bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment Selection for Early to Intermediate Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Nouso Kazuhiro , Ohki Takamasa , Yamashita Tatsuya , Takaki Haruyuki , Liu Chien-Au , Kang Tae Wook , Lee Dong Ho , Lee So Jung , Kulkarni Suyash , Shree Deepa , Tanaka Masatoshi
Published: July 2020

Many guidelines and standard therapies have been published for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Multiple options for the treatment of early to intermediate-stage HCC have resulted in several differences between the guidelines. In addition, more than a few non-standard therapies have been used in a real-world clinical setting. Radiofrequency ablation or chemotherapy, including hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and molecular target agents, are sometimes selected for the treatment of intermediate HCC, whereas in many guidelines, the recommended therapy for these patients is transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. The present status of these topics is reviewed and summarized.
Hierarchical Classification Method for Radio Frequency Interference Recognition and Characterization in Satcom
Authors: Ujan Sahar , Navidi Neda , Landry Rene Jr
Published: July 2020

The Quality of Service (QoS) and security of Satellite Communication (Satcom) are crucial as Satcom plays a significant role in a wide range of applications, such as direct broadcast satellite, earth observation, navigation, and government/military systems. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that transmissions are incorruptible, particularly in the presence of challenges such as Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), which is of primary concern for the efficiency of communications. The security of a wireless communication system can be improved using a robust RFI detection method, which could, in turn, lead to an effective mitigation process. This paper presents a new method to recognize received signal characteristics using a hierarchical classification in a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The considered characteristics are signal modulation and the type of RFI. In the experiments, a real-time video stream transmitted in the direct broadcast satellite is utilized with four modulation types, namely, QPSK, 8APSK, 16APSK, and 32APSK. Moreover, it is assumed that the communication signal can be combined with one of the three significant types of interference, namely, Continuous Wave Interference (CWI), Multiple CWI (MCWI), and Chirp Interference (CI). In addition, two robust feature selection techniques have been developed to select more informative features, which leads to improving the classification precision. Furthermore, the robustness of the trained techniques is assessed to predict unknown signals at different Signal to Noise Ratios (SNRs).
A Box-Behnken Design for Optimal Green Extraction of Compounds from Olive Leaves That Potentially Activate the AMPK Pathway
Authors: Martín-García Beatriz , Pimentel-Moral Sandra , Gómez-Caravaca Ana María , Arráez-Román David , Segura-Carretero Antonio
Published: July 2020

Olive leaves contain bioactive compounds that have been shown to activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which decreases intracellular lipid accumulation. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is a green extraction technique that is frequently used in the recovery of phenolic compounds from plants. Thus, in this study, a Box-Behnken design was used to optimize MAE conditions such as temperature, percentage of ethanol and extraction time to obtain the maximum content of total compounds and compounds that activate AMPK. To this end, all extracts were characterized by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Electrospray Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS). The optimum conditions to obtain the highest content of total compounds were 123 °C, 100% of ethanol/water (v/v) and 23 min, whereas the optimum conditions for the highest amount of compounds that activate AMPK were 111 °C, 42% of ethanol/water (v/v) and 23 min. Thus, a multi-analysis by desirability was carried out to establish MAE optimal conditions for both responses. The optimum conditions were 111 °C, 100% EtOH and 23 min with a desirability of 0.97, which means that the responses are close to their individual optimal values. As a result, the olive leaf extract obtained at these optimal MAE conditions has great potential to be effective in the treatment of obesity.
Influence of Saline Buffers over the Stability of High-Annealed Gold Nanoparticles Formed on Coverslips for Biological and Chemosensing Applications
Authors: Zhou Lan , Ionescu Rodica Elena
Published: July 2020

Herein, coverslips were used as solid supports for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in three steps: (i) detergent cleaning, (ii) evaporation of 4 nm gold film and (iii) exposure at high annealing temperature (550 °C) for 3 h. Such active gold nanostructured supports were investigated for their stability performances in aqueous saline buffers for new assessments of chemical sensing. Two model buffers, namely saline-sodium phosphate-EDTA buffer (SSPE) and phosphate buffer saline (PBS), that are often used in the construction of (bio)sensors, are selected for the optical and microscopic investigations of their influence over the stability of annealed AuNPs on coverslips when using a dropping procedure under dry and wet media working conditions. A study over five weeks monitoring the evolution of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) chemosensing of 1,2-bis-(4-pyridyl)-ethene (BPE) is discussed. It is concluded that the optimal sensing configuration is based on annealed AuNPs exposed to saline buffers under wet media conditions (overnight at 4 °C) and functionalized with BPE concentrations (10−3–10−11 M) with the highest LSPR spectra after two weeks.
Orthosiphon stamineus Proteins Alleviate Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Seizures in Zebrafish
Authors: Chung Yin-Sir , Choo Brandon Kar Meng , Ahmed Pervaiz Khalid , Othman Iekhsan , Shaikh Mohd. Farooq
Published: July 2020

The anticonvulsive potential of proteins extracted from Orthosiphon stamineus leaves (OSLP) has never been elucidated in zebrafish (Danio rerio). This study thus aims to elucidate the anticonvulsive potential of OSLP in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure model. Physical changes (seizure score and seizure onset time, behavior, locomotor) and neurotransmitter analysis were elucidated to assess the pharmacological activity. The protective mechanism of OSLP on brain was also studied using mass spectrometry-based label-free proteomic quantification (LFQ) and bioinformatics. OSLP was found to be safe up to 800 µg/kg and pre-treatment with OSLP (800 µg/kg, i.p., 30 min) decreased the frequency of convulsive activities (lower seizure score and prolonged seizure onset time), improved locomotor behaviors (reduced erratic swimming movements and bottom-dwelling habit), and lowered the excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate). Pre-treatment with OSLP increased protein Complexin 2 (Cplx 2) expression in the zebrafish brain. Cplx2 is an important regulator in the trans-SNARE complex which is required during the vesicle priming phase in the calcium-dependent synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Findings in this study collectively suggests that OSLP could be regulating the release of neurotransmitters via calcium-dependent synaptic vesicle exocytosis mediated by the “Synaptic Vesicle Cycle” pathway. OSLP’s anticonvulsive actions could be acting differently from diazepam (DZP) and with that, it might not produce the similar cognitive insults such as DZP.
Meetings with a Remarkable Man, Alex Müller—The Professor of SrTiO3
Authors: Kool Thomas W.
Published: July 2020

After my bachelor degree in chemistry with physics and mathematics (in Dutch kandidaatsexamen) at the University of Amsterdam, I chose to study for my master degree (in Dutch doctoraal) a physical chemistry direction [...]
Visual Analysis of Dynamics Behaviour of an Iterative Method Depending on Selected Parameters and Modifications
Authors: Gościniak Ireneusz , Gdawiec Krzysztof
Published: July 2020

There is a huge group of algorithms described in the literature that iteratively find solutions of a given equation. Most of them require tuning. The article presents root-finding algorithms that are based on the Newton–Raphson method which iteratively finds the solutions, and require tuning. The modification of the algorithm implements the best position of particle similarly to the particle swarm optimisation algorithms. The proposed approach allows visualising the impact of the algorithm’s elements on the complex behaviour of the algorithm. Moreover, instead of the standard Picard iteration, various feedback iteration processes are used in this research. Presented examples and the conducted discussion on the algorithm’s operation allow to understand the influence of the proposed modifications on the algorithm’s behaviour. Understanding the impact of the proposed modification on the algorithm’s operation can be helpful in using it in other algorithms. The obtained images also have potential artistic applications.
Progression of Cognitive-Affective States During Learning in Kindergarteners: Bringing Together Physiological, Observational and Performance Data
Authors: Sridhar Priyashri Kamlesh , Nanayakkara Suranga
Published: July 2020

It has been shown that combining data from multiple sources, such as observations, self-reports, and performance with physiological markers offers better insights into cognitive-affective states during the learning process. Through a study with 12 kindergarteners, we explore the role of utilizing insights from multiple data sources, as a potential arsenal to supplement and complement existing assessments methods in understanding cognitive-affective states across two main pedagogical approaches—constructionist and instructionist—as children explored learning a chosen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) concept. We present the trends that emerged across pedagogies from different data sources and illustrate the potential value of additional data channels through case illustrations. We also offer several recommendations for such studies, particularly when collecting physiological data, and summarize key challenges that provide potential avenues for future work.
Iterative Spatial Crowdsourcing in Peer-to-Peer Opportunistic Networks
Authors: Phuttharak Jurairat , Loke Seng W.
Published: July 2020

Spatial crowdsourcing is a potentially powerful method for incorporating human wisdom into mobile computations to solve problems while exploiting the advantages of mobility and context-awareness. This paper proposes and investigates task assignments and recruitment in iterative spatial crowdsourcing processes to find regions of particular interest among a collection of regions. We consider cases where associations between regions can be exploited to reduce costs and increase efficiency in crowdsourcing. We describe five approaches, incorporated into crowdsourcing algorithms, for reducing the cost (the number of queries required) and increasing the efficiency (reducing the number of rounds of querying required) in using such spatial crowdsourcing. We demonstrate the performance improvements gained using these approaches based on simulation scenarios. The findings show the interplay and relationships among our proposed approaches using a range of metrics including responses, energy consumption, costs, and time usage. These metrics are demonstrated via a range of scenarios, showing that our proposed approaches can lead to improved performance over randomly choosing regions for inquiry.
Non Invasive Skin Hydration Level Detection Using Machine Learning
Authors: Liaqat Sidrah , Dashtipour Kia , Arshad Kamran , Ramzan Naeem
Published: July 2020

Dehydration and overhydration can help to improve medical implications on health. Therefore, it is vital to track the hydration level (HL) specifically in children, the elderly and patients with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes. Most of the current approaches to estimate the hydration level are not sufficient and require more in-depth research. Therefore, in this paper, we used the non-invasive wearable sensor for collecting the skin conductance data and employed different machine learning algorithms based on feature engineering to predict the hydration level of the human body in different body postures. The comparative experimental results demonstrated that the random forest with an accuracy of 91.3% achieved better performance as compared to other machine learning algorithms to predict the hydration state of human body. This study paves a way for further investigation in non-invasive proactive skin hydration detection which can help in the diagnosis of serious health conditions.
Experimental Verification of an Analytical Mathematical Model of a Round or Oval Tube Two-Row Car Radiator
Authors: Taler Dawid , Taler Jan , Trojan Marcin
Published: July 2020

The paper presents an analytical mathematical model of a car radiator, which takes into account various heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) on each row of pipes. The air-side HTCs in a specific row of pipes in the first and second passes were calculated using equations for the Nusselt number, which were determined by CFD simulation by the ANSYS program (Version 19.1, Ansys Inc., Canonsburg, PA, USA). The liquid flow in the pipes can be laminar, transition, or turbulent. When changing the flow form from laminar to transition and from transition to turbulent, the HTC continuity is maintained. Mathematical models of two radiators were developed, one of which was made of round tubes and the other of oval tubes. The model allows for the calculation of the thermal output of every row of pipes in both passes of the heat exchangers. Small relative differences between the total heat flow transferred in the heat exchanger from hot water to cool air exist for different and uniform HTCs. However, the heat flow rate in the first row is much higher than the heat flow in the second row if the air-side HTCs are different for each row compared to a situation where the HTC is constant throughout the heat exchanger. The thermal capacities of both radiators calculated using the developed mathematical model were compared with the results of experimental studies. The plate-fin and tube heat exchanger (PFTHE) modeling procedure developed in the article does not require the use of empirical correlations to calculate HTCs on both sides of the pipes. The suggested method of calculating plate-fin and tube heat exchangers, taking into account the different air-side HTCs estimated using CFD modelling, may significantly reduce the cost of experimental research for a new design of heat exchangers implemented in manufacturing.
Financial Knowledge’s Role in Portuguese Energy Literacy
Authors: Martins Ana , Madaleno Mara , Ferreira Dias Marta
Published: July 2020

Energy literacy is a concept which is not widely known by the public; however, it has captured the attention of several researchers in recent years. Concerning the assessment of energy and financial knowledge and people’s attitudes, intentions and behavior, it provides a global view of people’s knowledge, feelings, concerns and habits related to energy usage. Since energy is such an important resource in our daily lives, we can hardly imagine living without it. Moreover, considering that its production often requires the use of limited resources and leads to the worsening of already existing environmental problems, finding ways to alert consumers to the efficient management of their consumption is an urgent need. Therefore, in this article, we aimed to evaluate energy literacy levels, considering all the dimensions mentioned above, and search for the determinants of these levels. As an added novelty, we also aimed to determine the role of financial knowledge on energy literacy dimensions. After distributing a questionnaire to the university community in Portugal, we found good levels of energy literacy, despite moderate levels of energy and financial knowledge. Gender seems to be a determinant of all energy literacy dimensions, and financial knowledge has a positive and significant impact on energy knowledge.
Real-Time Building Smart Charging System Based on PV Forecast and Li-Ion Battery Degradation
Authors: Vermeer Wiljan , Chandra Mouli Gautham Ram , Bauer Pavol
Published: July 2020

This paper proposes a two-stage smart charging algorithm for future buildings equipped with an electric vehicle, battery energy storage, solar panels, and a heat pump. The first stage is a non-linear programming model that optimizes the charging of electric vehicles and battery energy storage based on a prediction of photovoltaïc (PV) power, building demand, electricity, and frequency regulation prices. Additionally, a Li-ion degradation model is used to assess the operational costs of the electric vehicle (EV) and battery. The second stage is a real-time control scheme that controls charging within the optimization time steps. Finally, both stages are incorporated in a moving horizon control framework, which is used to minimize and compensate for forecasting errors. It will be shown that the real-time control scheme has a significant influence on the obtained cost reduction. Furthermore, it will be shown that the degradation of an electric vehicle and battery energy storage system are non-negligible parts of the total cost of energy. However, despite relatively high operational costs, V2G can still be cost-effective when controlled optimally. The proposed solution decreases the total cost of energy with 98.6% compared to an uncontrolled case. Additionally, the financial benefits of vehicle-to-grid and operating as primary frequency regulation reserve are assessed.
The Two-Phase Conical Swirl Atomizers: Spray Characteristics
Authors: Ochowiak Marek , Krupińska Andżelika , Włodarczak Sylwia , Matuszak Magdalena , Markowska Małgorzata , Janczarek Marcin , Szulc Tomasz
Published: July 2020

This paper presents the results of experimental studies on two-phase conical swirl atomizers. The impact of various atomizer geometries and different operational parameters of the atomization process on the spray characteristics was investigated. The influence of the mixing chamber height HS to diameter DS ratio and the volumetric flow rates of liquid and gas on the discharge coefficient values, spray angle, droplet size expressed by Sauter mean diameter D32, volumetric and radial distributions of droplet diameters in the spray stream were determined. The analysis of results showed that the discharge coefficient values depend on the Reynolds number for liquid and gas and the atomizer geometry. The spray angle increases as the flow rate of liquid and gas increases depending on the applied atomizer construction. The Sauter mean diameter value is correlated with the geometric dimensions of the atomizer swirl chamber. The rapid increase in D32 occurs after exceeding the value HS/DS ≈ 3. The Sauter mean diameter also depends on the operating parameters. A central area of stream is filled with smaller sized droplets as the gas flow rate increases.
Hybrid Microgrid Energy Management and Control Based on Metaheuristic-Driven Vector-Decoupled Algorithm Considering Intermittent Renewable Sources and Electric Vehicles Charging Lot
Authors: Aljohani Tawfiq M. , Ebrahim Ahmed F. , Mohammed Osama
Published: July 2020

Energy management and control of hybrid microgrids is a challenging task due to the varying nature of operation between AC and DC components which leads to voltage and frequency issues. This work utilizes a metaheuristic-based vector-decoupled algorithm to balance the control and operation of hybrid microgrids in the presence of stochastic renewable energy sources and electric vehicles charging structure. The AC and DC parts of the microgrid are coupled via a bidirectional interlinking converter, with the AC side connected to a synchronous generator and portable AC loads, while the DC side is connected to a photovoltaic system and an electric vehicle charging system. To properly ensure safe and efficient exchange of power within allowable voltage and frequency levels, the vector-decoupled control parameters of the bidirectional converter are tuned via hybridization of particle swarm optimization and artificial physics optimization. The proposed control algorithm ensures the stability of both voltage and frequency levels during the severe condition of islanding operation and high pulsed demands conditions as well as the variability of renewable source production. The proposed methodology is verified in a state-of-the-art hardware-in-the-loop testbed. The results show robustness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in managing the real and reactive power exchange between the AC and DC parts of the microgrid within safe and acceptable voltage and frequency levels.
A Methodology for Assembling Future Weather Files Including Heatwaves for Building Thermal Simulations from the European Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (EURO-CORDEX) Climate Data
Authors: Machard Anaïs , Inard Christian , Alessandrini Jean-Marie , Pelé Charles , Ribéron Jacques
Published: July 2020

With increasing mean and extreme temperatures due to climate change, it becomes necessary to use—not only future typical conditions—but future heatwaves in building thermal simulations as well. Future typical weather files are widespread, but few researchers have put together methodologies to reproduce future extreme conditions. Furthermore, climate uncertainties need to be considered and it is often difficult due to the lack of data accessibility. In this article, we propose a methodology to re-assemble future weather files—ready-to-use for building simulations—using data from the European Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (EURO-CORDEX) dynamically downscaled regional climate multi-year projections. It is the first time that this database is used to assemble weather files for building simulations because of its recent availability. Two types of future weather files are produced: typical weather years (TWY) and heatwave events (HWE). Combined together, they can be used to fully assess building resilience to overheating in future climate conditions. A case study building in Paris is modelled to compare the impact of the different weather files on the indoor operative temperature of the building. The results confirm that it is better to use multiple types of future weather files, climate models, and or scenarios to fully grasp climate projection uncertainties.
Monitoring of MV Cable Screens, Cable Joints and Earthing Systems Using Cable Screen Current Measurements
Authors: Lowczowski Krzysztof , Lorenc Jozef , Tomczewski Andrzej , Nadolny Zbigniew , Zawodniak Jozef
Published: July 2020

The paper presents the possibility of using cable screen earthing current measurements for MV, single-core cable line monitoring. Cable screen earthing current measurement allows the condition of cable screen connections, degradation of earthing systems, and the earthing system integrity to be observed, which allows a condition based maintenance (CBM) strategy to be introduced for cable screens and earthing systems in MV networks. CBM allows the workload and failure rate to be reduced. Analysis of the condition of the cable screen and earthing system is carried out based on the cable screen earthing current trends and rapid changes of the current. The proposed system is integrated with a state of the art advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and uses AMI data to calculate currents flowing through cable segments of the analyzed feeder. Additionally, a system which counts thermo-mechanical stresses associated with high current incidents in cable screens is proposed. The stresses are assessed using data from conventional protection relays and the ratio of currents in the cable core and cable screens. The stresses can be used as an indicator of the cable joint condition. The presented phenomena are studied carefully in PowerFactory software. Theoretical considerations are confirmed using measurements taken in the real MV cable line. Finally, the results of a SWOT analysis are presented and future research activities are outlined.
Assessing the Performance of Sustainable Development Goals of EU Countries: Hard and Soft Data Integration
Authors: Chodakowska Ewa , Nazarko Joanicjusz
Published: July 2020

The European Union (EU) energy policy for sustainable development has been the topic of continuous debate, research, and analysis, which frequently focused on objectives and the evaluation of quantitative and qualitative performance. Different approaches can be used for the assessment of sustainable development goals. The authors of the article conducted a literature review of relevant research papers dated 2016–2020. The most common are quantitative methods based on hard data. Some qualitative studies based on soft data are also available but rare. This article proposes hybrid Rough Set Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Rough Set Network DEA models that integrate both approaches. Also, the models allow the inclusion of uncertainty in the underlying data. The article uses hard data of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the results of the EU survey regarding the influence of the socio-economic environment on CO2 emissions in EU countries. The authors demonstrate that multifaceted and objective assessment is possible by merging concepts from the set theory and operational research.
Characterization of Wear and Physical Properties of Pawpaw–Glass Fiber Hybrid Reinforced Epoxy Composites for Structural Application
Authors: Oladele Isiaka Oluwole , Ayanleye Oluwaseun Temilola , Adediran Adeolu Adesoji , Makinde-Isola Baraka Abiodun , Taiwo Anuoluwapo Samuel , Akinlabi Esther Titilayo
Published: July 2020

In this study, wear resistance and some selected physical properties of pawpaw–glass fiber hybrid reinforced epoxy composites were investigated. Two different layers of pawpaw stem—linear and network structures—were extracted and chemically modified. Hybrid reinforced composites were developed comparatively from the two fiber structures and glass fiber using hand lay-up in an open mold production process. The wear resistance was studied via the use of a Taber Abrasion Tester while selected physical properties were also investigated. The influence of the fiber structure on the properties examined revealed that network structured pawpaw fiber was the best as reinforcement compared to the linearly structured fiber. The addition of these vegetable fibers to epoxy resin brought about improved thermal conductivity and increased the curing rate while the wear resistance of the corresponding developed composites were enhanced by 3 wt% and 15 wt% of fibers from linear and network pawpaw fibers. It was noticed that linearly structured pawpaw fiber had its best result at 3 wt% while network structured pawpaw fiber had its best result at 15 wt%.
Laplace Transform Method for Economic Models with Constant Proportional Caputo Derivative
Authors: Karatas Akgül Esra , Akgül Ali , Baleanu Dumitru
Published: July 2020

In this study, we solved the economic models based on market equilibrium with constant proportional Caputo derivative using the Laplace transform. We proved the accuracy and efficiency of the method. We constructed the relations between the solutions of the problems and bivariate Mittag–Leffler functions.
Relationship between Difficulty in Emotion Regulation and Internet Addiction in College Students: A One-Year Prospective Study
Authors: Tsai Jui-Kang , Lu Wei-Hsin , Hsiao Ray C. , Hu Huei-Fan , Yen Cheng-Fang
Published: July 2020

This prospective study evaluated the predictive effect of difficulty in emotion regulation on the occurrence and remission of Internet addiction (IA) and determined whether IA has a role in changing emotion regulation among college students during a follow-up period of 1 year. A total of 500 college students (262 women and 238 men) were recruited. In baseline and follow-up investigations, the levels of IA and difficulty in emotion regulation were evaluated using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), respectively. The results indicated that the subscale of impulse control difficulties on the DERS predicted the incidence of IA during the follow-up period of 1 year in male participants (t = −2.875, p = 0.005), whereas no subscale on the DERS predicted the remission of IA. IA did not predict the change in difficulties in emotion regulation. The subscale of impulse control difficulties on the DERS predicted the occurrence of IA in the college students and warrants early intervention.
Infection Control in Dental Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Amato Alessandra , Caggiano Mario , Amato Massimo , Moccia Giuseppina , Capunzo Mario , De Caro Francesco
Published: July 2020

COVID-19 is the disease supported by SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes a severe form of pneumonia. Due to the pathophysiological characteristics of the COVID-19 syndrome, the particular transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, and the high globalization of our era, the epidemic emergency from China has spread rapidly all over the world. Human-to-human transmission seems to occur mainly through close contact with symptomatic people affected by COVID-19, and the main way of contagion is via the inhalation of respiratory droplets, for example when patients talk, sneeze or cough. The ability of the virus to survive outside living organisms, in aerosol or on fomites has also been recognized. The dental practitioners are particularly exposed to a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection because they cannot always respect the interpersonal distance of more than a meter and are exposed to saliva, blood, and other body fluids during surgical procedures. Moreover, many dental surgeries can generate aerosol, and the risk of airborne infection is to be considered higher. The aim of this paper is to provide practical advice for dentists based on the recent literature, which may be useful in reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 during clinical practice.
Intensive Behavioural and Pharmacological Treatment for Tobacco Dependence in Pregnant Women with Complex Psychosocial Challenges: A Case Report
Authors: Jackson Melissa A. , Brown Amanda L. , Baker Amanda L. , Dunlop Adrian J. , Dunford Angela , Gould Gillian S.
Published: July 2020

Up to 95% of women who use other substances also smoke tobacco during pregnancy. Challenging psychosocial circumstances and other barriers that contribute to high levels of tobacco dependence result in few quitting successfully. This case report describes the treatment of a highly tobacco dependent 34-year-old pregnant woman with a history of recent substance use, mental illness and trauma, enrolled in the Incentives to Quit Tobacco in Pregnancy program. Heavy smoking, both during the day and overnight, was reported. An extensive history of quit attempts, as well as a strong desire to cease tobacco use during pregnancy, was also noted. Treatment utilising extensive behavioural supports, including financial incentives for carbon monoxide verified abstinence and telephone-based counselling, in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), was offered to assist cessation. Excellent uptake and adherence to all aspects of treatment saw tobacco cessation achieved and maintained for 24 weeks while on the program. NRT used at doses well above those recommended for pregnancy was required to alleviate strong withdrawal symptoms and maintain abstinence. Daily monitoring of carbon monoxide, financial incentives for continued abstinence and regular phone support were critical to maintaining motivation and preventing relapse to smoking. Post-program relapse to smoking did occur, as is common, and highlights the need for longer-term intensive support for pregnant women with complex behavioural and social problems. Given the prevalence of tobacco smoking in such populations, long-term harm reduction treatment models using extensive behavioural support in combination with NRT should be considered for inclusion in current smoking cessation guidelines.
The Relationship between Psychological Well-Being and Psychosocial Factors in University Students
Authors: Morales-Rodríguez Francisco Manuel , Espigares-López Isabel , Brown Ted , Pérez-Mármol José Manuel
Published: July 2020

Determining what factors influence the psychological well-being of undergraduate university students may provide valuable information to inform the development of intervention programs and targeted learning activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between psychological well-being in university students and their self-reported learning styles and methodologies, social skills, emotional intelligence, anxiety, empathy and self-concept. The final sample consisted of 149 Spanish university students, with an average age of 21.59 years (SD = 4.64). Psychological well-being dimensions, along with learning style and methodology preferences, social skills, level of social responsibility, emotional intelligence, state and trait anxiety, empathy and levels of self-concept were measured using a series of validated self-report scales. The results indicate that the total variance explained by the university students’ psychological well-being factors were as follows: i) self-acceptance dimension (R2 = 0.586, F(6,99) = 23.335, p < 0.001); ii) positive relationships dimension (R2 = 0.520, F(6,99) = 17.874, p < 0.001); iii) autonomy dimension (R2 = 0.313, F(4,101) = 11.525, p < 0.001); iv) environmental mastery dimension (R2 = 0.489, F(4,101) = 24.139, p < 0.001); v) personal growth dimension (R2 = 0.354, F(4,101) = 13.838, p < 0.001); and vi) purpose-in-life dimension (R2 = 0.439, F(4,101) = 19.786, p < 0.001). The study findings may be used to inform new educational policies and interventions aimed at improving the psychological well-being of university students in the international context.
Better Choice, Better Health? Social Integration and Health Inequality among International Migrants in Hangzhou, China
Authors: Fan Xiaoguang , Yan Fei , Yan Wei
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social integration and socioeconomic status on immigrant health in China. Taking the framework of social determinants of health (SDH) as the theoretical starting point, this paper uses the Hangzhou sample of the 2018 Survey of Foreigners in China (SFRC2018) to explore two core factors affecting the health inequality of international migrants in China: the level of social integration following settlement, and socioeconomic status before and after coming to China. The results show that having a formal educational experience in China helped improve both the self-rated health status and self-assessed change in health of international migrants; that the socioeconomic status of an emigrant’s home country affected self-rated health; and that the self-assessed change in health of immigrants from developing countries was significantly higher than those from developed countries. This study concludes that the health inequalities of immigrant populations in China must be understood in the context of China’s specific healthcare system and treatment structure.
2D Coordination Network of Trioxotriangulene with Multiple Redox Abilities and Its Rechargeable Battery Performance
Authors: Murata Tsuyoshi , Koide Taro , Nobukuni Hirofumi , Tsuji Ryotaro , Morita Yasushi
Published: July 2020

A three-fold symmetric trioxotriangulene derivative with three pyridyl groups as coordinating sites was designed and synthesized. In a cyclic voltammetry measurement, the trioxotriangulene skeleton exhibited a multi-stage redox ability from neutral radical to radical tetra-anion species. In the zinc complex of monoanion species, three pyridyl groups coordinated to the zinc ion to build up a two-dimensional coordination network with a cavity larger than 12 Å in diameter. This complex was utilized as a cathode active material of a lithium ion battery, and it exhibited a capacity of ca. 60 mAh g−1 per the weight of the active material with a stable cycling performance up to 1000 cycles. This work shows that the coordination network formed by the trioxotriangulene-based ligand was effective in the improvement of cycle performance of the organic rechargeable battery.
Molecular Cloning, Characterization, and Expression Regulation of Acyl-CoA Synthetase 6 Gene and Promoter in Common Carp Cyprinus carpio
Authors: Xie Dizhi , He Zijie , Dong Yewei , Gong Zhiyuan , Nie Guoxing , Li Yuanyou
Published: July 2020

Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), particularly docosahexaenoic acids (22:6n-3, DHA), have positive effects on multiple biologic and pathologic processes. Fish are the major dietary source of n-3 LC-PUFA for humans. Growing evidence supports acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) synthetase 6 (acsl6) being involved in cellular DHA uptake and lipogenesis in mammals, while its molecular function and regulatory mechanism remain unknown in fish. The present study focused on investigating the molecular characterization and transcription regulation of the acsl6 gene in the freshwater teleost common carp (Cyprinus carpio). First, the full length of acsl6 cDNA contained a coding region of 2148 bp for 715 amino acids, which possessed all characteristic features of the acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) family. Its mRNA expression was the highest in the brain, followed by in the heart, liver, kidney, muscle, and eyes, but little expression was detected in the ovary and gills. Additionally, a candidate acsl6 promoter region of 2058 bp was cloned, and the sequence from −758 bp to −198 bp was determined as core a promoter by equal progressive deletion and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The binding sites for important transcription factors (TFs), including stimulatory protein 1 (SP1), CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBPα), sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP1c), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), and PPARγ were identified in the core promoter by site-directed mutation and functional assays. Furthermore, the intraperitoneal injection of PPARγ agonists (balaglitazone) increased the expression of acsl6 mRNA, coupling with an increased proportion of DHA in the muscle, while opposite results were obtained in the injection of the SREBP1c antagonist (betulin). However, the expression of acsl6 and DHA content in muscle were largely unchanged by PPARα agonist (fenofibrate) treatment. These results indicated that acsl6 may play an important role for the muscular DHA uptake and deposition in common carp, and PPARγ and SREBP-1c are the potential TFs involved in the transcriptional regulation of acsl6 gene. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the characterization of acsl6 gene and its promoter in teleosts.
Positive Effect of Cold Atmospheric Nitrogen Plasma on the Behavior of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cultured on a Bone Scaffold Containing Iron Oxide-Loaded Silica Nanoparticles Catalyst
Authors: Przekora Agata , Audemar Maïté , Pawlat Joanna , Canal Cristina , Thomann Jean-Sébastien , Labay Cédric , Wojcik Michal , Kwiatkowski Michal , Terebun Piotr , Ginalska Grazyna , Hermans Sophie , Duday David
Published: July 2020

Low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma was demonstrated to have an ability to generate different reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), showing wide biological actions. Within this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (NPs) and FexOy/NPs catalysts were produced and embedded in the polysaccharide matrix of chitosan/curdlan/hydroxyapatite biomaterial. Then, basic physicochemical and structural characterization of the NPs and biomaterials was performed. The primary aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of the combined action of cold nitrogen plasma and the materials produced on proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), which were seeded onto the bone scaffolds containing NPs or FexOy/NPs catalysts. Incorporation of catalysts into the structure of the biomaterial was expected to enhance the formation of plasma-induced RONS, thereby improving stem cell behavior. The results obtained clearly demonstrated that short-time (16s) exposure of ADSCs to nitrogen plasma accelerated proliferation of cells grown on the biomaterial containing FexOy/NPs catalysts and increased osteocalcin production by the cells cultured on the scaffold containing pure NPs. Plasma activation of FexOy/NPs-loaded biomaterial resulted in the formation of appropriate amounts of oxygen-based reactive species that had positive impact on stem cell proliferation and at the same time did not negatively affect their osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, plasma-activated FexOy/NPs-loaded biomaterial is characterized by improved biocompatibility and has great clinical potential to be used in regenerative medicine applications to improve bone healing process.
How Do Yeast Cells Contend with Prions?
Authors: Wickner Reed B. , Edskes Herman K. , Son Moonil , Wu Songsong , Niznikiewicz Madaleine
Published: July 2020

Infectious proteins (prions) include an array of human (mammalian) and yeast amyloid diseases in which a protein or peptide forms a linear β-sheet-rich filament, at least one functional amyloid prion, and two functional infectious proteins unrelated to amyloid. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, at least eight anti-prion systems deal with pathogenic amyloid yeast prions by (1) blocking their generation (Ssb1,2, Ssz1, Zuo1), (2) curing most variants as they arise (Btn2, Cur1, Hsp104, Upf1,2,3, Siw14), and (3) limiting the pathogenicity of variants that do arise and propagate (Sis1, Lug1). Known mechanisms include facilitating proper folding of the prion protein (Ssb1,2, Ssz1, Zuo1), producing highly asymmetric segregation of prion filaments in mitosis (Btn2, Hsp104), competing with the amyloid filaments for prion protein monomers (Upf1,2,3), and regulation of levels of inositol polyphosphates (Siw14). It is hoped that the discovery of yeast anti-prion systems and elucidation of their mechanisms will facilitate finding analogous or homologous systems in humans, whose manipulation may be useful in treatment.
MH-MetroNet—A Multi-Head CNN for Passenger-Crowd Attendance Estimation
Authors: Mazzeo Pier Luigi , Contino Riccardo , Spagnolo Paolo , Distante Cosimo , Stella Ettore , Nitti Massimiliano , Renò Vito
Published: July 2020

Knowing an accurate passengers attendance estimation on each metro car contributes to the safely coordination and sorting the crowd-passenger in each metro station. In this work we propose a multi-head Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture trained to infer an estimation of passenger attendance in a metro car. The proposed network architecture consists of two main parts: a convolutional backbone, which extracts features over the whole input image, and a multi-head layers able to estimate a density map, needed to predict the number of people within the crowd image. The network performance is first evaluated on publicly available crowd counting datasets, including the ShanghaiTech part_A, ShanghaiTech part_B and UCF_CC_50, and then trained and tested on our dataset acquired in subway cars in Italy. In both cases a comparison is made against the most relevant and latest state of the art crowd counting architectures, showing that our proposed MH-MetroNet architecture outperforms in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Mean Square Error (MSE) and passenger-crowd people number prediction.
Modelling the Wave Overtopping Flow over the Crest and the Landward Slope of Grass-Covered Flood Defences
Authors: van Bergeijk Vera M. , Warmink Jord J. , Hulscher Suzanne J. M. H.
Published: July 2020

The wave overtopping flow can exert high hydraulic loads on the grass cover of dikes leading to failure of the cover layer on the crest and the landward slope. Hydraulic variables such as the near bed velocity, pressure, shear stress and normal stress are important to describe the forces that may lead to cover erosion. This paper presents a numerical model in the open source software OpenFOAM® to simulate the overtopping flow on the grass-covered crest and slope of individual overtopping waves for a range of landward slope angles. The model provides insights on how the hydraulic forces change along the profile and how irregularities in the profile affect these forces. The effect of irregularities in the grass cover on the overtopping flow are captured in the Nikuradse roughness height calibrated in this study. The model was validated with two datasets of overtopping tests on existing grass-covered dikes in the Netherlands. The model results show good agreement with measurements of the flow velocity in the top layer of the wave, as well as the near bed velocity. The model application shows that the pressure, shear stress and normal stress are maximal at the wave front. High pressures occur at geometrical transitions such as the start and end of the dike crest and at the inner toe. The shear stress is maximal on the lower slope, and the normal stress is maximal halfway of the slope, making these locations vulnerable to cover failure due to high loads. The exact location of the maximum forces depends on the overtopping volume. Furthermore, the model shows that the maximum pressure and maximum normal stress are largely affected by the steepness of the landward slope, but the slope steepness only has a small effect on the maximum flow velocity and maximum shear stress compared to the overtopping volume. This new numerical model is a useful tool to determine the hydraulic forces along the profile to find vulnerable points for cover failure and improve the design of grass-covered flood defences.
Analytical Solution for Estimating Bearing Capacity of a Closed Soil Plug: Verification Using An On-Site Static Pile Test
Authors: Yang Suchun , Liu Junwei , Garg Ankit , Zhang Mingyi
Published: July 2020

When the open-ended pile penetrates the soil layer, the resistance generated by the soil plug cannot be ignored. A pile with a full-size pressure sensor installed at pile tip can detect resistance more accurately than a microsensor when the pile penetrates into the soil. In this paper, the pile installed full-size pressure sensor was used for penetration test and the relationship between formation parameters and pile tip force is obtained. Using the solution of the Kelvin problem in infinite space and the plane stress distribution function, the analytical solution of the bearing capacity of the soil plug is derived under the condition that the displacements of the bottom of the pile and the soil plug are consistent. The results show that the ultimate stress of the soil plug is closely related to the pile diameter and pipe thickness. The bearing capacity of the soil plug is closely related to the properties of the soil layer. The analytical solution of the bearing capacity of the soil plug has a linear relationship with the formation parameters SPT and CPT. The analytical solution of the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil plug has been verified by field test data and has a good match with the geometric dimensions of the pile tip and the formation parameters.