bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacto de los tratados de libre comercio (TLC) en la estructura productiva de Colombia : análisis a partir del modelo insumo-producto.
Authors: Suescun-Barón Carlos Alberto , Silva-Granada Laura Jessenia
Published: March 2019

Los Tratados de Libre Comercio (TLC) pueden ser entendidos como estructuras institucionales paralelas que afectan las reglas del comercio internacional, protección de la propiedad intelectual, y la inversión. Este artículo analiza los impactos en la estructura productiva domestica generada por una profundización de la apertura economica, con particular enfasis en los tratados de libre comercio suscritos por la Republica de Colombia con Estados Unidos de America y la Unión Europea. Esta investigación cuantifica los efectos directos e indirectos en los principales sectores economicos de Colombia, como resultados del choque generado por los TLCs, a partir de un modelo insumo-producto. Los resultados indican impactos negativos en el sector manufacturero principalmente debido al incremento en las importaciones de bienes intermedios.
PERBANDINGAN MEMANDIKAN TRADISIONAL DENGAN DISPOSABLE BED BATHS DI RUANG INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)
Authors: Yusuf Muhammad , Syam Yuliana , Irwan Andi Masyita
Published: March 2019

Introduction: Approximately 1.75 to 3.5 million patients in the hospital get nosocomial infection each year. Patients in ICU that mechanically installed ventilators is unable to meet the needs of self-care, bathing. Bathing with Disposable bed baths (DBB) method using disposable bath wash lap can reduce the time in bathing and eliminating the use of bath basin that proved as a reservoir for bacteria and can transmit infection in hospital. This study aims to compare the duration, cost and differences in the number of microorganisms between traditional bathing and using Disposable Bed Baths. Method: The literature search used four databases: Pubmed, ProQuest, Science Direct, and Google Scholar by including traditional bathing keywords, Disposable bed baths, with year-end published in 2011 to 2017. This study obtained 34 articles with exclusions 22 articles. Result: Articles that are relevant to the topic are 12 (2 systematic review, 1 descriptive study, 5 randomized controlled trials, 4 case study). Setting of patient research in ICU and having elderly patient. Some research finds that both bathing methods can reduce the number of microorganisms in the skin, traditional bathing can cause dry skin. In terms of cost and bathing duration, bathing methods with disposable bed baths better than traditional bathing methods. Conclusions: There is little research on the comparison of traditional bathing and disposable bed baths in relation to cost, duration and number of microorganisms, especially patients treated in the ICU.

 Key words : traditional bathing, disposable bed baths, ICU
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI STRES AKADEMIK MAHASISWA KEPERAWATAN
Authors: Hatmanti Nety Mawarda , Septianingrum Yurike
Published: March 2019

Tingkat stress yang dialami oleh remaja cenderung tinggi dan bias menimbulkan dampak negative. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui factor-faktor yang mempengaruhi stress akademik mahasiswa keperawatan. Desain dalam penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif analitik dengan pendekatan Cross Sectional. Populasi penelitian ini adalah 595 mahasiswa Prodi s1 Keperawatan di semester 1, 3, 5 dan 7. Pengambilan sampel menggunakan tehnik Cluster Sampling sehingga didapatkan jumlah sampel = 240 mahasiswa dari 4 tingkat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar mahasiswa berada dalam kategori tingkat stress berat(62%). Uji menggunakan Pearson Chi Square didapatkan hasil bahwa pertumbuhan fisik tidak berhubungan dengan tingkat stres (p-value = 0,702) dan manajemen waktu tidak berhubungan dengan tingkat stres (p-value = 0,947). Stres akademik sebaiknya tetap diantisipasi dan dikelola dengan baik, sehingga mahasiswa yang mengalami stress akademik dapat memberikan pengaruh yang positif (adaptif). Pertumbuhan fisik yang baik dan manajemen waktu yang baik akan membantu mahasiswa untuk lebih terarah dalam menjalani perkuliahan sehingga bisa mendukung mahasiswa untuk bersikap adaptif.

Kata Kunci :mahasiswa, stress akademik, pertumbuhan fisik, manajemen waktu
SYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF STUDENTS BEFORE AND AFTER TRANSLATITUDE TRAVELS
Authors: Filatov M A , Ilyashenko L K , Makeeva S V
Published: March 2019

The use of instrumental and non-invasive methods using a computer provides an opportunity to assess the state of the complex of psychophysiological functions and identify the most significant parameters in various environmental conditions. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of two approaches: traditional statistical methods and artificial neural networks (ANN) based on a supercomputer in the study of the influence of translatitude relocation on psychophysiological functions. Methods: In total, 146 students, permamnent residents of Surgut from the 1st through the 7th grades were examined before and after travels from the north to the south of the Russian Federation and back. The state of the psychophysiological functions of students was recorded by using a patented software. The ANN was used to establish the differences in the state of psychophysiological parameters between the groups of boys and girls before from the north to the south (Tuapse) and after arriving back to Surgut. After multiple repetitions (p→∞) of this procedure, for each Pi after the j-th repetition, we obtained the total number of chaotic generation of values of weight coefficient wif processed in the framework of traditional stochastic (the distribution functions f(x) were determined). Moreover, these analyses were repeated in the sets р1 = 50, р2 = 100, р3 = 1 000. Results: We found that the dynamics of parameters of psychophysiological functions of characterizing the concentration and memory states, increased sharply and significantly in changes of the variation coefficients (Δwi) with a large number of neural network iterations in the binary classification mode. Conclusion: ANN in the mode of multiple iterations (P. ≥ 1 000) can provide a solution to the problem of system synthesis - identification of the most significant diagnostic features in the work of psychophysiological functions before and after short term north-south travels.
REGIONAL ASPECTS OF MORTALITY IN THE REPUBLIC OF SAKHA (YAKUTIA)
Authors: Klimova T M , Kuzmina A A , Malogulova I Sh
Published: March 2019

The purpose of the study was to analyze geographic variations in mortality in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and factors associated with mortality. Methods. Mortality data were obtained from the republican statistical service. Secular trends were studied by the least squares method. Direct standardization was applied to eliminate heterogeneity in the age structure of the population of the municipalities of the republic. The division of territories into cluster with different levels of total mortality was performed using hierarchical clusteranalysis. Results. Significant geographic variations in mortality levels were observed both before and after standardization. The cluster with high mortality rate differed from the others in mortality from neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases and causes of death caused by alcohol. At the same time, there were no significant differences between cluster by gender, ecologic and socio-economic indicator. Sufficient capacity of outpatient and polyclinic organizations, provision of personnel and beds in the republic was observed. Negative collation between the number of persons with a high educational level and total mortality (г = -0.544, P. = 0.001), mortality from cardiovascular diseases (г = -0.755, P. < 0.001), external causes (г = -0.465, P. = 0.045), traffic injuries (г = -0.480, P. = 0.038), from causes by alcohol (г = -0.518, P. = 0.023) were found. In the least favorable cluster the number of people with high education was significantly lower than in the other two. Conclusions. We found significant variations in mortality across the 35 settings in the republic. Activities directed at health promotion and health protection corresponding to realities of contemporary society should be developed with the further going aim to reduce mortality in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic.
ЕTHNIC PECULIARITIES OF FAT MASS DISTRIBUTION AMONG WOMEN IN THE KHAKASSIA REPUBLIC
Authors: Gladkaya V S , Gritsinskaya V L
Published: March 2019

The aim - to identify ethnic peculiaritie of age-related adipose tissue distribution among women in the Khakassia Republic. Methods. We examined 1 384 women aged 16-20 years and 21-35 both Asian and Caucasian. Body height, weight, chest- and buttocks circumferences we measures. In addition eight site skin-fold measurements were taken. Body mass index and components of body composition were calculated. Results. Body weight, body mass index, chest and buttocks circumferences were greater among Caucasian women compared to Asians. The absolute amount of adipose tissue in Caucasians exceeded correspondent values for Asians. Both absolute and relative fat mass increased with age in both groups. Skinfold thickness was greater in higher hip and lower leg compared to other sites in the younger age-group of Caucasian women. In the older Caucasian age-group skinfold thickness was greater on on the upper and lower extremities compared to other sites. To the contrary, skinfold thickness was greater on the body in Asian women. Conclusion. Ethnic peculiarities of the distribution of adipose tissue in Caucasian and Asian women should be taken into account using personalised approach to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the metabolic syndrome among residents of Khakassia Republic.
Old and New Spaces: Imagining Exclusion and Inclusion in Austin Clarke’s “Four Stations in His Circle” and Shani Mootoo’s “Out on Main Street”
Authors: Radu Anca-Raluca
Published: March 2019

This essay deals with the fictional creation of such geographies of exclusion and inclusion in two selected short stories by Canadian authors that were written roughly thirty years apart and focus on diasporic identities in radically different ways: Austin Clarke, “Four Stations in His Circle” (1965; 1971 When He Was Free and Young and He Used to Wear Silks) on the one hand, and Shani Mootoo, “Out on Main Street” (1993), on the other. My aim is to investigate the ways in which urban space is used in the stories as a strategy for including or excluding otherness, by paying special attention to fictional representations of space and to configurations of human relationships within space. I would like to suggest, firstly, that the two stories illustrate that there is a significant shift in focus in novels and short stories about the Canadian city, from a multiculturalist to a new, globalized ethnic diversity, and that this change is conditioned by demographic changes in urban environments and the advancement of globalization; and, secondly, I maintain that characters configure their relationships of inclusion and exclusion to the city in terms of consuming its space. In addition to concentrating on notions of literary representation of space and identity typical of literature as a medium, the following analysis also pays attention to the generation of urban space. It is informed by a vocabulary and methodology borrowed from cultural studies, namely from Stuart Hall’s work on identity as difference, and from anthropology, in particular from Akhil Gupta and James Ferguson’s 1992 essay, “Beyond Culture.” After an individual analysis illustrating the arguments formulated in this introduction, the final part of the paper, using Hall’s and Gupta and Ferguson’s texts, places the stories in a theoretical and comparative perspective in order to outline the fundamental conceptual differences on which they rely.
Embodying the Global Metropolis: Tessa McWatt's This Body and Out of My Skin
Authors: Rosenthal Caroline
Published: March 2019

This essay looks at two novels by Tessa McWatt, at her first novel Out of My Skin (1998), set in Montreal, and at one of her later novels This Body (2004), set in London, Toronto, and Guiana. Both novels address issues of origin and belonging, of nationhood, and of the global metropolis, and in both novels the female protagonists change urban space in practices which bring the knowledge, habits, and stories of other places into the city. As the novels' titles already indicate, these practices have a distinctly corporeal component to them as McWatt’s protagonists experience their losses and migratory displacements through their bodies and try to inscribe their difference into the space of the city. Daphne in Out of My Skin and Victoria in This Body counteract their feelings of disembodiment and displacement in embodied practices. This essay focuses on walking and cooking as two quotidian practices which physically engage us in understanding the world and which defy the Western body/mind split.
Signal Disruption Leads to Changes in Bacterial Community Population
Authors: Schwab Michael , Bergonzi Celine , Sakkos Jonathan , Staley Christopher , Zhang Qian , Sadowsky Michael J. , Aksan Alptekin , Elias Mikael
Published: March 2019

The disruption of bacterial signaling (quorum quenching) has been proven to be an innovative approach to influence the behavior of bacteria. In particular, lactonase enzymes that are capable of hydrolyzing the N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules used by numerous bacteria, were reported to inhibit biofilm formation, including those of freshwater microbial communities. However, insights and tools are currently lacking to characterize, understand and explain the effects of signal disruption on complex microbial communities. Here, we produced silica capsules containing an engineered lactonase that exhibits quorum quenching activity. Capsules were used to design a filtration cartridge to selectively degrade AHLs from a recirculating bioreactor. The growth of a complex microbial community in the bioreactor, in the presence or absence of lactonase, was monitored over a 3-week period. Dynamic population analysis revealed that signal disruption using a quorum quenching lactonase can effectively reduce biofilm formation in the recirculating bioreactor system and that biofilm inhibition is concomitant to drastic changes in the composition, diversity and abundance of soil bacterial communities within these biofilms. Effects of the quorum quenching lactonase on the suspension community also affected the microbial composition, suggesting that effects of signal disruption are not limited to biofilm populations. This unexpected finding is evidence for the importance of signaling in the competition between bacteria within communities. This study provides foundational tools and data for the investigation of the importance of AHL-based signaling in the context of complex microbial communities.
Axial Ratio and Gain Enhancement of a Circular-Ring Slot Antenna Using a Pair of Asymmetrical Rectangular Slots and a Parasitic Patch for a Radio Beacon on a Nanosatellite
Authors: Sitompul Peberlin Parulian , Sri Sumantyo Josaphat Tetuko , Kurniawan Farohaji , Nasucha Mohammad
Published: March 2019

Radio beacons enable measurements of ionospheric radio scintillations and total electron content (TEC). These beacons transmit unmodulated, phase-coherent waves in S-band frequencies. Many satellite applications require circularly polarized (CP) wideband antennas. Their compact size, lightweight, and simple fabrication method make CP antennas suitable for small satellite systems. The slot antenna has wideband impedance, but the 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) is narrower compared to the impedance bandwidth (IBW). In this paper, a circularly polarized circular-slotted antenna (CSA) is proposed to enhance the ARBW and the antenna gain. A pair of asymmetrical rectangular slots, a simple 50 Ω feedline and a parasitic patch were introduced to a CSA to enhance the 3 dB ARBW and the antenna gain. Rectangular slots were inserted on the diagonal axis of the CSA, the feedline was shifted to the left side of the x-axis, and a parasitic patch was attached to the circular slot. The lengths of the rectangular slots correspond to the resonant frequency, and the parasitic patch width corresponds to the higher frequency of the 3 dB ARBW. The asymmetrical rectangular slots, the shifted feedline, and the parasitic patch successfully improved the measured 3 dB ARBW of the antenna by 787.5 MHz or 35.79%. The measured gain of a CSA with left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) was also improved by shifting the feedline and the rectangular slot, achieving a peak gain of 5 dBic.
Biofertilizer Production for Agronomic Application and Evaluation of Its Symbiotic Effectiveness in Soybeans
Authors: Htwe Aung Zaw , Moh Seinn Moh , Moe Kyi , Yamakawa Takeo
Published: March 2019

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Bradyrhizobium japonicum SAY3-7, Bradyrhizobium elkanii BLY3-8, and Streptomyces griseoflavus P4 on the symbiotic effectiveness of soybeans before biofertilizer production, to produce biofertilizer containing the studied three strains (SAY3-7, BLY3-8, and P4), to test the effectiveness of the biofertilizer on soybean varieties, and to assess the varietal effects and interaction effects between variety and biofertilizer on plant growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient absorption, and seed yield. Nitrogen fixation was measured using the acetylene reduction assay and ureide methods. Contents of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) were also measured to calculate their uptakes. In this study, synergistic effects of nitrogen fixation were induced by combined inoculation with SAY3-7, BLY3-8 and P4 in all tested soybean varieties. Therefore, we assumed that an effective biofertilizer could be produced using these effective bacteria (SAY3-7, BLY3-8, and P4). After making biofertilizer using these effective bacteria, packages were stored at 30 °C. The populations of the bacteria in the biofertilizer were maintained at a density of 1 × 108 colony forming units (cfu) g−1 for P4 and 7 × 109 cells g−1 for Bradyrhizobium. Diluting biofertilizer by 10−3 proved more effective for nodulation and nitrogen fixation than other dilution treatments. Moreover, this biofertilizer significantly promoted plant growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptakes, and seed yield in Yezin-3 and Yezin-6 soybean varieties. Yezin-6 is a more efficient variety than Yezin-3 for improved plant growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, nutrient absorption, and seed yield. Taken together, the application of an effective biofertilizer and the use of an efficient soybean variety can play important roles in promoting plant growth, nodulation, nitrogen fixation, and higher seed yield.
Antioxidant Activities, Phenolic Profiles, and Organic Acid Contents of Fruit Vinegars
Authors: Liu Qing , Tang Guo-Yi , Zhao Cai-Ning , Gan Ren-You , Li Hua-Bin
Published: March 2019

Fruit vinegars are popular condiments worldwide. Antioxidants and organic acids are two important components of the flavors and health benefits of fruit vinegars. This study aimed to test the antioxidant activities, phenolic profiles, and organic acid contents of 23 fruit vinegars. The results found that the 23 fruit vinegars varied in ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP, 0.15–23.52 μmol Fe(II)/mL), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC, 0.03–7.30 μmol Trolox/mL), total phenolic content (TPC, 29.64–3216.60 mg gallic acid equivalent/L), and total flavonoid content (TFC, 2.22–753.19 mg quercetin equivalent/L) values. Among the 23 fruit vinegars, the highest antioxidant activities were found in balsamic vinegar from Modena (Galletti), Aceto Balsamico di Modena (Monari Federzoni), red wine vinegar (Kühne), and red wine vinegar (Galletti). In addition, polyphenols and organic acids might be responsible for the antioxidant activities of fruit vinegars. The most widely detected phenolic compounds in fruit vinegars were gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and p-coumaric acid, with tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, and succinic acid the most widely distributed organic acids. Overall, fruit vinegars are rich in polyphenols and organic acids and can be a good dietary source of antioxidants.
Vibro-Acoustic Characterization of a Composite Structure Featuring an Innovative Phenolic Foam Core
Authors: Fortini Massimo , Granzotto Nicola , Piana Edoardo Alessio
Published: March 2019

Composite panels are being increasingly used in many applications because they can combine several interesting properties, such as high load-bearing capacity, low weight, and excellent thermal insulation. Different core materials can be used for composite sandwich panels, like polystyrene, mineral wool, polyurethane, glass wool, or rigid phenolic foam, which is considered the rigid plastic foam with the best fire-proof properties. During the research and development phase, the use of simulation tools is often required for the improvement of the mechanical behavior of the material. The aim of the paper is to characterize some vibro-acoustic parameters of a sandwich material with phenolic open-cell foam core. The sound transmission loss of the structure is calculated based on its flexural behavior, represented through a frequency-dependent “apparent” bending stiffness which is estimated by natural frequency vibration tests on beam specimens. The comparison between sound transmission loss predictions and measurements in sound transmission suites according to ISO 10140-2 is presented and discussed. Finally, the early-stage prediction potentiality of the mathematical model is investigated when only nominal information is available on the constituent layers, showing that particular attention should be paid to the modifications introduced by the manufacturing process.
Efficient and Deep Vehicle Re-Identification Using Multi-Level Feature Extraction
Authors: Zakria  , Cai Jingye , Deng Jianhua , Aftab Muhammad , Khokhar Muhammad , Kumar Rajesh
Published: March 2019

The intelligent transportation system is currently an active research area, and vehicle re-identification (Re-Id) is a fundamental task to implement it. It determines whether the given vehicle image obtained from one camera has already appeared over a camera network or not. There are many possible practical applications where the vehicle Re-Id system can be employed, such as intelligent vehicle parking, suspicious vehicle tracking, vehicle incident detection, vehicle counting, and automatic toll collection. This task becomes more challenging because of intra-class similarity, viewpoint changes, and inconsistent environmental conditions. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that re-identifies a vehicle in two steps: first we shortlist the vehicle from a gallery set on the basis of appearance, and then in the second step we verify the shortlisted vehicle’s license plates with a query image to identify the targeted vehicle. In our model, the global channel extracts the feature vector from the whole vehicle image, and the local region channel extracts more discriminative and salient features from different regions. In addition to this, we jointly incorporate attributes like model, type, and color, etc. Lastly, we use a siamese neural network to verify license plates to reach the exact vehicle. Extensive experimental results on the benchmark dataset VeRi-776 demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model as compared to various state-of-the-art methods.
Analysis of Quality Factor Enhancement in the Monolithic InGaN/GaN Nanorod Array
Authors: Huang Chia-Yen , Tai Tzu-Ying , Hong Kuo-Bin , Kuo Hao-Chung , Lu Tien-Chang
Published: March 2019

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasers and resonators are key building blocks for photonic integrated circuits. The quality factor and resonant wavelength are strong functions of the cavity size. Nanoscale WGM cavities suffer from a low-quality factor due to prominent scattering loss. However, the quality factor could be enhanced by forming an optically-coupled rod array or photonic molecules. Through simulations, we revealed how rod-to-rod optical coupling influenced the threshold pumping level and dominant mode selection, where the trend showed good agreement with the experimental observation. According to the simulation, the quality factor could be enhanced by up to eight times by forming a six-rod photonic molecule. The quality factor and effective mode were both superior to the single rods with the same wafer device footprint.
High-Precision Light Spot Position Detection in Low SNR Condition Based on Quadrant Detector
Authors: Yu Jiawei , Li Qing , Li Hongwei , Wang Qiang , Zhou Guozhong , He Dong , Xu Shaoxiong , Xia Yunxia , Huang Yongmei
Published: March 2019

In free space optical communications, long-distance transmission leads to the attenuation of beacon light, where we adopt a quadrant detector (QD) to receive the weak signal. However, the background light interferes so strongly that the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of QD is at a low level, which causes a decrease in accuracy of the direct detection method. This requires finding a new light spot detection method, so an improved detection method is proposed. Because the dark current noise and the background light noise are both white noise, we adopt a Kalman filter to estimate the real output of four electric signals of QD. Unfortunately, running these through an amplifier introduces some direct current (DC) offsets into the signals. In order to balance the effect of the DC offsets, we consider using the modulation method, where we employ a sine signal to modulate the intensity of the beacon light at the transmitting end, after which we can give an inverse gain to move the center of signals to near zero to eliminate the DC offsets when we calculate the data. In Kalman filtering, we use the peak values of the signals in every period after the analog to digital converter (ADC) as the elements of the measurement matrix. Experimental results show that even when QD output SNR is about −10 dB, the detection root-mean-square errors decrease by 51.5% using the improved detection method compared with the direct detection method. Moreover, Kalman filtering does not require a large amount of data, which means it works efficiently, can reduce the cost of hardware resources, and is available for the real-time calculation of spot position.
Fracture Assessment of Weld Joints of High-Strength Steel in Pre-Strained Condition
Authors: An Gyubaek , Park Jeongung , Ohata Mituru , Minami Fumiyoshi
Published: March 2019

Unstable fractures tend to occur after ductile crack initiation or propagation. In most collapsed steel structures, a maximum 15% pre-strain was recorded, at the steel structural connections, during the great earthquake of 1995, in Japan. Almost-unstable fractures were observed in the beam-to-column connections, where geometrical discontinuities existed. Structural collapse and unstable failure occurred after large-scale plastic deformations. Ship structures can also suffer from unstable fractures in the welded joints. The fracture resistance of butt-welded joints subjected to tension in the pre-strained condition was estimated by considering the toughness deterioration, due to pre-strain and toughness correction for constraint loss in a tension specimen. The target specimen for this fracture assessment was a double-edged, through-thickness crack panel, with a crack in the weld joint (heat-affected zone (HAZ)). The critical fracture toughness value (crack tip opening displacement (CTOD)) of a large structure with pre-strain, which was applied to the HAZ region, was estimated from a small-scale, pre-stained, three-point bend specimen. Fracture toughness values, evaluated by a CTOD test, were recently mandated for shipbuilding steel plates. The critical fracture toughness value is a very useful parameter to evaluate the safety of huge ship structures.
Flexural Strengthening of RC Structures with TRC—Experimental Observations, Design Approach and Application
Authors: Scheerer Silke , Zobel Robert , Müller Egbert , Senckpiel-Peters Tilo , Schmidt Angela , Curbach Manfred
Published: March 2019

Today, the need for structural strengthening is more important than ever. Flexural strengthening with textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a recommendable addition to already proven methods. In order to use this strengthening method in construction practice, a design model is required. This article gives a brief overview of the basic behavior of reinforced concrete slabs strengthened with TRC in bending tests as already observed by various researchers. Based on this, a design model was developed, which is presented in the main part of the paper. In addition to the model, its assumptions and limits are discussed. The paper is supplemented by selected application examples to show the possibilities of the described strengthening method. Finally, the article will give an outlook on open questions and current research.
The Technological Design of Geometrically Complex Ti-6Al-4V Parts by Metal Injection Molding
Authors: Ye Shulong , Mo Wei , Lv Yonghu , Wang Zhanhua , Kwok Chi Tat , Yu Peng
Published: March 2019

In this study, the metal injection molding (MIM) process is applied to produce Ti-6Al-4V parts using blended and prealloyed powders, respectively. The feedstocks are prepared from a polyformaldehyde-based binder system with a powder loading of 60 vol%, exhibiting a low viscosity. The decomposition behavior of the binders is investigated and the thermal debinding procedure is designed accordingly. The debound parts are subsequently sintered at 1200 and 1300 °C. The results show the mechanical properties of the sintered samples prepared from blended powder are comparable to those prepared from prealloyed powder, with yield strength of 810 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 927 MPa, and elongation of 4.6%. The density of the as-sintered samples can reach 4.26 g/cm3 while oxygen content is ~0.3%. Based on the results, watch cases with complex shapes are successfully produced from Ti-6Al-4V blended powder. The case gives a good example of applying metal injection molding to mass production of precise Ti-6Al-4V parts with complex shapes in a cost-effective way.
Recurrence Spectra of European Temperature in Historical Climate Simulations
Authors: Alvarez-Castro M. Carmen , Faranda Davide , Noël Thomas , Yiou Pascal
Published: March 2019

We analyse and quantify the recurrences of European temperature extremes using 32 historical simulations (1900–1999) of the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and 8 historical simulations (1971–2005) from the EUROCORDEX experiment. We compare the former simulations to the 20th Century Reanalysis (20CRv2c) dataset to compute recurrence spectra of temperature in Europe. We find that, (1) the spectra obtained by the model ensemble mean are generally consistent with those of 20CR; (2) spectra biases have a strong regional dependence; (3) the resolution does not change the order of magnitude of spectral biases between models and reanalysis, (4) the spread in recurrence biases is larger for cold extremes. Our analysis of biases provides a new way of selecting a subset of the CMIP5 ensemble to obtain an optimal estimate of temperature recurrences for a range of time-scales.
Cleaning Costs for European Sheltered White Painted Steel and Modern Glass Surfaces Due to Air Pollution Since the Year 2000
Authors: Grøntoft Terje , Verney-Carron Aurélie , Tidblad Johan
Published: March 2019

This paper reports estimated maintenance-cleaning costs, cost savings and cleaning interval increases for structural surfaces and windows in Europe obtainable by reducing the air pollution. Methodology and data from the ICP-materials project were used. The average present (2018) cleaning costs for sheltered white painted steel surfaces and modern glass due to air pollution over background, was estimated to be ~2.5 Euro/m2∙year. Hypothetical 50% reduction in the air pollution was found to give savings in these cleaning costs of ~1.5 Euro/m2∙year. Observed reduction in the air pollution, from 2002–2005 until 2011–2014, have probably increased the cleaning interval for white painted steel with ~100% (from 12 to 24 years), representing reductions in the single intervention cleaning costs from 7 to 4%/year (= % of one cleaning investment, per year during the cleaning interval) and for the modern glass with ~65% (from 0.85 to 1.3 years), representing reductions in the cleaning cost from 124 to 95%/year. The cleaning cost reductions, obtainable by 50% reduction in air pollution, would have been ~3 %/year for white painted steel and ~60%/year for the modern glass, representing ~100 and 50% additional cleaning interval increases. These potential cleaning cost savings are significantly higher than previously reported for the weathering of Portland limestone ornament and zinc monuments.
Evaluation and Behavior of Spanish Bodybuilders: Doping and Sports Supplements
Authors: Sánchez-Oliver Antonio Jesús , Grimaldi-Puyana Moisés , Domínguez Raúl
Published: March 2019

The use of doping agents has these days become a public health problem, as it also affects young and non-competitive amateurs in different sports. To prepare for competition, bodybuilders perform aggressive dietary protocols, so, bodybuilders frequently consume nutritional supplements (NS) and banned substances in large dosages. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of banned substances consumption and NS intake in competitive level bodybuilders. A total of 48 bodybuilders (44 males and 4 females) completed a validated online questionnaire on NS consumption. The quantitative data was presented as a mean (M) ± standard deviation (SD), as well as having minimum and maximum values. The categorical variables were expressed using frequencies and percentages. 83.3% of the participants declared that they had consumed or would consume banned substances, the most consumed being anabolic steroids (72.9%). One hundred percent of those sampled use NS. Whey protein (96%), branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) (94%), creatine (85%) and vitamin complexes (83%) were the most consumed, however, there is a low consumption of certain NS which could also increase athletic performance.
Dental Restorative Digital Workflow: Digital Smile Design from Aesthetic to Function
Authors: Cervino Gabriele , Fiorillo Luca , Arzukanyan Alina Vladimirovna , Spagnuolo Gianrico , Cicciù Marco
Published: March 2019

Breakthroughs in technology have not been possible without influencing the medical sciences. Dentistry and dental materials have been fully involved in the technological and information technology evolution, so much so that they have revolutionized dental techniques. In this study, we want to create the first collection of articles on the use of digital techniques and software, such as Digital Smile Design. The aim is to collect all of the results regarding the use of this software, and to highlight the fields of use. Twenty-four articles have been included in the review, and the latter describes the use of Digital Smile Design and, in particular, the field of use. The study intends to be present which dental fields use “digitization”. Progress in this field is constant, and will be of increasing interest to dentistry by proposing a speed of treatment planning and a reliability of results. The digital workflow allows for rehabilitations that are reliable both from an aesthetic and functional point of view, as demonstrated in the review. From this study, the current field of use of Digital Smile Design techniques in the various branches of medicine and dentistry have emerged, as well as information about its reliability.
Characteristics of Patients Discontinuing Care
Authors: Simon Lisa , Singh Dhaliwal Gurmukh , Liu Chieh-Han Jeffrey , Sharma Pranshu , Thomas Shernel , Bettag Sarah , Weber Katherine G. , Timothé Peggy , Nalliah Romesh P.
Published: March 2019

Objectives: Due to lower fees, dental school clinics (DSCs) may provide dental care for vulnerable populations. This study evaluates factors associated with patients deciding to discontinue care at a DSC. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a patient transfer form that was implemented to smooth transition of a patient when their student provider graduated. Forms provided deidentified information about characteristics and unmet dental needs. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to identify associations between patient characteristics and deciding to continue treatment in the student practice. Results: Of 1894 patients, 73.4% continued care. Financial limitations were most commonly reported as the reason for discontinuing care (30.1%). Patients speaking a language other than English or who had reported financial barriers were significantly less likely to continue care. Conclusions: Dental school patients from vulnerable groups are more likely to discontinue care. Dental schools should implement programs that will assist patients in maintaining a dental home.
Protective Effect of UP446 on Ligature-Induced Periodontitis in Beagle Dogs
Authors: Yimam Mesfin , Brownell Lidia , Do Seon-Gil , Lee Young-Chul , Kim Dong Seon , Seo Kangmoon , Jeong Manbok , Kim Seeun , Jia Qi
Published: March 2019

Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease of the gum caused by a formation of a plaque that triggers immune responses and inflammation leading to the destruction of tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth. Chronic usage of synthetic chemicals and antibiotics is limited by undesired adverse events to the host. A botanical composition (UP446), which consists primarily of bioflavonoids such as baicalin from roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and catechins from heartwoods of Acacia catechu, was evaluated for its effect on ligature-induced periodontal disease in beagle dogs. Disease model was induced in 20 male and female dogs. After a 12-week induction of periodontitis, animals were assigned to a placebo, positive control (doxycycline), and two treatment groups consisting of five animals each. The placebo group was only administrated to normal dog chow (25 g/kg/day). In the doxycycline treatment group, animals were fed a normal diet (25 g/kg/day) and doxycycline (5 mg/kg) was orally administrated every day. Treatment of UP446 was done by feeding the regular diet formulated with 0.1% and 0.2% of UP446 by weight. Clinical indices such as plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), clinical attachment level (CAL), probing pocket depth (PPD), and bleeding on probing (BoP) were measured every two weeks for 12 weeks. UP446 administered to beagle dogs for 12 weeks at 0.1% and 0.2% resulted in statistically significant reductions in gingivitis, pocket depth, loss of attachment, and gum bleeding. UP446 could potentially be used alone or as an adjunct with other oral hygiene preparations for periodontal disease in both human and companion animals.
Development of Postural Stability Index to Distinguish Different Stability States
Authors: Nurwulan Nurul Retno , Jiang Bernard C. , Novak Vera
Published: March 2019

A key factor for fall prevention involves understanding the pathophysiology of stability. This study proposes the postural stability index (PSI), which is a novel measure to quantify different stability states on healthy subjects. The results of the x-, y-, and z-axes of the acceleration signals were analyzed from 10 healthy young adults and 10 healthy older adults under three conditions as follows: Normal walking, walking with obstacles, and fall-like motions. The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was used to reconstruct the acceleration signal data. Wearable accelerometers were located on the ankles and knees of the subjects. The PSI indicated a decreasing trend of its values from normal walking to the fall-like motions. Free-walking data were used to determine the stability based on the PSI. The segmented free-walking data indicated changes in the stability states that suggested that the PSI is potentially helpful in quantifying gait stability.
The Impact of Financial and Macroeconomic Shocks on the Entropy of Financial Markets
Authors: Anagnoste Sorin , Caraiani Petre
Published: March 2019

We propose here a method to analyze whether financial and macroeconomic shocks influence the entropy of financial networks. We derive a measure of entropy using the correlation matrix of the stock market components of the DOW Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) index. Using VAR models in different specifications, we show that shocks in production or the DJIA index lead to an increase in the entropy of the financial markets.
Kapur’s Entropy for Color Image Segmentation Based on a Hybrid Whale Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Lang Chunbo , Jia Heming
Published: March 2019

In this paper, a new hybrid whale optimization algorithm (WOA) called WOA-DE is proposed to better balance the exploitation and exploration phases of optimization. Differential evolution (DE) is adopted as a local search strategy with the purpose of enhancing exploitation capability. The WOA-DE algorithm is then utilized to solve the problem of multilevel color image segmentation that can be considered as a challenging optimization task. Kapur’s entropy is used to obtain an efficient image segmentation method. In order to evaluate the performance of proposed algorithm, different images are selected for experiments, including natural images, satellite images and magnetic resonance (MR) images. The experimental results are compared with state-of-the-art meta-heuristic algorithms as well as conventional approaches. Several performance measures have been used such as average fitness values, standard deviation (STD), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), feature similarity index (FSIM), Wilcoxon’s rank sum test, and Friedman test. The experimental results indicate that the WOA-DE algorithm is superior to the other meta-heuristic algorithms. In addition, to show the effectiveness of the proposed technique, the Otsu method is used for comparison.
Exergy Analysis of Directional Solvent Extraction Desalination Process
Authors: Alotaibi Sorour , Ibrahim Osama M. , Wang Yu , Luo Tengfei
Published: March 2019

This paper presents an exergy analysis to evaluate the performance of a continuous directional solvent extraction (DSE) desalination process using octanoic acid. The flow of exergy was calculated for each thermodynamic state and balanced for different components of the system to quantify the inefficiencies in the process. A parametric study was performed to evaluate the impact of three critical design variables on exergy consumption. The parametric study reveals that the total exergy input decreases significantly with an increase in heat exchanger effectiveness. The results also indicate that the heat exchangers account for the highest exergy destruction. The total exergy consumption, however, has a slightly declining trend as the recovery-ratio increases. There is a small variation in the total exergy consumption, within the uncertainty of the calculation, as the highest process temperature increases. When compared to conventional desalination processes, the exergy consumption of the DSE, with heat recovery of 90%, is comparable to those of multi-stage flashing (MSF), but much higher than reverse osmosis (RO). Octanoic acid, which has low product water yield, is identified as the primary factor negatively impacting the exergy consumptions. To exploit the low-grade and low-temperature heat source feature of the DSE process, directional solvents with higher yield should be identified or designed to enable its full implementation.
Entanglement 25 Years after Quantum Teleportation: Testing Joint Measurements in Quantum Networks
Authors: Gisin Nicolas
Published: March 2019

Twenty-five years after the invention of quantum teleportation, the concept of entanglement gained enormous popularity. This is especially nice to those who remember that entanglement was not even taught at universities until the 1990s. Today, entanglement is often presented as a resource, the resource of quantum information science and technology. However, entanglement is exploited twice in quantum teleportation. Firstly, entanglement is the “quantum teleportation channel”, i.e., entanglement between distant systems. Second, entanglement appears in the eigenvectors of the joint measurement that Alice, the sender, has to perform jointly on the quantum state to be teleported and her half of the “quantum teleportation channel”, i.e., entanglement enabling entirely new kinds of quantum measurements. I emphasize how poorly this second kind of entanglement is understood. In particular, I use quantum networks in which each party connected to several nodes performs a joint measurement to illustrate that the quantumness of such joint measurements remains elusive, escaping today’s available tools to detect and quantify it.
Generalized Entropy Generation Expressions in Gases
Authors: Peters Michael H.
Published: March 2019

In this study, we generalize our previous methods for obtaining entropy generation in gases without the need to carry through a specific expansion method, such as the Chapman–Enskog method. The generalization, which is based on a scaling analysis, allows for the study of entropy generation in gases for any arbitrary state of the gas and consistently across the conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy, and entropy. Thus, it is shown that it is theoretically possible to alter specific expressions and associated physical outcomes for entropy generation by changing the operating process gas state to regions significantly different than the perturbed, local equilibrium or Chapman–Enskog type state. Such flows could include, for example, hypersonic flows or flows that may be generally called hyper-equilibrium state flows. Our formal scaling analysis also provides partial insight into the nature of entropy generation from an informatics perspective, where we specifically demonstrate the association of entropy generation in gases with uncertainty generated by the approximation error associated with density function expansions.
Isometric Signal Processing under Information Geometric Framework
Authors: Wu Hao , Cheng Yongqiang , Wang Hongqiang
Published: March 2019

Information geometry is the study of the intrinsic geometric properties of manifolds consisting of a probability distribution and provides a deeper understanding of statistical inference. Based on this discipline, this letter reports on the influence of the signal processing on the geometric structure of the statistical manifold in terms of estimation issues. This letter defines the intrinsic parameter submanifold, which reflects the essential geometric characteristics of the estimation issues. Moreover, the intrinsic parameter submanifold is proven to be a tighter one after signal processing. In addition, the necessary and sufficient condition of invariant signal processing of the geometric structure, i.e., isometric signal processing, is given. Specifically, considering the processing with the linear form, the construction method of linear isometric signal processing is proposed, and its properties are presented in this letter.
Using Minimum Local Distortion to Hide Decision Tree Rules
Authors: Feretzakis Georgios , Kalles Dimitris , Verykios Vassilios S.
Published: March 2019

The sharing of data among organizations has become an increasingly common procedure in several areas like banking, electronic commerce, advertising, marketing, health, and insurance sectors. However, any organization will most likely try to keep some patterns hidden once it shares its datasets with others. This article focuses on preserving the privacy of sensitive patterns when inducing decision trees. We propose a heuristic approach that can be used to hide a certain rule which can be inferred from the derivation of a binary decision tree. This hiding method is preferred over other heuristic solutions like output perturbation or cryptographic techniques—which limit the usability of the data—since the raw data itself is readily available for public use. This method can be used to hide decision tree rules with a minimum impact on all other rules derived.