bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glomerular Macrophages in Human Auto- and Allo-Immune Nephritis
Authors: Moll Solange , Angeletti Andrea , Scapozza Leonardo , Cavalli Andrea , Ghiggeri Gian Marco , Prunotto Marco
Published: March 2021

Macrophages are involved in tissue homeostasis. They participate in inflammatory episodes and are involved in tissue repair. Macrophages are characterized by a phenotypic heterogeneity and a profound cell plasticity. In the kidney, and more particularly within glomeruli, macrophages are thought to play a maintenance role that is potentially critical for preserving a normal glomerular structure. Literature on the glomerular macrophage role in human crescentic glomerulonephritis and renal transplantation rejection with glomerulitis, is sparse. Evidence from preclinical models indicates that macrophages profoundly modulate disease progression, both in terms of number—where depletion has resulted in a reduced glomerular lesion—and sub-phenotype—M1 being more profoundly detrimental than M2. This evidence is corroborated by better outcomes in patients with a lower number of glomerular macrophages. However, due to the very limited biopsy sample size, the type and role of macrophage subpopulations involved in human proliferative lesions is more difficult to precisely define and synthesize. Therefore, specific biomarkers of macrophage activation may enhance our ability to assess their role, potentially enabling improved monitoring of drug activity and ultimately allowing the development of novel therapeutic strategies to target these elusive cellular players.
QSAR Modelling of Peptidomimetic Derivatives towards HKU4-CoV 3CLpro Inhibitors against MERS-CoV
Authors: Hammoudan Imad , Matchi Soumaya , Bakhouch Mohamed , Belaidi Salah , Chtita Samir
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we report the relationship between the anti-MERS-CoV activities of the HKU4 derived peptides for some peptidomimetic compounds and various descriptors using the quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) methods. The used descriptors were computed using ChemSketch, Marvin Sketch and ChemOffice software. The principal components analysis (PCA) and the multiple linear regression (MLR) methods were used to propose a model with reliable predictive capacity. The original data set of 41 peptidomimetic derivatives was randomly divided into training and test sets of 34 and 7 compounds, respectively. The predictive ability of the best MLR model was assessed by determination coefficient R2 = 0.691, cross-validation parameter Q2cv = 0.528 and the external validation parameter R2test = 0.794.
Smart Monitoring and Controlling of Appliances Using LoRa Based IoT System
Authors: Nur-A-Alam  , Ahsan Mominul , Based Md. Abdul , Haider Julfikar , Rodrigues Eduardo M. G.
Published: March 2021

In the era of Industry 4.0, remote monitoring and controlling appliance/equipment at home, institute, or industry from a long distance with low power consumption remains challenging. At present, some smart phones are being actively used to control appliances at home or institute using Internet of Things (IoT) systems. This paper presents a novel smart automation system using long range (LoRa) technology. The proposed LoRa based system consists of wireless communication system and different types of sensors, operated by a smart phone application and powered by a low-power battery, with an operating range of 3–12 km distance. The system established a connection between an android phone and a microprocessor (ESP32) through Wi-Fi at the sender end. The ESP32 module was connected to a LoRa module. At the receiver end, an ESP32 module and LoRa module without Wi-Fi was employed. Wide Area Network (WAN) communication protocol was used on the LoRa module to provide switching functionality of the targeted area. The performance of the system was evaluated by three real-life case studies through measuring environmental temperature and humidity, detecting fire, and controlling the switching functionality of appliances. Obtaining correct environmental data, fire detection with 90% accuracy, and switching functionality with 92.33% accuracy at a distance up to 12 km demonstrated the high performance of the system. The proposed smart system with modular design proved to be highly effective in controlling and monitoring home appliances from a longer distance with relatively lower power consumption.
An Integrated Spectral–Structural Workflow for Invasive Vegetation Mapping in an Arid Region Using Drones
Authors: Kedia Arnold Chi , Kapos Brandi , Liao Songmei , Draper Jacob , Eddinger Justin , Updike Christopher , Frazier Amy E.
Published: March 2021

Mapping invasive vegetation species in arid regions is a critical task for managing water resources and understanding threats to ecosystem services. Traditional remote sensing platforms, such as Landsat and MODIS, are ill-suited for distinguishing native and non-native vegetation species in arid regions due to their large pixels compared to plant sizes. Unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, offer the potential to capture the high spatial resolution imagery needed to differentiate species. However, in order to extract the most benefits from these platforms, there is a need to develop more efficient and effective workflows. This paper presents an integrated spectral–structural workflow for classifying invasive vegetation species in the Lower Salt River region of Arizona, which has been the site of fires and flooding, leading to a proliferation of invasive vegetation species. Visible (RGB) and multispectral images were captured and processed following a typical structure from motion workflow, and the derived datasets were used as inputs in two machine learning classifications—one incorporating only spectral information and one utilizing both spectral data and structural layers (e.g., digital terrain model (DTM) and canopy height model (CHM)). Results show that including structural layers in the classification improved overall accuracy from 80% to 93% compared to the spectral-only model. The most important features for classification were the CHM and DTM, with the blue band and two spectral indices (normalized difference water index (NDWI) and normalized difference salinity index (NDSI)) contributing important spectral information to both models.
Optimization of Flow Rate and Pipe Rotation Speed Considering Effective Cuttings Transport Using Data-Driven Models
Authors: Ozbayoglu Evren , Ozbayoglu Murat , Ozdilli Baris Guney , Erge Oney
Published: March 2021

Effectively transporting drilled cuttings to the surface is a vital part of the well construction process. Usually, mechanistic models are used to estimate the cuttings concentration during drilling. Based on the results from these model, operational parameters are adjusted to mitigate any nonproductive time events such as pack-off or lost circulation. However, these models do not capture the underlying complex physics completely and frequently require updating the input parameters, which is usually performed manually. To address this, in this study, a data-driven modeling approach is taken and evaluated together with widely used mechanistic models. Artificial neural networks are selected after several trials. The experimental data collected at The University of Tulsa–Drilling Research Projects (in the last 40 years) are used to train and validate the model, which includes a wide range of wellbore and pipe sizes, inclinations, rate-of-penetration values, pipe rotation speeds, flow rates, and fluid and cuttings properties. It is observed that, in many cases, the data-driven model significantly outperforms the mechanistic models, which provides a very promising direction for real-time drilling optimization and automation. After the neural network is proven to work effectively, an optimization attempt to estimate flow rate and pipe rotation speed is introduced using a genetic algorithm. The decision is made considering minimizing the required total energy for this process. This approach may be used as a design tool to identify the required flow rate and pipe rotation speed to acquire effective hole cleaning while consuming minimal energy.
Reconstruction of Diffusion Coefficients and Power Exponents from Single Lagrangian Trajectories
Authors: Ivanov Leonid M. , Collins Collins A. , Margolina Tetyana
Published: March 2021

Using discrete wavelets, a novel technique is developed to estimate turbulent diffusion coefficients and power exponents from single Lagrangian particle trajectories. The technique differs from the classical approach (Davis (1991)’s technique) because averaging over a statistical ensemble of the mean square displacement () is replaced by averaging along a single Lagrangian trajectory X(t) = {X(t), Y(t)}. Metzler et al. (2014) have demonstrated that for an ergodic (for example, normal diffusion) flow, the mean square displacement is  = limT→∞τX2(T,s), where τX2 (T, s) = 1/(T − s) ∫0T−s(X(t+Δt) − X(t))2 dt, T and s are observational and lag times but for weak non-ergodic (such as super-diffusion and sub-diffusion) flows  = limT→∞≪τX2(T,s)≫, where ≪…≫ is some additional averaging. Numerical calculations for surface drifters in the Black Sea and isobaric RAFOS floats deployed at mid depths in the California Current system demonstrated that the reconstructed diffusion coefficients were smaller than those calculated by Davis (1991)’s technique. This difference is caused by the choice of the Lagrangian mean. The technique proposed here is applied to the analysis of Lagrangian motions in the Black Sea (horizontal diffusion coefficients varied from 105 to 106 cm2/s) and for the sub-diffusion of two RAFOS floats in the California Current system where power exponents varied from 0.65 to 0.72. RAFOS float motions were found to be strongly non-ergodic and non-Gaussian.
Cow’s Milk Processing—Friend or Foe in Food Allergy?
Authors: Geiselhart Sabine , Podzhilkova Aleksandra , Hoffmann-Sommergruber Karin
Published: March 2021

Cow’s milk (CM) is an integral part of our daily diet starting in infancy and continuing throughout our lifetime. Its composition is rich in proteins with a high nutritional value, bioactive components, milk minerals including calcium, and a range of immunoactive substances. However, cow’s milk can also induce a range of immune-mediated diseases including non-IgE-mediated food allergies and IgE-mediated food allergies. Cow’s milk allergens have been identified and characterized and the most relevant ones can be assigned to both, the whey and casein fraction. For preservation a range of processing methods are applied to make cow’s milk and dairy products safe for consumers. However, these methods affect milk components and thus alter the overall immunogenic activity of cow’s milk. This review summarizes the current knowledge on cow’s milk allergens and immunoactive substances and the impact of the different processes up- or downregulating the immunogenicity of the respective proteins. It highlights the gaps of knowledge of the related disease mechanisms and the still unidentified beneficial immunomodulating compounds of cow’s milk.
Analysis of Hilfer Fractional Integro-Differential Equations with Almost Sectorial Operators
Authors: Karthikeyan Kulandhaivel , Debbouche Amar , Torres Delfim F. M.
Published: March 2021

In this work, we investigate a class of nonlocal integro-differential equations involving Hilfer fractional derivatives and almost sectorial operators. We prove our results by applying Schauder’s fixed point technique. Moreover, we show the fundamental properties of the representation of the solution by discussing two cases related to the associated semigroup. For that, we consider compactness and noncompactness properties, respectively. Furthermore, an example is given to illustrate the obtained theory.
Coronary Anatomy in Congenital Heart Disease: The Important Contributions of Professor Dr. Adriana Gittenberger-de Groot
Authors: Hazekamp Mark
Published: March 2021

The contributions of Professor Dr. Adriana Gittenberger-de Groot in relation to coronary artery development and classification are described from the viewpoint of a pediatric cardiac surgeon.
Limiting Ship Accidents by Identifying Their Causes and Determining Barriers to Application of Preventive Measures
Authors: Chae Chong-Ju , Kim Kyung Hwan , Kang Suk Young
Published: March 2021

When analyzing ship accidents, there may be doubts whether appropriate countermeasures had been taken to prevent known types of accidents. This study aimed to suggest possible solutions by investigating the status and issues associated with the implementation of countermeasures using importance–performance analysis (IPA), Borich’s needs assessment, and locus for focus models based on previously identified causes of the ship accidents. As a result, firstly, we confirmed that there is a need to enhance education and training on specific knowledge, understanding, and proficiency (KUP) regarding ship stability, emergency response, and type specific training. Secondly, we confirmed that there is a need for a system of monitoring a seafarer’s KUP even while onboard a vessel—that is, after completion of identified training. Additionally, it is necessary to improve the seafarers’ working environment, which is subject to regulations. Thirdly, difficulties in solving wrong practice parts of safety and efficiency, such as the costs associated with implementation of safety regulations, were identified as the main reasons for the causes of the “not amended yet” sector after accidents. Lastly, the tools that were employed in this analysis can be used to confirm the implementation status of the actions to be taken after a ship accident.
SCONE: A Student-Oriented Modifiable Monte Carlo Particle Transport Framework
Authors: Kowalski Mikolaj Adam , Cosgrove Paul , Broman Jakob , Shwageraus Eugene
Published: March 2021

Over the last decade, the importance of the Monte Carlo as a neutron transport calculation method has greatly increased. This paper describes a Monte Carlo particle transport framework SCONE, which aims to provide with easy-to-learn environment for graduate students to learn about Monte Carlo methods and explore new ideas. The paper lists the steps taken to enhance new user experience of SCONE and briefly discuses how the architecture supports its goals. The current version of the code is compared against Serpent and shown to provide with sufficient accuracy to be used for teaching and proof-of-concept applications.
Cellular Investigations on Mechanistic Biocompatibility of Green Synthesized Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles with Danio rerio
Authors: Eram Rashke , Kumari Puja , Panda Pritam , Singh Sonal , Sarkar Biplab , Mallick M. , Verma Suresh
Published: March 2021

The utility of calcium oxide nanoparticles in the biomedical and physical fields has instigated their biocompatible synthesis and production. Moreover, it is important to investigate their biocompatibility at the molecular level for biomedical and ecotoxicological concern. This study explores the green synthesis of calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaONP) using Crescentia cujete leaf extract. The synthesized CaONP were found to have a size of 62 ± 06 nm and a hydrodynamic diameter of 246 ± 12 nm, as determined by FE-SEM and dynamic light scattering (DLS). CaONP was stable in fish medium with a zeta potential of −23 ± 11 mV. The biocompatibility of the CaONP was investigated with adult zebrafish bearing an LC50 of 86.32 µg/mL. Cellular and molecular investigation revealed the mechanism of biocompatibility as a consequence of elicited reactive oxygen species leading to apoptosis, due to accumulation and internalization of CaONP in exposed zebrafish. The study provided detailed information about the mechanistic biocompatibility and a defined horizon of green synthesis of CaONP for biomedical and ecological purposes.
The Mitochondrial Genome of a Plant Fungal Pathogen Pseudocercospora fijiensis (Mycosphaerellaceae), Comparative Analysis and Diversification Times of the Sigatoka Disease Complex Using Fossil Calibrated Phylogenies
Authors: Arcila-Galvis Juliana E. , Arango Rafael E. , Torres-Bonilla Javier M. , Arias Tatiana
Published: March 2021

Mycosphaerellaceae is a highly diverse fungal family containing a variety of pathogens affecting many economically important crops. Mitochondria play a crucial role in fungal metabolism and in the study of fungal evolution. This study aims to: (i) describe the mitochondrial genome of Pseudocercospora fijiensis, and (ii) compare it with closely related species (Sphaerulina musiva, S. populicola, P. musae and P. eumusae) available online, paying particular attention to the Sigatoka disease’s complex causal agents. The mitochondrial genome of P. fijiensis is a circular molecule of 74,089 bp containing typical genes coding for the 14 proteins related to oxidative phosphorylation, 2 rRNA genes and a set of 38 tRNAs. P. fijiensis mitogenome has two truncated cox1 copies, and bicistronic transcription of nad2-nad3 and atp6-atp8 confirmed experimentally. Comparative analysis revealed high variability in size and gene order among selected Mycosphaerellaceae mitogenomes likely to be due to rearrangements caused by mobile intron invasion. Using fossil calibrated Bayesian phylogenies, we found later diversification times for Mycosphaerellaceae (66.6 MYA) and the Sigatoka disease complex causal agents, compared to previous strict molecular clock studies. An early divergent Pseudocercospora fijiensis split from the sister species P. musae + P. eumusae 13.31 MYA while their sister group, the sister species P. eumusae and P. musae, split from their shared common ancestor in the late Miocene 8.22 MYA. This newly dated phylogeny suggests that species belonging to the Sigatoka disease complex originated after wild relatives of domesticated bananas (section Eumusae; 27.9 MYA). During this time frame, mitochondrial genomes expanded significantly, possibly due to invasions of introns into different electron transport chain genes.
Application of Light-Emitting Diodes for Improving the Nutritional Quality and Bioactive Compound Levels of Some Crops and Medicinal Plants
Authors: Jung Woo-Suk , Chung Ill-Min , Hwang Myeong Ha , Kim Seung-Hyun , Yu Chang Yeon , Ghimire Bimal Kumar
Published: March 2021

Light is a key factor that affects phytochemical synthesis and accumulation in plants. Due to limitations of the environment or cultivated land, there is an urgent need to develop indoor cultivation systems to obtain higher yields with increased phytochemical concentrations using convenient light sources. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have several advantages, including consumption of lesser power, longer half-life, higher efficacy, and wider variation in the spectral wavelength than traditional light sources; therefore, these devices are preferred for in vitro culture and indoor plant growth. Moreover, LED irradiation of seedlings enhances plant biomass, nutrient and secondary metabolite levels, and antioxidant properties. Specifically, red and blue LED irradiation exerts strong effects on photosynthesis, stomatal functioning, phototropism, photomorphogenesis, and photosynthetic pigment levels. Additionally, ex vitro plantlet development and acclimatization can be enhanced by regulating the spectral properties of LEDs. Applying an appropriate LED spectral wavelength significantly increases antioxidant enzyme activity in plants, thereby enhancing the cell defense system and providing protection from oxidative damage. Since different plant species respond differently to lighting in the cultivation environment, it is necessary to evaluate specific wavebands before large-scale LED application for controlled in vitro plant growth. This review focuses on the most recent advances and applications of LEDs for in vitro culture organogenesis. The mechanisms underlying the production of different phytochemicals, including phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and antioxidant enzymes, have also been discussed.
Chemical Composition of Tomato Seed Flours, and Their Radical Scavenging, Anti-Inflammatory and Gut Microbiota Modulating Properties
Authors: Choe Uyory , Sun Jianghao , Bailoni Elena , Chen Pei , Li Yanfang , Gao Boyan , Wang Thomas T. Y. , Rao Jiajia , Yu Liangli (Lucy)
Published: March 2021

In the current study, the chemical composition and total phenolic content of tomato seed flours, along with potential health beneficial properties, including free radical scavenging capacities, anti-inflammatory capacities, and gut microbiota profile modulation, were examined using two different batches. Eight compounds were identified in the tomato seed flour, including malic acid, 2-hydroxyadipic acid, salicylic acid, naringin, N-acetyl-tryptophan, quercetin-di-O-hexoside, kaempferol-di-O-hexoside, and azelaic acid. The total phenolic contents of tomato seed flour were 1.97–2.00 mg gallic acid equivalents/g. Oxygen radical absorbing capacities (ORAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacities (DPPH), and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cation radical scavenging capacities (ABTS) were 86.32–88.57, 3.57–3.81, and 3.39–3.58 µmoles Trolox equivalents/g, respectively, on a per flour dry weight basis. The mRNA expression of the pro-inflammatory markers, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), were dose-dependently suppressed by tomato seed flour extracts. The extracts altered five of the eight bacterial phyla and genera evaluated. The results may provide some scientific support for the use of tomato seed flour as value-added food ingredients.
Co-Opting Host Receptors for Targeted Delivery of Bioconjugates—From Drugs to Bugs
Authors: Tummillo Kristen M. , Hazlett Karsten R.O.
Published: March 2021

Bioconjugation has allowed scientists to combine multiple functional elements into one biological or biochemical unit. This assembly can result in the production of constructs that are targeted to a specific site or cell type in order to enhance the response to, or activity of, the conjugated moiety. In the case of cancer treatments, selectively targeting chemotherapies to the cells of interest limit harmful side effects and enhance efficacy. Targeting through conjugation is also advantageous in delivering treatments to difficult-to-reach tissues, such as the brain or infections deep in the lung. Bacterial infections can be more selectively treated by conjugating antibiotics to microbe-specific entities; helping to avoid antibiotic resistance across commensal bacterial species. In the case of vaccine development, conjugation is used to enhance efficacy without compromising safety. In this work, we will review the previously mentioned areas in which bioconjugation has created new possibilities and advanced treatments.
Ezetimibe-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Based Formulation Ameliorates Hyperlipidaemia in an Experimental Model of High Fat Diet
Authors: Agrawal Yogeeta O. , Mahajan Umesh B. , Agnihotri Vinit V. , Nilange Mayur S. , Mahajan Hitendra S. , Sharma Charu , Ojha Shreesh , Patil Chandragouda R. , Goyal Sameer N.
Published: March 2021

Ezetimibe (EZE) possesses low aqueous solubility and poor bioavailability and in addition, its extensive hepatic metabolism supports the notion of developing a novel carrier system for EZE. Ezetimibe was encapsulated into nanostructured lipid carriers (EZE-NLCs) via a high pressure homogenization technique (HPH). A three factor, two level (23) full factorial design was employed to study the effect of amount of poloxamer 188 (X1), pressure of HPH (X2) and number of HPH cycle (X3) on dependent variables. Particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), % entrapment efficiency (%EE), zeta potential, drug content and in-vitro drug release were evaluated. The optimized formulation displays pragmatic inferences associated with particle size of 134.5 nm; polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.244 ± 0.03; zeta potential of −28.1 ± 0.3 mV; % EE of 91.32 ± 1.8% and % CDR at 24-h of 97.11%. No interaction was observed after X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies. EZE-NLCs (6 mg/kg/day p.o.) were evaluated in the high fat diet fed rats induced hyperlipidemia in comparison with EZE (10 mg/kg/day p.o.). Triglyceride, HDL-c, LDL-c and cholesterol were significantly normalized and histopathological evaluation showed normal structure and architecture of the hepatocytes. The results demonstrated the superiority of EZE-NLCs in regard to bioavailability enhancement, dose reduction and dose-dependent side effects.
Development of CDK4/6 Inhibitors: A Five Years Update
Authors: Ammazzalorso Alessandra , Agamennone Mariangela , De Filippis Barbara , Fantacuzzi Marialuigia
Published: March 2021

The inhibition of cyclin dependent kinases 4 and 6 plays a role in aromatase inhibitor resistant metastatic breast cancer. Three dual CDK4/6 inhibitors have been approved for the breast cancer treatment that, in combination with the endocrine therapy, dramatically improved the survival outcomes both in first and later line settings. The developments of the last five years in the search for new selective CDK4/6 inhibitors with increased selectivity, treatment efficacy, and reduced adverse effects are reviewed, considering the small-molecule inhibitors and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) approaches, mainly pointing at structure-activity relationships, selectivity against different kinases and antiproliferative activity.
The Coherence of Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise
Authors: Stein Yoram
Published: March 2021

Spinoza’s Tractatus Theologico-Politicus has been critiqued as contradictory and inconsistent. This is why I believe that the question with regard to Spinoza’s ‘neglected masterpiece’ should be: How to read the Treatise as a coherent philosophical work? I suggest that the reason why the Treatise seems contradictory is because of the complex juxtaposition of its two main foci: the relationship between theology and philosophy, and that of theology and politics. In this paper, I will argue against the claim of contradiction and pursue to demonstrate a close correlation and mutual interdependence of both relations. While the domains of theology and philosophy may be separate, there is no contradiction between the salvation of the ignorant and the salvation of the wise. Similarly, there is no contradiction between the theological part of the Treatise—which focuses on ‘piety’ and the defense of the freedom of ‘internal religion’—and the political part—which focuses on ‘peace’, and claims that the state should have absolute power over ‘external religion’.
Operation of Large RF Driven Negative Ion Sources for Fusion at Pressures below 0.3 Pa
Authors: Wünderlich Dirk , Riedl Rudi , Fröschle Markus , Fantz Ursel , Heinemann Bernd
Published: March 2021

The large (size: 1 m × 2 m) radio frequency (RF) driven negative ion sources for the neutral beam heating (NBI) systems of the future fusion experiment ITER will be operated at a low filling pressure of 0.3 Pa, in hydrogen or in deuterium. The plasma will be generated by inductively coupling an RF power of up to 800 kW into the source volume. Under consideration for future neutral beam heating systems, like the one for the demonstration reactor DEMO, is an even lower filling pressure of 0.2 Pa. Together with the effect of neutral gas depletion, such low operational pressures can result in a neutral gas density below the limit required for sustaining the plasma. Systematic investigations on the low-pressure operational limit of the half-ITER-size negative ion source of the ELISE (Extraction from a Large Ion Source Experiment) test facility were performed, demonstrating that operation is possible below 0.2 Pa. A strong correlation of the lower pressure limit on the magnetic filter field topology is found. Depending on the field topology, operation close to the low-pressure limit is accompanied by strong plasma oscillations in the kHz range.
Remote State Design for Efficient Quantum Metrology with Separable and Non-Teleporting States
Authors: Raj Rahul , Banerjee Shreya , Panigrahi Prasanta K.
Published: March 2021

Measurements leading to the collapse of states and the non-local quantum correlations are the key to all applications of quantum mechanics as well as in the studies of quantum foundation. The former is crucial for quantum parameter estimation, which is greatly affected by the physical environment and the measurement scheme itself. Its quantification is necessary to find efficient measurement schemes and circumvent the non-desirable environmental effects. This has led to the intense investigation of quantum metrology, extending the Cramér–Rao bound to the quantum domain through quantum Fisher information. Among all quantum states, the separable ones have the least quantumness; being devoid of the fragile non-local correlations, the component states remain unaffected in local operations performed by any of the parties. Therefore, using these states for the remote design of quantum states with high quantum Fisher information can have diverse applications in quantum information processing; accurate parameter estimation being a prominent example, as the quantum information extraction solely depends on it. Here, we demonstrate that these separable states with the least quantumness can be made extremely useful in parameter estimation tasks, and further show even in the case of the shared channel inflicted with the amplitude damping noise and phase flip noise, there is a gain in Quantum Fisher information (QFI). We subsequently pointed out that the symmetric W states, incapable of perfectly teleporting an unknown quantum state, are highly effective for remotely designing quantum states with high quantum Fisher information.
Variable Admittance Control Based on Human–Robot Collaboration Observer Using Frequency Analysis for Sensitive and Safe Interaction
Authors: Kim Hyomin , Yang Woosung
Published: March 2021

A collaborative robot should be sensitive to the user intention while maintaining safe interaction during tasks such as hand guiding. Observers based on the discrete Fourier transform have been studied to distinguish between the low-frequency motion elicited by the operator and high-frequency behavior resulting from system instability and disturbances. However, the discrete Fourier transform requires an excessively long sampling time. We propose a human–robot collaboration observer based on an infinite impulse response filter to increase the intention recognition speed. By using this observer, we also propose a variable admittance controller to ensure safe collaboration. The recognition speed of the human–robot collaboration observer is 0.29 s, being 3.5 times faster than frequency analysis based on the discrete Fourier transform. The performance of the variable admittance controller and its improved recognition speed are experimentally verified on a two-degrees-of-freedom manipulator. We confirm that the improved recognition speed of the proposed human–robot collaboration observer allows us to timely recover from unsafe to safe collaboration.
A New Approach to Enhanced Swarm Intelligence Applied to Video Target Tracking
Authors: Castro Edwards Cerqueira de , Salles Evandro Ottoni Teatini , Ciarelli Patrick Marques
Published: March 2021

This work proposes a new approach to improve swarm intelligence algorithms for dynamic optimization problems by promoting a balance between the transfer of knowledge and the diversity of particles. The proposed method was designed to be applied to the problem of video tracking targets in environments with almost constant lighting. This approach also delimits the solution space for a more efficient search. A robust version to outliers of the double exponential smoothing (DES) model is used to predict the target position in the frame delimiting the solution space in a more promising region for target tracking. To assess the quality of the proposed approach, an appropriate tracker for a discrete solution space was implemented using the meta-heuristic Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (SFLA) adapted to dynamic optimization problems, named the Dynamic Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (DSFLA). The DSFLA was compared with other classic and current trackers whose algorithms are based on swarm intelligence. The trackers were compared in terms of the average processing time per frame and the area under curve of the success rate per Pascal metric. For the experiment, we used a random sample of videos obtained from the public Hanyang visual tracker benchmark. The experimental results suggest that the DSFLA has an efficient processing time and higher quality of tracking compared with the other competing trackers analyzed in this work. The success rate of the DSFLA tracker is about 7.2 to 76.6% higher on average when comparing the success rate of its competitors. The average processing time per frame is about at least 10% faster than competing trackers, except one that was about 26% faster than the DSFLA tracker. The results also show that the predictions of the robust DES model are quite accurate.
A Robot Object Recognition Method Based on Scene Text Reading in Home Environments
Authors: Liu Shuhua , Xu Huixin , Li Qi , Zhang Fei , Hou Kun
Published: March 2021

With the aim to solve issues of robot object recognition in complex scenes, this paper proposes an object recognition method based on scene text reading. The proposed method simulates human-like behavior and accurately identifies objects with texts through careful reading. First, deep learning models with high accuracy are adopted to detect and recognize text in multi-view. Second, datasets including 102,000 Chinese and English scene text images and their inverse are generated. The F-measure of text detection is improved by 0.4% and the recognition accuracy is improved by 1.26% because the model is trained by these two datasets. Finally, a robot object recognition method is proposed based on the scene text reading. The robot detects and recognizes texts in the image and then stores the recognition results in a text file. When the user gives the robot a fetching instruction, the robot searches for corresponding keywords from the text files and achieves the confidence of multiple objects in the scene image. Then, the object with the maximum confidence is selected as the target. The results show that the robot can accurately distinguish objects with arbitrary shape and category, and it can effectively solve the problem of object recognition in home environments.
The Increase of Soil Organic Matter Reduces Global Warming, Myth or Reality?
Authors: Navarro-Pedreño Jose , Almendro-Candel María Belén , Zorpas Antonis A.
Published: March 2021

The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past and to improve soil properties. Is it a good practice to reduce global warming? In fact, one of the practices promoted to combat climate change is increasing soil organic matter. However, the addition of organic residues to the soil could facilitate the liberation of CO2 and wastes could also have no positive effects on soil properties (i.e., pollution). In this sense, what it is important is: (a) to know which is the expected effect of the organic matter added to the soil; (b) how this application alters the soil processes; (c) which are the management practices that should be applied; (d) how much is the real amount of carbon sequester by the soil and; (e) the balance at short and long period after the application of the organic matter. The adequate strategy should be to favour the increment of biologically stabilized soil organic matter considering medium and long time. However, it is necessary to adapt the strategies to the local environmental conditions.
Phosphorus Transport along the Cropland–Riparian–Stream Continuum in Cold Climate Agroecosystems: A Review
Authors: Young Eric O. , Ross Donald S. , Jaisi Deb P. , Vidon Philippe G.
Published: March 2021

Phosphorus (P) loss from cropland to ground and surface waters is a global concern. In cold climates (CCs), freeze–thaw cycles, snowmelt runoff events, and seasonally wet soils increase P loss potential while limiting P removal effectiveness of riparian buffer zones (RBZs) and other practices. While RBZs can help reduce particulate P transfer to streams, attenuation of dissolved P forms is more challenging. Moreover, P transport studies often focus on either cropland or RBZs exclusively rather than spanning the natural cropland–RBZ–stream gradient, defined here as the cropland–RBZ–stream continuum. Watershed P transport models and agronomic P site indices are commonly used to identify critical source areas; however, RBZ effects on P transport are usually not included. In addition, the coarse resolution of watershed P models may not capture finer-scale soil factors affecting P mobilization. It is clear that site microtopography and hydrology are closely linked and important drivers of P release and transport in overland flow. Combining light detection and ranging (LiDAR) based digital elevation models with P site indices and process-based models show promise for mapping and modeling P transport risk in cropland-RBZ areas; however, a better mechanistic understanding of processes controlling mobile P species across regions is needed. Broader predictive approaches integrating soil hydro-biogeochemical processes with real-time hydroclimatic data and risk assessment tools also hold promise for improving P transport risk assessment in CCs.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)—Growth and Phytochemical Compound Secretion in Degraded Lands under Drought Stress
Authors: Khaitov Botir , Urmonova Munisa , Karimov Aziz , Sulaymonov Botirjon , Allanov Kholik , Israilov Inomjon , Sottorov Oybek
Published: March 2021

Water deficiency restricts plant productivity, while excessive soil moisture may also have an adverse impact. In light of this background, field trials were conducted in secondary saline soil (EC 6.5 dS m−1) at the experimental station of Tashkent State Agrarian University (TSAU), Uzbekistan to determine drought tolerance of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) by exposure to four levels of water deficit, namely control (70–80%), moderate (50–60%), strong (30–40%) and intense (10–20%) relative water content (WC) in the soil. The moderate drought stress exhibited positive effects on the morphological and physiological parameters of licorice, and was considered to be the most suitable water regime for licorice cultivation. Plant growth under the 50–60% WC treatment was slightly higher as compared to 70–80% WC treatment, exhibiting weak water deficit promotes licorice growth, root yield and secondary metabolite production. In particular, secondary metabolites i.e., ash, glycyrrhizic acid, extractive compounds and flavonoids, tended to increase under moderate water deficit, however further drought intensification brought a sharp decline of these values. These results contribute to the development of licorice cultivation technologies in arid regions and the most important consideration is the restoration of ecological and economical functions of the dryland agricultural system.
Holographic Foam Cosmology: From the Late to the Early Universe
Authors: Ng Yee Jack
Published: March 2021

Quantum fluctuations endow spacetime with a foamy texture. The degree of foaminess is dictated by black hole physics to be of the holographic type. Applied to cosmology, the holographic foam model predicts the existence of dark energy with critical energy density in the current (late) universe, the quanta of which obey infinite statistics. Furthermore, we use the deep similarities between turbulence and the spacetime foam phase of strong quantum gravity to argue that the early universe was in a turbulent regime when it underwent a brief cosmic inflation with a “graceful” transition to a laminar regime. In this scenario, both the late and the early cosmic accelerations have their origins in spacetime foam.
An Assessment of Dam Operation Considering Flood and Low-Flow Control in the Han River Basin
Authors: Kwak Jaewon
Published: March 2021

An assessment of dam operation is essential in dam management; however, there is a lack of a simple method that could be used in actual practice. This study aims for an actual dam operation evaluation method for flood and low-flow control of the three multi-purpose dams of Soyanggang, Chungju, and Hoengseong in the Han River basin, South Korea. Frequency matching method was applied to make a pair of cumulative distribution function (CDF) using daily dam inflow and outflow records. Runoff increasing and flood reduction rates are derived using CDFs of total and annual records. As a result, the average flood mitigation rates of the Chungju dam is approximately 35% annually and is relatively disadvantaged than the Soyanggang dam, which is 67.7% annually, due to small flood control capacity. The Hoengseong dam appeared to have a small flood reduction rate, but its runoff increasing rate is 94.7% annually because of the 209 km2 upper basin area. The suggested method in this study could be used as a simple and intuitive field method to evaluate dam operations. Also, according to the annual evaluation, the Soyanggang and Chunju dam need more aggressive and anticipative operations for flood control such as pre-discharge before flooding or modify the Restricted Water Level (RWL) for flood seasons. On the other hand, Hoengseong dam need further data and studies.
Beirut law school and its place for continued Roman law traditions in late Antiquity and the Middle ages
Authors: Novkiriska-Stoyanova Malina
Published: March 2021

The review is dedicated to a new and analytical legal and historical study of Dr. Piotr Sadowski, professor of Roman law at the University of Opole, Poland for the Beirut Law School, its teachers, students and its significant place as one of the three imperial law schools (along with Rome and Constantinople), approved by the Emperor Justinian, as well as its place for the continuation of Roman tradition in late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
A percepção dos usuários do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) sobre o direito à saúde
Authors: Pereira da Silva Keila , Martins da Costa Marcio , Munhen de Pontes Ana Paula
Published: March 2021

Introdução: O Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) caracteriza-se como uma política social pública e um direito adquirido pela população brasileira. Objetivo: Analisar a percepção dos usuários do SUS sobre o direito à saúde. Materiais e Método: Estudo qualitativo, desenvolvido no estado do Rio de Janeiro, com 30 usuários do SUS. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista, no período de junho a julho de 2018, e analisados a partir da técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: Os usuários reconhecem o acesso aos serviços de saúde como um direito, apresentam pontos de satisfação com o sistema, porém referem ter dificuldades para a concretização dos direitos identificados. Observa-se ainda um (des)conhecimento dos usuários do SUS sobre o direito à participação nos espaços colegiados de tomadas de decisões em saúde. Conclusão: Apesar das dificuldades vivenciadas pelos usuários, eles reconhecem a importância do sistema de saúde e referem o desejo de aprofundar o conhecimento sobre os seus direitos para que possam exigi-los e para que este seja mais efetivo.
Construção e validação de tecnologia em saúde educacional para primeiros socorros
Authors: Santos Ribeiro da Silva Alana , Costa Ferreira Suiane
Published: March 2021

Introdução: A educação em saúde se apresenta como estratégia eficaz para enfrentamento do déficit de conhecimento da população sobre os primeiros socorros, destacando a importância do desenvolvimento de tecnologias educacionais que garantam uma correta compreensão das informações.Objetivo: Descrever a construção e validação de uma tecnologia em saúde no formato de história em quadrinhos online voltada para o ensino de primeiros socorros de pais/responsáveis por crianças e adolescentes. Material e Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo metodológico, com posterior validação da tecnologia por juízes especialistas. Os itens avaliativos consistiam em: objetivos, conteúdo, linguagem, ilustrações, layout e motivação. A análise da validação foi realizada por meio da utilização do Índice de Validade de Conteúdo (IVC).Resultados: Paraconstrução da tecnologia foi utilizado o software Pixton abordando as temáticas do Suporte Básico de Vida, Prevenção ao Afogamento e Obstrução de Vias Aéreas por Corpo Estranho. A validação da tecnologia evidenciou uma elevada concordância entre os juízes (IVC global de 0,97). Apenas dois itens apresentaram valores de IVC abaixo do limite adotado.Conclusão:A história em quadrinhos para o ensino de primeiros socorros com pais e responsáveis por crianças e adolescentes foi construída e validada em termos de aparência e conteúdo por juízes especialistas, sendo considerada relevante e adequada para promover o processo educativo.
A Comparative Study on Classical Fourth Order and Butcher Sixth Order Runge-Kutta Methods with Initial and Boundary Value Problems
Authors:   Department of Mathematics, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh, Banu Mst. Sharmin
Published: March 2021

In this paper, it is discussed about Runge-Kutta fourth-order method and Butcher Sixth order Runge-Kutta method for approximating a numerical solution of higher-order initial value and boundary value ordinary differential equations. The proposed methods are most efficient and extolled practically for solving these problems arising indifferent sector of science and engineering. Also, the shooting method is applied to convert the boundary value problems to initial value problems. Illustrative examples are provided to verify the accuracy of the numerical outcome and compared the approximated result with the exact result. The approximated results are found in good agreement with the result of the exact solution and firstly converge to more accuracy in the solution when step size is very small. Finally, the error with different step sizes is analyzed and compared to these two methods.
ОБГРУНТУВАННЯ НАПРЯМКІВ ДЕРЖАВНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ У СФЕРІ ГЕНДЕРНО-ОРІЄНТОВАНОГО БЮДЖЕТУВАННЯ
Authors: Bilyk Olena
Published: March 2021

У статті висвітлено особливості гендерного бюджетування і необхідності його застосування в системі державного управління. Висвітлені тези щодо гендерно-орієнтованого бюджетування в державному управлінні базуються на досвіді розвинених країн світу, з врахуванням проблем, пов'язаних з гендерним бюджетуванням, з метою дослідження та обґрунтування  напрямів дій  на момент початку  процесу інтеграції гендерного державного управління. Протягом останніх 25 років міжнародне співтовариство визнало, що ґендерна рівність має важливе значення для стійкого економічного зростання та повного соціального розвитку, і закликало країни використовувати свої бюджети для сприяння розподілу ресурсів та отримання доходів за рівною гендерною ознакою. Більше 60 країн відповіли на цей заклик, впровадивши бюджети, що враховують гендерні аспекти, на національному та субнаціональному рівнях. Доведено, що саме застосування гендерно-чутливого бюджетування в системі державного управління дозволить мінімізувати соціальні ризики, які можуть деструктивно впливати на державні фінанси.  В статті розкрито можливі стратегії гендерно-орієнтованого бюджетування, а також запропоновано якісний метод визначення пріоритетності впровадження тих чи інших гендерних програм, побудованого на а/в-тестуванні.