bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combining Surface Templating and Confinement for Controlling Pharmaceutical Crystallization
Authors: Banerjee Manali , Brettmann Blair
Published: October 2020

Poor water solubility is one of the major challenges to the development of oral dosage forms containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Polymorphism in APIs leads to crystals with different surface wettabilities and free energies, which can lead to different dissolution properties. Crystal size and habit further contribute to this variability. An important focus in pharmaceutical research has been on controlling the drug form to improve the solubility and thus bioavailability of APIs. In this regard, heterogeneous crystallization on surfaces and crystallization under confinement have become prominent forms of controlling polymorphism and drug crystal size and habits; however there has not been a thorough review into the emerging field of combining these approaches to control crystallization. This tutorial-style review addresses the major advances that have been made in controlling API forms using combined crystallization methods. By designing templates that not only control the surface functionality but also enable confinement of particles within a porous structure, these combined systems have the potential to provide better control over drug polymorph formation and crystal size and habit. This review further provides a perspective on the future of using a combined crystallization approach and suggests that combining surface templating with confinement provides the advantage of both techniques to rationally design systems for API nucleation.
Targeting EphA2 in Bladder Cancer Using a Novel Antibody-Directed Nanotherapeutic
Authors: Kamoun Walid , Swindell Elden , Pien Christine , Luus Lia , Cain Jason , Pham Minh , Kandela Irawati , Huang Zhaohua Richard , Tipparaju Suresh K. , Koshkaryev Alexander , Askoxylakis Vasileios , Kirpotin Dmitri B. , Bloom Troy , Mino-Kenudson Mari , Marks James D. , Zalutskaya Alena , Bshara Wiam , Morrison Carl , Drummond Daryl C.
Published: October 2020

Ephrin receptor A2 (EphA2) is a member of the Ephrin/Eph receptor cell-to-cell signaling family of molecules, and it plays a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. EphA2 is overexpressed in a broad range of cancers, and its expression is in many cases associated with poor prognosis. We recently developed a novel EphA2-targeting antibody-directed nanotherapeutic encapsulating a labile prodrug of docetaxel (EphA2-ILs-DTXp) for the treatment of EphA2-expressing malignancies. Here, we characterized the expression of EphA2 in bladder cancer using immunohistochemistry in 177 human bladder cancer samples and determined the preclinical efficacy of EphA2-ILs-DTXp in four EphA2-positive patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of the disease, either as a monotherapy, or in combination with gemcitabine. EphA2 expression was detected in 80–100% of bladder cancer samples and correlated with shorter patient survival. EphA2 was found to be expressed in tumor cells and/or tumor-associated blood vessels in both primary and metastatic lesions with a concordance rate of approximately 90%. The EphA2-targeted antibody-directed nanotherapeutic EphA2-ILs-DTXp controlled tumor growth, mediated greater regression, and was more active than free docetaxel at equitoxic dosing in all four EphA2-positive bladder cancer PDX models. Combination of EphA2-ILs-DTXp and gemcitabine in one PDX model led to improved tumor growth control compared to monotherapies or the combination of free docetaxel and gemcitabine. These data demonstrating the prevalence of EphA2 in bladder cancers and efficacy of EphA2-ILs-DTXp in PDX models support the clinical exploration of EphA2 targeting in bladder cancer.
Dielectric Spectroscopy and Thermal Properties of Poly(lactic) Acid Reinforced with Carbon-Based Particles: Experimental Study and Design Theory
Authors: Spinelli Giovanni , Kotsilkova Rumiana , Ivanov Evgeni , Georgiev Vladimir , Ivanova Radost , Naddeo Carlo , Romano Vittorio
Published: October 2020

In the present study, polylactic acid (PLA) enriched with carbonaceous particles like multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene nanoplates (GNPs) or a combination of both up 12 wt % of loading are used for producing 3D-printed specimens with fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology which are then experimentally and theoretically investigated. The goal is to propose a non-conventional filaments indicated for additive manufacturing process with improved dielectric and thermal properties, compared to the performances exhibited by the unfilled polymer. In the light of the above, a wide dielectric spectroscopy and a thermal analysis, supported by a morphological investigation, are performed. The results highlight that the introduction of 1-dimensional filler (MWCNTs) are more suitable for improving the dielectric properties of the resulting materials, due to the enhancement of the interfacial polarization and the presence of functionalized groups, whereas 2-dimensional nanoparticles (GNPs) better favor the thermal conduction mechanisms thanks to the lower thermal boundary resistance between the two phases, polymer/filler. In particular, with a loading of 12 wt % of MWCNTs the relative permittivity reaches the value of 5.35 × 103 much greater than that of 3.7 measured for unfilled PLA while for the thermal conductivity the enhancement with 12 wt % of GNPs is about 261% respect the thermal behavior of the neat polymer. The experimental results are correlated to theoretical findings, whereas a design of experiment (DoE) approach is adopted for investigating how the different fillers influence the dielectric and thermal performances of the 3D-printed parts, thus assisting the design of such innovative materials that appear promising for development and applications in the electromagnetic (EM) field and heat transfer.
Proper Blends of Biodegradable Polycaprolactone and Natural Rubber for 3D Printing
Authors: Wissamitanan Thossapit , Dechwayukul Charoenyutr , Kalkornsurapranee Ekwipoo , Thongruang Wiriya
Published: October 2020

Flexible thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) were prepared for fused deposition modeling (FDM) or 3D printing. These materials can be used for medical purposes such as disposable soft splints and other flexible devices. Blends of 50% epoxidized natural rubber (ENR-50) and block rubber (Standard Thai Rubber 5L (STR5L)) with polycaprolactone (PCL) were produced and compared. The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of natural rubber (NR) and PCL in simple blends with PCL contents of 40%, 50%, and 60% by weight (except at 75% for morphology study) in the base mixture (NR/PCL). The significant flow factors for FDM materials, such as melting temperature (Tm) and melt flow rate (MFR), were observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and via the melt flow index (MFI). In addition, the following mechanical properties were also determined: tensile strength, compression set, and hardness. The results from DSC showed that the melting temperature changed slightly (1–2 °C) with amount of PCL used, and there was a suspicious point in the 50/50 blends with both types of rubber. The lowest melting enthalpy of both blends was found at the 50/50 blended composition. The MFI results showed that PCL significantly affected the melt flow rate of both blends. The ENR-50/PCL blend flowed better than the STR5L/PCL blend. The conclusion was that this was due to the morphology of its phase structure having better uniformity than that of the STR5L/PCL blend. In compression set testing or measuring shape recovery, rubber directly influenced the recovery in all blends. The ENR-50/PCL blend had less recovery than the STR5L/PCL blend, probably due to the functional effects of epoxide groups and polarity mismatch. The hard phase PCL significantly affected the hardness of samples but improved shape recovery of the material. The ENR-50/PCL blend had better tensile properties than the STR5L/PCL blend. The elongation at break of both blends improved with a high rubber content. Hence, the ENR-50/PCL blend was superior to STR5L/PCL for printing purposes due to its better miscibility, uniformity, and flow, which are the keys to success for optimizing the fused deposition modeling conditions as well as the overall mechanical properties of products. Most blends in this study were only slightly different, but the 50/50 blend of ENR-50/PCL seemed to be near optimal for 3D printing.
Fixed Pattern Noise Reduction and Linearity Improvement in Time-Mode CMOS Image Sensors
Authors: Kłosowski Miron , Sun Yichuang
Published: October 2020

In the paper, a digital clock stopping technique for gain and offset correction in time-mode analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) has been proposed. The technique is dedicated to imagers with massively parallel image acquisition working in the time mode where compensation of dark signal non-uniformity (DSNU) as well as photo-response non-uniformity (PRNU) is critical. Fixed pattern noise (FPN) reduction has been experimentally validated using 128-pixel CMOS imager. The reduction of the PRNU to about 0.5 LSB has been achieved. Linearity improvement technique has also been proposed, which allows for integral nonlinearity (INL) reduction to about 0.5 LSB. Measurements confirm the proposed approach.
Lossless Compression of Human Movement IMU Signals
Authors: Chiasson David , Xu Junkai , Shull Peter
Published: October 2020

Real-time human movement inertial measurement unit (IMU) signals are central to many emerging medical and technological applications, yet few techniques have been proposed to process and represent this information modality in an efficient manner. In this paper, we explore methods for the lossless compression of human movement IMU data and compute compression ratios as compared with traditional representation formats on a public corpus of human movement IMU signals for walking, running, sitting, standing, and biking human movement activities. Delta coding was the highest performing compression method which compressed walking, running, and biking data by a factor of 10 and compressed sitting and standing data by a factor of 18 relative to the original CSV formats. Furthermore, delta encoding was shown to approach the a posteriori optimal linear compression level. All methods were implemented and released as open source C code using fixed point computation which can be integrated into a variety of computational platforms. These results could serve to inform and enable human movement data compression in a variety of emerging medical and technological applications.
Overview of Time Synchronization for IoT Deployments: Clock Discipline Algorithms and Protocols
Authors: Yiğitler Hüseyin , Badihi Behnam , Jäntti Riku
Published: October 2020

Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to change the everyday life of its users by enabling data exchanges among pervasive things through the Internet. Such a broad aim, however, puts prohibitive constraints on applications demanding time-synchronized operation for the chronological ordering of information or synchronous execution of some tasks, since in general the networks are formed by entities of widely varying resources. On one hand, the existing contemporary solutions for time synchronization, such as Network Time Protocol, do not easily tailor to resource-constrained devices, and on the other, the available solutions for constrained systems do not extend well to heterogeneous deployments. In this article, the time synchronization problems for IoT deployments for applications requiring a coherent notion of time are studied. Detailed derivations of the clock model and various clock relation models are provided. The clock synchronization methods are also presented for different models, and their expected performance are derived and illustrated. A survey of time synchronization protocols is provided to aid the IoT practitioners to select appropriate components for a deployment. The clock discipline algorithms are presented in a tutorial format, while the time synchronization methods are summarized as a survey. Therefore, this paper is a holistic overview of the available time synchronization methods for IoT deployments.
Versatile Multimodality Imaging System Based on Detectorless and Scanless Optical Feedback Interferometry—A Retrospective Overview for A Prospective Vision
Authors: Brambilla Massimo , Columbo Lorenzo Luigi , Dabbicco Maurizio , De Lucia Francesco , Mezzapesa Francesco Paolo , Scamarcio Gaetano
Published: October 2020

In this retrospective compendium, we attempt to draw a “fil rouge” along fifteen years of our research in the field of optical feedback interferometry aimed at guiding the readers to the verge of new developments in the field. The general reader will be moved at appreciating the versatility and the still largely uncovered potential of the optical feedback interferometry, for both sensing and imaging applications. By discovering the broad range of available wavelengths (0.4–120 μm), the different types of suitable semiconductor lasers (Fabry–Perot, distributed feedback, vertical-cavity, quantum-cascade), and a number of unconventional tenders in multi-axis displacement, ablation front progression, self-referenced measurements, multispectral, structured light feedback imaging and compressive sensing, the specialist also could find inspirational suggestions to expand his field of research.
Decision Support Algorithm Based on the Concentrations of Air Pollutants Visualization
Authors: Svertoka Ekaterina , Bălănescu Mihaela , Suciu George , Pasat Adrian , Drosu Alexandru
Published: October 2020

As medical technologies are continuously evolving, consumer involvement in health is also increasing significantly. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) concept in the health domain may improve the quality of healthcare through the use of wearable sensors and the acquisition of vital and environmental parameters. Currently, there is significant progress in developing new approaches to provide medical care and maintain the safety of the life of the population remotely and around the clock. Despite the standards for emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere established by the legislation of different countries, the level of pollutants in the air often exceeds the permissible limits, which is a danger not only for the population but also for the environment as a whole. To control the situation an Air Quality Index (AQI) was introduced. For today, many works discuss AQI, however, most of them are aimed rather at studying the methodologies for calculating the index and comparing air quality in certain regions of different countries, rather than creating a system that will not only calculate the index in real-time but also make it publicly available and understandable to the population. Therefore we would like to present a decision support algorithm for a solution called “Environmental Sensing to Act for a Better Quality of Life: Smart Health” with the primary goal of ensuring the transformation of raw environmental data collected by special sensors (data which typically require scientific interpretation) into a form that can be easily understood by the average user; this is achieved through the proposed algorithm. The obtained result is a system that increases the self-awareness and self-adaptability of people in environmental monitoring by offering easy to read and understand suggestions. The algorithm considers three types of parameters (concentration of PM10 (particulate matter), PM2.5, and NO2) and four risk levels for each of them. The technical implementation is presented in a step-like procedure and includes all the details (such as calculating the Air Quality Index—AQI, for each parameter). The results are presented in a front-end where the average user can observe the results of the measurements and the suggestions for decision support. This paper presents a supporting decision algorithm, highlights the basic concept that was used in the development process, and discusses the result of the implementation of the proposed solution.
Characterization and Differentiation between Olive Varieties through Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy, Neural Networks and IoT
Authors: Luna José Miguel Madueño , Luna Antonio Madueño , Fernández Rafael E. Hidalgo
Published: October 2020

Electrical impedance has shown itself to be useful in measuring the properties and characteristics of agri-food products: fruit quality, moisture content, the germination capacity in seeds or the frost-resistance of fruit. In the case of olives, it has been used to determine fat content and optimal harvest time. In this paper, a system based on the System on Chip (SoC) AD5933 running a 1024-point discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to return the impedance value as a magnitude and phase and which, working together with two ADG706 analog multiplexers and an external programmable clock based on a synthesized DDS in a FPGA XC3S250E-4VQG100C, allows for the impedance measurement in agri-food products with a frequency sweep from 1 Hz to 100 kHz. This paper demonstrates how electrical impedance is affected by the temperature both in freshly picked olives and in those processed in brine and provides a way to characterize cultivars by making use of only the electrical impedance, neural networks (NN) and the Internet of Things (IoT), allowing information to be collected from the olive samples analyzed both on farms and in factories.
Plant Leaf Position Estimation with Computer Vision
Authors: Beadle James , Taylor C. James , Ashworth Kirsti , Cheneler David
Published: October 2020

Autonomous analysis of plants, such as for phenotyping and health monitoring etc., often requires the reliable identification and localization of single leaves, a task complicated by their complex and variable shape. Robotic sensor platforms commonly use depth sensors that rely on either infrared light or ultrasound, in addition to imaging. However, infrared methods have the disadvantage of being affected by the presence of ambient light, and ultrasound methods generally have too wide a field of view, making them ineffective for measuring complex and intricate structures. Alternatives may include stereoscopic or structured light scanners, but these can be costly and overly complex to implement. This article presents a fully computer-vision based solution capable of estimating the three-dimensional location of all leaves of a subject plant with the use of a single digital camera autonomously positioned by a three-axis linear robot. A custom trained neural network was used to classify leaves captured in multiple images taken of a subject plant. Parallax calculations were applied to predict leaf depth, and from this, the three-dimensional position. This article demonstrates proof of concept of the method, and initial tests with positioned leaves suggest an expected error of 20 mm. Future modifications are identified to further improve accuracy and utility across different plant canopies.
DoF-Dependent and Equal-Partition Based Lens Distortion Modeling and Calibration Method for Close-Range Photogrammetry
Authors: Li Xiao , Li Wei , Yuan Xin’an , Yin Xiaokang , Ma Xin
Published: October 2020

Lens distortion is closely related to the spatial position of depth of field (DoF), especially in close-range photography. The accurate characterization and precise calibration of DoF-dependent distortion are very important to improve the accuracy of close-range vision measurements. In this paper, to meet the need of short-distance and small-focal-length photography, a DoF-dependent and equal-partition based lens distortion modeling and calibration method is proposed. Firstly, considering the direction along the optical axis, a DoF-dependent yet focusing-state-independent distortion model is proposed. By this method, manual adjustment of the focus and zoom rings is avoided, thus eliminating human errors. Secondly, considering the direction perpendicular to the optical axis, to solve the problem of insufficient distortion representations caused by using only one set of coefficients, a 2D-to-3D equal-increment partitioning method for lens distortion is proposed. Accurate characterization of DoF-dependent distortion is thus realized by fusing the distortion partitioning method and the DoF distortion model. Lastly, a calibration control field is designed. After extracting line segments within a partition, the de-coupling calibration of distortion parameters and other camera model parameters is realized. Experiment results shows that the maximum/average projection and angular reconstruction errors of equal-increment partition based DoF distortion model are 0.11 pixels/0.05 pixels and 0.013°/0.011°, respectively. This demonstrates the validity of the lens distortion model and calibration method proposed in this paper.
Public Procurement in the South African Economy: Addressing the Systemic Issues
Authors: Fourie David , Malan Cornel
Published: October 2020

Public procurement fulfils an important role in the economy and public expenditure of a country and can be regarded as a critical indicator of the effectiveness of a government, because it is a central aspect of public service delivery. Notwithstanding various reforms made to date to public sector procurement in South Africa and the application of Supply Chain Management as a strategic policy strategic instrument, the South African public procurement system still faces several challenges and has been strongly criticised. This paper aims to understand the current public procurement environment in South Africa, its dilemmas and challenges, and to propose that public procurement be refocused towards a strategically placed business process, implemented by well-trained and competent procurement officials. The purpose is to provide a theoretical foundation as well as practical guidance regarding the role of public procurement in the South African public sector. The methodology involved an intensive literature study and document analysis to evaluate various official policy documents and official publications to determine the status of South African public procurement. The study found that the majority of challenges faced by public procurement in South Africa can probably be attributed to the implementation of the system, rather than to the system itself. In the shorter and longer term, the public procurement system in South Africa will have no choice but to emerge as a stronger, more resilient, streamlined and efficient provider of goods and services for the greater good of all.
SDG 5 and the Gender Gap in Standardization: Empirical Evidence From Germany
Authors: Heß Philipp
Published: October 2020

Whereas (technical) standards often affect society as a whole, they are mostly developed by men. In the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (gender equality), this article motivates research on the gender gap in standardization, focusing in a first step on the under-representation of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and leadership positions as one possible cause. A novel data set of more than 8000 organizations that develop formal standards and 28,000 affiliated experts (10.5% female) confirms that women are descriptively under-represented. A logistic regression shows that organizations’ size, industry, and geographical location are significant factors that are associated with representation by female standardizers. Standard-development for construction, mechanical and electrical engineering is especially male-dominated, while the east of Germany shows more female representation than the west. The presented empirical evidence of female under-representation suggests a need for standard-setting organizations to expand their focus from considering gender in standards documents to actively promoting female participation in their committees. It further adds to the debate on stakeholder representation in standardization and its legitimacy as a co-regulative system in the EU.
Energy Storage Economic Analysis of Multi-Application Scenarios in an Electricity Market: A Case Study of China
Authors: Wang Zhixian , Wang Ying , Ding Qia , Wang Chen , Zhang Kaifeng
Published: October 2020

Energy storage has attracted more and more attention for its advantages in ensuring system safety and improving renewable generation integration. In the context of China’s electricity market restructuring, the economic analysis, including the cost and benefit analysis, of the energy storage with multi-applications is urgent for the market policy design in China. This paper uses an income statement based on the energy storage cost–benefit model to analyze the economic benefits of energy storage under multi-application scenarios (capacity, energy, and frequency regulation markets) in China’s future electricity market. The results show that the economic benefits of energy storage can be improved by joining in the capacity market (if it exists in the future) and increasing participation in the frequency regulation market. Nevertheless, the benefits under multi-application scenarios can hardly guarantee the cost recovery of energy storage under the current market mechanism or at the current price levels. Moreover, the economic benefits under different subsidy policies are studied, and the results show that energy storage can recover the cost with appropriate subsidy policies (the subsidy of 0.071 USD/kWh for pumped storage power stations is sufficient while the subsidy of 0.142 USD/kWh is required for electrochemical power stations). Finally, the sensitivity analysis of an energy storage power station to different price levels is carried out considering the difference in electricity price between China and the United States.
Global Estimation of the Elasticity of “International Tourist Arrivals/Income from Tourism”
Authors: Sanchez-Rivero Marcelino , Pulido-Fernández Juan Ignacio
Published: October 2020

The prevailing discourse relates the widespread belief that an increase in the volume of tourist arrivals is a clear sign of success for tourism destination managers. According to a logarithmic regression function that estimates the inverse demand-income elasticity, it has been found that tourism flows are not the best measure to use in assessing the contribution of tourism to economic growth. Rather, the volume of income that is generated from these tourists should be considered. Furthermore, based on an analysis of correlations, it was found that the territories having the greatest efficiency in generating income from tourism are more competitive in terms of tourism. The results obtained may contribute to changing the approach used by both private and public bodies, and they may also help them to re-focus their business planning and policymaking so as to emphasize an increase in income level and not in volume of tourists.
Landscape Sustainability of Architecture in Fernando Menis’s Work: A Sensitive Design Rooted in Volcanic Nature
Authors: Calvagna Simona
Published: October 2020

The many declinations of the idea of sustainability in architecture concern different disciplinary areas as well as all phases of the construction process. Alongside the more established categories of the sustainability of materials used and the technical construction processes and economic investments mobilized, there are now new facets of the idea of sustainability. They affect the impact that architecture can have on communities in terms of social relations and quality of context of life. This work explores the idea of landscape sustainability of architecture, understood as the ability of man-made interventions to belong to the context and the inhabitants, while promoting forms of alliance with the ecosystems at multiple spatial and temporal scale. Starting from the analysis of some trends in contemporary architecture that deals with these problems, the research identifies the volcanic environment as a terrain for exploration, with particular interest in its natural characteristics and dynamic interactions with anthropic contexts. After choosing the region of Macaronesia as a case study, the research focuses on the work of Fernando Menis. As an architect from the Canary Islands, he has developed his own modus operandi which, while rooted in its original context, is inspired by principles of social, cultural, and landscape sustainability of architecture that are valid today everywhere. The objective of this work is therefore to draw a reflection from his architectural poetics, with the intention of outlining the features of a possible contemporary design posture based on principles of landscape sustainability.
The Fourth Axiom of Similarity Measures
Authors: Chu Chun-Hsiao , Yen Chih-Ping , Lin Yi-Fong
Published: October 2020

In this research, the fourth axiom to improve the well-defined examination of similarity measures is studied, where the measures have a symmetric structure. We first provide a theoretic enhancement of three correlation coefficient similarity measures that were proposed by a source paper. Second, we use the same numerical example proposed by the source paper for pattern recognition problems to illustrate that the weighted correlation coefficient similarity measure is dependent on the set of weights. Finally, we demonstrate that the correlation coefficient similarity measure in the intuitionistic fuzzy set environment can address the issue of practical fault diagnosis when solving the turbine engine problems using similarity measures with symmetric characteristics.
Evaluation in Swine of a Recombinant African Swine Fever Virus Lacking the MGF-360-1L Gene
Authors: Ramirez-Medina Elizabeth , Vuono Elizabeth A. , Rai Ayushi , Pruitt Sarah , Silva Ediane , Velazquez-Salinas Lauro , Zhu James , Gladue Douglas P. , Borca Manuel V.
Published: October 2020

The African swine fever (ASF) pandemic is currently affecting pigs throughout Eurasia, resulting in significant swine production losses. The causative agent, ASF virus (ASFV), is a large, structurally complex virus with a genome encoding more than 160 genes. The function of most of those genes remains unknown. Here, we presented the previously uncharacterized ASFV gene MGF360-1L, the first gene in the genome. The kinetic studies of virus RNA transcription demonstrated that the MGF360-1L gene was transcribed as a late virus protein. The essentiality of MGF360-1L to virus replication was evaluated by developing a recombinant ASFV lacking the gene (ASFV-G-ΔMGF360-1L). In primary swine macrophage cell cultures, ASFV-G-ΔMGF360-1L showed similar replication kinetics as the parental highly virulent field isolate Georgia2007 (ASFV-G). Domestic pigs experimentally infected with ASFV-G-ΔMGF360-1L presented with a clinical disease indistinguishable from that caused by ASFV-G, demonstrating that MGF360-1L was not involved in virulence in swine, the natural host of ASFV.
Jerk within the Context of Science and Engineering—A Systematic Review
Authors: Hayati Hasti , Eager David , Pendrill Ann-Marie , Alberg Hans
Published: October 2020

Rapid changes in forces and the resulting changes in acceleration, jerk and higher order derivatives can have undesired consequences beyond the effect of the forces themselves. Jerk can cause injuries in humans and racing animals and induce fatigue cracks in metals and other materials, which may ultimately lead to structure failures. This is a reason that it is used within standards for limits states. Examples of standards which use jerk include amusement rides and lifts. Despite its use in standards and many science and engineering applications, jerk is rarely discussed in university science and engineering textbooks and it remains a relatively unfamiliar concept even in engineering. This paper presents a literature review of the jerk and higher derivatives of displacement, from terminology and historical background to standards, measurements and current applications.
Environmental Benefits and Economical Sustainability of Urban Wastewater Reuse for Irrigation—A Cost-Benefit Analysis of an Existing Reuse Project in Puglia, Italy
Authors: Arena Claudio , Genco Mario , Mazzola Mario Rosario
Published: October 2020

Besides benefits associated to increased water availability for irrigation, reuse projects of urban water can also provide positive environmental impacts, as they contribute to improve water quality of the receiving bodies by diverting wastewater from their outlet. This represents a typical win-win situation where significant synergies can be achieved between urban and agricultural sector, and the environment. These favorable conditions, however, do not necessarily imply that water reuse is either feasible from an economic perspective nor that the underlying supply chain is going to be triggered, if certain conditions are not met. Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is considered a sound, theoretically well-grounded tool to analyze the financial and economical sustainability of an investment. The paper presents the CBA of an existing reuse scheme in Puglia, in southern Italy, reclaiming wastewater for irrigation from a coastal area with growing recreational, beach-related activities. Supported by operational data, official statistics and sector documents, the CBA reveals that in almost all scenarios the existence of environmental benefits must be invoked in order to consider the project economically sustainable. Coherent screening of the different impacts, isolating the ones that are applicable to the specific case-study, shows that these benefits are mainly non-use benefits related to the aesthetic enjoyment of clean water in the reclaimed stretch of coastline where wastewater discharge may no longer take place or take place in a way that significantly reduce seawater pollution.
A Theoretical Study about Ergodicity Issues in Predicting Contaminant Plume Evolution in Aquifers
Authors: Pannone Marilena
Published: October 2020

A large-time Eulerian–Lagrangian stochastic approach is employed to: (1) estimate centroid position uncertainty of contaminant plumes that originate from instantaneous point sources in statistically stationary and isotropic porous formations; (2) assess the time needed for achieving ergodic conditions, which would allow for the evaluation of local concentration values based on the only ensemble mean distribution; (3) derive the concentration coefficient of variation (CV) as a function of asymptotic macro-dispersion coefficients and centroid trajectory variances. The results indicate that the decay time of plume position uncertainty is so large that there is practically no chance for effective ergodicity. The concentration coefficient of variation is zero at the centroid but rapidly increases when moving away from it. The dissipative effect of local dispersion in the presence of relatively high Péclet numbers is considerably exalted by marked flow field heterogeneity, which confirms the previously postulated synergic, non-additive effect of advection and local dispersion in passive solute dilution. A further result from this study is the derivation of the power law that relates dimensionless concentration micro-scale to dimensionless local dispersive area. The exponent of this power law is the same that appears in the relationship between dimensionless Kolmogorov turbulent micro-scale and flow Reynolds number.
Pathomorphological findings of Mortellaro disease in dairy cattle
Authors: TUNÇ Arda Selin , ÇAĞATAY Soner , SAĞLAM Mehmet , KUTSAL Osman
Published: October 2020

Mortellaro disease is an infection caused by mostly spirochete bacteria in dairy cows, sheep, and goats. The aim of the present study was to define to Mortellaro disease pathomorphologically and immunohistochemically and investigate whether cell-cell adhesion connections are lost in cell proliferation. Tissue samples were collected from underfoots of Holstein (n: 6) and Swiss Brown (n: 15) dairy cattle. The sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and Warthin-Starry (WS) for isolation of spirochetes histopathologically and with β-catenin and PCNA primary antibodies immunohistochemically. Histopathologically, number of the cells in the stratum spinosum layer increased excessively, and it gave finger-like extensions to the dermis. Black stained spirochetes were detected among enlarged keratinocytes and inflammatory cells in WS staining. β-catenin was strongly positive in the cell membranes of epithelial cells in all slides. PCNA also gave positive reaction moderately (n: 18) and strongly (n: 3) in nuclei of epithelial cells. It was observed that β-catenin cell-cell adhesion connections did not impair in the disease, so this is thought to positively affect the prognosis of the disease. The high expression of PCNA showed that the mitotic activity was high and explained the formation of wart-like. As a result, while the disease does not have a poor prognosis, the disease has a negative economic impact, and the economical results of this disease might be much greater than the treatment costs. It is still seen in our country and causes in loss of yield for the economy of country.
Beta-2 Microglobulin Amyloidosis: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Portales-Castillo Ignacio , Yee Jerry , Tanaka Hiroshi , Fenves Andrew Z.
Published: October 2020

Almost half a century has elapsed since the first description of dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA), a disorder caused by excessive accumulation of β-2 microglobulin (B2M). Within that period, substantial advances in RRT occurred. These improvements have led to a decrease in the incidence of DRA. In many countries, DRA is considered a “disappearing act” or complication. Although the prevalence of patients living with RRT increases, not all will have access to kidney transplantation. Consequently, the number of patients requiring interventions for treatment of DRA is postulated to increase. This postulate has been borne out in Japan, where the number of patients with ESKD requiring surgery for carpal tunnel continues to increase. Clinicians treating patients with ESKD have treatment options to improve B2M clearance; however, there is a need to identify ways to translate improved B2M clearance into improved quality of life for patients undergoing long-term dialysis.
Functional Analysis of RELN S2486G Mutation and its Contribution to Pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: Esmaeilzadeh-Gharehdaghi Elika , Razmara Ehsan , Bitaraf Amirreza , Jamshidi Ahmadreza , Mahmoudi Mahdi , Garshasbi Masoud
Published: October 2020

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS; OMIM:106300) is a common complex inflammatory disease; in a previous study, we introduced a novel mutation in the RELN gene (OMIM: 600514) which was associated with AS. This study is designed to investigate the potential effect of RELN S2486G mutation on reelin secretion; additionally, we objected to evaluate the phospholipase A2 (PLA2G7) gene (OMIM: 601690) expression and platelet-activating factor-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) concentration as the downstream gene and the encoded protein. Methods: The impact of the S2486G on reelin protein secretion was investigated in CHO-K1 and HEK-293T cells by constructing wild-type and mutant plasmids. Besides, the possible effect of the mutation on expression and concentration of PLA2G7 and PAF-AH in THP1 cells was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The study was performed at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, from 2016 to 2018. Results: Our results showed that S2486G not only causes a significant reduction in reelin secretion in both HEK-293T and CHO-K1 cells, but also it leads to a significant reduction in PLA2G7 gene expression (P value < 0.001) and protein level of PAF-AH in THP-1 cells (P value < 0.003). Conclusion: The S2486G mutation in RELN can alter inflammatory and, to some extent, osteogenesis pathways mediated by reduced secretion of reelin and also reduced expression of the PLA2G7 gene.
MULTI-FACTOR OPTIMIZATION OF PARAMETERS OF THE RESEARCHED ENERGY SAVING SYSTEMS APPLIED IN TIMBER ROAD TRANSPORT
Authors: Posmetev Valeriy , Nikonov Vadim , Posmetev Viktor
Published: October 2020

A promising direction has been substantiated that increases the efficiency of timber road transport during timber hauling, based on the development and use of various recuperative mechanisms in its design. The analysis of foreign literature has been carried out and the authors' developments and the obtained research results in this area are described. Parametric optimization of eight types of investigated recuperative energy-saving systems has been carried out on the basis of mathematical modeling. A diagram of options for optimizing the design parameters of energy-saving systems is presented, including one-factor, two-factor and multi-factor optimization. Algorithms for multifactorial optimization of design parameters and uniform distribution of a given number of points of a computer experiment in a multifactor space are presented. A mathematical apparatus for the uniform distribution of points in a multifactor space has been developed. The choice of neural network approximation for solving the problem of multifactor optimization is substantiated. An artificial neural network topology diagram is presented. An algorithm for studying the factor space using an approximating radial neural network has been developed. A method of multifactor optimization is proposed, which makes it possible to ensure a minimum of computer experiments that uniformly cover the multifactor space with highly detailed representation of response surfaces and ensuring the search for optimal regions of the factor space. Optimization of parameters of eight investigated recuperative energy-saving systems for timber road transport has been made.
ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF POT-IN-POT INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR REFORESTATION
Authors: Panyavina Ekaterina , Morkovina Svetlana , Tseplyaev Aleksey
Published: October 2020

The transition to alternative growing technologies for forest planting material is determined by significant climatic changes and growing demand for woody plants, resistant to unfavorable factors. Development and practical application of innovations is constrained by the lack of investment and information on the economic efficiency of the use of innovative technologies. Container technologies for the production of planting material in tree ornamental nurseries occupy an increasing segment of modern market in Russia and foreign countries. The innovative Pot-in-pot technology combines the advantages of container and soil cultivation of woody plants material. In the article, using cost-effective method and economic feasibility of innovative technology for seedlings' growing has been determined. Investment analysis method, based on estimates of net present value, discounted payback period, and rate of return on invested capital, is used to assess the cultivation of seedlings using innovative Pot-in-Pot technology. The study has made it possible to determine the costs of growing spruce seedlings using Pot-in-Pot technology and economically substantiate the effectiveness of an innovative solution for growing planting material. The use of Pot-in-Pot technology in forestry practice can provide a breakthrough in growing seedlings, resistant to the harmful effects of high temperatures and low moisture requirements. Along with biological effects, the use of technology in forest nurseries can reduce production costs and ensure the economic effect of mass production of seedlings. The adaptation of Pot-in-Pot technology to the conditions of forestry in Russia will accelerate the processes of reforestation in changing climatic conditions, primarily through the production of sustainable planting material with a relatively low cost of cultivation.
REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF MEASURES TO PROTECT PLANTINGS FROM ROOT SPONGES (HETEROBASIDION ANNOSUM (FR.) BREF.)
Authors: Lykov Igor' , Maksimchuk Pavel
Published: October 2020

The results of a review and analysis of various methods of Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. for the XX - XXI centuries are presented. Data on the search and selection of handwritten and electronic bibliographic sources used in the review were provided. The pathogen of Heterobasidion annosum (fr.) Bref. is described: its characteristics, properties and distribution. A description and assessment of the effectiveness and feasibility of using the currently existing silvicultural (including chemical) and biological methods to prevent the development and spread, as well as the destruction of Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. were given. It has been established that the current silvicultural methods are ineffective or do not bring the required results at all, as it is evidenced by the current state of development of the root sponge in pine plantations. Many of the described techniques are either difficult to implement over large areas, or are economically unprofitable, which makes them practically useless in the fight against such a dangerous pathogen as Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. Preference should be given to a more in-depth study of biological protection, as well as some effective silvicultural techniques (for example, the experiments of S. A. Kazadaev).
DETERMINATION OF THE CELL WALLS DENSITY OF THE WOOD AND OTHER POROUS MATERIALS BY GAS PYCNOMETRY IN ATMOSPHERIC AIR
Authors: Gaynullin Renat , Safina Albina , Gaynullin Rish , Cvetkova Ekaterina
Published: October 2020

The article presents analytical and experimental studies to determine the density of the wood cell walls and other porous materials. From the literature, four main methods have been identified for determining the density of the cell walls of wood and porous materials. Of these, there are three direct methods: suspensions, mercury porosimetry and pycnometry, and one indirect - optical (planimetric). Helium gas pycnometry method is the most common of these ones. Based on the results of the critical analysis, a method for measuring the volume and determining the density of the cell walls of wood and porous materials in the atmosphere of atmospheric air was proposed. The method was theoretically substantiated and does not contradict the basic postulates and laws of thermodynamics. The functional suitability of the proposed method, as well as a high degree of reliability of the results obtained, has been determined experimentally. Volumes and densities of the cell walls of various wood species and other porous materials were measured under various modes of the system functioning using the developed experimental installation. The lowest density values were obtained at an overpressure of +70 kPa, the highest were seen at a vacuum of -90 kPa. The deviations in the results between the highest and lowest density values were, respectively: spruce – 7.02%, aspen – 4.12%, thermally modified (TM) linden – 2.95%, pine rot – 4.93%, shelf fungus – 5.12%, pine bark – 5.27%, birch charcoal – 14.6%.
APPLICATION OF ROUNDUP (GLYPHOSATE) IN THE FIGHT AGAINST UNWANTED SPRING OF TREE SPECIES IN PROTECTIVE FOREST PLANTATIONS OF THE CENTRAL BLACK EARTH REGION
Authors: Rybalkina Nataliya , Popov Aleksandr
Published: October 2020

The article analyzes the nine-year experience of the effectiveness of the use of the herbicide Roundup (based on glyphosate) in the growing edges in protective forest belts and on skid roads. Options for chemical growth control of various species in comparison with mechanical ones have been studied for the first time in the conditions of Stone Steppe, which is considered to be the best created system of protective afforestation in Russia. The characteristics of the herbicide, the principle of action and the method of its application are given. It was found that shoots do not appear in all subsequent years, and the process of stump destruction begins at 3 years after treatment of stumps of freshly cut trees with this preparation. In comparison with other chemical methods, it has minimal labor and money costs for its application. Thus, the efficiency of the method for treating fresh stumps with herbicide is the highest one. After processing, undergrowth is partially formed, depressed and dies off the next year. It has been found that this method reduces labor costs by 17 times, and the labor cost - by 6.7 times in comparison with mechanical treatment.