bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
STRATEGI PENGEMBANGAN PARIWISATA UNTUK PENINGKATAN PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI DI KABUPATEN LOMBOK TIMUR
Authors: Suhendri Ahmad , Aminy Muhammad Habibullah
Published: November 2019

This study is entitled Tourism Development Strategies for Increasing Economic Growth in East Lombok Regency. The object of this research is the tourism sector in East Lombok Regency in order to increase economic growth. Meanwhile, the problem examined in this study is the ways to increase the role of the tourism sector in East Lombok Regency paving the way to boost the economic growth. The method used in this study is qualitative through descriptive approach while the selected tool is SWOT analysis. The results of this study shows that the tourism sector in East Lombok Regency is in quadrant I or lies between external opportunities and positive internal forces (growth strategies) with rapid growth strategies which are the strategies that must be used to increase and maximize outputs from the tourism sector. This is to continue to grow so that later it will become a potential leading sector in East Lombok Regency.
PENGARUH MODEL PEMBELAJARAN PROBLEM BASED LEARNING TERHADAP PENINGKATAN KETERAMPILAN BERPIKIR KRITIS SISWA KELAS X IPS SMA N 1 SURALAGA TAHUN PELAJARAN 2018/2019
Authors: Ihsan Ihsan
Published: November 2019

Critical thinking skills are very necessary and very useful for students to complete learning tasks and solve problems of daily life. In addition, critical thinking skills can stimulate student intelligence, and therefore need to be sharpened from an early age. This study aims to determine the effect of applying the problem based learning model to improve students' critical thinking skills. This study uses a quantitative approach of the type pre-experimental design, with one-group pretest - posttest design. Subjects used in class X IPS SMA N 1 Suralaga totaled 34 students. Data collection techniques used multiple choice and essay tests on critical thinking skills.Data analysis using t test. Obtained the results of data analysis, the value of sig α = 0,000 < 0.05 proves that there is a significant influence on the application of the problem based learning model to the improvement of students' critical thinking skills.
A Compromising Approach to Switching Losses and Waveform Quality in Three-phase Voltage Source Converters with Double-vector based Predictive Control Method
Authors: Jun Eun-Su , Kwak Sangshin
Published: November 2019

A switching losses reduction technique for the model predictive control (MPC) algorithm, which uses double-vector in the three-phase rectifier, is presented. The proposed method controls the output voltage of the rectifier by using reference rectifier input voltages with the offset voltage injection to reduce the switching losses. One leg with the largest source current among the three legs in the rectifier is clamped to either the positive or negative output voltage in the proposed method. The proposed method calculates the offset voltage on the basis of the future rectifier input voltages obtained by the reference rectifier input voltage, output voltage, and the source currents in every sampling period, so the clamping region in the leg conducting the largest input current is optimally varied depending on the reference rectifier input voltages and the source currents. Therefore, the proposed method can reduce the switching losses of the rectifier regardless of the different source power factor angle. Due to the effects of clamped legs, the quality of the input current waveform inevitably deteriorated. Thus, in the proposed method, double vectors were utilized to avoid degradation of current qualities and achieved compromised performance by reducing switching losses and keeping the current waveform quality. A performance comparison between the conventional method and the proposed method was made to show performance differences. Additionally, the simulation and experiment were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Deep Learning Approaches for the Mapping of Tree Species Diversity in a Tropical Wetland Using Airborne LiDAR and High-Spatial-Resolution Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Sun Ying , Huang Jianfeng , Ao Zurui , Lao Dazhao , Xin Qinchuan
Published: November 2019

The monitoring of tree species diversity is important for forest or wetland ecosystem service maintenance or resource management. Remote sensing is an efficient alternative to traditional field work to map tree species diversity over large areas. Previous studies have used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral or multispectral remote sensing) for species richness prediction. The recent development of very high spatial resolution (VHR) RGB images has enabled detailed characterization of canopies and forest structures. In this study, we developed a three-step workflow for mapping tree species diversity, the aim of which was to increase knowledge of tree species diversity assessment using deep learning in a tropical wetland (Haizhu Wetland) in South China based on VHR-RGB images and LiDAR points. Firstly, individual trees were detected based on a canopy height model (CHM, derived from LiDAR points) by the local-maxima-based method in the FUSION software (Version 3.70, Seattle, USA). Then, tree species at the individual tree level were identified via a patch-based image input method, which cropped the RGB images into small patches (the individually detected trees) based on the tree apexes detected. Three different deep learning methods (i.e., AlexNet, VGG16, and ResNet50) were modified to classify the tree species, as they can make good use of the spatial context information. Finally, four diversity indices, namely, the Margalef richness index, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, the Simpson diversity index, and the Pielou evenness index, were calculated from the fixed subset with a size of 30 × 30 m for assessment. In the classification phase, VGG16 had the best performance, with an overall accuracy of 73.25% for 18 tree species. Based on the classification results, mapping of tree species diversity showed reasonable agreement with field survey data (R2Margalef = 0.4562, root-mean-square error RMSEMargalef = 0.5629; R2Shannon–Wiener = 0.7948, RMSEShannon–Wiener = 0.7202; R2Simpson = 0.7907, RMSESimpson = 0.1038; and R2Pielou = 0.5875, RMSEPielou = 0.3053). While challenges remain for individual tree detection and species classification, the deep-learning-based solution shows potential for mapping tree species diversity.
The Compositional and Functional Attributes of Commercial Flours from Tropical Fruits (Breadfruit and Banana)
Authors: Huang Shiqi , Martinez Mario M. , Bohrer Benjamin M.
Published: November 2019

The objective of this study was to compare the compositional and functional properties of tropical flour sources (two breadfruit flours (type A and type B) and a banana flour) with a more traditional flour source (wheat flour). Macro-nutrient composition, pH, water and oil holding capacity, bulk density, particle size, solubility, swelling power, pasting properties, and thermodynamics (gelatinization and retrogradation) were determined. All flours evaluated were similar in their composition with high levels of carbohydrates (greater than 82.52 g/100 g on a dry-matter basis), with most of the carbohydrate content comprised of starch (greater than 67.02 g/100 g). The tropical fruit flours had greater (p < 0.05) water holding capacity than wheat flour. Breadfruit flour B had the lowest (p < 0.05) bulk density, while banana flour had the greatest (p < 0.05) bulk density. The swelling power of the tropical flours was greater (p < 0.05) than the wheat flour. The viscosity of the tropical flours was higher than wheat flour but decreased significantly when temperature was held at 130 °C. These results indicated that the two breadfruit flours and banana flour have great potential for application in processed food products, and have similar compositional attributes to a more traditional flour.
Comparative Phytochemical Analyses and Metabolic Profiling of Different Phenotypes of Chinese Cabbage (Brassica Rapa ssp. Pekinensis)
Authors: Park Chang Ha , Yeo Hyeon Ji , Park Soo-Yun , Kim Jae Kwang , Park Sang Un
Published: November 2019

This study aimed to comprehensively examine the interface between primary and secondary metabolites in oval- and rectangular-shaped Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) using gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition to differences in shape, there was significant morphological variation between the two cultivars. The rectangular variety had greater height and deeper green color, whereas the oval variety had more leaves and greater width. A total of 42 primary metabolites identified by GC-TOFMS were subjected to partial least-squares discriminant, which indicated significant differences in the primary and secondary metabolisms of the two cultivars. Furthermore, total glucosinolate and phenolic contents were higher in the oval cultivar, whereas the rectangular cultivar contained a higher level of total carotenoids. This metabolome study comprehensively describes the relationship between primary and secondary metabolites in the oval and rectangular cultivars of Chinese cabbage and provides information useful for developing strategies to enhance the biosynthesis of glucosinolates, phenolics, and carotenoids in Chinese cabbage. Additionally, this work highlights that HPLC and GC-TOFMS–based metabolite profiling is suitable techniques to determine metabolic differences in Chinese cabbage.
Influence of the Use of Milk Replacers and pH on the Texture Profiles of Raw and Cooked Meat of Suckling Kids
Authors: Ripoll Guillermo , Alcalde María J. , Córdoba María G. , Casquete Rocío , Argüello Anastasio , Ruiz-Moyano Santiago , Panea Begoña
Published: November 2019

The aim of this work was to study the texture profile of fresh and cooked longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle from suckling kids raised with natural milk or milk replacers. Suckling male kids from eight goat breeds (Florida, FL; Cabra del Guadarrama, GU; Majorera, MA; Palmera, PL; Payoya, PY; Retinta, RE; Tinerfeña, TI; Verata, VE), all of single parturition, were raised with milk replacers (MR) or with natural milk from the dams (NM). The meat pH, Warner-Bratzler shear force, texture profile analysis and chemical composition were determined. Kids were clustered based on their pH by k-means clustering. The effect of the rearing system on the textural profile was strongly modulated by breed. The values of Warner-Bratzler shear force and hardness found in these breeds under both rearing systems were very low. Hence, the toughness of very light suckling kids should not be a determining factor in choosing a breed or rearing system. Nevertheless, the use of milk replacers increased the presence of meat with high pH, which modified the textural parameters, decreasing the shear force but increasing cohesiveness and adhesiveness. Consequently, depending on the commercial strategy of the farm, the election of the breed and rearing system must be considered together.
The Role of Environmental Tax in Alleviating the Impact of Environmental Pollution on Residents’ Happiness in China
Authors: Liu Yu , Li Rong-Lin , Song Yang , Zhang Zhi-Jiang
Published: November 2019

Background: Environmental tax has been implemented by the government in response to the demands of the residents to control environmental pollution. However, a tax has a wide effect on many interacting aspects of the society. It remains unknown whether enacting an environmental tax for the government can improve the residents’ happiness. This study aimed to examine the impact of air and water pollution on residents’ happiness and evaluate whether an environmental tax can alleviate the impact of air and water pollution on residents’ happiness. Methods: Based on the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey Data, 28 provinces in China were divided into two categories according to their environmental tax rates: baseline-tax areas (n = 13) and high-tax areas (n = 15). The ordered probit model was used to analyze the impact of air and water pollution on the residents’ happiness in baseline-tax areas and high-tax areas, respectively. The Chow Test was used to test whether the impact of environmental pollution on happiness was different between baseline-tax areas and high-tax areas. Results: The impact of air pollution on residents’ happiness was statistically significant in the baseline-tax areas (coefficient −0.162, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.239, −0.086, p < 0.001), but the significance was weakened in the high-tax areas (coefficient −0.030, 95% CI −0.060, 0.000, p = 0.051). The Chow Test showed that the absolute value of the regression coefficient in the baseline-tax areas was significantly higher than the value in the high-tax areas (F = 12.712, p < 0.001). Similarly, the impact of water pollution on residents’ happiness was statistically significant (coefficient −0.264, 95% CI −0.353, −0.174, p < 0.001) in the baseline-tax areas and in the high-tax areas (coefficient −0.063, 95% CI −0.091, −0.035, p < 0.001), but the Chow Test showed that the absolute value of the regression coefficient in the baseline-tax areas was significantly higher than the value in the high-tax areas (F = 13.758, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Both air and water pollution impair residents’ happiness. The present study shows for the first time that enacting an environmental tax significantly alleviates the negative effect of air and water pollution on residents’ happiness. The findings of the present study provide empirical evidence for the government to levy environmental tax.
Application of Chemical Crystallization Circulating Pellet Fluidized Beds for Softening and Saving Circulating Water in Thermal Power Plants
Authors: Hu Ruizhu , Huang Tinglin , Wang Tianwei , Wang Huixin , Long Xiao
Published: November 2019

The circulating pellet fluidized bed (CPFB) softening method is a highly efficient and environmentally friendly softening technology that can be used to reduce water hardness during the pretreatment process of circulating water in thermal power plants. The performance of chemical crystallization CPFB reactors was tested for increasing the concentration ratio and softening the circulating water in a thermal power plant in Dingzhou, Hebei. The results show that usage of CPFB reactors removed water hardness and Ca2+ ions with efficiencies exceeding 60% and 90%, respectively. The size of the particles discharged from the reactors was approximately 1–3 mm, and the content of CaO in these particles was found to be greater than 50%. All the discharged particles were reused in the desulfurization system in the power plant. The operational cost of the CPFB system is US$0.074 per cubic meter of water. After adopting the proposed CPFB softening method in the Dingzhou Power Plant, the concentration ratio of the circulation cooling water was increased from 4.5 to more than 9. In addition, the amount of replenished water and sewage discharge were both reduced by 150 m3/h, and the amount of scale inhibitor used in the system was reduced by more than 30%. These improvements contribute to approximately US$200,000 in annual savings in the power plant. In summary, the CPFB softening method demonstrated a high hardness removal rate, strong economic benefits, and remarkable environmental and social benefits. Therefore, this method seems ideal for softening replenished circulating cooling water, increasing the concentration ratio of the water and achieving zero liquid discharge (ZLD) in thermal power plants.
Chlorine Dioxide Degradation Issues on Metal and Plastic Water Pipes Tested in Parallel in a Semi-Closed System
Authors: Vertova Alberto , Miani Alessandro , Lesma Giordano , Rondinini Sandra , Minguzzi Alessandro , Falciola Luigi , Ortenzi Marco Aldo
Published: November 2019

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) has been widely used as a disinfectant in drinking water in the past but its effects on water pipes have not been investigated deeply, mainly due to the difficult experimental set-up required to simulate real-life water pipe conditions. In the present paper, four different kinds of water pipes, two based on plastics, namely random polypropylene (PPR) and polyethylene of raised temperature (PERT/aluminum multilayer), and two made of metals, i.e., copper and galvanized steel, were put in a semi-closed system where ClO2 was dosed continuously. The semi-closed system allowed for the simulation of real ClO2 concentrations in common water distribution systems and to simulate the presence of pipes made with different materials from the source of water to the tap. Results show that ClO2 has a deep effect on all the materials tested (plastics and metals) and that severe damage occurs due to its strong oxidizing power in terms of surface chemical modification of metals and progressive cracking of plastics. These phenomena could in turn become an issue for the health and safety of drinking water due to progressive leakage of degraded products in the water.
Role of HYBID (Hyaluronan Binding Protein Involved in Hyaluronan Depolymerization), Alias KIAA1199/CEMIP, in Hyaluronan Degradation in Normal and Photoaged Skin
Authors: Yoshida Hiroyuki , Okada Yasunori
Published: November 2019

Photoaged skin is characterized clinically by apparent manifestations such as wrinkles and sagging, and histologically by an accumulation of abnormal elastin and a severe loss of collagen fibers in the dermis. Quantitative and qualitative alterations in elastin and collagens are considered to be responsible for the formation of wrinkles and sagging. However, since the integrity of elastin and collagen fibers in the dermis is maintained by their interactions with hyaluronan (HA) and a proteoglycan network structure, HA degradation may be the initial process, prior to the breakdown of the fibrillary components, leading to wrinkles and sagging in photoaged skin. We have recently discovered a new HA-degrading mechanism mediated by HYBID (hyaluronan binding protein involved in hyaluronan depolymerization), alias KIAA1199/CEMIP, in human skin fibroblasts, and examined the implication of HYBID for skin photoaging. In this review, we give an overview of the characteristics of HYBID and its prospective roles in HA turnover in normal skin and excessive HA degradation in photoaged skin. In addition, we describe our data on the inhibition of HYBID activity and expression by plant extracts in skin fibroblasts; and propose novel strategies to prevent or improve photoaging symptoms, such as skin wrinkling, by inhibition of HYBID-mediated HA degradation.
Formaldehyde-1,1″-(phenylphosphinidenesulfide)bis[(2S)-2-[(1R)-1-(methylamino)-ethyl]]ferrocene-aminal
Authors: Honegger Philipp , Widhalm Michael
Published: November 2019

In the course of an ongoing synthetic project, we observed an unprecedented reactivity of N-methyl groups in bis(N,N-dimethylaminoethylferrocenyl)phenylphosphinesulfide upon treatment with manganese dioxide (MnO2). The intramolecular course of this reaction resulted in the formation of an unexpected homochiral diaza macrocycle. The target structure was accessible in two steps from known N,N-dimethylaminoethylferrocene.
Effects of Servo Tensile Test Parameters on Mechanical Properties of Medium-Mn Steel
Authors: Chi Xuemin , Han Shuo
Published: November 2019

As a new type of third-generation automotive steel with high strength and plasticity, medium-Mn steel (MMnS) has been widely used in automotive industries for its excellent properties. In recent years, servo stamping technology for high-strength metal forming is a hot topic due to its good performance in forming under complex processing conditions, and servo parameters determine the forming quality. In this paper, experiments considering tensile speed and position where speed changes (PSC) were carried out on MMnS to investigate the influences of tensile parameters on mechanical properties including strength and total elongation (TE). The results show that PSC does not significantly impact total elongation. Initial tensile speed (ITS) and final tensile speed (FTS) significantly impact the total elongation. The interaction between all tensile parameters can impact total elongation. Two artificial neural networks, back propagation neural network (BPNN) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), were used to establish analytical models. The results of supplemental experiment and residual analysis were conducted to verify the accuracy of the analytical models. The BPNN has a better performance and the analytical model shows that with the increase of PSC, it has a slight impact on the changes of optimal and minimum total elongation, but the combinations of tensile parameters to obtain total elongations higher than 40% change significantly.
Annealing of Boron-Doped Hydrogenated Crystalline Silicon Grown at Low Temperature by PECVD
Authors: Chrostowski Marta , Alvarez José , Le Donne Alessia , Binetti Simona , Roca i Cabarrocas Pere
Published: November 2019

We investigate low-temperature (<200 °C) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for the formation of p–n junctions. Compared to the standard diffusion or implantation processes, silicon growth at low temperature by PECVD ensures a lower thermal budget and a better control of the doping profile. We previously demonstrated the successful growth of boron-doped epitaxial silicon layers (p+ epi-Si) at 180 °C. In this paper, we study the activation of boron during annealing via dark conductivity measurements of p+ epi-Si layers grown on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) profiles of the samples, carried out to analyze the elemental composition of the p+ epi-Si layers, showed a high concentration of impurities. Finally, we have characterized the p+ epi-Si layers by low-temperature photoluminescence (PL). Results revealed the presence of a broad defect band around 0.9 eV. In addition, we observed an evolution of the PL spectrum of the sample annealed at 200 °C, suggesting that additional defects might appear upon annealing.
Gradient Microstructure in a Gear Steel Produced by Pressurized Gas Nitriding
Authors: Yang Ran , Wu Guilin , Zhang Xiaodan , Fu Wantang , Hansen Niels , Huang Xiaoxu
Published: November 2019

A tempered martensitic gear steel (18CrNiMo7-6) sample was nitrided on two sides using a 5 atm pressurized gas at 530 °C for five hours. The nitrided sample was characterized by means of microhardness, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A microhardness gradient was identified over a distance of 1000 µm with hardness values from 900 HV0.1 at the surface to 300 HV0.1 in the center matrix. The gradient microstructure was mainly divided into three zones: (i) a nitride compound layer at the top surface (~20 µm thick), (ii) a diffusion zone with containing precipitates (~350 µm thick), and (iii) the center matrix of the tempered martensite. Compared with carburized sample, the harder surface of the nitrided one ensures a better performance of the present pressured gas nitrided gears.
Effect of Copper Ion Concentration on Bacteria and Cells
Authors: Fowler Lee , Engqvist Håkan , Öhman-Mägi Caroline
Published: November 2019

In the oral cavity, dental implants—most often made of commercially pure titanium—come in contact with bacteria, and antibacterial management has been researched extensively to improve patient care. With antibiotic resistance becoming increasingly prevalent, this has resulted in copper being investigated as an antibacterial element in alloys. In this study, the objective was to investigate the copper ion concentrations at which cyto-toxicity is avoided while bacterial inhibition is ensured, by comparing Cu ion effects on selected eukaryotes and prokaryotes. To determine relevant copper ion concentrations, ion release rates from copper and a 10 wt. % Cu Ti-alloy were investigated. Survival studies were performed on MC3T3 cells and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria, after exposure to Cu ions concentrations ranging from 9 × 10−3 to 9 × 10−12 g/mL. Cell survival increased from <10% to >90% after 24 h of exposure, by reducing Cu concentrations from 9 × 10−5 to 9 × 10−6 g/mL. Survival of bacteria also increased in the same range of Cu concentrations. The maximum bacteria growth was found at 9 × 10−7 g/mL, probably due to stress response. In conclusion, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Cu ions for these prokaryotes and eukaryotes were found in the range from 9 × 10−5 to 9 × 10−6 g/mL. Interestingly, the Cu ion concentration correlating to the release rate of the 10 wt. % Cu alloy (9 × 10−8 g/mL) did not kill the bacteria, although this alloy has previously been found to be antibacterial. Further studies should investigate in depth the bacteria-killing mechanism of copper.
Effect of Residual Stress on S–N Curves and Fracture Morphology of Ti6Al4V Titanium Alloy after Laser Shock Peening without Protective Coating
Authors: Pan Xinlei , Li Xiang , Zhou Liucheng , Feng Xiaotai , Luo Sihai , He Weifeng
Published: November 2019

In this paper, the effect of residual stress on the stress–life (S–N) curve and fracture morphology characteristics of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy after laser shock peening (LSP) without protective coating was experimentally investigated. The fatigue test and residual stress measurement were conducted on specimens before and after the LSP process. It was shown that LSP produced a high-amplitude compressive residual stress field on the surface of the specimen. After the LSP process, the fatigue life limit was increased by 16%, and the S–N curve shifted upward. Then, based on the theory of mean stress, the mechanism whereby the compressive residual stress improves the fatigue life of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy was analyzed. It indicated the improvement in fatigue life was because of the high-amplitude compressive residual stress on the surface and in depth induced by LSP to reduce the tensile stress produced by external loading. In addition, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) pattern of fatigue fracture demonstrated distinct differences in the fracture morphology before and after LSP. After LSP, the crack initiation sites of the samples moved to the subsurface where it was difficult for fatigue cracks initiating here. Moreover, after the LSP process, there were high density of fatigue striations and many secondary cracks on the fracture of the treated specimen.
Donor-site Morbidity after Retromolar Bone Harvesting Using a Standardised Press Fit Cylinder Protocol
Authors: Streckbein Philipp , Meier Mathias , Kähling Christopher , Wilbrand Jan-Falco , Langguth Tobias , Schaaf Heidrun , Howaldt Hans-Peter , Streckbein Roland , Attia Sameh
Published: November 2019

Precise fitting and immobilisation of bone transplants at the recipient site is of utmost importance for the healing process. With the help of the standardised Osseo Transfer System, the recipient site is adjusted to the graft, rather than vice versa as it is typically done. The aim of this study was to analyse donor-site morbidity after harvesting cylindrical bone grafts from the retromolar region using the Osseo Transfer System. The patient satisfaction with the surgical procedures was also evaluated. All patients treated with this standardised reconstruction method between 2006 and 2013 at the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Giessen, were included in this study. Complications were recorded and evaluated. Bone graft success and patient satisfaction were documented with a questionnaire, and then confirmed by clinical and radiological follow-up examinations. Fifty-four patients were treated and 64 harvested cylindrical autologous bone grafts were transplanted. In all cases, dental implants could be inserted after bone healing. One patient lost an implant, associated with failure of the bone graft. Six patients who were examined continued to show neurological disorders in locally limited areas. No complete or long-term damage of the inferior alveolar nerve occurred. More than 94% (n = 52) of the patients were ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with the results and would recommend this surgical treatment to other patients. The standardised Osseo Transfer was an effective treatment option for small and mid-sized alveolar ridge augmentations. A low donor-site morbidity rate and a high transplant success rate were verified. The Osseo Transfer System demonstrated to be a reliable surgical technique without major complications. We highly recommend this surgical augmentation procedure as a surgical treatment for local bone defects.
Less Is Enough: Assessment of the Random Sampling Method for the Analysis of Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Data
Authors: Campi Cristina , Pascarella Annalisa , Pitolli Francesca
Published: November 2019

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) aims at reconstructing the unknown neuroelectric activity in the brain from non-invasive measurements of the magnetic field induced by neural sources. The solution of this ill-posed, ill-conditioned inverse problem is usually dealt with using regularization techniques that are often time-consuming, and computationally and memory storage demanding. In this paper we analyze how a slimmer procedure, random sampling, affects the estimation of the brain activity generated by both synthetic and real sources.
Concurrent Validity of the Foot Health Status Questionnaire and Study Short Form 36 for Measuring the Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Foot Problems
Authors: Palomo-López Patricia , López-López Daniel , Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo Ricardo , Losa-Iglesias Marta Elena , Rodríguez-Sanz David , Fernández-Carnero Josué , Martiniano João , Calvo-Lobo César
Published: November 2019

Background and Objectives: Foot problems may be considered to be a prevalent condition and impact the health-related quality of life (QoL). Considering these Spanish-validated tools, the Foot Health Status questionnaire (FHSQ) may provide a health-related QoL measurement for specific foot conditions and general status. To date, the domains of the FHSQ and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) have not been correlated. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to correlate the domains of the FHSQ and SF-36 in patients with foot problems. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. A sample of 101 patients with foot problems was recruited. A single researcher collected descriptive data, and outcome measurements (FHSQ and SF-36) were self-reported. Results: Spearman’s correlation coefficients (rs) were calculated and categorized as weak (rs = 0.00–0.40), moderate (rs = 0.41–0.69), or strong (rs = 0.70–1.00). In all analyses, statistical significance was considered with a p-value < 0.01 with a 99% confidence interval. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) were found between all domains of FHSQ and SF-36, except for the mental health domain of the SF-36 with foot pain, foot function, and general foot health of the FHSQ, as well as between the vitality domain of the SF-36 and the general foot health domain of the FHSQ (p > 0.01). Statistically significant correlations varied from week to strong (rs = 0.25–0.97). The strongest correlations (p < 0.001) were found for physical activity and physical function (rs = 0.94), vigor and vitality (rs = 0.89), social capacity and social function (rs = 0.97), and general health domains of the SF-36 and FHSQ. Conclusions: The FHSQ and SF-36 showed an adequate concurrent validity, especially for the physical activity or function, vigor or vitality, social capacity or function, and general health domains. Nevertheless, the mental health domain of the SF-36 should be considered with caution.
Identifying Promiscuous Compounds with Activity against Different Target Classes
Authors: Feldmann Christian , Miljković Filip , Yonchev Dimitar , Bajorath Jürgen
Published: November 2019

Compounds with multitarget activity are of high interest for polypharmacological drug discovery. Such promiscuous compounds might be active against closely related target proteins from the same family or against distantly related or unrelated targets. Compounds with activity against distinct targets are not only of interest for polypharmacology but also to better understand how small molecules might form specific interactions in different binding site environments. We have aimed to identify compounds with activity against drug targets from different classes. To these ends, a systematic analysis of public biological screening data was carried out. Care was taken to exclude compounds from further consideration that were prone to experimental artifacts and false positive activity readouts. Extensively assayed compounds were identified and found to contain molecules that were consistently inactive in all assays, active against a single target, or promiscuous. The latter included more than 1000 compounds that were active against 10 or more targets from different classes. These multiclass ligands were further analyzed and exemplary compounds were found in X-ray structures of complexes with distinct targets. Our collection of multiclass ligands should be of interest for pharmaceutical applications and further exploration of binding characteristics at the molecular level. Therefore, these highly promiscuous compounds are made publicly available.
Determination of Lactoferrin in Camel Milk by Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Using an Isotope-Labeled Winged Peptide as Internal Standard
Authors: Li Xia , Li Zengmei , Xu Enmin , Chen Ling , Feng Hua , Chen Lu , Deng Ligang , Guo Dongliang
Published: November 2019

An ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of lactoferrin in camel milk based on the signature peptide. The camel lactoferrin was purified by heparin affinity chromatography and then used to screen tryptic signature peptides. The signature peptide was selected on the basis of sequence database search and identified from the tryptic hydrolysates of purified camel lactoferrin by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The pretreatment procedures included the addition of isotope-labeled winged peptide and the disposal of lipids and caseins followed by an enzymatic digestion with trypsin. Analytes were separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH 300 C18 column and then detected on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in 7 min. The limits of detection and quantification were 3.8 mg kg−1 and 11 mg kg−1, respectively. The recoveries ranged from 74.5% to 103.6%, with relative standard deviations below 7.7%. The validated method was applied to determine the lactoferrin in ten samples collected from Xinjiang Province.
Consumption of Meat and Dairy Products Is Not Associated with the Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis among Women: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Sundström Björn , Ljung Lotta , Di Giuseppe Daniela
Published: November 2019

Diet has gained attention as a risk factor for the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially with regards to food of animal origin, such as meat and dairy products. By using data from national patient registers and dietary data from a large prospective population cohort, the Swedish Mammography Cohort, we aimed to investigate whether the consumption of meat and dairy products had any impact on the risk of subsequent development of RA. During 12 years of follow-up (January 2003–December 2014; 381, 456 person-years), 368 patients with a new diagnosis of RA were identified. No associations between the development of RA and the consumption of meat and meat products (hazard ratio [HR] for the fully adjusted model: 1.08 [95% CI: 0.77–1.53]) or the total consumption of milk and dairy products (HR for the fully adjusted model: 1.09 [95% CI: 0.76–1.55]) were observed. In conclusion, in this large prospective cohort of women, no associations were observed between dietary intake of meat and dairy products and the risk of RA development.
Dietary Patterns and Risk of Obesity and Early Childhood Caries in Australian Toddlers: Findings from an Australian Cohort Study
Authors: Bell Lucinda K. , Schammer Celeste , Devenish Gemma , Ha Diep , Thomson Murray W. , Spencer John A. , Do Loc G. , Scott Jane A. , Golley Rebecca K.
Published: November 2019

We examined associations between dietary patterns at 12 months, characterised using multiple methodologies, and risk of obesity and early childhood caries (ECC) at 24–36 months. Participants were Australian toddlers (n = 1170) from the Study of Mothers’ and Infants’ Life Events affecting oral health (SMILE) birth cohort. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and the Dietary Guideline Index for Children and Adolescents (DGI-CA) were applied to dietary intake data (1, 2 or 3-days) at 12 months, and regression analysis used to examine associations of dietary patterns with body mass index Z-score and presence of ECC at 24–36 months. Two dietary patterns were extracted using PCA: family diet and cow’s milk and discretionary combination. The mean DGI-CA score was 56 ± 13 (out of a possible 100). No statistically significant or clinically meaningful associations were found between dietary pattern or DGI-CA scores, and BMI Z-scores or ECC (n = 680). Higher cow’s milk and discretionary combination pattern scores were associated with higher energy and free sugars intakes, and higher family diet pattern scores and DGI-CA scores with lower free sugars intakes. The association between dietary patterns and intermediate outcomes of free sugars and energy intakes suggests that obesity and/or ECC may not yet have manifested, and thus longitudinal investigation beyond two years of age is warranted.
Cultural Moderation of Unconscious Hedonic Responses to Food
Authors: Sato Wataru , Rymarczyk Krystyna , Minemoto Kazusa , Wojciechowski Jakub , Hyniewska Sylwia
Published: November 2019

Previous psychological studies have shown that images of food elicit hedonic responses, either consciously or unconsciously, and that participants’ cultural experiences moderate conscious hedonic ratings of food. However, whether cultural factors moderate unconscious hedonic responses to food remains unknown. We investigated this issue in Polish and Japanese participants using the subliminal affective priming paradigm. Images of international fast food and domestic Japanese food were presented subliminally as prime stimuli. Participants rated their preferences for the subsequently presented target ideographs. Participants also rated their preferences for supraliminally presented food images. In the subliminal rating task, Polish participants showed higher preference ratings for fast food primes than for Japanese food primes, whereas Japanese participants showed comparable preference ratings across these two conditions. In the supraliminal rating task, both Polish and Japanese participants reported comparable preferences for fast and Japanese food stimuli. These results suggest that cultural experiences moderate unconscious hedonic responses to food, which may not be detected based on explicit ratings.
Design for Recycling in a Critical Raw Materials Perspective
Authors: Ferro Paolo , Bonollo Franco
Published: November 2019

The European Union (EU) identified a number of raw materials that are strategic for its economy but suffer at the same time from a high supply risk. Such critical raw materials (CRMs) are used in a wide range of commercial and governmental applications: green technology, telecommunications, space exploration, aerial imaging, aviation, medical devices, micro-electronics, transportation, defense, and other high-technology products and services. As a result, the industry, the environment, and our quality and modern way of life are reliant on the access and use of them. In this scenario, recycling may be a strategic mitigating action aimed at reducing the critical raw materials supply risks. In this work, a design strategy is proposed for alloys selection that minimizes the number of CRMs with the lowest end-of-life recycling input rate. The method is illustrated with an example.
An Invitation to Suffer: Evangelicals and Sports Ministry in the U.S.
Authors: Blazer Annie
Published: November 2019

When American evangelicals sought to use the tools of sport for religious outreach in the mid-twentieth century, they began to wonder if the essential features of sport—competition and hierarchy—conflicted with their approach to salvation. For most evangelical Christians, salvation is an option for every human and each person must make an individual decision to accept or reject the salvific power of Jesus Christ. This is a worldview that relies heavily on separating believers from non-believers, but, importantly, the means of distinction is individual choice. There is not a competitive aspect to this framework; salvation is theoretically available for all. This article traces sports ministry’s struggle over time to unite the competitive world of sport with their vision of salvation. By illuminating different approaches to the ethical challenge of uniting evangelicalism and sport, we can see that sports ministry is a field of complexity that invites believers to grapple with intense theological dilemmas without offering easy solutions. I argue that the struggle to reconcile sport and evangelical theology can be meaningful religious work. I will show that the kinds of suffering that athletic competition entails can align with the evangelical theodicy that God uses suffering to communicate with humans. It may be this feature of sport, the opportunity to experience meaningful suffering, that continues to motivate evangelicals to attempt to unite their religion with sport.
Presence and Absence: Constructions of Gender in Dasam Granth Exegesis
Authors: Rinehart Robin
Published: November 2019

Controversy has swirled round the writings attributed to Guru Gobind Singh in the Dasam Granth, for not all Sikhs agree that he composed the entire text. Disputes about the Dasam Granth and its status have addressed the fact that many of the text’s compositions are concerned with gender with respect to the nature of both divinity and humans, thus playing a key role in the ongoing construction of notions of gender in Sikhism. Female voices, however, have been largely absent from this discourse despite the presence of two key gender-related themes—the figure of the goddess/sword [bhagautī], a topic throughout the text, and the nature of women [triyā caritra], the subject of the longest composition in the Dasam Granth. Through analysis of the intersection of the presence of goddesses and women but the relative absence of female voices in Dasam Granth exegesis, this paper demonstrates that the ongoing reception of the Dasam Granth has been a site for both proclaiming idealized constructions of gender equality, but also instantiating constructions of femininity that run counter to this ideal.
Victim Localization in USAR Scenario Exploiting Multi-Layer Mapping Structure
Authors: Goian Abdulrahman , Ashour Reem , Ahmad Ubaid , Taha Tarek , Almoosa Nawaf , Seneviratne Lakmal
Published: November 2019

Urban search and rescue missions require rapid intervention to locate victims and survivors in the affected environments. To facilitate this activity, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been recently used to explore the environment and locate possible victims. In this paper, a UAV equipped with multiple complementary sensors is used to detect the presence of a human in an unknown environment. A novel human localization approach in unknown environments is proposed that merges information gathered from deep-learning-based human detection, wireless signal mapping, and thermal signature mapping to build an accurate global human location map. A next-best-view (NBV) approach with a proposed multi-objective utility function is used to iteratively evaluate the map to locate the presence of humans rapidly. Results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms other methods in several performance measures such as the number of iterations, entropy reduction, and traveled distance.
Fully Dense Multiscale Fusion Network for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: Meng Zhe , Li Lingling , Jiao Licheng , Feng Zhixi , Tang Xu , Liang Miaomiao
Published: November 2019

The convolutional neural network (CNN) can automatically extract hierarchical feature representations from raw data and has recently achieved great success in the classification of hyperspectral images (HSIs). However, most CNN based methods used in HSI classification neglect adequately utilizing the strong complementary yet correlated information from each convolutional layer and only employ the last convolutional layer features for classification. In this paper, we propose a novel fully dense multiscale fusion network (FDMFN) that takes full advantage of the hierarchical features from all the convolutional layers for HSI classification. In the proposed network, shortcut connections are introduced between any two layers in a feed-forward manner, enabling features learned by each layer to be accessed by all subsequent layers. This fully dense connectivity pattern achieves comprehensive feature reuse and enforces discriminative feature learning. In addition, various spectral-spatial features with multiple scales from all convolutional layers are fused to extract more discriminative features for HSI classification. Experimental results on three widely used hyperspectral scenes demonstrate that the proposed FDMFN can achieve better classification performance in comparison with several state-of-the-art approaches.
The Repair Strategy for Event Coverage Holes Based on Mobile Robots in Wireless Sensor and Robot Networks
Authors: Zhuang Yaoming , Wu Chengdong , Wu Hao , Chu Hao , Gao Yuan , Li Li
Published: November 2019

In the application of the wireless sensor and robot networks (WSRNs), there is an urgent need to accommodate flexible surveillance tasks in intricate surveillance scenarios. On the condition of flexible surveillance missions and demands, event coverage holes occur in the networks. The conventional network repair methods based on the geometric graph theory such as Voronoi diagram method are unable to meet the conditions of flexible surveillance tasks and severe multi-restraint scenarios. Mobile robots show obvious advantages in terms of adaptation capacity and mobility in hazardous and severe scenarios. First, we propose an event coverage hole healing model for multi-constrained scenarios. Then, we propose a joint event coverage hole repair algorithm (JECHR) on the basis of global repair and local repair to apply mobile robots to heal event coverage holes in WSRNs. Different from conventional healing methods, the proposed algorithm can heal event coverage holes efficaciously which are resulted from changing surveillance demands and scenarios. The JECHR algorithm can provide an optimal repair method, which is able to adapt different kinds of severe multi-constrained circumstances. Finally, a large number of repair simulation experiments verify the performance of the JECHR algorithm which can be adapted to a variety of intricate surveillance tasks and application scenarios.