bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapidly-Dissolving Silver-Containing Bioactive Glasses for Cariostatic Applications
Authors: Rodriguez Omar , Alhalawani Adel , Arshad Saad , Towler Mark
Published: April 2018

A novel bioactive glass series containing incremental amounts of silver oxide was synthesized, ground down, and subsequently incorporated into a dentifrice for the purpose of reducing the incidence of dental caries and lesion formation. Three glasses were synthesized using the melt quench route: Si-Control (70SiO2–12CaO–3P2O5–15Na2O, mol %), Si-02 and Si-05, where 0.2 and 0.5 mol % Ag2O were substituted, respectively, for SiO2 in Si-Control. The glasses were then ground, sieved, characterized, and dissolved in Tris buffer solution (pH = 7.30) for 6, 12, and 24 h, with the pH of the resultant solution being recorded and the ions that were released into solution quantified. Samples of each glass were subsequently embedded into a non-fluoridated, commercially available toothpaste which was then used to brush resin-mounted lamb molars which, up to the point of testing, had been stored in a 1.0 M HCl solution. Knoop microhardness measurements of the molars were recorded before and after brushing to determine the presence of remineralization on the surface of the teeth (surface hardness loss of 37%, 35%, and 34% for Si-Control, Si-02 and Si-05, respectively, after 24 h). Four oral cavity bacterial strains were isolated through swabs of the inner cheek, gums, and teeth surfaces of three volunteers, and placed on agar discs. Of each glass, 0.5 g was placed onto the discs, and the resultant inhibition zones were measured after 6, 12, and 24 h. Si-05 performed better than Si-02 on two strains after 24 h, while exhibiting similar behavior for the remaining two strains after 24 h; the largest inhibition zone measured was 2.8 mm, for Si-05 after 12 h. Si-Control exhibited no antibacterial effect at any time point, providing evidence for the role of silver oxide as the antibacterial component of these glasses.
Alloying and Hardness of Eutectics with Nbss and Nb5Si3 in Nb-silicide Based Alloys
Authors: Tsakiropoulos Panos
Published: April 2018

In Nb-silicide based alloys, eutectics can form that contain the Nbss and Nb5Si3 phases. The Nb5Si3 can be rich or poor in Ti, the Nb can be substituted with other transition and refractory metals, and the Si can be substituted with simple metal and metalloid elements. For the production of directionally solidified in situ composites of multi-element Nb-silicide based alloys, data about eutectics with Nbss and Nb5Si3 is essential. In this paper, the alloying behaviour of eutectics observed in Nb-silicide based alloys was studied using the parameters ΔHmix, ΔSmix, VEC (valence electron concentration), δ (related to atomic size), Δχ (related to electronegativity), and Ω (= Tm ΔSmix/|ΔHmix|). The values of these parameters were in the ranges −41.9 < ΔHmix <−25.5 kJ/mol, 4.7 < ΔSmix < 15 J/molK, 4.33 < VEC < 4.89, 6.23 < δ < 9.44, 0.38 < Ω < 1.35, and 0.118 < Δχ < 0.248, with a gap in Δχ values between 0.164 and 0.181. Correlations between ΔSmix, Ω, ΔSmix, and VEC were found for all of the eutectics. The correlation between ΔHmix and δ for the eutectics was the same as that of the Nbss, with more negative ΔHmix for the former. The δ versus Δχ map separated the Ti-rich eutectics from the Ti-poor eutectics, with a gap in Δχ values between 0.164 and 0.181, which is within the Δχ gap of the Nbss. Eutectics were separated according to alloying additions in the Δχ versus VEC, Δχ versus , δ versus , and VEC versus  maps, where  = Al + Ge + Si + Sn. Convergence of data in maps occurred at δ ≈ 9.25, VEC ≈ 4.35, Δχ in the range ≈ 0.155 to 0.162, and  in the range ≈ 21.6 at.% to ≈ 24.3 at.%. The convergence of data also indicated that the minimum concentration of Ti and maximum concentrations of Al and Si in the eutectic were about 8.7 at.% Ti, 6.3 at.% Al, and 21.6 at.% Si, respectively, and that the minimum concentration of Si in the eutectic was in the range 8 < Si < 10 at.%.
Quasirecognition by Prime Graph of the Groups 2D2n(q) Where q < 105
Authors: Moradi Hossein , Darafsheh Mohammad Reza , Iranmanesh Ali
Published: April 2018

Let G be a finite group. The prime graph Γ ( G ) of G is defined as follows: The set of vertices of Γ ( G ) is the set of prime divisors of | G | and two distinct vertices p and p ′ are connected in Γ ( G ) , whenever G contains an element of order p p ′ . A non-abelian simple group P is called recognizable by prime graph if for any finite group G with Γ ( G ) = Γ ( P ) , G has a composition factor isomorphic to P. It is been proved that finite simple groups 2 D n ( q ) , where n ≠ 4 k , are quasirecognizable by prime graph. Now in this paper we discuss the quasirecognizability by prime graph of the simple groups 2 D 2 k ( q ) , where k ≥ 9 and q is a prime power less than 10 5 .
Abnormal Grain Growth in the Heat Affected Zone of Friction Stir Welded Joint of 32Mn-7Cr-1Mo-0.3N Steel during Post-Weld Heat Treatment
Authors: Li Yijun , Fu Ruidong , Li Yan , Peng Yan , Liu Huijie
Published: April 2018

The abnormal grain growth in the heat affected zone of the friction stir welded joint of 32Mn-7Cr-1Mo-0.3N steel after post-weld heat treatment was confirmed by physical simulation experiments. The microstructural stability of the heat affected zone can be weakened by the welding thermal cycle. It was speculated to be due to the variation of the non-equilibrium segregation state of solute atoms at the grain boundaries. In addition, the pressure stress in the welding process can promote abnormal grain growth in the post-weld heat treatment.
A Springback Prediction Model for Warm Forming of Aluminum Alloy Sheets Using Tangential Stresses on a Cross-Section of Sheet
Authors: Kim Heung-Kyu , Kim Woo-Jin
Published: April 2018

Warm U-draw bending tests were performed on a 5182 aluminum alloy under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions, and the amounts of springback under the corresponding conditions were measured. Finite element method analyses were then conducted to calculate the tangential stress distribution on the cross-section of the sheet during the warm forming process. It was found that the experimentally measured springback values were proportionally related to the differences in the amounts of tangential stresses at the top and bottom layers of the sheet section. A functional model that can account for the correlation between the amount of springback and the difference in tangential stresses at the top and bottom layers of the sheet section was derived based on an Euler beam and a nonlinear flow stress model with temperature and strain rate dependencies. The developed model, which can predict springback behavior using only results of forming analyses of warm formed aluminum alloy sheets, is anticipated to provide for advancements in the understanding of springback behavior at warm temperatures and improve the efficiency of design and analysis processes used to fabricate parts with complicated shapes by saving considerable time and costs for the analysis of springback.
The Role of Clay Swelling and Mineral Neoformation in the Stabilization of High Plasticity Soils Treated with the Fly Ash- and Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers
Authors: Mahrous Mahmoud , Šegvić Branimir , Zanoni Giovanni , Khadka Suraj , Senadheera Sanjaya , Jayawickrama Priyantha
Published: April 2018

In the southern U.S. states, expansive soils are frequently encountered, presenting an important hazard in geotechnical engineering. This research relies on mineralogical and geochemical clues to explain the swelling behavior of smectite-rich, high-plasticity soils, documented in a series of geomechanical swelling tests that were performed on the soils stabilized with the metakaolin (MKG) and fly ash (FAG) based geopolymers. These geopolymers were mixed with the soil at several concentration levels. The lowest swelling percentage was shown to correspond to the sample stabilized with 12% FAG and was attributed to the neoformation of calcium silicate hydrates that acted as a cementitious material, preventing the soil from expanding by occupying the pore space, thus binding the clay particles together. Conversely, the 12% MKG-stabilized soil exhibited enormous expansion, which was explained by montmorillonite swelling to the point that it gradually began to lose its structural periodicity. The relatively high abundance of the newly formed feldspathoids in MKG-treated samples is believed to have greatly contributed to the overall soil expansion. Finally, the cation exchange capacity tests showed that the percentage of Na+ and Ca2+, as well as the pH value, exercised strong control on the swelling behavior of smectitic soils.
The Shah-Ali-Beiglou Zn-Pb-Cu (-Ag) Deposit, Iran: An Example of Intermediate Sulfidation Epithermal Type Mineralization
Authors: Mikaeili Khadijeh , Hosseinzadeh Mohammad , Moayyed Mohsen , Maghfouri Sajjad
Published: April 2018

The Shah-Ali-Beiglou epithermal base metal-silver deposit is located in the Tarom-Hashjin metallogenic province (THMP) in northwestern Iran. This deposit is hosted by quartz monzonite dikes of Oligocene age and surrounded by andesite to trachyandesite volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of Eocene age. The subvolcanic rocks in the study area vary in composition from quartz-monzonite to monzonite and have metaluminous, calc-alkaline to shoshonitic affinity. These rocks have I-type geochemical characteristic and are related to post-collisional tectonic setting. The mineralization occurs as NE-SW and E-W-trending brecciated veins controlled by strike-slip and normal faults, which are associated to the Late Oligocene compressional regime. The mineral paragenesis of the vein mineralization is subdivided into pre-ore stage, ore stage, post-ore stage, and supergene stage. Pre-ore stage is dominated by quartz, sericite, and subhedral to anhedral pyrite as disseminated form. Ore-stage is represented by quartz, sphalerite (from 0.1 mol % to 4 mol % FeS), galena, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite-tennantite, minor seligmannite and enargite, as vein-veinlet, cement and clast breccias. Post-ore stage is defined by deposition of quartz and carbonate along with minor barite, and supergene stage is characterized by bornite, chalcocite, covellite, hematite, goethite, and jarosite. The ore mineralization is associated with the silicic alteration. The styles of alteration are silicic, carbonate, sericitic, chloritic, and propylitic. Fluid inclusions in sphalerite have a wide range of salinities between 0.35 wt % and 21.4 wt % NaCl equivalent and homogenization temperatures range from 123 to 320 °C. The isotopic values of sulfides vary from 2.8‰ to 6.7‰ suggesting a magmatic source for the sulfur. In the present study, based on geological setting, alteration style of the host and wall rocks, main textures, mineral assemblages, composition of ore minerals, and structural features, it is suggested that the mineralization in the Shah-Ali-Beiglou is similar to intermediate-sulfidation style of epithermal deposits.
A Beneficial Role of Rooibos in Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Sasaki Moe , Nishida Nami , Shimada Masako
Published: April 2018

In a rapid increase in cases of diabetes mellitus worldwide, there has been interested in the use of plant-derived polyphenols as nutraceuticals to prevent the onset and progression of diabetes mellitus and its associated complications. Aspalathus linearis, commonly known as rooibos, is a rich source of uncommon glycosylated plant polyphenols with various critical health-promoting properties, including the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to examine these effects by meta-analyzing the current evidence in diabetic rodent models. Peer-reviewed studies written in English from two databases, PubMed and Embase, were searched up to 28 February 2018. Studies reporting blood glucose levels in diabetic rodents with and without receiving rooibos extracts or their major phenolic compounds are included. Twelve studies enrolling 88 diabetic rodents treated with rooibos extracts or their polyphenols and 85 diabetic control males reported blood glucose levels. The pooled effect size was −0.89 (95% CI: −1.44 to −0.35) with a substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 67.0%). This effect was likely to be modified by type of rooibos extracts and their polyphenols and treatment period. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in diabetic rodent models treated with the phenolic compound rich in rooibos extracts, PPAG.
Oxadiazole-Based Highly Efficient Bipolar Fluorescent Emitters for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes
Authors: Wu Qiong , Braveenth Ramanaskanda , Zhang Heng , Bae Il-Ji , Kim Miyoung , Chai Kyu
Published: April 2018

In this study, a series of bipolar fluorescence emitters named 2DPAc-OXD, DPAc-OXD, 2PTZ-OXD and PTZ-OXD were designed and synthesized with excellent yields. The characterization of materials was investigated by using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (1H, 13C), mass spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To investigate device efficiencies, two different OLED devices (Device 1, Device 2) were fabricated with two different host materials (Bepp2, DPEPO). The Device 2 with 2PTZ-OXD as fluorescent emitter exhibited excellent power and current efficiencies of 6.88 Lm/W and 10.10 cd/A, respectively. The external quantum efficiency of 2PTZ-OXD was around 3.99% for Device 2. The overall device properties of phenothiazine donor were better than acridine derivatives.
Optimization of the Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Oryza Sativa L. ‘Violet Nori’ and Determination of the Antioxidant Properties of its Caryopses and Leaves
Authors: Turrini Federica , Boggia Raffaella , Leardi Riccardo , Borriello Matilde , Zunin Paola
Published: April 2018

‘Violet Nori’ is a new spontaneous growing violet rice variety showing a peculiar violet color in its fresh leaves as well. In this paper, the antioxidant properties and the content of total phenols, radical scavengers, and anthocyanins in ‘Violet Nori’ caryopses, flour, and leaves are explored and compared. Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction (UAE) is employed for the extraction of phenolic compounds, improving the extraction conditions by Design of Experiments (DoE). The obtained results show that the Radical Scavenging Activities (RSAs), the Total Phenolic Contents (TPCs), and the anthocyanin amounts (1000–1500 μg/g, expressed as cyanidin-3-glucoside) of ‘Violet Nori’ caryopses are higher than those in the other analyzed colored rice samples (300–900 μg/g as cyanidin-3-glucoside), with the exception of the cultivars ‘Artemide’ and ‘Nerone’, which show comparable values of RSAs and TPCs. The study of ‘Violet Nori’ leaves at different plant maturation stages shows that their anthocyanin content is 2–3 times higher than in the caryopses and in the flour, reaching the highest levels at about 60 days from seeding. Thus, the estimated extraction yield of 4 kg anthocyanins/t makes fresh leaves very interesting for the extraction of anthocyanins on an industrial scale, whereas violet caryopses are a very interesting dietetic source of valuable anthocyanins and other antioxidant compounds.
Isolation of Bioactive Compounds from Calicotome villosa Stems
Authors: Alhage Josiane , Elbitar Hoda , Taha Samir , Guegan Jean-Paul , Dassouki Zeina , Vives Thomas , Benvegnu Thierry
Published: April 2018

A phenylethanoid, two steroids, a flavone glucoside and a chalcone have been isolated for the first time from the stems of Calicotome villosa together with a previously isolated flavone glucoside. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses (NMR, HRMS) as basalethanoïd B (1), β-sitosterol and stigmasterol (2), chrysine-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), chrysine 7-((6′′-O-acetyl)-O-β-d-glucopyranoside) (4) and calythropsin (5). The crude extracts and the isolated compounds (except 4), were evaluated for their antioxidant, antimicrobial (against two Gram-positive bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, four Gram-negative bacterial strains: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumanii, and three yeasts: Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida glabrata), hemolytic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity. The crude extracts showed good ability to scavenge the free radical DPPH. Methanol stem extract followed by the dichloromethane stem extract showed moderate antimicrobial potency; furthermore, at 1 mg/mL the methanol extract showed an inhibition of C. albicans growth comparable to nystatin. Dichloromethane, methanol, and aqueous extracts inhibited 98%, 90%, and 80% of HeLa cell proliferation at 2 mg/mL respectively. Weak hypoglycemic and hemolytic effects were exhibited by the crude extracts. Among all the tested compounds, compound 3 showed remarkable hypoglycemic potential (93% at 0.1 mg/mL) followed by compound 5 (90% at 0.3 mg/mL). Compound 5 was the most effective in the DPPH. scavenging assay (100% at 0.1 mg/mL) and cytotoxic assay on HeLa cells (99% and 90% after 24 and 48 h of treatment at 0.1 mg/mL, respectively). No anti-inflammatory effects were displayed by any of the crude extracts or the isolated compounds at any of the tested concentrations.
Scutellarin Mitigates Aβ-Induced Neurotoxicity and Improves Behavior Impairments in AD Mice
Authors: Zeng Yue-Qin , Cui Yin-Bo , Gu Juan-Hua , Liang Chen , Zhou Xin-Fu
Published: April 2018

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is pathologically characterized by excessive accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) within extracellular spaces of the brain. Aggregation of Aβ has been shown to trigger oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurotoxicity resulting in cognitive dysfunction. In this study, we use models of cerebral Aβ amyloidosis to investigate anti-amyloidogenic effects of scutellarin in vitro and in vivo. Our results show that scutellarin, through binding to Aβ42, efficiently inhibits oligomerization as well as fibril formation and reduces Aβ oligomer-induced neuronal toxicity in cell line SH-SY5Y. After nine months of treatment in APP/PS1 double-transgenic mice, scutellarin significantly improves behavior, reduces soluble and insoluble Aβ levels in the brain and plasma, decreases Aβ plaque associated gliosis and levels of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, attenuates neuroinflammation, displays anti-amyloidogenic effects, and highlights the beneficial effects of intervention on development or progression of AD-like neuropathology.
Current’s Fluctuations through Molecular Wires Composed of Thiophene Rings
Authors: Ojeda Silva Judith , Cortés Peñaranda Juan , Gómez Castaño Jovanny , Duque Carlos
Published: April 2018

We study theoretically the electronic transport and quantum fluctuations in single-molecule systems using thiophene rings as integrated elementary functions, as well as the dependence of these properties with the increase of the coupled rings, i.e., as a quantum wire. In order to analyze the current flow through these molecular systems, the thiophene rings are considered to be connected to metal contacts, which, in general terms, will be related to the application of voltages (bias voltages or gate voltages) to generate non-equilibrium behavior between the contacts. Due to the nonlinear behavior that is generated when said voltages are applied, it is possible to observe quantum fluctuations in the transport properties of these molecular wires. For the calculation of the transport properties, we applied a tight-binding approach using the Landauer–Büttiker formalism and the Fischer–Lee relationship, by means of a semi-analytic Green’s function method within a real-space renormalization (decimation procedure). Our results showed an excellent agreement with results using a tight-binding model with a minimal number of parameters reported so far for these molecular systems.
Application of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Linear Ion Trap Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry for Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Shejin-Liyan Granule Supplements
Authors: Gu Jifeng , Wu Weijun , Huang Mengwei , Long Fen , Liu Xinhua , Zhu Yizhun
Published: April 2018

A method for high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS) was developed and validated for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of Shejin-liyan Granule. According to the fragmentation mechanism and high-resolution MS data, 54 compounds, including fourteen isoflavones, eleven ligands, eight flavonoids, six physalins, six organic acids, four triterpenoid saponins, two xanthones, two alkaloids, and one licorice coumarin, were identified or tentatively characterized. In addition, ten of the representative compounds (matrine, galuteolin, tectoridin, iridin, arctiin, tectorigenin, glycyrrhizic acid, irigenin, arctigenin, and irisflorentin) were quantified using the validated HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS method. The method validation showed a good linearity with coefficients of determination (r2) above 0.9914 for all analytes. The accuracy of the intra- and inter-day variation of the investigated compounds was 95.0–105.0%, and the precision values were less than 4.89%. The mean recoveries and reproducibilities of each analyte were 95.1–104.8%, with relative standard deviations below 4.91%. The method successfully quantified the ten compounds in Shejin-liyan Granule, and the results show that the method is accurate, sensitive, and reliable.
Tailored Synthesis of Core-Shell Mesoporous Silica Particles—Optimization of Dye Sorption Properties
Authors: Baliś Andrzej , Zapotoczny Szczepan
Published: April 2018

Monodisperse spherical silica particles, with solid cores and mesoporous shells (SCMS), were synthesized at various temperatures using a one-pot method utilizing a cationic surfactant template. The temperature of the synthesis was found to significantly affect the diameters of both the cores (ca. 170–800 nm) and shells (ca. 11–80 nm) of the particles, which can be tailored for specific applications that require a high specific surface area of the nanocarriers (mesoporous shells) and simultaneously their mechanical robustness for, e.g., facile isolation from suspensions (dense cores). The applied method enabled the formation of the relatively thick mesoporous shells at conditions below room temperature. Radially ordered pores with narrow distributions of their sizes in 3–4 nm range were found in the shells. The adsorption ability of the SCMS particles was studied using rhodamine 6G as a model dye. Decolorization of the dye solution in the presence of the SCMS particles was correlated with their structure and specific surface area and reached its maximum for the particles synthesized at 15 °C. The presented strategy may be applied for the fine-tuning of the structure of SCMS particles and the enhancement of their adsorption capabilities.
Erratum: Long-Term Dexamethasone Exposure Down-Regulates Hepatic TFR1 and Reduces Liver Iron Concentration in Rats; Nutrients 2017, 9, 617
Authors:   Nutrients Editorial Office
Published: April 2018

The Editorial Office of Nutrients would like to report an error in the published paper [1] [...]
Validation of the Gratitude/Awe Questionnaire and Its Association with Disposition of Gratefulness
Authors: Büssing Arndt , Recchia Daniela , Baumann Klaus
Published: April 2018

Self-transcendent feelings such as gratitude, compassion, and awe are highly relevant for human societies. So far, empirical research has focused more on the relational aspects of these feelings (concrete persons), and less on the spiritual aspects referring to the Sacred in a person’s life. We intended to validate an extended version of the former three-item Gratitude/Awe scale. This extended scale was designed with a focus on the experiential aspects of being moved and touched by certain moments and places/nature, on related reactions of pausing with daily activities, and on the subsequent feelings of awe and gratitude. Enrolling 183 test persons (67% women; 59% with a Christian confession) in a cross-sectional study, we can confirm that the seven-item Gratitude/Awe scale (GrAw-7) has good psychometric properties (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82) and moderate correlation (r = 0.42) with grateful disposition (GQ-6 questionnaire). Structured equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that both constructs, although moderately related, are different. While Gratitude/Awe was best predicted by the frequency of meditation practice, a grateful disposition was best predicted by the frequency of praying and by general life satisfaction. The GrAw-7 scale is not contaminated with specific religious topics or quality of life issues, and can be easily implemented in larger studies.
How Religion Frames Health Norms: A Structural Theory Approach
Authors: Mpofu Elias
Published: April 2018

Religious communities influence health-related behaviors of adherents in important ways for public health promotion. Questions remain about the processes involved and resultant health promotion actions of the religious adherents. This study applied a structural theory analysis to understand the ways by which religious adherents adopt and enact health norms. Structural theory proposes systemic influences on behavioral predispositions at the latent, interpretive, and elective levels. Latent influences on health norms occur through a process of social mediation, predisposing the religious adherents to impute faith-aligned meanings to their health norms. Religious adherents also might adopt interpretation to guide their health norms in those grey areas in which faith-based guidelines are not apparent or open to contestation. Moreover, religious adherents may elect to construct health norms combining faith-aligned and prevailing secular community standards. Public health promotion with religious adherents should address their faith-aligned health beliefs while also addressing their evolving personal health norms.
Management and Prevention of Oral Self-Injuries in Lesch–Nyhan Syndrome
Authors: Caserta Giuliana , Defabianis Patrizia
Published: April 2018

Lesch–Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is a rare X-linked recessive disorder with an incidence of 1/100,000–380,000 live births. It is characterized by neurological manifestations, including symptoms of compulsive self-mutilation, which result in the destruction of oral and perioral tissues. This report describes a case of a four-year-old boy diagnosed with LNS, who was referred for evaluation and treatment of self-injury behaviour (SIB). The parents requested the prevention of self-mutilation of the lower lip and tongue by the child’s own teeth. After a thorough discussion with the parents, it was agreed that a conservative approach, avoiding extraction, should be followed initially. A removable dental appliance was fabricated. The parents were instructed and trained about insertion, removal, and cleaning of the appliance. The child was re-examined after one week: biting of the lips and tongue improved immediately after the insertion of the appliances. Initial healing of the lesion was observed. After two and four weeks, positive results were seen. The lesion had resolved completely. In conclusion, appropriate preventive methods have to be developed for each individual patient on the basis of the observation of each single case. Oral appliances represent a conservative solution for SIB and an alternative to more invasive approaches. They can be the initial solution for the management of oral self-injury in LNS patients.
Surface Acting and Job-Related Affective Wellbeing: Preventing Resource Loss Spiral and Resource Loss Cycle for Sustainable Workplaces
Authors: Ha Seongwook
Published: April 2018

This study empirically examines the synergistic negative effect of two kinds of job demand on job-related affective wellbeing (JAW) and the accelerating effects of cynicism in the negative relationships between job demands and JAW using a sample of 299 employees in the Chinese banking industry. Job demands include quantitative role overload and surface acting to represent the quantitative and qualitative aspects of job demands. Cynicism is introduced as a state where one’s energy resource is lost. The results of this study show that surface acting has a negative relationship with JAW, but quantitative role overload has no relationship with JAW. High levels of quantitative role overload exacerbate the negative relationship between surface acting and JAW. Cynicism also exacerbates the negative relationship between surface acting and JAW but does not have any moderating effect in the relationship between quantitative role overload and JAW. These results are consistent with the relationships predicted by resource loss spiral and resource loss cycle. The resource loss spiral means that resource loss, caused by handling with a quantitative role overload, lessens the employee’s ability to cope with surface acting. The resource loss cycle represents a vicious circle that amplifies the resource loss caused by surface acting. Surface acting reduces the level of one’s resources. Furthermore, surface acting reduces JAW and resources more strongly when an individual has low levels of previous energy resources than it reduces JAW and resources when he or she has high levels of previous energy resources.
A Low-Cost Immersive Virtual Reality System for Teaching Robotic Manipulators Programming
Authors: Román-Ibáñez Vicente , Pujol-López Francisco , Mora-Mora Higinio , Pertegal-Felices Maria , Jimeno-Morenilla Antonio
Published: April 2018

Laboratory tasks are a powerful pedagogical strategy for developing competences in science and engineering degrees, making students understand in a practical way the theoretical topics explained in the classroom. However, performing experiments in real conditions is usually expensive in terms of time, money and energy, as it requires expensive infrastructures that are generally difficult to maintain in good conditions. To overcome this problem, virtual reality has proven to be a powerful tool to achieve sustainability, making it easy to update laboratories without the need to acquire new equipment. Moreover, the ability to introduce practical knowledge into classrooms without leaving them, makes virtual laboratories capable of simulating typical operating environments as well as extreme situations in the operation of different devices. A typical subject in which students can benefit from the use of virtual laboratories is robotics. In this work we will develop an immersive virtual reality (VR) pedagogical simulator of industrial robotic arms for engineering students. With the proposed system, students will know the effects of their own designed trajectories on several different robotic arms and cell environments without having to buy all of them and being safe of damaging the cell components. The simulation will be checking for collisions of the elements in the scene and alert the student when they happen. This can be achieved with a robotic simulator, but the integration with immersive VR is intended to help students better understand robotics. Moreover, even having a real robotic arm available for students, with this proposed VR method, all the students have the opportunity to manage and learn his own version of the robotic cell, without waiting times generated by having less robotic arms than students in classroom.
The Effects of Asymmetric Diurnal Warming on Vegetation Growth of the Tibetan Plateau over the Past Three Decades
Authors: Xia Haoming , Li Ainong , Feng Gary , Li Yang , Qin Yaochen , Lei Guangbin , Cui Yaoping
Published: April 2018

Temperatures over the past three decades have exhibited an asymmetric warming pattern between night and day throughout the Tibetan Plateau. However, the implications of such diurnally heterogeneous warming on vegetation growth is still poorly understood. In this paper, we evaluate how vegetation growth has responded to daytime and night-time warming at the regional, biome, and pixel scales based on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and meteorological data from 1982 to 2015. We found a persistent increase in the growing seasonal minimum temperature (Tmin) and maximum temperature (Tmax) over the Tibetan Plateau between 1982–2015, whereas the rate of increase of Tmin was 1.7 times that of Tmax. After removing the correlations between Tmin, precipitation, and solar radiation, we found that the partial correlation between Tmax and NDVI was positive in wetter and colder areas and negative in semi-arid and arid regions. In contrast, the partial correlation between Tmin and NDVI was positive in high-cold steppe and meadow steppe and negative in montane steppe or wet forest. We also found diverse responses of vegetation type to daytime and night-time warming across the Tibetan Plateau. Our results provide a demonstration for studying regional responses of vegetation to climate extremes under global climate change.
Potential Trade-Offs between the Sustainable Development Goals in Coastal Bangladesh
Authors: Hutton Craig , Nicholls Robert , Lázár Attila , Chapman Alex , Schaafsma Marije , Salehin Mashfiqus
Published: April 2018

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are offered as a comprehensive strategy to guide and encourage sustainable development at multiple scales both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, through the development of indicators associated with each goal and sub-goal, the SDGs support the notion of monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management, underpinned by the aspirations of social justice, equity and transparency. As such, the ethical intention of the SDGs is well founded. However, possible conflicts and trade-offs between individual SDGs have received little attention. For example, SDGs relating to poverty (SDG 1), inequality (SDG 10), food security (SDG2), economic development (SDG 8) and life in water and on land (SDGs 14 and 15), are potentially competing in many circumstances. In a social–ecological context, policy support and formulation are increasingly adopting systems approaches, which analyse the complex interactions of system elements. Adopting such an approach in this work, the above SDGs are analysed for coastal Bangladesh. This demonstrates multiple potential trade-offs between the SDGs, including agricultural farming approaches in the light of poverty reduction, and between economic growth and environmental integrity as well as equity. To develop coherent and policy relevant socio-ecological strategies, appropriate decision frameworks need to be co-developed across the range of stakeholders and decision-makers. Integrated models have great potential to support such a process.
The Facilitation of a Sustainable Power System: A Practice from Data-Driven Enhanced Boiler Control
Authors: Wu Zhenlong , He Ting , Sun Li , Li Donghai , Xue Yali
Published: April 2018

An increasing penetration of renewable energy may bring significant challenges to a power system due to its inherent intermittency. To achieve a sustainable future for renewable energy, a conventional power plant is required to be able to change its power output rapidly for a grid balance purpose. However, the rapid power change may result in the boiler operating in a dangerous manner. To this end, this paper aims to improve boiler control performance via a data-driven control strategy, namely Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC). For practical implementation, a tuning method is developed for ADRC controller parameters to maximize its potential in controlling a boiler operating in different conditions. Based on a Monte Carlo simulation, a Probabilistic Robustness (PR) index is subsequently formulated to represent the controller’s sensitivity to the varying conditions. The stability region of the ADRC controller is depicted to provide the search space in which the optimal group of parameters is searched for based on the PR index. Illustrative simulations are performed to verify the efficacy of the proposed method. Finally, the proposed method is experimentally applied to a boiler’s secondary air control system successfully. The results of the field application show that the proposed ADRC based on PR can ensure the expected control performance even though it works in a wider range of operating conditions. The field application depicts a promising future for the ADRC controller as an alternative solution in the power industry to integrate more renewable energy into the power grid.
Hospitality and Tourism Online Review Research: A Systematic Analysis and Heuristic-Systematic Model
Authors: Hlee Sunyoung , Lee Hanna , Koo Chulmo
Published: April 2018

With tremendous growth and potential of online consumer reviews, online reviews of hospitality and tourism are now playing a significant role in consumer attitude and buying behaviors. This study reviewed and analyzed hospitality and tourism related articles published in academic journals. The systematic approach was used to analyze 55 research articles between January 2008 and December 2017. This study presented a brief synthesis of research by investigating content-related characteristics of hospitality and tourism online reviews (HTORs) in different market segments. Two research questions were addressed. Building upon our literature analysis, we used the heuristic-systematic model (HSM) to summarize and classify the characteristics affecting consumer perception in previous HTOR studies. We believe that the framework helps researchers to identify the research topic in extended HTORs literature and to point out possible direction for future studies.
Les estampeurs khmers d'Aymonier et leur production épigraphique connue (K. 1089.1, K. 1089.2, K. 1134, K. 1135, K. 1136 et K. 1137)
Authors: Antelme Michel
Published: April 2018

At the end of the 19th century, Etienne Aymonier, a French resident in Cambodia, was the first to launch a campaign in search of temples and stelae not only within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Cambodia of the time, but also in neighbouring territories in Siam, southern Laos and Cochinchina that had once been part of the Khmer empire. For this, he relied on a team of Khmer, but also Cham, stone-rubbers and topographers, whom he had trained. Some of his staff also engraved their own inscriptions in the Angkor area, some dated A.D. 1881—though the date should be rectified as 1882—and B.E. 2425, in which they make specific reference to their role as travelling stone-rubbers.
Données inédites sur le Gravettien oriental : apport de la technologie osseuse à la caractérisation des occupations de Kostienki 4 (Alexandrovska, région de Voronej, Russie)
Authors: Goutas Nejma
Published: April 2018

Le Gravettien oriental est encore trop souvent réduit à sa manifestation la plus spectaculaire : la «culture de Kostienki-Avdeevo » . Certains sites ont pourtant livré des industries lithiques qui s’en démarquent très nettement. C’est le cas du gisement de Kostienki 4 auquel nous consacrons cette étude. Ce site a livré deux occupations généralement rapportées au Gravettien lato sensu, et prenant place entre 21000 et 23000 uncal. BP. L’ancienneté des fouilles, autant que l’absence d’études archéozoologiques rendent la documentation disponible souvent parcellaire. En confrontant, pour la première fois, les données inédites de l’industrie en matières dures d’origine animale de Kostienki 4, aux autres sphères de la culture matérielle, nous avons pu mettre en évidence de nouveaux éléments de caractérisation de ses deux phases d’occupation. Nous verrons que ce sont des groupes indubitablement différents qui s’y sont succédés, et probablement à différentes saisons de l’année. Des différences majeures transparaissent dans les matières osseuses exploitées, dans leur transformation et leur utilisation, questionnant sur la pertinence d’un rattachement de ces deux niveaux d’occupation à une même entité culturelle. Enfin, les différences observées entre les deux habitats du niveau inférieur, nous permettront de discuter d’une éventuelle différentiation fonctionnelle ou sociale de l’espace.
Gastronomy Metaphors According to Restaurant Employees
Authors: Yilmaz Gökhan , Ülker Mustafa , Gülteki˙n Selami
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study is to reveal hotel restaurant employees' perceptions of the term "gastronomy" through metaphors. In 2015, a survey was applied to 101 employees (executive chefs, food and beverage managers, waiting staff, etc.) working at 14 different hotels located in the Cappadocia province of Turkey. Blank forms were distributed to employees to reveal their perceptions, thoughts, and views about "gastronomy," and participants were asked to write a text about the term. Document analysis was used as a means of data collection; descriptive and content analyses were used for data analysis. Employees developed 76 metaphors regarding the term "gastronomy" and these metaphors were grouped under seven dimensions: the production dimension of gastronomy; consumption dimension of gastronomy; science dimension of gastronomy; art dimension of gastronomy; health dimension of gastronomy; culture dimension of gastronomy; and occupation dimension of gastronomy. A main conclusion is that staff was most likely to address issues close to the operational world of the kitchen, including not the least food safety issues. Metaphors about the customers' experience were nonfrequent, which suggests that staff members work without much physical and cognitive contact with customers. The study discusses the potential strategic and managerial implications.
The Electrostatic Instability for Realistic Pair Distributions in Blazar/EBL Cascades
Authors: Vafin S. , Rafighi I. , Pohl M. , Niemiec J.
Published: April 2018

This work revisits the electrostatic instability for blazar-induced pair beams propagating through the intergalactic medium (IGM) using linear analysis and PIC simulations. We study the impact of the realistic distribution function of pairs resulting from the interaction of high-energy gamma-rays with the extragalactic background light. We present analytical and numerical calculations of the linear growth rate of the instability for the arbitrary orientation of wave vectors. Our results explicitly demonstrate that the finite angular spread of the beam dramatically affects the growth rate of the waves, leading to the fastest growth for wave vectors quasi-parallel to the beam direction and a growth rate at oblique directions that is only a factor of 2–4 smaller compared to the maximum. To study the nonlinear beam relaxation, we performed PIC simulations that take into account a realistic wide-energy distribution of beam particles. The parameters of the simulated beam-plasma system provide an adequate physical picture that can be extrapolated to realistic blazar-induced pairs. In our simulations, the beam looses only 1% of its energy, and we analytically estimate that the beam would lose its total energy over about 100 simulation times. An analytical scaling is then used to extrapolate the parameters of realistic blazar-induced pair beams. We find that they can dissipate their energy slightly faster by the electrostatic instability than through inverse-Compton scattering. The uncertainties arising from, e.g., details of the primary gamma-ray spectrum are too large to make firm statements for individual blazars, and an analysis based on their specific properties is required.
Nonlinear Decay of Alfvén Waves Driven by Interplaying Two- and Three-dimensional Nonlinear Interactions
Authors: Zhao J. S. , Voitenko Y. , Keyser J. De , Wu D. J.
Published: April 2018

We study the decay of Alfvén waves in the solar wind, accounting for the joint operation of two-dimensional (2D) scalar and three-dimensional (3D) vector nonlinear interactions between Alfvén and slow waves. These interactions have previously been studied separately in long- and short-wavelength limits where they lead to 2D scalar and 3D vector decays, correspondingly. The joined action of the scalar and vector interactions shifts the transition between 2D and 3D decays to significantly smaller wavenumbers than was predicted by Zhao et al. who compared separate scalar and vector decays. In application to the broadband Alfvén waves in the solar wind, this means that the vector nonlinear coupling dominates in the extended wavenumber range 5 × 10−4 ≲ ρ

i

k
0⊥ ≲ 1, where the decay is essentially 3D and nonlocal, generating product Alfvén and slow waves around the ion gyroscale. Here ρ

i
is the ion gyroradius, and k
0⊥ is the pump Alfvén wavenumber. It appears that, except for the smallest wavenumbers at and below

in Channel I, the nonlinear decay of magnetohydrodynamic Alfvén waves propagating from the Sun is nonlocal and cannot generate counter-propagating Alfvén waves with similar scales needed for the turbulent cascade. Evaluation of the nonlinear frequency shift shows that product Alfvén waves can still be approximately described as normal Alfvénic eigenmodes. On the contrary, nonlinearly driven slow waves deviate considerably from normal modes and are therefore difficult to identify on the basis of their phase velocities and/or polarization.
New methods to detect early manifestations of adverse side effects of glucocorticosteroids in children
Authors: Batishcheva Galina A. , Zhdanova Olga A. , Nastausheva Tatiana L. , Goncharova Natalia Y. , Chernov Yuri N.
Published: April 2018

Introduction: The article focuses on the early manifestations of adverse side effects in children with nephrotic syndrome receiving glucocorticosteroids. The search for criteria of early side effect manifestations is a real challenge nowadays. The authors developed new diagnostic criteria for early detection of pharmacotherapeutical side effects in children with nephrotic syndrome.

Objective: The aim of the study was to develop integral quantitative diagnostic criteria for early detection of side effects of glucocorticosteroids when treating nephrotic syndrome in children.

Materials and Methods: The study included 58 in-patients, aged 1-18. All the children had been thoroughly examined and their parameters had been investigated: height and body mass by calculating Z-scores (WHO ANTHRO Plus) and body mass index (BMI), a biochemical blood test, a full blood count by studying the total number of leukocytes, the percentage of neutrophils and monocytes in peripheral blood, systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Results and Discussion: The parameters that changed in the patients with nephrotic syndrome taking corticosteroids are referred to as diagnostic criteria. They included leukocytes, neutrophils and monocytes parameters in the full blood count, blood glucose and amylase level, patients’ body mass, BMI, systolic and diastolic arterial pressure. The authors defined the change range of the parameters under study in the children with nephrotic syndrome based on the obtained findings.

Conclusion: The authors conclude that application of the developed indices will make it possible to diagnose early metabolic, cardio-vascular and immunologic changes in patients with nephrotic syndrome taking glucocorticoids and perform their individual pharmacological correction in a timely manner.
A new synonym in the subfamily Thrigmopoeinae Pocock, 1900 (Araneae, Theraphosidae)
Authors: Sankaran Pradeep M. , Sebastian Pothalil A.
Published: April 2018

As the species Haploclastusdevamatha Prasanth & Jose, 2014 is indistinguishable from Thrigmopoeuspsychedelicus Sanap & Mirza, 2014, the latter is herein considered junior synonym of the former. Occurrence of polychromatism in H.devamatha is noted, and two distinct colour morphs of the species are recognised, a pink form and a blue form. The natural history and conservation of the species are discussed and its known distribution is updated.