bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gold Nanostars Bioconjugation for Selective Targeting and SERS Detection of Biofluids
Authors: Dallari Caterina , Capitini Claudia , Calamai Martino , Trabocchi Andrea , Pavone Francesco Saverio , Credi Caterina
Published: March 2021

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) show physicochemical and optical functionalities that are of great interest for spectroscopy-based detection techniques, and especially for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which is capable of providing detailed information on the molecular content of analysed samples. Moreover, the introduction of different moieties combines the interesting plasmonic properties of the AuNPs with the specific and selective recognition capabilities of the antibodies (Ab) towards antigens. The conjugation of biomolecules to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has received considerable attention for analysis of liquid samples and in particular biological fluids (biofluids) in clinical diagnostic and therapeutic field. To date, gold nanostars (AuNSts) are gaining more and more attention as optimal enhancers for SERS signals due to the presence of sharp branches protruding from the core, providing a huge number of “hot spots”. To this end, we focused our attention on the design, optimization, and deep characterization of a bottom up-process for (i) AuNPs increasing stabilization in high ionic strength buffer, (ii) covalent conjugation with antibodies, while (iii) retaining the biofunctionality to specific tag analyte within the biofluids. In this work, a SERS-based substrate was developed for the recognition of a short fragment (HA) of the hemagglutinin protein, which is the major viral antigen inducing a neutralizing antibody response. The activity and specific targeting with high selectivity of the Ab-AuNPs was successfully tested in transfected neuroblastoma cells cultures. Then, SERS capabilities were assessed measuring Raman spectra of HA solution, thus opening interesting perspective for the development of novel versatile highly sensitive biofluids sensors.
Electrolyte-Dependent Modification of Resistive Switching in Anodic Hafnia
Authors: Zrinski Ivana , Mardare Cezarina Cela , Jinga Luiza-Izabela , Kollender Jan Philipp , Socol Gabriel , Minenkov Alexey , Hassel Achim Walter , Mardare Andrei Ionut
Published: March 2021

Anodic HfO2 memristors grown in phosphate, borate, or citrate electrolytes and formed on sputtered Hf with Pt top electrodes are characterized at fundamental and device levels. The incorporation of electrolyte species deep into anodic memristors concomitant with HfO2 crystalline structure conservation is demonstrated by elemental analysis and atomic scale imaging. Upon electroforming, retention and endurance tests are performed on memristors. The use of borate results in the weakest memristive performance while the citrate demonstrates clear superior memristive properties with multilevel switching capabilities and high read/write cycling in the range of 106. Low temperature heating applied to memristors shows a direct influence on their behavior mainly due to surface release of water. Citrate-based memristors show remarkable properties independent on device operation temperatures up to 100 °C. The switching dynamic of anodic HfO2 memristors is discussed by analyzing high resolution transmission electron microscope images. Full and partial conductive filaments are visualized, and apart from their modeling, a concurrency of filaments is additionally observed. This is responsible for the multilevel switching mechanism in HfO2 and is related to device failure mechanisms.
Physiological Responses of the Copepods Acartia tonsa and Eurytemora carolleeae to Changes in the Nitrogen:Phosphorus Quality of Their Food
Authors: Bentley Katherine M. , Pierson James J. , Glibert Patricia M.
Published: March 2021

Two contrasting estuarine copepods, Acartia tonsa and Eurytemora carolleeae, the former a broadcast spawner and the latter a brood spawner, were fed a constant carbon-based diatom diet, but which had a variable N:P content, and the elemental composition (C, N, P) of tissue and eggs, as well as changes in the rates of grazing, excretion, egg production and viability were measured. To achieve the varied diet, the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana was grown in continuous culture at a constant growth rate with varying P supply. Both copepods altered their chemical composition in response to the varied prey, but to different degrees. Grazing (clearance) rates increased for A. tonsa but not for E. carolleeae as prey N:P increased. Variable NH4+ excretion rates were observed between copepod species, while excretion of PO43− declined as prey N:P increased. Egg production by E. carolleeae was highest when eating high N:P prey, while that of A. tonsa showed the opposite pattern. Egg viability by A. tonsa was always greater than that of E. carolleeae. These results suggest that anthropogenically changing nutrient loads may affect the nutritional quality of food for copepods, in turn affecting their elemental stoichiometry and their reproductive success, having implications for food webs.
A Comparative Genomic Study of Attenuated and Virulent Strains of Babesia bigemina
Authors: Sachman-Ruiz Bernardo , Lozano Luis , Lira José J. , Martínez Grecia , Rojas Carmen , Álvarez J. Antonio , Figueroa Julio V.
Published: March 2021

Cattle babesiosis is a socio-economically important tick-borne disease caused by Apicomplexa protozoa of the genus Babesia that are obligate intraerythrocytic parasites. The pathogenicity of Babesia parasites for cattle is determined by the interaction with the host immune system and the presence of the parasite’s virulence genes. A Babesia bigemina strain that has been maintained under a microaerophilic stationary phase in in vitro culture conditions for several years in the laboratory lost virulence for the bovine host and the capacity for being transmitted by the tick vector. In this study, we compared the virulome of the in vitro culture attenuated Babesia bigemina strain (S) and the virulent tick transmitted parental Mexican B. bigemina strain (M). Preliminary results obtained by using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) showed that out of 27 virulence genes described and analyzed in the B. bigemina virulent tick transmitted strain, only five were fully identified in the attenuated laboratory strain. In all cases, the identity and coverture of the identified genes of the wildtype strain were higher than those of the laboratory strain. This finding is putatively associated with the continuous partial loss of virulence genes in the laboratory strain after several passages of the parasite population under optimal in vitro growth conditions. The loss of virulence factors might be reflected in the absence of symptoms of the disease in cattle inoculated with the attenuated strain despite the presence of infection in the bovine host cells.
Mechanical Properties of a Supramolecular Nanocomposite Hydrogel Containing Hydroxyl Groups Enriched Hyper-Branched Polymers
Authors: Xing Wenjin , Ghahfarokhi Amin Jamshidi , Xie Chaoming , Naghibi Sanaz , Campbell Jonathan A. , Tang Youhong
Published: March 2021

Owing to highly tunable topology and functional groups, hyper-branched polymers are a potential candidate for toughening agents, for achieving supramolecular interactions with hydrogel networks. However, their toughening effects and mechanisms are not well understood. Here, by means of tensile and pure shear testings, we characterise the mechanics of a nanoparticle–hydrogel hybrid system that incorporates a hyper-branched polymer (HBP) with abundant hydroxyl end groups into the matrix of the polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel. We found that the third and fourth generations of HBP are more effective than the second one in terms of strengthening and toughening effects. At a HBP content of 14 wt%, compared to that of the pure PAA hydrogel, strengths of the hybrid hydrogels with the third and fourth HBPs are 2.3 and 2.5 times; toughnesses are increased by 525% and 820%. However, for the second generation, strength is little improved, and toughness is increased by 225%. It was found that the stiffness of the hybrid hydrogel is almost unchanged relative to that of the PAA hydrogel, evidencing the weak characteristic of hydrogen bonds in this system. In addition, an outstanding self-healing feature was observed, confirming the fast reforming nature of broken hydrogen bonds. For the hybrid hydrogel, the critical size of failure zone around the crack tip, where serious viscous dissipation occurs, is related to a fractocohesive length, being about 0.62 mm, one order of magnitude less than that of other tough double-network hydrogels. This study can promote the application of hyper-branched polymers in the rapid evolving field of hydrogels for improved performance.
Polyamide 12 Materials Study of Morpho-Structural Changes during Laser Sintering of 3D Printing
Authors: Simha Martynková Gražyna , Slíva Aleš , Kratošová Gabriela , Čech Barabaszová Karla , Študentová Soňa , Klusák Jan , Brožová Silvie , Dokoupil Tomáš , Holešová Sylva
Published: March 2021

The polyamide (PA)-12 material used for additive manufacturing was studied in aspects of morphology and their structural properties for basic stages received during 3D laser printing. Samples were real, big-scale production powders. The structure of polymer was evaluated from the crystallinity point of view using XRD, FTIR, and DSC methods and from the surface properties using specific surface evaluation and porosity. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe morphology of the surface and evaluate the particle size and shape via image analysis. Results were confronted with laser diffraction particles size measurement along with an evaluation of the specific surface area. Fresh PA12 powder was found as inhomogeneous in particle size of material with defective particles, relatively high specific surface, high lamellar crystallite size, and low crystallinity. The scrap PA12 crystallinity was about 2% higher than values for fresh PA12 powder. Particles had a very low, below 1 m2/g, specific surface area; particles sintered as twin particles and often in polyhedral shapes.
Malonic Acid Isolated from Pinus densiflora Inhibits UVB-Induced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in HaCaT Keratinocytes
Authors: Park Cheolwoo , Park Jaeyoung , Kim Won-Jin , Kim Woong , Cheong Hyeonsook , Kim Seok-Jun
Published: March 2021

Skin aging is caused by exposure to various external factors. Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation induces oxidative stress, photoaging, and inflammation in skin cells. Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. (red pine) has various antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of red pine on skin have rarely been reported. The protective effects of malonic acid (MA) isolated from Pinus densiflora were investigated against UVB-induced damage in an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). MA increased levels of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) via activation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), resulting in a reduction in UVB-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Additionally, the inhibition of ROS increased HaCaT cell survival rate. Thus, MA downregulated the expression of ROS-induced nuclear factor-κB, as well as inflammation-related cytokines (interleukin-6, cyclooxygenase-2, and tumor necrosis factor-α). Furthermore, MA significantly suppressed the mitogen-activated protein kinase/activator protein 1 signaling pathway and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs; MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9). In contrast, MA treatment increased the expression of collagen synthesis regulatory genes (COL1A1 and COL3A1) via regulation of Smad2/3 signal induction through transforming growth factor-β. In conclusion, MA protected against UVB-induced photoaging via suppression of skin inflammation and induction of collagen biosynthesis.
Sulfur-Modified Carbon Nanotubes for the Development of Advanced Elastomeric Materials
Authors: Bernal-Ortega Pilar , Bernal M. Mar , Blume Anke , González-Jiménez Antonio , Posadas Pilar , Navarro Rodrigo , Valentín Juan L.
Published: March 2021

The outstanding properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) present some limitations when introduced into rubber matrices, especially when these nano-particles are applied in high-performance tire tread compounds. Their tendency to agglomerate into bundles due to van der Waals interactions, the strong influence of CNT on the vulcanization process, and the adsorptive nature of filler–rubber interactions contribute to increase the energy dissipation phenomena on rubber–CNT compounds. Consequently, their expected performance in terms of rolling resistance is limited. To overcome these three important issues, the CNT have been surface-modified with oxygen-bearing groups and sulfur, resulting in an improvement in the key properties of these rubber compounds for their use in tire tread applications. A deep characterization of these new materials using functionalized CNT as filler was carried out by using a combination of mechanical, equilibrium swelling and low-field NMR experiments. The outcome of this research revealed that the formation of covalent bonds between the rubber matrix and the nano-particles by the introduction of sulfur at the CNT surface has positive effects on the viscoelastic behavior and the network structure of the rubber compounds, by a decrease of both the loss factor at 60 °C (rolling resistance) and the non-elastic defects, while increasing the crosslink density of the new compounds.
Using a Current Shunt for the Purpose of High-Current Pulse Measurement
Authors: Piekielny Pawel , Waindok Andrzej
Published: March 2021

Measurement of high-current pulses is crucial in some special applications, e.g., electrodynamic accelerators (EA) and converters. In such cases, the current shunts have limitations concerning the frequency bandwidth. To overcome the problem, a method based on the shunt mathematical model is proposed. In the method, the solution of ordinary differential equations for the RL circuit is carried out in order to obtain the real current shape. To check the method, as a referee, a Rogowski coil dedicated to measuring high-current pulses was used. Additionally, the measurement results were compared with the mathematical model of the tested power supply system. Measurements were made for the short power supply circuit, which allows eliminating the nonlinearity. The calculations were carried out using a circuit model. In order to obtain the parameters of the shunt (resistance and inductance), it was modeled using an ANSYS/Q3D Extractor software. Comparison of calculation and measurement results confirms the correctness of our method. In order to compare results, the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) was used.
Maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy Dropout with Informative Kernel Determinantal Point Process
Authors: Saffari Mohsen , Khodayar Mahdi , Ebrahimi Saadabadi Mohammad Saeed , Sequeira Ana F. , Cardoso Jaime S.
Published: March 2021

In recent years, deep neural networks have shown significant progress in computer vision due to their large generalization capacity; however, the overfitting problem ubiquitously threatens the learning process of these highly nonlinear architectures. Dropout is a recent solution to mitigate overfitting that has witnessed significant success in various classification applications. Recently, many efforts have been made to improve the Standard dropout using an unsupervised merit-based semantic selection of neurons in the latent space. However, these studies do not consider the task-relevant information quality and quantity and the diversity of the latent kernels. To solve the challenge of dropping less informative neurons in deep learning, we propose an efficient end-to-end dropout algorithm that selects the most informative neurons with the highest correlation with the target output considering the sparsity in its selection procedure. First, to promote activation diversity, we devise an approach to select the most diverse set of neurons by making use of determinantal point process (DPP) sampling. Furthermore, to incorporate task specificity into deep latent features, a mutual information (MI)-based merit function is developed. Leveraging the proposed MI with DPP sampling, we introduce the novel DPPMI dropout that adaptively adjusts the retention rate of neurons based on their contribution to the neural network task. Empirical studies on real-world classification benchmarks including, MNIST, SVHN, CIFAR10, CIFAR100, demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method over recent state-of-the-art dropout algorithms in the literature.
Detection and Classification of Stroke Gaits by Deep Neural Networks Employing Inertial Measurement Units
Authors: Wang Fu-Cheng , Chen Szu-Fu , Lin Chin-Hsien , Shih Chih-Jen , Lin Ang-Chieh , Yuan Wei , Li You-Chi , Kuo Tien-Yun
Published: March 2021

This paper develops Deep Neural Network (DNN) models that can recognize stroke gaits. Stroke patients usually suffer from partial disability and develop abnormal gaits that can vary widely and need targeted treatments. Evaluation of gait patterns is crucial for clinical experts to make decisions about the medication and rehabilitation strategies for the stroke patients. However, the evaluation is often subjective, and different clinicians might have different diagnoses of stroke gait patterns. In addition, some patients may present with mixed neurological gaits. Therefore, we apply artificial intelligence techniques to detect stroke gaits and to classify abnormal gait patterns. First, we collect clinical gait data from eight stroke patients and seven healthy subjects. We then apply these data to develop DNN models that can detect stroke gaits. Finally, we classify four common gait abnormalities seen in stroke patients. The developed models achieve an average accuracy of 99.35% in detecting the stroke gaits and an average accuracy of 97.31% in classifying the gait abnormality. Based on the results, the developed DNN models could help therapists or physicians to diagnose different abnormal gaits and to apply suitable rehabilitation strategies for stroke patients.
On the Speech Properties and Feature Extraction Methods in Speech Emotion Recognition
Authors: Kacur Juraj , Puterka Boris , Pavlovicova Jarmila , Oravec Milos
Published: March 2021

Many speech emotion recognition systems have been designed using different features and classification methods. Still, there is a lack of knowledge and reasoning regarding the underlying speech characteristics and processing, i.e., how basic characteristics, methods, and settings affect the accuracy, to what extent, etc. This study is to extend physical perspective on speech emotion recognition by analyzing basic speech characteristics and modeling methods, e.g., time characteristics (segmentation, window types, and classification regions—lengths and overlaps), frequency ranges, frequency scales, processing of whole speech (spectrograms), vocal tract (filter banks, linear prediction coefficient (LPC) modeling), and excitation (inverse LPC filtering) signals, magnitude and phase manipulations, cepstral features, etc. In the evaluation phase the state-of-the-art classification method and rigorous statistical tests were applied, namely N-fold cross validation, paired t-test, rank, and Pearson correlations. The results revealed several settings in a 75% accuracy range (seven emotions). The most successful methods were based on vocal tract features using psychoacoustic filter banks covering the 0–8 kHz frequency range. Well scoring are also spectrograms carrying vocal tract and excitation information. It was found that even basic processing like pre-emphasis, segmentation, magnitude modifications, etc., can dramatically affect the results. Most findings are robust by exhibiting strong correlations across tested databases.
Enantioselective Study on the Biodegradation of Verapamil and Cytalopram by Chiral Capillary Electrophoresis
Authors: Martín-Biosca Yolanda , Escuder-Gilabert Laura , Sagrado Salvador , Medina-Hernández María
Published: March 2021

Many of the currently available drugs are chiral compounds that are marketed as racemates or, to a lesser extent, in the form of one of the enantiomers since a pair of enantiomers may have different toxicological and ecotoxicological properties compared to each other. The evaluation of enantioselectivity in biodegradation processes is essential for environmental risk assessment. The objective of this research is to study the enantioselectivity in the biodegradation of two common chiral drugs, citalopram and verapamil, using highly sulphated-γ-cyclodextrin (HS-γ-CD) as chiral selector in Capillary Electrophoresis. Biodegradation experiments were performed in batch mode using a minimal salt medium inoculated with an activated sludge and supplemented with the corresponding enantiomeric mixture. The cultures were incubated at 20 °C for 28 days. Abiotic degradation of verapamil and citalopram enantiomers was also assessed. The concentration of the enantiomers of verapamil and citalopram were monitored using 0.7% and 0.1% m/v HS-γ-CD solutions as chiral selector, respectively. Separations were carried out using the complete filling technique. The results of biodegradability tests indicate that citalopram could be considered potentially persistent while verapamil is presumed to be a non-persistent compound. No evidence of enantioselectivity was observed in any of the biodegradation processes.
A Model of Damage for Brittle and Ductile Adhesives in Glued Butt Joints
Authors: Raffa Maria Letizia , Rizzoni Raffaella , Lebon Frédéric
Published: March 2021

The paper presents a new analytical model for thin structural adhesives in glued tube-to-tube butt joints. The aim of this work is to provide an interface condition that allows for a suitable replacement of the adhesive layer in numerical simulations. The proposed model is a nonlinear and rate-dependent imperfect interface law that is able to accurately describe brittle and ductile stress–strain behaviors of adhesive layers under combined tensile–torsion loads. A first comparison with experimental data that were available in the literature provided promising results in terms of the reproducibility of the stress–strain behavior for pure tensile and torsional loads (the relative errors were less than 6%) and in terms of failure strains for combined tensile–torsion loads (the relative errors were less than 14%). Two main novelties are highlighted: (i) Unlike the classic spring-like interface models, this model accounts for both stress and displacement jumps, so it is suitable for soft and hard adhesive layers; (ii) unlike classic cohesive zone models, which are phenomenological, this model explicitly accounts for material and damage properties of the adhesive layer.
CTX-CNF1 Recombinant Protein Selectively Targets Glioma Cells In Vivo
Authors: Vannini Eleonora , Mori Elisabetta , Tantillo Elena , Schmidt Gudula , Caleo Matteo , Costa Mario
Published: March 2021

Current strategies for glioma treatment are only partly effective because of the poor selectivity for tumoral cells. Hence, the necessity to identify novel approaches is urgent. Recent studies highlighted the effectiveness of the bacterial protein cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) in reducing tumoral mass, increasing survival of glioma-bearing mice and protecting peritumoral neural tissue from dysfunction. However, native CNF1 needs to be delivered into the brain, because of its incapacity to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) per se, thus hampering its clinical translation. To allow a non-invasive administration of CNF1, we here developed a chimeric protein (CTX-CNF1) conjugating CNF1 with chlorotoxin (CTX), a peptide already employed in clinics due to its ability of passing the BBB and selectively binding glioma cells. After systemic administration, we found that CTX-CNF1 is able to target glioma cells and significantly prolong survival of glioma-bearing mice. Our data point out the potentiality of CTX-CNF1 as a novel effective tool to treat gliomas.
Responsabilidad social y gestión ambiental del agua, solución en la industria de lácteos de Ecuador
Authors: Rodríguez-Guerra Andrea , Martínez Fernanda S.
Published: March 2021

En la industria láctea, al igual que otras industrias de alimentos se genera contaminantes ambientales, desde el proceso de crianza y alimentación de las vacas hasta la producción de leche y sus derivados. Esta degradación ambiental podría afectar directamente a la calidad de vida de pobladores cercanos a la industria si no se puede llegar a controlar y prevenir desde la empresa y los gobiernos locales. Durante el proyecto se identificó el impacto que tiene el manejo de los residuos líquidos industriales que se generan en una empresa ecuatoriana procesadora de lácteos para el medio ambiente, los trabajadores y los pobladores aledaños y cómo la visión de mejora en la gestión pudo mejorar la relación entre los pobladores y la empresa analizada. A través del análisis de la normativa vigente, se describieron los límites permisibles de descarga de desechos hídricos al alcantarillado y su plan de mejora para el tratamiento de aguas residuales. Dentro del modelo de gestión de la empresa analizada se pudo evidenciar que los residuos industriales cumplen con los parámetros establecidos por la Norma Técnica. La gestión ambiental es parte de la responsabilidad ambiental de una empresa y representa el mínimo compromiso ético de la sustentabilidad de sus actividades productivas. El control de calidad del agua y su aprovechamiento deben ir más allá del “deber legal”, sino de procurar que la empresa tenga un claro desarrollo sostenible y responsabilidad social y ambiental empresarial en todo el ciclo hidrológico productivo.
Google Docs in Undergraduate online Composition Class: Investigating Learning Styles’ Impact on Writing Corrective Feedback
Authors: Zaky Hany
Published: March 2021

Google Docs, as a collaborative online writing tool in Higher Education, facilitates and enhances the Composition pedagogical practices in face-to-face and virtual classes. The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the students’ learning styles’ impact on their Peer Assessment using Google Docs. Participants included 149 Composition students in a Public Health College of a private university in New York City.

The statistical findings of this study revealed that students’ learning skills in online writing classes could drive their perceptions of using Google Docs as a Peer Assessment Writing tool. These findings highlight the high correlation between students’ desire to interact after writing in English and their perceptions of using Google Docs as a collaborative writing tool. The findings also revealed statistically significant relationships between students’ perceptions of using Google Docs and their preferences of receiving feedback in different language areas. An increase in students’ perception of receiving feedback on their grammar, the flow of ideas, mechanics, quality of ideas, and Vocabulary, in that order, strongly led to an increase in their perceptions of using Google Docs. However, the findings indicate that there was no statistically significant linear relationship between students’ perceptions of their technical skills and their perceptions of using Google Docs in their online writing classes. Median Google Docs’s perceptions of males and females were not statistically different. There were no statistically significant differences in students’ Perceptions of Using Google Docs across the various age groups.
Una aproximación cartográfica al análisis de los vertidos de metales pesados en España
Authors: García Hernández Fabián , Escobar Martínez Francisco
Published: March 2021

A pesar de los demostrados efectos adversos que los metales pesados (MP) provocan en la salud humana, su distribución espacial en España es un fenómeno poco estudiado. Con la finalidad de paliar esta deficiencia, se plantearon los siguientes objetivos: (1) conocer la distribución espacial, a escala municipal, de los vertidos de MP emitidos a las aguas, (2) estimar y cartografiar la peligrosidad de los vertidos según su toxicidad, (3) comparar las emisiones de MP en España con su entorno europeo y (4) estimar la evolución futura de los vertidos de MP. Los datos se han recopilado desde el registro E-PRTR (European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register 2007-2016) y la localización de los puntos de emisión se ha obtenido mediante geocodificación. Tras un análisis exploratorio, los datos fueron normalizados y pondera-dos, facilitando la interpretación de gráficas, tablas y cartografía. Los resultados muestran una mayor concentración de puntos de emisión en los sectores norte (Asturias, Cantabria y País Vasco), nordeste (Cataluña), este-sureste (Valencia) y sur (Andalucía). Tras revisar los efectos de los MP sobre la salud humana, estos han sido ponderados por este orden; mercurio (Hg), plomo (Pb), cadmio (Cd), cromo (Cr), arsénico (As) y zinc (Zn). Se ha constatado que durante el periodo 2007-2016, las cantidades de MP vertidas a las aguas lejos de disminuir, han oscilado adaptándose a las transiciones económicas y persistiendo una mayor concentración de vertidos en los municipios localizados en las provincias del norte, nordeste, este-sureste y sur del país.
Determinación del nivel medio del mar en el mar de Bransfield. Aplicación a la determinación del geoide en islas Decepción y Livingston, Islas Shetland del Sur (Antártida)
Authors: Jigena Antelo Bismarck , Berrocoso Domínguez Manuel , Vidal Pérez Juan Manuel
Published: March 2021

Este trabajo presenta un estudio detallado para la determinación del nivel medio del mar (NMM), las constituyentes de marea y un geoide de precisión en las islas Decepción y Livingston y el entorno del mar de Bransfield. Para realizar estos trabajos es necesario definir el marco de referencia geodésico, para ello se han utilizaron las redes geodésicas REGID (Red Geodésica de Isla Decepción), RENID (Red de Nivelación de Isla Decepción) y REGRID (Red Gravimétrica de Isla Decepción), utilizando como vértices fundamentales algunos puntos pertenecientes a la red RGAE (Red Geodésica Antártica Española). Los datos de marea fueron obtenidos mediante sensores de presión instalados en las estaciones mareográficas de LIVMAR y DECMAR, islas Livingston y Decepción respectivamente. Se obtuvieron las primeras series temporales con 798 días de observación en ambas estaciones, cuyo análisis armónico nos proporcionó 70 constituyentes de marea, siendo 19 las más representativas con amplitudes superiores a 1 cm. Se determinamos el nivel medio del mar, utilizando como puntos fundamentales el LN00 (I. Decepción)  y BEJC (I. Livingston). Por último, se determinó el modelo de geoide de precisión, GeoiDEC14, calculado a partir de mediciones GPS, gravimétricas y de nivelación y cuyo resultado ha sido contrastado con los modelos globales más actuales. Estos son los primeros resultados de determinación del nivel medio del mar y la obtención de un modelo de geoide de precisión en esta zona de la Antártida y mejoran trabajos previos realizados en la región.
Moving sound source with an arbitrary trajectory in the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method
Authors: Tsuchiya Takao , Kanamori Masashi
Published: March 2021

In this paper, a moving sound source with an arbitrary trajectory is implemented using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Two methods are proposed for implementing a moving-point sound source in the FDTD method, in which physically valid analysis is possible, including that of the Doppler effect. One method is the direct method and the other is the convolution method. We produce formulations and perform numerical experiments for a two-dimensional sound field, and the accuracies of the two proposed methods are compared. It is confirmed that both methods can be applied to a moving sound source, including the Doppler effect, and that the two methods have almost the same accuracy. It is found that the convolution method has advantages in that the source waveform and speed of movement can be freely changed at the time of convolution.
E-Learning in COVID-19 Situation: Students’ Perception
Authors: Sakkir Geminastiti , Dollah Syarifuddin , Ahmad Jamaluddin
Published: March 2021

COVID-19 pandemic era has changed human life in the world. In education side, the learning process is forced to be carried out through full online (E-learning) since this pandemic era. There are many studies conducted on students’ perceptions of using E-learning to learn the English language while this challenges era. So, the researchers also want to conduct a study about it. The objective of this study was to investigate the students’ perceptions on the use of E-learning while COVID-19 pandemic era. Data were collected using a questionnaire that collected background information of participants and a five-point Likert scale to gauge the students’ perception use of the E-learning in EFL classroom while pandemic COVID-19 era. Findings from this research indicate that the most of students showed a negative perception toward to use E-learning in the EFL process. It was proved by the results of students’ perception. There is only 1 student who strongly agrees with the current e-learning process or said that the E-learning in pandemic COVID-19 era is effective, there are 10 students who said the E-learning is less effective, 1 students say they are moderate (4%), 12 students said E-learning is not effective and 3 student said E-learning is very not effective. There are many factors influenced the students’ perception on the use of E-learning media in COVID-19 pandemic era such as, the signal and network connection; limit of quota and expensive; lack of lecturers methods; lack of students’ motivation; limitation of time; and lack of interaction.
„Takie różne garnitury i lakiery“. Moda w czasach transformacji
Authors: Zborowska Agata , Jaworska Justyna
Published: March 2021

Esej wizualny towarzyszący artykułowi "Diamentowy kolczyk" Justyny Jaworskiej i Agaty Zborowskiej.
EKSEKUSI OBJEK JAMINAN FIDUSIA PASCA PUTUSAN MAHKAMAH KONSTITUSI NOMOR 18/PUU-XVII/2019
Authors: Febriyanti Wiwin Dwi Ratna
Published: March 2021

Fiduciary guarantees have existed in society since the Dutch colonial era because the fl exibility of objects that can be imposed by fi duciary increases the need for legal certainty for the guarantee of this model. UUJF requires the registration of fi duciary security to be imposed. Registration is carried out at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to obtain a fi duciary certifi cate. The fi duciary certifi cate contains irah-irah which the power of execution so that the execution can be carried out immediately without going through a court and is final as explained in article 15 paragraph (2). In practice, this article often becomes a polemic in the community, causing actions against the law and even criminal acts when the fi duciary recipient wants to execute fi duciary collateral. After the decision of the Constitutional Court Number 18/PUU-XVII/2019, in its decision to redefi ne article 15 paragraph (2) and paragraph (3) UUJF, Based on this, this research discusses the executive power of the fi duciary security certifi cate after The Constitutional Court decision Number 18/PUU-XVII/2019. With statutory approach, and a conceptual approach, the conclusion is that the power of execution title in the fi duciary guarantee certifi cate is not changed, it’s just a legal consequence arising from the Constitutional Court decision number 18/PUU-XVII/2019, namely the implementation mechanism for the execution of the fi duciary guarantee certifi cate is carried out the same as the execution of court decisions that have permanent legal force (inkrah), when the grantor of fi duciary does not voluntarily surrender the object of fi duciary security under his control. Apart from that, it must be agreed by the parties regarding breach of contract. breach of contract should be detailed in the main agreement and the imposition of fi duciary security.
DOSE-DEPENDENT CHARACTER OF DISTURBANCE OF HEMATOPOIETIC AND IMMUNE SYSTEMS FUNCTION, PRODUCTION OF SOME HORMONES IN EXPERIMENTAL URANIUM ACETATE DIHYDRATE EXPOSURE
Authors: Trapeznikova Е. G. , Popov V. В. , Radilov A. S. , Shilov V. V.
Published: March 2021

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the dose-dependent nature of functional changes in the body systems under chronic administration of uranyl acetate dihydrate in doses of 0.5 and 5.0 mg/kg per element for 18 weeks. The study was performed on 45 male outbred rats. It has been shown that uranyl acetate dihydrate in a dose of 0.5 mg/kg had no significant effect on hematological parameters. At the same time, activation of bactericidal activity of neutrophils, a decrease in the immunoregulatory index, and an increase in the blood concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) have been revealed. The toxicant administered to rats in a dose of 5 mg/kg led to a decrease in the absolute number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, the release of myelocytes into the blood, basophilia, monocytosis, the appearance of leukolysis cells and plasmatization of lymphocytes. On the part of the immune system, an increase in the biocidal capacity of neutrophilic granulocytes, TNF-α production, an increase in the number of CD8+ cells, and a reduction in the CD4+/CD8+ ratio have been found. Uranyl acetate dihydrate had a dose-dependent effect only on the number of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, T-cells with the CD4+CD8+ phenotype, on the immunoregulatory index, and on the level of TNF-α. Hyperglycemia and glucosuria were also dose-dependent. An increase in glucose in the blood and urine indicated a violation of carbohydrate metabolism and kidney function. There was a decrease in the concentration of thyroxine, testosterone and an increase in the level of insulin. Uranyl acetate dihydrate led to the development of insulin resistance. The level of hormones did not depend on the dose of the toxicant administered to the animals.
Over dosing trend of insecticides for sucking pest management in cotton in west Madhya Pradesh
Authors: Singh S. B. , Choudhary R. K. , Siddiqui A.
Published: March 2021

The study was undertaken during 2011 and 2012 in five tehsils of Nimar region (West Madhya Pradesh) around the Narmada river, namely-Sanawad, Badwani, Khargone, Maheshwar and Dhamnod to know the over dosing trend and adverse effect of insecticides against sucking insect pest of cotton. In each location ten farms of different categories were selected based on acre age as F-1(up to 02 acres), F-2 (up to 04 acres), F-3 (up to 06 acres), F-4 (up to 08 acres), F-5 (up to 10 acres), F-6 (up to 12 acres), F-7 (up to 14 acres), F-8 (up to 16 acres), F-9 (up to 18 acres) and F-10 (More than 18 acres). All the information about insecticidal applications was received through discussion with farmers. The received information by each farmer of same category of ten locations about applied dose of insecticides and per cent reduction in insect population in each spray was averaged. The averaged data about insecticidal dose was converted into per cent increase over recommended dose of each insecticide and tabulated. The higher dose of acetamiprid 20 SP imidacloprid 17.8 SL,  thiamethoxam 25WG, monocrotophos 36 SL,  thiacloprid 21.7 SC  and diafenthiuron 50WP was 36.01,45.89%, 64.61%, 72.10%, 79.24% and 85.60% in first, second, third, fourth, fifth and last spray, respectively. The reduction in insect pests population was found 55.40-72.40%, 52.50-60.50% , 51.25-58.25% 57.20-66.65% 50.75-63.25% and 55.40-68.25%% in first, second, third, fourth, fifth and last spray, respectively and overall averaged as 57.76-62.22%. From all the observations it was concluded that the application of higher dose of any insecticide did not reduce the sucking pest population much more than the recommended dose.
Data science and analytics in agricultural development
Authors: Sidhu Karamveer Singh , Singh Ramandeep , Singh Snehdeep , Singh Gunjot
Published: March 2021

The consistent advancement of innovation has implied information and data being created at a rate, not at all like ever previously, and it's just on the ascent. The world makes an extra 2.5 quintillion bytes of information every year. The demand for individuals talented in investigating, deciphering, and utilising this information is now high and is set to become exponential over the coming years. The total populace is relied upon to arrive at 9.7 billion by 2050 from the current population of 7.8 billion. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has predicted that the development of farming must be expanded by 70% to provide for the extended interest. Data-driven agriculture choices can be a potent technology to manage the needs of this much high population, as this technology gives higher efficiency, rehearses support-ability, and even assists with giving straightforwardness to purchasers and consumers needing to find out about their food as reported in the studies. The current and future interests will require more data researchers, data engineers, data specialists, and chief data Officers.  This paper tries to examine the need, use, role, and issues faced by data science and data analytics to improve the quality as well as quantity of Agricultural produce thereby leading to an increase in production, a decrease in costs, and overall sustainability.
Economic analysis of green fodder crops for enhancing the dairy profitability in Punjab
Authors: Singh Varinder Pal , Singh Harparteet , Kaur Inderpreet
Published: March 2021

The present study has been carried out in three agro-climatic regions of Punjab state, i.e.  Sub mountainous, Central and South-Western regions for examining the economics of different green fodder crops and importance of green fodder in enhancing the dairy profitability. The study consisted of a total sample size of 120 farmers growing green fodder crops and keeping dairy animals.  It was observed from the study that the profitability from important green fodder crops based crop cycle is a little bit higher (bajra + berseem ` Rs.1,213) than the traditional wheat-paddy crop rotation (`Rs.49,005). It was found that proportion of green fodder in the cost of milk production was lower (12.12 per cent) if green fodder is home-produced compared to the market prices of green fodder (23.13 per cent). In this way, the expenditure on green fodder can be curtailed by about 13-14 per cent, which will curtail the overall cost of production of milk and enhance the productivity and profitability from milk production. A direct link between green fodder quantity and milk yield has been observed. Therefore, farmers need to motivated for enhancing the green fodder production for properly feeding the animals and further, they should try to increase the herd size so that higher profits from dairy farming can be realized.
Zahlungsmoral öffentlicher Bauauftraggeber/Payment discipline of public construction clients
Authors: Stoy C. , Hagmann C.
Published: March 2021

Die Untersuchung der Zahlungsmoral öffentlicher Bauauftraggeber ist immer wieder ein Kritikpunkt seitens der Bauverbände. An diesem Punkt setzte das vorliegende Forschungsprojekt an, indem die Zahlungsmoral öffentlicher Bauauftraggeber unabhängig und repräsentativ untersucht wurde. Eine Befragung lieferte die erforderlichen Grundlagen. Die Projektergebnisse lassen sich anhand der nachfolgenden zwei Punkte zusammenfassen:

 

(1) Beschreibung der Zahlungsvorgänge:

 

Bei prüffähigen Abschlagsrechnungen zeigte sich, dass im Mittel (Median) 96 % dieser Rechnungen fristgerecht gezahlt wurde. Kam es zu Zahlungsverzügen, so betrug die Verzugsdauer (nach Ablauf der VOB-Frist von 18 Werktagen) im Mittel (Median) fünf Tage. Der durchschnittliche Rechnungsbetrag bei Verzug lag bei 10 000 Euro. Bei prüffähigen Schlussrechnungen zeigte sich, dass im Mittel (Median) 100 % fristgerecht gezahlt wurde.

 

(2) Ursachen für Zahlungsverzüge:

 

Die Ursachen lagen auf Seiten des öffentlichen Bauauftraggebers aber auch auf Seiten von weiteren Projektbeteiligten. Der Auftraggeber hatte dabei vor allem mit einer eingeschränkten Personalkapazität zu kämpfen. Hinsichtlich der Projektbeteiligten ist anzumerken, dass es sowohl Ursachen gab, die auf die Rechnungssteller („Unvollständige, unsystematische Aufmaße“) zurückzuführen waren, als auch Ursachen, die bei den ebenfalls in die Rechnungsprüfung involvierten Planungsbüros lagen („Prüfung durch externes Planungsbüro zu lang“).
BIM gestützte strukturdynamische Analyse mit Volumenelementen höherer Ordnung/BIM-based structural dynamic analysis using higher-order volumetric finite elements
Authors: Paolini A. , Frischmann F. , Kollmannsberger S. , Rabold A. , Horger T. , Wohlmuth B. , Rank E.
Published: March 2021

Building Information Modeling ermöglicht die automatisierte Erstellung von Simulationsmodellen und schafft somit eine wichtige Grundlage, Zeit und Kosten einzusparen sowie die Qualität der Planung von Gebäuden zu erhöhen. Die Art des Simulationsmodells hängt jedoch wesentlich von der konkreten Problemstellung ab. Für Schwingungsanalysen bei Massivholzkonstruktionen ist eine mechanisch korrekte Beschreibung der Stoßstellen zwischen den Bauteilen von großer Bedeutung. Dafür eignen sich Modelle aus hexaedrischen finiten Elementen erheblich besser als Schalenelemente. Ein konformes Hexaedernetz kann allerdings mit verfügbaren Netzgeneratoren nur bei bestimmten Gebäudegeometrien automatisch erzeugt werden und weist an Stoßstellen eine große Anzahl von Elementen auf, was zu einem hohen Rechenaufwand führen kann. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird deshalb ein alternatives Verfahren vorgestellt, mit dem ein hexaedrisches Finite-Elemente-Modell automatisch aus einem Bauwerksinformationsmodell (BIM) abgeleitet werden kann. Die im BIM definierten Bauteile werden dabei getrennt voneinander vernetzt und deren Verbindungen zueinander mithilfe der Mortar-Methode abgebildet. Eine große Recheneffizienz wird durch die Verwendung von Ansatzfunktionen höherer Ordnung in Kombination mit einem relativ groben Netz erreicht. Nach der Beschreibung des Verfahrens wird seine Anwendbarkeit an einem mehrgeschossigen Massivholzgebäude demonstriert.
Untersuchung der Griffigkeit auf Asphaltfahrbahnen unter Winterlichen Bedingungen/Evaluation of Asphalt Pavement Skid Resistance under Icy Conditions
Authors: Wang D. , Tan Y. , Kollmann J. , Oeser M.
Published: March 2021

Die Verkehrssicherheit ist für Verkehrsteilnehmer und Infrastrukturbetreiber von zentraler Bedeutung. Diese wird in hohem Maße von der Griffigkeit der Fahrbahnoberfläche bestimmt. Es existieren derzeit keine gängigen Regelwerke für die Bewertung der Griffigkeit für winterliche Straßenverhältnisse. Im Rahmen dieser Untersuchungen werden Griffigkeitsniveaus bei verschiedenen Glatteisüberdeckungen für unterschiedliche Asphaltoberflächen erfasst und analysiert. Mithilfe der Untersuchungsergebnisse wird eine Vorhersage der Griffigkeit bei Eisglätte angestrebt. Verschiedene Asphaltbohrkerne mit unterschiedlicher Oberflächenbeschaffenheit werden sowohl einer Griffigkeitsuntersuchung bei Nässe (Referenzvariante) als auch bei unterschiedlichen Glatteisüberdeckungen unterzogen. Basierend auf der Korrelationsanalyse wurden Funktionen mittels Regressionsanalysen mit einem Bestimmtheitsmaß von R² zwischen 0,80 und 0,86 für die prognostizierte und die gemessene Griffigkeit ermittelt.

 

Die Griffigkeit bei Nässe (d. h. Referenzgriffigkeit) stellt auch bei der Vorhersage der Griffigkeit von Eis den größten Einflussfaktor dar. Die durchgeführten Laborversuche validieren, dass der Prüfstand nach Wehner/Schulze, in abgewandelter Form, für die Bewertung der Griffigkeit von Asphaltfahrbahnen unter winterlichen Bedingungen geeignet ist.