bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of Poultry Manure and Phosphate Rock on Soil P Availability, Ryegrass Production, and P Uptake
Authors: Poblete-Grant Patricia , Biron Philippe , Bariac Thierry , Cartes Paula , Mora María de La Luz , Rumpel Cornelia
Published: April 2019

To maintain grassland productivity and limit resource depletion, scarce mineral P (phosphorus) fertilizers must be replaced by alternative P sources. The effect of these amendments on plant growth may depend on physicochemical soil parameters, in particular pH. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of soil pH on biomass production, P use efficiency, and soil P forms after P amendment application (100 mg kg−1 P) using poultry manure compost (PM), rock phosphate (RP), and their combination (PMRP). We performed a growth chamber experiment with ryegrass plants (Lolium perenne) grown on two soil types with contrasting pH under controlled conditions for 7 weeks. Chemical P fractions, biomass production, and P concentrations were measured to calculate plant uptake and P use efficiency. We found a strong synergistic effect on the available soil P, while antagonistic effects were observed for ryegrass production and P uptake. We conclude that although the combination of PM and RP has positive effects in terms of soil P availability, the combined effects of the mixture must be taken into account and further evaluated for different soil types and grassland plants to maximize synergistic effects and to minimize antagonistic ones.
Effects of Dietary Rumen-Protected Betaine Supplementation on Performance of Postpartum Dairy Cows and Immunity of Newborn Calves
Authors: Wang Beibei , Wang Chong , Guan Ruowei , Shi Kai , Wei Zihai , Liu Jianxin , Liu Hongyun
Published: April 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of rumen-protected betaine supplementation on performance of postpartum dairy cows and immunity of newborn calves. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein dairy cows were randomly divided into the control (CON, n = 12) and rumen-protected betaine (BET, n = 12) groups after blocking by parity and milk yield during the previous lactation cycle. The cows were fed a basal total mixed ration diet without BET (CON) or with BET at 20 g/d per cow (BET) from four weeks before expected calving to six weeks postpartum. The results showed that betaine supplementation had no effect on dry matter intake and milk yield of the cows. The BET cows tended to increase feed efficiency (energy-corrected milk/dry matter intake) and body weight loss postpartum compared to the CON cows. The plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations of the BET cows were greater at d seven after calving than those of the CON cows. Moreover, compared to the CON calves, the BET calves had greater plasma total protein and globulin concentrations. The plasma glucose concentrations of the BET calves tended to decrease relative to CON cows. In conclusion, rumen-protected betaine supplementation from four weeks before expected calving tended to increase fat mobilization of postpartum dairy cows, and might improve the immunity of newborn calves.
Technologies for the Production of Fertilizable Mammalian Oocytes
Authors: Rossi Gianna , Di Nisio Valentina , Macchiarelli Guido , Nottola Stefania Annarita , Halvaei Iman , De Santis Lucia , Cecconi Sandra
Published: April 2019

Women affected by ovarian pathologies or with cancer can usually preserve fertility by egg/embryo freezing. When oocyte retrieval is not feasible, the only option available is ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. The culture of follicles isolated from fresh or cryopreserved ovaries is considered still experimental, although this procedure is considered safer, because the risk of unintentional spreading of cancer cells eventually present in cryopreserved tissue is avoided. Animal and human small follicles can be cultured in vitro, but standardized protocols able to produce in vitro grown oocytes with the same developmental capacity of in vivo grown oocytes are not available yet. In fact, the different sizes of follicles and oocytes, the hormonal differences existing between mono- (e.g., human, goat, cow, and sheep) and poly-ovulatory (rodents and pig) species, and the incomplete identification of the mechanisms regulating the oocyte–follicle and follicle–ovary interrelationships affect the outcome of in vitro culture. From all these attempts, however, new ideas arise, and the goal of assuring the preservation of female reproductive potential appears a more realistic possibility. This review surveys and discusses advances and challenges of these technologies that, starting from a simple attempt, are now approaching the biosynthesis of a functional engineered ovary.
Curable Area Substantiation of Self-Healing in Concrete Using Neutral Axis
Authors: Kang Choonghyun , Kim Taewan
Published: April 2019

The self-healing nature of concrete has been proved in many studies using various methods. However, the underlying mechanisms and the distinct area of self-healing have not been identified in detail. This study focuses on the limits of the area of self-healing. A bending specimen with a notch is used herein, and its flexural strength and stiffness before and after healing are compared and used for self-healing assessment. In addition, the neutral axis of the specimen was measured using successive strain gauges attached to the crack propagation part. Although the strength and stiffness of the concrete recovered after self-healing, the change in the location of the neutral axis before and after healing was insignificant, which indicates that physical recovery did not occur for once-opened crack areas.
Potential on Energy Performance Upgrade of National Stadiums: A Case Study for the Pancretan Stadium, Crete, Greece
Authors: Katsaprakakis Dimitris , Dakanali Irini , Zidianakis George , Yiannakoudakis Yiannis , Psarras Nikolaos , Kanouras Spyros
Published: April 2019

Energy performance upgrade of stadiums constitutes a complex and demanding task because of both the size and the variety of the involved energy loads. The present article aims to summarize the basic results of the implemented study on the energy performance upgrade of the Pancretan Stadium, Crete, Greece. This target was approached with a cluster of passive and active measures: replacement of old openings, a photovoltaic station, an open loop geothermal system, installation of energy-efficient lighting devices, a solar-biomass combi system and a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) for the control of the main energy consumptions. The dimensioning of all the proposed active systems is optimized through the computational simulation of their annual operation. With the applied technologies, the achieved annual energy saving percentage exceeds 83%. The Renewable Energy Sources annual penetration percentage is calculated at 82% versus the annual energy consumption. The Stadium’s energy performance is upgraded from rank D to rank A+, according to the European Union’s directives. The set-up cost of the under consideration energy performance upgrade systems is approximately calculated at 2,700,000 €, with a payback period of 12 years, calculated versus the achieved monetary savings due to the reduction of the consumed energy resources.
A Low-Cost Add-On Sensor and Algorithm to Help Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises Monitor Machinery and Schedule Processes
Authors: Chen Yi-Chung , Ting Kuo-Cheng , Chen Yo-Ming , Yang Don-Lin , Chen Hsi-Min , Ying Josh Jia-Ching
Published: April 2019

Since the concept of Industry 4.0 emerged, an increasing number of major manufacturers have incorporated relevant technologies to monitor machinery and schedule processes so as to increase yield and optimize production. However, most machinery monitoring technologies are far too expensive for small- and medium-sized enterprises. Furthermore, the production processes at small- and medium-sized enterprises are simpler and can thus be optimized without excessively complex scheduling systems. This study therefore proposed the use of cheaper add-on sensors for monitoring machinery and integrated them with an algorithm that can more swiftly produce results that meet multiple objectives. The proposed algorithm is meant to extend the capabilities of small- and medium-sized enterprises in monitoring machinery and scheduling processes, thereby enabling them to contend on an equal footing with larger competitors. Finally, we performed an experiment at an actual spring enterprise to demonstrate the validity of the proposed algorithm.
Attention-Aware Adversarial Network for Person Re-Identification
Authors: Shen Aihong , Wang Huasheng , Wang Junjie , Tan Hongchen , Liu Xiuping , Cao Junjie
Published: April 2019

Person re-identification (re-ID) is a fundamental problem in the field of computer vision. The performance of deep learning-based person re-ID models suffers from a lack of training data. In this work, we introduce a novel image-specific data augmentation method on the feature map level to enforce feature diversity in the network. Furthermore, an attention assignment mechanism is proposed to enforce that the person re-ID classifier focuses on nearly all important regions of the input person image. To achieve this, a three-stage framework is proposed. First, a baseline classification network is trained for person re-ID. Second, an attention assignment network is proposed based on the baseline network, in which the attention module learns to suppress the response of the current detected regions and re-assign attentions to other important locations. By this means, multiple important regions for classification are highlighted by the attention map. Finally, the attention map is integrated in the attention-aware adversarial network (AAA-Net), which generates high-performance classification results with an adversarial training strategy. We evaluate the proposed method on two large-scale benchmark datasets, including Market1501 and DukeMTMC-reID. Experimental results show that our algorithm performs favorably against the state-of-the-art methods.
An Inverter Topology for Wireless Power Transfer System with Multiple Transmitter Coils
Authors: Nutwong Supapong , Sangswang Anawach , Naetiladdanon Sumate
Published: April 2019

This paper presents an inverter topology for a wireless power transfer (WPT) system that is intended to reduce the component counts and complexity of the conventional excitation circuit for multiple transmitter coils. The proposed inverter topology requires only (n+2) power switches, where “n” is the number of transmitter coils. An excitation of a proper transmitter coil pattern with regard to the receiver coil position is determined. The output voltage can be regulated through the primary-side control by adjusting the duty cycles of the inverter switches. A detection method of the receiver coil position is presented using the detection switches on the secondary side. The detection algorithm is based on the reflected impedance knowledge and requires only a current sensor on the primary side. A proper transmitter coil pattern is energized to ensure maximum transfer efficiency throughout the operation. The proposed system is experimentally validated on the created 500-watt WPT multi-coil system. After the receiver coil is placed in a designated area, the proper transmitter coil pattern can be automatically selected and energized. The output voltage can be regulated to a desired value under the typical operation conditions, including load change.
The Resistance of Welded Joints of Galvanized RHS Trusses with Different Vent Hole Geometries
Authors: Serrano Miguel A. , López-Colina Carlos , Gayarre Fernando L. , Wilkinson Tim , Suárez Jesús
Published: April 2019

A worldwide-accepted technique to protect steel lattice girders with welded hollow sections against corrosion is the hot-dip galvanizing process. In this process, vent holes are required in braces to fill the inner part protecting them from corrosion, to allow the immersion of the structure in the zinc bath and to recover the excess fluid after the bath. The cross-section reduction due to the vent hole could lead to a decrease in the effective brace resistance; this is not easily quantified, because there are neither prescriptions nor recommendations in the design codes to assess this effect. Therefore, the hollow structural sections could be underutilized due to doubts regarding the safety of this type of joint. This research was conducted in order to categorize different geometries and positions of vent holes in order to determine the best in terms of joint efficiency. A validated finite element model considering welds on lattice girders joints was extended to take into account different vent hole shapes. This research concludes that the presence of ventilation holes such as the ones considered in this study does not significantly affect the joint resistance, and that all the analyzed hole shapes could be proposed as a valid solution for machining vent holes. The conclusions drawn up from this work could be useful for structural steel designers, providing them with valuable design recommendations.
Recent Advances in Femtosecond Laser-Induced Surface Structuring for Oil–Water Separation
Authors: Alnaser Ali Sami , Khan Sharjeel Ahmed , Ganeev Rashid Ashirovich , Stratakis Emmanuel
Published: April 2019

Femtosecond (FS) laser-induced surface structuring is a robust, maskless, non-contact, and single-step process for producing micro- and nanoscale structures on a material’s surface, which remarkably alters the optical, chemical, wetting, and tribological properties of that material. Wettability control, in particular, is of high significance in various applications, including self-cleaning, anti-fouling, anti-icing, anti-corrosion, and, recently, oil–water separation. Due to growing energy demands and rapid industrialization, oil spill accidents and organic industrial discharges frequently take place. This poses an imminent threat to the environment and has adverse effects on the economy and the ecosystem. Oil–water separation and oil waste management require mechanically robust, durable, low-cost, and highly efficient oil–water manipulation systems. To address this challenge superhydrophobic–superoleophilic and superhydrophilic–underwater superoleophobic membrane filters have shown promising results. However, the recyclability and durability issues of such filters are limiting factors in their industrial application, as well as in their use in oil spill accidents. In this article, we review and discuss the recent progress in the application of FS laser surface structuring in producing durable and robust oil–water separation membrane filters. The wide variety of surface structures produced by FS laser nano- and micromachining are initially presented here, while the excellent wetting characteristics shown by specific femtosecond-induced structures are demonstrated. Subsequently, the working principles of oil–water separation membranes are elaborated, and the most recent advances in the topic are analyzed and discussed.
Thermal Fatigue Properties of Ultrasonically Bonded Copper Joints
Authors: Fushimi Takahito , Tanaka Yo , Soda Shinnosuke , Matsuda Tomoki , Sano Tomokazu , Hirose Akio
Published: April 2019

Thermal fatigue generally occurs in ultrasonically bonded copper joints in electronic devices as the bonding substrate is composed of plural materials, leading to differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion. In this study, we found that the thermal fatigue resistance of the ultrasonically bonded copper joints was influenced by the grain size and hardness of the bonding substrate through the evaluation of the thermal fatigue properties. Copper alloys C1020 and C1940 were used as substrate materials to investigate the influence of the initial properties of the bonding material on the thermal fatigue resistance. We evaluated the crack propagation due to thermal fatigue via thermal cycle tests. Microstructural observations of the region fractured because of thermal fatigue revealed that cracks resulting from thermal fatigue did not progress in the fine grain region formed at the bonded interface. It was inferred that grain boundaries were an obstacle to crack propagation. C1940 has higher hardness and finer grains than C1020, and showed a lower decreasing rate of the peel strength and bonding area after the thermal cycling test than C1020 joints. Thus, a hard copper material with fine grains is effective in suppressing thermal fatigue fracture of ultrasonically bonded copper joints.
Experimental Investigation of Structural Response of Corrugated Steel Sheet Subjected to Repeated Impact Loading: Performance of LNG Cargo Containment System
Authors: Kim Myung-Sung , Kim Jeong-Hyeon , Kim Seul-Kee , Lee Jae-Myung
Published: April 2019

The primary barrier in contact with LNG (Liquefied natural gas) cargo is manufactured from stainless steel, and has a corrugated membrane structure due to thermal deformation caused by extreme temperature differences. Because the primary barrier is tailored to be LNG watertight, the structural integrity of the primary barrier must be maintained despite the increase in LNG sloshing load. Among the various types of fluid impacts in a cargo hold, jet flow runs up along the wall of the cargo hold and extreme impact load is exerted on the side of the corrugation of the primary barrier. However, the impact behavior of the primary barrier under the prevailing environment has not been investigated due to the limitation of test methods. Thus, in the present study, the inelastic structural behavior of thin-walled and curved-shaped structures for liquefied natural gas cargo containment systems under repeated impact loading was investigated experimentally. Custom-built structural impact test equipment with large-scale weight drop test facilities was fabricated, and a series of structural impact tests were carried out. The impact energy and the number of repetitions were taken into account in order to investigate the characteristics of the inelastic structural behavior, such as plastic deformation and reaction force time history according to impact energy.
Ordered Subspace Clustering for Complex Non-Rigid Motion by 3D Reconstruction
Authors: Du Weinan , Li Jinghua , Wu Fei , Sun Yanfeng , Hu Yongli
Published: April 2019

As a fundamental and challenging problem, non-rigid structure-from-motion (NRSfM) has attracted a large amount of research interest. It is worth mentioning that NRSfM has been applied to dynamic scene understanding and motion segmentation. Especially, a motion segmentation approach combining NRSfM with the subspace representation has been proposed. However, the current subspace representation for non-rigid motions clustering do not take into account the inherent sequential property, which has been proved vital for sequential data clustering. Hence this paper proposes a novel framework to segment the complex and non-rigid motion via an ordered subspace representation method for the reconstructed 3D data, where the sequential property is properly formulated in the procedure of learning the affinity matrix for clustering with simultaneously recovering the 3D non-rigid motion by a monocular camera with 2D point tracks. Experiment results on three public sequential action datasets, BU-4DFE, MSR and UMPM, verify the benefits of method presented in this paper for classical complex non-rigid motion analysis and outperform state-of-the-art methods with lowest subspace clustering error (SCE) rates and highest normalized mutual information (NMI) in subspace clustering and motion segmentation fields.
A Trimmed Clustering-Based l1-Principal Component Analysis Model for Image Classification and Clustering Problems with Outliers
Authors: Lam Benson S. Y. , Choy S. K.
Published: April 2019

Different versions of principal component analysis (PCA) have been widely used to extract important information for image recognition and image clustering problems. However, owing to the presence of outliers, this remains challenging. This paper proposes a new PCA methodology based on a novel discovery that the widely used l 1 -PCA is equivalent to a two-groups k -means clustering model. The projection vector of the l 1 -PCA is the vector difference between the two cluster centers estimated by the clustering model. In theory, this vector difference provides inter-cluster information, which is beneficial for distinguishing data objects from different classes. However, the performance of l 1 -PCA is not comparable with the state-of-the-art methods. This is because the l 1 -PCA can be sensitive to outliers, as the equivalent clustering model is not robust to outliers. To overcome this limitation, we introduce a trimming function to the clustering model and propose a trimmed-clustering based l 1 -PCA (TC-PCA). With this trimming set formulation, the TC-PCA is not sensitive to outliers. Besides, we mathematically prove the convergence of the proposed algorithm. Experimental results on image classification and clustering indicate that our proposed method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods.
Comparison of Mechanical and Electrical Characteristics of Various Polymers Blended with Ground Tire Rubber (GTR) and Applications
Authors: Marín-Genescà Marc , García-Amorós Jordi , Mujal-Rosas Ramon , Salueña Berna Xavier , Massagués Vidal Lluís
Published: April 2019

The massive manufacture of tires and the difficulty of reducing the stocks of used tires is a serious environmental problem. There are several methods used for recycling wasted tires, one of which is mechanical crushing, in which vulcanized rubber is separated from steel and fibers, resulting in a ground tire rubber (GTR). This can be used in applications such as insulation for footwear work. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the use of the GTR when it is mixed with several types of polymer matrix by means of measuring its dielectric and mechanical properties of the resulting composites (polymer + GTR). The analysis is carried out using seven polymeric matrices mixed with different GTR concentrations. With the present study, it is intended to propose a way to reuse the tires out of use as an industrial work footwear insulation, by demonstrating the feasibility of the properties analyzed.
VGS Hand: A Novel Hybrid Grasping Modes Robot Hand with Variable Geometrical Structure
Authors: Luo Chao , Zhang Wenzeng
Published: April 2019

Robot hand is the device used for robots to interact with the environments, it has many potential applications. Traditional robot hands cannot translate their finger end along a straight line, which makes them not suitable for grasping thin objects on a flat surface. In order to overcome the bottleneck of traditional hands and enlarge the application possibility of robot hands, this paper develops a novel hybrid grasping modes hand with the variable geometrical structure (called VGS hand). The hand consists of 4-DOF (degree of freedom), two actuators and two fingers. It can perform both linear-parallel and self-adaptive grasping modes. Kinematics, dynamics, and contact forces analysis are conducted to provide a theoretical reference for the design. A prototype was manufactured for grasping experiments; the results of the experiments indicate that the hand has a good grasping performance and can meet different application requirements.
Considerations when Modelling EV Battery Circularity Systems
Authors: Kurdve Martin , Zackrisson Mats , Johansson Mats , Ebin Burcak , Harlin Ulrika
Published: April 2019

The electric vehicle market is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, which puts new requirements on the end-of-life phase and on the recycling systems. To a larger extent, the environmental footprint from these vehicles is related to raw material extraction and production, and, consequently, a material- and energy-efficient 3R system (reuse, remanufacturing, recycling) is urgently needed. The ability to understand and model the design and development of such a system therefore becomes important. This study contributes to this by identifying factors that affect 3R system design and performance, relating these factors to the various actors and processes of the system and categorising them according to time from implementation to impact. The above is achieved by applying a PEST analysis (political, economic, social and technological factors), differentiating between political, economic, social and technological factors. Data were gathered from literature, by interviews and by a number of workshops in the automotive industry and the 3R system and observations at meetings, etc. The study confirms some previous results on how vehicle battery 3R systems work and adds knowledge about the influencing factors, especially the timeframes and dynamics of the system, necessary for modelling the system and the influencing factors. For practitioners, the results indicate how to use appropriate models and which factors are most relevant to them.
Structural Performance of uPVC Confined Concrete Equivalent Cylinders Under Axial Compression Loads
Authors: Woldemariam Abraham Mengesha , Oyawa Walter O. , Nyomboi Timothy
Published: April 2019

There is always a need for more durable, ductile, and robust materials for buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure due to the drawbacks of existing construction materials. Some of the drawbacks are the corrosion of steel, the brittle failure of concrete, and the performance instabilities that are caused when exposed to different environments. Thus, an innovative system is required to improve the performance and retain the integrity of structures in a harsh environment. To alleviate the situation, Un-plasticized polyvinyl chloride (uPVC) tubes are used as a confining material and their performance was experimentally evaluated by testing uPVC confined equivalent cylinders. Accordingly, unconfined and uPVC confined equivalent concrete cylinders for five different concrete classes, four types of uPVC tube sizes, and the aspect ratios of two (h/D = 2) were prepared and tested under axial compression loads. The result shows that the uPVC confinement increased the strength, ductility factor, and energy absorption in between 1.28–2.35, 1.84–15.3, and 11–243 times the unconfined levels, respectively. The confinement performed well for lower concrete classes and higher thickness to diameter ratios (2t/D). The post-peak behavior of the stress-strain curve was affected by the 2t/D ratio and the absolute value of the slope decreased as the 2t/D ratio increased. Additionally, the uPVC tube has shown several advantages, such as acting as a permanent formwork, protecting the concrete from chemical attacks, preventing the segregation of concrete, preventing peeling, and taking off concrete cover, decreasing the cross-section, and resulting in lighter sections. The uPVC confinement provided a remarkable improvement on the strength, ductility, energy absorption, and post-peak behavior of concrete. Therefore, uPVC tubes can be used as confining material for bridge piers, piles, electric poles, and highway signboards, where the fire risk is very small, though additional research is required on fire resistance mechanisms, such as wire-mesh reinforced mortar cover.
Acoustic Enhancement of a Modern Church
Authors: Iannace Gino , Berardi Umberto , De Rossi Filippo , Mazza Salvatore , Trematerra Amelia , Ciaburro Giuseppe
Published: April 2019

This paper presents the study of the intervention for the acoustic correction of a modern church. The investigated church was built in the 1960s, with a brutalist style and with a squared plan. The hard materials, including a marble floor and hard plastered walls, were responsible for its reverberation time of over 5 s, resulting in poor speech comprehension. As common in worship spaces, the acoustic improvement interventions were challenged by the denial of covering the walls and the vault with conventional sound-absorbing materials due to aesthetic and architectural reasons. In order to carry out an adequate acoustic correction, while involving minimal interventions, the possibility of using light sound absorbing ceiling sheets was analyzed. The study is divided into three phases: Firstly, the acoustic characteristics of the current building were measured; then, new materials for adequate sound absorption were studied; finally, acoustic simulations were used to evaluate the effects on the acoustic characteristics for different intervention scenarios. The final room was able to shorten its reverberation time to about 2.0 s.
The Interplay of Autophagy and Tumor Microenvironment in Colorectal Cancer—Ways of Enhancing Immunotherapy Action
Authors: Koustas Evangelos , Sarantis Panagiotis , Kyriakopoulou Georgia , Papavassiliou Athanasios G. , Karamouzis Michalis V.
Published: April 2019

Autophagy as a primary homeostatic and catabolic process is responsible for the degradation and recycling of proteins and cellular components. The mechanism of autophagy has a crucial role in several cellular functions and its dysregulation is associated with tumorigenesis, tumor–stroma interactions, and resistance to cancer therapy. A growing body of evidence suggests that autophagy is also a key regulator of the tumor microenvironment and cellular immune response in different types of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Furthermore, autophagy is responsible for initiating the immune response especially when it precedes cell death. However, the role of autophagy in CRC and the tumor microenvironment remains controversial. In this review, we identify the role of autophagy in tumor microenvironment regulation and the specific mechanism by which autophagy is implicated in immune responses during CRC tumorigenesis and the context of anticancer therapy.
Gastric Cancer in Northern Canadian Populations: A Focus on Cardia and Non-Cardia Subsites
Authors: Colquhoun Amy , Hannah Heather , Corriveau André , Hanley Brendan , Yuan Yan , Goodman Karen J. ,   The CANHelp Working Group
Published: April 2019

In northern Canada where there is a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection, there is a paucity of information on gastric cancer by the topographical subsites cardia (CGC) and non-cardia (NCGC). Here we describe the incidence of CGC and NCGC, separately, among northern Canadian populations. We used data from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Volumes X (CI5X) and XI (CI5XI) to obtain CGC and NCGC incidence for Canada and for Yukon (YT), a northern Canadian territory. Using these data with those provided by the Government of the Northwest Territories (NT), we estimated standardized incidence ratios comparing northern populations to Canada as a whole. We also estimated age-standardized incidence rates to permit comparisons across populations globally. NT and YT populations were disproportionately impacted by gastric cancer, particularly NCGC. This was especially true for Indigenous populations: NCGC incidence rates among NT Indigenous men were 2.7 times the rates among all men in Canada, while rates among NT Indigenous women were 3.1 times the rates among all women in Canada. Similarly, age-standardized rates of NCGC among Indigenous NT residents were comparable to global regions where there is a high burden of NCGC. This study has, for the first time, quantified the incidence of CGC and NCGC for the NT and YT, providing new insights into the burden of these cancers among northern Canadian populations.
Oxychlorination Redispersion of Pt Catalysts: Surface Species and Pt-Support Interactions Characterized by X-ray Absorption and FT-IR Spectroscopy
Authors: Hung Chia-Ching , Yeh Cheng-Yang , Shih Cheng-Chieh , Chang Jen-Ray
Published: April 2019

To help elucidate the oxychlorination redispersion reaction mechanism, the surface species formed on the surface of γ-Al2O3 was characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The efficacy of redispersion was assessed by the Pt–Pt coordination number (CNPt–Pt) of redispersed, and then reduced samples. A nearly fully redispersed complex (Ptrd52) was prepared by treating a sintered model Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst at 520 °C, Air/EDC (ethylene dichloride) of 30, and WHSV (Weight Hourly Space Velocity) of 0.07 h−1 for 16 h. For investigating temperature effects, samples treated at 460 (Ptrd46) and 560 °C (Ptrd56) were also prepared for comparison. It was found that, while an octahedral resembling Pt(Os)3–4(O–Cl)2–3 (Os represents support oxygen or hydroxyl oxygen) complex was formed on γ-Al2O3 of Ptrd52, less O–Cl ligands were formed on the redispersed complexes, Ptrd46 and Ptrd56. A negative correlation of CNPt–Pt with CNPt–Cl* (Cl* represents the Cl atom in O–Cl ligand) for these three samples further suggested that the formation of Pt–O–Cl played a key role in the redispersion process. Pt–O–Cl could be formed in the reaction of reactive Cl⋅ and PtO2. At an operation temperature of lower-than-optimal temperatures of 520 °C, less Cl2 dissociation and less O–Cl ligands were formed. On the other hand, higher temperatures may facilitate Cl2 dissociation, but reduce the equilibrium conversion of HCl to Cl2, leading to increased HCl reaction with Pt (PtO2) clusters to form Pt–Cl (Cl is the atom bonded directly to Pt), and decreased formation of Pt–O–Cl.
Advances in the Field of Nanostructured Ceramic Composites
Authors: Montanaro Laura , Palmero Paola
Published: April 2019

In recent years, the production of ceramic composites having nanosized features is receiving increasing attention, as they demonstrated enhanced mechanical and/or functional performances as respect to conventional micronic materials [...]
Safety and Ergonomic Challenges of Ventilating a Premature Infant During Delayed Cord Clamping
Authors: Lapcharoensap Wannasiri , Cong Allison , Sherman Jules , Schwandt Doug , Crowe Susan , Daniels Kay , Lee Henry C.
Published: April 2019

Delayed cord clamping (DCC) is endorsed by multiple professional organizations for both term and preterm infants. In preterm infants, DCC has been shown to reduce intraventricular hemorrhage, lower incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, and reduce the need for transfusions. Furthermore, in preterm animal models, ventilation during DCC leads to improved hemodynamics. While providing ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during DCC may benefit infants, the logistics of performing such a maneuver can be complicated. In this simulation-based study, we sought to explore attitudes of providers along with the safety and ergonomic challenges involved with safely resuscitating a newborn infant while attached to the placenta. Multidisciplinary workshops were held simulating vaginal and Caesarean deliveries, during which providers started positive pressure ventilation and transitioned to holding CPAP on a preterm manikin. Review of videos identified 5 themes of concerns: sterility, equipment, mobility, space and workflow, and communication. In this study, simulation was a key methodology for safe identification of various safety and ergonomic issues related to implementation of ventilation during DCC. Centers interested in implementing DCC with ventilation are encouraged to form multidisciplinary work groups and utilize simulations prior to performing care on infants.
TiO2 Nano Flowers Based EGFET Sensor for pH Sensing
Authors: Yang Chih-Chiang , Chen Kuan-Yu , Su Yan-Kuin
Published: April 2019

In this study, pH sensors were successfully fabricated on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate and grown via hydrothermal methods for 8 h for pH sensing characteristics. The morphology was obtained by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and showed randomly oriented flower-like nanostructures. The TiO2 nanoflower pH sensors were measured over a pH range of 2–12. Results showed a high sensitivity of the TiO2 nano-flowers pH sensor, 2.7 (μA)1/2/pH, and a linear relationship between IDS and pH (regression of 0.9991). The relationship between voltage reference and pH displayed a sensitivity of a 46 mV/pH and a linear regression of 0.9989. The experimental result indicated that a flower-like TiO2 nanostructure extended gate field effect transistor (EGFET) pH sensor effectively detected the pH value.
Growth and Property Investigations of Two Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Molecular Crystals with High Thermal Stability: 4-Iodoanilinium perchlorate 18-crown-6 and 4-Iodoanilinium Borofluorate 18-crown-6
Authors: Zhang Lihui , Kang Tiantian , Zhao Fanghua , Wang Duanliang , Shen Chuanying , Wang Jiyang
Published: April 2019

Two new organic–inorganic hybrid molecular single crystals, 4-Iodoanilinium perchlorate 18-crown-6 (1) and 4-Iodoanilinium borofluorate 18-crown-6 (2), with large sizes and high thermal stability were successfully synthesized by solution method. Their structures, phase purities, thermal stability, dielectric, absorption and fluorescence spectra were systematically investigated for potential applications. Compounds 1 and 2 crystallize in orthorhombic crystal system, in same space group, namely Pnma. The thermal measurements shown 1 and 2 maintain high thermal stability up to 150 °C. The temperature dependency of dielectric constant was studied, and no distinct anomaly was observed. The band gap were calculated to be 3.38 eV and 3.57 eV for 1 and 2, respectively, slightly smaller than those of layer perovskite (benzylammonium)2PbCl4 semiconducting materials, which have potential applications in optoelectronic detection field. The investigations throw light on the semiconductor properties of organic–inorganic hybrid crown type material and provide two types of crown compounds with high thermal stability.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluations of a Novel Oxidovanadium(IV) Adenosine Monophosphate Complex as Anti-Diabetic Agent
Authors: Naglah Ahmed , Al-Omar Mohamed , Bhat Mashooq , Al-Wasidi Asma , Alsuhaibani Amnah , El-Didamony Akram , Hassan Nader , Abo Taleb Sameh , Refat Moamen
Published: April 2019

In the present study, a novel [(AMP)(VO)(H2O)2] complex was formed through chemical reactions between oxidovanadium(IV)sulfate and adenosine monophosphate. This complex was characterized using various analyses, including microanalytical, molar conductivity, spectroscopic (solid reflectance and FTIR), magnetic susceptibility, thermogravimetric (TGA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. The in vivo antidiabetic activity of the oxidovanadium(IV) complex was determined using streptozotocin-induced rats. The results suggested that the synthesized complex can be used as an antidiabetic agent based on the observed biochemical effects.
Factors Influencing Epiphytic Lichen Species Distribution in a Managed Mediterranean Pinus nigra Arnold Forest
Authors: Sevgi Ece , Yılmaz Osman Yalçın , Çobanoğlu Özyiğitoğlu Gülşah , Tecimen Hüseyin Barış , Sevgi Orhan
Published: April 2019

Lichens have important ecological functions in black pine forests, such as nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling. Understanding lichen diversity could provide a better understanding of black pine ecosystems. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the composition of lichen communities and their specific diversity in Mediterranean black pine forests. Research was conducted in 48 sampling plots. For the analysis, presence–absence and frequency data of lichen species were used. For stand level analysis, four community composition tables were created. We used bioclimate, topography, stand, and parent rock as variables. A total of 33 epiphytic lichen species were identified in the black pine forests from 282 sampled trees. Indicator lichen species were determined according to geographic region and stand age classes. Hypocenomyce scalaris was found to be an indicator species for old forests. Frequency data were more useful for revealing lichen species composition than presence–absence data. Of the topographic variables, elevation was the most prominent and had the highest explanation ratio for the composition of lichen species with a coefficient of correlation (R2) value of 0.49. Significantly positive (p < 0.001) relationships were found between epiphytic lichen richness and tree crown height, tree height, and bark pH. Our results revealed that to retain the trees in the stands rich in lichen species diversity is recommended in the managed forests.
Jihadists and Refugees at the Theatre: Global Conflicts in Classroom Practices in Sweden
Authors: K. Flensner Karin , Larsson Göran , Säljö Roger
Published: April 2019

In democratic societies schools have an obligation to address complex societal issues such as ethnic/religious tensions and social conflicts. The article reports an exploratory study of how theatre plays were used in upper-secondary schools to generate pedagogically relevant platforms for addressing the current Middle East conflicts and their impact on European societies in the context of religious education and civics. The schools are situated in areas with substantive migrant populations of mixed backgrounds, and this has implications for how these issues are understood as a lived experience. In the same classrooms, there were students who had refugee backgrounds, who represented different interpretations of Islam, and religion more generally, and whose families were victims of terrorism. There were also students with strong nationalist views. The study is ethnographic documenting theatre visits and classroom activities in relation to two plays about the Middle East situation. The results show that plays may open up new opportunities for addressing these issues, but that they may also be perceived as normative and generate opposition. An interesting observation is that a play may generate space for students to tell their refugee story in class, which personalized the experience of what it means to be a refugee.
Fast Depth Intra Mode Decision Based on Mode Analysis in 3D Video Coding
Authors: Lee Jin Young
Published: April 2019

Multiview video plus depth (MVD), which consists of a texture image and its associated depth map, has been introduced as a 3D video format, and 3D video coding, such as 3D-HEVC, was developed to efficiently compress this MVD data. However, this requires high encoding complexity because of the additional depth coding. In particular, intra coding using various prediction modes is very complicated. To reduce the complexity, we propose a fast depth intra mode decision method based on mode analysis. The proposed method adaptively reduces the number of original candidate modes in a mode decision process. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves high performance in terms of the complexity reduction.
Genome-Wide Identification of WRKY Genes and Their Response to Cold Stress in Coffea canephora
Authors: Dong Xiangshu , Yang Yanan , Zhang Ziying , Xiao Ziwei , Bai Xuehui , Gao Jing , Hur Yoonkang , Hao Shumei , He Feifei
Published: April 2019

WRKY transcription factors are known to play roles in diverse stress responses in plants. Low temperatures limit the geographic distribution of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner. The WRKYs of C. canephora are still not well characterized, and the response of C. canephora WRKYs (CcWRKYs) under cold stress is still largely unknown. We identified 49 CcWRKYs from the C. canephora genome to gain insight into these mechanisms. These CcWRKYs were divided into three groups that were based on the conserved WRKY domains and zinc-finger structure. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that 14 CcWRKYs were induced during the cold acclimation stage, 17 CcWRKYs were preferentially upregulated by 4 °C treatment, and 12 CcWRKYs were downregulated by cold stress. Subsequently, we carried out a genome-wide analysis to predict 14,513 potential CcWRKY target genes in C. canephora. These isolated genes were involved in multiple biological processes, and most of them could be grouped by the response to stimulus. Among the putative CcWRKY target genes, 235 genes were categorized into response to the cold process, including carbohydrate metabolic, lipid metabolic, and photosynthesis process-related genes. Furthermore, the qRT-PCR and correlation analysis indicated that CcWRKY might control their putative targets that respond to cold stress. These results provide a basis for understanding the molecular mechanism for CcWRKY-mediated cold responses.
Impact of Disturbances on the Carbon Cycle of Forest Ecosystems in Ukrainian Polissya
Authors: Lakyda Petro , Shvidenko Anatoly , Bilous Andrii , Myroniuk Viktor , Matsala Maksym , Zibtsev Sergiy , Schepaschenko Dmitry , Holiaka Dmytrii , Vasylyshyn Roman , Lakyda Ivan , Diachuk Petro , Kraxner Florian
Published: April 2019

Climate change continues to threaten forests and their ecosystem services while substantially altering natural disturbance regimes. Land cover changes and consequent management entail discrepancies in carbon sequestration provided by forest ecosystems and its accounting. Currently there is a lack of sufficient and harmonized data for Ukraine that can be used for the robust and spatially explicit assessment of forest provisioning and regulation of ecosystem services. In the frame of this research, we established an experimental polygon (area 45 km2) in Northern Ukraine aiming at estimating main forest carbon stocks and fluxes and determining the impact caused by natural disturbances and harvest for the study period of 2010–2015. Coupled field inventory and remote sensing data (RapidEye image for 2010 and SPOT 6 image for 2015) were used. Land cover classification and estimation of biomass and carbon pools were carried out using Random Forest and k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) method, respectively. Remote sensing data indicates a ca. 16% increase of carbon stock, while ground-based computations have shown only a ca. 1% increase. Net carbon fluxes for the study period are relatively even: 5.4 Gg C·year−1 and 5.6 Gg C C·year−1 for field and remote sensing data, respectively. Stand-replacing wildfires, as well as insect outbreaks and wind damage followed by salvage logging, and timber harvest have caused 21% of carbon emissions among all C sources within the experimental polygon during the study period. Hence, remote sensing data and non-parametric methods coupled with field data can serve as reliable tools for the precise estimation of forest carbon cycles on a regional spatial scale. However, featured land cover changes lead to unexpected biases in consistent assessment of forest biophysical parameters, while current management practices neglect natural forest dynamics and amplify negative impact of disturbances on ecosystem services.