bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Microcalcifications on Mammograms
Authors: Touami Rachida , Karima KIES  , Benamrane Nacéra
Published: March 2020

Breast cancer is a common disease of women. The number of new cases diagnosed in Algeria is increasingly high and it is the first cause of cancer related deaths for women. The microcalcifications are considered the primary sign of breast cancer. The early detection of these allows doctors to take the necessary measures for the treatment of this pathology. Medical imaging has made possible enormous progress in the field of diagnosis and provides an important contribution to the care of patients. This article proposes an approach for the segmentation and detection of microcalcifications in mammographic images based on wavelets, K- means, and the windows of Parzen, in order to detect the presence of breast cancer as early as possible and to avoid radical treatment such as the removal of the breast.
Low Temperature Magnetocaloric Materials for Cryogenic Gas Liquefaction by Magnetic Cooling Technique
Authors: Taskaev Sergey , Khovaylo Vladimir , Ulyanov Maxim , Bataev Dmitry , Danilova Ekaterina , Plakhotskiy Danil
Published: March 2020

Natural gas is rapidly gaining in geopolitical importance. Gas has grown from a marginal fuel in regionally disconnected markets to an energy source that is transported across great distances for consumption in many different economic sectors. Natural gas is the fuel of choice for consumers seeking for relatively low environmental impacts. As a result, the world’s gas consumption is projected to more than double over the next three decades, rising from 23 – 28 % of the total primary energy demand by 2030 and surpassing coal as the world's number two energy source and potentially overtaking oil's share in many large industrialized economies. This paper is devoted to a short review of materials used in the novel approach to natural gas liquefaction – magnetic cooling process.
Fusing of Silver Nanoparticles at Room Temperature Using Halide Solutions for Conductive Inks
Authors: Rezaga Bethel Faith Y. , Balela Mary Donnabelle L.
Published: March 2020

Fusing of silver (Ag) nanoparticles synthesized in an aqueous system was observed at room temperature using halide solutions. The as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles have an average diameter of about 24 nm. After dispersing the Ag nanoparticles in a halide solution, a significant increase in particle size to about 188-197 nm was observed. The enlargement of particle size was accompanied by the increase in conductivity of the Ag nanoparticle ink. The resistance was reduced from 110 kiloohms to 35 and 9.3 ohms for the as-prepared and sintered Ag nanoparticles using NaBr and NaCl solution, respectively.
Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite from Indonesian Green Mussels (Perna viridis) via Precipitation Methods
Authors: Saragih Agung Shamsuddin , Pamungkas Amin , Noviyanto Alfian
Published: March 2020

Based on the X-Ray Fluorescence test it was identified that the calcium content in green mussel shells was very high with concentration about 93.83%. The calcium is the main constituent of hydroxyapatite besides phosphorus, so the purpose of this study is to identify a very good potential for synthesized hydroxyapatite from green mussel shells, which is considered the waste of shells that cause environmental pollution. Hydroxyapatite synthesized from green mussels using precipitation method, calcium from green was reacted with phosphate obtained from phosphoric acid. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum show that the functional group in powder is a functional group of hydroxyapatites. The FTIR chart of shellfish hydroxyapatite soaked in acetone and after the precipitation process is heated again to 900°C is the most similar graph to the FTIR commercial HA graph. The results of the X-Ray Diffraction test also prove that the clam shell with this treatment has a diffraction pattern resembling standard hydroxyapatite.
The Effect of Steel Slag Coarse Aggregate on the Mechanical and Durability Performances of Concrete
Authors: Miah Md. Jihad , Miah Mohammad Shamim , Sultana Anisa , Shamim Taukir Ahmed , Alom Md Ashraful
Published: March 2020

This work performs experimental investigations on concrete made with difference replacement percentage of first-class burnt clay brick aggregate (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, and 100%) by steel slag (SS) aggregate. The aim is to evaluate the mechanical properties as well as durability performances, additionally, water absorption porosity test is performed to investigate the influence of steel slag aggregate on the durability of tested concrete. The experimental results have shown that the compressive strength was improved significantly due to the replacement of brick aggregate by steel slag aggregate. The crushing strength of concrete made with 100% steel slag aggregate has gained up to 70% more than the control concrete (100% brick aggregate). However, the porosity of concrete was reduced with the adding percentage of brick aggregate by steel slag aggregate which is consistent with the compressive strength results. Further, a quite good agreement between compressive strength and porosity was observed as well.
Enhancement of Impact Toughness in Mild Steel Weldments under Low Temperature Applications
Authors: Singh Manjinder , Singh Jasvinder , Sharma Vivek
Published: March 2020

In this research, mild steel weldments are tested by varying nickel content into the weld beads. Three mild steel plates have been joined using three electrodes with similar chemical composition except nickel content 0%, 9-11% and 19-21% respectively, by SMAW process and keeping heat input constant at all. The performance of welded specimens was evaluated by Charpy V-notch impact tests under different temperature conditions (25°C, 0°C, -20°C, -40°C, -60°C). It was found that the weldment with 0% nickel content is suffering rapid transition from ductile to brittle at-60°C, thus toughness reduces to approximately 1/5th of its value at room temperature. Microstructure revealed that at inter-dendritic regions mainly martensite was found. In dendrite core regions of the low carbon weld metals, a mixture of upper bainite, lower bainite and a novel constituent coalesced bainite formed. The fractured surface pattern was also observed using SEM, to reveal the ratio of area underwent ductile or brittle type of failure.
Solving the Laser Cutting Path Problem Using Population-Based Simulated Annealing with Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search
Authors: Hajad Makbul , Tangwarodomnukun Viboon , Dumkum Chaiya , Jaturanonda Chorkaew
Published: March 2020

This paper presents an alternative algorithm for solving the laser cutting path problem which was modeled as Generalized Traveling Salesman Problem (GTSP). The objective is to minimize the traveling distance of laser cutting of all profiles in a given layout, where a laser beam makes a single visit and then does the complete cut of individual profile in an optimum sequence. This study proposed a hybrid method combining population-based simulated annealing (SA) with an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm to solve the cutting path problem. Recombination procedures were executed alternately using swap, reversion, insertion and removal-insertion through a fitness proportionate selection mechanism. In order to reduce the computing time and maintain the solution quality, the 35% proportion of population were executed in each iteration using the cultural algorithm selection method. The results revealed that the algorithm can solve several ranges of problem size with an acceptable percentage of error compared to the best known solution.
Multi-Response Optimization of Dissimilar Al-Ti Alloy FSW Using Taguchi - Grey Relational Analysis
Authors: Patel Shival , Fuse Kishan , Gangvekar Khushboo , Badheka Vishvesh
Published: March 2020

This article presents multi-response optimization of friction stir welding of dissimilar Al 6061-Titanium alloy using Taguchi based grey relational analysis. Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array was used for designing the experiments. Process parameters considered for the experiments were rotational speed, traverse speed and tilt angle. Ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and % elongation were the responses measured which all are larger-the-better characteristics. Based on grey relational grade, optimum levels of process parameters were identified and further ANOVA analysis was carried out to find most significant process parameter.
Effect of Pressure on the Gas Atomizer to Fabricate Stainless Steel Metal Powder
Authors: Supriadi Sugeng , Susimah Tsaome Indah , Akbar Muhammad Haekal Sena , Suharno Bambang , Baskoro Ario Sunar , Dharmanto Dharmanto
Published: March 2020

Metal powder is used in the Powder Metallurgy (PM) application process. Most of the metals used in the PM are stainless steel made by the gas atomization process. This study uses the free fall gas atomizer. The material was used to produce the metal powder from various forms of stainless steel 304 raw material, which is melted in an electric induction furnace. This method is very practical to be applied in the large-scale metal processing industries. While the gas pressure variation results show that metal powder with a smaller size will be produced more using high gas pressure. The free fall gas atomizer has successfully produced stainless steel 304 metal powder with the size <40 μm and have a spherical shape. The well-rounded sphericity for 8 bar pressure, 10 bar pressure, and 12 bar pressure are 61.1%, 41.7%, and 37.5% respectively. It can be concluded that 12 bar pressure produces the smallest size range of powder about <40 µm with the most quantity about 1.11%wt, followed by 10 bar pressure about 0.41%wt and 8 bar pressure about 0.07%wt.
Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Blend Virgin and Recycled Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) in Injection Molding
Authors: Budin Salina , Hyie Koay Mei , Yussof Hamid , Ishak Aulia , Ginting Rosnani
Published: March 2020

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is one of the most widely used plastic. The application of ABS increases rapidly in industries recently. The drawback of the increasing demand of ABS is the increment of ABS waste. Huge increment in ABS waste has led to the increasing of environmental pollution. The demand in green technology and sustainability of resources has urged the need of recycling of ABS waste. However, the mechanical properties of the recycled ABS are deteriorated. Hence, this work aims to study the mechanical properties of blend virgin and recycled ABS. The first sample started with 100wt% of virgin ABS. While the second to eleventh samples was a mixing of virgin and recycled ABS at 10wt% incremental recycled ABS. The last sample was prepared using 100wt% of recycled ABS. The results show that the tensile strength of 100wt% of recycled ABS is slightly decreased as compared to 100wt% virgin ABS. Similar trend was observed on traverse rupture strength (TRS) when the TRS for 100wt% of recycled ABS is lower by 8% when compared to 100wt% of virgin ABS. The most significant change is observed on the impact strength. The impact strength for 100wt% of recycled ABS is substantially dropped by 86% as compared to 100wt% of virgin ABS.
Microstructure, Hardness, and Surface Cracks Evaluation of HVOF-Sprayed Stellite-1 Coating Applied on Steam Turbine Blade
Authors: Satya Nail Widya , Winarto Winarto
Published: March 2020

Thermal spray is often applied on steam turbine blade leading edge to increase abrasion resistance. Stellite 1 is one of the commonly used material as it is known to wear protection against abrasion, oxidation, and corrosion at elevated temperature. This paper evaluated microstructure, hardness, and surface cracks of HVOF-sprayed Stellite-1 coating applied to the steam turbine blade. Optical microscopy reveals that all cracked and no-cracked coating have similarity in the microstructure. Typical 1.89% porosity was found on the specimen. The unbonded interface between the coating and substrate was also located to about 38% in length. All samples have 4.1% different in coating hardness with an average value of 718 HV. Coating thickness has a relation with the amount of porosity produced. Analysis of variance showed that both of the thickness and the hardness of coating are influencing the coating in making the penetrant indication. The microstructure showed a less dense coating with apparent porosity and unbonded interface when compared with other HVOF experiment. Blasting with excessive pressure and or the improper angle have made an alumina deposit at and below interface which may interfere with coating adhesion. Chromium Carbide and Silicon Oxide are formed near the porosity of coating.
GC-MS Analysis of Fat-Soluble Components of Wild Russula in Fangcheng Area of Henan Province
Authors: Zhao Li Na , Wang Yi Shuo , Han Yu Hong , Bacus Sarah
Published: March 2020

Objective: To study the lipid soluble constituents of wild Russula in Fangcheng-Henan province. Methods: The lipid soluble chemical constituents of wild Russula in henan province were analyzed by GC-MS. Results: The Fatty acids was the highest content of lipid soluble components in wild Russula, 27 compounds were identified, accounting for 99.44% of the total detected components, the main compounds were (E)- 9-octadecenoic acid (44.93%), linoleic acid (28.18%), Palmitic acid (12.07%) and (E)- 12,15-octadecenoic acid (4.17%). Conclusion: The study provides experimental datas for the further development and utilization of wild Russula.
Study on the Main Characteristics of Reflective Cracking in the Asphalt Overlay on an Old Cement Pavement
Authors: Zhu Chun Fu , Cheng Pei Feng , Zhao Guang Yu
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore the forms and characteristics of reflection crack in asphalt overlay of old cement pavement, so as to provide reference for effective prevention and treatment of reflection crack.By means of ANSYS finite element software, considering the coupling effect of temperature and vehicle in different working conditions, the influence of cooling on asphalt overlay was analyzed, and the location and form of crack were discussed.The analysis results show that tensile crack and shear crack are more likely to occur near the joint of old cement pavement, and shear crack is more likely to occur in areas outside the joint, about 1/2 wheel length from the joint of cement pavement.The prevention and treatment of crack at different locations should be carried out according to different working conditions.
Experimental Study on the Shear Capacity of Rabbet Cast-in-Place Prefabricated Beam
Authors: Xiao Jian Hua , Liu Miao , Wang Jin Li , Anvah Abdulhamid Yakubu
Published: March 2020

In order to investigate the shear capacity of prefabricated beam, experiments about shear bearing were performed on one integral pouring contrast beam and two prefabrication and assembly beams. Inspecting the relationship between load and deflection under the load, the development regularity of strain between longitude reinforced and stirrup, the shear capacity of cracking load and ultimate bearing capacity, analyzing failure mode of oblique section and connection performance of old and new concrete in the groove, and compared with the mechanical properties of cast-in-place concrete beam. The experimental results indicate that: prefabrication and assembly beam and cast-in-place beams have similar shear bearing capacity and failure mode of oblique section, along with the load level continues to increase, the groove joint stiffness weakened, but has little effect on the overall deformation.
Evaluation of the Performance of the Composite Bamboo Yacht Material
Authors: Huang Xiao Dong , Zhuan Sun Hao , Huang Jun Kun , Hse Chung Yun , Shupe Todd F.
Published: March 2020

Most of the yachts are comprised of fiberglass reinforced plastics composite materials. This material is expensive and difficult to deal with (It is difficult to burn, and not easy to destroy, more cannot be recycled), the internationally known as field-fill. People accumulation and landfill disposal the old takes up a lot of land resources. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a low cost, recyclable and environmentally friendly yacht to replace the current large number of fiberglass reinforced plastics yachts. The purpose of this study was to explore the advantages of the composite bamboo yacht material as a more cost-effective, sustainable alternative. Applying the theory of the deformation of laminated beam, this study tested a prediction model of the composite bamboo yacht material's the modulus of elasticity values. The prediction model accurately calculated the end product's the modulus of elasticity values according to the single bamboo board's the modulus of elasticity values and its assembling manner, without destroying the material's basic structure and integrity. In sum, the main physical and mechanical properties of the composite bamboo yacht material are obviously beyond regular fiberglass reinforced plastics yacht material. The transverse mechanical properties were obviously enhanced by using the advantage of unidirectional alkali free glass fiber plain cloth and improving the assembly manner. Only 10% of the current market cost at time of publication, a renewable, many environmental advantages, radically has enormous market potential to replace regular fiberglass reinforced plastics yacht material.
Activated Carbon Fiber Fabrics in Filtration and Clean Water Resources
Authors: Chen Dong Sheng , Wang Yan , Zou Yin Xin
Published: March 2020

Activated carbon fiber has excellent structural characteristics and adsorption performance. It can effectively adsorb various inorganic and organic compounds and has good regeneration performance. Therefore, it is widely used in the market. To study the advantages of activated carbon fiber in purifying water resources, this research use application of activated carbon fiber material in purification and filtration of water filter, and the test of adsorption and filtration effect of different host materials are described. The main body and influencing factors of filtering effect are obtained. In this research, the viscose-based activated carbon fiber mats and acrylic-based activated carbon fabrics are the main research subjects, and other materials were added for coating composite research. Through a comparative study of the two materials, it has been found that carbon fiber has many advantages, such as is more economical, practical, convenient, low cost, and cost-effective, and is worthy of promotion in industry and daily life using.
Groundwater Isotopic and Hydrochemical Characteristics and its Significance in Sanjiao Area，Hedong Coalfield
Authors: Guo Xiao Jing , Yang Po , Guo Lin , Li Na , Tang Hui , Wu Bing Hua , Li Zi Tao , Jackson Michelle Joseph
Published: March 2020

As a high-quality non-polluting energy source, coalbed methane is widely used in power generation, automobile fuel and other fields. Moreover, the concentration of coalbed methane can be effectively reduced by exploiting and utilizing coalbed methane so as to eliminate the gas accidents fundamentally. In the coal mining area, the exploiting of coalbed methane resources are closely related to the hydrogeological conditions. This paper discusses the controlling effect of hydrogeological conditions on coalbed methane exploitation mainly from chemical characteristics, the hydraulic connection between aquifers, groundwater recharge, runoff and discharge characteristics and so on. The results showed that the water-bearing zones were recharged by precipitation. The isotopic characteristics of the coalbed water, the taiyuan limestone aquifer, the ordovician limestone aquifer showed that the groundwater were ancient which are formed earlier and the coalbed water expressed a definite drift feature of D. There had a weak hydraulic interaction between different aquifers. Mg2+, Cl-, HCO3-, TDS are the monitoring index of drainage production water. If the hydrogeological problems are frequently occurred When mining, it is necessary to analyze the hydrogeological conditions objectively and study the relationship between them to make the coalbed methane scientifically exploitation to improve efficiency and quality of coalbed methane.
Research on Numerical Simulation and Theoretical Method of Water Resources Carrying Capacity
Authors: Li Li Juan , Li Shan Yong
Published: March 2020

In this paper, 11 indexes were selected from three aspects: water resources environment, economy and society to construct the evaluation index system, and the main component analysis method was used to comprehensively evaluate the carrying capacity of water resources in Henan province for the past three years. The research results show that: 1. During the current period, the carrying capacity of water resources in Henan Province has been steadily increasing. The cities with good carrying capacity of water resources are: Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xinxiang and Nanyang; Cities with better water resources capacity include Kaifeng, Pingdingshan, Anyang, Jiaozuo and Xinyang; The remaining cities have general water resources carrying capacity;The contribution of each subsystem to the integrated carrying capacity of water resources is increasing year by year, among which the contribution of water resources environmental subsystem and economic subsystem is the largest and the contribution of social subsystem is relatively stable.The conclusion shows that the development level of Waterscape tourism industry in Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Jiaozuo and other areas is higher, while the Waterscape tourism industry in Luohe, Xuchang, Zhoukou and other areas is lower. The development level of Waterscape tourism industry in Henan Province from the view of the overall spatial pattern is higher. The water resources management and utilization level of henan is relatively high.
Three-Dimensional Spatial Simulation and Distribution Characteristics of Soil Organic Matter in Coal Mining Subsidence Area
Authors: Zhang Hui Juan , Ma Shou Chen , Liu Wen Kai , Zhang He Bing , Yuan Song He
Published: March 2020

Underground mining has caused drastic disturbances to regional ecosystems and soil nutrients. Understanding the 3D spatial distribution of soil organic matter in coal arable land is crucial for agricultural production and environmental management. However, little research has been done on the three-dimensional modeling of soil organic matter. In this study, 3D kriging interpolation method and 3D stochastic simulation method were used to develop the 3D model of soil organic matter , and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean error (ME) were used as evaluation indexes to compare the simulation accuracy of the two methods. Results showed that the spatial distribution of soil organic matter obtained by using 3D kriging interpolation method is relatively smooth, which reduce the difference of spatial data; while the spatial distribution of soil organic matter obtained by using 3D stochastic simulation method is relatively discrete and highlights the volatility of spatial distribution of raw data, the RMSE obtained by 3D kriging interpolation method and 3D stochastic simulation method respectively is 2.7711 g/kg and 1.8369 g/kg. The prediction accuracy of organic matter interpolation obtained by 3D stochastic simulation method is higher than that by 3D kriging interpolation method; so the 3D stochastic simulation method can reflect the spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic matter more realistically, and more suitable for 3D modeling of soil organic matter. According to the 3D modeling of soil organic matter, the content of soil organic matter has obvious spatial difference in different soil depth（0-20 cm、20-40 cm、40-60 cm） and decreases with the increase of soil depth; The result also showed that the content of soil organic matter decreased rapidly from the upper slope to the middle slope, and gradually increased from the middle slope to the bottom, so the soil organic matter content was obviously lost in the middle slope. This result may provide useful data for land reclamation and ecological reconstruction in coal mining subsidence area.
Mud-Sand Flow Hazard Spatial Simulation and Analysis of Tailing Dam-Break under Different Preventive Measures
Authors: Li Su Min , Yuan Li Wei , Li Xiang Xin , He Zi Fen , Xia Jian Bo
Published: March 2020

It is an important precondition and basis for the design of tailings reservoir and its safety facilities by reasonably judging and estimating the mud-sand flow hazard due to dam-break. In this paper, the mud-sand flow hazard scope, extent and spatial state after dam-broken of heightened Mawuqing tailing dam were simulated and analyzed through a flood and debris flow numerical simulation approach, and the hazard risk grade of different spatial locations of downstream Xiaoqingkou(XQK) village was obtained from the simulation. Then the spatial simulation of sand flow hazard under different preventive measures was carried out, and the variation of hazard risk grade at different spatial locations in XQK was obtained. The result of spatial simulation and analysis has shown that if the retaining wall or detention dam is set at the edge of the village, the risk hazard of the village due to dam-break can be reduced after the tailing dam is heightened. At the same time, it can be concluded that to reduce dam break hazard the above local engineering measures are more effective than an overall engineering measures to control the mud-sand flow. The spatial simulation and analysis have provided the basis to make more reasonable engineering decision and protection measures for XQK after the reconstruction of the tailing dam, and also provided the technical support for tailing dam-break accident prevention, the safety management of tailing dam and the mine production safety.
Analysis of Fractured Sections in Shale Gas Wells Based on PCA - Logistic Regression Model
Authors: Ji Lei , Li Ju Hua , Li Guan Qun , Xiao Jia Lin , Unrau Sean
Published: March 2020

In order to optimize the layout and economic exploitation of horizontal fracturing wells and completion in shale gas reservoirs, we propose a model for evaluating shale gas fractured sections based on an improved principle component analysis (PCA) algorithm with logistic regression. The 229 gas production sections in 22 fractured shale gas wells in the main block of the Fuling Shale Development Demonstration Zone were selected, and PCA is used for dimensionalite reduction. According to the PCA results, 6 key parameters are chosen to determine the productivity of fractured wells. Taking the probability distribution of high production after fracturing as the research objective, a logistic regression discriminant model was constructed using the dichotomy method. The prediction results show that the model has 82.1% accuracy and is reliable. The model can be used to classify and gas wells to be fractured, and it provides guiding significance for reasonable optimization of well sections in the area selected for fracturing.
Fumarate Upregulates Surface Expression of ULBP2/ULBP5 by Scavenging Glutathione Antioxidant Capacity
Authors: Høgh Rikke Illum , Droujinine Alec , Møller Sofie Hedlund , Jepsen Stine Dam , Mellergaard Maiken , Andresen Lars , Skov Søren
Published: March 2020

Fumarate is a tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolite whose intracellular accumulation is linked to inflammatory signaling and development of cancer. In this study, we demonstrate that endogenous fumarate accumulation upregulates surface expression of the immune stimulatory NK group 2, member D (NKG2D) ligands ULBP2 and ULBP5. In agreement with this, accumulation of fumarate by the therapeutic drug dimethyl fumarate (DMF) also promotes ULBP2/5 surface expression. Mechanistically, we found that the increased ULBP2/5 expression was dependent on oxidative stress and the antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and glutathione (GSH) abrogated ULBP2/5 upregulated by DMF. Fumarate can complex with GSH and thereby exhaust cells of functional GSH capacity. In line with this, inhibition of GSH reductase (GR), the enzyme responsible for GSH recycling, promoted ULBP2/5 surface expression. Loss of the tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme fumarate hydratase (FH) associates with a malignant form of renal cancer characterized by fumarate accumulation and increased production of reactive oxygen species, highlighting fumarate as an oncometabolite. Interestingly, FH-deficient renal cancer cells had low surface expression of ULBP2/5 and were unresponsive to DMF treatment, suggesting that the fumarate-stimulating ULBP2/5 pathway is abrogated in these cells as an immune-evasive strategy. Together, our data show that ULBP2/5 expression can be upregulated by accumulation of fumarate, likely by depleting cells of GSH antioxidant capacity. Given that DMF is an approved human therapeutic drug, our findings support a broader use of DMF in treatment of cancers and inflammatory conditions.
A New Humanized Mouse Model Mimics Humans in Lacking α-Gal Epitopes and Secreting Anti-Gal Antibodies
Authors: Saleh Fayez M. , Chandra Partha K. , Lin Dong , Robinson James E. , Izadpanah Reza , Mondal Debasis , Bollensdorff Christian , Alt Eckhard U. , Zhu Quan , Marasco Wayne A. , Braun Stephen E. , Abdel-Motal Ussama M.
Published: March 2020

Mice have been used as accepted tools for investigating complex human diseases and new drug therapies because of their shared genetics and anatomical characteristics with humans. However, the tissues in mice are different from humans in that human cells have a natural mutation in the α1,3 galactosyltransferase (α1,3GT) gene and lack α-Gal epitopes on glycosylated proteins, whereas mice and other nonprimate mammals express this epitope. The lack of α-Gal epitopes in humans results in the loss of immune tolerance to this epitope and production of abundant natural anti-Gal Abs. These natural anti-Gal Abs can be used as an adjuvant to enhance processing of vaccine epitopes to APCs. However, wild-type mice and all existing humanized mouse models cannot be used to test the efficacy of vaccines expressing α-Gal epitopes because they express α-Gal epitopes and lack anti-Gal Abs. Therefore, in an effort to bridge the gap between the mouse models and humans, we developed a new humanized mouse model that mimics humans in that it lacks α-Gal epitopes and secretes human anti-Gal Abs. The new humanized mouse model (Hu-NSG/α-Galnull) is designed to be used for preclinical evaluations of viral and tumor vaccines based on α-Gal epitopes, human-specific immune responses, xenotransplantation studies, and in vivo biomaterials evaluation. To our knowledge, our new Hu-NSG/α-Galnull is the first available humanized mouse model with such features.
The graduate of applied science
Authors: Dandy Sharon
Published: March 2020

No abstract available.
Artificial increase of dead space for the improvement of post-operative ventilation: A review
Authors: Van der Vijver Arnold E.D
Published: March 2020

No abstract available.
On X-linked hypophosphatemia at the European society of pediatric endocrinology meeting, Vienna, Austria; september 19–21, 2019
Authors: Alsaffar Hussain , Senniappan Senthil , Linglart Agnès
Published: March 2020

X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is the most common form of inherited hypophosphatemic rickets. Phosphate wasting results in weak, soft and deformed bones, impaired growth, and affected mobility. It is mainly caused by a loss of function mutation in PHEX gene that leads to elevated fibroblast growth factor-23 which mediates the phosphate wasting. During the 58th annual meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) held in Vienna between September 19, 2019 and 21, 2019, nearly 100 free communications and a dedicated symposium focused on XLH. The authors attended the conference and wished to share its highlights pertaining to XLH and burosumab therapy to extend the benefit to other professionals who did not attend.
Book Reports
Authors: Malcolm Harper Malcolm Harper
Published: March 2020

Microfinance institutions are today reaching hundreds of millions of clients throughout the global
South, but the special needs of Muslim borrowers
and savers, who wish to avoid any form of fixed interest, are badly served. The purpose of Islamic Microfinance is to introduce readers to the tenets of
Islam and how they are applied to microfinance. It
questions why, when mainstream Islamic finance is
growing rapidly, are efforts to reach poor Muslim
customers so far behind? Can Islamic microfinance
as it grows maintain its original spirit of fairness,
transparency and sharing, principles that seem to
have been almost forgotten in the world of conventional microfinance?
Institutions as Signals: How Dictators Consolidate Power in Times of Crisis
Authors: Timoneda Joan C.
Published: March 2020

Formal institutions in dictatorship are known to improve authoritarian governance and promote power-sharing. Yet institutions also act as tools of information propagation and can be used by autocrats for signaling purposes. In this article, I argue that in times of weakness, dictators
follow an expand-and-signal strategy, expanding the ruling coalition to decrease the relative power of coup plotters and then create visible formal institutions to signal strong support. Doing so decreases (1) the probability that a coup is launched and (2) that one succeeds if staged. I propose
a formal model to unpack the mechanisms of my argument and use the case of the Dominican Republic during Rafael Trujillo's rule to illustrate my theory.
1.5 years of TROPOMI CO measurements: Comparisons to MOPITT and ATom
Authors: Martínez-Alonso Sara , Deeter Merritt , Worden Helen , Borsdorff Tobias , Aben Ilse , Commane Róisin , Daube Bruce , Francis Gene , George Maya , Landgraf Jochen , Mao Debbie , McKain Kathryn , Wofsy Steven
Published: March 2020

Abstract. We have analyzed TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) carbon monoxide (CO) data acquired between November 2017 and March 2019 with respect to other satellite (MOPITT, Measurement Of Pollution In The Troposphere) and airborne (ATom, Atmospheric Tomography mission) datasets to understand better TROPOMI’s contribution to the global tropospheric CO record (2000 to present). TROPOMI and MOPITT are currently the only satellite instruments deriving CO from solar reflected radiances. Therefore, it is particularly important to understand how these two datasets compare. Our results indicate that TROPOMI CO retrievals over land show excellent agreement with respect to MOPITT: relative biases and their standard deviation (i.e., accuracy and precision) are on average −3.73 ± 11.51, −2.24 ± 12.38, and −3.22 ± 11.13 %, compared to the MOPITT TIR (thermal infrared), NIR (near infrared), and TIR+NIR (multispectral) products, respectively. TROPOMI and MOPITT data also show good agreement in terms of temporal and spatial patterns. Despite depending on solar reflected radiances for its measurements, TROPOMI can also retrieve CO over bodies of water if clouds are present, by approximating partial columns under cloud tops using scaled, model-based reference CO profiles. We quantify the bias of TROPOMI total column retrievals over bodies of water with respect to colocated in situ ATom CO profiles after smoothing the latter with the TROPOMI column averaging kernels (AK), which account for signal attenuation under clouds (relative bias and its standard deviation = 3.25 ± 11.46 %). In addition, we quantify enull (the null-space error), which accounts for differences between the shape of the TROPOMI reference profile and that of the ATom true profile (enull = 2.16 ± 2.23 %). For comparisons of TROPOMI and MOPITT retrievals over open water, we adopt a simpler approach, since smoothing with TROPOMI AK does not apply for MOPITT retrievals. To this effect, we compare TROPOMI total CO columns (above and below cloud tops) and partial CO columns (above cloud top) to their colocated MOPITT TIR counterparts. (This approximation would be most accurate for optically thick clouds.) We find very small changes in relative bias between TROPOMI and MOPITT TIR retrievals if total columns are considered instead of partial above-cloud-top columns (
Radar-derived precipitation climatology for wind turbine blade leading edge erosion
Authors: Letson Frederick , Barthelmie Rebecca J. , Pryor Sara C.
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Wind turbine blade leading edge erosion (LEE) is a potentially significant source of revenue loss for wind farm operators. Thus, it is important to advance understanding of the underlying causes, to generate geospatial estimates of erosion potential to provide guidance in pre-deployment planning, and ultimately to advance methods to mitigate this effect and extend blade lifetimes. This study focuses on the second issue and presents a novel approach to characterizing the erosion potential across the contiguous USA based solely on publicly available data products from the
National Weather Service dual-polarization radar. The approach is described
in detail and illustrated using six locations distributed across parts of
the USA that have substantial wind turbine deployments. Results from these
locations demonstrate the high spatial variability in precipitation-induced
erosion potential, illustrate the importance of low-probability high-impact
events to cumulative annual total kinetic energy transfer and emphasize the
importance of hail as a damage vector.
Tech power: a critical approach to digital corporations
Authors: Jiménez González Aitor
Published: March 2020

This article explores different bodies of literature looking at the rising power of digital corporations. With this work I aim to provide a critical up-to-date approach to the topic. The first part of the paper introduces the phenomenon of digital capitalism, navigating different sociological approaches. Then, it proceeds by addressing the difficulties of naming the phenomenon and the attention that is gathering among politicians, academics and the general public. The second part of the work explores three different but complementary bodies of literature looking at tech power In the first place the paper explores critical management studies’ contributions describing the characteristics of digital corporations. Secondly, the text reflects critical legal scholars’ works analysing what has been identified as one of the essential features of digital capitalism: the infrastructural power enjoyed by corporations such as Facebook or Amazon. Finally the paper exposes two different Marxist perspectives looking at digital capitalism and its latest developments. The labour-focused Marxist contribution mainly represented by Christian Fuchs and Trebor Scholz and the postfordist approach of Maurizio Lazzarato or Matteo Pasquinelli, among others.
Needs Analysis to Develop Effective Vocabulary Instruction for Saudi EFL Context
Authors: Almuhammadi Anas
Published: March 2020

Teaching vocabulary to EFL learners is thought to be an integral part which involves not only the meaning and closer definition of the words, but also the correct use in the right contexts. Considering the need of the vocabulary, EFL in Saudi Arabia has largely focused on vocabulary teaching setting various standards for different academic levels of the students. The present study aims to investigate the techniques employed by the EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia to teach vocabulary and the factors that affect the process. Qualitative research was adopted by employing semi-structured interviews from 10 randomly selected EFL teachers working in a university in Saudi Arabia. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The data generated four major themes including aspects of vocabulary development, decontextualizing techniques, semi-contextualizing techniques and fully contextualizing techniques. The findings show that EFL teachers are aware of various techniques to teach vocabulary; however, they fail to implement those techniques in EFL classes for various reasons which include workload, test-driven curriculum, busy schedules and so forth. The study found that EFL teachers do not encourage the contextualizing technique in the class; besides, the EFL learners rely heavily on traditional dictionaries, flashcards and rote-learn and memorize the word lists. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the EFL teachers need to reassess their techniques presently used by them in order to help the EFL learners improve their vocabulary in context.
The impacts of competitive interactions on coral colonies after transplantation: a multispecies experiment from the Florida Keys, US
Authors: Lustic Caitlin , Maxwell Kerry , Bartels Erich , Reckenbeil Brian , Utset Emily , Schopmeyer Stephanie , Zink Ian , Lirman Diego
Published: March 2020

Reef restoration programs in Florida, US, focused initially on Acropora, but there is now a need to include other species that have also experienced declines. An outplanting experiment using Acropora cervicornis, Montastraea cavernosa, and Orbicella faveolata
was conducted to compare performance among species and evaluate the impacts of contact interactions with macroalgae and the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum. Montastraea cavernosa and O. faveolata showed high survivorship (78% and 92%, respectively) over 18 mo. However, surviving
colonies had limited growth and lost tissue due to factors like predation and disease. In contrast, A. cervicornis showed exponential growth. Colonies in contact with macroalgae showed the lowest survivorship. Removing macroalgae provided no long-term benefits in growth and a slight
improvement in colony survivorship. Acropora cervicornis in contact with Palythoa grew 45% less than controls. Our study showed that: (1) coral taxa with massive morphologies (40–130 cm2) can be transplanted with low colony mortality but that their slow growth
is not enough to balance partial tissue mortality caused by multiple chronic stressors; (2) removal of macroalgae at the time of outplanting improves colony survivorship; (3) periodic removal of macroalgae does not enhance growth; and (4) contact with Palythoa should be avoided. The
impacts of contact competition were variable among species with different colony morphologies, with A. cervicornis showing the highest susceptibility to competition from algae and Palythoa. While restoration can rapidly increase coral abundance, long-term success will require
a multifaceted approach to reduce the impacts of chronic reef stressors on wild and outplanted corals alike.
MIGRACIONES E IDENTIDAD. UNA APROXIMACIÓN DESDE LA TEORÍA DE LA IDENTIDAD COLECTIVA Y DESDE LA TEORÍA DEL SUJETO
Authors: Álvarez-Benavides Antonio
Published: March 2020

La globalización ha producido dos grandes fenómenos relacionados con la identidad. Por un lado, procesos de homogeneización social por la extensión de un modelo económico y cultural particular, por otro, la plurificación de las formas de ser por la multiplicación de la información. Este doble proceso, que es complementario, tiene un impacto singular en y debido a las migraciones transnacionales. Si en el pasado inmigrar suponía incorporarse a una nueva sociedad y apartarse de distintas maneras y con distintos niveles a las realidades culturales de esa sociedad, en el contexto global este proceso es mucho más complejo. En este texto, se intentará responder a estos procesos de adaptación, (re)construcción y (re)formulación de la identidad (cultural, religiosa y étnica) de los migrantes cuando se instalan en una nueva sociedad a través de dos grandes paradigmas teóricos: la teoría de la reproducción y la transmisión de la identidad colectiva (basado en un modelo fenomenológico-genético) de Alfonso Pérez-Agote; y la teoría del sujeto de Alain Touraine y de los procesos de subjetivación de Michel Wieviorka.
On the Fiscal Policy in Malaysia: An Econometrical Analysis Between the Revenue – and Expenditure
Authors: Mele Marco , Quarto Angelo , Abbafati Cristiana
Published: March 2020

This study aims to assess the relationship between government spending and government revenue in Malaysia. The study of the causal relationship between revenue and public expenditure has important implications for the choices of fiscal policies in the field of public finances. So, this study uses annual data for the period between 1985 - 2016 with Zivot and Andrews (1992) methods and Granger causality tests. Our results sustain the spend-and-tax hypothesis highlights how the increase in tax pressure is the wrong method to contain budget deficits. In fact, in addition to reducing the disposable income of households, a tax policy of this type would reduce savings. Therefore, also the investment. All this would hurt Malaysia’s economic growth.
Corporate Governance, Firm Performance and Capital Structure: Evidence From Indonesia
Authors: Chabachib M. , Irawan Bahrain Pasha , Hersugondo H. , Hidayat Riskin , Pamungkas Imang Dapit
Published: March 2020

This study aims to examine the good corporate governance which is proxied with managerial ownership, the proportion of independent board of commissioners, the size of the board of directors and institutional ownership of corporate performance through capital structure. The sample is a non-financial corporation listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2018 and obtained the number of samples as many as 120. The analysis tool uses a path analysis. The results show that managerial ownership, the proportion of board of commissioners, and the size of the board of directors have a significant positive effect on the company performance. Meanwhile, an institutional ownership has a significant negative effect on the company performance. The result also finds that capital structure can mediate the effect of managerial ownership, the proportion of independent board of commissioners and the size of the board of directors on the company performance company. However, it cannot mediate the influence of institutional ownership on the company performance.
Description of the Determination Processes for the Typical Research and Development Intensity Normative Indicators
Authors: Novikov Sergey , Sazonov Andrey
Published: March 2020

The article is devoted to description of the determination processes for the typical research and development (R&D) intensity normative indicators. In the theoretical part, the authors consider the standards system formation and labor costs norms for R&D. The main composit element (CE) hierarchy of the R&D technology is given. The scheme of the development algorithm for the R&D labor costs standards is drawn. The labor costs norming technique for research works is considered. The procedure for determining the labor costs normative volume for a standardized object is determined. In the research part, the article’s authors examined the automated system components used to determine labor intensity forecast indicators in the product life cycle information support. The process of determining the normative labor costs volume based on eight consecutive stages is presented. The database composition necessary for the product life cycle information support is described. Modules for projects’ planning and monitoring in the automated system framework are considered structurally. The modules’ composition used for the analysis of production systems and forecasting production economic indicators is determined. The regulatory requirements for the production’s modules for technological support and technical regulation are given as part of the automated system work for determining labor intensity forecast indicators in the product life cycle information support. The article concludes with an algorithm for estimating the R&D work clusters’ cost and the aircraft’s distributed systems creation and development.