bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An R package to access climate change data for South America regionalized by the Eta Model of CPTEC/INPE
Authors: Dezordi Marina Lopes , Hölbig Carlos Amaral , Pavan Willingthon , Fernandes José Maurício Cunha
Published: January 2020

Este artigo apresenta um pacote R desenvolvido com o objetivo de facilitar o acesso de dados de mudanças climáticas para a América do Sul gerados pelo CPTEC/INPE. São apresentados alguns trabalhos relacionados que foram utilizados como base no desenvolvimento do pacote. O pacote possui funções para acesso a dados climáticos e funções que auxiliam na utilização das funções do próprio pacote. Com este pacote, desenvolvedores e usuários da linguagem R podem contar com uma ferramenta de fácil utilização para o acesso e a manipulação destes dados.
Aplicação do Design Centrado em Humano para Desenvolvimento de uma Solução de Software baseada em Informações do Tempo e Clima
Authors: Silva João , Silva Tamires , Lima Marcos , Souza Ricardo
Published: January 2020

Incidentes causados por precipitações, tais como: alagamentos e desabamentos são recorrentes em cidades brasileiras. Tais eventos geralmente provocam danos materiais e ameaçam a vida de pessoas residentes em área de riscos. Informações do tempo e clima, quando acessadas e compartilhadas tempestivamente por meio de canais de comunicação eficientes, podem vir a auxiliar a boa tomada de decisão pelos agentes públicos e população. Este trabalho apresenta o relato de experiência da aplicação do processo HCD (Human-Centered Design) para desenvolvimento de uma solução de software baseada no uso e troca de informações climatológicas entre organizações públicas e a população no contexto de uma grande cidade brasileira.
Desenvolvendo Sistemas Agrícolas de Próxima Geração: Um Estudo em Ciência de Solos
Authors: Cruz Sergio , Klinger Filipe , Cruz Pedro , Vieira Ana , Schmitz Eber , Marinho Elton
Published: January 2020

Os usos eficientes dos solos são problemas críticos que afetam vários países. O objetivo deste trabalho está na modelagem de um Sistema Agrícola de Próxima Geração (SAPG) para a área de Segurança de Solos. Apresentamos e avaliamos um serviço denominado do OpenSoils Edu que é parte de um SAPG voltado para gestão de dados pedológicos. O serviço é capaz de mapear grandes quantidades de dados de solos e pode ser utilizado por diversos tipos de usuários para visualização e compartilhamento de dados curados de solos.
Aplicação web para Gerenciamento de Resı́duos Sólidos Recicláveis
Authors: Oliveira Maria , Silva José , Silva Romário , Teran Luciano
Published: January 2020

O acúmulo de lixo é um grave problema para a saúde da população e o meio ambiente. Deste modo, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo verificar as dificuldades e necessidades dos sujeitos que estão incluı́dos no processo da reciclagem, para desenvolver uma aplicação web que promova a educação ambiental e possibilite o descarte adequado dos resı́duos recicláveis. A partir dos resultados, verificou-se que muitas pessoas não dispõem de tempo para levar o material até uma cooperativa de reciclagem ou não conhecem as alternativas para disposição dos resı́duos recicláveis. Nesse sentido, desenvolveu-se uma plataforma web utilizando os padrões DAO e MVC, na qual os usuários podem realizar e atender ofertas ou pedidos de materiais recicláveis.
Teaching Computational Thinking to K-12 Educators through Distance Learning
Authors: Oliveira Eduardo , Bittencourt Roberto
Published: January 2020

This paper reports an experience of teaching Computational Thinking (CT) to K-12 educators through an online Scratch programming short course. The meeting of CT and modern technologies is extending the use of coding in K-12 education. An essential requisite for this to prosper is the teacher prepa- ration. However, most current teacher training programs fail to supply with pedagogical knowledge for educators to teach CT. Thus, it is critical to present CT to K-12 teachers, providing proper conditions to learn and use its concepts. In this context, this work aimed to design and implement an online Scratch programming course for K-12 educators. Results suggested that using Scratch to teach CT for K-12 educators is adequate, and analyzing educators context when presenting tutorial Scratch projects is relevant.
Um relato de experiência sobre o ensino de programação de computadores no Ensino Básico por meio da Olimpíada Brasileira de Informática
Authors: Lopes Alexandre , Santana​ Thalia , Braga Adriano
Published: January 2020

Este trabalho constitui do relato de experiência de um curso preparatório para a Olimpíada Brasileira de Informática (OBI) e soluções de algoritmos, com o intuito de estimular os estudantes para a computação, além de oportunizar a participação de discentes em competições científicas. Dessa forma, foi possível verificar a metodologia utilizada e sugerir nova abordagem de ensino-aprendizagem. Como resultado foi possível obter um aprimoramento do raciocínio lógico, instruir o pensamento computacional e estimular o interesse pelo aprendizado em linguagens de programação dos envolvidos, tendo como consequência uma boa classificação nas etapas da OBI.
Aumentando a Interatividade no Ensino a Distância via Geração Automática de Questões: Desafios, Soluções via Aprendizado por Máquina e Um Estudo de Caso no CEDERJ
Authors: Amorim Marcus , Simões Jefferson , Assis Felipe , Pinheiro João , Menasch Daniel , Motta Claudia , Pacheco Ageu
Published: January 2020

O aprendizado ativo vem revolucionando a educação. Promovendo a maior interação entre alunos e professores, o aprendizado ativo diminui a taxa de evasão de alunos e aumenta a eficácia do aprendizado. Entretanto, o aprendizado ativo é desafiador num ambiente online, em que os alunos interagem por uma plataforma de ensino semi-presencial no estilo do CEDERJ. Neste artigo, propomos o uso de questionários interativos para aproximar alunos e professores do curso de ensino a distância do CEDERJ. As questões, no entanto, precisam ser apresentadas aos alunos no nı́vel de dificuldade adequado. Um dos desafios consiste, então, em determinar a dificuldade de questões que, em sua maioria, são respondidas apenas uma única vez. Para contornar tal desafio, propomos o uso de aprendizado por máquina, a fim de extrair atributos das questões e classificá-las segundo tais atributos. Usando uma árvore de decisão e um classificar naive Bayes, resultados preliminares indicam a possibilidade de classificar as questões de acordo com seu nı́vel de dificuldade.
Uma Análise do Impacto da Filosofia Ágil do Scrum no Sucesso de Projetos de Software
Authors: Miranda Raaby , Araújo Diovanni , Portela Carlos , Lopes Albert
Published: January 2020

Ao iniciar os estudos sobre metodologias ágeis, muitos trabalhos falam sobre os seus valores e princípios. A filosofia é a base para as principais práticas propostas por essas metodologias. Mas qual o impacto da filosofia ágil no sucesso e falha de um projeto de software? Este artigo apresenta uma análise da aprendizagem dos alunos em projetos de software acadêmico que seguem as práticas e os valores do framework Scrum. Em particular, busca-se analisar qualitativamente o impacto do comprometimento, comunicação e trabalho em equipe no resultado desses projetos de software através de um estudo de caso. Os resultados desta pesquisa sugerem que a absorção desses valores pelas equipes impacta diretamente no seguimento das práticas do Scrum e, consequentemente, no sucesso do projeto.
Comparação entre o Perfil dos Evadidos e dos Egressos de um Curso de Tecnologia
Authors: Rocha Tamires , Santos Elaine , Júnior Vilson , Souza Cleyton
Published: January 2020

Na última década, houve uma expansão das políticas de incentivo ao ingresso dos estudantes na educação superior. Entretanto, essa mesma preocupação não foi observada no que diz respeito a favorecer a permanência desses alunos nesses sistemas. A área de Tecnologia da Informação é uma das que mais necessita de mão de obra e para atender as demandas do mercado é necessária a formação de profissionais qualificados. Contudo, essa mesma área apresenta uma taxa elevada de evasão. Dessa forma, objetivando incentivar a permanência de estudantes, o presente estudo pretende traçar uma comparação entre as características de alunos que evadiram de um curso dessa área e os alunos que lograram êxito e concluíram o mesmo curso. Os resultados demonstram a transformação social e profissional pela qual os egressos passaram, bem como delineia possíveis razões que podem ter contribuído na evasão dos ex-alunos.
HortaDuino: integrando hardware e software em um recurso temático para exploração da Internet das Coisas na educação básica
Authors: Silva Lucas , Schneider Cassiano , Schneider Leandro , Charão Andrea
Published: January 2020

A abordagem de fundamentos de Computação desde a educação básica tem sido defendida como uma necessidade, mas é também reconhecida como um grande desafio. Estudantes estão habituados a um mundo conectado, então é importante que os recursos pedagógicos acompanhem esta realidade. Visando contribuir nesta direção, este artigo apresenta o projeto HortaDuino, um recurso que integra ferramentas de hardware e de software para explorar noções de Computação associadas à Internet das Coisas, com a temática da irrigação e do monitoramento de uma horta escolar. O recurso foi apreciado em uma escola de educação básica e os resultados apontam que a abordagem foi bem aceita, além de motivar alunos a aprenderem mais sobre o assunto.
Techno Girls: oficinas de programação de jogos para estudantes de escolas públicas
Authors: Júnior Waine , Santos Lohana , Manzano André , Farias Ângela , Souza Tamyres , Badji Issufi , Prietch Soraia , Resmini Roger
Published: January 2020

Este artigo descreve o relato de experiência do planejamento e da execução de oficinas que integram conteúdos sobre mulheres na computação, fundamentos de hardware e software, programação de jogos usando Python e o mercado de trabalho local na área de informática. O Programa ofertou 03 turmas, com 08 encontros de 04 horas cada, dessa oficina, para estudantes de uma escola pública estadual de bairro periférico da cidade. As oficinas foram oferecidas como forma de atrair o interesse de meninas para a área, no entanto, meninos também puderam participar. O uso da abordagem de Aprendizagem Dialógica foi o diferencial desse Programa, uma vez que seus princípios nortearam todas as ações e atividades realizadas.
Uma Iniciativa para Apoiar e Empoderar Alunas de Ensino Técnico e de Graduação em Computação
Authors: Ferreira Kecia , Barbosa Glívia , Albuquerque Silvia
Published: January 2020

Este artigo apresenta um projeto criado por professoras em uma instituição de ensino que possui dois cursos técnicos e uma graduação na área de Computação. É descrito um relato de experiências a partir das ações no âmbito do projeto direcionadas a essas alunas para incentivá-las e apoiá-las a concluir seus cursos e encorajá-las para o mercado de trabalho. Como resultado do projeto, espera-se criar e consolidar uma rede de apoio mútuo entre as alunas desses cursos, bem como um grupo de orientação a elas, com atividades sistemáticas supervisionadas pelas professoras.
Fatores que Atraem e Afastam as Meninas de cursos da Área de TI
Authors: Martins Amanda , Silva Joana , Santos Joyce , Rebouças Ayla
Published: January 2020

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de apresentar os resultados de um levantamento junto a meninas que estão cursando ou já concluíram cursos na área de TI sobre os fatores que atraem ou dificultam a permanência de mulheres em cursos da área. O levantamento foi realizado por meio de questionário online e os resultados mostram alguns fatores que podem atrair meninas para a área e que podem ser mais explorados em ações com este fim. Foram também obtidos alguns fatores que impactam negativamente na motivação das meninas para concluírem seus cursos e que podem ser mais refletidos nos cursos de graduação e mitigados.
Otimização do Consumo de Energia em Redes Ad Hoc Aloha Empregando Deep Learning
Authors: Barbosa Paulo F. C. , Da Silva Bruna A. , Macedo David , Zanchettin Cleber , De Moraes Renato M.
Published: January 2020

Os algoritmos normalmente empregados para controle energético em redes IoT envolvem funções de otimização com considerável complexidade e controle rigoroso do ambiente de teste. Isso gera uma lacuna entre o projeto, análise teórica e processamento em tempo real dos dispositivos da rede. O presente artigo propõe uma nova abordagem baseada em aprendizagem de máquina que considera a entrada e a saı́da de um algoritmo de controle de consumo de energia em redes ad hoc slotted Aloha de múltiplas varáveis. Resultados mostram que a rede neural proposta obteve melhor desempenho em relação ao tempo de processamento e custo computacional quando comparado aos algoritmos de controle energético de busca gulosa utilizados atualmente.
Caracterização e Classificação de Bots Utilizando a Rede de Comentários do Reddit
Authors: Damasceno Rafael G. , Figueiredo Daniel R.
Published: January 2020

Redes sociais online desempenham um papel cada vez mais importante na sociedade, tendo em vista sua influência na formação de opinião de milhões de usuários. Contudo, a presença de bots (usuários com comportamento programado) surge como uma preocupação diante do potencial para disseminação de informação e consequente influência na formação de opinião, evidenciando a necessidade de sua caracterização e identificação. Este trabalho considera uma rede direcionada de usuários construı́da a partir de comentários do Reddit para caracterizar e identificar bots. A caracterização da rede evidencia diferenças estruturais significativas dos bots, permitindo sua classificação com alta acurácia utilizando apenas caracterı́sticas da rede.
Ativando Funções de Rede Virtualizadas: Modelo de Desenvolvimento e Nova Plataforma
Authors: Marcuzzo Leonardo da C. , Garcia Vinícius F. , Dos Santos Carlos R. P.
Published: January 2020

A Virtualização de Funções de Rede é um paradigma inovador que objetiva utilizar técnicas de virtualização para substituir funções de rede implementadas em hardware especializado. Atualmente não existe unanimidade da comunidade científica na escolha de uma plataforma para execução de funções virtualizadas de rede devido aos diferentes modelos de implementação e da não completude no atendimento a requisitos previstos para o paradigma NFV. Desta forma, este artigo se propõem a detectar um modelo padrão para a implementação de plataformas capazes de executar e gerenciar funções virtualizadas de rede, assim como apresentar um protótipo que satisfaz esse modelo, chamado Click-on-OSv2, e avaliar esta através de experimentos comparativos com demais plataformas disponíveis.
News from the Field
Authors: Free David
Published: January 2020

IU launches rare newspaper, magazine collection2019 Scholarly Communications Research Grant Recipients announcedGPO digitizes Congressional hearingsCarnegie Mellon University, Elsevier announce access agreementCairn.info joins OASIS Publisher-Direct ProgramNominations sought for ACRL Board of Directors
Development of Biodegradable Packaging Materials from Bio-Based Raw Materials
Authors: Maraz Kazi M. , Karmaker Nanda , Meem Romana Afrose , Khan Ruhul A.
Published: January 2020

Seaweed, creatures and cellulose based packaging materials are biodegradable and promising natural polymer and their films can be prepared from bio-based raw materials. This article reviews the basic information and recent developments of both seaweed, creatures, cellulose and plant based biopolymer materials as well as analyses the feasible formation of seaweed/creatures/cellulose/plant based biodegradable packaging films which possesses excellent mechanical strength and water resistance properties. Moreover, bio-based packaging films can prolong a product’s shelf life while maintaining its biodegradability. Additionally, the films show potential in contributing to the bio-economy. These type of bio-based materials exhibit interesting film-forming properties that can be used in biomedical application and for making composites for packaging. Bio-based films can be used for the large-scale applications in food packaging in place of synthetic petroleum based non-degradable packaging. Bio-based films have the potential to be used in textile and decoration paper industries also. Currently, bio packaging gains huge attention to the scientist and general people because this type packaging materials are environmental friendly products. Some of the viewpoints are highlighted for future developments and applications.
Avaliação da segurança no trabalho em obras de pequeno porte no setor Jardim Aeroporto, Porto Nacional/TO
Authors: Tavares Laryssa Lopes , Lage Eduardo Gouveia Santiago
Published: January 2020

A construção civil é um setor de grande representatividade para a economia brasileira, e tem apresentado um crescimento considerável ao longo dos anos. Entretanto, aliado ao seu crescimento, apresenta-se o aumento do número de acidentes do trabalho nesse ambiente. Isso acontece pela falta da aplicação das Normas Regulamentadoras no ambiente de trabalho da construção, onde há a ausência de segurança e saúde no trabalho. Verifica-se que esta ausência é bastante presente nas obras de pequeno porte, caracterizadas por haver até 20 funcionários, devido muitas vezes serem serviços artesanais e sem planejamento. Frente ao exposto, buscou-se realizar uma investigação quando a segurança no trabalho existente em obras de pequeno porte da construção civil, através da verificação de obras no setor Jardim Aeroporto, em Porto Nacional – TO, por se tratar de um setor novo, com constantes construções residenciais, além de ser um setor afastado, contribuindo para a dificuldade na fiscalização, e consequentemente no aumento de irregularidades que prejudiquem a segurança no trabalho. A pesquisa investigou três obras no setor mencionado, e identificou que há um descumprimento muito grande das normas regulamentadoras, oferecendo riscos à saúde e segurança dos trabalhadores e favorecendo a ocorrência de acidente no trabalho.
Convolutional neural networks approach for multimodal biometric identification system using the fusion of fingerprint, finger-vein and face images
Authors: Cherrat El mehdi , Alaoui Rachid , Bouzahir Hassane
Published: January 2020

In recent years, the need for security of personal data is becoming progressively important. In this regard, the identification system based on fusion of multibiometric is most recommended for significantly improving and achieving the high performance accuracy. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a hybrid system of combining the effect of tree efficient models: Convolutional neural network (CNN), Softmax and Random forest (RF) classifier based on multi-biometric fingerprint, finger-vein and face identification system. In conventional fingerprint system, image pre-processed is applied to separate the foreground and background region based on K-means and DBSCAN algorithm. Furthermore, the features are extracted using CNNs and dropout approach, after that, the Softmax performs as a recognizer. In conventional fingervein system, the region of interest image contrast enhancement using exposure fusion framework is input into the CNNs model. Moreover, the RF classifier is proposed for classification. In conventional face system, the CNNs architecture and Softmax are required to generate face feature vectors and classify personal recognition. The score provided by these systems is combined for improving Human identification. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on publicly available SDUMLA-HMT real multimodal biometric database using a GPU based implementation. Experimental results on the datasets has shown significant capability for identification biometric system. The proposed work can offer an accurate and efficient matching compared with other system based on unimodal, bimodal, multimodal characteristics.
Effects of environmental variables on abundance of ammonia-oxidizing communities in sediments of Luotian River, China
Authors: Ginawi Amjed , Wang Lixiao , Wang Huading , Yu Bingbing , Yunjun Yan
Published: January 2020

Ammonia-oxidizing communities play important functional roles in the nitrification. However, environmental stresses can significantly affect this process by controlling the abundant communities of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) communities. In this study, we examined the abundance variations of ammonia-oxidizing communities using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) in a typical subtropical river, Luotian County, South Dabie Mountains, China. Clone libraries were conducted to evaluate the community structure and abundance of AOA and AOB in sediments. Results showed thatNitrososphaera spandNitrosopumilus spwere the most dominant AOA. The abundance of the AOA and AOB amoA gene ranged from 5.28 × 108gene copies (g-soil−1) to 2.23 × 108gene copies (g-soil−1) and 5.45 × 108gene copies (g-soil−1) to 3.30 × 107gene copies (g-soil−1), respectively. Five environmental variables, namely, ORP, DO, NO${}_{3}^{-}$, Temp, and NH${}_{4}^{+}$ were played a major function in microbial communities of AOA and AOB in sediments. The T-RFLP profiles of AOA showed that 488 and 116 bp T-RFs were dominated. Overall, the results of this study showed that anthropogenic activities andenvironmental stress in rivers can alter the structure and function of microbes in their variable environment.
Thyroid Disease in Lupus: An Updated Review
Authors: Klionsky Yael , Antonelli Maria
Published: January 2020

In the following review, we seek to provide an overview of the current understanding of various thyroid manifestations affecting patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including topics ranging from thyroid‐related complications to SLE in pregnancy. Autoimmune diseases tend to coincide, and an association between thyroid disease and SLE has been reported for more than 50 years. There is no evidence that the coexistence of thyroid disease and lupus alters the disease course or manifestations of either. Both hypothyroidism and thyroid nodules are seen more frequently in patients with SLE than in the general population. The rate of thyroid cancer is twice as prevalent in patients with SLE compared with those without SLE. Several forms of thyroid disease are more common among patients with SLE, with adverse consequences in pregnancy. Future work will require delineating the mechanism behind these associations and understanding the role of antirheumatic agents with concomitant thyroid disease.
The Mendelian inheritance of gynomonoecy: insights from Anacyclus hybridizing species
Authors: Álvarez Inés , Agudo A. Bruno , Herrero Alberto , Torices Rubén
Published: January 2020

Premise

Gynomonoecy is an infrequent sexual system in angiosperms, although widely represented within the Asteraceae family. Currently, the hypothesis of two nuclear loci controling gynomonoecy is the most accepted. However, the genic interactions are still uncertain. Anacyclus clavatus, A. homogamos, and A. valentinus differ in their sexual system and floral traits. Here, we investigate the inheritance of gynomonoecy in this model system to understand its prevalence in the family.

Methods

We selected six natural populations (two per species) for intra‐ and interspecific experimental crosses, and generated a total of 1123 individuals from the F1 generation, F2, and backcrosses for sexual system characterization. The frequency of gynomonoecy observed for each cross was tested to fit different possible hypotheses of genic interaction. Additionally, the breeding system and the degree of reproductive isolation between these species were assessed.

Results

Complementary epistasis, in which two dominant alleles are required for trait expression, explained the frequencies of gynomonoecy observed across all generations. The heterozygosity inferred in Anacyclus valentinus, as well as its lower and variable seed set, is congruent with its hybrid origin.

Conclusions

In our model system gynomonoecy is controlled by complementary epistasis of two genes. A common origin of this sexual system in Asteraceae, in which genic duplications, mutations, and hybridization between lineages played a key role, is hypothesized whereas independent evolutionary pathways and possibly diverse underlying genetic factors are suggested for gynomonoecy expression in other angiosperm families.
Fossil evidence for a Cretaceous rise of the mahogany family
Authors: Atkinson Brian A.
Published: January 2020

Premise

The mahogany family (Meliaceae) is an angiosperm lineage comprising many species that are important elements in tropical ecosystems, and is often used as a study system to understand the evolution of tropical rainforests. While divergence time studies have estimated a Cretaceous origin for the family, no unequivocal fossils of that age have been described. Here, the first Cretaceous evidence for Meliaceae is reported, based on an exceptionally well‐preserved fruit from the Upper Cretaceous (79–72 Ma, Campanian) of North America.

Methods

The fossil fruit was prepared using traditional paleobotanical techniques. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses using morphological and molecular data were conducted to assess the phylogenetic position of the Cretaceous fruit in Meliaceae and to assess the effect of morphology for inferring the overall pattern of phylogeny for the family.

Results

The fruit consists of a fleshy mesocarp and a woody endocarp with a hollow center, nine locules, loculicidal sutures, and one subapically attached seed per locule that has an enlarged sarcotesta near the hilum. The combination of characters in this fruit is strikingly similar to the genus Melia L. Phylogenetic analyses recover the Cretaceous fruit as being closely related to Melia and highlights the effect of fruit morphological data for inferring the overall pattern of phylogeny in Meliaceae. There are a few structural differences between the fossil fruit of this study and Melia; thus, the newly characterized Cretaceous taxon is named Manchestercarpa vancouverensis gen. et sp. nov.

Discussion

These results clearly confirm a Cretaceous origin for Meliaceae and that important tropical families were present prior to the development of modern tropical ecosystems in the Cenozoic.
Effectiveness of PANI/Cu/TiO2ternary nanocomposite on antibacterial and antistatic behaviors in polyurethane coatings
Authors: Mirmohseni Abdolreza , Rastgar Mortaza , Olad Ali
Published: January 2020

Surfaces with antibacterial and antistatic functionalities are one of the new demands of todays' industry. Therefore, a facile method for the preparation of multifunctional polyaniline/copper/TiO2(PANI/Cu/TiO2) ternary nanocomposite based onin situpolymerization is presented. This nanocomposite was characterized through the different techniques and was utilized for induction of antibacterial and antistatic properties in polyurethane coatings. Measurement of the conductivity of PANI/Cu/TiO2ternary nanocomposite indicated higher electrical conductivity of this nanocomposite compared to pure PANI. The antibacterial activity of the modified polyurethane coatings was tested against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria which led to remarkable reduction in bacterial growth. Besides, it was observed that polyurethane coating with 2 wt % content of ternary nanocomposite has a surface electrical resistance equal 4 × 108 Ω/sq which acquires surface electrical resistance of standard antistatic coatings. The final coatings were also characterized in terms of thermal and mechanical properties to investigate the effect of the ternary nanocomposite on improvement of these properties. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2020,137, 48825.
Synthesis of a Hierarchically Porous C/Co3O4 Nanostructure with Boron Doping for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Zou Lianli , Xu Qiang
Published: January 2020

Fabricating a low‐cost and highly efficient electrocatalyst is of importance for the development of renewable energy devices. In this work, we have synthesized an ultrafine cobalt oxide nanocatalyst (5–10 nm) doped with boron (BC/Co3O4) by using a metal–organic framework as a precursor, which exhibits an excellent catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Owing to the improvement of accessible active sites by boron doping, the synthesized catalyst can reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at 1.54 V with a low overpotential of 310 mV, superior than those of commercial RuO2 and N‐doped C/Co3O4. This work provides a facile way to develop highly efficient catalysts for electrochemical reactions.
Rhodium(I)/Chiral Diene‐Catalyzed Enantioselective Addition of Boronic Acids to N‐Unsubstituted Isatin‐Derived Ketimines
Authors: Yonesaki Ryohei , Kusagawa Ibuki , Morimoto Hiroyuki , Hayashi Tamio , Ohshima Takashi
Published: January 2020

Enantioselective addition of boronic acids to N‐unsubstituted isatin‐derived ketimines was realized using rhodium(I)/chiral diene catalysts. The reactions can be performed in the presence of catalytic amounts of a base to give adducts in high yield with high enantioselectivity. Preliminary mechanistic information including a computational model to explain the observed enantioselectivity is also provided.
Synchronous spectrofluorometric methods for simultaneous determination of diphenhydramine and ibuprofen or phenylephrine in combined pharmaceutical preparations
Authors: Saad Radwan Aya , Salim Mohamed M. , Hammad Sherin F.
Published: January 2020

Simple and rapid synchronous fluorometric methods were adopted and validated for the simultaneous analysis of a binary mixture of diphenhydramine (DIP) and ibuprofen (IBU) (Mix I) or DIP and phenylephrine (PHE) (Mix II) in their co‐formulated pharmaceuticals without prior separation. Analysis of Mix I is based on the measurement of the peak amplitudes (D1) of synchronous fluorescence intensities at 265.1 nm for DIP and 260 nm for IBU. The relationship between the concentration and the amplitude of the first‐derivative synchronous fluorescence spectra showed good linearity over the concentration ranges 0.50–10.00 μg ml−1 and 0.50–7.90 μg ml−1 for DIP and IBU, respectively. Analysis of Mix II was based on measurement of the peak amplitude (D1) synchronous fluorescence intensities at 230 nm for DIP and at 253.9 nm for PHE. Moreover, for Mix II, the peak amplitude (D2) synchronous fluorescence intensities were measured at 227.9 nm for DIP and at 264.9 nm for PHE. Calibration plots were rectilinear over the concentration range 0.30–3.50 μg ml−1 and 0.03–0.75 μg ml−1 for DIP and PHE, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied to determine the studied compounds in pure form and in pharmaceutical preparations.
Engineering Cell‐Free Protein Synthesis for High‐Yield Production and Human Serum Activity Assessment of Asparaginase: Toward On‐Demand Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Hunt J. Porter , Wilding Kristen M. , Barnett R. Jordan , Robinson Hannah , Soltani Mehran , Cho Jae Eun , Bundy Bradley C.
Published: January 2020

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a common childhood cancer in the United States, with over 6000 new cases diagnosed each year. Administration of bacterial asparaginase (ASNase) has improved survival rates to nearly 80%, however these therapeutics have high incidence of immunological neutralization and serum activity must be monitored for most effective treatment regimens. Here, a 72% improvement in cell‐free protein synthesis (CFPS) of FDA approved l‐asparaginase (crisantaspase) is demonstrated by employing an aspartate‐fed‐batch reactor format. A CFPS‐based ASNase activity assay as a tool for therapeutic regimentation and production quality control is also presented. This work suggests that shelf‐stable and low‐cost Escherichia coli‐based CFPS reactions may be employed on‐demand to 1) synthesize biologics on‐site for patient administration, 2) verify biologic activity for dosage calculations, and 3) monitor therapeutic activity in human serum during the treatment regimen. The combination of both therapeutic production and activity assessment introduces a concept of synergistic utility for bacterial cell lysates in modern medical treatment. Indeed, recent work with CFPS biosensors supports a not‐too‐distant future when shelf‐stable E. coli CFPS systems are used to diagnose, treat, and monitor treatment of diseases in the clinical setting.
Green Knowledge Sharing, Stakeholder Pressure, Absorptive Capacity, and Green Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Song Moxi , Yang Morgan X. , Zeng Kevin J. , Feng Wenting
Published: January 2020

A central issue faced by many Chinese manufacturing firms is how to absorb and utilize green knowledge shared among supply chain members for superior green innovation. Invoking the indirect research stream of organizational learning theory, we develop a moderated mediation model in which absorptive capacity mediates the interactive effects of green knowledge sharing and stakeholder pressure on green innovation. Our hypotheses were tested using a sample of 247 Chinese manufacturing firms. The results from multiple regression and bootstrapping tests reveal that absorptive capacity fully mediates the link between green knowledge sharing and green innovation, and the mediation effect is positively contingent upon stakeholder pressure. These findings provide managerial implications for Chinese manufacturing firms, recommending that these firms effectively develop their absorptive capacities and closely monitor stakeholder pressure to realize the green innovation benefits of green knowledge sharing.
Preparation and Electrochemical Performance of CoSe2−MnSe2 for Application in Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Zheng Jie , Li Xiaochun , He Changjian , Zhou Chengkai , Zhang Huan , Tang Bohejin , Rui Yichuan
Published: January 2020

In recent years, lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely used in many fields, and research on LIBs electrode materials have attracted much attention. Among them, transition metal selenides (TMSs) are the most promising candidates in the next generation LIBs due to their high theoretical specific capacity and electrical conductivity. However, poor cycle stability and severe volume variation result in serious capacity decay during the charge/discharge process, limiting the practical application. In this paper, CoSe2−MnSe2 composites are synthesized via Co−Mn‐based metal‐organic framework (MOF) precursor. Meanwhile, three types of materials are successfully synthesized including CoSe2‐MnSe2@reduced graphene oxide (rGO), CoSe2‐MnSe2@polypyrrole (PPy), and CoSe2‐MnSe2/glucose (C). According to the electrochemical test results, it can be seen that the electrochemical performance of CoSe2−MnSe2 has been improved significantly. CoSe2‐MnSe2@rGO electrode materials, in particular, of which the inactivation defect sites and special carbon structure of rGO could provide more attachment points for ions. Due to the perfect combination of rGO and CoSe2−MnSe2, the CoSe2‐MnSe2@rGO composites display outstanding rate performance (1266 mA h g−1 at current densities of 100 mA g−1) and high reversible capacity (1169 after 150 cycles at 100 mA g−1). We believe that CoSe2‐MnSe2@rGO is a kind of very promising anode material.
Estimation of gasoline properties by1H NMR spectroscopy with repeated double cross‐validated partial least squares models
Authors: Leal Ana L. , Albuquerque Ricardo M. , Silva Artur M.S. , Ribeiro Jorge C. , Martins Fernando G.
Published: January 2020

Commercial gasoline must satisfy several product specifications before trading. In the present work, repeated double cross validation using partial least squares regression was applied to create reliable prediction models for 13 physicochemical parameters (eg, density, vapour pressure, evaporate at 70°C, evaporate at 100°C, evaporate at 150°C, final boiling point, research octane number, motor octane number, aromatic content, olefinic content, benzene content, oxygen content, and methyltert‐butyl ether content) of gasoline produced in Matosinhos' refinery. The input variables for the regression are the1H NMR spectral intensities of a total of 448 samples, which were recorded using a picoSpin NMR spectrometer operating at 80 MHz. The output variables are the corresponding property values, which were also measured according to ISO standard methods. A spectral feature elimination before multivariate analysis was done to remove noise and speed up the chemometric analysis. The optimum complexity of each model was achieved by repeated double cross‐validation strategy, consisting of 100 repetitions of two nested cross‐validation loops. Quantitative partial least squares yielded accurate predictions of 11 of 13 properties within the reproducibility of ISO standards. The methodology presented in this work has been proven effective in property estimation and enables a significant reduction in the total time of gasoline quality control.
Experimental and Computational Studies on Regiodivergent Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Cycloisomerization of Mupirocin Methyl Ester
Authors: Wang Sibin , Arguelles Alonso J. , Tay Jia‐Hui , Hotta Miyuki , Zimmerman Paul M. , Nagorny Pavel
Published: January 2020

This article presents a new strategy for achieving regiocontrol over the endo versus exo modes of cycloisomerizations of epoxide‐containing alcohols, which leads to the formation of five‐ or six‐membered cyclic ethers. Unlike traditional methods relying on achiral reagents or enzymes, this approach utilizes chiral phosphoric acids to catalyze the regiodivergent selective formations of either tetrahydrofuran‐ or tetrahydropyran‐containing products. By using methyl ester of epoxide‐containing antibiotic mupirocin as the substrate, it is demonstrated that catalytic chiral phosphoric acids (R)‐TCYP and (S)‐TIPSY could be used to achieve the selective formation of either the six‐membered endo product (95:5 r.r.) or the five‐membered exo product (77:23 r.r.), correspondingly. This cyclization was found to be unselective under the standard conditions involving various achiral acids, bases, or buffers. The subsequent mechanistic studies using state‐of‐the‐art quantum chemical solutions provided the description of the potential energy surface, which is fully consistent with the experimental observations. Based on these results, highly detailed reaction paths are obtained and a concerted and highly synchronous mechanism is proposed for the formation of both exo and endo products.
Elliptic curve‐based proxy re‐signcryption scheme for secure data storage on the cloud
Authors: Patonico Simone , Shabisha Placide , Braeken An , Touhafi Abdellah , Steenhaut Kris
Published: January 2020

Consider the situation of a patient carrying a body area network with sensors measuring different body characteristics. These data should be securely sent to the cloud and only retrievable by doctors authorized by the patient. Even the cloud service provider should not be able to derive the sensible data. In order to address this problem, this paper first proposes a highly efficient certificate‐based signcryption scheme, able to execute signing and encryption in one single phase and to guarantee the link between identity and public key. We show that our proposed scheme outperforms others both in computation and communication complexity. Next, based on this primitive, a complete proxy re‐signcryption scheme is presented to be integrated in this smart body area network. The proposed schemes are based on elliptic curve operations and do not use compute intensive pairing operations, like previous proposals. We show that our scheme outperforms previous proposed proxy re‐signcryption schemes in the literature.
Self‐Recovery of Photochemical H2 Evolution with a Molecular Diiron Catalyst Incorporated in a UiO‐66 Metal–Organic Framework
Authors: Bozal‐Ginesta Carlota , Pullen Sonja , Ott Sascha , Hammarström Leif
Published: January 2020

Photochemical hydrogen evolution from a UiO‐66‐incorporated Fe2(dcbdt)(CO)6 catalyst in conjunction with a ruthenium photosensitizer and an ascorbate donor ceases after a period of irradiation, but is restored after a 60 min. resting period in the dark. Control experiments show that neither product inhibition nor pore clogging is responsible for this surprising behaviour, and intra‐crystal linker scrambling is proposed as a potential explanation.
Power allocation for downlink multiuser hybrid NOMA‐OMA systems: An auction game approach
Authors: Lamba Amanjot Kaur , Kumar Ravi , Sharma Sanjay
Published: January 2020

Nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is viewed as one of the key enabling candidate for the fifth‐generation systems. The effectiveness of such networks heavily relies on the power allocation. This paper addresses the problem of power allocation in a downlink multiuser hybrid NOMA‐orthogonal multiple access (OMA) network, where NOMA is integrated into OMA. Users with strong channel conditions are paired up with the users having weak channel conditions based on a random mechanism. Further, user pairs compete in an auction game for the transmit power being sold by the base station. Bids are placed iteratively by each user pair such that it maximizes their own utility. The existence of a unique Nash equilibrium has been proved theoretically. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves higher average sum rate of users in comparison with that of the existing algorithms.
Oxalomalate regulates the apoptosis and insulin secretory capacity in streptozotocin‐induced pancreatic β‐cells
Authors: Xin Suping , Ye Xinhua
Published: January 2020

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a kind of metabolic disorder characterized by long‐term hyperglycemia. Oxidative stress is involved in inducing the apoptosis of pancreatic β‐cells and promoting the development of DM. Oxalomalate (OMA) is a competitive inhibitor of two classes of NADP+‐dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase isoenzymes that are the main nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) producers to scavenge cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the role of OMA in DM remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of OMA on streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced β‐cell damage and its underlying mechanisms. The viability of rat insulinoma cell line (INS‐1) and the contents of ROS, nitric oxide and NAPDH were examined after cells being treated with STZ. After treatment with OMA in STZ‐stimulated INS‐1, the cell viability, apoptosis, and apoptosis‐related proteins were measured. Meanwhile, the levels of oxidative stress‐related factors and the changes of insulin secretion were determined. The results revealed that OMA significantly increased the cell viability (p < .05), reduced the apoptotic rate (p < .001), and altered the expression levels of Bcl‐2, Bax, cleaved caspase3, and cleaved‐caspase9 (p < .05 or p < .01) in STZ‐induced INS‐1 cells. Moreover, OMA enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase (p < .01), whereas reduced the levels of ROS, malondialdehyde and lactic dehydrogenase (p < .001). Furthermore, OMA improved the ability of insulin secretion. These results indicated that OMA might have antioxidative stress and anti‐apoptosis effects to protect INS‐1 cells from STZ‐induced cell damage.
Opportunities and challenges of using five‐membered ring compounds as promising antitubercular agents
Authors: Yan Mi , Xu Linlin , Wang Yinhu , Wan Jianhua , Liu Ting , Liu Wenjie , Wan Yichao , Zhang Bin , Wang Rongmei , Li Qiang
Published: January 2020

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic infectious disease, is one of the greatest risks to human beings and 10 million people were diagnosed with TB and 1.6 million died from this disease in 2017. In addition, with the emergence of multidrug‐resistant tuberculosis (MDR‐TB) and extensively drug‐resistant tuberculosis (XDR‐TB), the TB situation has become even worse, which has aggravated the mortality and spread of this disease. To overcome this problem, research into novel antituberculosis agents with enhanced activities against MDR‐TB, reduced toxicity, and shortened duration of therapy is of great importance. Fortunately, many novel potential anti‐TB drug candidates with five‐membered rings, which are most likely to be effective against sensitive and resistant strains, have recently entered clinical trials. Different five‐membered rings such as furans, pyranoses, thiazoles, pyrazolines, imidazoles, oxazolidinone, thiazolidins, isoxazoles, triazoles, oxadiazoles, thiadiazoles, and tetrazoles have been designed, prepared, and evaluated for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this article, we highlight the recent advances made in the discovery of novel five‐membered ring compounds and focus on their antitubercular activities, toxicity, structure–activity relationships, and mechanisms of action.
The “GIST” of the reading comprehension problem in grades 4 and 5
Authors: Wijekumar Kausalai , Beerwinkle Andrea , McKeown Debra , Zhang Shuai , Joshi R. Malatesha
Published: January 2020

Main idea and summary are essential elements of reading comprehension. We report results from Grades 4 and 5 student performance on two years of state‐mandated standardized reading testing which indicate that students perform statistically significantly lower on main idea and summary questions on the tests than any other question category. In this study, teacher competency was measured in a main idea task and teacher surveys were used to understand what instructional practices and materials they use to teach reading comprehension. Descriptive analyses indicate that teachers have a moderate competency for writing main ideas and many use instructional practices that are not supported by empirical evidence or reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse. Thus, teacher knowledge and instructional practices may be malleable factors that contribute to student outcomes.
Recovery as a process: Exploring definitions of recovery in the context of eating‐disorder‐related social media forums
Authors: Bohrer Brittany K. , Foye Una , Jewell Tom
Published: January 2020

Objective

Online forums related to eating disorders (EDs) represent sources of support for recovery, and comments on these platforms might therefore highlight aspects of recovery that have been previously neglected in research. Reddit, an online discussion platform, hosts several ED‐related forums. Due to the unique benefits of examining ED‐related social media comments, we aimed to use a qualitative approach to conduct an exploratory study to examine users' conceptualizations of recovery from an ED.

Method

We extracted public comments mentioning recovery that were posted on three ED‐related online forums on Reddit between March 2017 and August 2017. We thematically analyzed the data corpus using an inductive approach to examine how recovery is defined in the context of ED‐related online communities.

Results

Two superordinate themes (“Recovery as a Process,” “Psychosocial Factors”) and three subordinate themes emerged (within the “Psychosocial Factors” theme: cognitive/affective, behavioral/physical, social).

Discussion

The data support a definition of recovery that includes positive aspects of well‐being and quality of life. Furthermore, the data highlight that recovery is experienced as an ongoing process that is unique to each individual.