bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EXPANSION OF INFORMATION CAPACITY OF TRADITIONAL MAPS WITH USING QR-CODES
Authors: Lisitsky Dmitry , Kolesnikov Aleksey , Komissarova Elena , Sotnikova Anna
Published: October 2019

Despite a good enough degree so traditional printed maps, however you can still find new ways to increase information card capacity and thus partially resolve the existing contradiction between the clarity and readability of the maps. One such way is to use QR code technology. The article describes the basic features of QR codes, to ensure that the interest in this technology. The research identified a number of advantages of using QR codes when creating traditional cards. Technology research with the use of QR codes in cartography has both scientific and practical value in terms of creating traditional cards for various content and destination.
A MAPPING OF SEASONAL VARIABILITY OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF SURFACE WATERS OF THE SALT LAKE
Authors: Radchenko Lyudmila , Troeglazova Anna , Tajik Dmitry
Published: October 2019

Ecological mapping allows to analyzing the ecological situation and its spacio-temporal variability. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to collect, analyze and interpret information on environmental factors affecting human health and ecosystems, as well as to create a geographically correct cartographic representation based on the obtained environmental information. Cartographic research method allows clearly understand ing the degree of contamination of surface water by chemical elements.
The object of the study is a salt lake located in Ayagoz district on the border of East Kazakhstan and Almaty regions. Surface water samples were taken at three stations of the reservoir at different times of the year. With the help of cartographic modeling, conclusions were made about the change in the spatio-temporal variability of the content of strontium ions, boron, aluminum and lithium in salt waters.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE BORDERS OF THE SIBERIAN ARCTIC IN WHEN MAKING SPECIALIZED TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS
Authors: Stupin Vladimir
Published: October 2019

Principles and methods of identifying the natural boundaries of the vast and inaccessible territories of the Arctic regions based on materials of remote sensing of the Earth in order to promptly compile and update specialized topographic maps of the Siberian Arctic are substantiated.
ELECTROMAGNETIC METHOD FOR PERMAFROST GEOPHYSCIAL RESEARCH
Authors: Malyshkov Sergey , Gordeev Vasily , Polivach Vitaly
Published: October 2019

The work suggest a method to research structure and estimate stress-strained state of perma-frosts, based on Earth's natural pulsed electromagnetic field parameters recording. Unlike previously used geophysical methods applied for such tasks, based on measuring electric and magnetic perma-frosts properties, for the first time the method applied is based on determining structural, strength and deformational properties of the rocks. Algorithm and software-hardware system implementing the method is tested during engineering-cryological mapping of the Yakutia's Chayadinsk oil, gas and condensate field territory where line facilities are located. Examples of varying morfology cryo-genic formations detection are demonstrated as well as method's capacity to be applied to monitor geocryological processes in conditions of technogenic influence and global warming.
MAPPING OF TOURISM IN MONGOLIA
Authors: Byamba Oyunkhand , Kasyanova Elena
Published: October 2019

The article considers the current state and further development of tourism in Mongolia, its mapping. Tourism in Mongolia is one of the priority areas of the economy and plays an important role in ensuring the economic growth and socio-cultural well-being of the country. The country has a huge potential and opportunity for the successful development of tourism, using natural, cultural and historical resources of the country and the nomadic way of life. The article presents the tourist regions, which are particularly attractive for foreign and domestic tourists, tourists, and should be shown in the tourist maps of Mongolia. The number of foreign tourists and tax revenues to the budget confirms the relevance of the development of tourism in Mongolia.
STATUS OF THE J1 RESERVOIR PRODUCTION OF THE VERKH-TARKA OIL FIELD BY JANUARY 2019
Authors: Novikov Dmitry , Pavlova Svetlana , Kuznetsov Dmitry , Dultsev Fedor , Chernykh Anatoly , Rizhkova Svetlana
Published: October 2019

The results of the analysis of geological field information in order to assess the current state of development of the J11 reservoir of the Verkh-Tarka oil field for of January 2019 are reported. The main object of development is at stage III of the fall in oil production. At present, the total well stock of the J11 reservoir is 175 units, of which 134 are active. The monthly volume of water injection into the FPM system reaches 100 thousand m3, and liquid production is about 170 thousand m3 with an average water-cut of producing wells of 63 %. To date, within the deposit, a complex hydrodynamic field has been formed, in which the depressive zones regularly trace the rows of production wells, and the piezoelectric maximums - injection wells.
PETROGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESERVOIR ROCKS IN THE BAT-UPPER JURASSIC DEPOSITS OF THE SOUTH OF WESTERN-SIBERIAN PETROLEUM BASIN
Authors: Vakulenko Lyudmila , Popov Aleksey , Rodyakin Sergey , Khabarov Evgeniy , Yan Peter
Published: October 2019

The features of the petrographic composition of the bath-upper Jurassic silt-sand rocks exposed by wells in the South of the West Siberian oil and gas basin are considered. The study is focused on the parameters that had a significant influence on the reservoir properties of rocks: granulometric and mineral-petrographic composition of the clastic part of rocks, cement content, structure and composition. Some conclusions are drawn on the spatial distribution of rocks of different composition within the subisochronous sedimentary complexes. It is assumed that significant variations in their composition are caused by a complex combination of varying degrees of interdependent factors: influence of local and regional sources of clastic material, peculiarities of redistribution of material during its transportation and sedimentation, and post-sedimentation changes. Most variable values of reservoir properties, with a recorded maximum parameters of porosity and permeability are obtained for the rocks of Medium-Upper Oxford complex on Verkhnetarskaya, Dedovskaya, Basinskaya, Veselovskaya, to a lesser extent, Kasmanskaya, Vostochnaya and Tai-Dasskaya drilling sites.
ON THE INTERREGIONAL CORRELATION OF MIDDLE JURASSIC OF SIBERIA AND EUROPEAN RUSSIA BY OSTRACODES
Authors: Glinskikh Larisa
Published: October 2019

The results of the study of Bajocian and Bathonian ostracodes from North of Siberia and European Russia are presented. Camptocythere scrobiculataformis JO14 Zone is considered as interregional correlation level.
AUTOMATION SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF PRODUCTION FOR GAS LIFT WELLS
Authors: Grishchenko Sergey , Rymarenko Konstantin , Nukhaev Marat , Aitkaliyev Galymzhan , Kabanov Vasilii , Minin Daniil
Published: October 2019

The paper deals with the problem of automation of one of the methods of mechanized production - gas lift wells operation. The main advantages of this method of operation are its low cost, work with high gas content, simplicity of the design of deep equipment, fast repair in cattle, minimal power consumption and control and automation of the extraction process at the expense of the Gazlift process control system. This complex is designed to control the process of gas-lift oil production by remote control, as well as the collection and processing of information from primary transducers, the ability to control actuators that provide optimal performance of wells, as well as the ability to quickly change the mode of operation of wells.
How Violence Affects Protests
Authors: Steinert-Threlkeld Zachary , Joo Jungseock , Chan Alexander
Published: October 2019

A key determinant of whether social movements achieve their policy goal is how many people protest. How many people protest is in turn partially determined by violence from protesters and state agents. Previous work finds mixed results for violence. This paper reconciles the mixed results for violence by distinguishing between the timing of repression and its severity: low levels of state repression increase protest size while high levels decrease it, conditional on preventative repression failing. It evaluates the role of violence by applying deep learning techniques to geolocated images shared on social media. Across more than 4,300 observations of twenty-four cities from five countries, we find that protester violence is always associated with subsequently smaller protests, while low (high) levels of state violence correlate with increased (decreased) protest size.
La carta relacional en terapia de pareja: Un recurso narrativo para la reconstrucción de la ética y el bienestar interpersonal
Authors: Montesano Adrián , Ness Ottar
Published: November 2019

Este trabajo está íntegramente dedicado a explicar un recurso técnico en terapia de pareja: la carta relacional. Se trata de una herramienta surgida de la terapia narrativa, que está diseñada para revitalizar la ética relacional de las parejas mediante una intervención breve que consta de dos entrevistas y una tarea escrita. En el texto, se explica primero el origen de la técnica y su base teórica. Después, se describe cómo llevar a cabo el proceso con instrucciones específicas paso a paso. En un tercer apartado, se reflexiona sobre el potencial de la técnica para generar cambio relacional y los mecanismos de funcionamiento involucrados. Se presenta también un estudio de caso en el que se analiza el impacto de la técnica en el bienestar de la pareja. Por último, se discuten las limitaciones del procedimiento y se señalan futuras líneas de desarrollo.
Multiple-Attribute Decision Making ELECTRE II Method under Bipolar Fuzzy Model
Authors: Shumaiza  , Akram Muhammad , Al-Kenani Ahmad N.
Published: October 2019

The core aim of this paper is to provide a new multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) model, namely bipolar fuzzy ELimination and Choice Translating REality (ELECTRE) II method, by combining the bipolar fuzzy set with ELECTRE II technique. It can be used to solve the problems having bipolar uncertainty. The proposed method is established by defining the concept of bipolar fuzzy strong, median and weak concordance as well as discordance sets and indifferent set to define two types of outranking relations, namely strong outranking relation and weak outranking relation. The normalized weights of criteria, which may be partly or completely unknown for decision makers, are calculated by using an optimization technique, which is based on maximizing deviation method. A systematic iterative procedure is applied to strongly outrank as well as weakly outrank graphs to determine the ranking of favorable actions or alternatives or to choose the best possible solution. The implementation of the proposed method is presented by numerical examples such as selection of business location and to chose the best supplier. A comparative analysis of proposed ELECTRE II method is also presented with already existing multiple-attribute decision making methods, including Technique for the Order of Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and ELECTRE I under bipolar fuzzy environment by solving the problem of business location.
Facial Expression Recognition Based on Auxiliary Models
Authors: Wang Yingying , Li Yibin , Song Yong , Rong Xuewen
Published: October 2019

In recent years, with the development of artificial intelligence and human–computer interaction, more attention has been paid to the recognition and analysis of facial expressions. Despite much great success, there are a lot of unsatisfying problems, because facial expressions are subtle and complex. Hence, facial expression recognition is still a challenging problem. In most papers, the entire face image is often chosen as the input information. In our daily life, people can perceive other’s current emotions only by several facial components (such as eye, mouth and nose), and other areas of the face (such as hair, skin tone, ears, etc.) play a smaller role in determining one’s emotion. If the entire face image is used as the only input information, the system will produce some unnecessary information and miss some important information in the process of feature extraction. To solve the above problem, this paper proposes a method that combines multiple sub-regions and the entire face image by weighting, which can capture more important feature information that is conducive to improving the recognition accuracy. Our proposed method was evaluated based on four well-known publicly available facial expression databases: JAFFE, CK+, FER2013 and SFEW. The new method showed better performance than most state-of-the-art methods.
Comparison of UAV Photogrammetry and 3D Modeling Techniques with Other Currently Used Methods for Estimation of the Tree Row Volume of a Super-High-Density Olive Orchard
Authors: Anifantis Alexandros Sotirios , Camposeo Salvatore , Vivaldi Gaetano Alessandro , Santoro Francesco , Pascuzzi Simone
Published: October 2019

A comparison of three different methods to evaluate the tree row volume (TRV) of a super-high-density olive orchard is presented in this article. The purpose was to validate the suitability of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry and 3D modeling techniques with respect to manual and traditional methods of TRV detection. The use of UAV photogrammetry can reduce the amount of estimated biomass and, therefore, reduce the volume of pesticides to be used in the field by means of more accurate prescription maps. The presented comparison of methodologies was performed on an adult super-high-density olive orchard, planted with a density of 1660 trees per hectare. The first method (TRV1) was based on close-range photogrammetry from UAVs, the second (TRV2) was based on manual in situ measurements, and the third (TRV3) was based on a formula from the literature. The comparisons of TRV2-TRV1 and TRV3-TRV1 showed an average value of the difference equal to +13% (max: +65%; min: −11%) and +24% (max: +58%; min: +5%), respectively. The results show that the TRV1 method has high accuracy in predicting TRV with minor working time expenditure, and the only limitation is that professionally skilled personnel is required.
Production Indicators in Cowpea as a Function of the Water–Fertiliser Nexus
Authors: Feitosa Erialdo O. , Lopes Fernando B. , Andrade Eunice M. , Magalhães Ana C. M. , Freitas Cley A. S.
Published: October 2019

The bean is an important crop in feeding the global population. In the northeast of Brazil, it is of particular importance, since it is a staple food, which also generates employment and income. The low productivity of the northeast in recent years due to the water crisis combined with the cost of energy has compromised technical and economic viability. This study aimed to evaluate production parameters of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) under different alternative production systems in the northeast of Brazil. The study was carried out in the experimental area of the sewage treatment plant (STP) in the district of Tianguá, Ceará. The experiment comprised six production systems (treatments) divided into split plots distributed in a completely randomised design with fifteen replications. The systems irrigated with wastewater and amended with different of fertilisers were no fertiliser (S2A0), mineral fertiliser (S2A1) and organic fertiliser (S2A2), as well as systems irrigated with drinking (S1A0, S1A1 and S1A2). It was found that under the systems irrigated with wastewater, the average productivity was 1468.8 kg ha−1, whereas under the systems irrigated with drinking water, it was 984.1 kg ha−1. The production systems that used wastewater (S2A0, S2A1 and S2A2) resulted in greater productivity compared to the production models irrigated with drinking water with organic fertiliser (S1A2) and with no fertiliser (S1A0). All the production models irrigated with wastewater yielded similar results to the conventional system with mineral fertiliser, showing that treated wastewater contains sufficient nutrients to potentially replace mineral fertilisers in cowpea production in the northeast of Brazil. The use of treated domestic effluent increases the productivity of irrigated crops.
Comparison of the Effect of Perennial Energy Crops and Agricultural Crops on Weed Flora Diversity
Authors: Feledyn-Szewczyk Beata , Matyka Mariusz , Staniak Mariola
Published: October 2019

The cultivation of perennial energy crops is a new agricultural system and so there is limited information available on its effects on biodiversity. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the cultivation of energy crops on the diversity of weed flora and to compare this diversity with that found in crop production systems on arable land. The best habitats for weed flora were created by willow (Salix viminalis), poplar (Populus sp.), false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), and perennial grasses (25–30 species), with the exception of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) (20 species). The lowest diversity and abundance of weed flora were observed on plantations of Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita) and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Weed communities in energy crops included more perennial species (by 11%), ruderal species (by 10%), and those typical for grassland (by 7%) and forests (by 4%), in comparison to arable land. The plantations of energy plants promoted an increase in the density of the invasive species Solidago gigantea (from 1.9 to 6.3 plants m−2 over six years). The introduction of perennial energy crops into an agricultural landscape causes quantitative and qualitative changes in weed flora communities and, therefore, control of the spread of some non-native and invasive species is needed.
Defining Fertilization Strategies for Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Production Under Sudano-Sahelian Conditions: Options for Late Basal Fertilizer Application
Authors: Ganyo Komla , Muller Bertrand , Ndiaye Malick , Gaglo Espoir , Guissé Aliou , Adam Myriam
Published: October 2019

Soil nutrient deficiency and rainfall variability impair the production of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L). Moench) in Sudano-Sahelian zone. The aim is to study the environmental factors that can determine the effect of fertilizer application on sorghum grain yield and to formulate tailored fertilization strategies according to sorghum varieties (hybrid and open pollinated improved varieties) and environmental context. Field experiments were conducted during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons in Nioro du Rip and in Sinthiou Malème (Senegal). In a randomized complete block design arranged in a split-plot with four replications, three factors were tested: sorghum genotype (G: Fadda, Faourou, Soumalemba and Soumba with different cycle lengths), environment (E: irrigation and rainfed, different soil types and fertility levels), and fertilization management (M: five different combinations of application dose and application time) including T1 = no fertilizer applied; T2 (recommended practice, 100%) = 150 kg/ha of NPK (15-15-15) at emergence + 50 Kg/ha of urea (46%) at tillering + 50 kg/ha of urea at stem extension; T3 = 50% T2; T4 (100% delay) = 150 kg/ha of NPK +50 kg/ha of urea at stem extension +50 kg/ha of urea at heading ; T5 = 50% T4. Results showed that: (i) in most environments, stressed plants under late application treatments (T4 and T5) recovered biomass once the fertilizer was applied (ii); grain yield with T5 was higher than with T4 under well-watered conditions (sufficient and well distributed rainfall and eventual complementary irrigations) ; (iii) Fadda, a hybrid, responded differently to fertilization than the other varieties only for biomass production, (iv) late fertilizer application treatment (T4) gave higher grain yield than the recommended practice (T2) in the environment with low yield potential, and (v) long cycle duration genotypes benefited better from late fertilization compared to short cycle duration genotypes. This study showed that under Sudano-Sahelian conditions late fertilization of sorghum can be beneficial to grain yield if the rainy season has a slow start, depending on sorghum genotypes (i.e., cycle length), and on the initial N content of the soil.
Managing Tallgrass Prairies for Productivity and Ecological Function: A Long-Term Grazing Experiment in the Southern Great Plains, USA
Authors: Steiner Jean L. , Starks Patrick J. , Neel James P.S. , Northup Brian , Turner Kenneth E. , Gowda Prasanna , Coleman Sam , Brown Michael
Published: October 2019

The Great Plains of the USA is one of largest expanses of prairie ecosystems in the world. Prairies have been extensively converted to other land uses. The remaining prairie ecosystems are important for livestock grazing and provide benefits including habitat for avian, terrestrial, and aquatic species, carbon regulation, and hydrologic function. While producers, land management agencies, and some researchers have promoted livestock management using rotational stocking for increased production efficiency and enhanced ecosystem function, scientific literature has not provided a consensus on whether rotational stocking results in increased plant biomass or animal productivity. To address this research need, we established long-term grazing research using an adaptive management framework to encompass a wide range of production and ecological interactions on native grassland pastures. This paper describes objectives, design, and implementation of the long-term study to evaluate productivity and ecological effects of beef cow–calf management and production under continuous system (CS) or rotational system (RS) on native tallgrass prairie. Findings from 2009 to 2015 indicate that plant biomass and animal productivity were similar in the two grazing management systems. There were some indicators that forage nutritive value of standing biomass and soil nutrient content were enhanced in the RS system compared with the CS, yet individual calf body weight (BW) at weaning was greater in the CS. This prepares us to engage with producers to help determine the focus for the next phase of the research.
Only When It Feels Good: Specific Cat Vocalizations Other Than Meowing
Authors: Fermo Jaciana Luzia , Schnaider Maria Alice , Silva Adelaide Hercília Pescatori , Molento Carla Forte Maiolino
Published: October 2019

Our objective was to identify and characterize the types of vocalization other than meowing (VOM) in two contexts, a pleasant and an aversive situation, and to study the effect of the sex of the animal. A total of 74 cats (32 tom cats and 42 queens) living in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, participated in the study; in total, 68 (29 tom cats and 39 queens) were divided into two groups according to the stimulus they were exposed to: either a pleasant situation (PS), when they were offered a snack, or an aversive situation (AS), with the simulation of a car transport event. The other six animals (three tom cats and three queens) participated in both situations. Only the PS group presented VOM; of the 40 PS animals, 14 presented VOM, mostly acknowledgment or trill and squeak. No correlation was observed between vocalization and cat sex (p = 0.08; Pearson’s Chi-Square). Results show that VOM is exclusively associated with positive situations, suggesting that these vocalizations may be relevant for understanding the valence of cat emotional state. Further studies are warranted to advance knowledge on other VOMs and on the generalization of our findings to other situations.
Effect of Different Levels and Sources of Dietary Copper, Zinc and Manganese on the Performance and Immune and Redox Status of Turkeys
Authors: Jankowski Jan , Ognik Katarzyna , Kozłowski Krzystof , Stępniowska Anna , Zduńczyk Zenon
Published: October 2019

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the combined use of Cu, Zn, and Mn nanoparticles in the diet of turkeys with regard to potential reduction of the levels of these elements added to feed. The experiment was carried out on turkeys’ hens assigned to four groups. Turkeys from the PC group received feed with the addition of inorganic forms of Cu, Zn, and Mn in the B.U.T. (British United Turkeys) recommended levels, from group IR received the addition in amounts reduced to 10% of the recommended levels, and from group NR received the addition of elements in the form of nanoparticles in the same amounts as in group IR. The turkeys from group NC received feed without the addition of these elements. The research showed that the addition of Cu, Zn, and Mn to turkey diets, in both inorganic forms and as nanoparticles, in quantities covering only 10% of B.U.T. recommendations had no adverse effect on growth performance or on the antioxidant and immune defense of turkeys. The changes in the redox status of the turkeys whose diet was not supplemented with Cu, Zn, and Mn indicate reduced oxidation processes in the tissues.
Grazing on Upland Pastures Part-Time Instead of Full-Time Affects the Feeding Behavior of Dairy Cows and Has Consequences on Milk Fatty Acid Profiles
Authors: Manzocchi Elisa , Koczura Madeline , Coppa Mauro , Turille Germano , Kreuzer Michael , Berard Joel
Published: November 2019

Different grazing management systems are practiced on upland dairy farms during summer, depending on topography, local traditions, and infrastructure. The present experiment compared two distinct management systems with respect to feeding behavior and milk-related properties. Two similar groups of eight Valdostana Red Pied cows originating from two farms were followed during three grazing events in summer on three upland grazing sites. Cows in the full-time grazing group were kept exclusively on pasture and milked twice daily in a mobile milking parlor. Cows in the part-time grazing group had access to pasture for 4 h and 2 h after their morning and evening milkings, respectively. The part-time grazing cows differed markedly in their feeding behavior; they exhibited shorter daily ingestion times and longer durations of ingestion and idling bouts than full-time grazing cows. Part-time grazing cows had lower milk protein and casein contents, but milk yield and milk coagulation properties did not differ from the full-time grazing cows. As a result of the fasting periods in the barn, part-time grazing cows synthesized less fatty acids de novo and mobilized body fat reserves, as evidenced by the higher proportion of oleic acid in their milk fat.
Antitumor Potential of Seaweed Derived-Endophytic Fungi
Authors: Teixeira Thaiz Rodrigues , Santos Gustavo Souza dos , Armstrong Lorene , Colepicolo Pio , Debonsi Hosana Maria
Published: October 2019

The marine environment presents a high biodiversity and a valuable source of bioactive compounds with therapeutic and biotechnological potential. Among the organisms present in marine environment, the endophytic fungi isolated from seaweed stand out. These microorganisms have aroused interest in the scientific community regarding its various activities such as antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidant, photoprotective, cytotoxic, genotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer, besides establishing important ecological relations with its hosts. Anticancer molecules derived from marine natural sources are a promising target against different types of cancer. The disease’s high rates of morbidity and mortality affect millions of people world wild and the search for new therapeutic alternatives is needed. Thus, this review partially summarizes the methodologies for the isolation of seaweed-derived endophytic fungi, as well as describes the anticancer compounds isolated from such microorganisms, reported in the literature from 2009 to the present. In addition, it describes how some biotechnological processes can help in the discovery of bioactive compounds, especially with anticancer activity.
A Role for H2O2 and TRPM2 in the Induction of Cell Death: Studies in KGN Cells
Authors: Hack Carsten Theo , Buck Theresa , Bagnjuk Konstantin , Eubler Katja , Kunz Lars , Mayr Doris , Mayerhofer Artur
Published: October 2019

Recent studies showed that KGN cells, derived from a human granulosa cell tumor (GCT), express NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), an important source of H2O2. Transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) channel is a Ca2+ permeable cation channel that can be activated by H2O2 and plays an important role in cellular functions. It is also able to promote susceptibility to cell death. We studied expression and functionality of TRPM2 in KGN cells and examined GCT tissue microarrays (TMAs) to explore in vivo relevance. We employed live cell, calcium and mitochondrial imaging, viability assays, fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. We confirmed that KGN cells produce H2O2 and found that they express functional TRPM2. H2O2 increased intracellular Ca2+ levels and N-(p-Amylcinnamoyl)anthranilic acid (ACA), a TRPM2 inhibitor, blocked this action. H2O2 caused mitochondrial fragmentation and apoptotic cell death, which could be attenuated by a scavenger (Trolox). Immunohistochemistry showed parallel expression of NOX4 and TRPM2 in all 73 tumor samples examined. The results suggest that GCTs can be endowed with a system that may convey susceptibility to cell death. If so, induction of oxidative stress may be beneficial in GCT therapy. Our results also imply a therapeutic potential for TRPM2 as a drug target in GCTs.
No Evidence That Frontal Optical Flow Affects Perceived Locomotor Speed and Locomotor Biomechanics When Running on a Treadmill
Authors: Caramenti Martina , Lafortuna Claudio L. , Mugellini Elena , Abou Khaled Omar , Bresciani Jean-Pierre , Dubois Amandine
Published: October 2019

We investigated how the presentation and the manipulation of an optical flow while running on a treadmill affect perceived locomotor speed (Experiment 1) and gait parameters (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, 12 healthy participants were instructed to run at an imposed speed and to focus on their sensorimotor sensations to be able to reproduce this running speed later. After a pause, they had to retrieve the reference locomotor speed by manipulating the treadmill speed while being presented with different optical flow conditions, namely no optical flow or a matching/slower/faster optical flow. In Experiment 2, 20 healthy participants ran at a previously self-selected constant speed while being presented with different optical flow conditions (see Experiment 1). The results did not show any effect of the presence and manipulation of the optical flow either on perceived locomotor speed or on the biomechanics of treadmill running. Specifically, the ability to retrieve the reference locomotor speed was similar for all optical flow conditions. Manipulating the speed of the optical flow did not affect the spatiotemporal gait parameters and also failed to affect the treadmill running accommodation process. Nevertheless, the virtual reality conditions affected the heart rate of the participants but without affecting perceived effort.
Structural Health Monitoring of Large Structures Using Acoustic Emission–Case Histories
Authors: Ono Kanji
Published: October 2019

Acoustic emission (AE) techniques have successfully been used for assuring the structural integrity of large rocket motorcases since 1963 [...]
Current Techniques for Diabetes Prediction: Review and Case Study
Authors: Larabi-Marie-Sainte Souad , Aburahmah Linah , Almohaini Rana , Saba Tanzila
Published: October 2019

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases worldwide. Many Machine Learning (ML) techniques have been utilized in predicting diabetes in the last couple of years. The increasing complexity of this problem has inspired researchers to explore the robust set of Deep Learning (DL) algorithms. The highest accuracy achieved so far was 95.1% by a combined model CNN-LSTM. Even though numerous ML algorithms were used in solving this problem, there are a set of classifiers that are rarely used or even not used at all in this problem, so it is of interest to determine the performance of these classifiers in predicting diabetes. Moreover, there is no recent survey that has reviewed and compared the performance of all the proposed ML and DL techniques in addition to combined models. This article surveyed all the ML and DL techniques-based diabetes predictions published in the last six years. In addition, one study was developed that aimed to implement those rarely and not used ML classifiers on the Pima Indian Dataset to analyze their performance. The classifiers obtained an accuracy of 68%–74%. The recommendation is to use these classifiers in diabetes prediction and enhance them by developing combined models.
Numerical Simulation of Hot Jet Detonation with Different Ignition Positions
Authors: Zheng Hongtao , Liu Shizheng , Zhao Ningbo , Chen Xiang , Jia Xiongbin , Li Zhiming
Published: October 2019

Ignition position is an important factor affecting flame propagation and deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT). In this study, 2D reactive Navier–Stokes numerical studies have been performed to investigate the effects of ignition position on hot jet detonation initiation. Through the stages of hot jet formation, vortex-flame interaction and detonation wave formation, the mechanism of the hot jet detonation initiation is analyzed in detail. The results indicate that the vortexes formed by hot jet entrain flame to increase the flame area rapidly, thus accelerating energy release and the formation of the detonation wave. With changing the ignition position from top to wall inside the hot jet tube, the faster velocity of hot jet will promote the vortex to entrain jet flame earlier, and the DDT time and distance will decrease. In addition, the effect of different wall ignition positions (from 0 mm to 150 mm away from top of hot jet tube) on DDT is also studied. When the ignition source is 30 mm away from the top of hot jet tube, the distance to initiate detonation wave is the shortest due to the highest jet intensity, the DDT time and distance are about 41.45% and 30.77% less than the top ignition.
Modeling of Three-Way Catalyst Dynamics for a Compressed Natural Gas Engine during Lean–Rich Transitions
Authors: Di Maio Dario , Beatrice Carlo , Fraioli Valentina , Napolitano Pierpaolo , Golini Stefano , Rutigliano Francesco Giovanni
Published: October 2019

The main objective of the present research activity was to investigate the effect of very fast composition transitions of the engine exhaust typical in real-world driving operating conditions, as fuel cutoff phases or engine misfire, on the aftertreatment devices, which are generally very sensitive to these changes. This phenomenon is particularly evident when dealing with engines powered by natural gas, which requires the use of a three-way catalyst (TWC). Indeed, some deviations from the stoichiometric lambda value can interfere with the catalytic converter efficiency. In this work, a numerical “quasi-steady” model was developed to simulate the chemical and transport phenomena of a specific TWC for a compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy-duty engine. A dedicated experimental campaign was performed in order to evaluate the catalyst response to a defined λ variation pattern of the engine exhaust stream, thus providing the data necessary for the numerical model validation. Tests were carried out to reproduce oxygen storage phenomena that make catalyst behavior different from the classic steady-state operating conditions. A surface reaction kinetic mechanism concerning CH4, CO, H2, oxidation and NO reduction has been appropriately calibrated at different λ values with a step-by-step procedure, both in steady-state conditions of the engine work plan and during transient conditions, through cyclical and consecutive transitions of variable frequency between rich and lean phases. The activity also includes a proper calibration of the reactions involving cerium inside the catalyst in order to reproduce oxygen storage and release dynamics. Sensitivity analysis and continuous control of the reaction rate allowed evaluating the impact of each of them on the exhaust composition in several operating conditions. The proposed model predicts tailpipe conversion/formation of the main chemical species, starting from experimental engine-out data, and provides a useful tool to evaluate the catalyst’s performance.
Experimental Investigation of Thin PCM Packages and Thermal Spreader for Thermal Management of Portable Electronic Devices
Authors: Maranda Simon , Sponagle Benjamin , Worlitschek Jörg , Groulx Dominic
Published: October 2019

As the size of portable electronic devices, like tablet computers or smartphones, continues to decrease and their performance continues to increase, thermal management of the generated heat is becoming an ever more important issue. Phase change materials (PCMs) integration is a promising approach to reduce overheating of electronic components in tablet design while keeping the temperature of the cover surface within a comfortable range. This work focuses on the experimental thermal investigation of thin encapsulated PCM packages in combination with a thermal spreader as a solution for thermal management in portable electronic devices. The packages had an overall thickness of less than 2 mm in order to meet the requirements for integration in thin portable electronic devices. A simplified setup at a scale similar to a modern tablet computer was used for the experimental investigations. Experiments were conducted to study, for the first time, the local thermal behavior of the thin packages and their influence on the temperature increase of the heat source and cover surface. Two different PCMs were tested: n-eicosane and dodecanoic acid. An aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.4 mm was used as a thermal spreader. It was determined that the combination of a spreader and the thin PCM packages led to substantial reduction of the temperature increase of both the heater and the cover. Compared to the case where neither a spreader nor a PCM package was used, the heater and cover maximum temperatures were reduced by 45% and 42%, respectively, when a constant heat power input of 5 W for 60 min was applied.
A Research on the Simultaneous Localization Method in the Process of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Homing with Unknown Varying Measurement Error
Authors: Dong Lingyan , Xu Hongli , Feng Xisheng , Han Xiaojun , Yu Chuang
Published: October 2019

We propose an acoustic-based framework for automatically homing an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to the fixed docking station (F-DS) and mobile docking station (M-DS). The proposed framework contains a simultaneous localization method of AUV and docking station (DS) and a guidance method based on the position information. The Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm is not available as the statistical characteristics of the measurement error of the observation system are unknown. To solve this problem, we propose a data pre-processing method. Firstly, the measurement error data of acoustic sensor are collected. Then, We propose a Variational Auto-Encoder (VAE) based Gaussian mixture model (GMM) for estimating the statistical characteristics of measurement error. Finally, we propose a support vector regression (SVR) algorithm to fit the non-linear relationship between the statistical characteristics of measurement error and its corresponding working distance. We adopt a guidance method based on line-of-sight (LOS) and path tracking method for homing an AUV to the fixed docking station (F-DS) and mobile docking station (M-DS). The lake experimental data are used to verify the performance of the localization with the estimated statistical characteristics of measurement error.
A Study of the Dynamic Response of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy (CFRE) Prepregs for Musical Instrument Manufacturing
Authors: Ibáñez-Arnal Manuel , Doménech-Ballester Luis , Sánchez-López Fernando
Published: October 2019

Composite materials are presented in a wide variety of industrial sectors as an alternative to traditionally used materials. In recent years, a new sector has increasingly used these kinds of materials: the manufacture of musical instruments. Resonances of different elements that make up the geometries of musical instruments are commonly used with the aim of enhancing aspects of the timbre. These are sensitive to the mechanical characteristics of the material, so it is important to guarantee the properties of the composite. To do this, it is not uncommon to use pre-impregnated fibers (prepregs) which allow fine control of final volumetric fractions of the composite. Autoclaving is a high-quality process used to guarantee the desired mechanical properties in a composite, reducing porosity and avoiding delamination, but significantly raising production costs. On the contrary, manufacture without autoclaving increases competitiveness by eliminating the costs associated with autoclave production. In this paper, differences in dynamic behavior are evaluated under free conditions of different Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy (CFRE) prepreg boards, processed by autoclave and out-of-autoclave. The results of the complex module are presented according to the frequency, quantifying the variations in the vibratory behavior of the material due to the change of processing.
Underwater Moving Target Classification Using Multilayer Processing of Active Sonar System
Authors: Seo Iksu , Kim Seongweon , Ryu Youngwoo , Park Jungyong , Han Dong Seog
Published: October 2019

The task of detecting and classifying highly maneuverable and unidentified underwater targets in complex environments is significant in active sonar systems. Previous studies have applied many detection schemes to this task using signals above a preset threshold to separate targets from clutter; this is because a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) target has sufficient feature vector components to be separated out. However, in real environments, the received target return’s SNR is not always above the threshold. Therefore, a target detection algorithm is needed for varied target SNR conditions. When the clutter energy is too strong, false detection can occur, and the probability of detection is reduced due to the weak target signature. Furthermore, since a long pulse repetition interval is used for long-range detection and ambient noise tends to be high, classification processing for each ping is needed. This paper proposes a multilayer classification algorithm applicable to all signals in real underwater environments above the noise level without thresholding and verifies the algorithm’s classification performance. We obtained a variety of experimental data by using a real underwater target and a hull-mounted active sonar system operated on Korean naval ships in the East Sea, Korea. The detection performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated in terms of the classification rate and false alarm rate as a function of the SNR. Since experimental environment data, including the sea state, target maneuvering patterns, and sound speed, were available, we selected 1123 instances of ping data from the target over all experiments and randomly selected 1000 clutters based on the distribution of clutters for each ping. A support vector machine was employed as the classifier, and 80% of the data were selected for training, leaving the remaining data for testing. This process was carried out 1000 times. For the performance analysis and discussions, samples of scatter diagrams and feature characteristics are shown and classification tables and receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curves are presented. The results show that the proposed algorithm is effective under a variety of target strengths and ambient noise levels.
Species-Specific Antioxidant Power and Bioactive Properties of the Extracts Obtained from Wild Mediterranean Calendula Spp. (Asteraceae)
Authors: Messina Concetta Maria , Troia Angelo , Arena Rosaria , Manuguerra Simona , Ioannou Theodora , Curcuraci Eleonora , Renda Giuseppe , Hellio Claire , Santulli Andrea
Published: October 2019

In this study we focused on four taxa of the genus Calendula (C. maritima, C. suffruticosa subsp. fulgida, C. arvensis, and the hybrid between the first two ones), collected in Mediterranean area (Sicily). Six extracts for each species were obtained using solvents with increasing polarity (hexane, ethanol 80%, acetone 70%, and water) and through extraction by supercritical fluids (SFE). It has been observed that the solvent with the highest extraction efficiency was ethanol 80% for all species. However, SFE extracts showed high antioxidant activity comparable to the ethanol 80% extract (polyphenol, DPPH, and reducing power method). These findings were confirmed by in vitro analysis (MTT assay) where it was observed that the tested concentration (24 µg/mL), obtained from ethanol 80% and SFE extracts, showed a protective effect comparable to that induced by a synthetic antioxidant. Extraction with SFE ensured a great selectivity by avoiding the use of toxic organic solvents and thus consisted of a promising technique for sustainable production of Calendula extracts.
An Internal Folded Hardware-Efficient Architecture for Lifting-Based Multi-Level 2-D 9/7 DWT
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wu Changkun , Zhang Pan , Liu Yanyan
Published: October 2019

In this paper, a novel internal folded hardware-efficient architecture of multi-level 2-D 9/7 discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is proposed. For multi-level DWT, the unfolded structure is more extensively used compared with the folded structure, because of its low memory consumption and low time delay. However, a set of input data valid every few clock cycles caused the mismatch between clock and data in the unfolded structure. The mismatch usually needs to be solved by multi-clock or complex data adjustment, which increases the consumption of hardware resources and the complexity of the overall system. To solve the above problem of the unfolded structure, we adjust the data input timing by using a single clock domain and folding the DWT architecture of different levels in varying degrees, according to their own clock-to-data ratios. For an image of size of N × N pixels and 3-level DWT, the proposed architecture requires only 6N words temporal memory. For 3-level DWT with an image of size 512 × 512 pixels, the hardware estimation and comparison of the existing architectures show that, the hardware estimation result shows at least 30.6% area-delay-product (ADP) decrease, and at least 22.4% transistor-delay-product (TDP) decrease for S = 8, and 25.77% transistor-delay-product (TDP) decrease for S = 16.
Machine-Learning-Based Classification Approaches toward Recognizing Slope Stability Failure
Authors: Moayedi Hossein , Tien Bui Dieu , Kalantar Bahareh , Kok Foong Loke
Published: October 2019

In this paper, the authors investigated the applicability of combining machine-learning-based models toward slope stability assessment. To do this, several well-known machine-learning-based methods, namely multiple linear regression (MLR), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function regression (RBFR), improved support vector machine using sequential minimal optimization algorithm (SMO-SVM), lazy k-nearest neighbor (IBK), random forest (RF), and random tree (RT), were selected to evaluate the stability of a slope through estimating the factor of safety (FOS). In the following, a comparative classification was carried out based on the five stability categories. Based on the respective values of total scores (the summation of scores obtained for the training and testing stages) of 15, 35, 48, 15, 50, 60, and 57, acquired for MLR, MLP, RBFR, SMO-SVM, IBK, RF, and RT, respectively, it was concluded that RF outperformed other intelligent models. The results of statistical indexes also prove the excellent prediction from the optimized structure of the ANN and RF techniques.