bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formação de carimãs e sobrevivência do bicudo do algodoeiro em cultivares de algodão
Authors: Ribeiro Edenilson Batista , Silva Carlos Alberto Domingues da , Novais Victor Rosário de , Vale Willian Santos do , Silva Gustavo dos Santos , Melo Thiago Lima , Leite Suzany Aguiar , Castellani Maria Aparecida
Published: March 2020

O objetivo do trabalho foi estimar a formação de carimãs em diferentes cultivares de algodoeiro e a sobrevivência dos bicudos no interior dessas estruturas vegetais. A formação de carimãs foi estimada nas cultivares de algodão FM 975 WS, FM 944 GL, FM 982 GL e FM 910. Maçãs secas (carimãs) de cada cultivar foram coletadas em 20 pontos amostrais em uma área de dois hectares. Os carimãs coletados foram transportados para o laboratório e dissecados para contagem dos bicudos adultos no seu interior. A sobrevivência de adultos do bicudo foi avaliada por meio da coleta de 750 carimãs da cultivar FM 910, dissecando-se posteriormente 50 carimãs a cada 15 dias, a partir da data de coleta até 210 dias, quantificando-se adultos vivos e mortos. Os adultos foram alimentados com botões florais de Hibiscus sp. até a morte. Os resultados demonstraram que a formação de maçãs secas que não se abrem (carimãs) varia com o tipo de cultivar de algodão escolhida para plantio. A grande maioria da população de bicudos aprisionados nos lóculos dos carimãs não sobrevive por longo período de tempo, embora uma porção bastante reduzida dessa população seja capaz de sobreviver e emergir dessas estruturas por mais de cinco meses.
Cheese whey as potential medium fermentation to Saccharomyces fragilis IZ 275 yeast
Authors: Bosso Alessandra , Bosso Tomal Adriana Aparecida , Caldeirão Lucas , Da Silva Josemeyre Bonifácio , Suguimoto Hélio Hiroshi
Published: March 2020

Yeasts β-galactosidase is intracellular enzyme, show a high lactose hydrolyzing capacity and therefore can be used to reduce the level of lactose of milk and dairy products. However, the activity of β-galactosidase, or its production, is strongly influenced by carbon availability as source of energy.  The aim of this work was to compare different carbons source with the cheese whey, by-product of dairy industry and potential source to grow microorganism, and its interactions as fermentation mediums to production maximum of β-galactosidase by Saccharomyces fragilis IZ 275 yeast. The enzymatic activity in the cheese whey and others carbon sources were determined using the o-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside substrate (ONPG). The cheese whey is the better medium fermentation, when compared with others carbon sources, to the production maximum of enzyme. Thus, considered as waste by industry, we prove that the cheese whey opens up another possibility of biotechnological use adding value to the byproduct and meeting the concept of bioeconomy or circular economy.
Resíduo de fruta cítrica como precursor de Carbon dots: um estudo de reprodutibilidade
Authors: Dos Santos Anderlâne Bezerra , Do Nascimento Júlio César , Oliveira Ícaro Mota , Dos Santos Thatiane Veríssimo , Barbosa Cintya D Angeles do Espirito Santo
Published: March 2020

Nos últimos anos, a busca por precursores verdes para a síntese de nanopartículas de carbono (carbon dots), tem despertado interesse da comunidade científica, devido dentre outros aspectos, o alinhamento com a química verde, abundância de resíduos carbonáceos e ampla faixa de aplicações desses nanomateriais. Nesse sentido, uma estratégia simples, verde e de baixo custo, foi desenvolvida para a síntese reprodutível de carbon dots (C-dots) usando extrato do bagaço de limão, proveniente de diferentes cidades de Alagoas, Brasil, a saber Rio Largo, Coruripe e Maceió. As dispersões aquosas das nanopartículas, exibiram emissão no verde, tamanhos médios abaixo de 10 nm e índice de polidispersividade entre 0-1, indicando uma distribuição monodispersa das nanopartículas. As análises de FTIR e absorção UV-Vis evidenciaram a presença de estiramentos vibracionais de grupos funcionais oxigenados e bandas de absorção atribuídas as transições π - π* (230 nm) e n - π* em (286 nm), respectivamente. Os espectros de fotoluminescência, mostraram que a emissão dos C-dots é dependente do comprimento de onda de excitação, exibindo uma intensidade máxima em 445 nm, quando excitados em 350 nm. Assim, foi observada uma boa correlação das propriedades ópticas e estruturais dos C-dots, indicando a reprodutibilidade dessas nanopartículas. Além disso, os C-Dots exibiram potencial aplicação como sensor de cromo (VI), demonstrando que o uso do extrato do bagaço de limão é uma forma eficiente de produzir C-dots de baixo custo via química verde.
Periodic Solutions of Non-autonomous Allen–Cahn Equations Involving Fractional Laplacian
Authors: Feng Zhenping , Du Zhuoran
Published: March 2020

We consider periodic solutions of the following problem associated with the fractional Laplacian:

(

-

∂

x
⁢
x

)

s

⁢
u
⁢

(
x
)

+

∂
u

⁡
F

⁢

(
x
,

u
⁢

(
x
)

)

=
0

{(-\partial_{xx})^{s}u(x)+\partial_{u}F(x,u(x))=0}

in

ℝ

{\mathbb{R}}

. The smooth function

F
⁢

(
x
,
u
)

{F(x,u)}

is periodic about x and is a double-well potential with respect to u with wells at

+
1

{+1}

and -1 for any

x
∈
ℝ

{x\in\mathbb{R}}

. We prove the existence of periodic solutions whose periods are large integer multiples of the period of F about the variable x by using variational methods. An estimate of the energy functional, Hamiltonian identity and Modica-type inequality for periodic solutions are also established.
Pointwise Gradient Estimates in Multi-dimensional Slow Diffusion Equations with a Singular Quenching Term
Authors: Dao Nguyen Anh , Díaz Jesus Ildefonso , Nguyen Quan Ba Hong
Published: March 2020

We consider the high-dimensional equation

∂
t

⁡
u

-

Δ
⁢

u
m

+

u

-
β

⁢

χ

{
u
>
0
}

=
0

{\partial_{t}u-\Delta u^{m}+u^{-\beta}{\chi_{\{u>0\}}}=0}

, extending the mathematical treatment made in 1992 by B. Kawohl and R. Kersner for the one-dimensional case. Besides the existence of a very weak solution

u
∈

𝒞
⁢

(

[
0
,
T
]

;

L
δ
1

⁢

(
Ω
)

)

{u\in\mathcal{C}([0,T];L_{\delta}^{1}(\Omega))}

, with

u

-
β

⁢

χ

{
u
>
0
}

∈

L
1

⁢

(

(
0
,
T
)

×
Ω

)

{u^{-\beta}\chi_{\{u>0\}}\in L^{1}((0,T)\times\Omega)}

,

δ
⁢

(
x
)

=

d
⁢

(
x
,

∂
⁡
Ω

)

{\delta(x)=d(x,\partial\Omega)}

, we prove some pointwise gradient estimates for a certain range of the dimension N,

m
≥
1

{m\geq 1}

and

β
∈

(
0
,
m
)

{\beta\in(0,m)}

, mainly when the absorption dominates over the diffusion (

1
≤
m
<

2
+
β

{1\leq m<2+\beta}

). In particular, a new kind of universal gradient estimate is proved when

m
+
β

≤
2

{m+\beta\leq 2}

. Several qualitative properties (such as the finite time quenching phenomena and the finite speed of propagation) and the study of the Cauchy problem are also considered.
Adsorption/desorption, Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies for the Uptake of Cu(II) and Zn(II) onto Banana Peel
Authors: Bhagat Sanjay , Gedam Vidyadhar V. , Pathak Pranav
Published: March 2020

The paper addresses an exploration of the removal efficiency of banana peel ftrip(BP) towards copper and zinc ions from water and to optimize the factors involved in this adsorption process. In this sense, process optimization, kinetics, and equilibrium studies were performed in a batch process. The kinetics shows that the equilibrium reached in 60 minutes and the adsorption is favored above pH 5. The BP was firstly characterized by proximate analysis, FTIR, BET surface area, and SEM. The highest adsorption capacity for Langmuir isotherm for Cu(II) and Zn(II) onto BP was observed to be 61.728 mg/g and 55.56 mg/g respectively. Finally, the regeneration of BP was also studied up to 5 cycles. Thus, BP showed excellent adsorption characteristics during the uptake of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from wastewater effluent and can be used as low-cost agricultural waste biomass as an adsorbent.
Investigation of Heat Transfer Efficiency of Improved Intermig Impellers in a Stirred Tank Equipped with Vertical Tubes
Authors: Wang Leizhi , Zhou Yongjun , Chen Zhaobo
Published: March 2020

The heat transfer of a reactor with improved Intermig impellers was numerically investigated by the finite element method (FEM) simulation software Fluent (V.19). A turbulence model utilized the standardk-εmodel, and the turbulent flows in two large vortexes between vertical tubes were collided to form a strong convection. The influence of heat and mass transfer developing from the impeller diameters, the distance between the two impellers (C1), the rotational speed and the installation height of the bottom impeller (C2) were studied. The reactor was equipped with special structure vertical tubes to increase the heat exchange areas. The rate of heat transfer, including criteria such as the convective heat transfer coefficient, the Nusselt number of outside vertical tubes, and the temperature boundary layer thickness, assured the accurate control of the heat exchange mixing state. The experimental testing platform was designed to validate the simulated results, which revealed the influence order of related factors. The Nusselt numberNuwas affected by various related factors, resulting in the rotation and diameter of impellers extending far beyond the distance between the two impellers (C1) and the installation height of the impeller (C2). The average temperature boundary layer thicknesses of the symmetrical and middle sections were 3.24 mm and 3.48 mm, respectively. Adjusting the appropriate parameters can accurately control the heat exchange process in such a reactor, and the conclusions provide a significant reference for engineering applications.
Efficient Synthesis of Diethyl Carbonate by Mg, Zn Promoted Hydroxyapatite via Transesterification Reaction
Authors: Shukla Kartikeya , Srivastava Vimal Chandra
Published: March 2020

Transesterification of propylene carbonate (PC) and ethanol is a potent non-phosgene route for the synthesis of diethyl carbonate (DEC). In the present study, hydroxyapatite was synthesized and modified using Zn and Mg (Zn/HAP and Mg/HAP). Modified hydroxyapatite was used as catalyst for the synthesis of DEC. The thermal analysis of the catalytic precursor was studied using thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis. The structural analysis, surface morphology, and nature of active sites over the catalyst surface were studied using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy, and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption. Effects of reaction conditions like reaction temperature, reaction time and ethanol/PC molar ratio on DEC yield were also studied. The effects of Mg and Zn on HAP were found to be promotional for the synthesis of DEC using PC and ethanol. Mg/HAP was found to be the best among the three catalysts studied owing to its high basicity. Maximum DEC yield of 52.1 % was obtained in 5 h at 433 K using Mg/HAP catalyst.
Tits alternative for Artin groups of type FC
Authors: Martin Alexandre , Przytycki Piotr
Published: March 2020

Given a group action on a finite-dimensional

CAT
⁢

(
0
)

{\mathrm{CAT}(0)}

cube complex, we give a simple criterion phrased purely in terms of cube stabilisers that ensures that the group satisfies the strong Tits alternative, provided that each vertex stabiliser satisfies the strong Tits alternative.
We use it to prove that all Artin groups of type FC satisfy the strong Tits alternative.
Occurrence and clinical management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obesity patients: a literature review
Authors: Cui Han , Zhang XiuWei
Published: March 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic stress-induced liver injury closely correlated with insulin resistance. Currently, the methods for clinical management of NAFLD patients mainly include removing causes, changing lifestyle and dietary structure, drug therapy and weight-loss surgery. This paper summarizes the occurrence and clinical management of NAFLD in patients with obesity, with the aim of formulating scientific clinical interventions for these patients and thus preventing the occurrence of NAFLD.
How do sustained birth tears after vaginal birth affect birth tear patterns in a subsequent birth?
Authors: Kimmich Nina , Yeo Te-ying Audrey , Zimmermann Roland , Furrer Eva
Published: March 2020

Background

Tears are common after vaginal birth, and different impact factors are known. However, the impact of tears from a previous birth to the tears of a subsequent birth is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of birth tear patterns according to the sustained tears in a previous birth, in addition to other impact factors.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study, we evaluated all women up to parity 4 with subsequent vaginal, singleton births of vertex presentation at ≥37 + 0 gestational weeks between 1/2005 and 12/2016. Their tears were grouped into tear patterns and were analyzed by parity. Tear patterns in the subsequent births were analyzed in association to the patterns of the previous births and impact factors were evaluated.

Results

We counted 4017 births in 1855 women [P1: 1368 (34.1%), P2: 1730 (43.1%), P3: 741 (18.4%), P4: 178 (4.4%)]. The frequency of tears and episiotomies decreased with higher parity, whereas the frequency of intact perineum increased. Twenty-eight different unique tear patterns were found. We could show that birth tear patterns changed with increasing parity and were associated with sustained tears in a previous birth. In addition, some impact factors on tear patterns could be identified.

Conclusion

The distribution of the single tear types is in accordance with the current literature. However, it is new that distinct tear patterns are associated to sustained tear patterns of previous births. Furthermore, we demonstrated some weak associations of tear patterns to certain impact factors, such as more episiotomies, low-grade perineal or vaginal tears isolated or in combination with other tears with increasing fetal weight and head circumference in the higher parities, and with a longer duration of the second stage and the pushing phase in lower parities.
Distribution and status of the striped hyena Hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mammalia, Hyaenidae) in Algeria
Authors: Derouiche Louiza , Bounaceur Farid , Benamor Naceur , Hadjloum Mohamed , Benameur-Hasnaoui Hafida , Ounas Houria , Irzagh Ahmed , Boualem Aouad , Belmoures Redouane , Djeghim Chaouki , Aulagnier Stéphane
Published: March 2020

The striped hyena Hyaena hyaena is listed “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Mediterranean region as its population and range are decreasing in most countries. In Algeria, the distribution and status of this species have not been reviewed for nearly 30 years. A field survey was conducted during the last 10 years in many regions and suitable habitats in order to update this information. Our results show that the striped hyena was eradicated from some northern areas of its former range, but still occurs in most regions of Algeria. Causes of mortality are reported and conservation measures are suggested in order to keep sustainable populations.
Primary cutaneous DLBCL non-GCB type: challenges of a rare case
Authors: Sica Antonello , Vitiello Paola , Caccavale Stefano , Sagnelli Caterina , Calogero Armando , Dodaro Concetta Anna , Pastore Francesco , Ciardiello Fortunato , Argenziano Giuseppe , Reginelli Alfonso , Cappabianca Salvatore , Franco Renato , Ronchi Andrea
Published: March 2020

Several types of B-cell lymphomas, including both primary cutaneous lymphomas and systemic lymphomas, may affect the skin, with partially overlapping clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features. Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas does not include diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and considers leg-type DLBCL the only primary cutaneous DLBCL. Here we report the case of a 72-year-old white woman with a primary cutaneous neoplasm comprised of large cells with round nuclei, irregularly clumped chromatin and one or more inconspicuous nucleoli. The immunohistochemistry demonstrated positivity for CD20 and MUM1, with no significant genetic translocations detected by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. After staging, we considered this neoplasm a primary cutaneous DLBCL with a non-germinal center phenotype, not otherwise specified, inconsistent with a leg-type DLBCL. Because of this view, we underscore the need for greater knowledge of the molecular landscape of B-cell lymphomas in order to reconsider the classification of such neoplasms in the skin.
Quantum Entanglements and the Lutheran Dispersal of Salvation
Authors: Spierer Eugen
Published: March 2020

Martin Luther suggested that God disperses the salvation gained by the sacrifice of Christ both before and after the crucifixion itself. This essay describes how quantum time entanglements can facilitate a timeless dispersal of salvific grace and hypothesizes that it is God who creates, maintains and manipulates space-time using such entanglements, in a way analogous to a spider controlling its web.
Mitf Links Neuronal Activity and Long-Term Homeostatic Intrinsic Plasticity
Authors: Atacho Diahann A. M. , Reynisson Hallur , Petursdottir Anna Thora , Eysteinsson Thor , Steingrimsson Eirikur , Petersen Petur Henry
Published: March 2020

Neuroplasticity forms the basis for neuronal circuit complexity and differences between otherwise similar circuits. We show that the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) plays a central role in intrinsic plasticity of olfactory bulb (OB) projection neurons. Mitral and tufted (M/T) neurons fromMitfmutant mice are hyperexcitable, have a reduced A-type potassium current (IA) and exhibit reduced expression ofKcnd3, which encodes a potassium voltage-gated channel subunit (Kv4.3) important for generating the IA. Furthermore, expression of theMitfandKcnd3genes is activity dependent in OB projection neurons and the MITF protein activates expression fromKcnd3regulatory elements. Moreover,Mitfmutant mice have changes in olfactory habituation and have increased habituation for an odorant following long-term exposure, indicating that regulation ofKcnd3is pivotal for long-term olfactory adaptation. Our findings show thatMitfacts as a direct regulator of intrinsic homeostatic feedback and links neuronal activity, transcriptional changes and neuronal function.
Cortical Tonotopic Map Changes in Humans Are Larger in Hearing Loss Than in Additional Tinnitus
Authors: Koops Elouise A. , Renken Remco J. , Lanting Cris P. , van Dijk Pim
Published: March 2020

Neural plasticity due to hearing loss results in tonotopic map changes. Several studies have suggested a relation between hearing loss-induced tonotopic reorganization and tinnitus. This large fMRI study on humans was intended to clarify the relations between hearing loss, tinnitus, and tonotopic reorganization. To determine the differential effect of hearing loss and tinnitus, both male and female participants with bilateral high-frequency hearing loss, with and without tinnitus, and a control group were included. In a total of 90 participants, bilateral cortical responses to sound stimulation were measured with loudness-matched pure-tone stimuli (0.25-8 kHz). In the bilateral auditory cortices, the high-frequency sound-evoked activation level was higher in both hearing-impaired participant groups, compared with the control group. This was most prominent in the hearing loss group without tinnitus. Similarly, the tonotopic maps for the hearing loss without tinnitus group were significantly different from the controls, whereas the maps of those with tinnitus were not. These results show that higher response amplitudes and map reorganization are a characteristic of hearing loss, not of tinnitus. Both tonotopic maps and response amplitudes of tinnitus participants appear intermediate to the controls and hearing loss without tinnitus group. This observation suggests a connection between tinnitus and an incomplete form of central compensation to hearing loss, rather than excessive adaptation. One implication of this may be that treatments for tinnitus shift their focus toward enhancing the cortical plasticity, instead of reversing it.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTTinnitus, a common and potentially devastating condition, is the presence of a “phantom” sound that often accompanies hearing loss. Hearing loss is known to induce plastic changes in cortical and subcortical areas. Although plasticity is a valuable trait that allows the human brain to rewire and recover from injury and sensory deprivation, it can lead to tinnitus as an unwanted side effect. In this large fMRI study, we provide evidence that tinnitus is related to a more conservative form of reorganization than in hearing loss without tinnitus. This result contrasts with the previous notion that tinnitus is related to excessive reorganization. As a consequence, treatments for tinnitus may need to enhance the cortical plasticity, rather than reverse it.
General overview of the potential effect of extreme temperature change on society and economyin Poland in the 21st century
Authors: Jędruszkiewicz Joanna , Wibig Joanna
Published: March 2020

This work gives an overview on how the projected changes in the extremes in Poland might impact human health and economy. For that purpose, statisti-cally corrected data from 7 regional climate models were used. A significant increase of extreme hot events (i.e. heat waves, tropical nights) is projected for Central and Southern Poland for the end of the 21st century which might seri-ously affect a society living in large urban areas. Less extreme cold events im-prove thermal comfort in winter. The negative impact of the warming will affect energy systems with higher demand for electricity in summer and agriculture: an earlier beginning of the growing season and flower blooming will enhance the risk of frost damages in spring, whereas excessive heat will reduce yields in summer. Polish tourism should benefit from higher thermal comfort (except for hot July and August in the far future and warming in the winter season bring-ing snow cover depletion in the near future).
Regional analysis of wind velocity patterns in complex terrain
Authors: Belu Radian , Koračin Darko
Published: March 2020

Wind energy is a weather and climate-dependent energy resource with natural spatio-temporal variabilities at time scales ranging from fraction of seconds to seasons and years, while at spatial scales it is strongly affected by the terrain and vegetation. To optimize wind energy systems and maximize the energy extraction, wind measurements on various time scales as well as wind energy forecasts are required and needed. This study focuses on spatio-temporal characteristics of the wind velocity in complex terrain, relevant to wind energy assessment, operation, and grid integration, using data collected at 11 towers ranging from 40 to 80 m tall over a 12-year period in complex terrain of western-central and northern Nevada, USA. The autocorrelation analysis, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) and Detrended Cross-Correlation Analysis (DCCA) showed strong coherence between the wind speed and direction with slowly decreasing amplitude of the multi-day periodicity with increasing lag periods. Besides pronounced diurnal periodicity at all locations, statistical analysis and DFA also showed significant seasonal and annual periodicities, long-memory persistence with similar characteristics at all sites and towers with a relatively narrow range of the Weibull parameters. The DCCA indicates similar wind patterns at each tower, and strong correlations between measurement sites in spite of separations of about 300 km across the towers’ setup. The northern Nevada area exhibits higher wind resource potential and higher wind persis-tence compared to the western-central region. Overall, the DFA and DCCA results suggest higher degree of complementarity among wind data at measure-ment sites compared to previous standard statistical analysis.
Application of grid convergence index to shock wave validated with LS-DYNA and ProsAir
Authors: Castedo Ricardo , Reifarth Carlos , Santos Anastasio P , Losada Jorge J , López Lina M , Chiquito Maria , Mancilla Juan M
Published: March 2020

The discretization error is not always calculated, even though it is essential for the studies of computational solid mechanics. However, it is well known that an error committed by the mesh used can be as large as the measured variable, which greatly invalidates the results obtained. The grid convergence index (GCI) method makes possible to determine on a solid basis, the order of convergence and the asymptotic solution. This method seems to be a suitable estimator despite further research is needed in the context of blast situations and finite element (FE) calculations. For this purpose, field trials were performed consisting in the detonation of a spherical hanging load of homemade explosive. The pressure generated by the shock wave was measured in different positions at two distances. With these data, a TNT equivalent has been obtained and used to calculate the shock propagation with the solvers LS-DYNA and ProsAir. This work aims to verify the GCI method by comparing its results with field data along with the simulations carried out. The comparison also seeks to validate the methodology used to obtain the TNT equivalent.This research shows that the GCI gives good results for both solvers despite the complexity of the physical problem. Besides, LS-DYNA displays better correlation with the experimental data than the ProsAir results, with an error of less than 10% in all values.
Possible gaso-petroleum occurrence from non-seismic and non-conventional exploration methods in the Central Basin, Cuba
Authors: Morales González Jessica , Pardo-Echarte Manuel , Rodríguez-Morán Osvaldo
Published: March 2020

In various geological situations, seismic data provides little information about whether a trap contains hydrocarbons. It is well documented that the generality of hydrocarbon accumulations has predominantly vertical microfiltration. The use of non-seismic and non-conventional exploration methods, integrated with geological and seismic data, enables a better evaluation of prospects and exploration risk; such is the purpose of the investigation. The general objective was to map possible new gaso-petroleum targets that support exploration in the study region. The cartography of the areas of interest would be based on the presence of the indicator anomalies: gravimetric, aeromagnetic and airborne gamma spectrometric. In addition, a 2D model of the potential fields of the Jatibonico oilfield was designed to validate the hypothesis that the magnetic maximums reduced to the pole are the cartographic expression of the continental margin carbonate uplifts. The results indicate that the anomalous complex of the Cristales oilfield is reproduced in the location of La Vigía, which manifests as a preserved occurrence, according to the results of recognition by the Redox Complex.
Strategies of Conflict Resolution and Mitigation: The Potential of the Speech Act of Apologizing in the Perspective of Intercultural Pragmatics
Authors: Rathmayr Renate
Published: March 2020

The article considers the linguistic and communicative nature of an apology (a request for forgiveness) as a corrective action that is aimed at preventing or mitigating conflict. By analyzing speech situations from Russian and Austrian culture and their illustrations in literary sources, it is established that apology occupies an intermediate position between performative and non-performative utterance. There have been recorded the situations, where even serious damage can be removed by an apology or an apology in combination with compensation. There are three categories of apologies: metacommunicative, conventional and substantive apologies. The latter two are described in the article. The hypothesis of the study is substantiated by the thesis that the apology depends not only on the severity of the damage, but also on the traditions of culture and peculiarities of the communicative situation. This issue is one of the insufficiently studied questions of linguistics. The article allocates the cultural universals of apologetic speech actions and culturally specific features of apology situations in Russian and Austrian cultures. It is shown that in the sphere of politics, even decades after the infliction of serious harm, a sincere apology for an insult or violation of the norms of behavior, uttered by the responsible person or his descendant, can be the basis for improving inter-state relations.
Discourse Analysis in Linguistic Expertise of Media Texts with Nationalistic Content
Authors: Duskaeva Liliia
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the study was to determine the peculiarities of the discursive method when it is applied in linguistic expertise practice. The method is considered a special type of the text interpretation as it allows to diagnose the nationalist-and-extremist orientation of the text. Discourse analysis includes a number of procedures which are consistently carried out, the most important among mentioned procedures are: 1) selection of the most important semantic components of the text; 2) identification among them of those charged with the modus of rejection and hostility; 3) assessment of language structures for the delict content in them; 4) justification of delict presence in statements, which is based on the analysis of the structure of the speech situation in case of delict detection. Thus, the expertise discourse analysis is the determination of those peculiarities in the selection and combination of language means that form the conflictogenicity of the text modus. Such a modus is formed with expression of dislike and hatred to another nation, affirming the idea of the exclusivity of one's own nation, and encouraging aggressive actions, which are expressed by the impelling compositional forms of appeal, proclamation, instruction, advice, warning, demand, threat. Each of the forms is characterized by its own configuration of ways and means. The author of the article analyzed two cases with conflictogenic texts. In the first case, discourse analysis confirmed the presence of delict, in the second case its absence was demonstrated.
Speech and Gesture in Forensic Linguistics in Bribery Case: Towards Semantics and Pragmatics of “Closed” Discourses
Authors: Baranov Anatoliy
Published: March 2020

The paper deals with analysis of verbal and nonverbal information in dialogues about bribes. The dialogue about bribes is one of the types of so called "closed" discourse in which explicit expression of communicative intention is forbidden or at any case legally restricted. Closed discourses are opposed to open ones, in which there are no significant prohibitions on the expression of certain meanings. The restriction on explicit verbalization of bribes leads to contradiction between the need for speakers to express their thoughts clearly, on one hand, and prohibitions of a legal nature – on another. One of the ways to solve this problem is to use non-verbal channels to transfer information – in particular gestures. In dialogues about bribes gesture often replaces and complements speech acts of participants. Examples of interaction between speech of participants of dialogues and their non-verbal behavior are considered. Linguistic semantics and linguistic pragmatics are shown as a metalanguage that allows to transfer sense at the non-verbal level of communication in dialogues about bribes. For this purpose, it is proposed to use metalanguages of non-verbal semiotics and the formal representation of the plot, based on the narrative grammars. The study and description of the interaction between the level of speech and the level of non-verbal communication (primary gestures) is necessary for forensic linguistics in bribery cases. The study of the rules of interaction between verbal and non-verbal is necessary not only for applied linguistics – in particular forensic linguistics, but also for linguistic theory.
Solving Delete Free Planning with Relaxed Decision Diagram Based Heuristics
Authors: Castro Margarita Paz , Piacentini Chiara , Cire Andre Augusto , Beck J. Christopher
Published: March 2020

We investigate the use of relaxed decision diagrams (DDs) for computing admissible heuristics for the cost-optimal delete-free planning (DFP) problem. Our main contributions are the introduction of two novel DD encodings for a DFP task: a multivalued decision diagram that includes the sequencing aspect of the problem and a binary decision diagram representation of its sequential relaxation. We present construction algorithms for each DD that leverage these different perspectives of the DFP task and provide theoretical and empirical analyses of the associated heuristics. We further show that relaxed DDs can be used beyond heuristic computation to extract delete-free plans, find action landmarks, and identify redundant actions. Our empirical analysis shows that while DD-based heuristics trail the state of the art, even small relaxed DDs are competitive with the linear programming heuristic for the DFP task, thus, revealing novel ways of designing admissible heuristics.
Agreement on Target-Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Networks for Sequence-to-Sequence Learning
Authors: Liu Lemao , Finch Andrew , Utiyama Masao , Sumita Eiichiro
Published: March 2020

Recurrent neural networks are extremely appealing for sequence-to-sequence learning tasks. Despite their great success, they typically suffer from a shortcoming: they are prone to generate unbalanced targets with good prefixes but bad suffixes, and thus performance suffers when dealing with long sequences. We propose a simple yet effective approach to overcome this shortcoming. Our approach relies on the agreement between a pair of target-directional RNNs, which generates more balanced targets. In addition, we develop two efficient approximate search methods for agreement that are empirically shown to be almost optimal in terms of either sequence level or non-sequence level metrics. Extensive experiments were performed on three standard sequence-to-sequence transduction tasks: machine transliteration, grapheme-to-phoneme transformation and machine translation. The results show that the proposed approach achieves consistent and substantial improvements, compared to many state-of-the-art systems.
Prognostic Value of Germline DNA Repair Gene Mutations in De Novo Metastatic and Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer
Authors: Wei Yu , Wu Junlong , Gu Weijie , Wang Jun , Lin Guowen , Qin Xiaojian , Dai Bo , Gan Hualei , Ye Dingwei , Zhu Yao
Published: March 2020

Background

Germline DNA damage repair gene mutations (gDDRm) have been found in approximately 12% of patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa). Previous studies of the clinical impact of gDDRm have mainly been in the setting of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of gDDRm in de novo metastatic and castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC).

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively collected the records of 139 consecutive men with de novo mCSPC who initially received systemic therapies following guidelines. This included 128 patients who underwent genetic testing at our center and 11 patients referred to our center after being identified as gDDRm carriers. Time to mCRPC was collected. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analysis were used to analyze the association between gDDRm and clinical outcomes. Survival outcomes were adjusted using multivariable Cox regression models.

Results

Of the 139 patients with de novo mCSPC, 28 gDDRm carriers were identified. Median time progressing to mCRPC was significantly shorter in patients carrying gDDRm than in those without mutations (8.3 vs 13.2 months; hazard ratio [HR], 2.37; p < .001). Moreover, median progression time was almost halved in BRCA2 carriers (6.3 vs. 13.2 months; HR, 3.73; p < .001). Subgroup analysis revealed that the presence of gDDRm indicated poor therapy response regardless of disease volume and prostate-specific antigen nadir within the first 7 months. Presence of gDDRm remained independently associated with increased risk of progression to mCRPC in multivariate analysis (adjusted HR, 1.98; p = .006).

Conclusion

Our study suggested that positive gDDRm status predicted rapid progression to castration resistance in patients with de novo mCSPC. We propose identifying gDDRm status at the time of diagnosis for mCSPC patients, considering it is the first step of tailoring individualized treatment. In addition, DNA repair genes were a good therapeutic target for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, and our results call for more frontline targeted therapy trials in gDDRm carriers to prolong the progression time.

Implications for Practice

Results of this study suggested that positive germline DNA damage repair gene mutation (gDDRm) status predicted earlier progression to castration resistance in patients with de novo metastatic and castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). These findings indicated the importance of intense therapy for some subgroups of mCSPC, especially for mCSPC harboring gDDRm with low-volume disease. Moreover, gDDRm was a good therapeutic target for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, and these findings call for more molecular marker driven trials moving to the mTNPC setting.
Sarcopenia and Inflammation with Immunotherapy
Authors: Köstek Osman , Demir Tarık
Published: March 2020

This letter to the editor presents possible limitations of the study reported by Bilen et al., which might have affected the reported results.
Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on Physiological Parameters Against Salinity in Apple Cultivar “Fuji”
Authors: ARIKAN Şeyma , PIRLAK Lütfi
Published: March 2020

The present study was conducted with the cultivar ‘Fuji’ grafted on M9 rootstock in both 2014 and 2016 years. The effect of PGPR (Bacillus subtilis EY2, Bacillus atrophaeus EY6, Bacillus spharicus GC subgroup B EY30, Staphylococcus kloosii EY37 and Kocuria erythromyxa EY43) were investigated under salt stress conditions. PGPR’s effects were tested on leaf relative water content (LRWC), membrane permeability, stomatal conductivity, photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll content (by SPAD-502). The saplings were grown in pots filled 2:1:1 peat: perlite: sand. Salinity was obtained by NaCl: Na2SO4: CaCl2: MgSO4 (7:9:3:1) solution. The solution was applied twice a week with irrigation during the growing period. When the salinity reached 2.5-3.0 dScm-1, the solution application was ended. All bacteria treatments significantly reduced the physiological damage of leaves compared with the salt treatment in both two years. The LRWC range from 13.33 % (salt treatment) to 26.76 % (control). The best result of bacteria treatment was measured in EY43 with 23.93 % LRWC. The highest rate of membrane permeability was found in salt treatment (30.35 %). The stomatal conductivity was decreased in the salt application (154.35 mmol m-2s-1) unlike EY43 treatment (234.44 mmol m-2s-1). Similarly, EY43 treatment significantly increased photosynthetic activity (15.24 µmol CO2 m-2s-1) compared with the salt treatment (8.22 µmol CO2 m-2s-1). As a result, bacteria strains had been ameliorative of the deleterious effects under salt stress on “Fuji”.
A Study on the Gamma-ray Attenuation Parameters of Some Commercial Salt Samples
Authors: EKE Canel
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study is to calculate self-attenuation correction factors, linear (LAC) /mass attenuation coefficients (MAC), half value layers (HVL) and tenth value layers (TVL) of different brands of commercial salt samples using gamma-ray spectrometry equipped with high resolution germanium (HpGe) detector. The gamma-rays emissions of 22Na, 60Co, 133Ba and 137Cs point sources were counted with/without sample. The obtained gamma-ray spectra were analyzed using computer software. Self-attenuation correction factors and gamma-ray attenuation parameters of eleven different brands of commercial salt sample were calculated. The experimental MACs of salt samples were compared with those of NaCl compound utilizing WinXCom software.
Using PSO and Genetic Algorithms to Optimize ANFIS Model for Forecasting Uganda’s Net Electricity Consumption
Authors: KASULE Abdal , AYAN Kürşat
Published: March 2020

Uganda seeks to transform its society from a peasant to a modern and largely urban society by the year 2040. To achieve this, electricity as a form of modern and clean energy has been identified as a driving force for all the sectors of the economy. For this reason, electricity consumption forecasts that are realistic and accurate are key inputs to policy making and investment decisions for developing Uganda’s electricity sector. In this study, we present an ANFIS long-term electricity forecasting model that is easy to interpret. We use the model to forecast Uganda’s electricity consumption. The ANFIS model takes population, gross domestic product, number of subscribers and average electricity price as input variables and electricity consumption as the output. We use particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the parameters of the model. A forecast accuracy of 94.34% is achieved for GA-ANFIS, while 90.88% accuracy is achieved for PSO-ANFIS as compared to 87.79% for multivariate linear regression (MLR) model. Comparison with official forecasts made by Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) revealed low forecast errors.
On the relationship of proton irradiation and heat treatment of monocrystalline silicon with its structure
Authors: Asadchikov V. E. , Dyachkova I. G. , Zolotov D. A. , Krivonosov Yu. S. , Bublik V. T. , Shikhov A. I.
Published: March 2020

The method of two-crystal X-ray diffractometry is used to control the quality and perfection of monocrystalline silicon obtained by implantation of hydrogen ions and subsequent thermal annealing, which is used in a number of semiconductor technologies. The principal feature of this approach is the ability to quickly obtain reliable experimental results, which was confirmed in this paper by the use of X-ray topography. The presented data provide information on the state of the disturbed layer of silicon crystals of n-type conductivity (ρ = 100 Om ⋅ cm) by orientation (111), 2 mm thick, implanted by protons with energy E = 200, 300, 100 + 200 + 300 keV, dose D = 2 ⋅ 1016cm-2 and subjected to subsequent thermal treatment in the temperature range T from 100 to 900 °С. We have established a non-monotonic dependence of the integral characteristics of the disturbed layer, namely the average effective thickness Leff and the average relative deformation ∆а/а, on annealing temperature, with the maximum level of distortion in the field of temperature ∼300 °С, using the method of integral characteristics. Obtained data allowed to assess the general condition of disturbed layer during thermal treatment.
A Study on the Application of Visually Unattractive Food for Sustainable Consumption: Emotional and Cognitive Reactions to Food Shape and Organic Labeling
Authors:   The Tourism Sciences Society Of Korea, Lee Sin-Ae , Hwang Jo-Hye
Published: March 2020

Recently, food waste generated by food consumption has become an environmental issue. One significant reason for food waste is that consumers are reluctant to buy or consume suboptimal food. However, in Korea there is insufficient research on unattractive-looking food. It is currently unclear which factors explain consumers’ non-preference for suboptimal products. Therefore, this study was conducted as an experimental study designed to find out the difference between consumers' emotional and cognitive responses according to the degree of product shape abnormality, organic labels, health consciousness, and the impact on their purchasing intention. The results were as follows. First, the findings indicated differences among consumers’ positive emotion, negative emotion, and perceived quality concerning food shape (normal, abnormal, extremely abnormal). Second, the results showed a significant interaction effect for food shape and organic labeling. Positive emotion and perceived quality toward an extremely abnormally-shaped apple were higher if an organic label appeared on it. Third, it was shown that positive emotion and perceived quality had a positive (+) effect on purchase intention. Fourth, there was a significant interaction between food shape and health consciousness. Perceived quality toward an extremely abnormally-shaped apple was lower if consumers had a high interest in health consciousness. This study provides academic and practical implications for food research on unattractive products.
The Effect of Fast Food Restaurant Customers’ Kiosk Use on Acceptance Intention and Continuous Use Intention: Applying UTAUT2 Model and Moderating Effect of Familiarity
Authors:   The Tourism Sciences Society Of Korea, Park Ji-Won , Lee Hyung-Ryong
Published: March 2020

This study was to identify the effects of four factors of UTAUT2 model (i.e., customer’s performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, and habit) on the acceptance intention and continuous use intention in the context of the use of kiosk at Korean fast-food restaurants. In order to test the hypothesized model, data were collected from an online survey in 2019 and a total of 367 responses were used for the analysis. Results showed that all of the four factors of the UTAUT2 model made significant and positive effects on the customers' acceptance intention. Results also indicated that the customers’ acceptance intention had significant and positive effects on their continuous use intention. In particular, the moderating effect’s of customers' familiarity, which played the role in between the factors of UTAUT2 and customers’ acceptance intention, was shown to be statistically significant. The moderating effect was significant even after controlling the effects of customers' gender and age. Based on these results, theoretical discussions as well as practical implications for fast-food service enterprises, who consider adopting kiosk, have been suggested.
A Study on Dark Tourism Resources Related to Daejeon’s Modern Cultural Heritage
Authors:   The Tourism Sciences Society Of Korea, Park Geun-Yeong , Kim Young-Sik
Published: March 2020

It is very unfortunate that so much of modern cultural heritage has been damaged or demolished in accordance with the demands of regional development. At a time when the courage to face the tragedy and pain of the past is needed, it is very meaningful to suggest a direction in which modern cultural heritage in Daejeon can be utilized as a tourist resource from a dark tourism perspective. This study both focuses on dark tourism, which combines history and education, and seeks a direction for the resourcezation of modern cultural heritage in the Daejeon area. To this end, the past and the present conditions of modern cultural heritage in Daejeon were examined, and the application method of the sites was presented from the aspect of dark tourism. Priority tasks should be the establishment of a concrete policy strategy on how to preserve and maintain the facilities and places of value as modern cultural heritage, the establishment of a detailed legal system, and ongoing administrative support. At the same time, another important thing that must be done is the establishment of a governance system in which local communities participate to promote the understanding of dark tourism and the revitalization of tourism, and the realization of the resourceization of dark tourism through the process of integrating various opinions. This research could provide an opportunity to induce the interest of tourists by linking it to the tourism industry through dark tourism, which has so far been of little interest.