bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increasing Dietary Lysine Impacts Differently Growth Performance of Growing Pigs Sorted by Body Weight
Authors: Aymerich Pau , Soldevila Carme , Bonet Jordi , Gasa Josep , Coma Jaume , Solà-Oriol David
Published: June 2020

An experiment was conducted analyzing whether growing pigs classified in different initial body weight categories (BWCAT) have a different response to increasing standardized ileal digestible lysine to net energy ratio (SID Lys:NE), to assess whether light pigs might benefit from being differentially fed. A total of 1170 pigs in pens of 13 were individually weighed, classified in 3 BWCAT (Lp: 32.1 ± 2.8 kg, Mp: 27.5 ± 2.3 kg, and Sp: 23.4 ± 2.9 kg), and afterwards pens were randomly allocated to 5 dietary SID Lys:NE treatments (3.25 to 4.88 g/Mcal) fed over 47 days. Results reported a greater linear improvement of growth and feed efficiency of Sp compared to Lp when increasing SID Lys:NE. Modelling the response to SID Lys:NE using quadratic polynomial models showed that the levels to reach 98% of maximum growth from day 0–47 were 3.67, 3.88, 4.06 g SID Lys/Mcal NE for Lp, Mp, and Sp, respectively. However, due to the overlapping SID Lys:NE confidence intervals at maximum performance, it was not possible to determine if requirements were different between BWCAT. Summarizing, the results suggested that feeding small pigs greater SID Lys:NE than large pigs can improve their performance and increase the efficiency of the overall production system.
Estimation of Linkage Disequilibrium and Effective Population Size in Three Italian Autochthonous Beef Breeds
Authors: Fabbri Maria Chiara , Dadousis Christos , Bozzi Riccardo
Published: June 2020

The objective was to investigate the pattern of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in three local beef breeds, namely, Calvana (n = 174), Mucca Pisana (n = 270), and Pontremolese (n = 44). As a control group, samples of the Italian Limousin breed (n = 100) were used. All cattle were genotyped with the GeneSeek GGP-LDv4 33k SNP chip containing 30,111 SNPs. The genotype quality control for each breed was conducted separately, and SNPs with call rate < 0.95 and minor allele frequency (MAF) > 1% were used for the analysis. LD extent was estimated in PLINK v1.9 using the squared correlation between pairs of loci (r2) across autosomes. Moreover, r2 values were used to calculate historical and contemporary effective population size (Ne) in each breed. Average r2 was similar in Calvana and Mucca Pisana (~0.14) and higher in Pontremolese (0.17); Limousin presented the lowest LD extent (0.07). LD up to 0.11–0.15 was persistent in the local breeds up to 0.75 Mbp, while in Limousin, it showed a more rapid decay. Variation of different LD levels across autosomes was observed in all the breeds. The results demonstrated a rapid decrease in Ne across generations for local breeds, and the contemporary population size observed in the local breeds, ranging from 41.7 in Calvana to 17 in Pontremolese, underlined the demographic alarming situation.
Analysis of lncRNAs Expression Profiles in Hair Follicle of Hu Sheep Lambskin
Authors: Lv Xiaoyang , Chen Weihao , Sun Wei , Hussain Zahid , Wang Shanhe , Wang Jinyu
Published: June 2020

Lambskin of the Hu sheep exhibits high economic value due to its water-wave pattern. Wool curvature is the key factor of the pattern types and quality of lambskin, and it is formed by the interaction between dermal papilla cells and hair matrix cells in the hair follicle, which is regulated by various genes and signaling pathways. Herein, three full-sibling pairs of two-day-old healthy lambs (n = 6) were divided into a straight wool group (ST) and small waves group (SM) with three repetitions. RNA-seq was applied to determine the expression profile of mRNAs and lncRNAs in Hu sheep hair follicles. 25 differentially expressed mRNAs and 75 differentially expressed lncRNAs were found between SM and ST. FGF12, ATP1B4, and TCONS_00279168 were probably associated with hair follicle development. Then, Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis were implemented for the functional annotation of target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs. The results showed that many genes, such as FGF12 and ATP1B4, were found enriched in PI3K-Akt signaling, MAPK signaling, and Ras signaling pathway associated with hair follicle growth and development. In addition, the interaction network of differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs showed that a total of 6 differentially expressed lncRNAs were associated with 12 differentially expressed mRNAs, which may be as candidate mRNAs and lncRNAs. TCONS_00279168 may target ATP1B4 and FGF12 to regulate MAPK, PI3K-Akt, Ras signaling pathways involved in the sheep hair follicle development process. These results will provide the basis for exploring hair follicle development.
A Pilot Study of Methods for Evaluating the Effects of Arousal and Emotional Valence on Performance of Racing Greyhounds
Authors: Starling Melissa , Spurrett Anthony , McGreevy Paul
Published: June 2020

The racing greyhound industry in Australia has come under scrutiny in recent years due to animal welfare concerns, including wastage where physically sound greyhounds fail to enter or are removed from the racing industry because of poor performance. The reasons why some greyhounds perform poorly in racing are not well understood, but may include insufficient reinforcement for racing or negative affective states in response to the race meet environment. The current study investigated ways to measure affective states of greyhounds (n = 525) at race meets across three racetracks and the factors influencing performance by collecting behavioural and demographic data, and infrared thermographic images of greyhounds’ eyes at race meets. Increasing Eye Temp After had a negative association with performance (n = 290, Effect = −0.173, s.e. = 0.074, p-value = 0.027), as did increasing age (n = 290, Effect = −0.395, s.e. = 0.136, p-value = 0.004). The start box number also had a significant association, with boxes 4, 5 and 7 having an inverse relationship with performance. There was a significant effect of racetrack on mean eye temperatures before and after the race (n = 442, Effect = 1.910, s.e. = 0.274, p-value < 0.001; Effect = 1.595, s.e. = 0.1221, p-value < 0.001 for Gosford and Wentworth respectively), suggesting that some tracks may be inherently more stressful for greyhounds than others. Mean eye temperature before the race increased as the race meet progressed (n = 442, Effect = 0.103, s.e. = 0.002, p-value < 0.001). Behaviours that may indicate frustration in the catching pen were extremely common at two of the tracks but much less common at the third, where toys attached to bungees were used to draw greyhounds into the catching pen.
Acacia senegal Extract Rejuvenates the Activity of Phenicols on Selected Enterobacteriaceae Multi Drug Resistant Strains
Authors: Magnini René Dofini , Hilou Adama , Millogo-Koné Helana , Pagès Jean-Marie , Davin-Regli Anne
Published: June 2020

This study reported the phytochemical composition of two hydroethanolic extracts of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal trees from Burkina Faso and their activities, alone or in combination with selected antibiotics, against multidrug resistant bacteria. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was used for phytochemical screening. Total phenolic and total flavonoid ant tannins in leaves extracts contents were assessed by spectrophotometric method. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of plant extracts and antibiotics were determined using the microdilution method and p-iodonitrotetrazolium chloride. Combinations of extracts and antibiotics were studied using checkerboard assays. Screening revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins in the hydroethanolic extract (HE) of the leaves. The HE of A. seyal showed the highest total phenolic (571.30 ± 6.97 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids (140.41 ± 4.01 mg RTE/g), and tannins (24.72 ± 0.14%, condensed; 35.77 ± 0.19%, hydrolysable tannins). However, the HE of A. senegal showed the lowest total phenolic (69.84 ± 3.54 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids (27.32 ± 0.57 mg RTE/g), and tannins (14.60 ± 0.01%, condensed; 3.09 ± 0.02%, hydrolysable). The MICs for HE and antibiotics were in the range of 2–512 and 0.008–1024 mg/L, respectively. All tested HE presented an MIC greater than 512 mg/L except HE of A. senegal. The lowest MIC value (128 mg/L) was obtained with HE of A. senegal against Klebsiella aerogenes EA298 and Escherichia coli AG100A. Interesting restoring effects on chloramphenicol and florphenicol activity were detected with alcoholic extracts of A. senegal against resistant E. coli and K. aerogenes strains that overproduce AcrAB or FloR pumps. The adjuvant effect of HE of A. senegal suggests that the crude extract of leaves could be a potential source of molecules for improving the susceptibility of bacteria to phenicols antibiotics.
Prevalence of Multi-Resistant Microorganisms and Antibiotic Stewardship among Hospitalized Patients Living in Residential Care Homes in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Rivera-Izquierdo Mario , Benavente-Fernández Alberto , López-Gómez Jairo , Láinez-Ramos-Bossini Antonio Jesús , Rodríguez-Camacho Marta , Valero-Ubierna María del Carmen , Martín-delosReyes Luis Miguel , Jiménez-Mejías Eladio , Moreno-Roldán Elena , Lardelli-Claret Pablo , Martínez-Ruiz Virginia
Published: June 2020

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health problem. Patients living in care homes are a vulnerable high-risk population colonized by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). We identified a case series of 116 residents of care homes from a cohort of 540 consecutive patients admitted to the internal medicine service of our hospital. We performed early diagnostic tests of MDRO through anal exudates in our sample. The prevalence of MDRO colonization was 34.5% of residents and 70% of them had not been previously identified in the clinical records. Previous hospitalizations and in-hospital antibiotic administration were significantly associated with the presence of MDRO. Our results emphasize the need to consider care homes in the planning of regional and national infection control measures and for implementing surveillance systems that monitor the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Spain. Systematic early testing upon admission to hospital services with a high prevalence of patients with MDRO colonization (e.g., internal medicine) could contribute to the adoption of adequate prevention measures. Specific educational programs for care home staff should also be implemented to address this increasing problem.
The Revaluation of Plant-Derived Terpenes to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Infections
Authors: Cappiello Floriana , Loffredo Maria Rosa , Del Plato Cristina , Cammarone Silvia , Casciaro Bruno , Quaglio Deborah , Mangoni Maria Luisa , Botta Bruno , Ghirga Francesca
Published: June 2020

The discovery of antibiotics has revolutionized the medicine and treatment of microbial infections. However, the current scenario has highlighted the difficulties in marketing new antibiotics and an exponential increase in the appearance of resistant strains. On the other hand, research in the field of drug-discovery has revaluated the potential of natural products as a unique source for new biologically active molecules and scaffolds for the medicinal chemistry. In this review, we first contextualized the worldwide problem of antibiotic resistance and the importance that natural products of plant origin acquire as a source of new lead compounds. We then focused on terpenes and their potential development as antimicrobials, highlighting those studies that showed an activity against conventional antibiotic-resistant strains.
Rifabutin Use in Staphylococcus Biofilm Infections: A Case Series
Authors: Doub James B. , Heil Emily L. , Ntem-Mensah Afua , Neeley Renaldo , Ching Patrick R.
Published: June 2020

This is a case series of 10 patients who had staphylococcal biofilm infections that were treated with adjuvant rifabutin therapy instead of rifampin therapy. In these cases, rifampin was contraindicated secondary to drug–drug interactions with the patients’ chronic medications. Rifabutin therapy was well tolerated with no side effects. As well, no patients had recurrence of their staphylococcal infections. This case series shows that rifabutin can be a beneficial adjuvant therapy in Staphylococcus biofilm infections when drug–drug interactions limit the use of rifampin.
A Novel Approach Using Customized Miniplates as Skeletal Anchorage Devices in Growing Class III Patients: A Case Report
Authors: Ryu Ji-In , Cho Seoung-Won , Oh So-Hee , Park In-Young , Kim Ju-Won , Byun Soo-Hwan , Yang Byoung-Eun
Published: June 2020

Facemasks using tooth-borne anchorages have been used primarily for the treatment of Class III malocclusion with maxillary undergrowth. However, when using a tooth as an anchorage, if the stability of the tooth used as an anchor is weak, the anchoring function may fail as the tooth tilts. Meanwhile, the use of skeletal anchorages such as implants, mini-implants, and mini-plates has been claimed to minimize the side effects of using dental anchorage. This case report describes the treatment of a six-year-old male patient with Class III malocclusion, presenting maxillary undergrowth and mandibular prognathism. Due to the mobility of the anchoring primary teeth, a device using dental anchorage was replaced with that using customized skeletal anchorage for the treatment. Customized guides and miniplates for the surgery were fabricated in advance through a computer-assisted system, in order to avoid possible damage to the adjacent tooth buds. The customized plates were accurately and passively placed on the intended part, showing the desired outcome.
Analytical and Experimental Studies on the Application of a Series of Treatment Chambers for Escherichia coli Inactivation by Pulsed Electric Fields
Authors: Matra Khanit , Buppan Pattakorn , Techaumnat Boonchai
Published: June 2020

The paper investigated studies on the application of pulsed electric fields for the treatment of liquid media in a continuous manner in a co-field treatment chamber with elliptic insulator profiles. The electric field distribution and the temperature rise in the treatment chamber were evaluated via the finite element method. A non-uniform electric field was found at the elliptical insulator edges, while the electric field distribution on the insulator surface was rather uniform. The maximum temperature rise in the liquid media was located slightly behind the elliptic insulator due to the accumulated heat in the flowing liquid media. In the optimized treatment chamber, the average electric field intensity could be as high as 12.21 kV/cm at the moderate voltage at 7.5 kV. As a strategy to improve the inactivation while limiting the temperature rise, a series of treatment chambers was verified by experiments under the conditions of 7.5 kV, a 2.5% duty cycle, and 250 Hz. It was found that an increase in the treatment units could increase the inactivation efficiency for Escherichia coli. The average log reduction could be improved from 1.82 to 2.39 when the number of treatment units was increased from 1 to 5, respectively.
Lower Limb Inter-Joint Coordination of Unilateral Transfemoral Amputees: Implications for Adaptation Control
Authors: Xu Zhi , Wong Duo Wai-Chi , Yan Fei , Chen Tony Lin-Wei , Zhang Ming , Jiang Wen-Tao , Fan Yu-Bo
Published: June 2020

The gait of transfemoral amputees can be made smoother by adjusting the inter-joint coordination of both lower limbs. In this study, we compared the inter-joint coordination of the amputated and non-amputated limbs of unilateral amputees to able-bodied controls. Eight amputees and eight able-bodied control participants were recruited. Walking speed, stance–swing time ratio, joint angle, joint angular velocity, and inter-joint coordination parameters—including continuous relative phase (CRP) and decomposition index (DI)—of the lower-limb joint pairs in stance and swing phases were investigated. Similarity of the CRP between groups was evaluated using cross-correlation measures and root-mean-square, and the variability of the CRP was examined by deviation phase (DP). There were significant differences between the amputated limbs and controls in CRP of hip–knee and knee–ankle in stance and swing, DP of knee–ankle and hip–ankle in stance, and DI of hip–knee in swing. For the non-amputated limbs, there were significant differences in CRP and DP of knee–ankle, and DI of hip–knee in swing compared to controls. The amputees utilized unique inter-joint coordination patterns for both limbs—particularly the hip joint—to compensate for the support-capability impairment due to limb salvage and ensure foot placement accuracy.
New Developments and Progress in Absorption Chillers for Solar Cooling Applications
Authors: Ayou Dereje S. , Coronas Alberto
Published: June 2020

At present, novel, small-to-large capacity absorption chillers with unique technical features have emerged on the global market, and laboratory and pre-industrial prototypes have also been developed. These chillers have been designed for the efficient use of low-grade heat sources; some are air-cooled, small capacity systems; compact water/LiBr chillers; or solar-gas-fired single/double-effect chillers. Also, some advanced commercial absorption chillers have an extensive temperature glide in the driving heat stream (>30 K) which extracts approximately twice as much heat (~200%) as the single-effect chiller. This large temperature glide means that the chillers are well suited to solar thermal collector installations and district heating networks, and the extra driving heat increases cold production. Moreover, recent advances in R718 turbo compressor technologies have helped to solve the problems water/LiBr absorption chillers have in adapting to extreme operating conditions (e.g., high ambient temperature, >35 °C) by using a compressor-boosted absorption chiller configuration. This review paper presents and discusses the developments and progress in these absorption chiller technologies. In summary, the new absorption chillers may be useful for developing efficient, cost-effective, and robust solar cooling solutions that are needed to mitigate the unsustainable impact of the rising global demand for space cooling.
Constructing a Virtual Environment for Multibody Simulation Software Using Photogrammetry
Authors: Mohammadi Manouchehr , Eskola Roope , Mikkola Aki
Published: June 2020

Real-time simulation models based on multibody system dynamics can replicate reality with high accuracy. As real-time models typically describe machines that interact with a complicated environment, it is important to have an accurate environment model in which the simulation model operates. Photogrammetry provides a set of tools that can be used to create a three-dimensional environment from planar images. A created environment and a multibody-based simulation model can be combined in a Unity environment. This paper introduces a procedure to generate an accurate spatial working environment based on an existing real environment. As a numerical example, a detailed environment model is created from a University campus area.
Generation and Distribution of Quantum Oblivious Keys for Secure Multiparty Computation
Authors: Lemus Mariano , Ramos Mariana F. , Yadav Preeti , Silva Nuno A. , Muga Nelson J. , Souto André , Paunković Nikola , Mateus Paulo , Pinto Armando N.
Published: June 2020

The oblivious transfer primitive is sufficient to implement secure multiparty computation. However, secure multiparty computation based on public-key cryptography is limited by the security and efficiency of the oblivious transfer implementation. We present a method to generate and distribute oblivious keys by exchanging qubits and by performing commitments using classical hash functions. With the presented hybrid approach of quantum and classical, we obtain a practical and high-speed oblivious transfer protocol. We analyse the security and efficiency features of the technique and conclude that it presents advantages in both areas when compared to public-key based techniques.
Encoding Text Information with Graph Convolutional Networks for Personality Recognition
Authors: Wang Zhe , Wu Chun-Hua , Li Qing-Biao , Yan Bo , Zheng Kang-Feng
Published: June 2020

Personality recognition is a classic and important problem in social engineering. Due to the small number and particularity of personality recognition databases, only limited research has explored convolutional neural networks for this task. In this paper, we explore the use of graph convolutional network techniques for inferring a user’s personality traits from their Facebook status updates or essay information. Since the basic five personality traits (such as openness) and their aspects (such as status information) are related to a wide range of text features, this work takes the Big Five personality model as the core of the study. We construct a single user personality graph for the corpus based on user-document relations, document-word relations, and word co-occurrence and then learn the personality graph convolutional networks (personality GCN) for the user. The parameters or the inputs of our personality GCN are initialized with a one-hot representation for users, words and documents; then, under the supervision of users and documents with known class labels, it jointly learns the embeddings for users, words, and documents. We used feature information sharing to incorporate the correlation between the five personality traits into personality recognition to perfect the personality GCN. Our experimental results on two public and authoritative benchmark datasets show that the general personality GCN without any external word embeddings or knowledge is superior to the state-of-the-art methods for personality recognition. The personality GCN method is efficient on small datasets, and the average F1-score and accuracy of personality recognition are improved by up to approximately 3.6% and 2.4–2.57%, respectively.
Experimental Study of Nanosecond Laser-Generated Plasma Channels
Authors: Levato Tadzio , Nevrkla Michal , Nawaz Muhammad Fahad , Giuffrida Lorenzo , Grepl Filip , Zulic Haris , Pilar Jan , Hanus Martin , Divoky Martin , Lucianetti Antonio , Mocek Tomas , Margarone Daniele
Published: June 2020

Generation of plasma-channels by interaction of gas targets with nanosecond laser beams was investigated experimentally. Such laser-generated plasma channels are very promising for subsequent guiding of high peak power femtosecond laser pulses, over several tens of centimeters, as required in laser wake field electron-acceleration (LWFA). The experimental setup was based on the use of a cylindrical lens (100 mm of focal length) with the aim of proposing a technical solution easy to be integrated into a compact experimental setup for acceleration of multi-GeV electron beams using high peak-power laser systems. A pilot experiment, showing production of asymmetric plasma channels over a length of several millimeters in N and Ar targets with initial neutral-gas atomic density around 5 × 1019 cm−3, is reported. Plasma effective threshold formation was estimated, along with future optimization of the optical setup for a symmetrization of such plasma channel. Scalability of this concept to several tens of centimeters is preliminarily discussed, along with the corresponding critical requirements for an optimal LWFA scheme.
Hybrid Positioning for Smart Spaces: Proposal and Evaluation
Authors: Fernández Pedro J. , Santa José , Skarmeta Antonio F.
Published: June 2020

Positioning capabilities have become essential in context-aware user services, which make easier daily activities and let the emergence of new business models in the trendy area of smart cities. Thanks to wireless connection capabilities of smart mobile devices and the proliferation of wireless attachment points in buildings, several positioning systems have appeared in the last years to provide indoor positioning and complement GPS for outdoors. Wi-Fi fingerprinting is one of the most remarkable approaches, although ongoing smart deployments in the area of smart cities can offer extra possibilities to exploit hybrid schemes, in which the final location takes into account different positioning sources. In this paper we propose a positioning system that leverages common infrastructure and services already present in smart spaces to enhance indoor positioning. Thus, GPS and WiFi are complemented with access control services (i.e., ID card) or Bluetooth Low Energy beaconing, to determine the user location within a smart space. Better position estimations can be calculated by hybridizing the positioning information coming from different technologies, and a handover mechanism between technologies or algorithms is used exploiting semantic information saved in fingerprints. The solution implemented is highly optimized by reducing tedious computation, by means of opportunistic selection of fingerprints and floor change detection, and a battery saving subsystem reduces power consumption by disabling non-needed technologies. The proposal has been showcased over a smart campus deployment to check its real operation and assess the positioning accuracy, experiencing the noticeable advantage of integrating technologies usually available in smart spaces and reaching an average real error of 4.62 m.
Long-Term Characteristics of Prestressing Force in Post-Tensioned Structures Measured Using Smart Strands
Authors: Kim Sang-Hyun , Park Sung Yong , Jeon Se-Jin
Published: June 2020

The proper distribution of prestressing force (PF) is the basis for the design of prestressed concrete (PSC) structures. However, the PF distribution obtained by predictive equations of prestress losses has not been sufficiently validated by comparison with measured data due to the poor reliability and durability of conventional sensing technologies. Therefore, the Smart Strand with embedded fiber optic sensors was developed and applied to PSC structures to investigate the long-term characteristics of PF distribution as affected by concrete creep and shrinkage. The data measured in a 20 m-long full-scale specimen and a 60 m-long PSC girder bridge were analyzed by comparing them with the theoretical estimation obtained from several design equations. Although the long-term decreasing trend of the PF distribution was similar in the measurement and theory, the equation of Eurocode 2 for estimating the long-term prestress losses showed better agreement with the measurement than ACI 209R and ACI 423.10R did. This can be attributed to the more refined form of the predictive equation of Eurocode 2 in dealing with the time-dependency of the PF. The study results also confirmed the need to compensate for the temperature variation in the long-term monitoring to derive the actual mechanical strain related to the PF. We expect our developed Smart Strand to be applied practically in PF measurement for the reasonable safety assessment and maintenance of PSC structures by improving several of the existing drawbacks of conventional sensors.
A Systematic Literature Review of Non-Invasive Indoor Thermal Discomfort Detection
Authors: Marchenko Alla , Temeljotov-Salaj Alenka
Published: June 2020

Since 1997, scientists have been trying to utilize new non-invasive approaches for thermal discomfort detection, which promise to be more effective for comparing frameworks that need direct responses from users. Due to rapid technological development in the bio-metrical field, a systematic literature review to investigate the possibility of thermal discomfort detection at the work place by non-invasive means using bio-sensing technology was performed. Firstly, the problem intervention comparison outcome context (PICOC) framework was introduced in the study to identify the main points for meta-analysis and, in turn, to provide relevant keywords for the literature search. In total, 2776 studies were found and processed using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology. After filtering by defined criterion, 35 articles were obtained for detailed investigation with respect to facility types used in the experiment, amount of people for data collection and algorithms used for prediction of the thermal discomfort event. The given study concludes that there is potential for the creation of non-invasive thermal discomfort detection models via utilization of bio-sensing technologies, which will provide a better user interaction with the built environment, potentially decrease energy use and enable better productivity. There is definitely room for improvement within the field of non-invasive thermal discomfort detection, especially with respect to data collection, algorithm implementation and sample size, in order to have opportunities for the deployment of developed solutions in real life. Based on the literature review, the potential of novel technology is seen to utilize a more intelligent approach for performing non-invasive thermal discomfort prediction. The architecture of deep neural networks should be studied more due to the specifics of its hidden layers and its ability of hierarchical data extraction. This machine learning algorithm can provide a better model for thermal discomfort detection based on a data set with different types of bio-metrical variables.
IoT Privacy and Security: Challenges and Solutions
Authors: Tawalbeh Lo’ai , Muheidat Fadi , Tawalbeh Mais , Quwaider Muhannad
Published: June 2020

Privacy and security are among the significant challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT). Improper device updates, lack of efficient and robust security protocols, user unawareness, and famous active device monitoring are among the challenges that IoT is facing. In this work, we are exploring the background of IoT systems and security measures, and identifying (a) different security and privacy issues, (b) approaches used to secure the components of IoT-based environments and systems, (c) existing security solutions, and (d) the best privacy models necessary and suitable for different layers of IoT driven applications. In this work, we proposed a new IoT layered model: generic and stretched with the privacy and security components and layers identification. The proposed cloud/edge supported IoT system is implemented and evaluated. The lower layer represented by the IoT nodes generated from the Amazon Web Service (AWS) as Virtual Machines. The middle layer (edge) implemented as a Raspberry Pi 4 hardware kit with support of the Greengrass Edge Environment in AWS. We used the cloud-enabled IoT environment in AWS to implement the top layer (the cloud). The security protocols and critical management sessions were between each of these layers to ensure the privacy of the users’ information. We implemented security certificates to allow data transfer between the layers of the proposed cloud/edge enabled IoT model. Not only is the proposed system model eliminating possible security vulnerabilities, but it also can be used along with the best security techniques to countermeasure the cybersecurity threats facing each one of the layers; cloud, edge, and IoT.
Biomechanical Evaluation of Initial Stability of a Root Analogue Implant Design with Drilling Protocol: A 3D Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Lee Ki-Sun , Lee Won-Chang , Kim Pan-Gyu , Park Ji-Man , Koo Ki-Tae , Ryu Jae-Jun , Shin Sang-Wan
Published: June 2020

Background: The aim of this study was to biomechanically evaluate the initial stability of a patient-specific root analogue implant (RAI) design with drilling protocol by comparing it to designs without drilling protocol through a 3D finite element analysis (FEA). Methods: A 3D surface model of an RAI for the upper right incisor was constructed. To evaluate the effect of root apex drilling, four modified RAI shapes were designed with the press-fit implantation method: Non-modified, wedge added at root surface, lattice added at root surface, and apex-anchor added at root apex (AA). Each model was subjected to an oblique load of 100 N. To simulate the initial stability of implantation, contact conditions at the implant–bone interface were set to allow for the sliding phenomenon with low friction (frictional coefficient 0.1–0.5). Analysis was performed to evaluate micro-displacements of the implants and peak stress on the surrounding bones. Results: Under all low frictional coefficient conditions, the lowest von Mises stress level on the cortical bone and fewest micro-displacements of the implant were observed in the AA design. Conclusion: In view of these results, the AA design proved superior in reducing the stress concentration on the supporting cortical bone and the micro-displacement of RAI.
Cold Boot Attacks on LUOV
Authors: Villanueva-Polanco Ricardo
Published: June 2020

This research article assesses the feasibility of cold boot attacks on the lifted unbalanced oil and Vinegar (LUOV) scheme, a variant of the UOV signature scheme. This scheme is a member of the family of asymmetric cryptographic primitives based on multivariable polynomials over a finite field K and has been submitted as candidate to the ongoing National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standardisation process of post-quantum signature schemes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this scheme is evaluated in this setting. To perform our assessment of the scheme in this setting, we review two implementations of this scheme, the reference implementation and the libpqcrypto implementation, to learn the most common in-memory private key formats and next develop a key recovery algorithm exploiting the structure of this scheme. Since the LUOV’s key generation algorithm generates its private components and public components from a 256-bit seed, the key recovery algorithm works for all the parameter sets recommended for this scheme. Additionally, we tested the effectiveness and performance of the key recovery algorithm through simulations and found the key recovery algorithm may retrieve the private seed when α = 0.001 (probability that a 0 bit of the original secret key will flip to a 1 bit) and β (probability that a 1 bit of the original private key will flip to a 0 bit) in the range { 0.001 , 0.01 , 0.02 , … , 0.15 } by enumerating approximately 2 40 candidates.
Isometric Strength in Volleyball Players of Different Age: A Multidimensional Model
Authors: Majstorović Nikola , Dopsaj Milivoj , Grbić Vladimir , Savić Zoran , Vićentijević Aleksandar , Aničić Zdravko , Zadražnik Marko , Toskić Lazar , Nešić Goran
Published: June 2020

Physical abilities modelling has a profound connection with long-term athlete development and talent identification. There is not enough data to support evidence about age-related changes in volleyball players’ isometric strength. This study aimed to define the age-related model of volleyball players multidimensional muscles’ contractile characteristics. The participants were divided according to gender (male n = 112, female n = 371) and according to age into four groups: under 15 (U15), under 17 (U17), under 19 (U19), and under 21 (U21) years old. Participants performed three isometric strength tests: handgrip, lumbar extensors, and ankle extensors. Maximal force and rate of force development results from all three tests were transformed into a single Score value as a representation of contractile potentials using principal component analysis. The main findings were that Score values of both genders showed significant differences between age groups (male: F = 53.17, p < 0.001; Female: F = 41.61, p < 0.001). Trends of those yearly changes were slightly more balanced for female subjects (3.9%) compared to male subjects (6.3%). These findings could help in strength training adjustments when working with volleyball players of a certain age, and enable coaches to detect ones that stand out positively, considering them as strong in regard to their age.
Elevated Levels of Serum IL-17A Secondary to Repeated Intravitreal Injections of Aflibercept in Treatment-Naive Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Seredyka-Burduk Małgorzata , Wiciński Michał , Liberski Sławomir , Marczak Daria , Pol Magdalena , Malinowski Bartosz , Kaluzny Bartlomiej J.
Published: June 2020

We evaluated the effect of three monthly intravitreal injections of aflibercept on the serum concentration of interleukin 17A (IL-17A), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1/CCL2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF) in treatment-naive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Twenty-two eyes of twenty-two patients with nAMD scheduled for the initial loading phase of intravitreal aflibercept (2 mg/0.05 mL) were included. Serum VEGF, PlGF, MCP-1/CCL2 and IL-17A levels were determined four times in each individual—just before the first injection, 2–3 days after the first injection, just before the third injection, and then 2–3 days after the third aflibercept injection. A statistically significant difference was found between the serum PlGF and IL-17A levels measured before the first injection and after the initial loading phase, with a mean value (MV) of 440.884 vs. 302.151 (p = 0.023) for PlGF and MV = 139.088 pg/mL vs. 151.233 pg/mL (p = 0.016) for IL-17A, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences for VEGF and MCP-1/CCL2 between any of the compared measurements. We reveal that repeated injections of aflibercept promote an increase in serum IL-17A concentration, which may lead to a systemic inflammatory response mediated by IL-17A, but not by MCP-1.
A China Railway Express-Based Model for Designing a Cross-Border Logistics Information Cloud Platform Scheme
Authors: Huang Qian , Yin Weichuan , An Jiuyu , Zhou Yuanxiang
Published: June 2020

This paper describes the development and plans for the implementation of a cloud-based logistics platform to enable and optimize cross-border shipping, using the China Railway Express (CR Express) in the context of China’s recent One Belt and One Road (OBOR) initiative as an example of an extremely complex system that is running at suboptimal efficiency. We design a cross-border logistics information cloud platform (CLICP) and its architecture. The proposed CLICP comprises a hybrid cloud model with three layers of cloud services. We also examine the CLICP’s operation and the design of the platform’s functions, including core business and value-added service functions, such as real-time bidding, freight information push, and carrier one-stop service management functions. Finally, we propose a model for deploying our CLICP. Our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because of its hybrid cloud model architecture and for the completeness of its functionality. The study also has a good application prospect for the operation of CR Express and will play a better supporting role in cross-border logistics.
Frenulectomy with Diode Laser Technology in Paeditric Patients: Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluations. Randomized Double- Blind Clinical Trial
Authors: Sfasciotti Gian Luca , Zara Francesca , Fioravanti Miriam , Guaragna Mariana , Palaia Gaspare , Polimeni Antonella
Published: June 2020

Background: Ankyloglossia is an anatomical alteration of the frenulum length, volume, compactness, and insertion. It can lead to alterations in the ability to swallow and chewing, and dysfunctional coordination amongst cranio-facial muscles; these alterations are often responsible for respiratory alterations, skeletal malocclusions and dyslalia or the delay of speech. The aim of this study is to estimate the efficacy of lingual frenulectomy with diode-laser technology through a qualitative and quantitative evaluation. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five pediatric patients were recruited: 100 with a lingual pathological frenulum were randomly divided into four operating groups; the other 25 with a borderline pathological frenulum were recruited as a control group. Each patient was included in a follow-up program (T0-T1-T2-T3-T4) for a quantitative and qualitative evaluation: the first through an accurate measurement of Kotlow’s free tongue measurement (≥16), Mouth Opening with Tongue Tip to incisive papilla (MOTTIP), Maximal Intercisal Mouth Opening (MIO) and Protrusion; and the second using the Assessment Tool for Lingual Frenulum Function (ATLFF), Bristol Tongue Assessment Tool (BTAT), and grade of tongue functionality. Results: The increase of the aforementioned quantitative parameters was circa 10 mm, and all patients reacquired full functionality of the tongue. Conclusions: Diode-laser technology is efficient and innovative in the treatment of pathological lingual frenulums.
Geohydrology of a Reference Mediterranean Catchment (Cilento UNESCO Geopark, Southern Italy)
Authors: Guida Domenico , Cuomo Albina , Longobardi Antonia , Villani Paolo
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we studied the geo-hydrological structure and behavior of a reference catchment, located in the Cilento UNESCO Global Geopark, southern Italy, representative of the hilly, terrigenous and forested headwaters of the Mediterranean eco-region. Based on detailed hydrogeological and hydro-geomorphological surveys and geomorphometric analysis, starting in 2012, a hydro-chemical monitoring activity at the catchment and sub-catchment scale started, and a hydro-chemical dataset was progressively recorded at daily and sub-hourly time steps. Based on this dataset, the authors performed an original procedure to identify different runoff components, derived by applying cascade mass balance filtering. The integration of hydrological and geomorphological approaches allowed us to obtain an interesting conceptualization of the storm flow generation using hydro-chemical signatures related to different runoff components produced during the increasing–decreasing cycle of the flood event magnitude. The hydro-system activated progressively different runoff sources (i.e., groundwater, riparian corridor, hillslope and hollow) and involved various mechanisms (i.e., groundwater ridging, saturation-excess, infiltration-excess and soil pipe exfiltration). The geo-hydrological conceptualization was validated using a hysteresis Q-EC loop analysis performed on selected events that showed how hysteretic indices could be used to characterize the events in respect to their origins, mechanisms and pathways in similar catchments.
Importance of Biometals as Targets in Medicinal Chemistry: An Overview about the Role of Zinc (II) Chelating Agents
Authors: Leuci Rosalba , Brunetti Leonardo , Laghezza Antonio , Loiodice Fulvio , Tortorella Paolo , Piemontese Luca
Published: June 2020

Zinc (II) is an important biometal in human physiology. Moreover, in the last two decades, it was deeply studied for its involvement in several pathological states. In particular, the regulation of its concentration in synaptic clefts can be fundamental for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Zinc (II) is also a constituent of metalloenzymes (i.e., matrix metalloproteinases, MMPs, and carbonic anhydrases, CAs) with catalytic function; therefore, it can be an important target for the inhibition of these proteins, frequently involved in cancer onset. This review is focused on the significance of zinc (II) chelating agents in past and future medicinal chemistry research, and on the importance of selectivity in order to revamp the possibility of their use in therapy, often hindered by possible side effects.
Grid-Scale BESS for Ancillary Services Provision: SoC Restoration Strategies
Authors: Rancilio Giuliano , Rossi Arianna , Di Profio Claudio , Alborghetti Martino , Galliani Andrea , Merlo Marco
Published: June 2020

The future power system, characterized by lower inertia, reduced programmability and more distributed architecture, will depend on prompt and reliable control systems. Quick ancillary services provided by battery energy storage systems (BESS) could be a resource in order to deliver fast and precise response to frequency events. Degrees of freedom in the design of innovative products traded on ancillary services markets give the asset manager room for developing state-of-charge (SoC) restoration mechanisms. These are necessary to effectively exploit BESS as key resources for electricity balancing. This study compares the main SoC restoration strategies. It aims to define which ones are suitable for guaranteeing the reliability of the provision and the return on the investment. A robust regulatory framework analysis describes the degrees of freedom guaranteed by the main experiences around Europe. In this paper, a BESS model with variable efficiency is used to compare the provision of Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR) with different SoC restoration strategies exploiting one or more degrees of freedom. Here, we show that the degrees of freedom are key to the reliability of provision. Among most diffused mechanisms, dead-band strategies secure the desired consistency, but require large energy flows for SoC management. Thus, BESS life and economics decrease. The strategies based on minimum available energy guarantee assured reliability while being fair with BESS life and operation costs.
Black Carbon: The Concentration and Sources Study at the Nam Co Lake, the Tibetan Plateau from 2015 to 2016
Authors: Wang Feiteng , Zhang Xin , Yue Xiaoying , Song Mengyuan , Zhang Guoshuai , Ming Jing
Published: June 2020

We measured black carbon (BC) with a seven-wavelength aethalometer (AE-31) at the Nam Co Lake (NCL), the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) from May 2015 to April 2016. The daily average concentration of BC was 145 ± 85 ng m−3, increasing by 50% since 2006. The seasonal variation of BC shows higher concentrations in spring and summer and lower concentrations in autumn and winter, dominated by the adjacent sources and meteorological conditions. The diurnal variation of BC showed that its concentrations peaked at 9:00–16:00 (UTC + 8), significantly related to local human activities (e.g., animal-manure burning and nearby traffic due to the tourism industry). The concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis showed that the long-distance transport of BC from South Asia could also be a potential contributor to BC at the NCL, as well as the biomass burning by the surrounding residents. The analyses of the absorption coefficient and absorption Ångström exponent show the consistency of sourcing the BC at the NCL. We suggest here that urgent measures should be taken to protect the atmospheric environment at the NCL, considering the fast-increasing concentrations of BC as an indicator of fuel combustion.
Diurnal Characteristics of Gravity Waves over the Tibetan Plateau in 2015 Summer Using 10-km Downscaled Simulations from WRF-EnKF Regional Reanalysis
Authors: Qian Tingting , Zhang Fuqing , Wei Junhong , He Jie , Lu Yinghui
Published: June 2020

Diurnal variations of gravity waves over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) in summer 2015 were investigated based on high-resolution downscaled simulations from WRF-EnKF (Weather Research and Forecasting model and an ensemble Kalman filter) regional reanalysis data with particular emphasis on wave source, wave momentum fluxes and wave energies. Strong diurnal precipitations, which mainly happen along the south slope of the TP, tend to excite upward-propagating gravity waves. The spatial and temporal distributions of the momentum fluxes of small-scale (10–200 km) and meso-scale (200–500 km) gravity waves agree well with the diurnal precipitation distributions. The power spectra of momentum fluxes also show that the small- and meso-scale atmospheric processes become important during the period of the strongest rainfall. Eastward momentum fluxes and northward momentum fluxes are dominant. Wave energies are described in terms of kinetic energy (KE), potential energy (PE) and vertical fluctuation energy (VE). The diurnal variation and spatial distribution of VE in the lower stratosphere correspond to the diurnal rainfall in the troposphere.