bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Justificación de la violencia política: Propuesta de un modelo teórico social
Authors: Basaure Mauro
Published: July 2020

En este artículo presento un modelo teórico de análisis del fenómeno de la justificación de la violencia política capaz de integrar cuestiones sociológicas y filosóficas, el fenómeno empírico discursivo de ofrecer justificaciones y la evaluación normativa de ellas. Se reconstruye en particular el modo racionalista instrumental de justificación de la violencia política y una serie de críticas inmanentes o internas que se le pueden realizar. Junto con ello se muestran ciertos límites del modelo de la justificación de la violencia política planteado, tematizando posibilidades que exceden el marco mismo de la lógica de la justificación y obtengo ciertas conclusiones de todo ello.
Riemannian Proximal Policy Optimization
Authors: Wang Shijun , Zhu Baocheng , Li Chen , Wu Mingzhe , Zhang James , Chu Wei , Qi Yuan
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we propose a general Riemannian proximal optimization algorithm with guaranteed convergence to solve Markov decision process (MDP) problems. To model policy functions in MDP, we employ Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and formulate it as a non-convex optimization problem in the Riemannian space of positive semidefinite matrices. For two given policy functions, we also provide its lower bound on policy improvement by using bounds derived from the Wasserstein distance of GMMs. Preliminary experiments show the efficacy of our proposed Riemannian proximal policy optimization algorithm.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Sustainable Agriculture Research, Vol. 9, No. 3
Authors: Lee Joan
Published: July 2020

Sustainable Agriculture Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal are greatly appreciated.

Sustainable Agriculture Research is recruiting reviewers for the journal. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, we welcome you to join us. Please contact us for the application form at: sar@ccsenet.org

 

Reviewers for Volume 9, Number 3

Bed Mani Dahal, Kathmandu University, Nepal

Cristina Bianca Pocol, Univ. of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj Napoca, Romania

Daniel L. Mutisya, Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization, Kenya

Entessar Mohammad Al JBawi, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Syria

Gunnar Bengtsson, Sweden

Inder Pal Singh, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU), India

Manuel Teles Oliveira, University Tras os Montes Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal

Mirela Kopjar, University of Osijek, Croatia

Ram Niwas, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, India

Samuel Obae, University of Connecticut, United States

Vishwambhar Prasad Sati, Government KRG Post Graduate College, India
Bruck conjecture and certain solution of some differential equation.
Authors: Ahamed Molla Basir
Published: July 2020

We investigate on the famous Br$ \ddot{u} $ck conjecture further, and improved some of the existing results by extending them up to a differential monomial $ M[f] $ sharing small function with certain power of $ f^{d_M} $ of a meromorphic function. We have found the class of the meromorphic function satisfying the relation $ f^{d_M}\equiv M[f] $. For the generalizing our main results further up to a differential polynomial $ P[f] $, some relevant  questions finally have been posed for further study in this direction.
Optimization of railway transition curves for large circular arc radii
Authors: Woźnica Piotr , Zboiński Krzysztof
Published: July 2020

The current paper concerns the optimization of the shape of railway transition curves (TCs). As transition curves, the authors used the polynomials of 9th and 11th degree. In the optimization of the shape of the TCs, the model of 2-axle rail vehicle was used. The mentioned objective function concerned the normalised value of the integral of the change of lateral acceleration of vehicle body along the route. The authors used large circular arc radii – R=3000 m and 4000 m. The paper presents the results of the optimization - the types of curvatures of the optimum transition curves and the dynamical courses - the displacements and the accelerations both lateral and vertical of the vehicle body mass centres.
Revision of the non-marine centric diatom flora (Bacillariophyta) of the sub-Antarctic Campbell Island (southern Pacific Ocean) with the descriptions of five new species
Authors: Goeyers Charlotte , Van de Vijver Bart
Published: July 2020

During a survey of the moss-inhabiting diatom flora of the sub-Antarctic Campbell Island, located in the southern Pacific Ocean, several unknown centric diatoms were observed that could not be identified using the currently available literature. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopical observations and comparisons with the characters of several species of Melosira, Angusticopula, Ferocia and Arcanodiscus worldwide indicated that five of them should be described as new to science: Angusticopula cosmica Goeyers & Van de Vijver sp. nov., Arcanodiscus crawfordianus Goeyers & Van de Vijver sp. nov., A. indistinctus Goeyers & Van de Vijver sp. nov., A. saundersianus Goeyers & Van de Vijver sp. nov. and Ferocia houkiana Goeyers & Van de Vijver sp. nov. A sixth species, Angusticopula chilensis, was illustrated for the first time using SEM and as a result is considered to differ sufficiently from A. dickiei to warrant epitypification as A. chilensis. The new species were first described in genera that formerly were included within the genus Melosira. All six species are morphologically characterized and compared with similar species within their respective genera. Their presence and distribution on Campbell Island are discussed based on the observations made in the available samples.
Prostitution et droit à l’aide sociale
Authors: Gallié Martin , Côté Martine B.
Published: July 2020

Le présent texte retrace le parcours judiciaire des personnes prostituées et prestataires de l’aide sociale qui « mobilisent le droit » et saisissent le Tribunal administratif du Québec. Il s’appuie sur une analyse des rares jugements rendus par ce dernier à la suite de contestations de réclamations du ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale pour des « prestations reçues sans droit, en raison de revenus non déclarés » provenant de la prostitution. Ces réclamations pouvant se traduire par un encouragement à la prostitution, en violation de la Loi sur la protection des collectivités et des personnes victimes d’exploitation, l’hypothèse défendue ici est qu’elles pourraient être qualifiées, dans de nombreux cas à tout le moins, de traitements ou de peines cruels et inusités, selon l’article 12 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, et être, par conséquent, annulées.
An atlas of cell types in the mouse epididymis and vas deferens
Authors: Rinaldi Vera D , Donnard Elisa , Gellatly Kyle , Rasmussen Morten , Kucukural Alper , Yukselen Onur , Garber Manuel , Sharma Upasna , Rando Oliver J
Published: July 2020

Following testicular spermatogenesis, mammalian sperm continue to mature in a long epithelial tube known as the epididymis, which plays key roles in remodeling sperm protein, lipid, and RNA composition. To understand the roles for the epididymis in reproductive biology, we generated a single-cell atlas of the murine epididymis and vas deferens. We recovered key epithelial cell types including principal cells, clear cells, and basal cells, along with associated support cells that include fibroblasts, smooth muscle, macrophages and other immune cells. Moreover, our data illuminate extensive regional specialization of principal cell populations across the length of the epididymis. In addition to region-specific specialization of principal cells, we find evidence for functionally specialized subpopulations of stromal cells, and, most notably, two distinct populations of clear cells. Our dataset extends on existing knowledge of epididymal biology, and provides a wealth of information on potential regulatory and signaling factors that bear future investigation.
Long non-coding RNAs in regulation of adipogenesis and adipose tissue function
Authors: Squillaro Tiziana , Peluso Gianfranco , Galderisi Umberto , Di Bernardo Giovanni
Published: July 2020

Complex interaction between genetics, epigenetics, environment, and nutrition affect the physiological activities of adipose tissues and their dysfunctions, which lead to several metabolic diseases including obesity or type 2 diabetes. Here, adipogenesis appears to be a process characterized by an intricate network that involves many transcription factors and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that regulate gene expression. LncRNAs are being investigated to determine their contribution to adipose tissue development and function. LncRNAs possess multiple cellular functions, and they regulate chromatin remodeling, along with transcriptional and post-transcriptional events; in this way, they affect gene expression. New investigations have demonstrated the pivotal role of these molecules in modulating white and brown/beige adipogenic tissue development and activity. This review aims to provide an update on the role of lncRNAs in adipogenesis and adipose tissue function to promote identification of new drug targets for treating obesity and related metabolic diseases.
Optimization of rain gauge sampling density for river discharge prediction using Bayesian calibration
Authors: Wadoux Alexandre M.J.-C. , Heuvelink Gerard B.M. , Uijlenhoet Remko , de Bruin Sytze
Published: July 2020

River discharges are often predicted based on a calibrated rainfall-runoff model. The major sources of uncertainty, namely input, parameter and model structural uncertainty must all be taken into account to obtain realistic estimates of the accuracy of discharge predictions. Over the past years, Bayesian calibration has emerged as a suitable method for quantifying uncertainty in model parameters and model structure, where the latter is usually modelled by an additive or multiplicative stochastic term. Recently, much work has also been done to include input uncertainty in the Bayesian framework. However, the use of geostatistical methods for characterizing the prior distribution of the catchment rainfall is underexplored, particularly in combination with assessments of the influence of increasing or decreasing rain gauge network density on discharge prediction accuracy. In this article we integrate geostatistics and Bayesian calibration to analyze the effect of rain gauge density on river discharge prediction accuracy. We calibrated the HBV hydrological model while accounting for input, initial state, model parameter and model structural uncertainty, and also taking uncertainties in the discharge measurements into account. Results for the Thur basin in Switzerland showed that model parameter uncertainty was the main contributor to the joint posterior uncertainty. We also showed that a low rain gauge density is enough for the Bayesian calibration, and that increasing the number of rain gauges improved model prediction until reaching a density of one gauge per 340 km2. While the optimal rain gauge density is case-study specific, we make recommendations on how to handle input uncertainty in Bayesian calibration for river discharge prediction and present the methodology that may be used to carry out such experiments.
Nursing strategies for the prevention of postpartum depression
Authors: Viana Marina Delli Zotti Souza , Fettermann Fernanda Almeida , Bimbatti Mônica
Published: July 2020

Objective: The study’s main purpose has been to identify the strategies used by the registered nurses for the prevention of postpartum depression. Methods: It is an integrative literature review that was performed in the following databases of the Virtual Health Library: the Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) [Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences], Base de Dados de Enfermagem (BDENF) (Nursing Database) using the descriptors: “depressão pós-parto” and “enfermagem”; and in the database named Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), through the following descriptors: “depression postpartum” and “nursing”. Results: The sample consisted of nine studies. The categorization of each work was performed according to their similarities; accordingly, two categories were created for data analysis: User embracement as a strategy for the prevention of postpartum depression; and, The group of pregnant women as an experience-sharing space. Conclusion: Preventing postpartum depression is an easy-to-approach action, with low cost and feasible execution during nurses’ professional practice.
Caregivers’ activities at a long-stay institution for the elderly
Authors: Carvalho Simone Rodrigues , Próspero Yanka Carollaynne Vogado , Silva Ana Paula Pereira , Rocha Francisca Cecília Viana , Almeida Camila Aparecida Pinheiro Landim , Lago Eliana Campêlo
Published: July 2020

Objective: The study’s purpose has been to analyze the activities performed by long-stay institution caregivers. Methods: It is a descriptive research with a qualitative approach, which was performed at a long-stay philanthropic institution for the elderly located in the East of Teresina city, Piauí State. A total of 12 randomly selected elderly caregivers have participated of the study. Data collection took place from February to March 2017 through semi-structured interviews. Results: Based on the thematic analysis, it was possible to underline two categories, as follows: Activities concerning basic human needs; and, The caregivers’ overload due to elderly-related activities. Conclusion: The actions taken do not go beyond the caring activities. Although some caregivers mention doing some plays, dances, and games, those actions are considered unusual, because not everyone does it. There is a setback, because the activities lead such professionals to work overload, mood swings, adaptation difficulties, total dependency, then becoming a barrier to its own execution.
Spatial navigation: Cognitive variables involved in route retracing among an elderly population
Authors: Jacob Christel , Rainville Constant , Trognon Alain , Fescharek Reinhard , Baumann Cédric , Clerc‐Urmes Isabelle , Rivasseau Jonveaux Thérèse
Published: July 2020

The cognitive processes involved in route retracing are not well known. This study aims to highlight them in an elderly population in which contradictory results have been obtained, certain studies showing specific difficulties for route retracing, others not. Thirty‐nine elderly subjects performed a route‐learning task (forward‐backward) in a garden, then completed spatial knowledge tasks and standardised cognitive tests. Results show four factors that were predictive of route retracing performance: route repetition, the pointing task, and two standardised cognitive tests, one assessing spatial working memory, and another global cognitive efficiency. According to these results, route retracing involves route and survey knowledge (i.e., egocentric and allocentric strategy), and the integration of forward‐backward perspectives is underpinned by the spatial working memory. Moreover, the subjects did not make more errors in route retracing than in the route repetition task, suggesting that a real environment could compensate for a failing allocentric strategy.
Machine Learning‐Assisted Evaluation of Circulating DNA Quantitative Analysis for Cancer Screening
Authors: Tanos Rita , Tosato Guillaume , Otandault Amaelle , Al Amir Dache Zahra , Pique Lasorsa Laurence , Tousch Geoffroy , El Messaoudi Safia , Meddeb Romain , Diab Assaf Mona , Ychou Marc , Du Manoir Stanislas , Pezet Denis , Gagnière Johan , Colombo Pierre‐Emmanuel , Jacot William , Assénat Eric , Dupuy Marie , Adenis Antoine , Mazard Thibault , Mollevi Caroline , Sayagués José María , Colinge Jacques , Thierry Alain R.
Published: July 2020

While the utility of circulating cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) in cancer screening and early detection have recently been investigated by testing genetic and epigenetic alterations, here, an original approach by examining cfDNA quantitative and structural features is developed. First, the potential of cfDNA quantitative and structural parameters is independently demonstrated in cell culture, murine, and human plasma models. Subsequently, these variables are evaluated in a large retrospective cohort of 289 healthy individuals and 983 patients with various cancer types; after age resampling, this evaluation is done independently and the variables are combined using a machine learning approach. Implementation of a decision tree prediction model for the detection and classification of healthy and cancer patients shows unprecedented performance for 0, I, and II colorectal cancer stages (specificity, 0.89 and sensitivity, 0.72). Consequently, the methodological proof of concept of using both quantitative and structural biomarkers, and classification with a machine learning method are highlighted, as an efficient strategy for cancer screening. It is foreseen that the classification rate may even be improved by the addition of such biomarkers to fragmentomics, methylation, or the detection of genetic alterations. The optimization of such a multianalyte strategy with this machine learning method is therefore warranted.
Stiffness of HIV‐1 Mimicking Polymer Nanoparticles Modulates Ganglioside‐Mediated Cellular Uptake and Trafficking
Authors: Eshaghi Behnaz , Alsharif Nourin , An Xingda , Akiyama Hisashi , Brown Keith A. , Gummuluru Suryaram , Reinhard Björn M.
Published: July 2020

The monosialodihexosylganglioside, GM3, and its binding to CD169 (Siglec‐1) have been indicated as key factors in the glycoprotein‐independent sequestration of the human immunodeficiency virus‐1 (HIV‐1) in virus‐containing compartments (VCCs) in myeloid cells. Here, lipid‐wrapped polymer nanoparticles (NPs) are applied as a virus‐mimicking model to characterize the effect of core stiffness on NP uptake and intracellular fate triggered by GM3‐CD169 binding in macrophages. GM3‐functionalized lipid‐wrapped NPs are assembled with poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid (PLGA) as well as with low and high molecular weight polylactic acid (PLAlMW and PLAhMW) cores. The NPs have an average diameter of 146 ± 17 nm and comparable surface properties defined by the self‐assembled lipid layer. Due to differences in the glass transition temperature, the Young's modulus (E) differs substantially under physiological conditions between PLGA (EPLGA = 60 ± 32 MPa), PLAlMW (EPLAlMW = 86 ± 25 MPa), and PLAhMW (EPLAhMW = 1.41 ± 0.67 GPa) NPs. Only the stiff GM3‐presenting PLAhMW NPs but not the softer PLGA or PLAlMW NPs avoid a lysosomal pathway and localize in tetraspanin (CD9)‐positive compartments that resemble VCCs. These observations suggest that GM3‐CD169‐induced sequestration of NPs in nonlysosomal compartments is not entirely determined by ligand–receptor interactions but also depends on core stiffness.
Understanding the Capacity Fading Mechanisms of O3‐Type Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 Cathode for Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Yu Tae‐Yeon , Ryu Hoon‐Hee , Han Geumjae , Sun Yang‐Kook
Published: July 2020

A spherical O3‐type Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathode, composed of compactly‐packed nanosized primary particles, is synthesized by the coprecipitation method to examine its capacity fading mechanism. The electrochemical performance cycled at different upper cut‐off voltages demonstrate that the P3′ to O3′ phase transition above 3.6 V is primarily responsible for the loss of the structural stability of the O3‐type Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathode. The capacity retention is greatly improved by avoiding the P3′ to O3′ phase transition, and 94.2% and 90.7% of the initial capacities (108.9 mAh g−1 at 3.35 V and 125.4 mAh g−1 at 3.58 V) are retained after 100 cycles. During cycling at 4.0 V, rapid capacity fading (75.5% of 147.5 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles) is observed. The poor Na+ ion intercalation stability is directly attributed to the extent of microcracks caused by the abrupt change in the lattice structure. Microcracks traversing the entire secondary particle compromise the mechanical integrity of the cathode and accelerate electrolyte infiltration into the particle interior, causing the subsequent degradation of the exposed internal surfaces. Thus, suppressing microcracks in secondary particles is one of the key challenges for improving the cycling stability of hierarchical structured O3‐type Na[Ni0.5Mn0.5]O2 cathodes.
Quantification of the Magnetic Anisotropy of a Single‐Molecule Magnet from the Experimental Electron Density
Authors: Damgaard‐Møller Emil , Krause Lennard , Tolborg Kasper , Macetti Giovanni , Genoni Alessandro , Overgaard Jacob
Published: July 2020

Reported here is an entirely new application of experimental electron density (EED) in the study of magnetic anisotropy of single‐molecule magnets (SMMs). Among those SMMs based on one single transition metal, tetrahedral CoII‐complexes are prominent, and their large zero‐field splitting arises exclusively from coupling between the d
and dxy orbitals. Using very low temperature single‐crystal synchrotron X‐ray diffraction data, an accurate electron density (ED) was obtained for a prototypical SMM, and the experimental d‐orbital populations were used to quantify the dxy‐d
coupling, which simultaneously provides the composition of the ground‐state Kramers doublet wave function. Based on this experimentally determined wave function, an energy barrier for magnetic relaxation in the range 193–268 cm−1 was calculated, and is in full accordance with the previously published value of 230 cm−1 obtained from near‐infrared spectroscopy. These results provide the first clear and direct link between ED and molecular magnetic properties.
Synthesis and EMI shielding studies of polyaniline grafted conducting nanohybrid
Authors: Raza Asif , Nasir Amara , Tahir Mehwish , Taimur Shaista , Yasin Tariq , Nadeem Muhammad
Published: July 2020

Polyaniline (PANI) grafted conducting nanohybrids are successfully synthesized by emulsion graft polymerization. Maximum grafting of 644% is obtained on sepiolite at optimized concentrations and reaction conditions. The Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectra of sepiolite grafted polyaniline (MS‐g‐PANI) nanohybrid revealed the presence of stretching vibrations of C=C bonds of polyaniline at 1580 and 1490 cm−1 along with the characteristic peaks of sepiolite. Increased thermal stability of the nanohybrid is observed with the increase in polyaniline grafting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to study the structural changes caused by grafting. A progressive increase in electrical conductivity is observed with the increase in grafting yield. Maximum electrical conductivity of 0.427 Scm−1 is observed in the nanohybrid having 644% grafting. 24.2 dB (>99% attenuation) EMI shielding effectiveness has been exhibited by the developed nanohybrids in X‐band frequency range.
To Freire or not to Freire: Educational freedom and the populist right‐wing ‘Escola sem Partido’ movement in Brazil
Authors: Knijnik Jorge
Published: July 2020

This article addresses key topics of academic freedom and critical pedagogy during a time of right‐wing populist politics. The rise of the far‐right politician Jair Bolsonaro to Brazil’s presidency in 2019 was accompanied by a vow to eradicate any vestige of the ideas of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire from the country’s schools. Bolsonaro’s campaign was supported by ultra‐conservative groups that have as their core mission a traditional Christian and anti‐Communist educational agenda. At the forefront of these groups is the influential and conspicuous ‘Escola sem Partido’ (ESP) movement that has forcefully campaigned against Freire’s critical pedagogy across the country and promoted physical and online abuse of teachers since 2014. This article asks how Freire’s philosophies can be an ally in the struggle for democratic education in the current political climate in Brazil. It employs a method of dialogical narrative to bring Freire’s theories and critical methodology to life and test their potency against the ESP educational philosophies. It initially employs Freire’s core ideas to examine the ESP policies and parliamentary bills. In the second part, it analyses documents and online content produced by civil society resistance to ESP pressures. The findings show the vitality of Freire’s pedagogical philosophy to empower oppressed communities in their demands for quality education. The narrative concludes by demonstrating the vital role of the critical consciousness process and of Freire’s pedagogy of freedom to support ongoing struggles by teachers and communities to block ESP attempts to abolish critical thinking in Brazilian public education.
Effects of social and nonsocial reward on executive function in preschoolers
Authors: Lertladaluck Kanda , Chutabhakdikul Nuanchan , Chevalier Nicolas , Moriguchi Yusuke
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Executive function, a set of higher order cognitive skills underlying goal‐directed behaviors, develops rapidly during preschool years. Reward increases executive function engagement in adolescents and adults. However, there is still a scarcity of data on how reward affects executive function in young children. The present study examines whether different incentive types contribute differently to executive function performance and neural activity in children.

Methods

Twenty‐five preschoolers of 5–6 years old were provided an incentive Go/No‐go task, comparing social, nonsocial, and nonreward conditions. Activations in the prefrontal regions during the tasks were measured using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy.

Results

The results revealed that social reward enhanced right prefrontal activations in young children. In contrast to adult literature, younger children did not show any significant differences in executive function performance across conditions.

Conclusion

This study expands our understanding of motivation and EF engagement in preschoolers. Specifically, social reward enhanced prefrontal activations in young children. The implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Anatomical relationship between the accessory process of the lumbar spine and the pedicle screw entry point
Authors: Kanawati Andrew J. , Fernandes Renan J. R. , Gee Aaron , Urquhart Jennifer , Rasoulinejad Parham , S. Bailey Chris
Published: July 2020

Introduction

The vertebra accessory process (or tubercle) of the lumbar spine is an understated landmark which lies caudal to the mammillary process at the base of the transverse process. To our knowledge, no studies compare its relation to pedicle entry point for screw placement. We proposed to evaluate whether a valid and reliable relationship exists between the accessory process and the projected pedicle axis.

Material and Methods

The distance between the tip of the accessory process and the entry point of the pedicle screw was measured for 50 pedicles. The angle between this axis and the midline was measured. Interrater reliability was assessed intraclass correlation coefficient for two raters. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using SPSS.

Results

The mean distance between the tip of accessory process and pedicle screw entry point was 6.58 mm (SD ±2.05), and the mean angle between this axis and the midline was 29.4° medial (SD ±10.08). The ICC for the two raters for the mean distance and the mean angle was 0.974 and 0.894. The calculated mean distance between the tip of the accessory process and pedicle screw entry point was 3.2 mm (SD ±1.3) and 5.7 mm (SD ±1.9) medial and cranial respectively.

Conclusions

The accessory process is a consistent and reliable landmark to guide pedicle screw entry point, and compliments other screw insertion techniques. To our knowledge, this is the first study in the published literature to assess this relationship.
Clinical risk model for predicting 1‐year mortality after transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Yamamoto Masanori , Otsuka Toshiaki , Shimura Tetsuro , Yamaguchi Ryo , Adachi Yuya , Kagase Ai , Tokuda Takahiro , Yashima Fumiaki , Watanabe Yusuke , Tada Norio , Naganuma Toru , Araki Motoharu , Yamanaka Futoshi , Mizutani Kazuki , Tabata Minoru , Watanabe Shun , Sato Yasunori , Ueno Hiroshi , Takagi Kensuke , Higashimori Akihiro , Shirai Shinichi , Hayashida Kentaro
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Estimating 1‐year life expectancy is an essential factor when evaluating appropriate indicators for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Background

It is clinically useful in developing a reliable risk model for predicting 1‐year mortality after TAVR.

Methods

We evaluated 2,588 patients who underwent TAVR using data from the Optimized CathEter vAlvular iNtervention (OCEAN) Japanese multicenter registry from October 2013 to May 2017. The 1‐year clinical follow‐up was achieved by 99.5% of the entire population (n = 2,575). Patients were randomly divided into two cohorts: the derivation cohort (n = 1,931, 75% of the study population) and the validation cohort (n = 644). Considerable clinical variables including individual patient's comorbidities and frailty markers were used for predicting 1‐year mortality following TAVR.

Results

In the derivation cohort, a multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that sex, body mass index, Clinical Frailty Scale, atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, prior cardiac surgery, serum albumin, renal function as estimated glomerular filtration rate, and presence of pulmonary disease were independent predictors of 1‐year mortality after TAVR. Using these variables, a risk prediction model was constructed to estimate the 1‐year risk of mortality after TAVR. In the validation cohort, the risk prediction model revealed high discrimination ability and acceptable calibration with area under the curve of 0.763 (95% confidence interval, 0.728–0.795, p < .001) in the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and a Hosmer–Lemeshow χ2 statistic of 5.96 (p = .65).

Conclusions

This risk prediction model for 1‐year mortality may be a reliable tool for risk stratification and identification of adequate candidates in patients undergoing TAVR.
Artificial Neural Networks for Aging Simulation of Electrolysis Stacks
Authors: Bahr Matthias , Gusak Andreas , Stypka Sebastian , Oberschachtsiek Bernd
Published: July 2020

This work shows the application of artificial neural networks in terms of modeling and simulating the aging process and the degradation of proton exchange membrane water electrolysis stacks. It includes the training process based on extracted measurement data, the evaluation, and the extrapolation of the network. The fundamentals of the utilized artificial neural network and the training algorithm are clarified. Next, the principle degradation effects are presented as well as the methodology of the underlying measurements. The resulting degradation of the electrolysis stack for different operation conditions is shown.
Interlayer Doping in Layered Vanadium Oxides for Low‐cost Energy Storage: Sodium‐ion Batteries and Aqueous Zinc‐ion Batteries
Authors: Liu Zhexuan , Sun Hemeng , Qin Liping , Cao Xinxin , Zhou Jiang , Pan Anqiang , Fang Guozhao , Liang Shuquan
Published: July 2020

Advantages concerns about abundant resources, low cost and high safety have promoted sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) and aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) as the most promising candidates for next generation of low‐cost large‐scale energy storage. However, the state‐of‐the‐art cathode materials are far from meeting the commercial requirements. Considering the unique open framework, layered vanadium oxides have attracted wide attention due to the high energy density and power density, while they also face critical issues such as low stability and sluggish diffusion kinetics. The interlayer doping defects, as the most common method modulating layered materials, are believed to solve these problems which will be highlighted in this review. Firstly, the characteristics and current states of various vanadium oxides in SIBs and AZIBs are summarized. Then, the research efforts related to different types of interlayer doping defects, including ionic, molecular doping, etc., are discussed. Finally, it is pointed out that it is not enough to merely achieve satisfactory performances. Hence, some perspectives about the deep understanding and interrelationship are provided for the subsequent rational design of defective layered vanadium oxides for low‐cost energy storage systems.
A non‐cooperative game model for reliability‐based task scheduling in cloud computing
Authors: Li Kai , Wang Yong , Liu Meilin
Published: July 2020

Cloud computing is a newly emerging distributed system. Task scheduling is the core research of cloud computing which studies how to allocate the tasks among the physical nodes, so that the tasks can get a balanced allocation or each task's execution cost decreases to the minimum, or the overall system performance is optimal. Unlike task scheduling based on time or cost before, aiming at the special reliability requirements in cloud computing, we propose a non‐cooperative game model for reliability‐based task scheduling approach. This model takes the steady‐state availability that computing nodes provide as the target, takes the task slicing strategy of the schedulers as the game strategy, then finds the Nash equilibrium solution. We also design a task scheduling algorithm based on this model. It can be seen from the experiments that our task scheduling algorithm is better than the so‐called balanced scheduling algorithm.
Comparative performance analysis of cooperative and multi dual‐hop relay networks using MGF approach
Authors: Asshad Muhammad , Kavak Adnan , Küçük Kerem , Ahmad Khan Sajjad
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we analyzed and compared the performance of cooperative diversity systems such as cooperative and multi dual‐hop networks with non‐regenerative relay nodes. The contributions of this study are twofolds. Firstly, analytical expressions of outage probability Pout and average symbol error rate ASER are derived using moment generating function (MGF) analysis of the received SNR with the assumption that the channel experiences Weibull fading and the best relay selection is used. Then, using the analytical results, comparative performance evaluation of cooperative and multi dual‐hop relay networks is done for varying number of relay nodes and different receive diversity schemes such as maximal ratio combining (MRC) and selection combining (SC). The results show that the cooperative relay network has better performance than a multi dual‐hop relay network in terms of Pout and ASER. The results also show that the multi dual‐hop network can achieve the same performance as the cooperative network with the requirement that it needs the deployment of three times more relay nodes.
ElectroBlocks: A blockchain‐based energy trading scheme for smart grid systems
Authors: Tanwar Sudeep , Kaneriya Shriya , Kumar Neeraj , Zeadally Sherali
Published: July 2020

Smart grid systems are widely used across the world for providing demand response management between users and service providers. In most of the energy distributions scenarios, the traditional grid systems use the centralized architecture, which results in large transmission losses and high overheads during power generation. Moreover, owing to the presence of intruders or attackers, there may be a mismatch between demand and supply between utility centers (suppliers) and end users. Thus, there is a need for an automated energy exchange to provide secure and reliable energy trading between users and suppliers. We found, from the existing literature, that blockchain can be an effective solution to handle the aforementioned issues. Motivated by these facts, we propose a blockchain‐based smart energy trading scheme, ElectroBlocks, which provides efficient mechanisms for secure energy exchanges between users and service providers. In ElectroBlocks, nodes in the network validate the transaction using two algorithms that are cost aware and store aware. The cost‐aware algorithm locates the nearest node that can supply the energy, whereas the store‐aware algorithm ensures that the energy requests go to the node with the lowest storage space. We evaluated the performance of the ElectroBlocks using performance metrics such as mining delay, network exchanges, and storage energy. The simulation results obtained demonstrate that ElectroBlocks maintains a secure trade‐off between users and service providers when using the proposed cost‐aware and store‐aware algorithms.
Irrigation control system‐data gathering in WSN using IOT
Authors: Kumar Kurakula Arun , Jayaraman Karthikeyan
Published: July 2020

Agriculture plays an important role in the growth of agriculture nation like India. The main source of water is essential for agriculture. The irrigation process supplies water, but sometimes the wastage of water may occur. For this reason, the irrigation control scheme in wireless sensor network (WSN) using Internet of things (IoT) is developed to save water and time. This paper presents an ANFIS‐PEGASIS: Irrigation control system‐data gathering in WSN using IoT. The process of the fuzzy inference system (FIS) is utilized for an optimum cluster head (CH) selection that depends on the distance and residual energy. After that, the power‐efficient gathering in sensor information system (PEGASIS) is used for the data collecting process in irrigation structure. PEGASIS is to make a chain between the sensor nodes (SNs), and every node communicates to the CH, and it's transferring the data to the base station (BS). Finally, the decision‐making process can be implemented by adaptive neuro‐FIS (ANFIS) for the automated irrigation process. ANFIS is a useful tool for the decision‐making process. Here, based on the information delivered by the sensors, the decisions are generated using ANFIS for the irrigation system. In the system, the various sensors like humidity, temperature, light intensity, and soil moisture are utilized to sense the different parameters of soil. Based on the value of soil moisture, the land becomes automatically irrigated by ON/OFF, the lamp, and the water pump. The simulation outcomes show that the developed (ANFIS‐PEGASIS) technique outperforms other recent approaches.
Trends in cause‐specific readmissions in heart failure with preserved vs. reduced and mid‐range ejection fraction
Authors: Cui Xiaotong , Thunström Erik , Dahlström Ulf , Zhou Jingmin , Ge Junbo , Fu Michael
Published: July 2020

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the readmission of heart failure (HF) patients has decreased over time and how it differs among HF with preserved ejection fraction (EF) (HFpEF) vs. reduced EF (HFrEF) and mid‐range EF (HFmrEF).

Methods and results

We evaluated HF patients index hospitalized from January 2004 to December 2011 in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry with 1 year follow‐up. Outcome measures were the first occurring all‐cause, cardiovascular (CV), and HF readmissions. A total of 20 877 HF patients (11 064 HFrEF, 4215 HFmrEF, and 5562 HFpEF) were included in the study. All‐cause readmission was the highest in patients with HFpEF, whereas CV and HF readmissions were the highest in HFrEF. From 2004 to 2011, HF readmission rates within 6 months (from 22.3% to 17.3%, P = 0.003) and 1 year (from 27.7% to 23.4%, P = 0.019) in HFpEF declined, and the risk for 1 year HF readmission in HFpEF was reduced by 7% after adjusting for age and sex (P = 0.022). Likewise, risk factors for HF readmission in HFpEF changed. However, no significant changes were observed in all‐cause or CV readmission rates in HFpEF, and no significant changes in cause‐specific readmissions were observed in HFrEF. Time to the first readmission did not change significantly from 2004 to 2011, regardless of EF subgroup (all P‐values > 0.05).

Conclusions

Declining temporal trend in HF readmission rates was found in HFpEF, but all‐cause readmission still remained the highest in HFpEF vs. HFrEF and HFmrEF. More efforts are needed to reduce the non‐HF‐related readmission in patients with HFpEF.
Progress toward the Isolation of Late Metal Terminal Sulfides
Authors: Baeza Cinco Miguel Á. , Hayton Trevor W.
Published: July 2020

This Minireview examines the synthesis and characterization of late metal (i.e., groups 8–12) terminal sulfides, along with a discussion of their electronic structures. We discuss both examples where a terminal sulfide was isolated, as well as those examples where a terminal sulfide was invoked as an unobserved intermediate. Additionally, where appropriate, we contextualize our discussion by comparisons to either early metal sulfide chemistry or metal sulfide cluster chemistry. Finally, we describe several possible avenues for future investigation. Late metal terminal sulfides are exceptionally rare – only a handful examples have been isolated – and those examples are either stabilized by hydrogen‐bonding or dative interactions to alkali metals. It is our hope that this Minireview will spur further developments in this exciting, but underexplored field.
Electrochemical Evaluation of Titanium (IV) Oxide/Polyacrylonitrile Electrospun Discharged Battery Coals as Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Aslan Sema , Bal Altuntaş Derya , Koçak Çağdaş , Kara Subaşat Hülya
Published: July 2020

The TiO2 nanoparticles are electrospun with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer solution onto the discharged battery coal (DBC) electrode and the results are evaluated as a supercapacitor. The morphology and chemical composition of the synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles and PAN+TiO2 nanocomposite fibers were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry and FTIR analysis. Supercapacitor measurements and electrochemical characterizations of the electrodes examined by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochemical measurements showed that the best current value was obtained from PAN and TiO2 coated DBC. The performances of both PAN and PAN+TiO2 coated DBC electrodes were investigated as supercapacitors. PAN+TiO2/DBC showed the best specific capacitance value of 156.00 F g−1 and PAN/DBC showed 74.93 F g−1. In addition, PAN+TiO2/DBC exhibited reliable stability performance over 2000.00 cycles.
Aging‐Optimized Fast Charging of Lithium Ion Cells Based on Three‐Electrode Cell Measurements
Authors: Epding Bernd , Rumberg Björn , Mense Maximilian , Jahnke Hannes , Kwade Arno
Published: July 2020

Fast charging is thought to be the key to enable long‐distance battery electric mobility and widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles. Herein, optimized 28 mAh three‐electrode cells with lithium titanium oxide coated aluminum meshes as reference electrodes are used to analyze their charging performance potential. Lithium plating only occurs if the anode potential falls below 0 V versus Li/Li+, which has to be avoided during charging. Thus, current multistep protocols are derived to allow fast charging of the three‐electrode cells without significantly increased aging for 300 cycles when compared to 1 C constant current–constant voltage charging. In contrast, it is shown that charging with an average current to the same state of charge in the same time is much more harmful. This average current exceeds the current limits at high states of charge as determined by the three‐electrode measurements. Consequently, postmortem scanning electron microscopy images indicate the occurrence of lithium plating. After 300 aging cycles using the multistep or 1 C reference charging, the three‐electrode cells show a surprising charging performance increase which is linked to reduced overpotentials at the anode. The results demonstrate the suitability of this three‐electrode cell design to determine aging‐optimized fast charging current profiles.
Children and adolescents with eating disorders during COVID‐19 confinement: Difficulties and future challenges
Authors: Graell Montserrat , Morón‐Nozaleda M. Goretti , Camarneiro Ricardo , Villaseñor Ángel , Yáñez Silvia , Muñoz Rudiger , Martínez‐Núñez Beatriz , Miguélez‐Fernández Carolina , Muñoz María , Faya Mar
Published: July 2020

Objective

To present the adaptations to treatment protocols made in a child and adolescent eating disorders (ED) unit during the eight‐week confinement period mandated in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic and examine clinical and treatment variables in the outpatient, day hospital, and inpatient care programs.

Method

Description of the implementation of a combined teletherapy program for outpatient and day‐hospital patients and the adaptations made to the inpatient protocol. Retrospective review of medical records and analysis of general and specific variables related to the pandemic and confinement.

Results

We held 1,329 (73.10%) telehealth consultations and 489 (26.9%) face‐to‐face outpatient visits with 365 patients undergoing treatment in the outpatient clinic or day hospital. Twenty‐eight (7.67%) were initial evaluations. Twenty‐two patients were newly admitted and 68 ED‐related emergencies were attended. Almost half of the children and adolescents studied experienced reactivation of ED symptoms despite treatment, and severe patients (25%) presented self‐harm and suicide risk.

Conclusions

The implementation of a combined teletherapy program has enabled continuity of care during confinement for children and adolescents with ED. Delivery of treatment to adolescents in the day hospital program posed the biggest challenge due to their greater degrees of severity and higher hospitalization rates. An adapted inpatient program should be maintained throughout confinement, as the need for hospitalization of children and adolescents with ED does not decrease with lockdown.
Experimental and numerical investigations of proppant pack effect on fracture conductivity of channel fracturing
Authors: Guo Jianchun , Yang Ruoyu , Zhang Tao , Lu Qianli , Mu Kefan
Published: July 2020

Channel fracturing technology has been previously applied in the field; however, there are few studies on the shape and distribution pattern of the proppant pack and its effects on fracture conductivity. In this study, the shape and distribution of proppant packs in the channel fracturing process were studied by plate fracture experiments. Subsequently, proppant distribution geometry models were obtained based on a quantitative analysis of the experimental results. A conductivity calculation model was derived by the lattice Boltzmann method in order to investigate the proppant pack effect on fracture conductivity and optimize the distribution. Experimental results demonstrated that the shape and distribution of proppant packs were mainly controlled by the injection rate and pulse time, and four typical distribution types in the fracture were identified. Simulation results indicated that the flow resistance increased dramatically as the pillar‐fracture ratio (PFR) increased. However, fracture conductivity was also strongly related to the fracture width under closure pressure, in that the average width of the fracture decreased or closed completely as the PFR decreased. Under the same PFR at 50%, fracture conductivity was dominated by the distribution type, and the streamlined proppant packs yielded the highest conductivity. Finally, corresponding laboratory parameters intended for generating the streamlined packs were converted to field application, thereby proposing recommended pumping rates for different fracture heights and fracture widths.