bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Livestock faecal indicators for animal management, penning, foddering and dung use in early agricultural built environments in the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia
Authors: Portillo Marta , García-Suárez Aroa , Matthews Wendy
Published: January 2020

Livestock dung is a valuable material for reconstructing human and animal inter-relations and activity within open areas and built environments. This paper examines the identification and multi-disciplinary analysis of dung remains from three neighbouring sites in the Konya Plain of Central Anatolia, Turkey: Boncuklu (ninth–eighth millennium cal BC), the Çatalhöyük East Mound (eighth–sixth millennium cal BC), and the Late Neolithic occupation at the Pınarbaşı rockshelter (seventh millennium cal BC). It presents and evaluates data on animal management strategies and husbandry practices through the simultaneous examination of plant and faecal microfossils and biomarkers with thin-section micromorphology and integrated phytolith, dung spherulite, and biomolecular analyses, together with comparative reference geo-ethnoarchaeological assemblages. Herbivore dung and other coprogenic materials have been identified predominantly in open areas, pens and midden deposits through micromorphology and the chemical signatures of their depositional contexts and composition. Accumulations of herbivore faecal material and burnt remains containing calcitic spherulites and phytoliths have provided new information on animal diet, fodder and dung fuel. Evidence from phytoliths from in situ penning deposits at early Neolithic Çatalhöyük have provided new insights into foddering/grazing practices by identifying highly variable herbivorous regimes including both dicotyledonous and grass-based diets. This review illustrates the variability of dung deposits within early agricultural settlements and their potential for tracing continuity and change in ecological diversity, herd management strategies and foddering, health, energy and dung use, as well as the complexity of interactions between people and animals in this key region during the early Holocene.
Active and Incremental Learning with Weak Supervision
Authors: Brust Clemens-Alexander , Käding Christoph , Denzler Joachim
Published: January 2020

Large amounts of labeled training data are one of the main contributors to the great success that deep models have achieved in the past. Label acquisition for tasks other than benchmarks can pose a challenge due to requirements of both funding and expertise. By selecting unlabeled examples that are promising in terms of model improvement and only asking for respective labels, active learning can increase the efficiency of the labeling process in terms of time and cost. In this work, we describe combinations of an incremental learning scheme and methods of active learning. These allow for continuous exploration of newly observed unlabeled data. We describe selection criteria based on model uncertainty as well as expected model output change (EMOC). An object detection task is evaluated in a continuous exploration context on the PASCAL VOC dataset. We also validate a weakly supervised system based on active and incremental learning in a real-world biodiversity application where images from camera traps are analyzed. Labeling only 32 images by accepting or rejecting proposals generated by our method yields an increase in accuracy from 25.4 to 42.6%.
Status and trends of tundra birds across the circumpolar Arctic
Authors: Smith Paul A. , McKinnon Laura , Meltofte Hans , Lanctot Richard B. , Fox Anthony D. , Leafloor James O. , Soloviev Mikhail , Franke Alastair , Falk Knud , Golovatin Mikhail , Sokolov Vasiliy , Sokolov Aleksandr , Smith Adam C.
Published: January 2020

Tundra-breeding birds face diverse conservation challenges, from accelerated rates of Arctic climate change to threats associated with highly migratory life histories. Here we summarise the status and trends of Arctic terrestrial birds (88 species, 228 subspecies or distinct flyway populations) across guilds/regions, derived from published sources, raw data or, in rare cases, expert opinion. We report long-term trends in vital rates (survival, reproduction) for the handful of species and regions for which these are available. Over half of all circumpolar Arctic wader taxa are declining (51% of 91 taxa with known trends) and almost half of all waterfowl are increasing (49% of 61 taxa); these opposing trends have fostered a shift in community composition in some locations. Declines were least prevalent in the African-Eurasian Flyway (29%), but similarly prevalent in the remaining three global flyways (44–54%). Widespread, and in some cases accelerating, declines underscore the urgent conservation needs faced by many Arctic terrestrial bird species.
High Arctic ecosystem states: Conceptual models of vegetation change to guide long-term monitoring and research
Authors: Ravolainen Virve , Soininen Eeva M. , Jónsdóttir Ingibjörg Svala , Eischeid Isabell , Forchhammer Mads , van der Wal René , Pedersen Åshild Ø.
Published: January 2020

Vegetation change has consequences for terrestrial ecosystem structure and functioning and may involve climate feedbacks. Hence, when monitoring ecosystem states and changes thereof, the vegetation is often a primary monitoring target. Here, we summarize current understanding of vegetation change in the High Arctic—the World’s most rapidly warming region—in the context of ecosystem monitoring. To foster development of deployable monitoring strategies, we categorize different kinds of drivers (disturbances or stresses) of vegetation change either as pulse (i.e. drivers that occur as sudden and short events, though their effects may be long lasting) or press (i.e. drivers where change in conditions remains in place for a prolonged period, or slowly increases in pressure). To account for the great heterogeneity in vegetation responses to climate change and other drivers, we stress the need for increased use of ecosystem-specific conceptual models to guide monitoring and ecological studies in the Arctic. We discuss a conceptual model with three hypothesized alternative vegetation states characterized by mosses, herbaceous plants, and bare ground patches, respectively. We use moss-graminoid tundra of Svalbard as a case study to discuss the documented and potential impacts of different drivers on the possible transitions between those states. Our current understanding points to likely additive effects of herbivores and a warming climate, driving this ecosystem from a moss-dominated state with cool soils, shallow active layer and slow nutrient cycling to an ecosystem with warmer soil, deeper permafrost thaw, and faster nutrient cycling. Herbaceous-dominated vegetation and (patchy) bare ground would present two states in response to those drivers. Conceptual models are an operational tool to focus monitoring efforts towards management needs and identify the most pressing scientific questions. We promote greater use of conceptual models in conjunction with a state-and-transition framework in monitoring to ensure fit for purpose approaches. Defined expectations of the focal systems’ responses to different drivers also facilitate linking local and regional monitoring efforts to international initiatives, such as the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program.
The Role of the Oral Healthcare Team in Identification of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review
Authors: Yonel Zehra , Batt Joanna , Jane Rosemarie , Cerullo Enzo , Gray Laura J , Dietrich Thomas , Chapple Iain
Published: January 2020

Purpose of Review

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) presents a growing global health and economic burden. Dental settings have been employed to identify individuals who may be at high risk of diabetes, who exhibit non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (NDH – also termed “prediabetes”) and who already unknowingly have the condition, through the use of targeted risk-assessments. This review aims to synthesize the existing literature supporting dental teams’ identification of individuals at an increased risk of or suffering from undiagnosed NDH or T2DM in dental specialist care settings.

Recent Findings

Electronic databases were searched for studies reporting the identification of NDH and or T2DM, in specialist care dental settings. Screening of returned articles and data extraction were completed by two independent reviewers (RJ, ZY). A descriptive synthesis of the included articles was undertaken. Due to heterogeneity of the literature, a meta-analysis could not be performed. The search yielded 52 eligible studies, of which 12 focused primarily on stakeholder opinions. Opinions of patients, dentists, dental hygienists, dental students and physicians on case identification of T2DM by oral health professionals were generally positive. The main barriers cited were time, cost, inadequate training and low follow-up of participants by primary care physicians. The risk assessment processes varied, with most studies using a combination of methods consisting of a questionnaire followed by a chairside blood sample. Methods utilizing questionnaires, gingival crevicular blood (GCB), fingerstick blood (FSB) and urine samples have all been evaluated.

This review demonstrates that there may be benefit in engaging the dental workforce to identify cases of NDH and undiagnosed T2DM and that such a care pathway has the support of multiple stakeholders. Further high-quality research is required to assess both the clinical and cost-effectiveness of such practice in order to optimize protocols and patient care pathways. Studies should include a comparison of methods, health economic analyses and protocols to ensure those identified as high-risk go on to receive appropriate follow-up care.
An investigation on the tribological behaviors of steel/copper and steel/steel friction pairs via lubrication with a graphene additive
Authors: Mao Junyuan , Chen Guangyan , Zhao Jun , He Yongyong , Luo Jianbin
Published: January 2020

In this study, the tribological behaviors of graphene as a lubricant additive for steel/copper and steel/steel friction pairs were compared. For the steel/copper friction pair, the graphene sheets remarkably decreased the coefficient of friction and wear scar depth under low loads, but these slightly increased under high loads. The steel/steel friction pair showed excellent tribological properties even under high loads. Severe plastic deformation on the copper surface reduced the stability of the graphene tribofilm because of a rough copper transfer film on the steel during the running-in period. The results provide a better understanding of the mechanism of graphene as a lubricant additive.
Spatially Bandgap-Graded MoS2(1−x)Se2x Homojunctions for Self-Powered Visible–Near-Infrared Phototransistors
Authors: Xu Hao , Zhu Juntong , Zou Guifu , Liu Wei , Li Xiao , Li Caihong , Ryu Gyeong Hee , Xu Wenshuo , Han Xiaoyu , Guo Zhengxiao , Warner Jamie H. , Wu Jiang , Liu Huiyun
Published: January 2020

Ternary transition metal dichalcogenide alloys with spatially graded bandgaps are an emerging class of two-dimensional materials with unique features, which opens up new potential for device applications. Here, visible–near-infrared and self-powered phototransistors based on spatially bandgap-graded MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloys, synthesized by a simple and controllable chemical solution deposition method, are reported. The graded bandgaps, arising from the spatial grading of Se composition and thickness within a single domain, are tuned from 1.83 to 1.73 eV, leading to the formation of a homojunction with a built-in electric field. Consequently, a strong and sensitive gate-modulated photovoltaic effect is demonstrated, enabling the homojunction phototransistors at zero bias to deliver a photoresponsivity of 311 mA W−1, a specific detectivity up to ~ 1011 Jones, and an on/off ratio up to ~ 104. Remarkably, when illuminated by the lights ranging from 405 to 808 nm, the biased devices yield a champion photoresponsivity of 191.5 A W−1, a specific detectivity up to ~ 1012 Jones, a photoconductive gain of 106–107, and a photoresponsive time in the order of ~ 50 ms. These results provide a simple and competitive solution to the bandgap engineering of two-dimensional materials for device applications without the need for p–n junctions.
The Politics of Transitional Justice in Latin America
Authors: Gonzalez-Ocantos Ezequiel A.
Published: January 2020

How has Latin America pioneered the field of transitional justice (TJ)? Do approaches vary across the region? This Element describes Latin American innovations in trials and truth commissions, and evaluates two influential models that explain variation in TJ outcomes: the Huntingtonian and Justice Cascade approaches. It argues that scholars should complement these approaches with one that recognizes the importance of state capacity building and institutional change. To translate domestic/international political pressure and human rights norms into outcomes, states must develop 'TJ capabilities'. Not only should states be willing to pursue these highly complex policies, they must also develop competent bureaucracies.
The synthesis and bioimaging of a biocompatible hydrogen sulfide fluorescent probe with high sensitivity and selectivity
Authors: Zhou Ruqiao , Cui Guiling , Qi Qingrong , Huang Wencai , Yang Li
Published: January 2020

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a well-known poisonous gas, has been recognized as a critical endogenous gas transmitter in the past decade.
A highly sensitive immunoassay of pesticide and veterinary drug residues in food by tandem conjugation of bi-functional mesoporous silica nanospheres
Authors: Ji Hanxu , Xia Chenxi , Xu JingJing , Wu XiaoXiao , Qiao Ling , Zhang Chi
Published: January 2020

A highly sensitive immunoassay of pesticide and veterinary drug residues in food using bi-functional mesoporous silica nanospheres.
A lutidine-promoted photoredox catalytic atom-transfer radical cyclization reaction for the synthesis of 4-bromo-3,3-dialkyl-octahydro-indol-2-ones
Authors: Zhao Quan-Sheng , Xu Guo-Qiang , Xu Ji-Tao , Wang Zhu-Yin , Xu Peng-Fei
Published: January 2020

We describe an atom-transfer radical cyclization strategy, with which a variety of 4-bromo-3,3-dialkyl-octahydro-indol-2-one compounds can be easily accessed via a lutidine-promoted photoredox catalytic halo-alkylation of 1,6-dienes.
The effect of coordination environment on the kinetic and thermodynamic stability of single-atom iron catalysts
Authors: Yang Weijie , Zhao Mingliang , Ding Xunlei , Ma Kai , Wu Chongchong , Gates Ian D. , Gao Zhengyang
Published: January 2020

The stability of a single-atom catalyst is directly related to its preparation and applications, especially for high-loading single-atom catalysts.
S-Doped three-dimensional graphene (S-3DG): a metal-free electrocatalyst for the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions
Authors: Wang Jin , Wang Shuang , Li Jinping
Published: January 2020

3D-graphene provide abundant space for N2, and the carbon–sulfur bonds provides a continuous supply of electrons for N2 reduction. A remarkably large NH3 yield of 38.81 μgNH3 mgcat−1 h−1 and FE of 7.72% for N2 reduction was obtained.
Graphene oxide: a convenient metal-free carbocatalyst for facilitating amidation of esters with amines
Authors: Patel Khushbu P. , Gayakwad Eknath M. , Shankarling Ganapati S.
Published: January 2020

Herein, we have reported a graphene oxide (GO) catalyzed condensation of non-activated esters and amines, that can enable diverse amides to be synthesized from abundant ethyl esters forming only volatile alcohol as a by-product.
Helix-sense-selective surface grafting polymerization for preparing optically active hybrid microspheres
Authors: Kang Li , Zhang Yingjie , Deng Jianping
Published: January 2020

Chiral hybrid micro/nanomaterials have attracted great interest and have been extensively studied due to their intriguing properties and promising applications which cannot be achieved with each of the single components.
The cross-talk modulation of excited state electron transfer to reduce the false negative background for high fidelity imaging in vivo
Authors: Jiang Ao , Liu Yuxia , Chen Guang , Li Yong , Tang Bo
Published: January 2020

We engineered a cross-talk electron transfer strategy using an F–D–A system to reduce the false negative background for high fidelity imaging in vivo.
From theory to experiment: BaFe0.125Co0.125Zr0.75O3−δ, a highly promising cathode for intermediate temperature SOFCs
Authors: Sánchez-Ahijón Elena , Marín-Gamero Rafael , Molero-Sánchez Beatriz , Ávila-Brande David , Manjón-Sanz Alicia , Fernández-Díaz M. Teresa , Morán Emilio , Schmidt Rainer , Prado-Gonjal Jesús
Published: January 2020

BaFe0.125Co0.125Zr0.75O3−δ perovskite is a novel and efficient MIEC electrode for IT-SOFCs. Symmetrical cells with an area-specific resistance of 0.13 Ω cm2 at 700 °C and 0.05 Ω cm2 at 800 °C have been prepared.
A superhydrophobic fluorinated PDMS composite as a wearable strain sensor with excellent mechanical robustness and liquid impalement resistance
Authors: Wang Peng , Wei Weidong , Li Ziqiang , Duan Wei , Han Huilong , Xie Qing
Published: January 2020

To endow strain sensors with superhydrophobicity may be a promising approach to improve the infrastructure safety in harsh environments.
Synthesis of nanostructured silica/hydroxyapatite hybrid particles containing amphiphilic triblock copolymer for effectively controlling hydration layer structures with cytocompatibility
Authors: Yamada Shota , Motozuka Satoshi , Tagaya Motohiro
Published: January 2020

This is the first successful report to synthesize the nanostructured mesoporous silica (MS)/hydroxyapatite (HA) hybrid particles containing amphiphilic triblock copolymer. The controlled hydration layer structures on the hybrid particles significantly affected the protein secondary structures for providing the higher cytocompatibility.
Non-fullerene organic solar cells based on a BODIPY-polymer as electron donor with high photocurrent
Authors: Liu Baiqiao , Ma Zaifei , Xu Yunhua , Guo Yiting , Yang Fan , Xia Dongdong , Li Cheng , Tang Zheng , Li Weiwei
Published: January 2020

Non-fullerene organic solar cells based on a BODIPY-polymer as electron donor provided a high photocurrent above 21 mA cm−2and a record efficiency of 9.86%.
Balanced strain-dependent carrier dynamics in flexible organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites
Authors: Wang Cheng , Ma Lin , Guo Deqiang , Zhao Xin , Zhou Zilin , Lin Dabin , Zhang Fangteng , Zhao Weiren , Zhang Jiahua , Nie Zhaogang
Published: January 2020

Carrier lifetime in flexible CH3NH3PbI3 films increases with increasing tensile strain, and conversely decreases with increasing compressive strain.
Secondary lateral growth of MAPbI3 grains for the fabrication of efficient perovskite solar cells
Authors: Li Chengbo , Wang Aili , Xie Lisha , Deng Xiaoyu , Liao Kejun , Yang Jin-an , Xiang Yong , Hao Feng
Published: January 2020

Alcohol post treatment was established for the secondary lateral grain growth of MAPbI3 perovskite films.
Metal–2D multilayered semiconductor junctions: layer-number dependent Fermi-level pinning
Authors: Wang Qian , Shao Yangfan , Gong Penglai , Shi Xingqiang
Published: January 2020

Thickness-dependent performance of metal–two-dimensional semiconductor junctions in electronics/optoelectronics have attracted increasing attention but, currently, little knowledge about the micro-mechanism of this thickness dependence is available.
Enhancing triplet sensitization ability of donor–acceptor dyads via intramolecular triplet energy transfer
Authors: Liu Shanshan , Wang Xiangyang , Liu Heyuan , Shen Li , Zhao Dezhi , Li Xiyou
Published: January 2020

Efficient intramolecular triplet–triplet energy transfer is beneficial for improving the upconversion efficiency when the donor–acceptor system is adopted as a triplet donor.
Highly conductive n-type CH3NH3PbI3 single crystals doped with bismuth donors
Authors: Li Chen , Chen Xin , Li Ning , Liu Jialiang , Yuan Beilei , Li Yujiao , Wang Mei , Xu Fan , Wu Yangqing , Cao Bingqiang
Published: January 2020

Highly conductive n-type CH3NH3PbI3 single crystals are grown by bismuth doping and the optical fingerprints of bismuth induced donors in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskites are identified.
Smoke detection in ship engine rooms based on video images
Authors: Park Kyung‐Min , Bae Cherl‐O
Published: January 2020

Fire detection systems in ships are based on smoke and heat detection in accordance with safety regulations. The rapid advancement of machine vision technology has led to the development of video smoke detection (VSD) systems. In this study, a VSD system is applied to smoke detection within the engine room of the ship. A dataset for a range of scenarios was created with a smoke generator. The method for smoke detection was based on motion detection and a support vector machine classifier, which was used to make candidate regions and perform classification. A local binary pattern descriptor was used to extract the feature vector. A training set was made from a variety of video frames, randomly. Experimental results seldom produced false positive windows in the non‐smoke region. However, if the greyscale value of difference image between background and the smoke is lower than the setting value for motion detection, the system could not detect smoke. Processing time is sufficiently fast for use in real‐time smoke detection systems. To install a VSD system on‐board a vessel, the authors recommend a performance standard of the system which must be met.
Image reflection removal using end‐to‐end convolutional neural network
Authors: Li Jinjiang , Li Guihui , Fan Hui
Published: January 2020

Single image reflection removal is an ill‐posed problem. To solve this problem, this study develops a network structure based on a deep encoder–decoder RRnet. Unlike most deep learning strategies applied in this context, the authors find that redundant information increases the difficulty of predicting images on the network; thus, the proposed method uses mixed reflection image cascaded edges as input to the network. The proposed network structure is divided into two parts: the first part is a deep convolutional encoder–decoder network. Its function uses the mixed reflection image and the target edge as input to predict the target layer. The second part is an identical encoder–decoder network structure. Its function uses the mixed reflection image and the reflection edge as input to predict the image reflection layer. In addition, the authors use joint loss to optimise the network model. To train the neural network, they also create an image dataset for reflection removal, which includes a true mixed reflection image and a synthetic mixed reflection image. They use four evaluation indicators to evaluate the proposed method and the other six methods. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is superior to previous methods.
Modified AC standstill method for PMSM d ‐ q axis inductances measurement
Authors: Li Guiqiang , Wu Zhengbin , Han Shuting , Jiang Fan , Yang Tiancui , Wang Gang
Published: January 2020

This study reports a modified AC standstill method (ACSM) for the axis inductances measurement of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs), which is free of locked tooling. Based on the voltage function, the axis inductances of a PMSM are derived from the ACSM under the two same phase (TSP) condition through the Laplace transform. The inductance values of the studied external rotor PMSM are measured by this reported TSP ACSM, which are also compared with the DC standstill and the previous ACSM tests. During the process of the TSP ACSM measurement, the voltage source inverter of the motor provides three phase excitation signals which can produce self‐saturation and cross‐saturation. The theoretical analysis and experimental measurement results validate the accuracy of this reported method.
Intelligent fault diagnosis method for rotating machinery based on vibration signal analysis and hybrid multi‐object deep CNN
Authors: Xin Yu , Li Shunming , Wang Jinrui , An Zenghui , Zhang Wei
Published: January 2020

Traditional labour‐intensive methods always suffer from time and frequency blurring and cross‐term interference when detecting fault features from vibration signals and their time–frequency representation. Such methods need essential expertise and prior knowledge to identify features. Intelligent fault diagnosis methods based on deep learning have attracted great attention because of their ability to automatically learn the representative features in fault diagnosis. Therefore, a novel multi‐object deep convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to diagnose the faults. In this method, time domain, frequency domain, and time–frequency data are organised as the hybrid multi‐object input to avoid the shortcoming of the single type of data, which cannot reveal abundant information about amplitude and frequency in vibration signals. Deep CNN with four convolutional layers is constructed to intelligently learn the distinguished features. The adjacent convolutional layer is used to sensitively capture slight changes in the input data, and the other layers are used to extract and reduce the abundant features. Random forest is used to accurately classify the fault types. The vibration signal of cylinder rolling bearing and gearbox is used to validate the proposed method. The results are compared with those of other state‐of‐the‐art methods to show the superior performance of the proposed method.
Response to ‘Comment on “Analytical solution for transient, diffusing fields inside a ring conductor with rectangular cross section (IET SMT 2008 Vol. 2 No. 5)” by Gratkowski and Ziolkowski’
Authors: Thiagarajan Venkataraman
Published: January 2020

Analytical solution for transient, diffusing fields inside a ring conductor with rectangular cross‐section is discussed. Some details from the paper by V. Thiagarajan with additional clarifications are presented. The comment paper on the Thiagarajan analysis by Gratkowski and Ziolkowski criticises the boundary condition used at the outer radius of the ring conductor and changes it by setting the vector potential to zero at the outer radius of the ring. It is shown that: (i) the boundary condition used by Thiagarajan is an exact analytical result from classical physics, arising from interface field continuity criterion, (ii) setting the vector potential to zero at the outer radius of the ring is not a physically valid boundary condition, and (iii) it changes the boundary value problem entirely with no comparison to the analysis commented upon (which is valid mathematically and physically).
Electrical capacitance tomography image reconstruction by improved orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm
Authors: Yan Hua , Wang Yan , Wang Yi Fan , Zhou Ying Gang
Published: January 2020

In order to improve the quality of reconstructed images in electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), the image reconstruction method based on compressed sensing for ECT is studied. First, the traditional discrete Fourier transform and discrete cosine transform are used as a sparsity basis to make the grey vectors of the typical two‐phase flow distributions sparse. The energy loss of the sparse signals under different sparsity degrees is calculated, and the effect of energy loss on the quality of reconstructed images is studied. Then, using the natural sparsity of the original signal, an improved orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm for ECT image reconstruction is proposed. There are two main improvements in the proposed algorithm. First, multiple columns instead of one column in each iteration are selected for improving the reconstruction speed. Second, a regularisation solution instead of the least‐squares solution is used for improving the adaptability to ill‐posed inverse problems. Simulation and experimental tests are carried out and the results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the reconstructed images quality, and on the whole, obtain better reconstruction results than the Landweber iteration algorithm, the Tikhonov regularisation algorithm, and the gradient projection for sparse reconstruction algorithm.
Highly sensitive thin‐film capacitive sensor for online moisture measurement in transformer oil
Authors: Islam Tarikul , Tehseen Zeba , Kumar Lokesh
Published: January 2020

This study describes a low‐cost sensor‐based scheme for online moisture measurement in transformer oil. Considering a harsh environment, moisture measurement of oil at ppm level is challenging, so the sensor should be highly sensitive and thermally and chemically stable. The conventional methods are mostly offline, have long test times and are costly. A thin‐film parallel plate capacitive moisture sensor has been fabricated using inexpensive materials to measure the moisture of fresh, aged and 0.5% water content oil samples. The moisture sensing film is highly hydrophilic and is made of alumina oxide, a very stable material. Experiments were conducted to determine the response parameters of the sensor in the presence of moist nitrogen gas, the concentration of which was measured by a commercial SHAW dew point meter. Experiments were also performed to measure the moisture of different oil samples in the laboratory. Results show that the output of the sensor is sensitive (6 pF/ppm moisture), has negligible hysteresis (∼1% at 1 kHz) and has fast response and recovery times (Tres = 70 s, Trec = 170 s).
Radiation spectra of warm and optically thick coronae in AGNs
Authors: Petrucci P.-O. , Gronkiewicz D. , Rozanska A. , Belmont R. , Bianchi S. , Czerny B. , Matt G. , Malzac J. , Middei R. , De Rosa A. , Ursini F. , Cappi M.
Published: January 2020

A soft X-ray excess above the 2–10 keV power-law extrapolation is generally observed in the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei. The origin of this excess is still not well understood. Presently there are two competitive models: blurred ionized reflection and warm Comptonization. In the case of warm Comptonization, observations suggest a corona temperature in the range 0.1–2 keV and a corona optical depth of about 10–20. Moreover, radiative constraints from spectral fits with Comptonization models suggest that most of the accretion power should be released in the warm corona and the disk below is basically non-dissipative, radiating only the reprocessed emission from the corona. However, the true radiative properties of such a warm and optically thick plasma are not well known. For instance, the importance of the Comptonization process, the potential presence of strong absorption and/or emission features, and the spectral shape of the output spectrum have been studied only very recently. Here, we present simulations of warm and optically thick coronae using the TITAN radiative transfer code coupled with the NOAR Monte-Carlo code, the latter fully accounting for Compton scattering of continuum and lines. Illumination from above by hard X-ray emission and from below by an optically thick accretion disk are taken into account, as well as (uniform) internal heating. Our simulations show that for a large part of the parameter space, the warm corona with sufficient internal mechanical heating is dominated by Compton cooling and neither strong absorption nor emission lines are present in the outgoing spectra. In a smaller part of the parameter space, the calculated emission agrees with the spectral shape of the observed soft X-ray excess. Remarkably, this also corresponds to the conditions of radiative equilibrium of an extended warm corona covering a non-dissipative accretion disk almost entirely. These results confirm that warm Comptonization is a valuable model that can explain the origin of the soft X-ray excess.
Reduced Basis Greedy Selection Using Random Training Sets
Authors: Cohen Albert , Dahmen Wolfgang , DeVore Ronald , Nichols James
Published: January 2020

Reduced bases have been introduced for the approximation of parametrized PDEs in applications where many online queries are required. Their numerical efficiency for such problems has been theoretically confirmed in Binev et al. (SIAM J. Math. Anal. 43 (2011) 1457–1472) and DeVore et al. (Constructive Approximation 37 (2013) 455–466), where it is shown that the reduced basis space Vn of dimension n, constructed by a certain greedy strategy, has approximation error similar to that of the optimal space associated to the Kolmogorov n-width of the solution manifold. The greedy construction of the reduced basis space is performed in an offline stage which requires at each step a maximization of the current error over the parameter space. For the purpose of numerical computation, this maximization is performed over a finite training set obtained through a discretization of the parameter domain. To guarantee a final approximation error ε for the space generated by the greedy algorithm requires in principle that the snapshots associated to this training set constitute an approximation net for the solution manifold with accuracy of order ε. Hence, the size of the training set is the ε covering number for M and this covering number typically behaves like exp(Cε−1/s) for some C > 0 when the solution manifold has n-width decay O(n−s). Thus, the shear size of the training set prohibits implementation of the algorithm when ε is small. The main result of this paper shows that, if one is willing to accept results which hold with high probability, rather than with certainty, then for a large class of relevant problems one may replace the fine discretization by a random training set of size polynomial in ε−1. Our proof of this fact is established by using inverse inequalities for polynomials in high dimensions.
Effect of SiO2 Nanoparticles Addition on the Flexural Strength of Repaired Acrylic Denture Base
Authors: Gad Mohammed Moustafa Ahmed , Abualsaud Reem , Al-Thobity Ahmad M. , Almaskin Danah F. , AlZaher Zahra A. , Abushowmi Tahani H. , Qaw Masoumah S. , Akhtar Sultan , Al-Harbi Fahad A.
Published: January 2020

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nano-SiO2 addition on the flexural strength (FS) of repaired acrylic denture base.

Materials and Methods Heat-polymerized acrylic resin specimens were fabricated in dimensions of (65 × 10 × 2.5 ± 0.1 mm3 ) and then sectioned and prepared, creating repair gap with butt (90 degrees) and bevel (45 degrees) repair surface designs forming two main groups according to joint design. Further subdivision was done into four groups (n = 10) according to nano-SiO2 concentration: one unmodified group and three modified groups (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 wt %) in the autopolymerized repair resin. Each pair of a specimen was assembled in a mold and repaired according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

Statistical Analysis Three-point bending test was done to measure FS, followed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination for fracture surface analysis. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test (α = 0.05).

Results The addition of nano-SiO2 significantly improved FS of repaired acrylic resin in comparison to the unmodified group (p ˂ 0.05). For butt joint, significant differences between nano-SiO2 reinforced groups were noticed (p ˂ 0.05), while reinforced beveled groups did not differ significantly (p ˃ 0.05). Bevel design remarkably increased FS compared with butt design per respective filler concentration. From the SEM images, improved FS was presented with a homogeneous distribution of nano-SiO2 within polymethyl methacrylate.

Conclusion Nano-SiO2 addition to repair resin and 45 degree-beveled repair surface increased FS of repaired acrylic resin.
Loop expansion around the Bethe solution for the random magnetic field Ising ferromagnets at zero temperature
Authors: Angelini Maria Chiara , Lucibello Carlo , Parisi Giorgio , Ricci-Tersenghi Federico , Rizzo Tommaso
Published: January 2020

Significance

The

ϵ

expansion around the upper critical dimension is a standard tool for studying critical phenomena of models defined on finite-dimensional lattices. However, it faces problems in describing strongly disordered models. Here we use a loop expansion around the Bethe solution, an advanced mean-field theory, since it provides a complete description of the fluctuations that play an important role at low temperatures, especially at finite connectivity. We study the random-field Ising model, a prototypical strongly disordered model, via this loop expansion. We find indeed additional correcting terms in the correlation functions at the one-loop order, but these are subdominant with respect to those coming from the standard

ϵ

expansion that is then correct at this order.
M06-SX screened-exchange density functional for chemistry and solid-state physics
Authors: Wang Ying , Verma Pragya , Zhang Lujia , Li Yaqi , Liu Zhonghua , Truhlar Donald G. , He Xiao
Published: January 2020

Significance

Density functionals with Hartree–Fock exchange have been widely used for a wide range of chemical applications, but the nonlocal character of exchange makes long-range exchange computationally expensive for solid-state calculations with periodic boundary conditions, and full exchange is nonphysical for condensed-phase systems. Here, we present a screened-exchange (SX) density functional, M06-SX, that is especially designed to have good accuracy for both solid-state physics and chemical applications with less computational cost than full Hartree–Fock exchange. The M06-SX functional gives accuracy comparable to functionals with full Hartree–Fock exchange for predicting chemical properties of molecules, while also being practical with good accuracy for plane wave calculations on band gaps and lattice constants of solids.
Scd1 controls de novo beige fat biogenesis through succinate-dependent regulation of mitochondrial complex II
Authors: Liu Keli , Lin Liangyu , Li Qing , Xue Yueqing , Zheng Fanjun , Wang Guan , Zheng Chunxing , Du Liming , Hu Mingyuan , Huang Yin , Shao Changshun , Kong Xiangyin , Melino Gerry , Shi Yufang , Wang Ying
Published: January 2020

Significance

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) are well-known in the generation of both white and beige adipocytes and the maintenance of adipose tissue homeostasis. Stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1 (Scd1) is a rate-limiting enzyme for monounsaturated fatty acids. Here, we show that deficiency of Scd1 promotes the formation of beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue by directing de novo beige adipogenesis. In the absence of Scd1, succinate accumulation was enhanced in ADSCs and fueled mitochondrial complex II activities. Notably, we demonstrate that succinate controls the potential of beige adipogenesis of ADSCs both in vitro and in vivo. These findings reveal an unidentified negative regulatory relationship between Scd1 and succinate during adipogenesis, holding great potential for combating obesity.
A strategy for designing allosteric modulators of transcription factor dimerization
Authors: Oasa Sho , Vukojević Vladana , Rigler Rudolf , Tsigelny Igor F. , Changeux Jean-Pierre , Terenius Lars
Published: January 2020

Significance

Transcription factors in the bHLH family are potentially relevant for tumor growth. Activation requires homodimerization or heterodimerization. Thus, the dimerization step is a likely significant drug target. The oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (OLIG2) is overexpressed in gliomas. Here, we developed a fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy protocol to examine 10 compounds selected using a pharmacophore-based computational strategy targeting OLIG2 dimerization. We showed that the potency to interact with OLIG2 dimerization in live cells correlates with carcinostatic efficacy. The data indicate a promising approach toward drug development targeting transcription factor overactivity and protein–protein interaction more generally.
Influence of liquid metal feeding on the flow and macrosegregation in DC casting
Authors: Coleman J. , Krane M. J. M.
Published: January 2020

The influence of liquid metal feeding on the flow and macrosegregation during direct chill (DC) casting of Al-4.5wt-%Cu billets is investigated. An analytical study for constricted inlets predicts that the inflow only reaches the bottom of the sump for narrow inlets, a result confirmed by steady-state axisymmetric simulations of equiaxed solidification. For wide inlets, and inlets using a combo bag, the inflow is swiftly entrained towards the chill and the final macrosegregation predictions are all similar. For narrow inlets without a combo bag, penetration of the thermal jet to the bottom of the sump locally delays solidification producing an inclination in the packed solid interface and the possible growth of columnar dendrites in this region.
Variability of running coordination in experts and novices: A 3D uncontrolled manifold analysis
Authors: Möhler Felix , Marahrens Sonja , Ringhof Steffen , Mikut Ralf , Stein Thorsten
Published: January 2020

The uncontrolled manifold (UCM) approach has been widely used in recent studies to examine variability in daily tasks; however, it has not yet been used to study running or the effects of expertise. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the synergy structure stabilizing the centre of mass (CoM) trajectory in experts compared to novices during running at two different speeds using a subject‐specific 3D model. A total of 25 healthy young adults (13 experts, 12 novices) participated in the study. All subjects ran at 10 and 15 km h−1 on a treadmill. In each case, kinematics of 20 consecutive gait cycles were recorded and the effects of expertise and gait cycle phase on the synergy structure were investigated at both speeds. Specifically, the variance affecting the CoM , the variance not affecting the CoM , and their ratio were analysed. Descriptively, in both groups there was a synergy stabilizing the CoM trajectory in running. However, the ANOVA showed no differences in between the two groups. In novices, and were significantly higher compared to experts at the 15 km h−1 condition. In both groups, there was more variability in the stance phase compared to the flight phase in the majority of cases. The results indicate that experts adopted a more consistent running style. The stride‐to‐stride variability was diminished but not abolished. This difference was only visible at the 15 km h−1 condition. Furthermore, variability was less constrained in the stance phase compared to the flight phase.
Effects of vitamin D3 supplementation for 12 weeks on serum levels of anabolic hormones, anaerobic power, and aerobic performance in active male subjects: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Ramezani Ahmadi Amirhossein , Mohammadshahi Majid , Alizadeh Aliakbar , Ahmadi Angali Kambiz , Jahanshahi Alireza
Published: January 2020

Maintenance of the serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐OH‐D) concentration at recommended levels is essential due to its role in the regulation of anabolic hormones and athletic performance. However, the results of the clinical experiments in athletes are controversial. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D3 supplement on serum levels of anabolic hormones, cortisol, anaerobic and aerobic performance in active males. In this double‐blind, randomized controlled trial, 46 active males randomly assigned to vitamin D3 supplement (VDS; 2000 IU/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. The Wingate test, VO2max, and serum levels of 25‐OH‐D, Parathyroid hormone (PTH), total testosterone, growth hormone (GH), Insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1), and cortisol were assessed. Subjects in the VDS group had a higher serum level of 25‐OH‐D (p = 0.004), VO2max (p = 0.016), and average power (p = 0.044) compared to the placebo at the end of the study. Also, lower levels of PTH (p = 0.004) and fatigue index (p < 0.001) were observed in VDS group at the end of the study. The serum cortisol levels were reduced significantly only in subjects with vitamin D deficiency in VDS group (p = 0.042). There was a significant reduction in serum testosterone levels in VDS group (p = 0.013). No change was indicated in serum levels of GH and IGF‐1 in VDS group compared to the placebo (p > 0.05). The present study showed an improvement in aerobic capacity, anaerobic performance, and vitamin D status following vitamin D3 supplementation. However, more studies are required for the effect of vitamin D3 on serum concentration of anabolic hormones.
Joint reconstruction of multiple gene networks by simultaneously capturing inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity
Authors: Tu Jia-Juan , Ou-Yang Le , Yan Hong , Zhang Xiao-Fei , Qin Hong
Published: January 2020

Motivation

Reconstruction of cancer gene networks from gene expression data is important for understanding the mechanisms underlying human cancer. Due to heterogeneity, the tumor tissue samples for a single cancer type can be divided into multiple distinct subtypes (inter-tumor heterogeneity) and are composed of non-cancerous and cancerous cells (intra-tumor heterogeneity). If tumor heterogeneity is ignored when inferring gene networks, the edges specific to individual cancer subtypes and cell types cannot be characterized. However, most existing network reconstruction methods do not simultaneously take inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity into account.

Results

In this article, we propose a new Gaussian graphical model-based method for jointly estimating multiple cancer gene networks by simultaneously capturing inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Given gene expression data of heterogeneous samples for different cancer subtypes, a non-cancerous network shared across different cancer subtypes and multiple subtype-specific cancerous networks are estimated jointly. Tumor heterogeneity can be revealed by the difference in the estimated networks. The performance of our method is first evaluated using simulated data, and the results indicate that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art methods. We also apply our method to The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer data to reconstruct non-cancerous and subtype-specific cancerous gene networks. Hub nodes in the networks estimated by our method perform important biological functions associated with breast cancer development and subtype classification.

Availability and implementation

The source code is available at https://github.com/Zhangxf-ccnu/NETI2.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
CytoSeg 2.0: automated extraction of actin filaments
Authors: Nowak Jacqueline , Gennermann Kristin , Persson Staffan , Nikoloski Zoran
Published: January 2020

Motivation

Actin filaments (AFs) are dynamic structures that substantially change their organization over time. The dynamic behavior and the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio during live-cell imaging have rendered the quantification of the actin organization a difficult task.

Results

We developed an automated image-based framework that extracts AFs from fluorescence microscopy images and represents them as networks, which are automatically analyzed to identify and compare biologically relevant features. Although the source code is freely available, we have now implemented the framework into a graphical user interface that can be installed as a Fiji plugin, thus enabling easy access by the research community.

Availability and implementation

CytoSeg 2.0 is open-source software under the GPL and is available on Github: https://github.com/jnowak90/CytoSeg2.0.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.