bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapid, Affordable and Efficient Screening of Multiple Blood Abnormalities Made Possible Using an Automated Tool for MALDI-ToF Spectrometry Analysis
Authors: Pais Ricardo J. , Jardine Christian , Zmuidinaite Raminta , Lacey Jonathan , Butler Steve , Iles Ray
Published: November 2019

Screening programs for genetic and metabolic diseases such as haemoglobinopathies, thalassemias and diabetes are a worldwide problem that faces economic and technological limitations. This is mainly because genetic and metabolic tests are too expensive and time consuming to be implemented. MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry is a rapid and affordable high throughput technique with diagnostic potential for these diseases but still constrained by the timing and complexity of data analysis. To overcome this technological limitation, we developed a fully automated software solution in our MALDI-ToF instrument towards the detection of haemoglobinopathies, thalassemias and diabetes on one blood card sample. The software was tested for its efficiency and accuracy on 171 blood samples rendering 30-fold faster analysis with less bias and rounding errors in comparison with the manual approach. In this study, we identified the variability associated with the disease biomarkers in healthy individuals and successfully applied predictive models to detect blood abnormalities. Taken together, we demonstrated in this study that population screening of multiple blood disorders is made possible using MALDI-ToF technology in combination with automated software tools.
A Hybrid Mapping Method with Position and Stiffness for Manipulator Teleoperation
Authors: Jiang Zainan , Ni Fenglei , Yang Dapeng , Li Chongyang , Yang Fan , Liu Hong
Published: November 2019

Transferring versatile skills of human behavior to teleoperate manipulators to execute tasks with large uncertainties is challenging in robotics. This paper proposes a hybrid mapping method with position and stiffness for manipulator teleoperation through the exoskeleton device combining with the surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors. Firstly, according to the redefinition of robot workspace, the fixed scale mapping in free space and virtual impedance mapping in fine space are presented for position teleoperation. Secondly, the stiffness at the human arm endpoint is predicted and classified into three levels based on the K nearest neighbor (KNN) and XGBoost, and the stiffness mapping method is utilized to regulate the stiffness behavior of manipulator. Finally, the proposed method is demonstrated in three complementary experiments, namely the trajectory tracking in free space, the obstacle avoidance in fine space and the human robot interaction in contact space, which illustrate the effectiveness of the method.
Investigation on Single Tube CFST Arch Models by Modeling Structural Stressing State Based on NSF Method
Authors: Yang Kangkang , Wang Wei , Shi Jun , Sun Guorui , Zheng Kaikai , Zhang Mingyue
Published: November 2019

This paper investigated the behavioral characteristics of two single tube concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) arch models under different loads. Applying the numerical shape function (NSF) method, the limited strain data of arch models were interpolated to obtain more detailed strain information at unmeasured points. By numerically modeling and characterizing the structural stressing state of arches, these interpolated strains were calculated as the normalized strain energy density (SED) sum to plot the corresponding characteristic curves. Utilizing the Mann-Kendall (M-K) criterion, the qualitative characteristic load was detected from the curve and was referred to as the failure load, updating the existing definition of structural failure. Then, from the perspective of experimental strains, strain/stress fields, and stressing state submodes of internal forces obtained based on the NSF method, the working behavioral characteristics of each respective CFST arch model under loads were embodied in detail. The mutation features were distinguished from the development trend of strain/stress fields or distribution patterns of internal forces to verify the rationality of the updated failure load. Consequently, the NSF method can have a reasonable interpolation on the limited experimental data. By modeling structural stressing state, it can conduct an accurate estimation of the structural failure load and provide a reference for the future design of arch bridges.
Projecting the Most Likely Annual Urban Heat Extremes in the Central United States
Authors: Jahn David E. , Gallus William A. , Nguyen Phong T. T. , Pan Qiyun , Cetin Kristen , Byon Eunshin , Manuel Lance , Zhou Yuyu , Jahani Elham
Published: November 2019

Climate studies based on global climate models (GCMs) project a steady increase in annual average temperature and severe heat extremes in central North America during the mid-century and beyond. However, the agreement of observed trends with climate model trends varies substantially across the region. The present study focuses on two different locations: Des Moines, IA and Austin, TX. In Des Moines, annual extreme temperatures have not increased over the past three decades unlike the trend of regionally-downscaled GCM data for the Midwest, likely due to a “warming hole” over the area linked to agricultural factors. This warming hole effect is not evident for Austin over the same time period, where extreme temperatures have been higher than projected by regionally-downscaled climate (RDC) forecasts. In consideration of the deviation of such RDC extreme temperature forecasts from observations, this study statistically analyzes RDC data in conjunction with observational data to define for these two cities a 95% prediction interval of heat extreme values by 2040. The statistical model is constructed using a linear combination of RDC ensemble-member annual extreme temperature forecasts with regression coefficients for individual forecasts estimated by optimizing model results against observations over a 52-year training period.
Element Abundances of Solar Energetic Particles and the Photosphere, the Corona, and the Solar Wind
Authors: Reames Donald V.
Published: November 2019

From a turbulent history, the study of the abundances of elements in solar energetic particles (SEPs) has grown into an extensive field that probes the solar corona and physical processes of SEP acceleration and transport. Underlying SEPs are the abundances of the solar corona, which differ from photospheric abundances as a function of the first ionization potentials (FIPs) of the elements. The FIP-dependence of SEPs also differs from that of the solar wind; each has a different magnetic environment, where low-FIP ions and high-FIP neutral atoms rise toward the corona. Two major sources generate SEPs: The small “impulsive” SEP events are associated with magnetic reconnection in solar jets that produce 1000-fold enhancements from H to Pb as a function of mass-to-charge ratio A/Q, and also 1000-fold enhancements in 3He/4He that are produced by resonant wave-particle interactions. In large “gradual” events, SEPs are accelerated at shock waves that are driven out from the Sun by wide, fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A/Q dependence of ion transport allows us to estimate Q and hence the source plasma temperature T. Weaker shock waves favor the reacceleration of suprathermal ions accumulated from earlier impulsive SEP events, along with protons from the ambient plasma. In strong shocks, the ambient plasma dominates. Ions from impulsive sources have T ≈ 3 MK; those from ambient coronal plasma have T = 1 – 2 MK. These FIP- and A/Q-dependences explore complex new interactions in the corona and in SEP sources.
Genomic, Transcriptomic and Enzymatic Insight into Lignocellulolytic System of a Plant Pathogen Dickeya sp. WS52 to Digest Sweet Pepper and Tomato Stalk
Authors: Yang Ying-Jie , Lin Wei , Singh Raghvendra Pratap , Xu Qian , Chen Zhihou , Yuan Yuan , Zou Ping , Li Yiqiang , Zhang Chengsheng
Published: November 2019

Dickeya sp., a plant pathogen, causing soft rot with strong pectin degradation capacity was taken for the comprehensive analysis of its corresponding biomass degradative system, which has not been analyzed yet. Whole genome sequence analysis of the isolated soft-rotten plant pathogen Dickeya sp. WS52, revealed various coding genes which involved in vegetable stalk degradation-related properties. A total of 122 genes were found to be encoded for putative carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) in Dickeya sp. WS52. The number of pectin degradation-related genes, was higher than that of cellulolytic bacteria as well as other Dickeya spp. strains. The CAZy in Dickeya sp.WS52 contains a complete repertoire of enzymes required for hemicellulose degradation, especially pectinases. In addition, WS52 strain possessed plenty of genes encoding potential ligninolytic relevant enzymes, such as multicopper oxidase, catalase/hydroperoxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and quinone oxidoreductase. Transcriptome analysis revealed that parts of genes encoding lignocellulolytic enzymes were significantly upregulated in the presence of minimal salt medium with vegetable stalks. However, most of the genes were related to lignocellulolytic enzymes, especially pectate lyases and were downregulated due to the slow growth and downregulated secretion systems. The assay of lignocellulolytic enzymes including CMCase and pectinase activities were identified to be more active in vegetable stalk relative to MSM + glucose. However, compared with nutrient LB medium, it needed sufficient nutrient to promote growth and to improve the secretion system. Further identification of enzyme activities of Dickeya sp.WS52 by HPLC confirmed that monosaccharides were produced during degradation of tomato stalk. This identified degradative system is valuable for the application in the lignocellulosic bioenergy industry and animal production.
Poly-(γ-glutamic acid) Production and Optimization from Agro-Industrial Bioresources as Renewable Substrates by Bacillus sp. FBL-2 through Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Song Da-Young , Reddy Lebaka Veeranjaneya , Charalampopoulos Dimitris , Wee Young-Jung
Published: November 2019

We optimized culture conditions using Bacillus sp. FBL-2 as a poly-(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) producing strain isolated from cheonggukjang. All experiments were performed under aerobic conditions using a laboratory scale 2.5 L fermentor. We investigated the effects of fermentation parameters (temperature, pH, agitation, and aeration) and medium components (glutamic acid, citric acid, and yeast extract) on poly-(γ-glutamic acid) production, viscosity, and dry cell mass. A non-optimized fermentation method (1.5 vvm, 350 rpm, and 37 °C) yielded PGA, viscosity, and dry cell mass at levels of 100.7 g/L, 483.2 cP, and 3.4 g/L, respectively. L-glutamic acid, citric acid, and yeast extract supplementation enhanced poly-(γ-glutamic acid) production to 175.9 g/L. Additionally, the production of poly-(γ-glutamic acid) from rice bran and wheat bran was assessed using response surface methodology (central composite rotatable design). Agricultural byproducts (rice bran and wheat bran) and H2SO4 were selected as factors, and experiments were performed by combining various component concentrations to determine optimal component concentrations. Our experimentally-derived optimal parameters included 38.6 g/L of rice bran, 0.42% of H2SO4, 28.0 g/L of wheat bran, and 0.32% of H2SO4. Under optimum conditions, rice bran medium facilitated poly-(γ-glutamic acid) production of up to 22.64 g/L, and the use of wheat bran medium yielded up to 14.6 g/L. Based on a validity test using the optimized culture conditions, poly-(γ-glutamic acid) was produced at 47.6 g/L and 36.4 g/L from these respective mediums, and both results were higher than statistically predicted. This study suggests that rice bran can be used as a potential alternative substrate for poly-(γ-glutamic acid) production.
A Case Study of Adding Proactivity in Indoor Social Robots Using Belief–Desire–Intention (BDI) Model
Authors: K. C. Ujjwal , Chodorowski Jacques
Published: November 2019

The rise of robots and robotics has proved to be a benefaction to humankind in different aspects. Robotics evolved from a simple button, has seen massive development over the years. Consequently, it has become an integral part of human life as robots are used for a wide range of applications ranging from indoor uses to interplanetary missions. Recently, the use of social robots, in commercial indoor spaces to offer help or social interaction with people, has been quite popular. As such, taking the increasing use of social robots into consideration, many works have been carried out to develop the robots to make them capable of acting like humans. The notion behind this development is the need for robots to offer services without being asked. Social robots should think more like humans and suggest possible and suitable actions by analyzing the environment where they are. Belief–desire–intention (BDI) is one of the most popular models for developing rational agents based on how humans act based on the information derived from an environment. As such, this work defines a foundation architecture to integrate a BDI framework into a social robot to add “act like a human” feature for proactive behaviors. The work validates the proposed architecture by developing a vision-based proactive action using the PROFETA BDI framework in an indoor social robot, Waldo, operated by the robot operating system (ROS).
Behavioral Indices of Neuropsychological Processing Implicated in Moral Domain Reasoning amongst Children and Adolescents
Authors: Caravita Simona C. S. , Astrologo Lisa , Biancardi Giulia , Antonietti Alessandro
Published: November 2019

Moral domain theory posits that moral knowledge is organized in separate domains related to moral and socio-conventional rules, with the latter being reliant on a statement made by authority. Domains may be contingent on different neuropsychological processing that may vary with age. Behavioral indices were measured in three age groups, to detect differences in the neuropsychological processing allegedly involved in the evaluation of rule transgressions in different domains. Acceptance of the transgressions was also investigated. Twenty-four children, 32 early adolescents, and 31 adolescents judged acceptability of rule transgressions when an authority figure allowed the transgression. Across age, moral-rule transgressions were less accepted and took significantly longer to be evaluated. In evaluating moral rule scenarios, children had the longest reaction times. Older adolescents took the least amount of time evaluating socio-conventional rule scenarios. Results suggest differences in the neuropsychological processing underlying decision making for moral and socio-conventional domains and that rule comprehension and distinction amongst domains increase by age.
A Theory of Guilt Appeals: A Review Showing the Importance of Investigating Cognitive Processes as Mediators between Emotion and Behavior
Authors: Graton Aurélien , Mailliez Melody
Published: November 2019

Guilt appeals in the field of persuasion are quite common. However, the effectiveness of these messages is sometimes ambivalent. It is widely acknowledged that guilt leads people to engage into prosocial behaviors, but the effects of guilt can also be counter-productive (e.g., reactance-like effects). We argue that the explanations for these contradictions remain unsatisfactory and suggest that taking into account the implications of underlying cognitive—especially attentional—mechanisms would provide a better understanding of these paradoxical outcomes. This article provides a brief review of the literature on the link between guilt and pro-social behaviors and its classical interpretations. We propose a reinterpretation of this link by taking into account specific attentional processes triggered by the emotion of guilt. Attentional biases are, in our opinion, better predictors of the effectiveness of a message than the amount of emotion induced by the same message. This consideration should guide future research in the field of guilt appeals and pro-social behaviors. Implications, in terms of a broader comprehension of the emotion–behavior association in decision making processes, are discussed.
Immunotherapy: A Challenge of Breast Cancer Treatment
Authors: García-Aranda Marilina , Redondo Maximino
Published: November 2019

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and is a leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Despite the significant benefit of the use of conventional chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies in the prognosis of breast cancer patients and although the recent approval of the anti-PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab in combination with chemotherapy has been a milestone for the treatment of patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, immunologic treatment of breast tumors remains a great challenge. In this review, we summarize current breast cancer classification and standard of care, the main obstacles that hinder the success of immunotherapies in breast cancer patients, as well as different approaches that could be useful to enhance the response of breast tumors to immunotherapies.
High Somatic Mutation and Neoantigen Burden Do Not Correlate with Decreased Progression-Free Survival in HCC Patients not Undergoing Immunotherapy
Authors: Mauriello Angela , Zeuli Roberta , Cavalluzzo Beatrice , Petrizzo Annacarmen , Tornesello Maria Lina , Buonaguro Franco M. , Ceccarelli Michele , Tagliamonte Maria , Buonaguro Luigi
Published: November 2019

Cancer genome instability leads to accumulation of mutations which may result into tumor-specific mutated “neoantigens”, not be affected by central T-cell tolerance. Such neoantigens are considered the optimal target for the patient’s anti-tumor T cell immunity as well as for personalized cancer immunotherapy strategies. However, only a minor fraction of predicted neoantigens are relevant to the clinical outcome. In the present study, a prediction algorithm was applied using datasets of RNA sequencing from all 377 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients available at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), to predict neoantigens to be presented by each patient’s autologous HLA molecules. Correlation with patients’ survival was performed on the 115 samples for whom the exact date of death was known. A total of 30 samples were used for the training set, and 85 samples were used for the validation sets. Neither the somatic mutations nor the number nor the quality of the predicted neoantigens correlate as single parameter with survival of HCC patients who do not undergo immunotherapy treatment. Furthermore, the preferential presentation of such neoantigens in the context of one of the major histocompatibility complex MHC class I molecules does not have an impact on the survival. On the contrary, the expression of Granzyme A (GZMA) is significantly correlated with survival and, in the context of high GZMA, a direct correlation between number and quality of neoantigens with survival is observed. This is in striking contrast to results described in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, in which a strong correlation between Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), number of predicted neoantigens and survival has been reported.
MicroRNA-Mediated Metabolic Reprograming in Renal Cancer
Authors: Bogusławska Joanna , Popławski Piotr , Alseekh Saleh , Koblowska Marta , Iwanicka-Nowicka Roksana , Rybicka Beata , Kędzierska Hanna , Głuchowska Katarzyna , Hanusek Karolina , Tański Zbigniew , Fernie Alisdair R. , Piekiełko-Witkowska Agnieszka
Published: November 2019

Metabolic reprogramming is one of the hallmarks of renal cell cancer (RCC). We hypothesized that altered metabolism of RCC cells results from dysregulation of microRNAs targeting metabolically relevant genes. Combined large-scale transcriptomic and metabolic analysis of RCC patients tissue samples revealed a group of microRNAs that contribute to metabolic reprogramming in RCC. miRNAs expressions correlated with their predicted target genes and with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolome profiles of RCC tumors. Assays performed in RCC-derived cell lines showed that miR-146a-5p and miR-155-5p targeted genes of PPP (the pentose phosphate pathway) (G6PD and TKT), the TCA (tricarboxylic acid cycle) cycle (SUCLG2), and arginine metabolism (GATM), respectively. miR-106b-5p and miR-122-5p regulated the NFAT5 osmoregulatory transcription factor. Altered expressions of G6PD, TKT, SUCLG2, GATM, miR-106b-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-342-3p correlated with poor survival of RCC patients. miR-106b-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-342-3p stimulated proliferation of RCC cells. The analysis involving >6000 patients revealed that miR-34a-5p, miR-106b-5p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-155-5p are PanCancer metabomiRs possibly involved in global regulation of cancer metabolism. In conclusion, we found that microRNAs upregulated in renal cancer contribute to disturbed expression of key genes involved in the regulation of RCC metabolome. miR-146a-5p and miR-155-5p emerge as a key “metabomiRs” that target genes of crucial metabolic pathways (PPP (the pentose phosphate pathway), TCA cycle, and arginine metabolism).
Unraveling Toluene Conversion during the Liquid Phase Hydrogenation of Cyclohexene (in Toluene) with Rh Hybrid Catalysts
Authors: Rufete-Beneite Mónica , Román-Martínez M. Carmen
Published: November 2019

Monitoring hydrogen consumption has allowed studying the progress of the liquid phase hydrogenation of cyclohexene in toluene with Rh SILP (supported ionic liquid phase) catalysts prepared by the immobilization of the [{RhCl(cod)}2] complex on different carbon materials. An excess of hydrogen consumption with respect to the required amount for cyclohexene hydrogenation was registered and related with the solvent (toluene) hydrogenation. The study carried out led to unraveling the extent of toluene hydrogenation and to determining if the rate of this reaction is affected by the properties of the carbon material used as support. The results revealed that the Rh SILP catalysts we prepared showed acceptable toluene conversion, with 100% selectivity to the total hydrogenated product, and that the effect of the carbon support is the same as for cyclohexene hydrogenation.
Tauroursodeoxycholate—Bile Acid with Chaperoning Activity: Molecular and Cellular Effects and Therapeutic Perspectives
Authors: Kusaczuk Magdalena
Published: November 2019

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is a naturally occurring hydrophilic bile acid that has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Chemically, TUDCA is a taurine conjugate of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which in contemporary pharmacology is approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of primary biliary cholangitis. Interestingly, numerous recent studies demonstrate that mechanisms of TUDCA functioning extend beyond hepatobiliary disorders. Thus, TUDCA has been demonstrated to display potential therapeutic benefits in various models of many diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases, mostly due to its cytoprotective effect. The mechanisms underlying this cytoprotective activity have been mainly attributed to alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and stabilization of the unfolded protein response (UPR), which contributed to naming TUDCA as a chemical chaperone. Apart from that, TUDCA has also been found to reduce oxidative stress, suppress apoptosis, and decrease inflammation in many in-vitro and in-vivo models of various diseases. The latest research suggests that TUDCA can also play a role as an epigenetic modulator and act as therapeutic agent in certain types of cancer. Nevertheless, despite the massive amount of evidence demonstrating positive effects of TUDCA in pre-clinical studies, there are certain limitations restraining its wide use in patients. Here, molecular and cellular modes of action of TUDCA are described and therapeutic opportunities and limitations of this bile acid are discussed.
Enhanced Host Neovascularization of Prevascularized Engineered Muscle Following Transplantation into Immunocompetent versus Immunocompromised Mice
Authors: Perry Luba , Merdler Uri , Elishaev Maria , Levenberg Shulamit
Published: November 2019

Engineering of functional tissue, by combining either autologous or allogeneic cells with biomaterials, holds promise for the treatment of various diseases and injuries. Prevascularization of the engineered tissue was shown to enhance and improve graft integration and neovascularization post-implantation in immunocompromised mice. However, the neovascularization and integration processes of transplanted engineered tissues have not been widely studied in immunocompetent models. Here, we fabricated a three-dimensional (3D) vascularized murine muscle construct that was transplanted into immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice. Intravital imaging demonstrated enhanced neovascularization in immunocompetent mice compared to immunocompromised mice, 18 days post-implantation, indicating the advantageous effect of an intact immune system on neovascularization. Moreover, construct prevascularization enhanced neovascularization, integration, and myogenesis in both animal models. These findings demonstrate the superiority of implantation into immunocompetent over immunocompromised mice and, therefore, suggest that using autologous cells might be beneficial compared to allogeneic cells and subsequent immunosuppression. Taken together, these observations have the potential to advance the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, ultimately reducing the need for donor organs and tissues.
Anti-Icing Performance of a Coating Based on Nano/Microsilica Particle-Filled Amino-Terminated PDMS-Modified Epoxy
Authors: Xie Qiang , Hao Tianhui , Zhang Jifeng , Wang Chao , Zhang Rongkui , Qi Hui
Published: November 2019

Coatings with anti-icing performance possess hydrophobicity and low ice adhesion strength, which delay ice formation and make ice removal easier. In this paper, the anti-icing performance of nano/microsilica particle-filled amino-terminated PDMS (A-PDMS)-modified epoxy coatings was investigated. In the process, the influence of the addition of A-PDMS on the hydrophobicity and ice adhesion strength was investigated. Furthermore, the influences of various weight ratios of nanosilica/microsilica (Rn/m) on the hydrophobicity and ice adhesion strength of the coating were investigated. Hydrophobicity was evaluated by contact angle (CA) and contact angle hysteresis (CAH) tests. Ice adhesion strength was measured by a centrifugal adhesion test. The addition of A-PDMS markedly increased hydrophobicity and decreased ice adhesion. The size combination of particles obviously affects hydrophobicity but has little effect on ice adhesion. Finally, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to reveal the anti-icing mechanism of the coatings.
Modeling of a Microscale Surface Using NURBS Technique
Authors: Jang Jeongki , Kim Kyungmok
Published: November 2019

This article describes microscale surface modeling using the Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) surface interpolation technique. A three-dimensional surface model was generated on the basis of measured surface profile data. To validate this model, three brass specimens having different roughness values were used. Direct comparison between measured profiles and the curves modeled with NURBS was employed. It was identified that the proposed method allows the generation of microscale models similar to actual surfaces. Finally, a method to extract the Bearing Area Curve (BAC) from a 3D model was detailed. The proposed modeling will be useful for the characterization of bearing capacity of the surface and for contact analysis.
Statistical-Hypothesis-Aided Tests for Epilepsy Classification
Authors: Alqatawneh Alaa , Alhalaseh Rania , Hassanat Ahmad , Abbadi Mohammad
Published: November 2019

In this paper, an efficient, accurate, and nonparametric epilepsy detection and classification approach based on electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is proposed. The proposed approach mainly depends on a feature extraction process that is conducted using a set of statistical tests. Among the many existing tests, those fit with processed data and for the purpose of the proposed approach were used. From each test, various output scalars were extracted and used as features in the proposed detection and classification task. Experiments that were conducted on the basis of a Bonn University dataset showed that the proposed approach had very accurate results ( 98.4 % ) in the detection task and outperformed state-of-the-art methods in a similar task on the same dataset. The proposed approach also had accurate results ( 94.0 % ) in the classification task, but it did not outperform state-of-the-art methods in a similar task on the same dataset. However, the proposed approach had less time complexity in comparison with those methods that achieved better results.
Evaluation of Hepatic Steatosis in Rodents by Time-Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Pedroso João , Camporez João , Belpiede Luciana , Pinto Rafaela , Cipolla-Neto José , Donato Jose
Published: November 2019

Devices that analyze body composition of rodents by time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) are becoming popular in research centers that study metabolism. Theoretically, TD-NMR devices can also evaluate lipid content in isolated tissues. However, the accuracy of TD-NMR to determine hepatic steatosis in the liver of small laboratory animals has not been evaluated in detail. We observed that TD-NMR was able to detect increased lipid content in the liver of rats consuming high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and in genetically obese (Lepob/ob and Leprdb/db) mice. The lipid content determined by TD-NMR showed a positive correlation with triglyceride content measured by colorimetric assays. In contrast, TD-NMR did not detect hepatic steatosis in C57BL/6 mice consuming HFD for 4 or 12 weeks, despite their obesity and increased liver triglyceride content. These findings indicate that tissue mass and the severity of hepatic steatosis affect the sensitivity of TD-NMR to detect liver lipid content.
Depolarizing Channel Mismatch and Estimation Protocols for Quantum Turbo Codes
Authors: Etxezarreta Martinez Josu , Crespo Pedro M. , Garcia-Frías Javier
Published: November 2019

Quantum turbo codes (QTC) have shown excellent error correction capabilities in the setting of quantum communication, achieving a performance less than 1 dB away from their corresponding hashing bounds. Decoding for QTCs typically assumes that perfect knowledge about the channel is available at the decoder. However, in realistic systems, such information must be estimated, and thus, there exists a mismatch between the true channel information and the estimated one. In this article, we first heuristically study the sensitivity of QTCs to such mismatch. Then, existing estimation protocols for the depolarizing channel are presented and applied in an off-line manner to provide bounds on how the use of off-line estimation techniques affects the error correction capabilities of QTCs. Finally, we present an on-line estimation method for the depolarizing probability, which, different from off-line estimation techniques, neither requires extra qubits, nor increases the latency. The application of the proposed method results in a performance similar to that obtained with QTCs using perfect channel information, while requiring less stringent conditions on the variability of the channel than off-line estimation techniques.
Examination of Summer Campers’ Physical Activity Interest and Behavior
Authors: Otundo Joseph , Prince Bennie
Published: November 2019

This study has provided insight into the complex relationship between situational interest, the social environment, competence, and behavior. This quasi-experiential design included a pre-test questionnaire, intervention activity of throwing and catching a football, and post-test questionnaire administered to forty children aged 7–13 enrolled in a summer camp. The results of this study supported a theoretical approach that hypothesized that competence positively influences situational interest. The implications for summer camp owners and counselors support providing an environment that is supportive of elementary-age children participating in an established curriculum that results in positive interactions and activities where summer campers can perceive that they are competent.
Real-Time Detection and Recognition of Multiple Moving Objects for Aerial Surveillance
Authors: Rahmaniar Wahyu , Wang Wen-June , Chen Hsiang-Chieh
Published: November 2019

Detection of moving objects by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is an important application in the aerial transportation system. However, there are many problems to be handled such as high-frequency jitter from UAVs, small size objects, low-quality images, computation time reduction, and detection correctness. This paper considers the problem of the detection and recognition of moving objects in a sequence of images captured from a UAV. A new and efficient technique is proposed to achieve the above objective in real time and in real environment. First, the feature points between two successive frames are found for estimating the camera movement to stabilize sequence of images. Then, region of interest (ROI) of the objects are detected as the moving object candidate (foreground). Furthermore, static and dynamic objects are classified based on the most motion vectors that occur in the foreground and background. Based on the experiment results, the proposed method achieves a precision rate of 94% and the computation time of 47.08 frames per second (fps). In comparison to other methods, the performance of the proposed method surpasses those of existing methods.
Experimental and Modeling Analysis of Brewers´ Spent Grains Gasification in a Downdraft Reactor
Authors: Ferreira Sérgio , Monteiro Eliseu , Calado Luís , Silva Valter , Brito Paulo , Vilarinho Cândida
Published: November 2019

The first part of the current reported work presents experimental results of brewers’ spent grains gasification in a pilot-scale downdraft gasifier. The gasification procedure is assessed through various process characteristics such as gas yield, lower heating value, carbon conversion efficiency, and cold gas efficiency. Power production was varied from 3.0 to 5.0 kWh during the gasification experiments. The produced gas was supplied to an internal combustion engine coupled to a synchronous generator to produce electricity. Here, 1.0 kWh of electricity was obtained for about 1.3 kg of brewers’ spent grains pellets gasified, with an average electrical efficiency of 16.5%. The second part of the current reported work is dedicated to the development of a modified thermodynamic equilibrium model of the downdraft gasification to assess the potential applications of the main Portuguese biomasses through produced gas quality indices. The Portuguese biomasses selected are the main representative forest residues (pine, eucalyptus, and cork) and agricultural residues (vine prunings and olive bagasse). A conclusion can be drawn that, using air as a gasifying agent, the biomass gasification provides a produced gas with enough quality to be used for energy production in boilers or turbines.
The Soil Microbiome of the Laurel Forest in Garajonay National Park (La Gomera, Canary Islands): Comparing Unburned and Burned Habitats after a Wildfire
Authors: Villadas Pablo J. , Díaz-Díaz Sara , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Antonio , del Arco-Aguilar Marcelino , Fernández-González Antonio J. , Pérez-Yépez Juan , Arbelo Carmen , González-Mancebo Juana M. , Fernández-López Manuel , León-Barrios Milagros
Published: November 2019

The evergreen laurel forest is a relic of ancient subtropical/tropical forests, of which the best remnant in the Canary Islands is in Garajonay National Park, on La Gomera island. The soil microbiome associated with a mature undisturbed (unburned) laurel forest was characterized at two locations at different topographical positions on the mountain: The slope and the ridge crest. Given the unusual circumstance of an intense wildfire that severely affected part of this forest, the burned soils were also studied. The soil in undisturbed areas was relatively uniform. The bacterial community composition was dominated by bacteria from phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The wildfire changed the composition of the bacterial communities. The Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria (dominant class in unburned forests) significantly decreased in burned soils along with a parallel high increase in Betaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. We further showed the dramatic effect of a wildfire on the soil microbiome of the laurel forest, appearing as a loss of species richness and diversity, species dominance, and changes in the composition of the bacterial communities.
Chalcone Synthase-Encoding AeCHS is Involved in Normal Petal Coloration in Actinidia eriantha
Authors: Li Yukuo , Cui Wen , Qi Xiujuan , Qiao Chengkui , Lin Miaomiao , Zhong Yunpeng , Hu Chungen , Fang Jinbao
Published: November 2019

Studies on anthocyanin biosynthesis have been mainly concentrated on the fruit, whereas few have focused the mechanism of flower coloration in kiwifruit. Here, we report that the structural gene, AeCHS, is involved in anthocyanin accumulation and indispensable for normal petal coloration in Actinidia eriantha. Petals from three different species including Actinidia eriantha (red petals), Actinidia hemsleyana (light pink petals) and Actinidia arguta (white petals) were selected for anthocyanin determination and gene expression analysis. The anthocyanin components in A. eriantha were significantly higher than in A. hemsleyana or A. arguta. Consistently, gene expression profiles suggested that AeCHS expression in A. eriantha was higher than in A. hemsleyana or A. arguta. Cluster analysis showed that AeCHS was clustered into a single group and distinctly separated from other genes, indicating the expression pattern of AeCHS gene was different from any other. Additionally, correlation analysis revealed AeCHS expression significantly correlated with anthocyanin content. The complete coding sequence of AeCHS was cloned from petals of A. eriantha ‘Zaoxu’, showing the length of AeCHS was 1170 bp encoding a protein of 389 amino acids. AeCHS was located in the cytoplasm, indicating it is indeed a structural gene involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. AeCHS silencing performed by infiltration grafting-mediated virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) reduced petal anthocyanin content and bleached red petals in A. eriantha. Our results confirm a crucial role of AeCHS in anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation in A. eriantha petals; furthermore, they offer important basic information and constitute a reference point for further research.
Co-Constructing a Narrative of ‘Never Give Up’ in Preparing for a Mega-Tsunami: An Exemplar of ‘All-Of-Society Engagement’?
Authors: Kitagawa Kaori
Published: November 2019

This paper discusses the ‘all-of-society engagement’ concept promoted in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030, drawing on the case of Kuroshio Town, Kochi Prefecture in Japan. The framework does not offer a clear definition of ‘all-of-society engagement’. The paper suggests the case of Kuroshio Town could help us envisage what ‘all-of-society engagement’ might look like. The people in the town were shocked to receive the official revised prediction of a forthcoming mega earthquake and tsunami in March 2012, which suggested that the Nankai Trough Earthquake could reach the seismic intensity of seven, and the subsequent tsunami could be as high as 34.4 m in a certain part of Kuroshio Town. Pessimism spread, and an attitude of ‘giving up’ prevailed. Kuroshio Town Hall had to come up with a drastic measure to unite the whole town, which was to present a clear philosophy, rather than technical measures. The narrative of ‘never give up’ was thus constructed, which was gradually appreciated and shared by the residents of the town. The paper teases out this whole-town preparedness project with the use of the four priorities of actions in the Sendai Framework as an analytical tool. The analysis brings certain mechanisms deployed in the town to the fore, which enabled the co-construction of the narrative of ‘never give up’, contributing to motivating the residents to engage in preparedness activities.
Multidisciplinary Characterization of Chlorinated Solvents Contamination and In-Situ Remediation with the Use of the Direct Current Resistivity and Time-Domain Induced Polarization Tomography
Authors: Nivorlis Aristeidis , Dahlin Torleif , Rossi Matteo , Höglund Nikolas , Sparrenbom Charlotte
Published: November 2019

Soil contamination is a widespread problem and action needs to be taken in order to prevent damage to the groundwater and the life around the contaminated sites. In Sweden, it is estimated that more than 80,000 sites are potentially contaminated, and therefore, there is a demand for investigations and further treatment of the soil. In this paper, we present the results from a methodology applied in a site contaminated with chlorinated solvents, for characterization of the contamination in order to plan the remediation and to follow-up the initial step of in-situ remediation in an efficient way. We utilized the results from three different methods; membrane interface probe for direct measurement of the contaminant concentrations; seismic refraction tomography for investigating the depth to the bedrock interface; and direct current resistivity and time-domain induced polarization tomography to acquire a high-resolution imaging of the electrical properties of the subsurface. The results indicate that our methodology is very promising in terms of site characterization, and furthermore, has great potential for real-time geophysical monitoring of contaminated sites in the future.
Study on the Recognition of Exercise Intensity and Fatigue on Runners Based on Subjective and Objective Information
Authors: Chai Guozhong , Wang Yinghao , Wu Jianfeng , Yang Hongchun , Tang Zhichuan , Zhang Lekai
Published: November 2019

A running exhaustion experiment was used to explore the correlations between the time-frequency domain indexes extracted from the surface electromyography (EMG) signals of targeted muscles, heart rate and exercise intensity, and subjective fatigue. The study made further inquiry into the feasibility of reflecting and evaluating the exercise intensity and fatigue effectively during running using physiological indexes, thus providing individualized guidance for running fitness. Twelve healthy men participated in a running exhaustion experiment with an incremental and constant load. The percentage of heart rate reserve (%HRR), mean power frequency (MPF) and root mean square (RMS) from surface EMG (sEMG) signals of the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior muscle (TA), and the lateral head of gastrocnemius (GAL) were obtained in real-time. The data were processed and analyzed with the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. The experimental results show that the MPF on all the muscles increased with time, but there was no significant correlation between MPF and RPE in both experiments. Additionally, there was no significant correlation between RMS and RPE of GAL and BF, but there was a negative correlation between RMS and RPE of RF. The correlation coefficient was lower in the constant load mode, with the value of only −0.301. The correlation between RMS and RPE of TA was opposite in both experiments. There was a significant linear correlation between %HRR and exercise intensity (r = 0.943). In the experiment, %HRR was significantly correlated with subjective exercise fatigue (r = 0.954). Based on the above results, the MPF and RMS indicators on the four targeted muscles could not conclusively identify fatigue of lower extremities during running. The %HRR could be used to identify exercise intensity and human fatigue during running and could be used as an indicator of recognizing fatigue and exercise intensity in runners.
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Traditional Healers and Their Knowledge of Noma: A Descriptive Survey in Three Regions of Mali
Authors: Baratti-Mayer Denise , Baba Daou Moussa , Gayet-Ageron Angèle , Jeannot Emilien , Pittet-Cuénod Brigitte
Published: November 2019

Background: Noma can be a lethal disease and causes disfigurement in young children in low-resource countries, particularly in Africa. In these settings, 80% of the population mainly consult traditional healers for healthcare problems. Our study aimed to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of traditional healers and to assess their knowledge of noma. Methods: We conducted a survey among traditional healers in three Malian regions from May 2015 to January 2016 and collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, professional activity, knowledge, and experience of noma and collaboration with modern medicine. Results: Among 770 traditional healers invited to participate, 732 responded (95%) (mean age, 54.5 years). Most were illiterate (66.3%), which was associated with older age (p < 0.001). Although they treated all types of disease, only 10.5% had some knowledge of noma, with regional differences (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Noma is poorly known among traditional healers, especially in remote areas. Our findings suggest a lack of interest among young people for traditional medicine, implying an imminent decrease of healers, and thus the need for national health systems to strengthen and promote access to modern health care. Training programmes to improve the early diagnosis referral of noma patients should include all types of primary health workers.
Impacts of Built Environment on Urban Vitality: Regression Analyses of Beijing and Chengdu, China
Authors: Lu Shiwei , Shi Chaoyang , Yang Xiping
Published: November 2019

The loss of urban vitality is an important problem in the development of urban central areas. Analyzing the correlation between urban built environment and urban vitality supports urban planning and design. However, current research excludes the study of how consistent built environment factors affect urban vitality of cities with different development situations. Therefore, using social media check-in data, this paper measures neighborhood vibrancy in urban central areas in Beijing and Chengdu, China. Four levels of spatial information were used to measure the built environment: regulatory planning management unit (RPMU), land use, road network, and building. Regression model is used to quantify the correlation between urban vitality and the built environment of these two cities. The study found a strong correlation between built environment factors and urban vitality. Among the built environment factors, points of interest (POI) diversity and public transport accessibility indicators were strongly positively correlated with neighborhood vibrancy. However, the density indicators had totally different effects on urban vitality of cities with different development situations, which is excluded in existing studies. This research strengthens the practical understanding of the compact city concept, and can support the design and planning of urban built environment.