bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What Are Employers Looking for in New Veterinary Graduates? A Content Analysis of UK Veterinary Job Advertisements
Authors: Perrin Hannah C.
Published: October 2018

As veterinary educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our graduates are prepared for working life. Veterinary practices, like any other businesses, rely on good employees, and the implications of a poor match between newly employed veterinarian and employing practice could be extremely costly in terms of personal well-being and enjoyment of work as well as the time, financial, and goodwill costs of high staff turnover for the practice. Contemporary veterinary curricula encompass a range of teaching to complement the clinical content; including communication, teamwork, problem solving, and business skills, to support good practice and increase the employability of new graduates. Previous studies have examined the qualities required of early career veterinarians as viewed by educators, recent graduates, pet owners, and practitioners; however, nobody has previously constructed a picture of the employment market for new veterinary graduates by exploring the nature of its recruitment advertising. Three months of UK veterinary job advertisements were examined. Content analysis yielded 10 distinct characteristics desired by employers of early career veterinarians. The most common by far was “enthusiasm,” followed by an interest in a particular area of practice, being an “all-rounder” (i.e., having a broad range of skills), demonstrating good communication skills, teamwork, client care, and independence, as well as being caring, ambitious, and having high clinical standards. While several of these qualities are expected and are specifically taught in veterinary school, the dominance of “enthusiasm” as a specifically desired trait raises interesting questions about the characteristics of veterinary students who we are supporting, encouraging, or maybe even suppressing, during veterinary training.
Modern digital education: development forecasts
Authors: Kondratieva Svetlana Borisovna
Published: October 2018

The article is devoted to understanding the role of digital resources in the modern educational space. It is shown that the development of education is inherently associated with the introduction of computer technologies in the educational process that expand the boundaries of cognitive activity of students. However, despite the presence of positive aspects, there are a number of problems related to the use of technical means, and requiring their solution. The main attention in the work is accentuated by the fact that the development of science in the field of high technologies has a huge influence on the development of education. In this regard, views are expressed on the search for new approaches to teaching in the modern digital society.
UX of a Web based platform for market linkage between farmers and buyers in Tanzania
Authors: Mambile Cesilia , Machuve Dina , Moebs Sabine
Published: October 2018

Poultry farming has a very good business potential (Mohammad Khairu Islam, Mohammed Forhad Uddin, 2014) since they are fast growing animals meaning the business has potential to generate high return on investment under a short period of time. For example past days it took about four months for a chicken to become two kilograms, however these days a two kilogram chicken can be produced within 42 days (Hamra, 2010). Despite the fact that poultry farming has good business potential there are some obstacles which hinder the poultry business success such as lack of market linkage. Even with advancement of technology which has brought affordable smartphones to most of the livestock farmers, potential livestock information systems in Tanzania are used by very few livestock farmers and some are not used at all (Mussa et al., 2016). It is not that users do not need the system, nor the system does not show any potential for them, but depend on its usability and how well it suited to the user requirements based on their differences. Users of the system have a lot of differences including exposure to technology (Kalimullah & Sushmitha, 2017). It is now as more important than ever that web applications provide a good user experience which was once considered luxury or an added expenses (Juan, 2014; Ross, 2014). Web based platform for reliable market linkage has been developed with more focus on usability and user experience design. Eye tracking method combined with retrospective think aloud method and facial expression was used to test user experience of the developed web application. The result shows that users were emotionally happy when performing the second and the third tasks. But when performing the first task and the last task users were emotionally anxiety and disappointed.
Pengaruh Keefektifan Pengendalian Internal, Persepsi Kesesuaian Kompensasi, Dan Moralitas Individu Terhadap Kecenderungan Kecurangan Akuntansi
Authors: Anastasia Anastasia , Sparta Sparta
Published: October 2018

Case of accounting fraud has increased in many countries and organization. It brings a loss to firms and investors. This study aims to analyze the effect of Internal Control Effectiveness, Perception of Suitability of Compensation, and Individual Morality towards Accounting Fraud Tendencies. This study used quantitative method. Questionnaires used for collecting the data from Finance and Accounting Staff working at Private Companies in Tangerang and Jakarta. Total sampel used for this study are 109 sampel. The examination of hypothesis method using multivariate regretion.  Result of this study indicates that internal control effectiveness and perception of suitability of compensation doesn’t have significant effect towards accounting fraud tendency. Individual morality significantly affect the occurance of accounting fraud tendency.

Key Words: Accounting Fraud Tendencies, Individual Morality, Internal Control Effectiveness, Perception of Suitability of Compensation.
Analisis Perbedaan Abnormal Return dan Kinerja Keuangan Perusahaan Sebelum dan Sesudah Merger atau Akuisisi
Authors: Lim Steffi Aprilda Natasya , Wiyoto Suhajar
Published: October 2018

The objective of this research is to examine the difference of abnormal return, and companies’ financial performance, before and after merger or acquisition. The companies’ financial performances are projected by financial ratios, which are return on asset and return on equity. This research is expected to help economic actors in making economic decisions related to merger and acquisition. The samples in this study are 11 companies that listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (Bursa Efek Indonesia) in the year 2010-2011, except financial sectors and done corporate action merger or acquisition. The sample in this study determined based on purposive sampling. Data used in this study is secondary data such as annual reports or financial reports. The results from this study are (1) there is no difference of abnormal return before and after merger or acquisition (2) there is no difference of companies’ financial performance that projected by return on asset before and after merger or acquisition (3) there is a difference of companies’ financial performance that projected by return on equity before and after merger or acquisition.

Keywords: abnormal return, return on asset, return on equity, merger, acquisition
Analisis Pengaruh Rasio Likuiditas, Rasio Profitabilitas, Rasio Solvabilitas Dan Rasio Pasar Terhadap Return Saham
Authors: Jaunanda Meliana , Fransesca Baby Amelia
Published: October 2018

The objective of this research is to examine the effect of liquidity ratio, profitability ratio, solvabilitas ratio and market ratio both partially and simultaneously towards stock return. The liquidity ratio is proxied by Current Ratio; the profitability ratio is proxied by Return On Assets; the solvabilitas ratio is proxied by Debt to Equity Ratio and the market ratio is proxied by Price to Book Value. The testing method used in this research is linear regression.The objects of this study are manufacturing companies sub sector chemical which were listed in Bursa Efek Indonesia in the period 2011-2013. The samples are 20 companies determined based on purposive sampling. The data used in this study are secondary data such as financial statements and stock prices.The results of this study are (1) profitability ratio is proxied by Return On Assets partially have a significant effect towards stock return. (2) liquidity ratio proxied by Current Ratio partially, profitability ratio is proxied by Return On Assets; solvabilitas ratio is proxied by Debt to Equity Ratio and market ratio is proxied by Price to Book Value simultaneously have a significant effect towards stock return. Profitability ratio is proxied by Return On Assets partially have a significant effect towards stock return.

Keywords: Current Ratio (CR), Debt to Equity Ratio (DER), liquidity ratio, market ratio, Price to Book Value (PBV), profitability ratio, Return On Assets (ROA), solvabilitas ratio, stock return.
Media Komunikasi Dan Dampaknya Bagi Kebudayaan: Analisis Pandangan Herbert Marshall McLuhan
Authors: M.B. Soetrisno Margaretha
Published: October 2018

According McLuhan, technology in communication has a tremendous impact on human and their culture. Technologies have revolutionary influenced for man to perceive realities in a big scale. New technologies have been demanding new way of human perceiving.  The changing of modes of perceiving brings a kind of crisis indentity, and the phenomen of a severe crises of identity appears in the late of the age of 20,th  where electronic technology is in their very fast development. McLuhan foresaw a huge technological turbulence is going to happen and he warned people to listen to the message of technology as media. For McLuhan media is the message. His controversial aforism stings us and forced us to reflect the message of media. We are indeed living in the technological turbulence, and it is really happened people living a world with a big technological gap. We thank McLuhan for his warning, and we can discern our life so that we can survive and continue our daily life in a new way. edification is one of the skills needed to continue living together with others, world, and artifacties of Information Technology.

Keywords: penciutan, arus pusar teknologis, autoamputasi, media adalah pesan, media komunikasi, ruang akustik, ruang visual dan ruang dengar-lihat-raba, media panas dan dingin, teknologi sebagai perluasan diri manusia, teknologisasi tuturan dan aksara, kampung global, manusia diskarnasi, pencinta gajet, modus informasi, modus produksi, dan sinestesia.
Peran Media Pembelajaran dalam Pendidikan Islam
Authors: Jauhari Moh. Irmawan
Published: October 2018

Dunia pendidikan dewasa ini mengalami perkembangan luar biasa. Masuknya teknologi semakin memudahkan para guru dalam menyampaikan materi. Terlebih kehadiran teknologi berbasis informatika dan jaringan, mampu memberikan warna lain dalam dunia pembelajaran. Keadaan ini pada satu sisi merupakan nilai positif dalam dunia pembelajaran. Namun dengan bergesernya peran guru, maka ada banyak hal yang patut dipertimbangkan dengan kehadiran beberapa media dalam pendidikan. Mengingat meskipun media bisa melengkapi beberapa kelemahan yang dimiliki guru, namun bukan berarti media bisa memainkan peran menjadi figur dan tauladan bagi para murid.
Quality dalam Prespektif Pendidikan Islam
Authors: Rif'an Ali
Published: October 2018

Quality merupakan ide yang belum dapat didefinisikan secara final. Ada beberapa makna yang satu dengan yang lain saling melengkapi. Quality dalam dunia pendidikan secara filosofi dimaknai setidaknya dalam dua makna yakni sebagai continous improvement dan force field analysis yang digunakan untuk perbaikan kualitas dalam tindakan manajemen untuk mencapai kebutuhan dan harapan para pelanggan. Ia selalu diarahkan pada mengutamakan peserta didik atau program perbaikan sekolah yang berkelanjutan. Karakter yang diinginkan dalam quality bagi lembaga pendidikan [Islam] yaitu: (1) fokus pada pelanggan baik internal maupun eksternal; (2). Adanya keterlibatan total; (3) Adanya ukuran baku mutu lulusan; (4) Adanya komitmen; dan (5) adanya perbaikan yang berkelanjutan.
Nonlinear Normal Modes of a Piecewise Linear Continuous Structure with a Regular State
Authors: Károly Németh Róbert , Borbála Geleji B.
Published: October 2018

In this paper, the dynamic behaviour of a family of piecewise linear structures, namely the vibration of beams on block-and-tackle suspension system is analysed. The regularity of the vibration modes in one of the linear states induces non-harmonic, yet periodic free vibration modes. The periodicity constraint of the continuous structure is formulated using modal analysis in the regular state. The required number of modes in the finite modal analysis is specified so that the numerical damping caused by the omitted modes does not change the periodic or non-periodic nature of the free vibration of the continuous structure. It is shown, that the application of five excess passive modes allows to draw conclusions about the behaviour of the continuous structure. The periodic behaviour depends on the number and position of the suspension points and the number of the active vibration modes. Analysis of the limits of the periodic behaviour reveals that suspension points close to the middle of the beam, or first few active vibration modes result in periodic vibration of the nonlinear system.
VHL-Mediated Regulation of CHCHD4 and Mitochondrial Function
Authors: Briston Thomas , Stephen Jenna M. , Thomas Luke W. , Esposito Cinzia , Chung Yuen-Li , Syafruddin Saiful E. , Turmaine Mark , Maddalena Lucas A. , Greef Basma , Szabadkai Gyorgy , Maxwell Patrick H. , Vanharanta Sakari , Ashcroft Margaret
Published: October 2018

Dysregulated mitochondrial function is associated with the pathology of a wide range of diseases including renal disease and cancer. Thus, investigating regulators of mitochondrial function is of particular interest. Previous work has shown that the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and respiratory chain function. pVHL is best known as an E3-ubiquitin ligase for the α-subunit of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) family of dimeric transcription factors. In normoxia, pVHL recognizes and binds hydroxylated HIF-α (HIF-1α and HIF-2α), targeting it for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In this way, HIF transcriptional activity is tightly controlled at the level of HIF-α protein stability. At least 80% of clear cell renal carcinomas exhibit inactivation of the VHL gene, which leads to HIF-α protein stabilization and constitutive HIF activation. Constitutive HIF activation in renal carcinoma drives tumor progression and metastasis. Reconstitution of wild-type VHL protein (pVHL) in pVHL-defective renal carcinoma cells not only suppresses HIF activation and tumor growth, but also enhances mitochondrial respiratory chain function via mechanisms that are not fully elucidated. Here, we show that pVHL regulates mitochondrial function when re-expressed in pVHL-defective 786O and RCC10 renal carcinoma cells distinct from its regulation of HIF-α. Expression of CHCHD4, a key component of the disulphide relay system (DRS) involved in mitochondrial protein import within the intermembrane space (IMS) was elevated by pVHL re-expression alongside enhanced expression of respiratory chain subunits of complex I (NDUFB10) and complex IV (mtCO-2 and COX IV). These changes correlated with increased oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and dynamic changes in glucose and glutamine metabolism. Knockdown of HIF-2α also led to increased OCR, and elevated expression of CHCHD4, NDUFB10, and COXIV in 786O cells. Expression of pVHL mutant proteins (R200W, N78S, D126N, and S183L) that constitutively stabilize HIF-α but differentially promote glycolytic metabolism, were also found to differentially promote the pVHL-mediated mitochondrial phenotype. Parallel changes in mitochondrial morphology and the mitochondrial network were observed. Our study reveals a new role for pVHL in regulating CHCHD4 and mitochondrial function in renal carcinoma cells.
N Balance Studies Emphasize the Superior Protein Quality of Pig Diets at High Inclusion Level of Algae Meal (Spirulina platensis) or Insect Meal (Hermetia illucens) when Adequate Amino Acid Supplementation Is Ensured
Authors: Neumann Carmen , Velten Susanne , Liebert Frank
Published: October 2018

Two age-dependent nitrogen (N) balance studies (average body mass 25 and 60 kg) utilized 16 male castrated piglets and 16 barrows to measure N utilization parameters of diets with complete substitution of SBM by alternative protein sources (SM, HM), but different AA fortifications. Lysine supplementation up to 80% of the recommended lysine (Lys) supply in diets HM (A) and SM (A) yielded similar protein quality data (63.6 ± 2.1 and 63.7 ± 3.4). Surprisingly, only in piglet diet HM (AA) did the extended AA supplementation (Lys, methionine (Met), threonine (Thr)) enhance protein quality (72.8 ± 6.7) significantly (p = 0.004). Similar trends were observed in growing pigs. However, when the level of histidine (His) in diet SM (AA) was increased, feed protein quality (71.8 ± 1.3) was significantly (p < 0.001) improved indicating the importance of adequate His supply in diets with a complete substitution of SBM by the algae meal (SM) under study. AA efficiency data extend the possibilities to explain the observed responses on protein quality. When an adequate AA balancing in the diet is guaranteed, from nutritional point of view both of the alternative proteins may replace SBM in pig diets.
Demographics Regarding Belief in Non-Human Animal Sentience and Emotional Empathy with Animals: A Pilot Study among Attendees of an Animal Welfare Symposium
Authors: Cornish Amelia , Wilson Bethany , Raubenheimer David , McGreevy Paul
Published: October 2018

Attitudes to animals are linked to beliefs about their ability to experience pain and suffering, their cognition, and their sentience. Education and awareness-raising play a pivotal role in increasing society’s consideration of non-human animal welfare. The current pilot study explores the attitudes towards animal welfare among a unique population of people who attended an animal welfare symposium at the University of Sydney. It involved administration of a validated questionnaire that assessed attitudes to animals; specifically exploring participants’ (n = 41) beliefs about the sentience of animals and their emotional empathy with animals. The resultant data revealed significant associations between participants’ beliefs in animal sentience and their demographic variables (age, sex and occupation). Female attendees showed stronger beliefs in sentience than male attendees did. Concerning sentience in cows, pigs and cats, older attendees showed stronger beliefs than younger people in sentience relating to hunger and pain. Also, with regard to questions about sentience in dogs, older attendees showed stronger beliefs than younger people in pain-related sentience in dogs. When exploring emotional empathy with animals, the participants’ statements could be assigned to three clusters characterised by the internal emotional lives of animals and the treatment of animals by humans (Cluster 1), human interactions with animals (Cluster 2) and the keeping of companion and zoo animals (Cluster 3). To the authors’ knowledge, this pilot study is the first of its kind to investigate the attitudes towards animal welfare of an important group of people who work, study or have a special interest within the animal care and welfare domain.
A Biodegradable Ramie Fiber-Based Nonwoven Film Used for Increasing Oxygen Supply to Cultivated Soil
Authors: Zhou Wanlai , Niu Yanbin , Wang Chaoyun , Yang Yuanru , Tan Zhijian , Yi Yongjian , Yu Wang , Wang Hongying
Published: October 2018

Plastic agricultural nonwoven films are traditionally used as covering materials, and are prone to cause various ecological problems due to their poor biodegradability. In this paper, a ramie fiber/starch nonwoven film was prepared, and was used as bedding material, that was covered by cultivated soil as opposed to covering it. The biodegradability and porosity characteristics of the film were analyzed, and its effect on oxygen supply to soil was investigated. Results showed that the prepared film had good biodegradability (65.6% after 72 days), and had a loose and porous structure, with the main pore size being in the range of 250–300 μm. After the soil moisture content was reduced to about 44%, the oxygen concentration in the soil that was in close contact with the film, which padded the bottom surface of the plate, rose sharply and then kept stable at 20.1%, whereas soil directly in contact with the plate remained extremely anoxic (0.2%). It was concluded that use of the prepared film increased the oxygen supply to the soil in contact with it, which sufficiently compensated for the oxygen consumption caused by soil microbial activities. Thus, the prepared film is very suitable in short-term plant cultivation within containers where anoxia often occurs.
Theoretical Study of Path Adaptability Based on Surface Form Error Distribution in Fluid Jet Polishing
Authors: Han Yanjun , Zhang Lei , Fan Cheng , Zhu Wule , Beaucamp Anthony
Published: October 2018

In the technology of computer-controlled optical surfacing (CCOS), the convergence of surface form error has a close relationship with the distribution of surface form error, the calculation of dwell time, tool influence function (TIF) and path planning. The distribution of surface form error directly reflects the difference in bulk material removal depth across a to-be-polished surface in subsequent corrective polishing. In this paper, the effect of path spacing and bulk material removal depth on the residual error have been deeply investigated based on basic simulation experiments excluding the interference factors in the actual polishing process. With the relationship among the critical evaluation parameters of the residual error (root-mean-square (RMS) and peak-to-valley (PV)), the path spacing and bulk material removal depth are mathematically characterized by the proposed RMS and PV maps, respectively. Moreover, a variable pitch path self-planning strategy based on the distribution of surface form error is proposed to optimize the residual error distribution. In the proposed strategy, the influence of different bulk material removal depths caused by the distribution of surface form error on residual error is compensated by fine adjustment of the path spacing according to the obtained path spacing optimization models. The simulated experimental results demonstrate that the residual error optimization strategy proposed in this paper can significantly optimize the overall residual error distribution without compromising the convergence speed. The optimized residual error distribution obtained in sub-regions of the polished surface is more uniform than that without optimization and is almost unaffected by the distribution of parent surface form error.
Fatigue Performance and Model of Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Reinforced Asphalt Mixture
Authors: Wang Hui , Yang Zhen , Zhan Shihao , Ding Lei , Jin Ke
Published: October 2018

Fatigue is considered a major pavement structural distress and an important part of a performance-based mix design. Currently, the fatigue model of asphalt mixture, especially the mixture incorporated with fibers, is not perfect. In this paper, the central-point bending fatigue test was conducted by constant strain mode with MTS apparatus. The fatigue performance and model of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber-reinforced asphalt mixture produced with different fiber contents and asphalt contents were reported. The results indicated that the fatigue life of fiber reinforced mixture was higher than the reference one. The effects of fiber contents and asphalt contents on fatigue life were discussed. The mechanism of an optimum fiber content for the fatigue life in the fiber reinforced asphalt mixture was explained. The statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) method and regression method were used to evaluate the effects of fiber content, strain level, and volumetric parameters, etc. on the fatigue life of an asphalt mixture. This paper presents a new fatigue performance model of a PAN fiber-reinforced asphalt mixture, including the fiber content, tensile strain, mixture initial flexural stiffness, and voids filled with asphalt (VFA). Compared to the earlier fatigue equations, the accuracy of the new fatigue model with the fiber content is improved significantly according to the statistical analysis results. Meanwhile, the model can preferably reveal the effect of fiber content, strain level, initial stiffness, and VFA on fatigue life.
Recent Progress in Fast Distributed Brillouin Optical Fiber Sensing
Authors: Zhang Hongying , Zhou Dengwang , Wang Benzhang , Pang Chao , Xu Pengbai , Jiang Taofei , Ba Dexin , Li Hui , Dong Yongkang
Published: October 2018

Brillouin-based optical fiber sensing has been regarded as a good distributed measurement tool for the modern large geometrical structure and the industrial facilities because it can demodulate the distributed environment information (e.g., temperature and strain) along the sensing fiber. Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA), which is an excellent and attractive scheme, has been widely developed thanks to its high performance in a signal-to-noise ratio, a spatial resolution, and sensing distance. However, the sampling rate of the classical BOTDA is severely limited by several factors (especially the serially frequency-sweeping process) so that it cannot be suitable for the quickly distributed measurement. In this work, we summarize some promising breakthroughs about the fast BOTDA, which can be named as an optical frequency comb technique, an optical frequency-agile technique, a slope-assisted technique, and an optical chirp chain technique.
Dose-Response Relationships for Vanilla Flavor and Sucrose in Skim Milk: Evidence of Synergy
Authors: Wang Gloria , Hayes John , Ziegler Gregory , Roberts Robert , Hopfer Helene
Published: October 2018

Regarding cross-modality research, taste-aroma interaction is one of the most studied areas of research. Some studies have reported enhancement of sweetness by aroma, although it is unclear as to whether these effects actually occur: depending on the cognitive strategy employed by panelists, the effects may disappear, e.g., forcing panelists into an analytical strategy to control for dumping may not be able to reveal perceptual interactions. Previous studies have largely focused on solutions and model foods, and did not test stimuli or concentrations relevant to real food applications. This study addresses these gaps: 18 vanilla flavored sucrose milks, varying between 0–0.75% (w/w) two-fold vanilla, and 0–5% (w/w) sucrose, were rated by 108 panelists for liking and perceived sweetness, vanilla flavor, milk flavor, and thickness. Interactions between vanilla and sucrose were measured using deviations of real mixtures from additive models (via the isobole method), indicating vanilla aroma does enhance perceived sweetness. However, the sweetness enhancing effect of vanilla aroma was not as pronounced as that of sucrose on vanilla flavor. Measurable cross-modal interactions occur despite using an analytical cognitive strategy. More work is needed to investigate the influence of perceptual strategy on the degree of taste-aroma interactions in real foods.
Shotgun Lipidomics Revealed Altered Profiles of Serum Lipids in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Closely Associated with Disease Activity
Authors: Lu Lu , Hu Changfeng , Zhao Yanxia , He Lijiao , Zhou Jia , Li Haichang , Du Yu , Wang Yonghua , Wen Chengping , Han Xianlin , Fan Yongsheng
Published: October 2018

The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains elusive. It appears that serum lipid metabolism is aberrant in SLE patients. Determination of lipid profiles in the serum of SLE patients may provide insights into the underlying mechanism(s) leading to SLE and may discover potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of SLE. This study aimed to identify and quantify the profile of serum lipids in SLE patients (N = 30) with our powerful multi-dimensional mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics platform. Multivariate analysis in the form of partial least squares-discriminate analysis was performed, and the associations between the changed lipids with cytokines and SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) were analyzed using a multiple regression method. The results of this study indicated that the composition of lipid species including diacyl phosphatidylethanolamine (dPE) (16:0/18:2, 18:0/18:2, 16:0/22:6, 18:0/20:4, and 18:0/22:6), 18:2 lysoPC (LPC), and ceramide (N22:0 and N24:1) was significantly altered in SLE patients with p < 0.05 and variable importance of the projection (VIP) > 1 in partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA). There existed significant associations between IL-10, and both 18:0/18:2 and 16:0/22:6 dPE species with p < 0.0001 and predicting 85.7 and 95.8% of the variability of IL-10 levels, respectively. All the altered lipid species could obviously predict IL-10 levels with F (8, 21) = 3.729, p = 0.007, and R2 = 0.766. There was also a significant correlation between the SLEDAI score and 18:0/18:2 dPE (p = 0.031) with explaining 22.6% of the variability of SLEDAI score. Therefore, the panel of changed compositions of dPE and ceramide species may serve as additional biomarkers for early diagnosis and/or prognosis of SLE.
2′-O-Methylation of Ribosomal RNA: Towards an Epitranscriptomic Control of Translation?
Authors: Monaco Piero Lo , Marcel Virginie , Diaz Jean-Jacques , Catez Frédéric
Published: October 2018

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) undergoes post-transcriptional modification of over 200 nucleotides, predominantly 2′-O-methylation (2′-O-Me). 2′-O-Methylation protects RNA from hydrolysis and modifies RNA strand flexibility but does not contribute to Watson-Crick base pairing. The contribution of 2′-O-Me to the translational capacity of ribosomes has been established. Yet, how 2′-O-Me participates in ribosome biogenesis and ribosome functioning remains unclear. The development of 2′-O-Me quantitative mapping methods has contributed to the demonstration that these modifications are not constitutive but rather provide heterogeneity to the ribosomal population. Moreover, recent advances in ribosome structure analysis and in vitro translation assays have proven, for the first time, that 2′-O-Me contributes to regulating protein synthesis. This review highlights the recent data exploring the impact of 2′-O-Me on ribosome structure and function, and the emerging idea that the rRNA epitranscriptome is involved in translational control.
M-Polynomials and Degree-Based Topological Indices of the Crystallographic Structure of Molecules
Authors: Gao Wei , Younas Muhammad , Farooq Adeel , Mahboob Abid , Nazeer Waqas
Published: October 2018

Topological indices are numerical parameters used to study the physical and chemical properties of compounds. In quantitative structure–activity relationship QSARs, topological indices correlate the biological activity of compounds with their physical properties like boiling point, stability, melting point, distortion, and strain energy etc. In this paper, we determined the M-polynomials of the crystallographic structure of the molecules Cu2O and TiF2 [p,q,r]. Then we derived closed formulas for some well-known topological indices using calculus. In the end, we used Maple 15 to plot surfaces associated with the topological indices of Cu2O and TiF2 [p,q,r].
Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles as Biosensors for Monitoring Cellular Uptake and Localization in Normal and Tumor Prostatic Cells
Authors: Pannico Marianna , Calarco Anna , Peluso Gianfranco , Musto Pellegrino
Published: October 2018

In the present contribution the fabrication and characterization of functionalized gold nanospheres of uniform shape and controlled size is reported. These nano-objects are intended to be used as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensors for in-vitro cellular uptake and localization. Thiophenol was used as molecular reporter and was bound to the Au surface by a chemisorption process in aqueous solution. The obtained colloidal solution was highly stable and no aggregation of the single nanospheres into larger clusters was observed. The nanoparticles were incubated in human prostatic cells with the aim of developing a robust, SERS-based method to differentiate normal and tumor cell lines. SERS imaging experiments showed that tumor cells uptake considerably larger amounts of nanoparticles in comparison to normal cells (up to 950% more); significant differences were also observed in the uptake kinetics. This largely different behaviour might be exploited in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Study of Chemical and Morphological Transformations during Ni2Mo3N Synthesis via an Oxide Precursor Nitration Route
Authors: Leybo Denis V. , Arkhipov Dmitry I. , Firestein Konstantin L. , Kuznetsov Denis V.
Published: October 2018

Chemical and morphological transformations during Ni2Mo3N synthesis were studied in this work. Nitride samples were synthesized from oxide precursors in H2/N2 flow and were analyzed by thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy methods. In addition, physical and chemical adsorption properties were studied using low-temperature N2 physisorption and NH3 temperature-programmed desorption. It was shown that nitride formation proceeds through a sequence of phase transformations: NiMoO4 + MoO3 → Ni + NiMo + MoO2 → Ni + NiMo + Mo2N → Ni2Mo3N. The weight changes that were calculated from the proposed reactions were in agreement with the experimental data from thermogravimetry. The morphology of the powder changed from platelets and spheres for the oxide sample, to aggregates of needle-like particles for the intermediate product, to porous particles with an extended surface area for the nitride final product. The obtained results should prove useful for subsequent Ni2Mo3N based catalysts production process optimization.
Mechanical Properties and Oxidation Behavior of Multilayered Hf–Si–N Coatings
Authors: Chang Li-Chun , Liu Bo-Wei , Chen Yung-I
Published: October 2018

Monolithic Hf–Si–N coatings and multilayered Hf–Si–N coatings with cyclical gradient concentration were fabricated using reactive direct current magnetron cosputtering. The structure of the Hf–Si–N coatings varied from a crystalline HfN phase, to a mixture of HfN and amorphous phases and to an amorphous phase with continuously increasing the Si content. The multilayered Hf48Si3N49 coatings exhibited a mixture of face-centered cubic and near-amorphous phases with a maximal hardness of 22.5 GPa, a Young’s modulus of 244 GPa and a residual stress of −1.5 GPa. The crystalline phase-dominant coatings exhibited a linear relationship between the hardness and compressive residual stress, whereas the amorphous phase-dominant coatings exhibited a low hardness level of 15–16 GPa; this hardness is close to that of Si3N4. Various oxides were formed after annealing of the Hf–Si–N coatings at 600 °C in a 1% O2–99% Ar atmosphere. Monoclinic HfO2 formed after Hf54N46 annealing and amorphous oxide formed for the oxidation-resistant Hf32Si19N49 coatings. The oxidation behavior with respect to the Si content was investigated by using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Increasing Uniformity of Biosurfactant Production in Starmerella bombicola via the Expression of Chimeric Cytochrome P450s
Authors: Geys Robin , De Graeve Marilyn , Lodens Sofie , Van Malderen Jeroen , Lemmens Christophe , De Smet Margaux , Mincke Stein , Van Bogaert Inge N. A. , Stevens Christian , De Maeseneire Sofie L. , Roelants Sophie L. K. W. , Soetaert Wim K. G.
Published: October 2018

Sophorolipids are one of the best known microbial biosurfactants and are produced by several yeast species. The best studied producer is Starmerella bombicola, a non-pathogenic yeast associated in nature with bumblebees. Sophorolipids are built up of the rare disaccharide sophorose, which is attached to a fatty acid through a glyosidic bound. Sophorolipids produced by S. bombicola mainly contain oleic acid as the incorporated hydrophobic group. Other chain lengths can, to a certain content, be incorporated by feeding the yeast with substrates of alternative chain lengths. However, the efficiency for such substrates is low as compared to the preferred C18 chain length and defined by the substrate specificity of the first enzymatic step in sophorolipid biosynthesis, i.e., the cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP52M1. To increase product uniformity and diversity at the same time, a new strain of S. bombicola was developed that produces sophorolipids with a palmitic acid acyl chain. This was achieved by heterologous expression of the cytochrome P450 cyp1 gene of Ustilago maydis and feeding with palmitic acid. Optimization of the production was done by protein and process engineering.
Selenium and Selenoproteins in Immune Mediated Thyroid Disorders
Authors: Santos Liliana R. , Neves Celestino , Melo Miguel , Soares Paula
Published: October 2018

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that is required for the synthesis of selenocysteine-containing selenoproteins, processing a wide range of health effects. It is known that the thyroid is one of the tissues that contain more selenium. The “selenostasis” maintenance seems to contribute to the prevention of immune mediated thyroid disorders. Prospective, observational studies, randomized, controlled studies evaluating selenium supplementation, and review articles that are available in Medline and PubMed have undergone scrutiny. The differences concerning methodology and results variability have been analyzed. Several authors support the idea of a potential efficacy of selenium (mainly selenomethionine) supplementation in reducing antithyroperoxidase antibody levels and improve thyroid ultrasound features. In mild Graves’ orbitopathy, selenium supplementation has been associated with a decrease of the activity, as well as with quality of life improvement. Future research is necessary to clearly understand the selenium supplementation biologic effects while considering the basal selenium levels/biomarkers, selenoprotein gene polymorphisms that may be involved, underlying comorbidities and the major clinical outcomes.
An Unpowered Sensor Node for Real-Time Water Quality Assessment (Humic Acid Detection)
Authors: Mirzavand Rashid , Honari Mohammad Mahdi , Laribi Bahareh , Khorshidi Behnam , Sadrzadeh Mohtada , Mousavi Pedram
Published: October 2018

A zero-power microwave sensor is reported for the real-time assessment of water quality. The proposed structure is able to transmit sensed data directly to a base-station without additional data processing at the wireless sensor node (WSN) which results in less power consumption. The base-station propagates a single tone signal at the frequency of f0/2. At the sensing node, an antenna absorbs that signal and a passive frequency doubler makes its frequency twice, i.e., f0, which will be used as the carrier signal. Two pairs of open-ended coaxial probes are used as liquid sensors; one inside a known reference sample and the other one inside the water under test. A combination of both sensors’ data will be sent to the base-station. A special six-port structure is used for modulation of sensed data over the carrier. At the base-station, a receiver will demodulate the received signal for extracting the sensed data. As an example, the system has been evaluated at f0 = 2.45 GHz for the detection of Humic-Acid levels as a common contaminant of river waters.
A Hybrid GA–MLPNN Model for One-Hour-Ahead Forecasting of the Global Horizontal Irradiance in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Authors: Jadidi Aydin , Menezes Raimundo , De Souza Nilmar , De Castro Lima Antonio
Published: October 2018

The use of photovoltaics is still considered to be challenging because of certain reliability issues and high dependence on the global horizontal irradiance (GHI). GHI forecasting has a wide application from grid safety to supply–demand balance and economic load dispatching. Given a data set, a multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) is a strong tool for solving the forecasting problems. Furthermore, noise detection and feature selection in a data set with numerous variables including meteorological parameters and previous values of GHI are of crucial importance to obtain the desired results. This paper employs density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) algorithms for noise detection and feature selection, respectively. Tuning the neural network is another important issue that includes choosing the hidden layer size and activation functions between the layers of the network. Previous studies have utilized a combination of different parameters based on trial and error, which seems to be inefficient in terms of accurate selection of the desired features and also tuning of the neural network. In this research, two different methods—namely, particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA)—are utilized in order to tune the MLPNN, and the results of one-hour-ahead forecasting of the GHI are subsequently compared. The methodology is validated using the hourly data for Elizabeth City located in North Carolina, USA, and the results demonstrated a better performance of GA in comparison with PSO. The GA-tuned MLPNN reported a normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) of 0.0458 and a normalized mean absolute error (nMAE) of 0.0238.
Bioelectrochemical Systems for Removal of Selected Metals and Perchlorate from Groundwater: A Review
Authors: Cecconet Daniele , Callegari Arianna , Capodaglio Andrea
Published: October 2018

Groundwater contamination is a major issue for human health, due to its largely diffused exploitation for water supply. Several pollutants have been detected in groundwater; amongst them arsenic, cadmium, chromium, vanadium, and perchlorate. Various technologies have been applied for groundwater remediation, involving physical, chemical, and biological processes. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged over the last 15 years as an alternative to conventional treatments for a wide variety of wastewater, and have been proposed as a feasible option for groundwater remediation due to the nature of the technology: the presence of two different redox environments, the use of electrodes as virtually inexhaustible electron acceptor/donor (anode and cathode, respectively), and the possibility of microbial catalysis enhance their possibility to achieve complete remediation of contaminants, even in combination. Arsenic and organic matter can be oxidized at the bioanode, while vanadium, perchlorate, chromium, and cadmium can be reduced at the cathode, which can be biotic or abiotic. Additionally, BES has been shown to produce bioenergy while performing organic contaminants removal, lowering the overall energy balance. This review examines the application of BES for groundwater remediation of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, vanadium, and perchlorate, focusing also on the perspectives of the technology in the groundwater treatment field.
An Improved Autonomous Current-Fed Push-Pull Parallel-Resonant Inverter for Inductive Power Transfer System
Authors: Yu Anning , Zeng Xiaoping , Xiong Dong , Tian Mi , Li Junbing
Published: October 2018

In the inductive power transfer (IPT) system, it is recommended to drive the resonant inverter in zero-voltage switching (ZVS) or zero-current switching (ZCS) operation to reduce switching losses, especially in dynamic applications with variable couplings. This paper proposes an improved autonomous current-fed push-pull parallel-resonant inverter, which not only realizes the ZVS operation by tracking the zero phase angle (ZPA) frequency, but also improves the output power and overall efficiency in a wide range by reducing gate losses and switching losses. The ZPA frequencies characteristic of the parallel-parallel resonant circuit in both bifurcation and bifurcation-free regions is derived and verified by theory and experiments, and the comparative experimental results demonstrate that the improved inverter can significantly increase the output power from 7.68 W to 8.74 W and has an overall efficiency ranging from 63.5% to 72.5% compared with the traditional inverter at a 2 cm coil distance. Furthermore, with a 2-fold input voltage (24 V), the improved inverter can achieve an approximate 4-fold output power of 38.9 W and overall efficiency of 83.6% at a 2 cm coil distance.
A Crown Width-Diameter Model for Natural Even-Aged Black Pine Forest Management
Authors: Raptis Dimitrios , Kazana Vassiliki , Kazaklis Angelos , Stamatiou Christos
Published: October 2018

Crown size estimations are of vital importance in forest management practice. This paper presents nonlinear models that were developed for crown width prediction of Black pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) natural, pure, even-aged stands in Olympus Mountain, central Greece. Using a number of measured characteristics at tree and plot level from 66 sample plots as independent variables, an attempt was made to predict crown width accurately, initially based on Least Square Analysis. At the second stage, nonlinear mixed effect modeling was performed in order to increase the fitting ability of the proposed models and to deal with the lack of between observations independence error assumption. Based on the same form, a generalized crown width model was developed by including six main regressors, such as the diameter at breast height, the total height, the canopy base height, the basal area, the relative spacing index and the diameter to quadratic mean diameter ratio, while at the final stage, the same model was expanded to mixed-effect. The proposed models were evaluated against independent crown width sample observations that were also obtained from the study area. The results showed that the two types of mixed-effect models performed equally well and, therefore, we propose those for use in forestry practice. Furthermore, the exact contribution of each inherent variable in crown width allometry was evaluated, thus providing a framework to facilitate field measurements for forest management predictions.
Productivity and Oil Content in Relation to Jatropha Fruit Ripening under Tropical Dry-Forest Conditions
Authors: Cañadas-López Álvaro , Rade-Loor Diana Yasbhet , Siegmund-Schultze Marianna , Iriarte-Vera Marys , Domínguez-Andrade Juan Manuel , Vargas-Hernández Jesús , Wehenkel Christian
Published: October 2018

Jatropha is promoted as a pro-poor bioenergy plant, while basic information about its productivity, age of maximum production, and oil content are missing. This study aims to determine the seed yield (dry weight) for three INIAP elite jatropha accessions, and to evaluate the changes in physical and chemical seed traits at the different fruit ripening stage in a split-plot design. Maximum seed production occurred four years after planting for the accessions CP041 and CP052, while for accession CP054, it occurred after the first year. CP041 was the most productive, with a mean of 316.46 g tree−1 year−1 (±76.50) over the 8-year study period. No significant differences in oil content were found among accessions, fruit ripening stage, and their respective interactions. Seed moisture content decreased drastically as the fruit ripening stage increased, from 40.5% ± 1.0% at fruit ripening stage 1 (greenish-yellow) down to 13.8% ± 0.4% at fruit ripening stage 4 (black-brown). No significant differences in seed weight were found among accessions, but it decreased as maturation progressed. Yellow fruits (stage 2) were the heaviest (62.4 g ± 1.5 g) and the black-brown fruits the lightest (44.3 g ± 1.9 g). The oil content (%) increased with seed weight up to the point of 58.3 g, but then decreased for heavier seeds.