bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Note on Fernández–Coniglio’s Hierarchy of Paraconsistent Systems
Authors: Ciuciura Janusz
Published: March 2020

A logic is called explosive if its consequence relation validates the so-called principle of ex contradictione sequitur quodlibet. A logic is called paraconsistent so long as it is not explosive. Sette’s calculus P 1 is widely recognized as one of the most important paraconsistent calculi. It is not surprising then that the calculus was a starting point for many research studies on paraconsistency. Fernández–Coniglio’s hierarchy of paraconsistent systems is a good example of such an approach. The hierarchy is presented in Newton da Costa’s style. Therefore, the law of non-contradiction plays the main role in its negative axioms. The principle of ex contradictione sequitur quodlibet has been marginalized: it does not play any leading role in the hierarchy. The objective of this paper is to present an alternative axiomatization for the hierarchy. The main idea behind it is to focus explicitly on the (in)validity of the principle of ex contradictione sequitur quodlibet. This makes the hierarchy less complex and more transparent, especially from the viewpoint of paraconsistency.
Tumor-infiltrating Leukocytes Suppress Local Inflammation Via Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist in a Syngeneic Prostate Cancer Model
Authors: Fan Yu-Ching , Chen Wei-Yu , Lee Kuan-Der , Tsai Yuan-Chin
Published: March 2020

Background: Several lines of evidence have demonstrated the tumor-promoting function of inflammation. Since many chemokines are important in coordinating immune cells during inflammation, monitoring intratumoral chemokines provides a way to study the tumor microenvironment. Methods: To identify tumorigenic chemokines, we compared two syngeneic mouse prostate cancer cell lines by an antibody array and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The tumor microenvironment was analyzed by monitoring gene expressions in mouse tumor tissues, primary cells, and tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs). Result: We identified a group of pro-inflammatory chemokines associated with a tumorigenic transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate (TRAMP)-C1 cell line. In the tumor microenvironment, the TILs secrete a natural anti-inflammatory factor, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN), which inhibits the functions of pro-inflammatory molecules and likely accounts for tumor type-specific anti-inflammation functions. Conclusion: Our results support that tumor cells recruit TILs by pro-inflammatory chemokines to establish an IL1RN-mediated anti-inflammatory environment in the syngeneic prostate cancer model.
Progesterone-Calcitriol Combination Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Cisplatin in Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer Cells In Vitro
Authors: Paucarmayta Ana , Taitz Hannah , McGlorthan Latoya , Casablanca Yovanni , Maxwell G. Larry , Darcy Kathleen M. , Syed Viqar
Published: March 2020

Initially, patients that respond to cisplatin (DDP) treatment later relapse and develop chemoresistance. Agents that enhance DDP effectiveness will have a significant impact on cancer treatment. We have shown pronounced inhibitory effects of the progesterone-calcitriol combination on endometrial and ovarian cancer cell growth. Here, we examined whether and how progesterone-calcitriol combination potentiates DDP anti-tumor effects in cancer cells. Ovarian and endometrial cancer cells treated with various concentrations of DDP showed a concentration-dependent decrease in cell proliferation. Concurrent treatment of cells with DDP and progesterone-calcitriol ombination potentiated anticancer effects of DDP compared to DDP-calcitriol, or DDP-progesterone treated groups. The anticancer effects were mediated by increased caspase-3, BAX, and decreased BCL2 and PARP-1 expression in DDP and progesterone-calcitriol combination-treated cells. Stimulation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathways seen in cancer cells was reduced in DDP-progesterone-calcitriol treated cells. Pretreatment of cells with specific inhibitors further diminished AKT and ERK expression. Furthermore, progesterone-calcitriol potentiated the anti-growth effects of DDP on cancer cells by attenuating the expression of SMAD2/3, multidrug resistance protein- 1 (MDR-1), and ABC transporters (ABCG1, and ABCG2), thereby impeding the efflux of chemo drugs from cancer cells. These results suggest a potential clinical benefit of progesterone-calcitriol combination therapy when used in combination with DDP.
Cognition, The Menstrual Cycle, and Premenstrual Disorders: A Review
Authors: Le Jessica , Thomas Natalie , Gurvich Caroline
Published: March 2020

Sex hormones, such as estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone, have a significant influence on brain, behavior, and cognitive functioning. The menstrual cycle has been a convenient model to examine how subtle fluctuations of these hormones can relate to emotional and cognitive functioning. The aim of the current paper is to provide a narrative review of studies investigating cognitive functioning in association with the menstrual cycle in biological females, with a focus on studies that have investigated cognitive functioning across the menstrual cycle in females with premenstrual mood disorders, such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). In line with previous reviews, the current review concluded that there is a lack of consistent findings regarding cognitive functioning across the menstrual cycle. Most studies focused on changes in levels of blood estrogen, and neglected to explore the role of other hormones, such as progesterone, on cognitive functioning. Cognitive research involving premenstrual disorders is in its infancy, and it remains unclear whether any cognitive disturbances that are identified may be attributed to negative experience of mood and psychological symptoms or be a more direct effect of hormonal dysregulation or sensitivity. Suggestions for future research are provided.
Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Abnormal Expression of Prion Disease Gene Pathway in Brains from Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Lombardo Salvo Danilo , Battaglia Giuseppe , Petralia Maria Cristina , Mangano Katia , Basile Maria Sofia , Bruno Valeria , Fagone Paolo , Bella Rita , Nicoletti Ferdinando , Cavalli Eugenio
Published: March 2020

The role of infections in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is still controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate markers of infections and immune activation in ASD by performing a meta-analysis of publicly available whole-genome transcriptomic datasets of brain samples from autistic patients and otherwise normal people. Among the differentially expressed genes, no significant enrichment was observed for infectious diseases previously associated with ASD, including herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), cytomegalovirus and Epstein–Barr virus in brain samples, nor was it found in peripheral blood from ASD patients. Interestingly, a significant number of genes belonging to the “prion diseases” pathway were found to be modulated in our ASD brain meta-analysis. Overall, our data do not support an association between infection and ASD. However, the data do provide support for the involvement of pathways related to other neurodegenerative diseases and give input to uncover novel pathogenetic mechanisms underlying ASD.
Syntactic Comprehension of Relative Clauses and Center Embedding Using Pseudowords
Authors: Cheon Kyung-Hwan , Kim Youngjoo , Yoon Hee-Dong , Nam Ki-Chun , Lee Sun-Young , Jeon Hyeon-Ae
Published: March 2020

Relative clause (RC) formation and center embedding (CE) are two primary syntactic operations fundamental for creating and understanding complex sentences. Ample evidence from previous cross-linguistic studies has revealed several similarities and differences between RC and CE. However, it is not easy to investigate the effect of pure syntactic constraints for RC and CE without the interference of semantic and pragmatic interactions. Here, we show how readers process CE and RC using a self-paced reading task in Korean. More interestingly, we adopted a novel self-paced pseudoword reading task to exploit syntactic operations of the RC and CE, eliminating the semantic and pragmatic interference in sentence comprehension. Our results showed that the main effects of RC and CE conform to previous studies. Furthermore, we found a facilitation effect of sentence comprehension when we combined an RC and CE in a complex sentence. Our study provides a valuable insight into how the purely syntactic processing of RC and CE assists comprehension of complex sentences.
β-N-Acetylhexosaminidases for Carbohydrate Synthesis via Trans-Glycosylation
Authors: Muschiol Jan , Vuillemin Marlene , Meyer Anne S. , Zeuner Birgitte
Published: March 2020

β-N-acetylhexosaminidases (EC 3.2.1.52) are retaining hydrolases of glycoside hydrolase family 20 (GH20). These enzymes catalyze hydrolysis of terminal, non-reducing N-acetylhexosamine residues, notably N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine, in N-acetyl-β-D-hexosaminides. In nature, bacterial β-N-acetylhexosaminidases are mainly involved in cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis, analogously, fungal β-N-acetylhexosaminidases act on cell wall chitin. The enzymes work via a distinct substrate-assisted mechanism that utilizes the 2-acetamido group as nucleophile. Curiously, the β-N-acetylhexosaminidases possess an inherent trans-glycosylation ability which is potentially useful for biocatalytic synthesis of functional carbohydrates, including biomimetic synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides and other glycan-functionalized compounds. In this review, we summarize the reaction engineering approaches (donor substrate activation, additives, and reaction conditions) that have proven useful for enhancing trans-glycosylation activity of GH20 β-N-acetylhexosaminidases. We provide comprehensive overviews of reported synthesis reactions with GH20 enzymes, including tables that list the specific enzyme used, donor and acceptor substrates, reaction conditions, and details of the products and yields obtained. We also describe the active site traits and mutations that appear to favor trans-glycosylation activity of GH20 β-N-acetylhexosaminidases. Finally, we discuss novel protein engineering strategies and suggest potential “hotspots” for mutations to promote trans-glycosylation activity in GH20 for efficient synthesis of specific functional carbohydrates and other glyco-engineered products.
Electrical and Photovoltaic Properties of Layered Composite Films of Covalently Bonded Graphene and Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Slepchenkov Michael M. , Mitrofanov Vadim V. , Nefedov Igor S. , Glukhova Olga E.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we present the results of a computational study of the electrical and photovoltaic properties of a perspective composite material; that is, layered composite films of covalently bonded graphene and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The purpose of the study is to identify the topological patterns in controlling the electrical and photovoltaic properties of mono- and bilayer graphene/CNT composite films with a covalent bonding of a nanotube and graphene sheet, using in silico methods. This in silico study was carried out for the super-cells of mono- and bilayer graphene/CNT composite films with the CNTs (10,0) and (12,0) at distances between the nanotubes of 10 and 12 hexagons. This found that the type of conductivity of the nanotubes does not fundamentally affect the patterns of current flow in the graphene/CNT composite films. This control of the diameter of the nanotubes and the distance between them allows us to control the profile of the absorption spectrum of the electromagnetic waves in the range of 20–2000 nm. The control of the distance between the SWCNTs allows one to control the absorption intensity without a significant peak shift. This revealed that there is no obvious dependence of the integrated photocurrent on the distance between the nanotubes, and the photocurrent varies between 3%–4%.
Effect of Boron Doping on Diamond Film and Electrochemical Properties of BDD According to Thickness and Morphology
Authors: Song Chang Weon , Cho Dae Seung , Lee Jae Myung , Song Pung Keun
Published: March 2020

Diamond coating using hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) is now widely used in many fields. The quality of the diamond film and many factors determine the success of the coating, such as temperature, time, and pressure during coating. The purpose of this study was to produce coated boron-doped diamond (BDD) films by doping boron in the diamond film and to assess them through comparative analysis with foreign acid BDD, which is widely used as a water-treatment electrode in the present industry. The bending of the titanium substrate due to the high temperature during the diamond deposition was avoided by adding an intermediate layer with a columnar structure to niobium film. The filament temperature and pressure were determined through preliminary experiments, and BDD films were coated. The BDD film deposition rate was confirmed to be 100 nm/h, and the potential window increased with increasing thickness. The electrochemical activation and catalytic performance were confirmed according to the surface characteristics. Although the high deposition rate of the BDD coating is also an important factor, it was confirmed that conducting coating so that amorphous carbonization does not occur by controlling the temperature during coating can improve the electrochemical properties of BDD film.
Comparing Static and Dynamic Weighted Software Coupling Metrics
Authors: Schnoor Henning , Hasselbring Wilhelm
Published: March 2020

Coupling metrics that count the number of inter-module connections in a software system are an established way to measure internal software quality with respect to modularity. In addition to static metrics, which are obtained from the source or compiled code of a program, dynamic metrics use runtime data gathered, e.g., by monitoring a system in production. Dynamic metrics have been used to improve the accuracy of static metrics for object-oriented software. We study weighted dynamic coupling that takes into account how often a connection (e.g., a method call) is executed during a system’s run. We investigate the correlation between dynamic weighted metrics and their static counterparts. To compare the different metrics, we use data collected from four different experiments, each monitoring production use of a commercial software system over a period of four weeks. We observe an unexpected level of correlation between the static and the weighted dynamic case as well as revealing differences between class- and package-level analyses.
In Memoriam: Georges Tsoucaris
Authors: Walter Philippe , Atwood Jerry L. , Lipkowski Janusz
Published: March 2020

It is with deep sorrow that we announce that on 30 January 2020, Professor Georges Tsoucaris passed away in his home in Paris, after a long illness [...]
Fine Fabrication and Optical Waveguide Characteristics of Hexagonal tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(Ⅲ) (Alq3) Crystal
Authors: Park Jungwoon , Kim Seokho , Choi Jinho , Yoo Sung Ho , Oh Seongjae , Kim Do Hyoung , Park Dong Hyuk
Published: March 2020

Herein, we reported on the precise growth and optical waveguide characteristics of hexagonal tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(Ⅲ) (Alq3) micro-crystals (MCs). The hexagonal Alq3 MCs were prepared using surfactant-assisted assembly growth with the help of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB), in which the crystallization occurred as a result of molecular assembly and packing. Also, we adjusted the molar ratio of Alq3 and CTAB for the control degree of crystallization. The formation and structure of Alq3 MCs were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction pattern experiments, respectively. The solid-state laser confocal microscope-photoluminescence spectra and charge-coupled device images for the Alq3 MCs were measured to study the luminescence efficiency and colors, respectively. The optical waveguide performance of the hexagonal Alq3 MCs was measured for each side direction. According to our results, crystalline Alq3 micro-crystals are promising materials for application to the development of optical communication devices.
Cover Crop Diversity as a Tool to Mitigate Vine Decline and Reduce Pathogens in Vineyard Soils
Authors: Richards Andrew , Estaki Mehrbod , Úrbez-Torres José Ramón , Bowen Pat , Lowery Tom , Hart Miranda
Published: March 2020

Wine grape production is an important economic asset in many nations; however, a significant proportion of vines succumb to grapevine trunk pathogens, reducing yields and causing economic losses. Cover crops, plants that are grown in addition to main crops in order to maintain and enhance soil composition, may also serve as a line of defense against these fungal pathogens by producing volatile root exudates and/or harboring suppressive microbes. We tested whether cover crop diversity reduced disease symptoms and pathogen abundance. In two greenhouse experiments, we inoculated soil with a 106 conidia suspension of Ilyonectria liriodendri, a pathogenic fungus, then conditioned soil with cover crops for several months to investigate changes in pathogen abundance and fungal communities. After removal of cover crops, Chardonnay cuttings were grown in the same soil to assess disease symptoms. When grown alone, white mustard was the only cover crop associated with reductions in necrotic root damage and abundance of Ilyonectria. The suppressive effects of white mustard largely disappeared when paired with other cover crops. In this study, plant identity was more important than diversity when controlling for fungal pathogens in vineyards. This research aligns with other literature describing the suppressive potential of white mustard in vineyards.
Settlement and Spreading of the Introduced Seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Petrocelli Antonella , Wolf Marion A. , Cecere Ester , Sciuto Katia , Sfriso Adriano
Published: March 2020

In this study, we report the first finding of the non-indigenous seaweed Caulacanthus okamurae (Rhodophyta) in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas (Mediterranean). Specimens were identified through molecular analyses based on the plastid ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) marker. The sequences obtained during this study represent the first molecular evidence of the presence of this taxon in the Mediterranean Sea. Stable populations have been detected in some areas of the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Italy) and in the whole lagoon of Venice, forming dense patches of low turf that reach high biomasses. Turf-forming algae are common in the intertidal zones of tropical regions, but are rare in temperate ones. The particular environmental conditions of transitional water systems, such as the Mar Piccolo of Taranto and the Venice Lagoon, together with the water temperature increase observed in the last years could have favored the settlement and spread of this introduced species.
Aggressive Predation Drives Assembly of Adriatic Fish Communities
Authors: Kruschel Claudia , Schultz Stewart T.
Published: March 2020

We performed over 19,000 lure-assisted, underwater visual fish census transects at over 140 shallow coastal sampling locations in the mid- eastern Adriatic sea of the Croatian mainland and islands, recording all fish taxa observed, their predatory behavior in response to the lure, and the cover of benthic habitats with which they were associated. We hypothesized that prey habitat preference was a learned or selected response to aggressive behavior by piscivorous mesopredators, and predicted that mobile prey would be spatially segregated from aggressive predators into different benthic habitats within local sampling sites. We found that aggressive piscivores were primarily wait-chase or cruise-chase mesopredators that preferentially foraged along heterogeneous habitat edges within juxtapositions of rock, unconsolidated sediment, macroalgae (Cystoseira spp.) and seagrass (usually Posidonia oceanica). Prey species and less aggressive piscivores avoided these heterogeneous habitats and preferred more homogeneous habitats that the aggressive predators in turn avoided. We found strong and consistent spatial segregation between aggressive predators on the one hand, and less aggressive predators and prey on the other hand. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that aggressive behavior by piscivorous species is the primary organizing force shaping assembly of fish communities at our study sites, driving preference and occupancy of heterogeneous and homogeneous benthic habitats. Management of shallow benthic resources should recognize the value of complementarity in habitats allowing coexistence of predators and prey through contrasting habitat preferences.
Effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection in Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Lin Meng-Ting , Wei Kuo-Chang , Wu Chueh-Hung
Published: March 2020

Background: To investigate the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection among patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy in comparison with sham injection, no injection, or physiotherapy alone. Methods: From the earliest records to November 1, 2018, all published or unpublished randomized controlled trial (RCTs) comparing PRP injection with a control group (sham injection, no injection, or physiotherapy alone) in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy were included. Eligible trials were included from the search results of electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, as well as the bibliographies of relevant trials. Five RCTs were enrolled in our meta-analysis. Two authors independently assessed the quality of RCTs with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We designated pain reduction as the primary outcome and functional improvement as the secondary outcome. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was applied for random-effect meta-analysis. Results: In the short term (3–6 weeks) and medium term (12 weeks), the effectiveness of PRP injection and control group was indistinguishable in terms of both outcomes (pain reduction and functional improvement). Nevertheless, PRP injection led to significant long-term (>24 weeks) pain relief (SMD: 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12–0.72, without heterogeneity). For functional improvement in the long term, PRP injection was not more effective than the control group (SMD: 1.20, 95% CI: −0.20–2.59, with heterogeneity). Conclusions: PRP injection may provide benefit over the control group (sham injection, no injection, or physiotherapy alone) in reducing pain at long-term follow-up for patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy.
Determinants of Interest Margin in Pakistan: A Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Khan Murad , Jalil Abdul
Published: March 2020

This paper explores the determinants of the net interest margin (NIM) using unbalanced panel data from 2003 to 2017. This paper’s objective is achieved by using a two-step system generalised method of moment (GMM) for estimation. Three different models are to account for two alternative measures of market competition. The empirical results of these models indicate that operating cost, profit tax, interest rate risk, Lerner index, national savings, money supply and the T-bill rate have significant positive associations with the NIM. Meanwhile, operational size, credit risk and the inflation rate negatively affect NIM. Furthermore, operating cost, taxation and the money supply are the main factors that influence the NIM. The present analysis provides a comprehensive view of the Lerner index, which is a better measure for capturing the degree of market power than the concentration measure (HHI). Managerial efficiency and risk aversion are bank-level factors that do not significantly determine NIM. Operating costs could be decreased by adopting new banking technologies. Therefore, higher competition, lower operating costs and restricted uncertain conditions in a macro environment, particularly in the money market, could reduce the NIM.
How Concept Maps with and without a List of Concepts Differ: The Case of Statistics
Authors: Kapuza Anastasia
Published: March 2020

Concept mapping is a popular tool for knowledge structure assessment. In recent years, both the amount of research about concept maps and their measurement ability have grown. It has been shown that concept maps with different types of tasks, for instance, links between concepts given or selected by a respondent, provide information about the different aspects of students’ knowledge structure. This study explores features of concept mapping with and without a list of concepts. At first, eleven masters students constructed concept maps with a topic on statistical data analysis and, after three weeks, repeated the task with the same topic and a predefined list of concepts. Both types of concept maps were evaluated using traditional scoring indicators and indicators from the network analysis. All indicators were tested for significant differences, and then the content of these maps was analysed. Results show that the list of concepts forced respondents to construct more connective maps, which is related to a more developed knowledge structure. Moreover, it is easier for them, when including even abstract concepts, to define their role in the domain. However, respondents use concepts and group them in different ways depending on the instruction. It seems that respondents feel a “list stress”, which leads to differences in the content. These findings demonstrate the possibilities of using different concept mapping tasks for learning and assessment.
Stories of Supervision
Authors: Spedding Trish
Published: March 2020

This article centres upon experiences of supervising practitioner-researchers engaged in the first year of a Customised Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme of study. This pathway resides within a larger collaboration between the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) delivering a National Practitioner Research Programme (PRP) in England. It takes as its starting point how non-traditional research students from the further adult and vocational education (FAVE) sector experience entry into the programme and their subsequent development of scholarship and research skills as they pursue their studies at research degree level in higher education (HE). Using six guiding principles underpinning the PRP as a framework for analysis, illustrative stories of the experiences of supervisors and research students provide insights into ways in which supervision is enacted. Some key characteristics of supervision practice are described. These often bring to light differences between supervision on the Customised MPhil with that of conventional MPhil programmes. The most striking finding supports how the development of collaborative and cooperative practice helps to shift the customary dynamic of research degree study away from isolation towards a shared experience as members of an inclusive and active research community.
A User-Friendly Verification Approach for IEC 61131-3 PLC Programs
Authors: Xiong Jiawen , Zhu Gang , Huang Yanhong , Shi Jianqi
Published: March 2020

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are special embedded computers that are widely used in industrial control systems. To ensure the safety of industrial control systems, it is necessary to verify the correctness of PLCs. Formal verification is considered to be an effective method to verify whether a PLC program conforms to its specifications, but the expertise requirements and the complexity make it hard to be mastered and widely applied. In this paper, we present a specification-mining-based verification approach for IEC 61131-3 PLC programs. It only requires users to review specifications mined from the program behaviors instead of model checking for specified specifications, which can greatly improve the efficiency of safety verification and is much easier for control system engineers to use. Moreover, we implement a proof-of-concept tool named PLCInspector that supports directly mining LTL specifications and data invariants from PLC programs. Two examples and one real-life case study are presented to illustrate its practicability and efficiency. In addition, a comparison with the existing verification approaches for PLC programs is discussed.
An AMOLED Pixel Circuit Based on LTPS Thin-film Transistors with Mono-Type Scanning Driving
Authors: Ke Jianyuan , Deng Lianwen , Zhen Liying , Wu Qing , Liao Congwei , Luo Heng , Huang Shengxiang
Published: March 2020

Using low-temperature poly-silicon thin-film transistors (LTPS TFTs) as a basis, a pixel circuit for an active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) with narrow bezel displays was developed. The pixel circuit features mono-type scanning signals, elimination of static power lines, and pixel-integrated emitting control functions. Therefore, gate driver circuits of the display bezel can be simplified efficiently. In addition, the pixel circuit has a high-resolution design due to an increase of the pulse width of the scan signal to extend the threshold voltage and internal–resistance drop (IR drop) detection period. Further, regarding the influences of process–voltage–temperature (PVT) variation in the pixel circuit, comparison investigations were carried out with the proposed circuit and other pixel circuits with mono-type scanning signals using Monte Carlo analysis. The feasibility of the proposed pixel circuit is well demonstrated, as the current variations can be reduced to 2.1% for the supplied power reduced from 5 V to 3 V due to IR drop, and the current variation is as low as 10.6% with operating temperatures from –40 degrees to 85 degrees.
Energy Efficiency-Oriented Resource Allocation for Massive MIMO Systems with Separated Channel Estimation and Feedback
Authors: Hu Feng , Wang Kaiyue , Li Shufeng , Jin Libiao
Published: March 2020

This paper proposes a dynamic resource allocation scheme to maximize the energy efficiency (EE) for Massive MIMO Systems. The imperfect channel estimation (CE) and feedback are explicitly considered in the EE maximization problem, which aim to optimize the power allocation, the antenna subset selection for transmission, and the pilot assignment. Assuming CE error to be bounded for the complex-constrained Cramer–Rao Bound (CRB), theoretical results show that the lower bound is directly proportional to its number of unconstrained parameters. Utilizing this perspective, a separated and bi-directional estimation is developed to achieve both low CRB and low complexity by exploiting channel and noise spatial separation. Exploiting global optimization procedure, the optimal resource allocation can be transformed into a standard convex optimization problem. This allows us to derive an efficient iterative algorithm for obtaining the optimal solution. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate that the outperformance of the proposed algorithms are superior to existing schemes.
Detecting Objects from Space: An Evaluation of Deep-Learning Modern Approaches
Authors: Nguyen Khang , Huynh Nhut T. , Nguyen Phat C. , Nguyen Khanh-Duy , Vo Nguyen D. , Nguyen Tam V.
Published: March 2020

Unmanned aircraft systems or drones enable us to record or capture many scenes from the bird’s-eye view and they have been fast deployed to a wide range of practical domains, i.e., agriculture, aerial photography, fast delivery and surveillance. Object detection task is one of the core steps in understanding videos collected from the drones. However, this task is very challenging due to the unconstrained viewpoints and low resolution of captured videos. While deep-learning modern object detectors have recently achieved great success in general benchmarks, i.e., PASCAL-VOC and MS-COCO, the robustness of these detectors on aerial images captured by drones is not well studied. In this paper, we present an evaluation of state-of-the-art deep-learning detectors including Faster R-CNN (Faster Regional CNN), RFCN (Region-based Fully Convolutional Networks), SNIPER (Scale Normalization for Image Pyramids with Efficient Resampling), Single-Shot Detector (SSD), YOLO (You Only Look Once), RetinaNet, and CenterNet for the object detection in videos captured by drones. We conduct experiments on VisDrone2019 dataset which contains 96 videos with 39,988 annotated frames and provide insights into efficient object detectors for aerial images.
Deep Learning Framework for Vehicle and Pedestrian Detection in Rural Roads on an Embedded GPU
Authors: Barba-Guaman Luis , Eugenio Naranjo José , Ortiz Anthony
Published: March 2020

Object detection, one of the most fundamental and challenging problems in computer vision. Nowadays some dedicated embedded systems have emerged as a powerful strategy for deliver high processing capabilities including the NVIDIA Jetson family. The aim of the present work is the recognition of objects in complex rural areas through an embedded system, as well as the verification of accuracy and processing time. For this purpose, a low power embedded Graphics Processing Unit (Jetson Nano) has been selected, which allows multiple neural networks to be run in simultaneous and a computer vision algorithm to be applied for image recognition. As well, the performance of these deep learning neural networks such as ssd-mobilenet v1 and v2, pednet, multiped and ssd-inception v2 has been tested. Moreover, it was found that the accuracy and processing time were in some cases improved when all the models suggested in the research were applied. The pednet network model provides a high performance in pedestrian recognition, however, the sdd-mobilenet v2 and ssd-inception v2 models are better at detecting other objects such as vehicles in complex scenarios.
Nitrogen Use Efficiency for Growth of Fagus crenata Seedlings Under Elevated Ozone and Different Soil Nutrient Conditions
Authors: Watanabe Makoto , Hiroshima Hiroka , Kinose Yoshiyuki , Okabe Shigeaki , Izuta Takeshi
Published: March 2020

Ozone is a phytotoxic gaseous air pollutant and its negative effects on forest production are a major concern. To understand the effects of ozone on forest production, it is important to clarify the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for tree growth under elevated ozone conditions, because nitrogen is a primal limiting factor of forest production in many cool-temperate forests. Soil nutrient conditions are considered factors affecting ozone susceptibility of tree growth. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of ozone on NUE for the growth of Siebold’s beech (Fagus crenata Blume) seedlings grown under different soil nutrient conditions. Seedlings of Siebold’s beech were grown under three gas treatments (charcoal-filtered air or ozone at 1.0 or 1.5 times the ambient concentration) in combination with three soil nutrient conditions (non-fertilised, low-fertilised or high-fertilised) for two growing seasons. Based on the dry mass and nitrogen concentration in each plant organ, we calculated NUE and its components, including nitrogen productivity (NP) and the mean residence time of nitrogen (MRT) during the second growing season. Ozone did not decrease the NUE of the seedlings during the second growing season, whereas leaf level photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), a component of NP, was decreased by ozone. On the other hand, the soil nutrient supply decreased the NUE of the seedlings. Reductions in both NP and MRT were attributed to the decrease in NUE because of soil nutrient supply, whereas PNUE did not respond to soil nutrient supply. There was no significant interaction of ozone and soil nutrient supply on the NUE, or its components, of the seedlings. Our results indicated that there is a difference in the response between the NUE for individual growth and that of leaf level PNUE of Siebold’s beech seedlings to ozone and soil nutrient supply.
Dragon’s Blood from Dracaena cambodiana in China: Applied History and Induction Techniques toward Formation Mechanism
Authors: Ding Xupo , Zhu Jiahong , Wang Hao , Chen Huiqin , Mei Wenli
Published: March 2020

Dragon’s blood that is extracted from Dracaena plants has been widely used as traditional medicine in various ancient cultures. The application of dragon’s blood has a cherished history in China, even though the original plants were not discovered for some period. Dracaena cochinchinensis and Dracaena cambodiana were successively discovered in southern China during the 1970s–1980s. In the last half of the century, Chinese scientists have extensively investigated the production of dragon’s blood from these two Dracaena species, whereas these results have not been previously systematically summarized, as in the present paper. Herein, we present the applied history in ancient China and artificially induced technologies for dragon’s blood development based on these two Dracaena species, in particular, using tissue cultures seedlings and tender plants of D. cambodiana. Big data research, including transcriptomic and genomic studies, has suggested that dragon’s blood might be a defense substance that is secreted by Dracaena plants in response to (a)biotic stimuli. This review represents an effort to highlight the progress and achievements from applied history as well as induction techniques that are used for the formation of dragon’s blood that have taken place in China. Such knowledge might aid in the global conservation of wild Dracaena species and contribute to understanding dragon blood formation mechanisms, eventually assisting in the efficient utilization of limited Dracaena plant resources for the sustainable production of dragon’s blood.
Small-Scale Abiotic Factors Influencing the Spatial Distribution of Phytophthora cinnamomi under Declining Quercus ilex Trees
Authors: Sánchez-Cuesta Rafael , Navarro-Cerrillo Rafael M. , Quero José L. , Ruiz-Gómez Francisco J.
Published: March 2020

Phytophthora root rot is considered one of the main factors associated with holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) mortality. The effectiveness and accuracy of soilborne pathogen and management could be influenced by soil spatial heterogeneity. This factor is of special relevance in many afforestation of southwestern Spain, which were carried out without phytosanitary control of the nursery seedlings. We selected a study area located in a 15 year-old afforestation of Q. ilex, known to be infested by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands. Soil samples (ntotal = 132) were taken systematically from a grid under 4 trees, and analysed to quantify 12 variables, the colony forming units (cfu) of P. cinnamomi plus 11 physical and chemical soil properties. The combined analysis of all variables was performed with linear mixed models (GLMM), and the spatial patterns of cfu were characterised using an aggregation index (Ia) and a clustering index (ν) by SADIE. Cfu values ranged from 0 to 211 cfu g−1, and the GLMM built with the variables silt, P, K and soil moisture explained the cfu distribution to the greatest extent. The spatial analysis showed that 9 of the 12 variables presented spatial aggregation (Ia > 1), and the clustering of local patches (νi ≥ 1.5) for organic matter, silt, and Ca. The spatial patterns of the P. cinnamomi cfu under planted holm oak trees are related to edaphic variables and canopy cover. Small-scale spatial analysis of microsite variability can predict which areas surrounding trees can influence lower oomycetes cfu availability.
Blockchain and Fog Based Architecture for Internet of Everything in Smart Cities
Authors: Singh Parminder , Nayyar Anand , Kaur Avinash , Ghosh Uttam
Published: March 2020

Fog computing (FC) is used to reduce the energy consumption and latency for the heterogeneous communication approaches in the smart cities’ applications of the Internet of Everything (IoE). Fog computing nodes are connected through wired or wireless medium. The goal of smart city applications is to develop the transaction relationship of real-time response applications. There are various frameworks in real-world to support the IoE in smart-cities but they face the issues like security, platform Independence, multi-application assistance, and resource management. This article is motivated from the Blockchain and Fog computing technologies and presents a secured architecture Blockchain and Fog-based Architecture Network (BFAN) for IoE applications in the smart cities. The proposed architecture secures sensitive data with encryption, authentication, and Blockchain. It assists the System-developers and Architects to deploy the applications in smart city paradigm. The goal of the proposed architecture is to reduce the latency and energy, and ensure improved security features through Blockchain technology. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed architecture performs better than the existing frameworks for smart-cities.
Cellulose Nanocrystals versus Microcrystalline Cellulose as Reinforcement of Lignopolyurethane Matrix
Authors: Ramires Elaine C. , Megiatto Jackson D. , Dufresne Alain , Frollini Elisabete
Published: March 2020

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) exhibit remarkable properties such as being lightweight, renewability, nanoscale dimension, raw material availability, and a unique morphology. They have been widely used in film-forming composites, but the literature is scarce concerning bulky-composites (i.e., non-filmogenic). Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is widely available and has emerged as an important material for the reinforcement of composites. This investigation focuses on the preparation of non-filmogenic composites prepared from a polyurethane-type matrix, based on modified lignosulfonate and castor oil, reinforced with CNC or MCC, aiming to compare their reinforcing capacity. CNC was obtained through the acid hydrolysis of MCC. Sodium lignosulfonate was chemically modified using glutaraldehyde to increase its reactivity towards isocyanate groups in the synthesis of lignopolyurethane. The results show that adding CNC or MCC led to materials with improved impact strength, flexural properties, and storage modulus compared to pristine lignopolyurethane. With the exception of the flexural modulus, which was higher for the CNC-reinforced composite compared to the MCC-reinforced composite, all other properties were similar. The set of results indicates that CNC and MCC are promising for the reinforcement of polyurethane-type matrices. Bulky materials with good properties and prepared from high renewable raw material contents were obtained, meeting current expectations concerning sustainable development.
‘Sexual Orientation’ in Swedish Preschool Policy—What Is the Problem?
Authors: Sotevik Lena
Published: March 2020

The present article focuses on how ‘sexual orientation’ is represented and produced in a Swedish preschool policy document regarding discrimination and equal treatment. ‘Poststuctural policy analysis’ is employed, in line with Foucault) and Bacchi. The results show that ‘sexual orientation’ is represented as a matter for families, but for parents rather than children. In the plans for equal treatment, visualizing different families stands out as the goal of working preventively against discrimination based on ‘sexual orientation’ in preschool, and the active measures planned for are reading books and spontaneous conversations. The article argues that the discrimination perspective represented in the documents, together with discourses on childhood innocence, establish certain conditions for how ‘sexual orientation’ is produced in preschool.
Towards an Ethico-Aesthetic of Parenting: Sensing Ritornellos of Play with GoPro Data
Authors: Trafí-Prats Laura , Caton Lucy
Published: March 2020

This article argues for an ethico-aesthetic approach to parenting as an alternative to the neoliberalisation of parenting, and its critiques. This ethico-aesthetic approach focuses on affect and the intensification of collective life. In the article, it is explored in connection to a group of parents and children under six who participated in a play event called Moving with lines and light. As parents, researchers and players who participated in this play event, the authors think together with fragments of GoPro data and the concept of the ritornello. They do this as an exercise in sensing the non-linear time of parenting in/with the play through a prolonged, active and relational process of recollection and narration that combines analogic and technologic events. With these, the authors discuss the parenting body in postdevelopmental modes of existence organized around sense, territory and technicity that propel a thinking of parenting beyond practices of symbolic control, and as living ecologies of action.
The Performance of the DES Sensor for Estimating Soil Bulk Density under the Effect of Different Agronomic Practices
Authors: Alshammary Ahmed Abed Gatea , Kouzani Abbas Z. , Kaynak Akif , Khoo Sui Yang , Norton Michael , Gates Will P. , AL-Maliki Mustafa , Rodrigo-Comino Jesús
Published: March 2020

The estimation of soil wet bulk density (ρn) and dry bulk density (ρb) using the novel digital electromechanical system (DES) has provided information about important parameters for the assessment of soil quality and health with a direct application for agronomists. The evaluation of the DES performance is particularly appropriate for different tillage methods, mulching systems, and fertilizers used to increase soil fertility and productivity, but currently, there is a lack of information, particularly in the arid areas in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, the main aim of this study was the application of a novel digital electromechanical system (DES) to evaluate bulk density, wet (ρn) and dry (ρb), under different soil treatments according to the variations in thermal efficiencies (ηth), microwave penetration depths (MDP), and specific energy consumption (Qcon) in an experimental area close to Baghdad (Iraq). The experimental design consisted of 72 plots, each 4 m2. The agronomic practices included two different tillage systems (disc plough followed by a spring disk and mouldboard plough followed by a spring disk) and twelve treatments involving mulching plastic sheeting combined with fertilizers, to determine their effect on the measured soil ρn and ρb and the DES performance in different soils. The results indicated that soil ρn and ρb varied significantly with both the tillage systems and the mulching systems. As expected, the soil ρn and ρb, MDP, and Qcon increased with an increase in the soil depth. Moreover, the tillage, soil mulching, and soil depth value significantly affected ηth and Qcon. A strong relationship was identified between the soil tillage and MDP for different soil treatments, leading to the changes in soil ρb and the soil dielectric constant (ε’).
Bradoriids (Arthropoda) and the Cambrian Diversification
Authors: McMenamin Mark A. S.
Published: March 2020

Bradoriids, among the earliest arthropods to appear in the fossil record, are extinct, ostracod-like bivalved forms that ranged from the early Cambrian to the Middle Ordovician. Bradoriids are notable for having appeared in the Cambrian fossil record before the earliest trilobites, and considering their rapid ascent to high genus-level diversity, provide key data for our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of the Cambrian Explosion. This paper presents a broad review of bradoriid paleobiology. It is hypothesized here that an allele of Antennapedia determines whether bradoriid shields are preplete, amplete, or postplete. The preplete configuration of the shields of Cambroarchilocus tigris gen. nov. sp. nov. suggests that shield rowing motion may have propelled the animal backwards. Arcuate scars attributed here to a microdurophagous predator (Arcuoichnus pierci nov. ichnogen. nov. ichnosp.) occur on the paratype of Cambroarchilocus tigris gen. nov. sp. nov.