Ni Nanolayered Structures to Be a New Candidate for Energy Storage Applications
Authors: Saber Osama , Ansari Sajid Ali , Alshoaibi Adil
Published: October 2020

Development of electrochemical supercapacitor electrode is the best way to improve the performance and conductivity of the alone materials and support energy storage devices. In this work, cyanate anions have used as building blocks to build series of nanolayered materials based on Ti/Ni layered double hydroxides (LDHs). The structural and morphological characteristics of the prepared Ti/Ni LDHs were examined using different techniques. The electrochemical supercapacitive behavior of the prepared LDHs was observed in the three-assembly electrochemical cell. These results showed that the optimized ratio of the nickel and titanium plays an important role to enhance the electrochemical performance of the LDHs. The optimized Ti/Ni LDHs, which has the highest content of titanium, showed the highest specific capacitance (675 F/g) value. In this trend, this LDH also retain a high percentage of the cyclic retention after long cyclic charging-discharging process. The enhanced performance could be due to the double layer structure, enough interplanar distance between the layer, and large number of exposed active site within the double layer structure of the LDHs. Finally, although there are no reports for the electrochemical supercapacitive performance of Ti/Ni LDHs in the literature, it is interesting to produce a new candidate for energy storage applications.
KsponSpeech: Korean Spontaneous Speech Corpus for Automatic Speech Recognition
Authors: Bang Jeong-Uk , Yun Seung , Kim Seung-Hi , Choi Mu-Yeol , Lee Min-Kyu , Kim Yeo-Jeong , Kim Dong-Hyun , Park Jun , Lee Young-Jik , Kim Sang-Hun
Published: October 2020

This paper introduces a large-scale spontaneous speech corpus of Korean, named KsponSpeech. This corpus contains 969 h of general open-domain dialog utterances, spoken by about 2000 native Korean speakers in a clean environment. All data were constructed by recording the dialogue of two people freely conversing on a variety of topics and manually transcribing the utterances. The transcription provides a dual transcription consisting of orthography and pronunciation, and disfluency tags for spontaneity of speech, such as filler words, repeated words, and word fragments. This paper also presents the baseline performance of an end-to-end speech recognition model trained with KsponSpeech. In addition, we investigated the performance of standard end-to-end architectures and the number of sub-word units suitable for Korean. We investigated issues that should be considered in spontaneous speech recognition in Korean. KsponSpeech is publicly available on an open data hub site of the Korea government.
Estimation of Distribution Algorithms with Fuzzy Sampling for Stochastic Programming Problems
Authors: Hedar Abdel-Rahman , Allam Amira A. , Fahim Alaa
Published: October 2020

Generating practical methods for simulation-based optimization has attracted a great deal of attention recently. In this paper, the estimation of distribution algorithms are used to solve nonlinear continuous optimization problems that contain noise. One common approach to dealing with these problems is to combine sampling methods with optimal search methods. Sampling techniques have a serious problem when the sample size is small, so estimating the objective function values with noise is not accurate in this case. In this research, a new sampling technique is proposed based on fuzzy logic to deal with small sample sizes. Then, simulation-based optimization methods are designed by combining the estimation of distribution algorithms with the proposed sampling technique and other sampling techniques to solve the stochastic programming problems. Moreover, additive versions of the proposed methods are developed to optimize functions without noise in order to evaluate different efficiency levels of the proposed methods. In order to test the performance of the proposed methods, different numerical experiments were carried out using several benchmark test functions. Finally, three real-world applications are considered to assess the performance of the proposed methods.
Ubiquitin-Like Modifiers: Emerging Regulators of Protozoan Parasites
Authors: Karpiyevich Maryia , Artavanis-Tsakonas Katerina
Published: October 2020

Post-translational protein regulation allows for fine-tuning of cellular functions and involves a wide range of modifications, including ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modifiers (Ubls). The dynamic balance of Ubl conjugation and removal shapes the fates of target substrates, in turn modulating various cellular processes. The mechanistic aspects of Ubl pathways and their biological roles have been largely established in yeast, plants, and mammalian cells. However, these modifiers may be utilised differently in highly specialised and divergent organisms, such as parasitic protozoa. In this review, we explore how these parasites employ Ubls, in particular SUMO, NEDD8, ATG8, ATG12, URM1, and UFM1, to regulate their unconventional cellular physiology. We discuss emerging data that provide evidence of Ubl-mediated regulation of unique parasite-specific processes, as well as the distinctive features of Ubl pathways in parasitic protozoa. We also highlight the potential to leverage these essential regulators and their cognate enzymatic machinery for development of therapeutics to protect against the diseases caused by protozoan parasites.
Nucleus Accumbens Functional Connectivity with the Frontoparietal Network Predicts Subsequent Change in Body Mass Index for American Children
Authors: Assari Shervin , Boyce Shanika , Bazargan Mohsen
Published: October 2020

Background: Nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a brain structure with a well-established role in the brain reward processing system. Altered function of the NAc is shown to have a role in the development of food addiction and obesity. However, less is known about sex differences in the role of NAc function as a predictor of children’s change in body mass index (BMI) over time. Aim: We used the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development data (version 2.01) to investigate sex differences in the predictive role of the NAc functional connectivity with the frontoparietal network on children’s BMI change over a one-year follow-up period. Methods: This 1-year longitudinal study successfully followed 3784 9–10-year-old children. Regression models were used to analyze the data. The predictor variable was NAc functional connectivity with the frontoparietal network measured using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The primary outcome was BMI at the end of the 1-year follow up. Covariates included race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic factors, and baseline BMI. Sex was the effect modifier. Results: NAc functional connectivity with the frontoparietal network was predictive of BMI changes over time. This association remained significant above and beyond all covariates. The above association, however, was only significant in female, not male children. Conclusion: The epidemiological observation that NAc functional connectivity is associated with BMI changes in children is an extension of well-controlled laboratory studies that have established the role of the NAc in the brain reward processing. More research is needed on sex differences in the brain regions that contribute to childhood obesity.
Prostate Cancer Metastases Are Strongly Inhibited by Agonistic Epha2 Ligands in an Orthotopic Mouse Model
Authors: Salem Ahmed F. , Gambini Luca , Billet Sandrine , Sun Yu , Oshiro Hiromichi , Zhao Ming , Hoffman Robert M. , Bhowmick Neil A. , Pellecchia Maurizio
Published: October 2020

The EphA2 tyrosine kinase receptor is highly expressed in several types of solid tumors. In our recent studies, we targeted EphA2 in pancreatic cancer with agonistic agents and demonstrated that suppression of EphA2 significantly reduced cancer-cell migration in cell-based assays. In the present study, we focused on targeting EphA2 in prostate cancer. While not all prostate cancers express EphA2, we showed that enzalutamide induced EphA2 expression in prostate cancer cells and in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) animal model, which provides further impetus to target EphA2 in prostate cancer. Western blot studies showed that agonistic dimeric synthetic (135H12) and natural (ephrinA1-Fc) ligands effectively degraded EphA2 receptor in the prostate cancer cell line PC-3. The agents also delayed cell migration of prostate cancer (PC-3) cells, while an in vivo PC-3 orthotopic metastatic nude-mouse model also revealed that administration of ephrinA1-Fc or 135H12 strongly reduced metastases. The present study further validates EphA2 as an important target in metastatic prostate cancer treatment. Our results should incentivize further efforts aimed at developing potent and effective EphA2 synthetic agonistic agents for the treatment of EphA2-driven aggressive metastatic tumors including prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancer.