bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Respon Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Tanaman Jagung Manis (Zea mays Saccharata Sturt) Varietas Bisi Sweet Terhadap Kombinasi Dosis Pupuk Nitrogen Dan Pupuk Organik Cair
Authors: Mahmud Yudhi
Published: August 2018

Tujuan penelitian untuk mendapatkan kombinasi dosis pupuk nitrogen dan pupuk organik cair yang baik dalam meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman jagung manis. Penelitian dilakukan di lahan percobaan BP3K Rawa Merta, Kecamatan Rawa Merta, Kabupaten Karawang, dari bulan September sampai dengan bulan Desember 2017. Metode penelitian yang digunakan metode eksperime dengan rancangan acak lengkap. Ada 13 taraf perlakuan dengan tiga kali ulangan, perlakuan terdiri dari (P0) tanpa pemupukan, (P1) 45 kg N/ha, (P2) 90 kg N/ha, (P3) 136 kg N/ha, (P4) 45 kg N/ha + 4 lt POC/ha, (P5) 45 kg N/ha + 6 lt POC/ha, (P6) 45 kg N/ha + 8 lt POC/ha, (P7) 90 kg N/ha + 4 lt POC/ha, (P8) 90 kg N/ha + 6 lt POC/ha, (P9) 90 kg N/ha + 8 lt POC/ha, (P10) 135 kg N/ha + 4 lt POC/ha, (P11) 135 kg N/ha + 6 lt POC/ha, (P12) 135 kg N/ha + 8 lt POC/ha. Pemberian kombinasi dosis pupuk nitrogen dan pupuk organik cair menunjukan pengaruh yang nyata terhadap komponen pertumbuhan (tinggi tanaman : 40 HST, dan 50 HST, jumlah daun : 20 HST, 40 HST, dan 50 HST, dan berat basah berangkasan) dan komponen hasil (jumlah biji per tongkol, diameter tongkol tanpa kelobot, dan bobot tongkol tanpa kelobot per tanaman) jagung manis. Hasil tertinggi pada komponen pertumbuhan (tinggi tanaman umur 50 HST = 207,13 cm, jumlah daun umur 50 HST = 12,9 cm, dan berat basah berangkasan = 338,17 gram) dicapai oleh perlakuan (P7) 90 kg N/ha + 4 lt POC/ha, komponen hasil (jumlah biji per tongkol = 426,33, diameter tongkol tanpa kelobot = 4,25 cm, dan bobot tongkol tanpa kelobot per tanaman = 105,26 gram) dicapai oleh perlakuan (P9) 90 kg N/ha + 8 lt POC/ha
Who is Afraid of Biodiversity? Proposal for a Research Agenda for Environmental History
Authors: van Goethem Thomas , van Zandem Jan Luiten
Published: August 2018

There is an urgent need for studying the development of biodiversity in the (recent) past. It is one of the biggest threats to the sustainable future of mankind, which has not, however, received much attention from environmental historians. Several (historical) socio-economic drivers of biodiversity have been recognised; however, the extent, rate and precise causes of current decline remain unknown. A historical perspective on biodiversity and the network of socio-economic factors causing it, will lead to a more inclusive understanding of the complex human-nature relations resulting in biodiversity decline. The models currently used to simulate these processes, and theoretical notions about it, have not been tested against the historical record. To that end, the study is proposed of biodiversity on the basis of historical records and data - by scholars who can combine intimate knowledge of the historical sources with a deep understanding of the complex interaction between humanity and nature. Moreover, a research framework is presented that may be the starting point for the new research agenda. The framework gives a schematic overview of interconnected natural and socio-economic systems across different temporal, spatial and biological scales. Also, as this kind of research cannot focus on one country or region only, international cooperation between environmental historians and historical ecologists is proposed to address these issues in a systematic and global way.
A FORÇA COISA JULGADA EM NOSSO ORDENAMENTO JURÍDICO E ALGMAS CONSIDERAÇÕES SOBRE TAL INSTITUTO NO NOVO CÓDIGO DE PROCESSO CIVIL
Authors: Lopes Caroline Kaizer , Almeida Ivone Juscelina de
Published: August 2018

Esse trabalho gira em torno do instituto da coisa julgada, que está previsto em nossa Constituição (artigo 5º, XXXVI) como direito e garantia fundamental, sendo imprescindível à própria existência do discurso jurídico e, elemento estruturante do Estado Democrático de Direito. Há pela doutrina uma enorme divergência acerca da relativização da coisa julgada, dessa forma, serão apresentados os principais pontos conflitantes existentes, levando-se em conta que a mitigação da coisa julgada é uma exceção a regra, ocorrendo em casos excepcionais. Será demonstrada a força da coisa julgada em nosso ordenamento jurídico. Partindo da previsão legal que a coisa julgada material é desfeita pelo ajuizamento da Ação Rescisória, será apresentada a natureza jurídica da mesma, seu prazo de ajuizamento e, em especial, suas hipóteses de cabimento. Também será abordado o instituto da coisa julgada e a ação rescisória no projeto do novo Código de Processo Civil.
A RESPONSABILIDADE CIVIL DO ESTADO POR ATOS LÍCITOS
Authors: Silva Maria Clara dos Santos e , Gois Ewerton Marcus De Oliveira
Published: August 2018

A responsabilidade do Estado consolidou-se na doutrina e na jurisprudência ao longo dos anos, firmando-se o entendimento de que o Poder Público deve reparar os danos causados a particulares somente quando a atuação estatal houver sido ilícita e/ou ilegítima, independentemente da culpa do agente. A questão, porém, encontra interpretações divergentes, na doutrina e na jurisprudência brasileira, quando esse dano for causado por um ato lícito e legítimo, fundado no princípio da legalidade, sendo, por isso mesmo, ainda “pouco comum” encontrar julgados que tenham deferido pleitos indenizatórios arguidos em face da licitude (ou legalidade) dos atos da Administração Pública. Juízes, tribunais e doutrinadores têm consenso de que a ampliação do conceito da responsabilidade civil do Estado poderá significar como garantia mais efetiva de segurança aos direitos violados dos indivíduos vítimas de danos injustos. Contudo, a possibilidade (e legitimidade) desses pedidos indenizatórios precisa ser analisada com cautela redobrada e maior razoabilidade, de modo a se impedir um entendimento generalizado e sem limites de litigiosidade exacerbada em face ao Poder Público. O presente trabalho, após detalhada análise da questão primária da responsabilidade civil do Estado, pretende verificar se é legitimamente exigível a responsabilização objetiva do Estado também por seus atos lícitos e praticados sob a égide da lei, ao contrário do entendimento majoritário vigente.
Evaluation of Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Effects of Dendrophthoe pentranda Leaves on CCl4 -Induced Hepatotoxic Rat
Authors: Haque Md Anamul , Haque Md Uzzal , Islam Md Anwar Ul
Published: August 2018

The aim of the study was to evaluate the phytochemical profile, antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of aqueous (ADPL), ethanol (EDPL), chloroform (CDPL) and petroleum ether (PDPL) extracts of Dendrophthoe pentandra leaves. The total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) were determined by using Folin Ciocalteu method and aluminium chloride assay, respectively. Antioxidant effect was assessed by using DPPH radical scavenging, ferric reducing power (FRP) and total antioxidant content (TAC) assay. Hepatoprotective effect was evaluated against CCl4-induced liver toxicity in long evans rats. Among the extracts, EDPL and PDPL had the highest TAC and TFC. EDPL and PDPL showed potent antioxidant effect that exhibited IC50 31.62 ± 4.10 and 24.30 ± 3.45 μg/ml (DPPH), EC50 28.18 ± 4.24 and 39.25 ± 5.20 μg/ml (FRP) and 373.83 ± 9.10, 352.67 ± 10.23, mg/g equivalent of ascorbic acid (TAC), respectively. The CCl4 significantly induced elevation of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP) and bilirubin as well as liver damage (cirrosis, ballooning and necrosis). However, treatment with D. pentandra extracts (200 mg/kg, p.o) significantly counter balanced the toxicity towards the normal animals. The research may direct further advanced studies to find out hepatoprotective compounds.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 21(2): 71-79, 2018
Hepatoprotective Activity of Hedyotis corymbosa (Linn.) Lam. Extract Against Anti-Tubercular Drug Induced Hepatic Damage in Sprague-Dawley Rats
Authors: Lina Shah Marzia Mahjabin , Ashab Imran , Bhuiya M Salahuddin , Shahriar Masum
Published: August 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective actions of hydroalcoholic extract of Hedyotis corymbosa against hepatotoxicity caused by different combinations of anti-tubercular drugs. Antitubercular drugs isoniazid and rifampicin were used to make the elevated level of ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin as well as decreased level of albumin and total protein. Hepatoprotective activity of the plant was indicated when it causes the decrease of these marker enzymes and elevated level of albumin and total protein. H. corymbosa prevented liver damage caused by anti-tubercular drugs and also from histopathological changes. It can be concluded from the above experiment that hydroalcoholic extract of H. corymbosa showed significant hepatoprotective activity against antitubercular drugs.Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 21(2): 131-138, 2018
Herbal and Alternative Medicine News Vol.21(2)
Authors: Hossain Md Akbar
Published: August 2018

Abstract not availableBangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 21(2): 181, 2018
Antimicrobial Usage in Animal Production: A Review of the Literature with a Focus on Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Cuong Nguyen V. , Padungtod Pawin , Thwaites Guy , Carrique-Mas Juan J.
Published: August 2018

Antimicrobial use (AMU) in animal production is a key contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide. As consumption of animal protein and associated animal production is forecast to increase markedly over coming years in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), accurate monitoring of AMU has become imperative. We summarized data from 89 scientific studies reporting AMU data in animal production published in English since 1998, identified through the ‘ISI Web of Knowledge’ search engine. The aims were as follows: (a) to describe methodologies and metrics used to quantify AMU; (b) to summarize qualitative (on-farm prevalence of use) and quantitative (amounts of antimicrobial active principle) data, in order to identify food animal species at the highest risk of AMU; and (c) to highlight data gaps from LMICs. Only 17/89 (19.1%) studies were conducted in LMICs. Sixty (67.3%) reported quantitative data use, with ‘daily doses per animal-time’ being the most common metric. AMU was greatest in chickens (138 doses/1000 animal-days [inter quartile range (IQR) 91.1–438.3]), followed by swine (40.2 [IQR 8.5–120.4]), and dairy cattle (10.0 [IQR 5.5–13.6]). However, per kg of meat produced, AMU was highest in swine, followed by chickens and cattle. Our review highlights a large deficit of data from LMICs, and provides a reference for comparison with further surveillance and research initiatives aiming to reduce AMU in animal production globally.
Mg-Based Hydrogen Absorbing Materials for Thermal Energy Storage—A Review
Authors: Li Bo , Li Jianding , Shao Huaiyu , He Liqing
Published: August 2018

Utilization of renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal power, appears to be the most promising solution for the development of sustainable energy systems without using fossil fuels. Energy storage, especially to store the energy from fluctuating power is quite vital for smoothing out energy demands with peak/off-peak hour fluctuations. Thermal energy is a potential candidate to serve as an energy reserve. However, currently the development of thermal energy storage (TES) by traditional physical means is restricted by the relatively low energy density, high temperature demand, and the great thermal energy loss during long-period storage. Chemical heat storage is one of the most promising alternatives for TES due to its high energy density, low energy loss, flexible temperature range, and excellent storage duration. A comprehensive review on the development of different types of Mg-based materials for chemical heat storage is presented here and the classic and state-of-the-art technologies are summarized. Some related chemical principles, as well as heat storage properties, are discussed in the context. Finally, some dominant factors of chemical heat storage materials are concluded and the perspective is proposed for the development of next-generation chemical heat storage technologies.
Alterations in the MicroRNA of the Blood of Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients: Effects on Epigenetic Regulation and Potential Biomarkers
Authors: Vaccaro Tamara da Silva , Sorrentino Julia Medeiros , Salvador Sócrates , Veit Tiago , Souza Diogo Onofre , De Almeida Roberto Farina
Published: August 2018

Aims: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of heterogeneous brain-based neurodevelopmental disorders with different levels of symptom severity. Given the challenges, the clinical diagnosis of ASD is based on information gained from interviews with patients’ parents. The heterogeneous pathogenesis of this disorder appears to be driven by genetic and environmental interactions, which also plays a vital role in predisposing individuals to ASD with different commitment levels. In recent years, it has been proposed that epigenetic modifications directly contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ASD. The microRNAs (miRNAs) comprises a species of short noncoding RNA that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and have an essential functional role in the brain, particularly in neuronal plasticity and neuronal development, and could be involved in ASD pathophysiology. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of blood miRNA in correlation with clinical findings in patients with ASD, and to find possible biomarkers for the disorder. Results: From a total of 26 miRNA studied, seven were significantly altered in ASD patients, when compared to the control group: miR34c-5p, miR92a-2-5p, miR-145-5p and miR199a-5p were up-regulated and miR27a-3p, miR19-b-1-5p and miR193a-5p were down-regulated in ASD patients. Discussion: The main targets of these miRNAs are involved in immunological developmental, immune response and protein synthesis at transcriptional and translational levels. The up-regulation of both miR-199a-5p and miR92a-2a and down-regulation of miR-193a and miR-27a was observed in AD patients, and may in turn affect the SIRT1, HDAC2, and PI3K/Akt-TSC:mTOR signaling pathways. Furthermore, MeCP2 is a target of miR-199a-5p, and is involved in Rett Syndrome (RTT), which possibly explains the autistic phenotype in male patients with this syndrome.
An Inverse Synthetic Aperture Ladar Imaging Algorithm of Maneuvering Target Based on Integral Cubic Phase Function-Fractional Fourier Transform
Authors: Lv Yakun , Wu Yanhong , Wang Hongyan , Qiu Lei , Jiang Jiawei , Sun Yang
Published: August 2018

When imaging maneuvering targets with inverse synthetic aperture ladar (ISAL), dispersion and Doppler frequency time-variation exist in the range and cross-range echo signal, respectively. To solve this problem, an ISAL imaging algorithm based on integral cubic phase function-fractional Fourier transform (ICPF-FRFT) is proposed in this paper. The accurate ISAL echo signal model is established for a space maneuvering target that quickly approximates the uniform acceleration motion. On this basis, the chirp rate of the echo signal is quickly estimated by using the ICPF algorithm, which uses the non-uniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) method for fast calculations. At the best rotation angle, the range compression is realized by FRFT and the range dispersion is eliminated. After motion compensation, separation imaging of strong and weak scattering points is realized by using ICPF-FRFT and CLEAN technique and the azimuth defocusing problem is solved. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by a simulation experiment of an aircraft scattering point model and real data.
The Influence of Char Preparation and Biomass Type on Char Steam Gasification Kinetics
Authors: Dahou Tilia , Defoort Françoise , Thiéry Sébastien , Grateau Maguelone , Campargue Matthieu , Bennici Simona , Jeguirim Mejdi , Dupont Capucine
Published: August 2018

A study was conducted to investigate the parameter that has influence on steam gasification kinetics between the biomass type and char preparation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out on steam gasification of seven biomass samples as well as chars from three of these samples. Chars were prepared using three different sets of low heating rate (LHR) pyrolysis conditions including temperature and biomass bed geometry. It was shown by a characteristic time analysis that these pyrolysis conditions were not associated with a chemical regime in a large amount of devices. However, it has been shown experimentally that conditions used to prepare the char had a much lower influence on steam gasification kinetics than the biomass type.
An Upper Bound of Longitudinal Elastic Modulus for Unidirectional Fibrous Composites as Obtained from Strength of Materials Approach
Authors: Venetis John , Sideridis Emilio
Published: August 2018

In this paper, the authors introduce an upper bound of the longitudinal elastic modulus of unidirectional fibrous composites to strength of materials approach, provided that the fibre is much stiffer than the matrix. In the mathematical derivations resulting in this bound, the concept of boundary interphase between filler and matrix was also taken into consideration. The novel element of this work is that the authors have not taken into account any particular variation law to approach the stiffness of this intermediate phase. The theoretical predictions were compared with those obtained from some accurate analytical models as well as with experimental data found in the literature, and a satisfactory accordance was observed.
Wave2Vec: Vectorizing Electroencephalography Bio-Signal for Prediction of Brain Disease
Authors: Kim Seonho , Kim Jungjoon , Chun Hong-Woo
Published: August 2018

Interest in research involving health-medical information analysis based on artificial intelligence, especially for deep learning techniques, has recently been increasing. Most of the research in this field has been focused on searching for new knowledge for predicting and diagnosing disease by revealing the relation between disease and various information features of data. These features are extracted by analyzing various clinical pathology data, such as EHR (electronic health records), and academic literature using the techniques of data analysis, natural language processing, etc. However, still needed are more research and interest in applying the latest advanced artificial intelligence-based data analysis technique to bio-signal data, which are continuous physiological records, such as EEG (electroencephalography) and ECG (electrocardiogram). Unlike the other types of data, applying deep learning to bio-signal data, which is in the form of time series of real numbers, has many issues that need to be resolved in preprocessing, learning, and analysis. Such issues include leaving feature selection, learning parts that are black boxes, difficulties in recognizing and identifying effective features, high computational complexities, etc. In this paper, to solve these issues, we provide an encoding-based Wave2vec time series classifier model, which combines signal-processing and deep learning-based natural language processing techniques. To demonstrate its advantages, we provide the results of three experiments conducted with EEG data of the University of California Irvine, which are a real-world benchmark bio-signal dataset. After converting the bio-signals (in the form of waves), which are a real number time series, into a sequence of symbols or a sequence of wavelet patterns that are converted into symbols, through encoding, the proposed model vectorizes the symbols by learning the sequence using deep learning-based natural language processing. The models of each class can be constructed through learning from the vectorized wavelet patterns and training data. The implemented models can be used for prediction and diagnosis of diseases by classifying the new data. The proposed method enhanced data readability and intuition of feature selection and learning processes by converting the time series of real number data into sequences of symbols. In addition, it facilitates intuitive and easy recognition, and identification of influential patterns. Furthermore, real-time large-capacity data analysis is facilitated, which is essential in the development of real-time analysis diagnosis systems, by drastically reducing the complexity of calculation without deterioration of analysis performance by data simplification through the encoding process.
Interaction between Parental Education and Household Wealth on Children’s Obesity Risk
Authors: Liu Yang , Ma Yanan , Jiang Nan , Song Shenzhi , Fan Qian , Wen Deliang
Published: August 2018

Parents’ education and household wealth cannot be presumed to operate independently of each other. However, in traditional studies on the impact of social inequality on obesity, education and financial wealth tend to be viewed as separable processes. The present study examines the interaction of parents’ education and household wealth in relation to childhood obesity. Anthropometric measurement and questionnaire surveys were carried out on 3670 children (aged 9–12 years) and their parents from 26 elementary schools in northeast China. Results showed that the interaction term was significant for household wealth and father’s education (p < 0.01), while no significant interaction between household wealth and mother’s education was found. In a separate analysis, the interaction was statistically significant among girls for obesity risk based on BMI (p = 0.02), and among urban children for both obesity risk based on BMI (p = 0.01) and abdominal obesity risk based on WHR (p = 0.03). Specifically, when household wealth increased from the first quintile to the fifth quintile, OR for father’s education decreased from higher than 1 (OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.12–3.38) to non-significant for girl’s obesity risk, from non-significant to lower than 1 for urban children’s obesity risk (OR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.32–0.86 for the fourth quintile; OR = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.19–0.73 for the fifth quintile) and from higher than 1 (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.04–2.05) to non-significant for urban children’s abdominal obesity risk. These findings indicate that father’s education level interacts with household wealth to influence obesity among girls and urban children in northeast China.
The Seasonality of Nitrite Concentrations in a Chloraminated Drinking Water Distribution System
Authors: Rantanen Pirjo-Liisa , Mellin Ilkka , Keinänen-Toivola Minna M. , Ahonen Merja , Vahala Riku
Published: August 2018

We studied the seasonal variation of nitrite exposure in a drinking water distribution system (DWDS) with monochloramine disinfection in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. In Finland, tap water is the main source of drinking water, and thus the nitrite in tap water increases nitrite exposure. Our data included both the obligatory monitoring and a sampling campaign data from a sampling campaign. Seasonality was evaluated by comparing a nitrite time series to temperature and by calculating the seasonal indices of the nitrite time series. The main drivers of nitrite seasonality were the temperature and the water age. We observed that with low water ages (median: 6.7 h) the highest nitrite exposure occurred during the summer months, and with higher water ages (median: 31 h) during the winter months. With the highest water age (190 h), nitrite concentrations were the lowest. At a low temperature, the high nitrite concentrations in the winter were caused by the decelerated ammonium oxidation. The dominant reaction at low water ages was ammonium oxidation into nitrite and, at high water ages, it was nitrite oxidation into nitrate. These results help to direct monitoring appropriately to gain exact knowledge of nitrite exposure. Also, possible future process changes and additional disinfection measures can be designed appropriately to minimize extra nitrite exposure.
The Efficacy of Buprenorphine in Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression and Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: Serafini Gianluca , Adavastro Giulia , Canepa Giovanna , De Berardis Domenico , Valchera Alessandro , Pompili Maurizio , Nasrallah Henry , Amore Mario
Published: August 2018

Although several pharmacological options to treat depression are currently available, approximately one third of patients who receive antidepressant medications do not respond adequately or achieve a complete remission. Thus, novel strategies are needed to successfully address those who did not respond, or partially respond, to available antidepressant pharmacotherapy. Research findings revealed that the opioid system is significantly involved in the regulation of mood and incentives salience and may be an appropriate target for novel therapeutic agents. The present study aimed to systematically review the current literature about the use of buprenorphine (BUP) for major depression, treatment-resistant depression (TRD), non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior, and suicidal behavior. We investigated Pubmed and Scopus databases using the following keywords: “buprenorphine AND depression”, “buprenorphine AND treatment resistant depression”, “buprenorphine AND suicid*”, “buprenorphine AND refractory depression”. Several evidence demonstrate that, at low doses, BUP is an efficacious, well-tolerated, and safe option in reducing depressive symptoms, serious suicidal ideation, and NSSI, even in patients with TRD. However, more studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects, and relative efficacy of specific combinations (e.g., BUP + samidorphan (BUP/SAM), BUP + naloxone (BUP/NAL), BUP + naltrexone) over BUP monotherapy or adjunctive BUP treatment with standard antidepressants, as well as to obtain more uniform guidance about the optimal BUP dosing interval.
Exploiting Past Users’ Interests and Predictions in an Active Learning Method for Dealing with Cold Start in Recommender Systems
Authors: Pozo Manuel , Chiky Raja , Meziane Farid , Métais Elisabeth
Published: August 2018

This paper focuses on the new users cold-start issue in the context of recommender systems. New users who do not receive pertinent recommendations may abandon the system. In order to cope with this issue, we use active learning techniques. These methods engage the new users to interact with the system by presenting them with a questionnaire that aims to understand their preferences to the related items. In this paper, we propose an active learning technique that exploits past users’ interests and past users’ predictions in order to identify the best questions to ask. Our technique achieves a better performance in terms of precision (RMSE), which leads to learn the users’ preferences in less questions. The experimentations were carried out in a small and public dataset to prove the applicability for handling cold start issues.
Adverse Effects of Fenofibrate in Mice Deficient in the Protein Quality Control Regulator, CHIP
Authors: Ravi Saranya , Parry Traci L. , Willis Monte S. , Lockyer Pamela , Patterson Cam , Bain James R. , Stevens Robert D. , Ilkayeva Olga R. , Newgard Christopher B. , Schisler Jonathan C.
Published: August 2018

We previously reported how the loss of CHIP expression (Carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-Interacting Protein) during pressure overload resulted in robust cardiac dysfunction, which was accompanied by a failure to maintain ATP levels in the face of increased energy demand. In this study, we analyzed the cardiac metabolome after seven days of pressure overload and found an increase in long-chain and medium-chain fatty acid metabolites in wild-type hearts. This response was attenuated in mice that lack expression of CHIP (CHIP−/−). These findings suggest that CHIP may play an essential role in regulating oxidative metabolism pathways that are regulated, in part, by the nuclear receptor PPARα (Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor alpha). Next, we challenged CHIP−/− mice with the PPARα agonist called fenofibrate. We found that treating CHIP−/− mice with fenofibrate for five weeks under non-pressure overload conditions resulted in decreased skeletal muscle mass, compared to wild-type mice, and a marked increase in cardiac fibrosis accompanied by a decrease in cardiac function. Fenofibrate resulted in decreased mitochondrial cristae density in CHIP−/− hearts as well as decreased expression of genes involved in the initiation of autophagy and mitophagy, which suggests that a metabolic challenge, in the absence of CHIP expression, impacts pathways that contribute to mitochondrial quality control. In conclusion, in the absence of functional CHIP expression, fenofibrate results in unexpected skeletal muscle and cardiac pathologies. These findings are particularly relevant to patients harboring loss-of-function mutations in CHIP and are consistent with a prominent role for CHIP in regulating cardiac metabolism.
Validation of Serbian Version of Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score (DVSS) Questionnaire
Authors: Cirovic Dragana , Petronic Ivana , Nikolic Dejan , Knezevic Tatjana , Vukadinovic Vojkan , Pavicevic Polina
Published: August 2018

Objective: The aims of our study were to translate the dysfunctional voiding symptom score (DVSS) from English to Serbian; culturally adopt the items; assess the internal consistency and the test–retest reliability of DVSSSR in patients with dysfunctional voiding (DV); evaluate and test the construct and divergent validity of DVSSSR against demographic parameters (gender and education); and examine the level of explained variability for each item of DVSSSR against demographic parameters (gender and education). Methods: The cross-sectional observational study included 50 patients with dysfunctional voiding aged 5 years and above. The DVSS questionnaire was translated from English into Serbian by the forward–backward method. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach α and test–retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). For validity testing we performed construct and divergent validity analyses. Results: There was excellent internal consistency for every item except for Item 6 (0.787) and Item 3 (0.864), where internal consistency was good. The observed test/retest ICC for average measures was more than 0.75 (excellent) for all DVSSSR items. Gender and educational level does not correlate significantly with each item of DVSSSR (p > 0.05). For divergent validity, there were no significant differences in mean values of each item of DVSSSR between genders and different levels of education (p > 0.05). Variability that can be explained for gender and educational level was below 10%. Conclusion: Translated DVSSSR is of adequate validity and reliability for assessing DV in children.
Synchrotron and Neutron Tomography of Paleontological Objects on the Facilities of the Kurchatov Institute
Authors: Pakhnevich Alexey , Kurkin Andrey , Lavrov Alexander , Tarasenko Konstantin , Kovalenko Ekaterina , Kaloyan Alexander , Podurets Konstantin
Published: August 2018

The most important results of tomographic studies of paleontological objects on the facilities of the National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” are described. It is shown that the use of the synchrotron and neutron tomography makes it possible to obtain new information on the structure of fossil animals, which is of fundamental importance for taxonomy and morphological analysis of extinct fauna.
Firewood Collection in South Africa: Adaptive Behavior in Social-Ecological Models
Authors: Lenfers Ulfia A. , Weyl Julius , Clemen Thomas
Published: August 2018

Due to the fact that the South Africa’s savanna landscapes are under changing conditions, the previously sustainable firewood collection system in rural areas has become a social-ecological factor in questions about landscape management. While the resilience of savannas in national parks such as Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa has been widely acknowledged in ecosystem management, the resilience of woody vegetation outside protected areas has been underappreciated. Collecting wood is the dominant source of energy for rural households, and there is an urgent need for land management to find sustainable solutions for this complex social-ecological system. However, the firewood collection scenario is only one example, and stands for all “human-ecosystem service” interactions under the topic of over-utilization, e.g., fishery, grazing, harvesting. Agent-based modeling combined with goal-oriented action planning (GOAP) can provide fresh insights into the relationship between individual needs of humans and changes in land use. At the same time, this modeling approach includes adaptive behavior under changing conditions. A firewood collection scenario was selected for a proof-of-concept comprising households, collectors, ecosystem services and firewood sites. Our results have shown that, even when it is predictable what a single human agent will do, massive up-scaling is needed in order to understand the whole complexity of social-ecological systems. Under changing conditions, such as climate and an increasing population, fair distribution of natural goods become an important issue.
Retained Austenite Decomposition and Carbide Precipitation during Isothermal Tempering of a Medium-Carbon Low-Alloy Bainitic Steel
Authors: Talebi Seyyed , Jahazi Mohammad , Melkonyan Haikouhi
Published: August 2018

The effect of isothermal tempering on retained austenite decomposition and carbide precipitation were investigated in a medium-carbon low-alloy bainitic steel. High-resolution dilatometry was used to perform isothermal tempering at 350 °C, 550 °C and 600 °C for different holding times up to 16 h. The decomposition of retained austenite, morphology and composition of carbides were investigated by analyzing the dilatometric curves and were confirmed through scanning and transmission electron microscopy observations. The decomposition behavior of retained austenite varied significantly as a function of the tempering temperature with a full decomposition observed at 600 °C. It was also found that by increasing the tempering temperature from 550 °C to 600 °C, carbides precipitate approximately twice as fast, and evolve from M3C type to Cr7C3 and Cr23C6 after 16 h of tempering at 600 °C.
A Physically Based Constitutive Model and Continuous Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior Analysis of 2219 Aluminum Alloy during Hot Deformation Process
Authors: Liu Lei , Wu Yunxin , Gong Hai , Li Shuang , Ahmad A. S.
Published: August 2018

The isothermal compression tests of the 2219 Al alloy were conducted at the temperature and the strain rate ranges of 623–773 K and 0.01–10 s−1, respectively, and the deformed microstructures were observed. The flow curves of the 2219 Al alloy obtained show that flow stress decreases with the increase in temperature and/or the decrease in strain rate. The physically based constitutive model is applied to describe the flow behavior during hot deformation. In this model, Young’s modulus and lattice diffusion coefficient are temperature-dependent, and the creep exponent is regarded as a variable. The predicted values calculated by the constitutive model are in good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, it is confirmed that the main softening mechanism of the 2219 Al alloy during hot deformation is dynamic recovery and incomplete continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) by the analysis of electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) micrographs. Moreover, CDRX can readily occur under the condition of high temperatures, low strain rates, and large strains. Meanwhile, the recrystallization grain size will also be larger.
Fracture Properties and Softening Curves of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Slag-Based Geopolymer Mortar and Concrete
Authors: Ding Yao , Bai Yu-Lei
Published: August 2018

Adding short steel fibers into slag-based geopolymer mortar and concrete is an effective method to enhance their mechanical properties. The fracture properties of steel fiber-reinforced slag-based geopolymer concrete/mortar (SGC/SGM) and unreinforced control samples were compared through three-point bending (TPB) tests. The influences of steel fiber volume contents (1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) on the fracture properties of SGC and SGM were studied. Load-midspan deflection (P-δ) curves and load-crack mouth opening displacement (P-CMOD) curves of the tested beams were recorded. The compressive and splitting tensile strengths were also tested. The fracture energy, flexural strength parameters, and fracture toughness of steel fiber-reinforced SGC and SGM were calculated and analyzed. The softening curves of steel fiber-reinforced SGC and SGM were determined using inverse analysis. The experimental results show that the splitting tensile strength, fracture energy, and fracture toughness are significantly enhanced with fiber incorporation. A strong correlation between the equivalent and residual flexural strengths is also observed. In addition, the trilinear strain-softening curves obtained by inverse analysis predict well of the load-displacement curves recorded from TPB tests.
Structure and Bioactivity Screening of a Low Molecular Weight Ulvan from the Green Alga Ulothrix flacca
Authors: Li Peipei , Wen Songsong , Sun Kunlai , Zhao Yuqin , Chen Yin
Published: August 2018

A water-soluble low molecular–weight polysaccharide named UP2-1 was isolated and purified from the marine green algae Ulothrix flacca using ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Composition and characteristics analyses showed that UP2-1 was a sulfated glucuronorhamnan consisting of rhamnose and glucuronic acid in a ratio of 2:1 with 21% sulfate content and a molecular weight of 5.0 kDa. Structural properties were determined using desulfation and methylation analyses combined with infrared spectrum (IR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results showed that UP2-1 was a type of ulvan composed of alternate 4-linked-α-L-rhamnose residues (→4)-α-L-Rha(1→) and 4-linked-β-D-glucouronoc acid residues. The sulfate groups were mainly present in the O-3 position of →4)-α-L-Rha(1→. Most (70%) of the rhamnose was sulfated. UP2-1 also had a small amount of →4)-α-L-Rha(1→ branch at the O-2 position of the →4)-α-L-Rha(1→. UP2-1 exhibited significant anticoagulant and immunomodulating activity in vitro. This study demonstrated that the green algae Ulothrix flacca, which is used as a food and traditional marine herb in China, could also be considered as a source of bioactive ulvan.
Traditional Uses of Cannabinoids and New Perspectives in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Gado Francesca , Digiacomo Maria , Macchia Marco , Bertini Simone , Manera Clementina
Published: August 2018

Recent findings highlight the emerging role of the endocannabinoid system in the control of symptoms and disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic, immune-mediated, demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system with no cure so far. It is widely reported in the literature that cannabinoids might be used to control MS symptoms and that they also might exert neuroprotective effects and slow down disease progression. This review aims to give an overview of the principal cannabinoids (synthetic and endogenous) used for the symptomatic amelioration of MS and their beneficial outcomes, providing new potentially possible perspectives for the treatment of this disease.
Characteristics of Gorilla-Specific Lactobacillus Isolated from Captive and Wild Gorillas
Authors: Tsuchida Sayaka , Kakooza Steven , Mbehang Nguema Pierre Philippe , Wampande Eddie M. , Ushida Kazunari
Published: August 2018

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) reside in a wide range of mammals, such as autochthonous intestinal bacteria. In this paper, we present the phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of gorilla-specific LAB. Lactobacillus gorillae—previously isolated from the wild and captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)—were successfully isolated from wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in addition to other captive and wild western lowland gorillas. The strains from wild gorillas could ferment D-xylose, arbutine, cellobiose, and trehalose better than those from captive gorillas. By contrast, tolerance to NaCl was higher in isolates from captive gorillas than in those from wild gorillas. This tendency may have been induced by regular foods in zoos, which contain sufficient amount of salts but less amount of indigestible fiber and plant secondary metabolites compared to foods in the wild. All strains of L. gorillae showed inhibitory activities to enteric pathogenic bacteria; however, the activity was significantly higher for strains from wild gorillas than for those from captive gorillas. This may have been induced by the captive condition with routine veterinary intervention. Since L. gorillae can grow in the gastrointestinal tract of gorillas in captivity, the strains from wild mountain gorillas are potential probiotics for gorillas under captive conditions.
Messing with the Sentinels—The Interaction of Staphylococcus aureus with Dendritic Cells
Authors: Darisipudi Murthy N. , Nordengrün Maria , Bröker Barbara M. , Péton Vincent
Published: August 2018

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a dangerous pathogen as well as a frequent colonizer, threatening human health worldwide. Protection against S. aureus infection is challenging, as the bacteria have sophisticated strategies to escape the host immune response. To maintain equilibrium with S. aureus, both innate and adaptive immune effector mechanisms are required. Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical players at the interface between the two arms of the immune system, indispensable for inducing specific T cell responses. In this review, we highlight the importance of DCs in mounting innate as well as adaptive immune responses against S. aureus with emphasis on their role in S. aureus-induced respiratory diseases. We also review what is known about mechanisms that S. aureus has adopted to evade DCs or manipulate these cells to its advantage.
Road Centerline Extraction from Very-High-Resolution Aerial Image and LiDAR Data Based on Road Connectivity
Authors: Zhang Zhiqiang , Zhang Xinchang , Sun Ying , Zhang Pengcheng
Published: August 2018

The road networks provide key information for a broad range of applications such as urban planning, urban management, and navigation. The fast-developing technology of remote sensing that acquires high-resolution observational data of the land surface offers opportunities for automatic extraction of road networks. However, the road networks extracted from remote sensing images are likely affected by shadows and trees, making the road map irregular and inaccurate. This research aims to improve the extraction of road centerlines using both very-high-resolution (VHR) aerial images and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) by accounting for road connectivity. The proposed method first applies the fractal net evolution approach (FNEA) to segment remote sensing images into image objects and then classifies image objects using the machine learning classifier, random forest. A post-processing approach based on the minimum area bounding rectangle (MABR) is proposed and a structure feature index is adopted to obtain the complete road networks. Finally, a multistep approach, that is, morphology thinning, Harris corner detection, and least square fitting (MHL) approach, is designed to accurately extract the road centerlines from the complex road networks. The proposed method is applied to three datasets, including the New York dataset obtained from the object identification dataset, the Vaihingen dataset obtained from the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) 2D semantic labelling benchmark and Guangzhou dataset. Compared with two state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method can obtain the highest completeness, correctness, and quality for the three datasets. The experiment results show that the proposed method is an efficient solution for extracting road centerlines in complex scenes from VHR aerial images and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data.
A Comparative Study of Three Types Shear Mode Piezoelectric Wafers in Shear Horizontal Wave Generation and Reception
Authors: Huan Qiang , Chen Mingtong , Li Faxin
Published: August 2018

Guided wave-based inspection has emerged as a promising tool to evaluate the reliability of key components in modern industries. The fundamental shear horizontal (SH0) wave is always of great interests for plate-like structures because of its non-dispersion characteristics. However, the generation and reception of SH0 wave using piezoelectric wafers is not straightforward. In this paper, we firstly define three types shear mode piezoelectric wafers, i.e., the conventional in-plane poled thickness-shear (d15) mode, the thickness-poled thickness-shear (d15) mode, and the face-shear (d24) mode. Then, finite element simulations were conducted to demonstrate their performance in SH wave generation and reception. The results indicated that the face shear d24 wafer can generate almost single mode SH0 wave, while both types of d15 wafers would generate Lamb waves and SH0 wave simultaneously. Finally, experiments were carried out to check the efficiency of different shear mode piezoelectric wafers in SH0 wave generation and reception. The results indicated that the d24 wafer can generate and receive SH0 wave of high signal to noise ratio (SNR) with high energy conversion efficiency, while the in-plane poled d15 wafer would generate SH0 wave of high amplitude and acceptable SNR but with relatively low energy conversion efficiency. The performances of thickness-poled d15 wafer was not as good as the other two in both SH wave generation and reception. This work will be helpful for the applications of SH waves in plate-like structures.
Practical Approach for High-Resolution Airport Pavement Inspection with the Yakumo Multistatic Array Ground-Penetrating Radar System
Authors: Yi Li , Zou Lilong , Sato Motoyuki
Published: August 2018

It is important to identify the thin cracks within the airport pavement layers. To achieve this goal, a practical interferometric approach using the Yakumo multistatic ground-penetrating radar system was developed to detect the slight variability in wave propagation velocity and/or thickness caused by the thin cracks. In comparison with the conventional common midpoint (CMP) velocity estimation method, the proposed method can provide much higher-resolution estimations of slight deviations in the velocity and thickness from their corresponding reference values in the undamaged asphalt through the comparison of two CMP datasets. These deviations can be obtained analytically instead of graphically extracted from the CMP velocity spectrum. The proposed approach was not only analyzed using the simulated datasets, but also practically demonstrated at both an experimental model site and an actual airport site. In the simulation tests, velocity deviations on the order of a few millimeters per nanosecond were detected, and the experimental results shows good agreement with the ground truth and coring samples. This method provides a novel way to inspect partially damaged pavement when the thin cracks are difficult to detect using the reflected signals.