bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Managers’ Perception Towards Generation Y Employees: A Case Study in an IT Company in Selangor
Authors: Yuin Saw Shuey , Sumilan Helmi , Michael Florianna Lendai , Md. Nor Nik Norsyamimi
Published: November 2019

This study was conducted to explore the manager’s perception towards Generation Y employees particularly in the IT industry in Selangor. A case study approach was adopted in which data was obtained through semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling technique was used and a total of eight (8) informants participated and interviewed. The data obtained from the interview were qualitatively analyzed. Data analysis was conducted by adopting a content analysis framework in which obtained data were divided into four (4) phases including condensation, code, category and inference and summarize. The findings showed majority of the managers perceived that openness to experience, conscientious and extraversion’ are the most common personalities among Generation Y employees. Besides that, the findings also revealed that in terms of work ethics, Generation Y employees are perceived as accountable of own’s actions, respect authority, transparency and loyal. The result of this study implicates the organization in terms of attrition and turnover rate among Generation Y employees and organizational branding. The result of this study provided some recommendations to HR practitioners and organizations in managing and handling at the workplace.

 

Keywords: Generation Y; Managers; Personalities; Work ethics; Work values
Preferred Leadership Traits by Employees: A case study in Telecommunication Organization
Authors: Maizan, C  , Florianna, L. M.  , Hamidi, H.
Published: November 2019

Leaders affect employees’ performance in the organization by their leadership style, which is dependent to the degree of favor by their followers. It is vital for the organization to identify the most effective leadership styles which will boost performance in the organization. This research studied the type of leadership trait most preferred in the telecommunication sector. This qualitative study used the Full Range Leadership Model to identify and suggest the preferred traits of a leader. The sampling method used was purposive.  Interview guides were used as the research tool. A total of six (6) informants were interviewed. The results showed transformational leadership style is the most preferred by all the informants as the employees found that the traits of the transformational leader bring more positive impacts on their work performance.
 
Keywords: Leadership traits; Transformational leadership; Telecommunication sector; Full-range Leadership Model; Employees performance.
Christian Misionaries Responsibilities in Preaching
Authors: Rinawaty Rinawaty , Hannas Hannas
Published: November 2019

Preaching the Word of God or sermonizing is God's commandment which must be done by every believer. Missionaries are people who are specifically called to convey the truth of the Word of God, through sermons, Bible study and living testimonies that glorify God. Missionaries experience obstacles in preaching because of  many factors, such as: lack of mastery in hermeneutic and homiletical skills and ignoring the communication skill. Therefore the text assessment will be shallow and its relevance at the present time has not been well delivered. Those limitations must be the missionaries’ main concern besides spiritual qualifications that are equally important.

The research found several important things, such as: the right definition for Christian missionaries, Christian missionaries’ responsibilities and Christian missionaries’ preaching in the perspective of a communication skill. This research was conducted in qualitative methods that provide descriptions and histories with social sciences, theology, communication approaches.
A INTERDISCIPLINARIDADE NA FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES QUE ENSINAM MATEMÁTICA: UMA CONSTRUÇÃO NO CONTEXTO DO OBSERVATÓRIO DA EDUCAÇÃO NA UFABC
Authors: Cardoso Virgínia Cardia , Gomes Vivilí Maria Silva , Laurentino Kaio Barbosa
Published: November 2019

Apresentamos a análise de alguns dos trabalhos desenvolvidos no polo UFABC do projeto Obeduc “Rede Colaborativa de práticas na formação de professores que ensinam matemática: múltiplos olhares, diálogos e contextos”. Objetivamos analisar as contribuições do trabalho colaborativo para a formação inicial e continuada de professores que ensinam matemática no Ensino Fundamental. O eixo de nossa análise é a interdisciplinaridade como estratégia para o ensino da matemática e para a formação docente. Nossa análise foi qualitativa e interpretativa, baseada nosrelatos de experiência de professoras da educação básica e nas iniciações científicas das graduandas, contidos nas obras publicadas pelo projeto, em 2017. Concluímos que, assim como a prática colaborativa, a interdisciplinaridade deve ser construída, partindo dos problemas da realidade escolar e buscando uma convergência espontânea entre os interesses iniciais. As formações inicial e continuada das participantes foram enriquecidas com conhecimentos de outras áreas e com as práticas dasprofessoras da escola básica. A diversidade de interesses e a liberdade de atuação foram os elementos desencadeadores das ações no grupo, o que propiciou integrações entre pesquisa, formação e extensão. Um necessário processo de autorregulação, desejável na dinâmica escolar.
AS TRAMAS DA FORMAÇÃO DOCENTE NO CONTEXTO DE UM PROJETO: O PRINCÍPIO DO COMPARTILHAMENTO
Authors: Lopes Anemari Roesler Luersen Vieira , Marco Fabiana Fiorezi de , Borowsky Halana Garcez , Fraga Laura Pippi , Perlin Patrícia
Published: November 2019

Neste artigo são discutidas possíveis contribuições formativas do projeto interinstitucional “Educação Matemática nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental: princípios e práticas da organização do ensino”, no âmbito do Observatório da Educação (CAPES), para os participantes de um de seus núcleos – graduandos, pós-graduandos e professores em exercício. Objetiva-se com o texto identificar as implicações da organização e da dinâmica das ações de um grupo para o processo formativo de seus componentes, com o intuito de desvelar o processo de aprendizagem de professores e futuros professores. Pelas análises realizadas, é possível destacar a interação de professores e futurosprofessores com foco na escola de Educação Básica, cada qual com seus diferentes conhecimentos, que se complementavam; o incentivo ao envolvimento dos professores da Educação Básica em projetos de investigação; a produção, pelos participantes, de conhecimentos com seus pares e com alunos de sua sala de aula, respeitando a autonomia de cada integrante. As análises revelaram que, mesmo que a necessidade de participar tenha sido individual, para concretizá-la foi preciso a participação do outro, o que permite entender o compartilhamento de conhecimentos e experiências como premissa do projeto e do resultado da pesquisa.
Observations on the Computation of Eigenvalue and Eigenvector Jacobians
Authors: Liounis Andrew J. , Christian John A. , Robinson Shane B.
Published: November 2019

Many scientific and engineering problems benefit from analytic expressions for eigenvalue and eigenvector derivatives with respect to the elements of the parent matrix. While there exists extensive literature on the calculation of these derivatives, which take the form of Jacobian matrices, there are a variety of deficiencies that have yet to be addressed—including the need for both left and right eigenvectors, limitations on the matrix structure, and issues with complex eigenvalues and eigenvectors. This work addresses these deficiencies by proposing a new analytic solution for the eigenvalue and eigenvector derivatives. The resulting analytic Jacobian matrices are numerically efficient to compute and are valid for the general complex case. It is further shown that this new general result collapses to previously known relations for the special cases of real symmetric matrices and real diagonal matrices. Finally, the new Jacobian expressions are validated using forward finite differencing and performance is compared with another technique.
Agricultural and Other Biotechnological Applications Resulting from Trophic Plant-Endophyte Interactions
Authors: Kuźniar Agnieszka , Włodarczyk Kinga , Wolińska Agnieszka
Published: November 2019

Endophytic microbiota plays a role not only in supplying plants with the basic nutrients indispensable for their growth, but also helps them in the mechanisms of adaptation to various environmental stresses (i.e., salinity, drought), which is important in the aspect of crop yields. From the agricultural and biotechnological points of view, the knowledge of endophytes and their roles in increasing crop yields, plant resistance to diseases, and helping to survive environmental stress is extremely desirable. This paper reviews some of the beneficial plant–microbe interactions that might be potentially used in both agriculture (plant growth stimulation effect, adaptation of host organisms in salinity and drought conditions, and support of defense mechanisms in plants), and in biotechnology (bioactive metabolites, application of endophytes for bioremediation and biotransformation processes, and production of biofertilizers and biopreparations). Importantly, relatively recent reports on endophytes from the last 10 years are summarized in this paper.
The Effect of Dietary Replacement of Fish Meal with Whey Protein Concentrate on the Growth Performance, Fish Health, and Immune Status of Nile Tilapia Fingerlings, Oreochromis niloticus
Authors: Amer Shimaa A. , Osman Ali , Al-Gabri Naif A. , Elsayed Shafika A. M. , Abd El-Rahman Ghada I. , Elabbasy Mohamed Tharwat , Ahmed Shaimaa A. A. , Ibrahim Rowida E.
Published: November 2019

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of replacing fish meal with whey protein concentrate (WPC) on the growth performance, histopathological condition of organs, economic efficiency, disease resistance to intraperitoneal inoculation of Aeromonas hydrophila, and the immune response of Oreochromis niloticus. The toxicity of WPC was tested by measuring the activity of caspase 3 as an indicator of cellular apoptosis. Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings with average initial weight 18.65 ± 0.05 gm/fish (n = 225) for a 10-week feeding trial. The fish were randomly allocated to five experimental groups, having five replacement percentages of fish meal with WPC: 0%, 13.8%, 27.7%, 41.6%, and 55.5% (WPC0, WPC13.8, WPC27.7, WPC41.6, and WPC55.5); zero percentage represented the control group. The results show that the fish fed WPC had the same growth performance as the WPC0. The total weight of bacterially challenged surviving fish increased linearly and quadratically (p ≤ 0.05) by increasing the replacement percentage of fish meal with WPC. The growth hormone, nitric oxide, IgM, complement 3, and lysozyme activity were seen to increase significantly in WPC27.7, especially after a bacterial challenge. The phagocytic percentage and phagocytic index increased significantly in WPC27.7, WPC41.6, and WPC55.5 groups. Histopathological examination of liver sections was badly affected by high replacement in WPC41.6–55.5. The activity of caspase 3 in the immunohistochemical stained sections of the intestine was increased significantly by increasing the inclusion level of WPC. Economically, the total return of the total surviving fish after the bacterial challenge was increased significantly by fish meal replacement with WPC. It could be concluded that WPC could replace the fish meal in Nile tilapia diets up to 27.7%, with improving the gut health, the total weight of survival fish, and immune status of fish challenged with A. hydrophila. High inclusion levels of WPC are not recommended in fish diets, since they negatively affected the intestinal and liver tissues and increased the level of cellular apoptosis, as indicated by the increased caspase 3 activity. Further researches are recommended to evaluate the effect of fish meal replacement with WPC on the histopathological examination of the kidney and to test the capacity of serum IgM to clot the bacteria used for the challenge.
Logistic Regression Analysis Factors Affecting Sperm Motility and Abnormal Sperm Morphology in Boars
Authors: Wu Yinghui , Wang Chao , Tan Jiajian , Wei Hong-kui , Sun Haiqing , Peng Jian
Published: November 2019

Logistic regression models, including variables of boar breed, age, serum, and seminal plasma elements, were used to identify the influencing factors of sperm motility and morphology in this study. Sperm motility degree was classified as grade 0: ≤85% and grade 1: >85%. Abnormal sperm morphology was classified as grade 0: ≤10%, grade 1: 10–20%, and grade 2: >20%. Element concentration of 385 boars was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results showed that boars with serum Cu ≥ 2.5 mg/L had lower sperm motility (odds ratio (OR): 0.496; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.285–0.864) and higher abnormal sperm morphology (OR: 2.003; 95% CI: 1.189–3.376) than those with serum Cu ≤ 2.0 mg/L. Boars with serum Fe ≥ 1.5 mg/L had lower abnormal sperm morphology than those with serum Fe ≤ 1.0 mg/L (OR: 0.463; 95% CI: 0.255–0.842). The presence of Pb in seminal plasma increased abnormal sperm morphology. The probability of abnormal sperm morphology >20% from boars with seminal plasma Pb increased with a range of 5.78–15.30% than that from boars without seminal plasma Pb among three breeds. In conclusion, serum Cu excess, serum Fe deficiency, and seminal plasma Pb are risk factors for poor semen quality in boars.
Flaw Classification Algorithm for Heat Exchanger Tubes Using a Bobbin-Type Magnetic Camera
Authors: Sim Sunbo , Lee Hoyong , Lee Heejong , Lee Jinyi
Published: November 2019

This paper presents an algorithm that estimates the presence, location, shape, and depth of flaws using a bobbin-type magnetic camera consisting of bobbin probes and a bobbin-type integrated giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensor array (BIGiS). The presence of the flaws is determined by the lobe path of the Lissajous curves obtained from bobbin coil with respect to the applied frequency. The location of the flaw, i.e., whether it is an inner diameter (ID) or outer diameter (OD) flaw, can be determined from the rotational direction of the lobe with respect to the frequency change. The shape of the flaw is then determined from the area of the lobe and the BIGiS image. At this stage, multi-site damage can be determined from the BIGiS image. The effectiveness of the flaw classification algorithm was evaluated using various types of artificial flaws introduced into small-bore tube test specimens made of austenitic stainless steel.
Hydrogen Sulfide Effects on the Survival of Lactobacilli with Emphasis on the Development of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Kushkevych Ivan , Kotrsová Věra , Dordević Dani , Buňková Leona , Vítězová Monika , Amedei Amedeo
Published: November 2019

The gut microbiota is a complex component of humans that depends on diet, host genome, and lifestyle. The background: The study purpose is to find relations between nutrition, intestinal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from various environments (human, animal intestine, and yogurt) and sulfate-reducing microbial communities in the large intestine; to compare kinetic growth parameters of LAB; and to determine their sensitivity to different concentration of hydrogen sulfide produced by intestinal sulfate-reducing bacteria. Methods: Microbiological (isolation and identification), biochemical (electrophoresis), molecular biology methods (DNA isolation and PCR analysis), and statistical processing (average and standard error calculations) of the results were used. The results: The toxicity of hydrogen sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria, the survival of lactic acid bacteria, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined. The measured hydrogen sulfide sensitivity values were the same for L. paracasei and L. reuteri (MIC > 1.1 mM). In addition, L. plantarum and L. fermentum showed also a similar sensitivity (MIC > 0.45 mM) but significantly (p < 0.05) lower than L. reuteri and L. paracasei (1.1 > 0.45 mM). L. paracasei and L. reuteri are more sensitive to hydrogen sulfide than L. fermentum and L. plantarum. L. pentosus was sensitive to the extremely low concentration of H2S (MIC > 0.15 mM). Conclusions: The Lactobacillus species were significantly sensitive to hydrogen sulfide, which is a final metabolite of intestinal sulfate-reducing bacteria. The results are definitely helpful for a better understanding of complicated interaction among intestinal microbiota and nutrition.
The Influence of the Parameters of a Gold Nanoparticle Deposition Method on Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes, Their Electrochemical Response, and Protein Adsorption
Authors: Paradowska Ewa , Arkusz Katarzyna , Pijanowska Dorota G.
Published: November 2019

The goal of this research was to find the best conditions to prepare titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). This paper, for the first time, reports on the influence of the parameters of cyclic voltammetry process (CV) -based AuNP deposition, i.e., the number of cycles and the concentration of gold salt solution, on corrosion resistance and the capacitance of TNTs. Another innovation was to fabricate AuNPs with well-formed spherical geometry and uniform distribution on TNTs. The AuNPs/TNTs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and open-circuit potential measurement. From the obtained results, the correlation between the deposition process parameters, the AuNP diameters, and the electrical conductivity of the TNTs was found in a range from 14.3 ± 1.8 to 182.3 ± 51.7 nm. The size and amount of the AuNPs could be controlled by the number of deposition cycles and the concentration of the gold salt solution. The modification of TNTs using AuNPs facilitated electron transfer, increased the corrosion resistance, and caused better adsorption properties for bovine serum albumin.
The Role of Iodine Catalyst in the Synthesis of 22-Carbon Tricarboxylic Acid and Its Ester: A Case Study
Authors: Liu Yanxia , Zhang Yagang , Wang Lulu , Zan Xingjie , Zhang Letao
Published: November 2019

Here, 22-carbon tricarboxylic acid (C22TA) and its ester (C22TAE) were prepared via the Diels–Alder reaction of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their esters (PUFAEs) as dienes with fumaric acid (FA) and dimethyl fumarate (DF) as dienophiles, respectively. The role of an iodine catalyst for the synthesis of C22TA and C22TAE in the Diels–Alder type reaction was investigated using a spectroscopic approach. The chemical structures of the products were characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis. Results showed that nonconjugated dienes can react with dienophiles through a Diels–Alder reaction with an iodine catalyst, and that iodine transformed the nonconjugated double bonds of dienes into conjugated double bonds via a radical process. DF was more favorable for the Diels–Alder reaction than FA. This was mainly because the dienophile DF contained an electron-withdrawing substituent, which reduced the highest and lowest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO) energy gap and accelerated the Diels–Alder reaction. By transforming nonconjugated double bonds into conjugated double bonds, iodine as a Lewis acid increased the electron-withdrawing effect of the carbonyl group on the carbon–carbon double bond and reduced the energy difference between the HOMO of diene and the LUMO of dienophile, thus facilitating the Diels–Alder reaction.
Biocompatible Layers Obtained from Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in Suspension
Authors: Predoi Daniela , Iconaru Simona Liliana , Predoi Mihai Valentin , Buton Nicolas , Megier Christelle , Motelica-Heino Mikael
Published: November 2019

Iron oxide nanoparticles have been extensively studied for challenges in applicable areas such as medicine, pharmacy, and the environment. The functionalization of iron oxide nanoparticles with dextran opens new prospects for application. Suspension characterization methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential (ZP) have allowed us to obtain information regarding the stability and hydrodynamic diameter of these suspended particles. For rigorous characterization of the suspension of dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (D-MNPs), studies have been performed using ultrasound measurements. The results obtained from DLS and ZP studies were compared with those obtained from ultrasound measurements. The obtained results show a good stability of D-MNPs. A comparison between the D-MNP dimension obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and DLS studies was also performed. A scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) image of a surface D-MNP layer obtained from the stable suspension shows that the particles are spherical in shape. The topographies of the elemental maps of the D-MNP layer showed a uniform distribution of the constituent elements. The homogeneity of the layer was also observed. The morphology of the HeLa cells incubated for 24 and 48 h with the D-MNP suspension and D-MNP layers did not change relative to the morphology presented by the control cells. The cytotoxicity studies conducted at different time intervals have shown that a slight decrease in the HeLa cell viability after 48 h of incubation for both samples was observed.
Superhydrophobic Cerium-Based Coatings on Al-Mg Alloys and Aluminized Steel
Authors: Guerrero-Vaca Guillermo , Rodríguez-Valverde Miguel A. , Castilla-Montilla Pedro , Alguacil-Salamanca Francisco , Rodríguez-Alabanda Óscar , Romero Pablo E. , Molero-Romero Esther , Montes Ruiz-Cabello F. Javier
Published: November 2019

Aluminum-magnesium (Al-Mg) alloy and aluminum-coated steel (aluminized steel) are typically used for the manufacturing of baking trays and molds. For these applications, these materials must be modified to develop release and hydrophobic properties. With this aim, the bare substrates are typically coated with low-surface energy materials such as fluoropolymers, elastomers, or sol-gel layers. In this work, some alternative strategies to prepare these functional surfaces are presented. We used three-step processes involving (i) micro-texturing, (ii) nano layer deposition through immersion and electrodeposition, and (iii) hydrophobization. The raw substrates were sanded or sandblasted at the micro scale, accordingly. Texturization at the nano scale was achieved with a cerium layer formed by electrodeposition or solution immersion. The cerium layers were hydrophobized with fatty acids. The wetting properties of the samples were studied with tilting-plate and bouncing drop methods. We measured the surface roughness of the samples by contact profiling and analyzed their surface morphology using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The elemental chemical composition of the samples was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The wettability results indicated that the best performance for the Al-Mg substrates was reached by sandblasting and later immersion in a cerium nitrate solution. For aluminized steel substrates, the best results were obtained with both electrodeposition and immersion methods using a cerium chloride solution.
Recent Progress in Lattice Density Functional Theory
Authors: Müller T. S. , Töws W. , Pastor G. M.
Published: November 2019

Recent developments in the density-functional theory of electron correlations in many-body lattice models are reviewed. The theoretical framework of lattice density-functional theory (LDFT) is briefly recalled, giving emphasis to its universality and to the central role played by the single-particle density-matrix γ . The Hubbard model and the Anderson single-impurity model are considered as relevant explicit problems for the applications. Real-space and reciprocal-space approximations to the fundamental interaction-energy functional W [ γ ] are introduced, in the framework of which the most important ground-state properties are derived. The predictions of LDFT are contrasted with available exact analytical results and state-of-the-art numerical calculations. Thus, the goals and limitations of the method are discussed.
Chirality Control in Crystalline Ni(II) Complexes of Thiophosphorylated Thioureas
Authors: Kataeva Olga , Metlushka Kirill , Yamaleeva Zilya , Ivshin Kamil , Zinnatullin Ruzal , Nikitina Kristina , Sadkova Dilyara , Badeeva Elena , Sinyashin Oleg , Alfonsov Vladimir
Published: November 2019

Chirality control over the formation of Ni(II) complexes with chiral thiophosphorylated thioureas was achieved via breaking the symmetry of nickel coordination geometry by the introduction of the pyridine ligand, while centrosymmetric meso-complexes are formed from racemic ligands in case of square-planar nickel coordination. Centrosymmetric heterochiral arrangement is observed in crystals of ligands themselves through N–H⋅⋅⋅S hydrogen bonds in intermolecular dimers. Molecular homochirality in tetragonal pyramidal complexes is further transferred to supramolecular homochiral arrangement via key–lock steric interactions.
Unprecedented Dinuclear CuII N,O-Donor Complex: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, Fluorescence Property, and Hirshfeld Analysis
Authors: Sun Yin-Xia , Pan Ying-Qi , Xu Xin , Zhang Yang
Published: November 2019

An unprecedented dinuclear CuII complex, [Cu2(L2)2], derived from a salamo-like chelating ligand H2L2, was produced by the cleavage of a newly synthesized, half-salamo-like ligand HL1 (2-[O-(1-ethyloxyamide)]oxime-3,5-dichloro-phenol). This was synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV–Vis and fluorescent spectra, single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and Hirshfeld surface analysis. X-ray crystallographic analysis indicated that the two CuII (Cu1 and Cu2) ions bore different (N2O3 and N2O2) coordination environments, the penta-coordinated Cu1 ion possessed a slightly twisted tetragonal pyramid geometry with the τ value τ = 0.004, and the tetra-coordinated Cu2 ion showed a slightly twisted square planar geometry. Interestingly, one oxime oxygen atom participated in the coordination reported previously. Moreover, an infinite two-dimensional layered supramolecular network was formed. Compared with HL1, the CuII complex possessed the characteristic of fluorescence quenching.
Morphometric Evaluation of Phenotypic Groups of Creole Cattle of Southern Ecuador
Authors: Aguirre-Riofrio Edgar Lenin , Abad-Guamán Rodrigo Medardo , Uchuari-Pauta Melania de Lourdes
Published: November 2019

The breeding of creole cattle from the southern region of Ecuador, also known as Criollo Lojano, is a source of economic support and work for the communities located in the remote areas of the Andes mountains in this region. These cattle are grouped into four biotypes based on their phenotypic characteristics: Negro Lojano, Encerado, Colorado, and Cajamarca or Pintado. This study analyzes the morphometric variability of these creole cattle using least squares means (LSM) and restricted maximum likelihood Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) variance components. The evaluation parameters used to characterize these cattle were live weight plus 15 morphometric characteristics and nine morphometric indexes. The measurements came from 151 adult animals (28 male and 123 females). With the exception of Height at Withers (P = 0.06), the other morphometric characteristics do not show significant difference among these creole biotypes. Sexual dimorphism was found in live weight, thoracic circumference, height at withers, chest width, length of thorax, length of body, depth of thorax, depth of abdomen, length of head, and length of horns (P < 0.05). The adult Creole Lojano has an average live weight of 288 ± 12.9 kg (mean ± standard error), The Cephalic index is 45.6, the Corporal index is 115.9, the Pelvic index is 90.5, the Thoracic index is 58.3, the Proportionality index is 62.6, the Thoracic Capacity index is 2.1, the Lower Leg–Thoracic index is 9.9, the Transverse Pelvic index is 34.7, and the Pelvic Length index is 38.4. This creole bovine breed presents 4 biotypes that are similar; there are differences in the analysis with respect to sex (males are higher in 10 of the 16 characteristics analyzed); and on the basis of the indexes, this animal is small, has a triangular head, is longilinear with a long and narrow hip. It is a dual-purpose milk type with the exception of the Colorado biotype which is a dual purpose meat type.
Fake News Analysis Modeling Using Quote Retweet
Authors: Jang Yonghun , Park Chang-Hyeon , Seo Yeong-Seok
Published: November 2019

Fake news can confuse many people in the area of politics, culture, healthcare, etc. Fake news refers to news containing misleading or fabricated contents that are actually groundless; they are intentionally exaggerated or provide false information. As such, fake news can distort reality and cause social problems, such as self-misdiagnosis of medical issues. Many academic researchers have been collecting data from social and medical media, which are sources of various information flows, and conducting studies to analyse and detect fake news. However, in the case of conventional studies, the features used for analysis are limited, and the consideration for newly added features of social media is lacking. Therefore, this study proposes a fake news analysis modelling method by identifying a variety of features and collecting various data from Twitter, a social media outlet with a good deal of power in terms of spreading information. The method proposed in this study can increase the accuracy of fake news analysis by acquiring more potential information from the Quote Retweet feature added to Twitter in 2015, compared to the more conventional and common Retweet only. Furthermore, fake news was analysed through neural network-based classification modelling by using the preprocessed data and the identified best features in the learning data. In the performance results, using the neural network-based classifier, the classification model that also used Quote Retweet, showed an improvement in performance over the conventional methods, and it was confirmed that the identified best features had a significant impact on increasing the classification accuracy of fake news.
The Relevance of Point Defects in Studying Silica-Based Materials from Bulk to Nanosystems
Authors: Alessi Antonino , Kuhnhenn Jochen , Buscarino Gianpiero , Di Francesca Diego , Agnello Simonpietro
Published: November 2019

The macroscopic properties of silica can be modified by the presence of local microscopic modifications at the scale of the basic molecular units (point defects). Such defects can be generated during the production of glass, devices, or by the environments where the latter have to operate, impacting on the devices’ performance. For these reasons, the identification of defects, their generation processes, and the knowledge of their electrical and optical features are relevant for microelectronics and optoelectronics. The aim of this manuscript is to report some examples of how defects can be generated, how they can impact device performance, and how a defect species or a physical phenomenon that is a disadvantage in some fields can be used as an advantage in others.
Analysis of Tightening Sequence Effects on Preload Behaviour of Offshore Wind Turbine M72 Bolted Connections
Authors: Braithwaite Jarryd , Mehmanparast Ali
Published: November 2019

Offshore wind turbines in shallow waters are predominantly installed using a monopile foundation, onto which a transition piece and wind turbine are attached. Previously, the monopile to transition piece (MP-TP) connection was made using a grouted connection, however, cases of grout failure causing turbine slippage, among other issues, were reported. One solution is to use bolted ring flange connections, which involve using a large number of M72 bolts to provide a firm fixing between the MP-TP. It is in the interest of offshore wind operators to reduce the number of maintenance visits to these wind turbines by maintaining a preload (Fp) level above the minimum requirement for bolted MP-TP connections. The present study focuses on the effect of the tightening sequence on the Fp behaviour of M72 bolted connections. A detailed finite element (FE) model of a seven-bolt, representative segment of a monopile flange was developed with material properties obtained from the available literature. Three analyses were made to examine the effect on Fp after tightening, including the initial Fp level applied to the bolts, the tightening sequence and the effect of an additional tightening pass.
Impacts of Organic Structures and Inherent Minerals of Coal on Soot Formation during Pyrolysis
Authors: Dong He-Ming , Du Qian , Li Dun , Cui Zhao-Yang , Gao Jian-Min , Wu Shao-Hua
Published: November 2019

The pyrolysis of four pairs of raw and acid-washed coals under N2 atmosphere was carried out in a drop tube reactor at 1250 °C. The results show that both organic structures and metal elements have an important influence on the formation of soot. The total area of aromatic and aliphatic hydrogen absorption bands is positively correlated with soot yield. Aromatic compounds have a greater contribution to soot and tar formation. The absorption band area of oxygen structures in coal FTIR spectra is negatively correlated with the soot conversion rate of tar. During pyrolysis, metal substances in coal can catalyze the dehydrogenation and deoxygenation of tar, reduce the content and stability of the aliphatic compound, and catalyze aromatic ring rupturing. More importantly, gasified metals can inhibit the polymerization reaction of aromatic compounds.
Facial Expressions of Visitors in Forests along the Urbanization Gradient: What Can We Learn from Selfies on Social Networking Services?
Authors: Wei Hongxu , Hauer Richard J. , Chen Xin , He Xingyuan
Published: November 2019

People’s satisfaction towards the experience in forests is one of most important feedbacks that forest park managers need to meet positive visitors’ experiences. Although the drawbacks of questionnaire methodology are obvious for data collection from self-reported scores at the landscape scale, few alternative methods have been proposed. In this study, nine urban forest parks along the urbanization gradients in three capital cities of Northeast China were targeted to investigate their visitors’ selfies from social networking services (SNS) by assessing facial expressions. A total of 935 photos with location records were obtained from the SNS platform of Sina Micro-Blog in a social hot-event of ‘Golden Week Holidays of National Day of China’ of 2017. Images were recognized by FireFace software to assess scores of neutral, happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, disgusted, and contempt expressions. Data were ranked in descending order and analyzed by Friedman’s test, correlation analysis, and Poisson regression. Visitors in downtown-forests showed fewer negative expressions at the most northern city than at the southern most one. The negative expressions tended to be alleviated with the increasing distance of forest parks from downtown. However, when the distance reached over 10 km no geographical effect was found. Female visitors showed positive emotional expressions to urban forests while male visitors showed no response. In conclusion, using data from SNS, this study found an experience in forest park less than 10 km from the downtown of a northern city resulted in female visitors showing the most positive expressions.
Developing Allometric Equations for Teak Plantations Located in the Coastal Region of Ecuador from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data
Authors: Aguilar Fernando J. , Nemmaoui Abderrahim , Peñalver Alberto , Rivas José R. , Aguilar Manuel A.
Published: November 2019

Traditional studies aimed at developing allometric models to estimate dry above-ground biomass (AGB) and other tree-level variables, such as tree stem commercial volume (TSCV) or tree stem volume (TSV), usually involves cutting down the trees. Although this method has low uncertainty, it is quite costly and inefficient since it requires a very time-consuming field work. In order to assist in data collection and processing, remote sensing is allowing the application of non-destructive sampling methods such as that based on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). In this work, TLS-derived point clouds were used to digitally reconstruct the tree stem of a set of teak trees (Tectona grandis Linn. F.) from 58 circular reference plots of 18 m radius belonging to three different plantations located in the Coastal Region of Ecuador. After manually selecting the appropriate trees from the entire sample, semi-automatic data processing was performed to provide measurements of TSCV and TSV, together with estimates of AGB values at tree level. These observed values were used to develop allometric models, based on diameter at breast height (DBH), total tree height (h), or the metric DBH2 × h, by applying a robust regression method to remove likely outliers. Results showed that the developed allometric models performed reasonably well, especially those based on the metric DBH2 × h, providing low bias estimates and relative RMSE values of 21.60% and 16.41% for TSCV and TSV, respectively. Allometric models only based on tree height were derived from replacing DBH by h in the expression DBH2 x h, according to adjusted expressions depending on DBH classes (ranges of DBH). This finding can facilitate the obtaining of variables such as AGB (carbon stock) and commercial volume of wood over teak plantations in the Coastal Region of Ecuador from only knowing the tree height, constituting a promising method to address large-scale teak plantations monitoring from the canopy height models derived from digital aerial stereophotogrammetry.
Forests Growth Monitoring Based on Tree Canopy 3D Reconstruction Using UAV Aerial Photogrammetry
Authors: Zhang Yanchao , Wu Hanxuan , Yang Wen
Published: November 2019

Land cover monitoring is a major task for remote sensing. Compared to traditional methods of forests monitoring which mostly use orthophotography from satellites or aircraft, there is very little research on the use of 3D canopy structure to monitor forest growth. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial could be a novel and feasible platform to generate more timely and high resolution forest 3D canopy images. In spring, the forest is supposed to experience rapid growth. In this research, we used a small UAV to monitor campus forest growth in spring at 2-day intervals. Each time, 140 images were acquired and the ground surface dense point cloud was reconstructed at high precision. Excess Green indexes (ExG) was used to extract the green canopy points. The segmented point cloud was triangulated using the greedy projection triangulation method into a mesh and its area was calculated. Forest canopy growth was analyzed at three levels: forest level, selected group level and individual tree level. A logistic curve was used to fit the time series canopy growth. Strong correlation was found R2 = 0.8517 at forest level, R2 = 0.9652 at selected group level and R2 = 0.9606 at individual tree level. Moreover, high correlation was found between canopies. By observing these results, we can conclude that the ground 3D model can act as a useful data type to monitor forest growth. Moreover UAV aerial remote sensing has advantages when monitoring forests in periods when the ground vegetation is growing and changing fast.
Bubbles, Foam Formation, Stability and Consumer Perception of Carbonated Drinks: A Review of Current, New and Emerging Technologies for Rapid Assessment and Control
Authors: Gonzalez Viejo Claudia , Torrico Damir D. , Dunshea Frank R. , Fuentes Sigfredo
Published: November 2019

Quality control, mainly focused on the assessment of bubble and foam-related parameters, is critical in carbonated beverages, due to their relationship with the chemical components as well as their influence on sensory characteristics such as aroma release, mouthfeel, and perception of tastes and aromas. Consumer assessment and acceptability of carbonated beverages are mainly based on carbonation, foam, and bubbles, as a flat carbonated beverage is usually perceived as low quality. This review focuses on three beverages: beer, sparkling water, and sparkling wine. It explains the characteristics of foam and bubble formation, and the traditional methods, as well as emerging technologies based on robotics and computer vision, to assess bubble and foam-related parameters. Furthermore, it explores the most common methods and the use of advanced techniques using an artificial intelligence approach to assess sensory descriptors both for descriptive analysis and consumers’ acceptability. Emerging technologies, based on the combination of robotics, computer vision, and machine learning as an approach to artificial intelligence, have been developed and applied for the assessment of beer and, to a lesser extent, sparkling wine. This, has the objective of assessing the final products quality using more reliable, accurate, affordable, and less time-consuming methods. However, despite carbonated water being an important product, due to its increasing consumption, more research needs to focus on exploring more efficient, repeatable, and accurate methods to assess carbonation and bubble size, distribution and dynamics.
Effect of Different Yeast Strains and Temperature of Fermentation on Basic Enological Parameters, Polyphenols and Volatile Compounds of Aurore White Wine
Authors: Samoticha Justyna , Wojdyło Aneta , Chmielewska Joanna , Nofer Joanna
Published: November 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the content of phenolics by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography–Photodiode Array (UPLC–PDA), and volatile compounds by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectroscopy (GC–MS), antioxidant capacity by 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS•+) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and color of Comission Internationale de l’Eclairage system (CIE) L*a*b* cv. Aurora white wine depending on fermentation conditions (a temperature of 12 °C vs. 20 °C and type of natural and commercial yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae vs. Saccharomyces bayanus)). The final wine differed in the content of total phenolic compounds (201.0–287.2 mg/L), except for the variants fermented at 20 °C with S. cerevisiae (321.9 and 329.4 mg/L for S. cerevisiae as Challenge Aroma White and SIHA® Cryaroma type, respectively). A decrease in antioxidant activity ranging from 43.3% to 65.4% (ABTS and FRAP assay) in the matured wine vs. must was demonstrated. S. cerevisiae wine was also characterized by the highest content of total volatile compounds (3.7–4.2 mg/L vs. 1.3 mg/L in the must). In general, the wine obtained with S. cerevisiae had higher alcohol content, antioxidant capacity, and was richer in polyphenolic and volatile compounds.
Source of Dietary Fat in Pig Diet Affects Adipose Expression of Genes Related to Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Authors: Oczkowicz Maria , Szmatoła Tomasz , Świątkiewicz Małgorzata
Published: November 2019

It has been known for many years that excessive consumption of saturated fats has proatherogenic properties, contrary to unsaturated fats. However, the molecular mechanism covering these effects is not fully understood. In this paper, we aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using RNA-sequencing, following feeding pigs with different sources of fat. After comparison of adipose samples from three dietary groups (rapeseed oil (n = 6), beef tallow (n = 5), coconut oil (n = 5)), we identified 29 DEGs (adjusted p-value < 0.05, fold change > 1.3) between beef tallow and rapeseed oil and 2 genes between coconut oil and rapeseed oil groups. No differentially expressed genes were observed between coconut oil and beef tallow groups. Almost all 29 DEGs between rapeseed oil and beef tallow groups are connected to neurodegenerative, cardiovascular diseases, or cancer (e.g., PLAU, CYBB, NCF2, ZNF217, CHAC1, CTCFL). Functional analysis of these genes revealed that they are associated with fluid shear stress response, complement and coagulation cascade, ROS signaling, neurogenesis, and regulation of protein binding and protein catabolic processes. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of the whole datasets from all three comparisons suggests that both beef tallow and coconut oil may trigger changes in the expression level of genes crucial in the pathogenesis of civilization diseases.
ORCAE-AOCC: A Centralized Portal for the Annotation of African Orphan Crop Genomes
Authors: Yssel Anna E. J. , Kao Shu-Min , Van de Peer Yves , Sterck Lieven
Published: November 2019

ORCAE (Online Resource for Community Annotation of Eukaryotes) is a public genome annotation curation resource. ORCAE-AOCC is a branch that is dedicated to the genomes published as part of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC). The motivation behind the development of the ORCAE platform was to create a knowledge-based website where the research-community can make contributions to improve genome annotations. All changes to any given gene-model or gene description are stored, and the entire annotation history can be retrieved. Genomes can either be set to “public” or “restricted” mode; anonymous users can browse public genomes but cannot make any changes. Aside from providing a user- friendly interface to view genome annotations, the platform also includes tools and information (such as gene expression evidence) that enables authorized users to edit and validate genome annotations. The ORCAE-AOCC platform will enable various stakeholders from around the world to coordinate their efforts to annotate and study underutilized crops.
Peace with Pirates? Maghrebi Maritime Combat, Diplomacy, and Trade in English Periodical News, 1622–1714
Authors: Cutter Nat
Published: November 2019

Commonly represented in contemporary texts and modern historiographical accounts as a dangerous and alien region, characterised by piracy and barbarism, the history of the early modern Maghreb and the cultural impact it had on British society is one highly limited by indirect sources, cultural, political, and religious biases, and the distorting influence of Orientalist and colonial historiography. Historians have drawn on a wide range of popular media and government-held archival material, each with its own limitations, but one important corpus has been neglected. Drawn from up-to-date and trusted sources and distributed to vast audiences from a wide range of social groups, periodical news publications provide a vast and fruitful body of sources for evaluating popular and elite English viewpoints on Maghrebi piracy. This paper draws upon a corpus of 3385 news items comprising over 360,000 words relating to the Maghreb and its people, drawn from Stuart and Republican English news publications, with a view towards examining the discourse and reality around Maghrebi maritime combat, diplomact and trade in seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England. To what extent did maritime combat dominate coverage of the Maghreb, over other social, political and military events? Why did news writers use the word ‘pirate’ so infrequently to describe Maghrebi ships? Was Maghrebi piracy chaotic and unfettered, or did peace treaties and consular presence lead to stable trade relations? Were Maghrebi economies seen to be fundamentally built on naval predation, or was real benefit available from peaceful engagement with the Maghrebi states? Examining these and other questions from English news coverage, this paper argues that the material in English periodical news is generally consistent with what we know of the military, diplomatic and economic conditions of the time, surprisingly neutral in tone with a possible emphasis on positive stories when dealing with British–Maghrebi relations, and increasingly after the Restoration played a significant role in influencing British popular discourse.