bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transnational Viewers of Turkish Television Drama Series
Authors: Özalpman Deniz
Published: December 2018

Since the mid-2000s, Turkish television drama series have been exported to many countries and attracted an unprecedented transnational audience. However, despite popularity, there is paucity of research focusing on the transnational understanding(s) of Turkish television drama audiences in different geographies. Through a reception analysis of three mostly cited television series among participants Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century), Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love), Kuzey Güney (North South), this study aimed at offering an understanding beyond overly stated cultural/religious proximity explanations to ascertain traces and elements of empowerment that citizens feel coming through their act of consuming Turkish dramas. For that purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with Iranian viewers of Turkish television series living in the Austrian capital Vienna. Interpretation of that collected qualitative material suggests re-thinking of the transnational audience’s consumption practices that expand tourism and trade flows and other related businesses between the two countries.
Language Preferences of Foreign Consumers in High and Low Involvement Service Encounters
Authors: English David A.
Published: December 2018

This mixed method research was conducted to determine whether differences in the preference of language among foreign consumers in South Korea existed between low-involvement service encounters and high-involvement service encounters. A questionnaire was completed by 161 participants for this qualitative study. The findings indicated that all of the service encounters fell into either a high- or low-involvement in line with previous studies except for procuring a loan from a bank, which was a medium-level service encounter. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 foreign teachers in South Korea from the pool of quantitative participants. The qualitative study results indicated that foreign consumers were willing to use Korean in a low-involvement service encounter; foreign consumers in a high-involvement service encounter preferred to speak English; overall, foreign consumers preferred to use Korean over their native language; the level of Korean the foreign consumer spoke affected whether they were willing to use the language; the offer of a 10% discount would not be large enough for foreign consumers to speak Korean; and foreign consumers stated they were not willing to pay a premium for a service in English. Recommendation from the study included foreigners learning the language, for foreigners to use Korean during service encounters, and lastly, for service providers to offer more services in English.
Change of Attitude, Technology and Practice: Identifying the Change for Increased Value Creation with Customer Co-creation
Authors: Paul Soumi , Peretti Paola , Datta Saroj Kumar
Published: December 2018

Building customer relationships and customer equity is the prime concern in today’s business decisions. The emergence of internet, especially social media like Facebook and Twitter, changed traditional marketing thought to a great extent. The importance of customer orientation is reflected in the axiom, “The customer is the king”. A good number of organizations are engaging customers in their new product development activities via social media platforms. Co-creation, a new perspective in which customers are active co-creators of the products they buy and use, is currently challenging the traditional paradigm. The concept of co-creation involving the customer’s knowledge, creativity and judgment to generate value is considered not only an upcoming trend that introduces new products or services but also fitting their need and increasing value for money. Knowledge and innovation are inseparable. Knowledge management competencies and capacities are essential to any organization that aspires to be distinguished and innovative. The present work is an attempt to identify the change in value creation procedure along with one area of business, where co-creation can return significant dividends. It is on extending the brand or brand category through brand extension or line extension. This article, through an in depth literature review analysis, identifies the changes in every perspective of this paradigm shift and it presents a conceptual model of company-customer-brand-based co-creation activity via social media. The main objective is offering an agenda for future research of this emerging trend and ensuring the way to move from theory to practice. The paper acts as a proposal; it allows the organization to go for this change in a large scale and obtain early feedback on the idea presented.
CASE STUDY: Regional Cultural Differences Within and Across Four Western European Countries
Authors: Waehning Nadine , Sirkeci Ibrahim , Dahl Stephan , Zeyneloglu Sinan
Published: December 2018

This case study examines and illustrates within country regional cultural differences and cross border cultural similarities across four western European countries. Drawing on the data from the World Values Survey (WVS), we refer to the Schwartz Cultural Values Inventory in the survey. The demographic variables of age, gender, education level, marital status and income vary across the regions and hence, have significant effects on the cultural value dimensions across regions. The findings help a better understanding of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of regions withinand across countries. Both researchers and managers will have to justify their sampling methods and generalisations more carefully when drawing conclusions for a whole country. This case study underlines the limited knowledge about regional within country cultural differences, while also illustrating the simplification of treating each country as culturally homogeneous. Cross-country business strategies connecting transnational regional markets based on cultural value characteristics need to take these similarities and differences into account when designating business plans.
Effect of vaginal fold prolapse occurrence in a pregnant bitch on parturition process
Authors: KURT Serdal , SALAR Seçkin , BAŞTAN Ayhan
Published: December 2018

Vaginal
prolapse is defined as a protrusion of edematous vaginal tissue into the
vaginal lumen and often through the vulvar lips of the bitches. Vaginal
prolapse is frequently related to the increase in plasma estrogen level during
the proestrus, estrus period and at the end of the pregnancy. In the pregnant
bitches, however, vaginal prolapse is a rare condition. The objective of this
case was to determine the effect vaginal fold prolapse events occurred during
the last period of pregnancy on parturition. This article describes a
1-year-old Dogo Argentino bitch, weighing 29kg, presented due to vaginal
prolapse which occurred during the last trimester of pregnancy. On clinical
examination, the case was diagnosed as vaginal fold prolapse with about
diameter of 50mm. Transabdominal ultrasonography was performed to evaluate the
bitch's pregnancy status and revealed live fetuses in the uterus. The bitch and
fetuses were healthy in performed examinations. And then the vaginal mass was
cleaned and placed into normal position. Blood samples were taken for
hematological tests. The results of complete blood count were within normal
range. Serum estradiol and progesterone levels were 6.93 pg/ml and 23.27 ng/ml,
respectively. Parturition was started spontaneously 58 days after mating and a
healthy puppy was born. Unborn puppies were detected and C-section was
performed. Seven live puppies were removed from the uterus. In conclusion; it
was determined that the vaginal fold prolapse event that occurred during the
last period of pregnancy was no effect to start of parturition. And also, it
was concluded that monitoring of the parturition process would be beneficial
for the health of the mother and the puppies.
Matthew's Legs and Thomas's Hand: Watching Downton Abbey as a First World War Historian
Authors: Meyer Jessica
Published: December 2018

From its first series in 2010, the ITV television drama Downton Abbey laid claim to representing early twentieth-century British society with great historical accuracy while being lambasted by critics for presenting a sanitised version of modern British social history. This article looks at how the programme was drawn, over the course of its broadcast between 2010 and 2015, into a wider discussion of the representation and commemoration of the First World War and debates about accuracy and authenticity in fictional depictions of the war which date back at least to 1915. Locating the discussion in the historiography of the cultural commemoration of the war in Britain, it will examine three particular military medical storylines – Matthew's paralysis, Thomas's self-mutilation of his hand, and the servants' reactions to Archie's psychological trauma – to examine how the drama reflects both the historic reality of the war's impact and the myths of war experience which have developed within British culture over the past century. In doing so, it will argue that Downton demonstrates both the advantages and drawbacks of invoking historical accuracy and authenticity to locate representations within historic narratives of the First World War in Britain.
Carbohydrate Dynamics in Maize Leaves and Developing Ears in Response to Nitrogen Application
Authors: Ning Peng , Peng Yunfeng , Fritschi Felix B.
Published: December 2018

Maize grain yield is considered to be highly associated with ear and leaf carbohydrate dynamics during the critical period bracketing silking and during the fast grain filling phase. However, a full understanding of how differences in N availability/plant N status influence carbohydrate dynamics and processes underlying yield formation remains elusive. Two field experiments were conducted to examine maize ear development, grain yield and the dynamics of carbohydrates in maize ear leaves and developing ears in response to differences in N availability. Increasing N availability stimulated ear growth during the critical two weeks bracketing silking and during the fast grain-filling phase, consequently resulting in greater maize grain yield. In ear leaves, sucrose and starch concentrations exhibited an obvious diurnal pattern at both silking and 20 days after silking, and N fertilization led to more carbon flux to sucrose biosynthesis than to starch accumulation. The elevated transcript abundance of key genes involved in starch biosynthesis and maltose export, as well as the sugar transporters (SWEETs) important for phloem loading, indicated greater starch turnover and sucrose export from leaves under N-fertilized conditions. In developing ears, N fertilization likely enhanced the cleavage of sucrose to glucose and fructose in the cob prior to and at silking and the synthesis from glucose and fructose to sucrose in the kernels after silking, and thus increasing kernel setting and filling. At the end, we propose a source-sink carbon partitioning framework to illustrates how N application influences carbon assimilation in leaves, transport, and conversions in developing reproductive tissues, ultimately leading to greater yield.
Genome Resequencing Reveals Genetic Variation between the Parents of An Elite Hybrid Upland Cotton
Authors: Song Chengxiang , Li Wei , Wang Zhenyu , Pei Xiaoyu , Liu Yangai , Ren Zhongying , He Kunlun , Zhang Fei , Sun Kuan , Zhou Xiaojian , Ma Xiongfeng , Yang Daigang
Published: December 2018

Cotton is one of the most important economic crops worldwide. As the global demands rising, cotton yield improvement is the most important goal of cotton breeding. Hybrids have great potential for increasing yield, however, the genetic mechanism of hybrids is still not clear. To investigate the genetic basis of cotton hybrids, we resequenced 9053 and sGK9708 with 62.13x coverage depth, the parents of the elite hybrid cotton CCRI63 that has obvious heterosis in lint percentage (LP) and boll weight (BW). Based on the cotton reference genome (TM-1), 1,287,661 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 152,479 insertions/deletions (InDels) were identified in 9053, and 1,482,784 SNPs and 152,985 InDels in sGK9708. Among them, 8649 SNPs and 629 InDels in the gene coding regions showed polymorphism between parents. Moreover, these variations involved 5092 genes, and 3835 of these genes were divided into 10 clusters based on the gene expression profiles. The genes in Cluster 3 and 7 were specifically expressed in the ovule and fiber development stage, suggesting that they might relate to LP and BW. We further co-localized the polymorphic SNPs and InDels with the reported quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of LP and BW, and identified 68 genes containing the polymorphic SNPs or InDels within these QTL intervals and as being related to fiber development. This suggested that the outstanding traits of CCRI63 such as LP and BW might be generated by accumulating the favorable variations from the parents. The results generated herein provide a genetic basis for cotton hybrids and genetic markers for marker-assisted selection breeding of cotton.
Quantitative Analysis by HPLC and FT-MIR Prediction of Individual Sugars from the Plum Fruit Harvested during Growth and Fruit Development
Authors: Vlaic Romina A. , Mureșan Andruța E. , Mureșan Crina C. , Petruț Georgiana S. , Mureșan Vlad , Muste Sevastiţa
Published: December 2018

Individual sugars were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) in plum juice samples obtained from “Stanley”, “Vânăt de Italia”, and “Tuleu Gras”. The samples were harvested from the inside and periphery of the crown during six development phases. The aim of the present study was to determine the individual sugars in plum juice by the HPLC and Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (FT-MIR) methods and to validate them. Our findings were as follows: levels between 0.26–3.73% for fructose, 1.43–1.10% for glucose, and 0.01–10.19% for sucrose. The FT-MIR analyses confirmed the differences between the juice samples, mainly in the spectral region characteristic to sugars which ranged from 900 to 1500 cm−1. FT-MIR coupled with Partial least squares (PLS) was used to develop calibration models for estimating individual plum juice sugars, the predictive characteristics being assessed. The optimal regions and spectral pretreatments were 800–1600 cm−1 and Savitzky Golay first derivative (d1) for fructose, 800–1600 cm−1 for glucose, and 915–1145 cm−1 and second derivative (d2) for sucrose. The selection of optimal spectral zones and pre-treatments led to PLS calibration models with acceptable predictive abilities for glucose, very good for sucrose, and less satisfactory for fructose. Moreover, the FT-MIR results were compared to the HPLC results in external validation tests and reference values included.
Properties of Fluorescent Far-Red Anti-TNF Nanobodies
Authors: Gorshkova Ekaterina N. , Efimov Grigory A. , Ermakova Ksenia D. , Vasilenko Ekaterina A. , Yuzhakova Diana V. , Shirmanova Marina V. , Mokhonov Vladislav V. , Tillib Sergei V. , Nedospasov Sergei A. , Astrakhantseva Irina V.
Published: December 2018

Upregulation of the expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α, TNF) has a significant role in the development of autoimmune diseases. The fluorescent antibodies binding TNF may be used for personalized therapy of TNF-dependent diseases as a tool to predict the response to anti-TNF treatment. We generated recombinant fluorescent proteins consisting of the anti-TNF module based on the variable heavy chain (VHH) of camelid antibodies fused with the far-red fluorescent protein Katushka (Kat). Two types of anti-TNF VHH were developed: one (BTN-Kat) that was bound both human or mouse TNF, but did not neutralize their activity, and a second (ITN-Kat) that was binding and neutralizing human TNF. BTN-Kat does not interfere with TNF biological functions and can be used for whole-body imaging. ITN-Kat can be evaluated in humanized mice or in cells isolated from humanized mice. It is able to block human TNF (hTNF) activities both in vitro and in vivo and may be considered as a prototype of a theranostic agent for autoimmune diseases.
Selection of Single-Domain Antibodies towards Western Equine Encephalitis Virus
Authors: Liu Jinny L. , Shriver-Lake Lisa C. , Zabetakis Dan , Goldman Ellen R. , Anderson George P.
Published: December 2018

In this work, we describe the selection and characterization of single-domain antibodies (sdAb) towards the E2/E3E2 envelope protein of the Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV). Our purpose was to identify novel recognition elements which could be used for the detection, diagnosis, and perhaps treatment of western equine encephalitis (WEE). To achieve this goal, we prepared an immune phage display library derived from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of a llama that had been immunized with an equine vaccine that includes killed WEEV (West Nile Innovator + VEWT). This library was panned against recombinant envelope (E2/E3E2) protein from WEEV, and seven representative sdAb from the five identified sequence families were characterized. The specificity, affinity, and melting point of each sdAb was determined, and their ability to detect the recombinant protein in a MagPlex sandwich immunoassay was confirmed. Thus, these new binders represent novel recognition elements for the E2/E3E2 proteins of WEEV that are available to the research community for further investigation into their applicability for use in the diagnosis or treatment of WEE.
Optimal Configuration of Different Energy Storage Batteries for Providing Auxiliary Service and Economic Revenue
Authors: Chen Lijuan , Wu Tiantian , Xu Xiaohui
Published: December 2018

Energy storage providing auxiliary service at the user-side has broad prospects in support of national polices. Three auxiliary services are selected as the application scene for energy storage participating in demand management, peak shaving and demand response. Considering the time value of funds, the user-side energy storage economy model is built. The model comprehensively considers the delayed transformation income, the government subsidy income, the auxiliary service income and the whole-life-cycle cost factor. According to the cost and benefit analysis, an energy storage optimization configuration model is proposed. The model takes maximum revenue of industrial user in energy storage’s whole-life-cycle as the objective function. Then, the Cplex solver is employed to solve the model. In addition, four indexes are utilized to evaluate the financial effect brought by the user-side energy storage. Finally, the revenue and configuration results of the four types of battery energy storage are calculated to verify the validity of the proposed model. In comparison to the value of evaluation index, planning suggestions are provided for the user-side energy storage providing different auxiliary services. Moreover, the conditions of profit and worthwhile investment are obtained through sensitivity analysis of energy storage providing peak shaving service.
Advanced Design Applied to an Original Multi-Purpose Ventilator Achievable by Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Frizziero Leonardo , Donnici Giampiero , Dhaimini Karim , Liverani Alfredo , Caligiana Gianni
Published: December 2018

Considering the progressively expansive trade world, “time to market” of productions and goods has turned into a key element for business accomplishment. There are diverse practices that antedate design faults and unveil products on the market in minus time. Among the most used methods in the design and explanation of the necessities, quality function deployment (QFD) and design for Six Sigma (DFSS) can be used. In the prototyping stage, it is probable to address the emergent technology of additive manufacturing. Today, 3D printing is employed as a quick prototyping technique. Nevertheless, the tangible task which industry is fronting is the adoption of these machines for large-scale production of components, which is now possible with new HP multi fusion. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the entire product development process taking advantage of the most modern models and technologies for the final realization of a case study that involves the design and prototyping of an innovative multifunctional fan (lamp, aroma diffuser, and fan) through the multi jet fusion of HP. To begin with, issues related to the DFSS, the QFD and their application to identify the fan requirements are explored. Once the requirements have been defined, the modern CAD design systems and the CAE systems for the validation of the case study will be analyzed and applied. Finally, HP’s multi jet fusion methodology and design rules for additive manufacturing will be analyzed in detail, trying to exploit all the positive aspects it offers.
The Fractional Form of the Tinkerbell Map Is Chaotic
Authors: Ouannas Adel , Khennaoui Amina-Aicha , Bendoukha Samir , Vo Thoai Phu , Pham Viet-Thanh , Huynh Van Van
Published: December 2018

This paper is concerned with a fractional Caputo-difference form of the well-known Tinkerbell chaotic map. The dynamics of the proposed map are investigated numerically through phase plots, bifurcation diagrams, and Lyapunov exponents considered from different perspectives. In addition, a stabilization controller is proposed, and the asymptotic convergence of the states is established by means of the stability theory of linear fractional discrete systems. Numerical results are employed to confirm the analytical findings.
Parameter Optimization Method for Identifying the Optimal Nonlinear Parameters of a Miniature Transducer with a Metal Membrane
Authors: Jian Yin-Cheng , Tsai Yu-Ting , Pawar S. J.
Published: December 2018

This study proposes a parameter optimization method for identifying the optimal nonlinear parameters of a miniature transducer with a metal membrane. Specifically, a nonlinear lumped parameter model (LPM) of a miniature transducer that accounts for predicted displacement in a manner that is consistent with the displacement measured by a high-precision capacitance micro-displacement sensor is proposed. To avoid application of the proposed optimization method to an ill-posed problem, this paper proposes a constrained equation that is derived from the relationships of nonlinear parameters. The Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) algorithm is used to minimize the objective function in order to obtain an appropriate solution from the proposed nonlinear LPM. The numerical simulation results and a discussion of the experiments are presented. The numerical simulation verification demonstrated that the presented method can estimate the suitable nonlinear parameters for the displacement with errors. With regard to empirical verification, the empirical investigations showed that the proposed method could accurately assess the nonlinear parameters of a miniature transducer with a metal membrane.
Predictable Trajectory Planning of Industrial Robots with Constraints
Authors: Chen Youdong , Li Ling
Published: December 2018

Trajectory prediction is currently attracting considerable attention. This paper proposes geodesic trajectory planning with end-effector and joint constraints to predict the trajectory properties of the end-effector, such as velocities, accelerations, and smoothness. The prediction of the trajectory properties is independent of the joint trajectories. The prediction makes it possible to adjust the trajectory properties in line with a light computational burden. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments were conducted using the Efort robot. The experiments show that the proposed method can predict the properties of the trajectory and modify the trajectory to meet the constraints.
Cascaded Machine-Learning Technique for Debris Classification in Floor-Cleaning Robot Application
Authors: Ramalingam Balakrishnan , Lakshmanan Anirudh Krishna , Ilyas Muhammad , Le Anh Vu , Elara Mohan Rajesh
Published: December 2018

Debris detection and classification is an essential function for autonomous floor-cleaning robots. It enables floor-cleaning robots to identify and avoid hard-to-clean debris, specifically large liquid spillage debris. This paper proposes a debris-detection and classification scheme for an autonomous floor-cleaning robot using a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) cascaded technique. The SSD (Single-Shot MultiBox Detector) MobileNet CNN architecture is used for classifying the solid and liquid spill debris on the floor through the captured image. Then, the SVM model is employed for binary classification of liquid spillage regions based on size, which helps floor-cleaning devices to identify the larger liquid spillage debris regions, considered as hard-to-clean debris in this work. The experimental results prove that the proposed technique can efficiently detect and classify the debris on the floor and achieves 95.5% percent classification accuracy. The cascaded approach takes approximately 71 milliseconds for the entire process of debris detection and classification, which implies that the proposed technique is suitable for deploying in real-time selective floor-cleaning applications.
Parsimonious Network Based on a Fuzzy Inference System (PANFIS) for Time Series Feature Prediction of Low Speed Slew Bearing Prognosis
Authors: Caesarendra Wahyu , Pratama Mahardhika , Kosasih Buyung , Tjahjowidodo Tegoeh , Glowacz Adam
Published: December 2018

In recent years, the utilization of rotating parts, e.g., bearings and gears, has been continuously supporting the manufacturing line to produce a consistent output quality. Due to their critical role, the breakdown of these components might significantly impact the production rate. Prognosis, which is an approach that predicts the machine failure, has attracted significant interest in the last few decades. In this paper, the prognostic approaches are described briefly and advanced predictive analytics, namely a parsimonious network based on a fuzzy inference system (PANFIS), is proposed and tested for low speed slew bearing data. PANFIS differs itself from conventional prognostic approaches, supporting online lifelong prognostics without the requirement of a retraining or reconfiguration phase. The PANFIS method is applied to normal-to-failure bearing vibration data collected for 139 days to predict the time-domain features of vibration slew bearing signals. The performance of the proposed method is compared to some established methods, such as ANFIS, eTS, and Simp_eTS. From the results, it is suggested that PANFIS offers an outstanding performance compared to those methods.
An Experimental Investigation on Bushing Geometrical Properties and Density in Thermal Frictional Drilling
Authors: Demir Zülküf , Özek Cebeli , Bal Muhammed
Published: December 2018

In thermal friction drilling (TFD) operations, the geometrical dimensions of bushing shape, height and wall thickness are the most vital consequences, since these increase the connecting length and strength. In this paper, AA7075-T651 aluminum alloys with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm thicknesses were drilled with the TFD process in order to investigate density, volume ratio, and height and wall thickness of the bushings. The experiments were conducted at constant spindle speed and feed rate conditions by using High Speed Steel (HSS) conical tools of 5, 10, 15, and 20 mm in diameter. It was experimentally found that the bushing height and the wall thickness had a tendency to increase linearly with the increase in both material thickness and tool diameter. The effect of tool diameter was found to have more influence on the measurable values than the thickness of the drilled material. The density of the bushing changed trivially. Approximately 70–75 percent of the evacuated material formed the bushing shape in TFD operations.
An Empirical Approach for Tunnel Support Design through Q and RMi Systems in Fractured Rock Mass
Authors: Lee Jaekook , Rehman Hafeezur , Naji Abdul Muntaqim , Kim Jung-Joo , Yoo Han-Kyu
Published: December 2018

Empirical systems for the classification of rock mass are used primarily for preliminary support design in tunneling. When applying the existing acceptable international systems for tunnel preliminary supports in high-stress environments, the tunneling quality index (Q) and the rock mass index (RMi) systems that are preferred over geomechanical classification due to the stress characterization parameters that are incorporated into the two systems. However, these two systems are not appropriate when applied in a location where the rock is jointed and experiencing high stresses. This paper empirically extends the application of the two systems to tunnel support design in excavations in such locations. Here, the rock mass characterizations and installed support data of six tunnel projects are used. The back-calculation approach is used to determine the Q value using the Q-system support chart, and these values are then used to develop the equations and charts to characterize the stress reduction factor (SRF), which is also numerically evaluated. These equations and charts reveal that the SRF is a function of relative block size, strength–stress ratio, and intact rock compressive strength. Furthermore, the RMi-suggested supports were heavier than the actual installed ones. If the approximate inverse relation between stress level (SL) and SRF is used, the difference between the actual and the recommended supports increases when using the RMi-recommended rock support chart for blocky ground. An alternate system is made for support recommendation using a Q-system support chart. In this system, the ground condition factor is modified from the available parameters, and a correlation is developed with a modified Q system.
Digital Shearography for NDT: Phase Measurement Technique and Recent Developments
Authors: Zhao Qihan , Dan Xizuo , Sun Fangyuan , Wang Yonghong , Wu Sijin , Yang Lianxiang
Published: December 2018

Composite materials have seen widespread use in the aerospace industry and are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry due to their high strength and low weight characteristics. The increasing usage of composite materials has resulted in the need for more effective techniques for nondestructive testing (NDT) of composite structures. Of these techniques, digital shearography is one the most sensitive and accurate methods for NDT. Digital shearography can directly measure strain with high sensitivity when combined with different optical setups, phase-shift techniques, and algorithms. Its simple setup and less sensitivity to environmental disturbances make it particularly well suited for practical NDT applications. This paper provides a review of the phase measurement technique and recent developments in digital shearographic NDT. The introduction of new techniques has expanded the range of digital shearography applications and made it possible to measure larger fields and detect more directional or deeper defects. At the same time, shearography for different materials is also under research, including specular surface materials, metallic materials, etc. Through the discussion of recent developments, the future development trend of digital shearography is analyzed, and the potentials and limitations are demonstrated.
Influence of Analyzed Sequence Length on Parameters in Laryngeal High-Speed Videoendoscopy
Authors: Schlegel Patrick , Semmler Marion , Kunduk Melda , Döllinger Michael , Bohr Christopher , Schützenberger Anne
Published: December 2018

Laryngeal high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) allows objective quantification of vocal fold vibratory characteristics. However, it is unknown how the analyzed sequence length affects some of the computed parameters. To examine if varying sequence lengths influence parameter calculation, 20 HSV recordings of healthy females during sustained phonation were investigated. The clinical prevalent Photron Fastcam MC2 camera with a frame rate of 4000 fps and a spatial resolution of 512 × 256 pixels was used to collect HSV data. The glottal area waveform (GAW), describing the increase and decrease of the area between the vocal folds during phonation, was extracted. Based on the GAW, 16 perturbation parameters were computed for sequences of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 consecutive cycles. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics, version 21. Only three parameters (18.8%) were statistically significantly influenced by changing sequence lengths. Of these parameters, one changed until 10 cycles were reached, one until 20 cycles were reached and one, namely Amplitude Variability Index (AVI), changed between almost all groups of different sequence lengths. Moreover, visually observable, but not statistically significant, changes within parameters were observed. These changes were often most prominent between shorter sequence lengths. Hence, we suggest using a minimum sequence length of at least 20 cycles and discarding the parameter AVI.
Administration of Enalapril Started Late in Life Attenuates Hypertrophy and Oxidative Stress Burden, Increases Mitochondrial Mass, and Modulates Mitochondrial Quality Control Signaling in the Rat Heart
Authors: Picca Anna , Sirago Giuseppe , Pesce Vito , Lezza Angela Maria Serena , Calvani Riccardo , Bossola Maurizio , Villani Emanuele Rocco , Landi Francesco , Leeuwenburgh Christiaan , Bernabei Roberto , Carter Christy S. , Marzetti Emanuele
Published: December 2018

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a relevant mechanism in cardiac aging. Here, we investigated the effects of late-life enalapril administration at a non-antihypertensive dose on mitochondrial genomic stability, oxidative damage, and mitochondrial quality control (MQC) signaling in the hearts of aged rats. The protein expression of selected mediators (i.e., mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes, energy metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics, and autophagy) was measured in old rats randomly assigned to receive enalapril (n = 8) or placebo (n = 8) from 24 to 27 months of age. We also assessed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, citrate synthase activity, oxidative lesions to protein and mtDNA (i.e., carbonyls and the abundance of mtDNA4834 deletion), and the mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) binding to specific mtDNA regions. Enalapril attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and oxidative stress-derived damage (mtDNA oxidation, mtDNA4834 deletion, and protein carbonylation), while increasing mitochondrial antioxidant defenses. The binding of mitochondrial transcription factor A to mtDNA regions involved in replication and deletion generation was enhanced following enalapril administration. Increased mitochondrial mass as well as mitochondriogenesis and autophagy signaling were found in enalapril-treated rats. Late-life enalapril administration mitigates age-dependent cardiac hypertrophy and oxidative damage, while increasing mitochondrial mass and modulating MQC signaling. Further analyses are needed to conclusively establish whether enalapril may offer cardioprotection during aging.
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins and the Janus Challenge
Authors: Kulkarni Prakash , Uversky Vladimir
Published: December 2018

To gain a new insight into the role of proteins in the origin of life on Earth, we present the Janus Challenge: identify an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), naturally occurring or synthetic, that has catalytic activity. For example, such a catalytic IDP may perform condensation reactions to catalyze a peptide bond or a phosphodiester bond formation utilizing natural/un-natural amino acids or nucleotides, respectively. The IDP may also have autocatalytic, de novo synthesis, or self-replicative activity. Meeting this challenge may not only shed new light and provide an alternative to the RNA world hypothesis, but it may also serve as an impetus for technological advances with important biomedical applications.
Genetic Association and Altered Gene Expression of CYBB in Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Authors: Cardamone Giulia , Paraboschi Elvezia Maria , Soldà Giulia , Duga Stefano , Saarela Janna , Asselta Rosanna
Published: December 2018

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced by macrophages and leading to oxidative stress, have been implicated as mediators of demyelination and axonal injury in both MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, the murine model of the disease. On the other hand, reduced ROS levels can increase susceptibility to autoimmunity. In this work, we screened for association with MS 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two microsatellite markers in the five genes (NCF1, NCF2, NCF4, CYBA, and CYBB) of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX2) system, the enzymatic pathway producing ROS in the brain and neural tissues, in 347 Finnish patients with MS and 714 unaffected family members. This analysis showed suggestive association signals for NCF1 and CYBB (lowest p = 0.038 and p = 0.013, respectively). Functional relevance for disease predisposition was further supported for the CYBB gene, by microarray analysis in CD4+/− mononuclear cells of 21 individuals from five Finnish multiplex MS families, as well as by real-time RT-PCRs performed on RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of an Italian replication cohort of 21 MS cases and 21 controls. Our results showed a sex-specific differential expression of CYBB, suggesting that this gene, and more in general the NOX2 system, deserve to be further investigated for their possible role in MS.
‘Perceptions of Performance Appraisal Quality’ and Employee Innovative Behavior: Do Psychological Empowerment and ‘Perceptions of HRM System Strength’ Matter?
Authors: Waheed Aamer , Abbas Qaisar , Malik Omer
Published: December 2018

Organizations need to be innovative for their long-term survival and this can be achieved when their employees demonstrate innovative behaviors at the workplace. Innovative behavior has thus received considerable attention from researchers, particularly on exploring the factors which foster employee innovative behaviors. Based on human resource system strength theory, the objective of this study is twofold. First, it examines the direct and indirect relationship between perceptions of performance appraisal quality (PPAQ) and innovative behavior mediated through psychological empowerment. Second, it examines the moderating effect of perceptions of HRM system strength in the hypothesized links. A total of 360 faculty members participated in the study from twelve public sector higher education institutes in Islamabad, Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used for statistical analysis of the quantitative data collected through self-administered questionnaire. Results demonstrated that PPAQ is positively related with innovative behavior. The findings also support the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of perceptions of human resource management (HRM) system strength. We contribute to the literature by demonstrating that HRM content and process are two complementary facets of an HRM system in bringing out positive work behaviors. A number of practical implications and directions for future research are outlined.
A Scoping Review of Different Ways of Thinking in Children
Authors: Jones Arango Elisa , Costello Shane , Grové Christine
Published: December 2018

Despite the growing interest in differences in thinking, much less is known about differences in how children think and how they come to think. The aim of this scoping review is to map out the key concepts underpinning the conceptual boundaries of children’s (5–12 years of age) individual differences in thinking. The scoping review identified eight papers for analysis; all of which were set in an educational context. The findings presented inconclusive results regarding learning and thinking differences related to students’ academic achievement. This review has identified two main drawbacks with this research area. Firstly, there is little consensus between the models employed to understand the different ways children think. To further place these findings into context we look at conceptualisations of individual differences, where individuality is considered a process of stable characteristics interacting with more dynamic structures. This analysis highlights the second drawback, previous research has solely focused on exploring thinking characteristics that are not stable and are therefore subject to change depending on the context. The review found that there is little to no research which explores thinking preferences in children that are consistent across contexts and time. Moreover, there was no research identified that explored the impact of differences in thinking outside the educational domain, such as children’s wellbeing. Further research is required to identify the more stable characteristics that reflect and capture children’s different ways of thinking.
Measuring Spanish Comprehension in Infants from Mixed Hispanic Communities Using the IDHC: A Preliminary Study on 16-Month-Olds
Authors: Gonzalez Sandy L. , Nelson Eliza L.
Published: December 2018

The MacArthur Inventario del Desarrollo de Habilidades Comunicativas: Primeras Palabras y Gestos (IDHC) is a widely-used parent report measure for infant Spanish language comprehension. The IDHC was originally created for use with infants of Mexican background. According to the U.S. 2017 census, however, about 37% of U.S. Hispanics are not of Mexican origin. In Miami-Dade, a large county in South Florida, 98% of Hispanics do not identify Mexico as their country of origin. IDHC use in mixed Hispanic communities such as Miami may be problematic due to differences in dialect and object labels. This study explored whether excluding IDHC words flagged as unknown or not commonly used by adults from mixed Hispanic communities affects bilingual infants’ vocabulary size. Data were collected from Hispanic 16-month-old infants (N = 27; females = 13) from a mixture of Latin American backgrounds residing in Miami, FL, USA, and compared to archival data from the IDHC Mexican norming sample (N = 60; females = 31). Findings indicate significant differences in the rate of comprehension between the two samples with infants from mixed Latin American backgrounds demonstrating lower rates of comprehension for words flagged as unknown/uncommon. Moreover, Spanish vocabulary scores for infants from mixed Hispanic communities were significantly lower compared to the Mexican norming sample. Use of total vocabulary score (i.e., Spanish + English) attenuated these issues in administrating the IDHC to bilingual infants from mixed Hispanic communities. Results suggest that comprehension of some IDHC words is influenced by Hispanic family background. These preliminary findings highlight potential issues in IDHC administration that require further investigation in additional samples spanning the full age range of the IDHC and from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds to effectively tune how we assess infant Spanish language comprehension to cultural differences.
Structural and Electrocatalytic Properties of Platinum and Platinum-Carbon Layers Obtained by Magnetron-Ion Sputtering
Authors: Alekseeva Olga K. , Mikhalev Artem I. , Lutikova Elena K. , Porembsky Vladimir I. , Presnyakov Mikhail Yu. , Fateev Vladimir N. , Shapir Boris L. , Grigoriev Sergey A.
Published: December 2018

This article is devoted to further development of magnetron sputtering technology for catalysts and catalysts layer production for fuel cells and other electrochemical devices. Platinum-carbon films with Pt content up to 95–97 wt % were deposited using different sputtering regimes—DC (direct current) sputtering with and without application of a pulse negative bias voltage to the titanium substrate and also bipolar pulse sputtering with frequency of 10 kHz and 100 kHz. Composite platinum carbon targets were used for sputtering. Characteristics of platinum-carbon films were compared with those of platinum films deposited using the same regimes. The main methods of investigation were scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; potentiostatic and potentiodynamic methods. The catalytic activity of platinum-carbon films increased with platinum content and at a platinum concentration of 95–97 wt % became higher than that of platinum films sputtered in the same regimes. It was proposed that carbon atoms deposited on the substrate limited the mobility of the deposited platinum species and inhibited Pt cluster growth. Platinum-carbon films produced by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering with pulsed frequency 100 kHz consisted of narrow Pt columns with dome nanotops forming a well-developed surface. The porosity and specific surface of these columnar nanopillar films were higher compared with those of pure platinum films deposited under the same conditions. Moreover, the platinum-carbon films deposited using a bipolar pulse regime with a frequency of 100 kHz had the highest specific surface, porosity (30%) and catalytic activity in hydrogen and oxygen evolution due to a high ion current density and reduced pulse duration which inhibited the growth of large platinum globules.
AuPd/3DOM TiO2 Catalysts: Good Activity and Stability for the Oxidation of Trichloroethylene
Authors: Zhang Xing , Liu Yuxi , Deng Jiguang , Zhang Kunfeng , Yang Jun , Han Zhuo , Dai Hongxing
Published: December 2018

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) TiO2-supported AuPd alloy (xAuyPd/3DOM TiO2 (x = 0.87–0.91 wt%; y = 0.51–1.86)) catalysts for trichloroethylene (TCE) oxidation were prepared using the polymethyl methacrylate-templating and polyvinyl alcohol-protected reduction methods. The as-prepared materials possessed a good-quality 3DOM structure and a surface area of 49–53 m2/g. The noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of 3–4 nm were uniformly dispersed on the surface of 3DOM TiO2. The 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2 sample showed the highest catalytic activity with the temperature at a TCE conversion of 90% being 400 °C at a space velocity of 20,000 mL/(g h). Furthermore, the 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2 sample possessed better catalytic stability and moisture-resistant ability than the supported Au or Pd sample. The partial deactivation induced by H2O introduction of 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2 was reversible, while that induced by CO2 addition was irreversible. No significant influence on TCE conversion was observed after introduction of 100 ppm HCl to the reaction system over 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2. The lowest apparent activation energy (51.7 kJ/mol) was obtained over the 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2 sample. The doping of Au to Pd changed the TCE oxidation pathway, thus reducing formation of perchloroethylene. It is concluded that the high adsorbed oxygen species concentration, good low-temperature reducibility, and strong interaction between AuPd NPs and 3DOM TiO2 as well as more amount of strong acid sites were responsible for the good catalytic activity, stability, and water- and HCl-resistant ability of 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2. We believe that 0.91Au0.51Pd/3DOM TiO2 may be a promising catalyst for the oxidative elimination of chlorine-containing volatile organics.