bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preparation of rGO/AgCl QDs and its enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance for the degradation of Tetracycline
Authors: Kadeer Kuerbangnisha , Reheman Abulajiang , Maimaitizi Hujiabudula , Talifu Dilinuer , Tursun Yalkunjan , Abulizi Abulikemu
Published: February 2019

A novel rGO/AgCl QDs composites have been obtained by an ultrasonic‐assisted method for the first time. Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performances of the obtained samples were studied by the degradation of 20 mg/L Tetracycline (TC) under visible light irradiation with an applied bias potential of 1.5 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Degradation of TC by different processes including Photocatalysis (PC), Electrocatalysis (EC), and PEC was compared, and the effect of different bias potential on the PEC degradation of TC was discussed. Results showed that rGO/AgCl QDs composites had displayed superior PEC activity than that of pristine AgCl QDs with degrading 85.2% of TC during 120 minutes, which was about 1.5 times higher than that of AgCl QDs (33%). Besides, compared to PC and EC removal of TC, PEC process showed the highest degradation efficiency of TC (85.2%) by rGO/AgCl QDs, which was about three times and one time higher than that of PC (39.18%) and EC (20.73%) system, respectively. Moreover, the reusibility and stability of the samples were tested by five times cycling tests, and results demonstrated that the stability of bare AgCl QDs was improved after the introduction of rGO. The enhanced PEC activity and stability of the samples could be attributed to the intimate contact between rGO and AgCl QDs and external electric field, which had benefitted the formation of more active sites and accelerated electron‐hole separation.
Clinical effects of the adjunctive use of a 0.03% chlorhexidine and 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride mouth rinse in the management of peri‐implant diseases: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Pulcini Alberto , Bollaín Juan , Sanz‐Sánchez Ignacio , Figuero Elena , Alonso Bettina , Sanz Mariano , Herrera David
Published: February 2019

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of a 0.03% chlorhexidine and 0.05% cetylpyridinium chloride mouth rinse, as an adjunct to professionally and patient‐administered mechanical plaque removal, in the treatment of peri‐implant mucositis (PiM).

Material and Methods

Patients displaying PiM in, at least, one implant were included in this randomized, double‐blinded, clinical trial. Subjects received professional prophylaxis (baseline and 6 months) and were instructed to regular oral hygiene practices and to rinse, twice daily, with the test or placebo mouth rinses, during one year. Clinical, radiographic and microbiological outcomes were evaluated at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Disease resolution was defined as absence of bleeding on probing (BOP). Data were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA, Student's t and chi‐square tests.

Results

Fifty‐four patients were included and 46 attended the final visit (22 in control and 24 in test group). In the test group, there was a 24.49% greater reduction in BOP at the buccal sites (95% confidence interval [3.65–45.34%]; p = 0.002) than in controls. About 58.3% of test implants and 50% controls showed healthy peri‐implant tissues at final visit (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The use of the test mouth rinse demonstrated some adjunctive benefits in the treatment of PiM. Complete disease resolution could not be achieved in every case.
Genetic underpinnings of callous‐unemotional traits and emotion recognition in children, adolescents, and emerging adults
Authors: Moore Ashlee A. , Rappaport Lance M. , Blair R. James , Pine Daniel S. , Leibenluft Ellen , Brotman Melissa A. , Hettema John M. , Roberson‐Nay Roxann
Published: February 2019

Background

Callous‐Unemotional (CU) and psychopathic traits are consistently associated with impaired recognition of others’ emotions, specifically fear and sadness. However, no studies have examined whether the association between CU traits and emotion recognition deficits is due primarily to genetic or environmental factors.

Methods

The current study used data from 607 Caucasian twin pairs (N = 1,214 twins) to examine the phenotypic and genetic relationship between the Inventory of Callous‐Unemotional Traits (ICU) and facial emotion recognition assessed via the laboratory‐based Facial Expression Labeling Task (FELT).

Results

The uncaring/callous dimension of the ICU was significantly associated with impaired recognition of happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, and disgust. The unemotional ICU dimension was significantly associated with improved recognition of surprise and disgust. Total ICU score was significantly associated with impaired recognition of sadness. Significant genetic correlations were found for uncaring/callous traits and distress cue recognition (i.e. fear and sadness). The observed relationship between uncaring/callous traits and deficits in distress cue recognition was accounted for entirely by shared genetic influences.

Conclusions

The results of the current study replicate previous findings demonstrating impaired emotion recognition among youth with elevated CU traits. We extend these findings by replicating them in an epidemiological sample not selected or enriched for pathological levels of CU traits. Furthermore, the current study is the first to investigate the genetic and environmental etiology of CU traits and emotion recognition, and results suggest genetic influences underlie the specific relationship between uncaring/callous traits and distress cue (fear/sadness) recognition in others.
Single Motherhood and the Abolition of Coverture in the United States
Authors: Alshaikhmubarak Hazem , Geddes R. Richard , Grossbard Shoshana A.
Published: February 2019

Under the common‐law system ofcoverturein the United States, a married woman relinquished control of property and wages to her husband. Many U.S. states passed acts between 1850 and 1920 that expanded a married woman's right to keep her market earnings and to own separate property. The former were called married women's earnings acts (MWEAs) and the latter married women's property acts (MWPAs). Scholarly interest in the acts’ effects is growing, with researchers examining how the acts affected outcomes such as women's wealth holding and educational attainment. The acts’ impact on women's nonmarital birth decisions remains unexamined, however. We postulate that the acts caused women to anticipate greater benefits from having children within rather than outside of marriage. We thus expect the passage of MWPAs and MWEAs to reduce the likelihood that single women become mothers of young children. We use probit regression to analyze individual data from the U.S. Census for the years 1860 to 1920. We find that the property acts in fact reduced the likelihood that single women have young children. We also find that the “de‐coverture” acts’ effects were stronger for literate women, for U.S.‐born women, in states with higher female labor‐force participation, and in more rural states, consistent with predictions.
Variation in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene inNezara viridula(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) from Argentina
Authors: Pérez de Rosas Alicia R. , Fernández Cintia J. , Cuczuk María I. , Grosso Carla G. , García Beatriz A.
Published: February 2019

Here, we examine the genetic diversity in the agricultural pestNezara viridula(Linnaeus,) from populations of Argentina using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. The DNA sequence comparisons of 718 base pairs of the COI gene revealed seven haplotypes. The observed total haplotype diversity (Hd) value was of 0.138, and the nucleotide diversity was of 0.00039 and 0.00135 according toπandθW, respectively. Eight out of the 10 populations analysed, mostly from soya bean crops, only presented the more frequent haplotype, while 2 haplotypes were found in a mixed culture and 6 haplotypes in a peanut culture. Factors such as differential insecticide applications, as well as the surrounding habitat, and the host plant preference could be related to the genetic diversity differences observed among samples ofN. viridula. The analysis of genetic diversity in samples collected in crops treated and non‐treated with insecticides, as well as in samples collected from different seasons, could help to clarify the role of the factors that led to the pattern of genetic diversity detected in this study. The result of a comparative analysis of COI gene sequences among populations from South America, Africa, Asia and Europe was consistent with the hypothesis of an African origin ofN. viridula. On the other hand, the haplotypes of Europe were clustered with haplotypes from South America. In addition, specimens from Madeira (west of Europe) shared ancestry with South America and Europe. It has been suggested that a probable route of colonization of America could have been from Western Europe towards the eastern coasts of South America.
Identification and field evaluation of (E)‐11,13‐tetradecadienal as sex pheromone of the strawberry tortrix (Acleris comariana)
Authors: Svensson Glenn P. , Tönnberg Victoria , Sigsgaard Lene
Published: February 2019

The strawberry tortrix (Acleris comariana Lienig and Zeller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a major pest of strawberry in Denmark and southern Sweden. Chemical and electrophysiological analyses revealed a single compound, (E)‐11,13‐tetradecadienal (E11,13‐14:Ald), in gland extracts of females eliciting a strong antennal response in conspecific males. Also (Z)‐11,13‐tetradecadienal (Z11,13‐14:Ald) was found to be antennally active, but not detected in gland extracts. The corresponding alcohol and acetate of E11,13‐14:Ald, which are biologically active in other Acleris species, were not produced by females and did not trigger electrophysiological response in males. Trapping experiments at a commercial strawberry farm in southern Sweden showed that E11,13‐14:Ald and Z11,13‐14:Ald, alone or in combination, attracted large numbers of males. Trap catches increased with increasing dose of E11,13‐14:Ald, with traps baited with 100 µg and 1,000 µg being most attractive. Our results confirm the widespread use of E11,13‐14:Ald as a key sex pheromone component in the genus Acleris. The identification of a highly attractive sex pheromone is a first step in developing pheromone‐based methods for monitoring and control of A. comariana in European strawberry production.
Factors contributing to parent–child interaction quality following mild traumatic brain injury in early childhood
Authors: Lalonde Gabrielle , Bernier Annie , Beaudoin Cindy , Gravel Jocelyn , Beauchamp Miriam H.
Published: February 2019

There is emerging evidence that parent–child interactions are affected by early childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). These findings are of functional importance when considering the high prevalence of TBI in early childhood alongside evidence that young children exposed to positive relationships with their parents early in life exhibit better social functioning concurrently and longitudinally. Given that the overall quality of parent–child interactions is the result of both parent and child emotional and behavioural dispositions, it remains unclear which parental or child‐related factors contribute to the quality of interactions post‐TBI. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to the quality of parent–child interactions following early childhood TBI. The sample included 68 children (18–60 months at recruitment) with accidental, uncomplicated mild TBI (mTBI). The quality of parent–child interactions was assessed 6 months post‐injury using the Mutually Responsive Orientation scale, an observational measure of the dyadic quality of parent–child exchanges. Potential contributing factors were assessed among parental factors (e.g., age, socioeconomic status, family burden, parental stress, marital satisfaction) and child‐related factors (e.g., age, sex, symptoms, fatigue, adaptive/behavioural skills). Socioeconomic status, child post‐concussive symptoms, and child sleep problems were found to be significant independent contributing factors to parent–child interactions six months post‐injury. This study provides the first evidence that both parental and child factors relate to the quality of parent–child interactions following mTBI, thus contributing to a better understanding of the scope and complexity of factors that play a role in childrens' recovery.
Assessing the dyeing efficiency and irritation potentials of plant hair dyes: A multi‐analytical in vitro approach
Authors: Tang Ying , He Wendan , Wu Yanping , Cai Rui
Published: February 2019

Background

The interest toward dyeing hairs with plant colorants has grown in popularity considering its low‐toxic nature. However, researches reporting plant hair dyes are limited and the potential adverse effects of irritation are unclear.

Objectives

This study is aimed to provide an avenue by which to more accurately assess the dyeing efficiency and irritation potentials of plant hair dyes.

Methods

Four extracted plant colorants were incorporated in hydrogel hair dyes that were directly applied on unbleached gray human hairs. Their dyeing performances and the effect of an iron (Ⅱ) mordant were photometrically measured in CIELab coordinates and color strength. The eye and skin irritancy was assessed by combining various in vitro methods, including bovine corneal opacity and permeability (BCOP) assay in combination with histopathological analysis, Hen’s egg test on chick chorioallantoic membrane (HET‐CAM) and a test on reconstructed human epidermis models.

Results

The investigated hair dyes exhibited desirable dyeing efficiency on human hairs. Post‐treatment with the iron (Ⅱ) mordant caused a significant increase in color strength with subtle changes to the hue of dyed color. In the irritation testing, the four hair dyes were categorized as slight‐to‐mild eye irritants but possessed no skin irritation potential, while the mordant was determined as a non‐irritant.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate the efficacy of a multi‐analytical approach for in vitro assessment of various plant colorants for hair dyeing. The investigated plant extracts are suitable for producing viable colors on human hairs and may serve as a low‐irritating alternative to the synthetic hair dyes.
Eudaimonism, Virtue, and Self‐Sacrifice
Authors: Couenhoven Jesse
Published: February 2019

This essay introduces some of the key topics at stake in the ongoing controversies about the place of eudaimonism in Christian ethics and theology. Whether and in what way a person should seek her or his own happiness and flourishing has been a central question in ethics for centuries. Here I summarize the contributions the essays in this focus issue make to that conversation, and conclude by briefly sketching a Neoplatonist approach to eudaimonism that may offer a way to build on the insights and concerns articulated in the focus essays.
Christianity and Eudaimonia, Luck and Eudaimonism
Authors: Simmons Frederick V.
Published: February 2019

I argue that Christians have at least two reasons to reject eudaimonism, interpreted as the view that attaining eudaimonia—or happiness—is what fulfills the moral life. First, I contend Christian conceptions of eudaimonia should encompass more than realized moral excellence and its requirements. Second, I claim Christians should construe the love at the heart of their moral life as fully realizable even if it is not evidently reciprocated. Both affirmations contradict eudaimonism by implying that eudaimonia depends on more than fulfilling the moral life—the former by rendering eudaimonia more subject to luck than eudaimonists can allow, the latter by depicting the moral life as less subject to luck than eudaimonists can accept. These affirmations also enable Christians to regard God’s love integral to eudaimonia apart from its role in realizing moral excellence and to deny all inability to attain eudaimonia manifests moral failure.
Alterity, Intimacy, and the Cultural Turn in Religious Ethics
Authors: Miller Richard B.
Published: February 2019

This essay responds to four critics of Friends and Other Strangers: Studies in Religion, Ethics and Culture: Diana Fritz Cates, Eric Gregory, Ross Moret, and Atalia Omer. Focusing on the book’s organizing concepts of intimacy and alterity, engagement with empirical sources, discussion of Augustine’s thought, and attention to moral psychology and political morality, these interlocutors take up various strands in the book’s argument and extend them into metaethical, normative, and metadisciplinary domains. The author organizes his response under three rubrics: Metaethics and Personal Relationships; Political Morality; and Multidisciplinary Horizons.
Relational Complexity and Ethical Responsibility
Authors: Cates Diana Fritz
Published: February 2019

Richard Miller uses the concepts of alterity and intimacy as touchstones for analyzing neglected aspects of our interpersonal and social relationships. He argues that, as persons in relation, we oscillate between experiences of alterity and intimacy, and it is with a greater awareness of this oscillation that we do best to consider our ethical responsibilities. This paper affirms the value of thinking about—and potentially reimagining—how we conceive and relate to various others. It also makes explicit that, as persons, each of us is separate, not only from some, but from all other persons, even as we are also one with them. Moreover, each of us is different from all other persons, even as we are also like them. The aspects of persons and relationships on which we focus, in a given situation, matter because they partly determine the choices that we make in another’s regard.
Friends on the Margins
Authors: Omer Atalia
Published: February 2019

In this essay, I examine Richard Miller’s exposition of political solidarity as one of the key contributions of his multifaceted argument in Friends and Other Strangers to the study of religion, ethics, and culture. Miller’s focus on culture broadens the landscape of ethical analysis in ways that illuminate how culture and cultural productions mediate and construct norms and virtues, and the complex relations between self and society. I challenge Miller’s inclination, however, to focus scholarly attention more on habituated forms of civic identity and communal solidarity rather than on disruptive potentialities and critical practices. I suggest that an engagement with social movement theory and the sociology of emotions, with their focus on semiotic analysis and social change processes and mechanisms, can greatly enrich Miller’s account of religion and ethical solidarity.
Association Between Rurality and Lung Cancer Treatment Characteristics and Timeliness
Authors: Fairfield Kathleen M. , Black Adam W. , Lucas F. Lee , Murray Kimberly , Ziller Erika , Korsen Neil , Waterston Leo B. , Han Paul K. J.
Published: February 2019

Background

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related mortality in the United States, and rural states bear a greater burden of disease.

Methods

We analyzed tumor registry data to examine relationships between rurality and lung cancer stage at diagnosis and treatment. Cases were from the Maine Cancer Registry from 2012 to 2015, and rurality was defined using rural‐urban commuting areas. Multivariable models were used to examine the relationships between rurality and treatment, adjusting for age, sex, poverty, education, insurance status, and cancer stage.

Results

We identified 5,338 adults with incident lung cancer; 3,429 (64.2%) were diagnosed at a late stage (III or IV). Rurality was not associated with stage at diagnosis. For patients with early‐stage disease (I or II), rurality was not associated with receipt of treatment. However, for patients with late‐stage disease, residents of large rural areas received more surgery (10%) compared with metropolitan (9%) or small/isolated rural areas (6%), P = .01. In multivariable analyses, patients in large rural areas received more chemotherapy (OR 1.48; 95% CI: 1.08‐2.02) than those in metropolitan areas. Patients with early‐stage disease residing in small/ isolated rural areas had delays in treatment (median time to first treatment = 43 days, interquartile range [IQR] 22‐68) compared with large rural (34 days, IQR 17‐55) and metropolitan areas (35 days, IQR 17‐60), P = .0009.

Conclusion

Rurality is associated with differences in receipt of specific lung cancer treatments and in timeliness of treatment.
Health behavior knowledge among Hispanic California islanders: Evaluation of a parental educational intervention
Authors: Parsons Karla , Rutkowski Elaine M. , Turel Ofir
Published: February 2019

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of a school nurse‐led pilot parent‐focused education program for healthy eating and physical activity to reduce childhood obesity.

Design and Methods

A quasi‐experimental intervention design was used to assess the knowledge of 11 Hispanic mothers regarding healthy food choices and physical activity over a period of 1 year.

Results

There was an improvement in parental knowledge domains. Children's body mass index (BMI) stabilized at the 1‐year follow‐up in the intervention group, while the BMI increased in the nonintervention group. Outcomes included improvement in parental health knowledge and children's BMI.

Practice Implications

Pediatric and school nurses have a powerful role in preventive education. Knowledge gained by identifying the benefits of healthy food choices and physical activity for Hispanic mothers of obese children can be transformed into lifestyle changes for their children's weight control that begins in the home.
Triple oxygen isotope composition of Australasian tektites
Authors: Žák Karel , Skála Roman , Pack Andreas , Ackerman Lukáš , Křížová Šárka
Published: February 2019

Major and trace element analyses and triple oxygen isotope measurements were performed on 11 individual specimens of Australasian tektites (AAT) with exactly known field positions from Laos. The sample set was dominated by Muong Nong‐type tektites (MNAAT), including separated layers of glass of different appearance and chemistry from four samples. This first larger set of oxygen isotope data of MNAAT revealed the δ18O range 8.7 ≤ δ18O ≤ 11.6‰ on VSMOW2 scale (12 analyses), only slightly wider than the previously reported range for splash‐form AAT. The Δ’17O values of MNAAT (−0.098 ≤ Δ’17O ≤ −0.069‰; 12 analyses) and splash‐form AAT (−0.080 ≤ Δ’17O ≤ −0.068‰; three analyses) are all in the range of data typical for terrestrial crustal rocks, with no mass‐independent oxygen isotope fractionation (from impactor or from exchange with atmospheric O2) being observed.
Phylogenetic and biogeographic controls of plant nighttime stomatal conductance
Authors: Yu Kailiang , Goldsmith Gregory R. , Wang Yujie , Anderegg William R. L.
Published: February 2019

The widely documented phenomenon of nighttime stomatal conductance gsn could lead to substantial water loss with no carbon gain, and thus it remains unclear whether nighttime stomatal conductance confers a functional advantage. Given that studies of gsn have focused on controlled environments or small numbers of species in natural environments, a broad phylogenetic and biogeographic context could provide insights into potential adaptive benefits of gsn.

We measured gsn on a diverse suite of species (n = 73) across various functional groups and climates‐of‐origin in a common garden to study the phylogenetic and biogeographic/climatic controls on gsn and further assessed the degree to which gsn co‐varied with leaf functional traits and daytime gas‐exchange rates.

Closely related species were more similar in gsn than expected by chance. Herbaceous species had higher gsn than woody species. Species that typically grow in climates with lower mean annual precipitation – where the fitness cost of water loss should be the highest – generally had higher gsn.

Our results reveal the highest gsn rates in species from environments where neighboring plants compete most strongly for water, suggesting a possible role for the competitive advantage of gsn.
Is Stock Price Correlated with Oil Price? Spurious Regressions with Moderately Explosive Processes
Authors: Chen Ye , Tu Yundong
Published: February 2019

This study explores the spurious effects in linear regressions with moderately explosive processes. Asymptotic results are developed for the least square estimator, the typical t‐statistic, the Durbin–Watson statistic, and the coefficient of determination. The typical t‐statistic is unable to detect the presence of a spurious relationship, due to the presence of nuisance parameters that characterize deviations from unity. Moreover, the t‐statistic for common explosive processes has different asymptotics compared to that for distinct explosive processes. Such differences further complicate the use of the t‐statistic. We demonstrate that two popular methods available in the literature are incapable for this purpose due to similar difficulties. To overcome these limitations, we propose a t‐test based upon balanced regressions that induces asymptotic inference based on the standard normal distribution, which is therefore robust to deviations from unity. These results are further generalized to spurious regressions with multivariate mildly explosive processes. Simulation results confirm that our test is effective in finite samples, while other alternatives are not. An empirical example that demonstrates the phenomenon of spurious correlation between the NASDAQ stock index and crude oil price in the US is provided to show the practical merit of our proposed method.
Predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: Use of strict left bundle branch block criteria
Authors: Hadjis Alexios , AlTurki Ahmed , Proietti Riccardo , Montemezzo Mauricio , Bernier Martin , Joza Jacqueline , Hadjis Tomy , Essebag Vidal
Published: February 2019

Background

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). CRT efficacy is greater in left bundle branch block (LBBB). This study aimed to determine if strict LBBB criteria predict an improved QRS duration and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) response after CRT.

Methods

HFrEF patients who received a CRT device at a single quaternary center were included. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline QRS morphology. Group 1 consisted of patients with strict LBBB. Group 2 had conventional LBBB, and group 3 had non‐LBBB morphology. Outcomes assessed included change in QRS duration after CRT, change in LVEF, and all‐cause mortality.

Results

In 231 patients, 56% of patients were in group 1, 29% were in group 2, and 15% were in group 3. Patients with strict LBBB had a significant reduction in QRS duration (–20.9 ± 12.4 ms) compared to conventional LBBB (6.7 ± 19.4 ms; P < 0.0001) and non‐LBBB (3.9 ± 29.3 ms; P < 0.0001). Patients with strict LBBB had a significant increase in LVEF (19.5 ± 10.2) compared to conventional LBBB (5.3 ± 12.6; P < 0.0001) and non‐LBBB (–1.3 ± 10.9; P < 0.0001). There was moderate negative correlation between changes in QRS duration and LVEF (correlation coefficient = –0.63, P < 0.0001). Strict LBBB criteria were associated with a significant reduction in mortality compared to conventional LBBB (odds ratio 0.49, 95% confidence interval 0.24 to 0.99; P = 0.046).

Conclusions

Strict LBBB predicted a reduction in QRS duration and an increase in LVEF compared to conventional LBBB and non‐LBBB morphology in patients with HFrEF who received CRT.
Team tenure and team performance: A meta‐analysis and process model
Authors: Gonzalez‐Mulé Erik , S. Cockburn Bethany , W. McCormick Brian , Zhao Peng
Published: February 2019

Team tenure is a key component of models of team effectiveness. However, the nature of the relationship between team tenure and team performance is unclear due to underdeveloped theory on the nature of team tenure, various unintegrated theoretical conceptualizations of team tenure, and mixed empirical findings. Further, there is a lack of theory as to the intervening team processes and emergent states that account for the “black box” of the team tenure–team performance relationship. Accordingly, we conducted meta‐analyses of the relationships of team tenure with team processes and performance. Our results, based on 622 effect sizes reported in 169 studies, show that team tenure, conceptualized as additive team tenure, collective team tenure, and team tenure dispersion, is positively related to team performance. Relative weights analysis found additive team tenure to be a relatively more important predictor of team performance than collective team tenure or team tenure dispersion. We found that team cognition, motivational‐affective states, and behavioral processes mediate the relationships of additive team tenure, collective team tenure, and team tenure dispersion with team performance, respectively. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.
An Optimization‐Based Framework for the Identification of Vulnerabilities in Electric Power Grids Exposed to Natural Hazards
Authors: Fang Yi‐Ping , Sansavini Giovanni , Zio Enrico
Published: February 2019

This article proposes a novel mathematical optimization framework for the identification of the vulnerabilities of electric power infrastructure systems (which is a paramount example of critical infrastructure) due to natural hazards. In this framework, the potential impacts of a specific natural hazard on an infrastructure are first evaluated in terms of failure and recovery probabilities of system components. Then, these are fed into a bi‐level attacker–defender interdiction model to determine the critical components whose failures lead to the largest system functionality loss. The proposed framework bridges the gap between the difficulties of accurately predicting the hazard information in classical probability‐based analyses and the over conservatism of the pure attacker–defender interdiction models. Mathematically, the proposed model configures a bi‐level max‐min mixed integer linear programming (MILP) that is challenging to solve. For its solution, the problem is casted into an equivalent one‐level MILP that can be solved by efficient global solvers. The approach is applied to a case study concerning the vulnerability identification of the georeferenced RTS24 test system under simulated wind storms. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework for identifying critical locations under multiple hazard events and, thus, for providing a useful tool to help decisionmakers in making more‐informed prehazard preparation decisions.
What about Rural Blight? Housing and Neighborhood Conditions in Southeastern Small Towns
Authors: Skobba Kim , Osinubi Adenola , Tinsley Karen L.
Published: February 2019

Though the concept of blight clarifies housing and neighborhood changes in rural and small towns experiencing disinvestment and decline, the term is rarely examined outside of urban discourse. This study explores the extent of rural blight and its relationship to community characteristics using survey results from elected officials and staff members of small towns in one southeastern state. We examine the historical background of blight, including its connections to urban renewal, racial bias and stereotyping, and the broken windows theory. Among the small towns in the study, economic blight, particularly dilapidated housing, was prevalent. Social blight, which includes behaviors that are thought to be threatening or criminal in nature, was less common but correlated moderately with economic forms of blight. While social disorganization and collective efficacy theories link a range of demographic characteristics to physical and social disorder, our findings pointed only to a significant relationship between communities with a higher portion of the population who are black and multiple forms of extensive blight. More research is needed to understand the relationship, both observed and perceived, between economic and social blight in rural small towns and how these issues may be remediated through local collective action.
Effects of land vs water jump exercise: Implications for exercise design targeting bone health
Authors: Chien Kuei‐Yu , Chang Wei‐Gang , Sanders Mary E. , Chen Chia‐Hsin , Wu Wan‐Chun , Chen Wan‐Chin
Published: February 2019

Purpose

To quantify ground reaction force (GRF), osteogenic index (OI), muscle activity, and blood lactate levels during continuous jumping performed in water and on land.

Methods

Thirteen post‐menopausal women (59.5 ± 6.8 years) performed two bouts of jumping, on land (LND) and in water at a depth of 1 m (WEX). Each 10‐minute, 40‐second bout consisted of 2 consecutive sets of squat, lunge, jumping jax, countermovement, and single legged jumps as intervals: 10 seconds maximal effort and 60 seconds recovery at 50% of heart rate reserve (HRR). Pre‐ and post‐exercise lower extremity rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded, and 10‐µL earlobe blood samples were collected to assess lactate concentration. During exercise, data were collected for electromyography, GRF, and heart rate. Total GRF (TGRF) and total muscular activity (TMA) during each 10 seconds of jumping were measured. OI for one bout of continued jumps was determined by averaging GRF·ln (number of jumps + 1).

Results

There were no differences between WEX and LND for percent HRR and RPE. TGRF, OI, TMA, and lactate concentration on LND jumps were significantly higher than WEX.

Conclusion

At similar cardiorespiratory and RPE levels, the lower impact loading of 10 minutes 40 seconds of interval continuous jumping exercise in 1‐m depth was less osteogenic than on land. However, one daily bout of water jumping, 5 days per week resulted in a similar OI as 3 days of jumping on land. WEX might substitute or provide an adjunct to LND exercise to promote bone health.
Challenges to human rabies elimination highlighted following a rabies outbreak in bovines and a human in Punjab, India
Authors: Brookes Victoria J. , Gill Gurlal S. , Singh Balbir B. , Sandhu Bhupinder S. , Dhand Navneet K. , Aulakh Rabinder S. , Ward Michael P.
Published: February 2019

In August 2015, a rabies outbreak occurred in bovines in a Punjab village, India; subsequently, a farmer in the same village died of rabies in October 2015. We surveyed farmers to describe the outbreak, the demographics and rabies prophylaxis administered to householders on case farms, and farmers’ knowledge of rabies prevention and treatment. We used multiple correspondence analysis to guide investigation of associations between demographics, farm status and rabies knowledge, attitudes and practices. The number of affected bovines was unusually high; 15 cattle and buffalo died on 13 smallholder farms (attack rate 4%). Post‐exposure vaccinations were administered to 24 people (median 2 doses). Affected farms had significantly larger households and were more likely to keep their livestock outside (therefore, accessible by stray dogs), suggesting that the impact of the outbreak was disproportionally borne by households of lower socio‐economic status. Primary sources of rabies information were friends and neighbours, not health authorities or media. Women who had not received formal education were less likely to have heard of rabies. Although case farm participants were more likely to have heard about rabies from a veterinarian, their knowledge and practices to prevent rabies did not reflect the level expected considering their contact with a health professional; they were more likely to believe that traditional remedies prevent rabies and less likely to tell their children to avoid playing with stray dogs than participants from other farms. This study highlights knowledge dissemination disparities that, if typical of rural locations, could obstruct attempts to eliminate canine‐mediated human rabies in India. Therefore, understanding the pervasiveness and influence of traditional medical beliefs on treatment‐seeking behaviour, communication structures within villages and the impact of local practices such as carcass disposal on dog populations will be essential to ensure that rabies control strategies are effective in rural India.
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON GAMIFICATION FOR LEARNING PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE WEBSITE
Authors: Layth Khaleel Firas , Sahari Ashaari Noraidah , Tengku Wook Tengku Siti Meriam
Published: February 2019

Computer science novice students find it hard to learn and master programming language subjects. In previous work, an investigation was done to confirm this assumption. The finding showed that students experienced ineffective learning, lacked interest towards this course, and lacked motivation. Previous studies have shown that applying Gamification elements in websites engages users. Gamification refers to the use of game elements in a non-game context in order to increase engagement between human and computer. In priory, a gamification-based learning website for programming language course was developed. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness and motivation level of using a Gamification website for programming language learning for first year students. Quantitative research approach was used. The effectiveness of the gamification website was tested using Quasi experiment. Student motivation was measured using ARCS motivation model. The findings showed that there were significant differences in the overall results of student performance (effectiveness and motivation) between the experimental and control groups.
DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF RH-WMA ON THE ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF BITUMEN
Authors: Mahmoud Mohammed Khansaa , Abdalla Ibrahim Khalid , Mohammed Ameen Hadi , Khairuddin Faridah Hanim , Ibrahim Ahmad Nazrul Hakimi , P. Rosyidi Sri Atmaja , Abdullah Mohd Ezree , Md. Yusoff Nur Izzi
Published: February 2019

This study aims to investigate the engineering properties (i.e., physical, chemical, and adhesion properties) of bitumen incorporated with RH-Warm Mix Asphalt (RH-WMA) additive. Base bitumen with a penetration grade of 80/100 was added with 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0% RH-WMA (by total weight of bitumen). The Response Surface Method (RSM) was used to determine the optimum values of the base bitumen and RH-WMA additive which meet the bitumen specification with penetration and softening point chosen as responses in the design layout. Three solutions of 3.04, 3.55 and 3.91% RH-WMA additive that were obtained from the RSM analysis were selected as the optimal values. Results of the physical tests show that adding RH-WMA increases the penetration and ductility values whilst simultaneously reducing the value for the softening point. Analysis of viscosity at various temperatures shows that RH-WMA additive lowers viscosity when the temperature was raised from 100 to 165 °C. The lower viscosity of the modified binders improves their workability. The result of the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) test shows that there is no complex chemical reaction between the base bitumen and the RH-WMA. The surface free energy (SFE) test conducted on the base bitumen and the RH-WMA modified bitumen shows that the total SFE component of the base bitumen increases when higher amounts of RH-WMA was incorporated. The addition of 3.5% RH-WMA results in the highest SFE value of 24.98 mJ/m2. The increase in the total SFE suggests good adhesion between the bitumen and the aggregates.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON SPECTROGRAM AND S-TRANSFORM FOR BATTERIES PARAMETERS ESTIMATION
Authors: Mohamad Basir Muhammad Sufyan Safwan , Abdullah Abdul Rahim , Mohd Saad Norhashimah
Published: February 2019

This research presents the analysis of battery charging and discharging signals using spectrogram, and S-transform techniques. The analysed batteries are lead acid (LA), nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH), and lithium-ion (Li-ion). From the equivalent circuit model (ECM) simulated using MATLAB, the constant charging and discharging signals are presented, jointly, in time-frequency representation (TFR). From the TFR, the battery signal characteristics are determined from the estimated parameters of instantaneous means square voltage (VRMS (t)), instantaneous direct current voltage (VDC (t)), and instantaneous alternating current voltage (VAC (t)). Hence, an equation for battery remaining capacity as a function of estimated parameter of VAC (t) using curve fitting tool is presented. In developing a real-time automated battery parameters estimation system, the best time-frequency distribution (TFD) is chosen in terms of accuracy of the battery parameters, computational complexity in signal processing, and memory size. The advantages in high accuracy for battery parameters estimation, and low in memory size requirement makes the S-transform technique is selected to be the best TFD. Then, field testing is conducted for different cases, and the results show that the average mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) calculated is around 4%.
RELEASE BEHAVIOR OF DICHLORPROP FROM ZN/AL-LDH-DICHLORPROP NANOCOMPOSITE INTO CHLORIDE, CARBONATE AND PHOSPHATE SOLUTIONS
Authors: Hashim Norhayati , Mohd Sharif Sharifah Norain , Muda Zuhailimuna , Md Isa Illyas , Abu Bakar Suriani , Mohd Ali Noorshida , Hussein Mohd Zobir , Mamat Mazidah
Published: February 2019

A release study of dichlorprop phenoxyherbicides from the interlayer of a Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide-dichlorprop nanocomposite was performed with various concentrations of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and sodium phosphate and a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and sodium phosphate in aqueous solution. The release study of dichlorprop showed that release is dependent on the concentration of the aqueous solution. The accumulated release percentage of dichlorprop phenoxyherbicides into the solution was found to be higher in solutions containing carbonate, phosphate, and a mixture of carbonate or phosphate anions. Confirmation of the release process was confirmed by the PXRD pattern of the powder recovered from highly concentrated solutions of sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, and sodium phosphate with basal spacing of 7.8 Å, 7.6 Å and 7.4 Å, is due to chloride, carbonate, and phosphate intercalation, respectively. The kinetic study revealed that dichlorprop release into sodium carbonate and sodium phosphate solutions is governed by pseudo-second order kinetics, while release into sodium chloride solution is governed by parabolic diffusion. This study shows that a layered double hydroxide might be used as a host for the controlled release of the phenoxyherbicide dichlorprop.
THE EFFECT OF PARTICLE SIZE OF EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH AND RATIO OF BIOSLUDGE OF PULP AND PAPER ON BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN COMPOSTING PROCESS
Authors: Hastuti Desri , Muhamad Ida Idayu , Abdul Rahman Roshanida , Sahyoga Gading , Gafur Abdul
Published: February 2019

The abundance of empty fruit bunches (EFB) is a result of many palm oil industries increasing their crude palm oil production. Composting is a good, environmentally friendly alternative to overcome EFB. Two different ratios of EFB with biosludge of pulp and paper of 1 : 1 and 3 : 2, respectively, were used in this composting. The particle size of EFB was set into three different sizes of 0.5; 1.5 and 2.5 cm. The best treatment that was obtained from this study was SR4 where the EFB particle size was 1.5 cm, and the ratio between EFB and biosludge of pulp and paper was 3 : 2, respectively. The nitrogen value of SR4 increased from 1.41% to 2.71%, and C/N ratio decreased from 36.74 to 12.17 in 90 days. The population peak of bacteria of SR4 in the thermopilic phase achieved about 33.67 x 1010 cfu/g. These two treatment combinations had shown an increase in EFB composting efficiency.
IN SILICO STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF L. lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363 FFH-FTSY COMPLEX IN PROTEIN TARGETING INTERACTION
Authors: Alias Noor Izawati , Abdul Murad Abdul Munir , Abu Bakar Farah Diba , Md Illias Rosli
Published: February 2019

In bacteria, gene conservation and experimental data show that Lactococcus lactis has the simplest version of protein secretion system compared to Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis whose systems are more complex. L. lactis only possess the signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway, where the specific interaction of Ffh and FtsY is known to be essential for the efficiency and fidelity of its protein targeting. Therefore, modelling and structural characterization study of Ffh and FtsY will give an idea of its crucial region and amino acids that are critical in Ffh-FtsY interaction during protein targeting. This work is the first attempt to model L. lactis Ffh-FtsY complex, which was derived by computational docking, where a blind dock was applied. Results showed that the complex interface was predominantly stabilized by four hydrophobic interactions and 17 hydrogen bonds, where these putative binding interfaces are mostly confined at the motifs II and III in each G domain of Ffh and FtsY. Several residues were expected to play important roles in initiating or regulating guanosine triphosphate hydrolysis, including residue R142. This structural information will allow for the rational design of L. lactis Ffh-FtsY association in the future.
Based on the Puritan Concept and Ethical Spirit: the Preliminary Formation of African American Political Culture
Authors: Qi Shu
Published: February 2019

Puritan ideas and ethics are not only the cradle of the mainstream political culture in America, but also the ideological source of the African American political culture. However, what was the significance of puritanism for the emergence of early political ideas among black American? To answer the question, it is necessary to delve into the meaning of puritanism to the political culture of the black American. This paper will elaborate on the crucial role of puritanism in the formation of black political culture in America from three aspects, that is, establishing a close relationship between puritanism and African American political culture. In order to understand it profoundly, three relationships will be established and explained. Respectively, the first one is to establish the relationship between Puritan idea especially the concept of equality and African American political idea; the second one is to establish the relationship between Puritan life and African American political elites; the third one is to establish the relationship between Puritan ethical spirits and moral norms and African American self-consciousness. More specifically, First of all, the germination of the early political ideas of African American was based on Puritan ideas; Secondly, Puritan life was the cradle of the growth of black political elites; Finally, the Puritan ethical spirit, such as diligence and frugality, diligence and hard work, tidiness and cleanliness, decent behavior and other basic behavioral norms, had a deep influence on the cultivation of the moral behavior norms and the formation of self-consciousness of African American.