bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Determination of modified polyamide 6's foaming windows by bubble growth simulations based on rheological measurements
Authors: Xu Menglong , Chen Yichong , Liu Tao , Zhao Ling , Park Chul B. 
Published: June 2019

ABSTRACTReactive extrusion was used to modify virgin polyamides 6 (v‐PA6) and to prepare chain extended PA6 (CE‐PA6) and long‐chain branched PA6 (LCB‐PA6) for the melt foaming process. This was done using a twin‐screw extruder and the following modifiers: a chain extender ADR‐4368 and a branching agent maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene. A reaction mechanism was proposed to explain the chain extension and long‐chain branching reactions and was verified by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data. The analysis of the gel permeation chromatography data showed that LCB‐PA6 presented a strong increase in the molecular weight and in the dispersity index. Moreover, the rheological properties of the v‐PA6 and modified PA6 resins were characterized by a dynamic shear test. The LCB‐PA6 compared with CE‐PA6 showed much higher shear viscosity and longer characteristic relaxation times, indicating the presence of an LCB structure. A uniaxial elongation test showed that the LCB‐PA6 had the highest melt viscosity and melt strength as well as most obvious strain‐hardening behavior. A high‐pressure differential scanning calorimeter under compressed CO2 was used to investigate the PA6's crystallization properties so as to analyze its minimum temperature of foaming windows. The melt foamability of the CE‐PA6 and the LCB‐PA6 was verified by batch melt foaming experiments with CO2 as the blowing agent and maximum temperature of foaming windows was also quantitatively determined by numerical simulation of bubble growth based on the rheological measurements. The results showed that the LCB‐PA6 foams had a smaller cell diameter, a larger cell density, a greater expansion ratio, and wider foaming temperature window than the CE‐PA6. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48138.
Immunoelectron Microscopy of Viral Antigens
Authors: Gulati Neetu M. , Torian Udana , Gallagher John R. , Harris Audray K. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractImmunoelectron microscopy is a powerful technique for identifying viral antigens and determining their structural localization and organization within vaccines and viruses. While traditional negative staining transmission electron microscopy provides structural information, identity of components within a sample may be confounding. Immunoelectron microscopy allows for identification and visualization of antigens and their relative positions within a particulate sample. This allows for simple qualitative analysis of samples including whole virus, viral components, and viral‐like particles. This article describes methods for immunogold labeling of viral antigens in a liquid suspension, with examples of immunogold‐labeled influenza virus glycoproteins, and also discusses the important considerations for sample preparation and determination of morphologies. Together, these methods allow for understanding the antigenic makeup of viral particulate samples, which have important implications for molecular virology and vaccine development. © 2019 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Corporate social responsibility and pro‐environmental behavior at workplace: The role of moral reflectiveness, coworker advocacy, and environmental commitment
Authors: Afsar Bilal , Umrani Waheed Ali 
Published: June 2019

AbstractCorporate social responsibility (CSR) is gaining significance in the business world. However, scholars have not sufficiently examined the factors that influence the small, everyday sustainability behaviors that individual employees might choose to perform. It is evident that organizations are continuously contributing toward environmental dilapidation. This may be reduced by focusing employees' involvement in pro‐environmental behaviors. Therefore, this study examined the effect of perceived CSR on employee's pro‐environmental behaviors. In addition, responding to the call for more empirical research regarding the underlying mechanisms that transmit the effect of perceived CSR on microlevel outcomes, this study tested the mediating effects of moral reflectiveness, coworker pro‐environmental advocacy, and environmental commitment on CSR‐pro‐environmental behavior link. The hypothesized relationships of the research model were tested using the structural equation modeling technique. Data were collected from 560 employees through a survey. Results showed that perceived CSR directly impacted moral reflectiveness, coworker pro‐environmental advocacy, and environmental commitment. Moral reflectiveness and coworker pro‐environmental advocacy significantly and positively influenced environmental commitment. Moral reflectiveness, coworker pro‐environmental advocacy, and environmental commitment partially mediated the relationship between perceived CSR and employee pro‐environmental behavior. This study aims to fill the gap of the underlying mechanism that how perceived CSR affects employee pro‐environmental behavior.
Plant community responses to environmentally friendly piste management in northeast Iran
Authors: Erfanian Mohammad Bagher , Ejtehadi Hamid , Vaezi Jamil , Moazzeni Hamid , Memariani Farshid , Firouz‐Jahantigh Mohammad 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIt is well‐known that pistes have adverse effects on alpine ecosystems. Previous studies urged that pistes should be installed and managed in the ways to minimize negative impacts on natural habitats. However, the impacts of this type of management on the plant communities are not widely studied. The aim of this study was to examine species composition and biodiversity changes in an environmentally friendly managed piste in northeast Iran. This piste has been established in a previously degraded alpine landscape. For the vegetation survey, we sampled 44 within and 28 off‐piste plots. Except for the piste management, other environmental factors were similar between the piste and off‐piste plots. Dominant species were determined, and variation in community composition of the two areas was visualized. Also, native species, phylogenetic, and functional Hill diversity of the two areas were compared. The results showed that there was a moderate differentiation in the species composition of the piste and off‐piste. Two palatable species (i.e., Bupleurum falcatum and Melica persica) were dominant in the piste and were not recorded in the off‐piste. The diversity calculations results showed that the species diversity of the piste was higher than that of the off‐piste. Phylogenetic diversity at the level of frequent and dominant plants showed a similar result. The piste had a higher functional diversity in terms of functional richness, and functional diversity of frequent and dominant plants. Our findings imply, after 10 years, species, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of the piste is significantly improved. Environmentally friendly piste management (EFPM) induced species composition change that led to emerging species that were absent in the off‐piste. We can conclude that EFPM led to restoration of a degraded landscape. Long‐term impacts of EFPM are still unknown, therefore, caution should be undertaken regarding the installation of new environmentally friendly pistes in other areas.
Comparative evaluation on IMES and the other positioning systems for navigation performance in a ship
Authors: Namie Hiromune , Kubo Nobuaki , Suzuki Osamu , Kojima Chie , Aiko Yasuhiko 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn this study, an indoor messaging system (IMES) was used to determine walking positions in an indoor environment at rates of 50 and 250 bps in a ship, transmitting powers of −65 and −85 dBm. Furthermore, Bluetooth low energy beacon and wireless LAN (Wi‐Fi) access point were also used. The results confirm that the best tracking of pedestrians in an indoor environment is achieved using IMES with a transmitter in a ship. The results of these experiments will be useful for new IMES/Global Navigation Satellite System chip set designs.
Analyzing airborne environmental DNA: A comparison of extraction methods, primer type, and trap type on the ability to detect airborne eDNA from terrestrial plant communities
Authors: Johnson Mark D. , Cox Robert D. , Barnes Matthew A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAirborne environmental DNA (eDNA) research has typically focused on the detection of pollen from anemophilous terrestrial plant species; however, recent findings have expanded the definition of airborne eDNA to include a variety of eDNA sources, such as leaf and flower fragments. While methods for capturing pollen are well studied, there is less known about how to best analyze and capture more broadly defined bulk airborne eDNA samples. Therefore, this study aimed to identify efficient techniques for the extraction and amplification of airborne eDNA and how best to capture these samples. First, we collected samples using Big Spring Number Eight dust traps and quantified the influence of three different extraction methods (cetrimonium bromide‐chloroform, DNeasy Plant Maxi Kit, and DNeasy PowerPlant Pro DNA Isolation Kit) and two global plant primer sets (targeting the trnL and ITS2 genes) on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)‐based terrestrial plant detection. Additionally, we examined how best to capture airborne eDNA by comparing the performance of three difference passive dust collectors (Big Spring Number Eight, Modified Wilson and Cooke, and Marble dust collectors). We found that the detection of airborne eDNA was significantly influenced by both the extraction methods employed and choice of qPCR primer. Additionally, we found that all three traps preformed similarly but the Big Spring Number Eight dust traps trended as consistently one of the most effective, shedding light on the nonhomogeneous nature of airborne eDNA. This study represents the first methodology paper focusing on airborne eDNA as a bulk environmental sample containing more than just pollen. In the future, additional research should examine more about the ecology of airborne eDNA (origin, state, transport, fate), explore active dust collectors compared to the passive traps used here, and develop the application of metabarcoding for airborne eDNA analysis.
The detection of aquatic macroorganisms using environmental DNA analysis—A review of methods for collection, extraction, and detection
Authors: Tsuji Satsuki , Takahara Teruhiko , Doi Hideyuki , Shibata Naoki , Yamanaka Hiroki 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe field of environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has rapidly developed over the past decade and the technique has become widely used for detecting aquatic macroorganisms in a variety of habitats. However, a variety of measurement protocols have been individually developed for different eDNA studies and this may lead to confusion for others who wish to incorporate eDNA analysis in their research. It is important therefore to synthesize the current status of—and future challenges to—the methodology of eDNA analysis. We here synthesized the protocols from total 438 published eDNA studies detecting aquatic macroorganisms were used to calculate the frequency of using each method in eDNA analysis steps. We found that the frequency of methods used converged to one or two methods for any analysis step. Furthermore, although the procedure with highest frequency is not always the best, it was shown that the eDNA collection by filtration and subsequent extraction/purification using a DNeasy Blood and Tissue DNA extraction kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) or PowerWater DNA Extraction Kit (Qiagen) is the most common procedure. An understanding of the characteristics of commonly used methods can help those newly engaged in eDNA studies to understand the basic outline of eDNA analysis. Our review will be useful for the future improvement and development of analytical eDNA techniques of eDNA by sharing the recognition of methodological characteristic including advantages and disadvantages in major analytical techniques.
Medical therapy doses at hospital discharge in patients with existing and de novo heart failure
Authors: Diamant Michael J. , Virani Sean A. , MacKenzie Winston J. , Ignaszewski Andrew , Toma Mustafa , Hawkins Nathaniel M. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAimsUptitrating angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACE‐I/ARBs), beta‐blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) to optimal doses in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with improved outcomes and recommended in guidelines. Studies of ambulatory patients found that a minority are prescribed optimal doses. However, dose at hospital discharge has rarely been reported. This information may guide quality improvement initiatives during and following discharge.Methods and resultsWe assessed 370 consecutive patients with HFrEF hospitalized at two centres in Vancouver, Canada. Of those without contraindications, 86.4%, 93.4%, and 44.7% were prescribed an ACE‐I/ARB/sacubitril–valsartan, beta‐blocker, or MRA, respectively. The proportion of eligible patients prescribed target dose was respectively 28.6%, 31.7%, and 4.1%. Forty‐two of 248 eligible patients (16.9%) were prescribed ≥50% of target dose, and only three patients received target dosing of all three medication classes. In multivariate regression models, cardiologist involvement in care was independently associated with increased dose and prescription of ≥50% of target dose for all medications, whereas a history of HF was only predictive for beta‐blockers.ConclusionsIn a single‐region experience of hospitalized HFrEF patients, a high proportion of eligible patients were discharged on ACE‐I/ARB or beta‐blocker. Less than half were prescribed MRAs, and few were prescribed ≥50% or target dosing of all medications. Further exploration into barriers to medication uptitration, and improvement in processes of care, is needed.
Dielectrophoretic deformation of breast cancer cells for lab on a chip applications
Authors: Chan Jun Yuan , Ahmad Kayani Aminuddin Bin , Md Ali Mohd Anuar , Kok Chee Kuang , Ramdzan Buyong Muhamad , Hoe Susan Ling Ling , Marzuki Marini , Soo‐Beng Khoo Alan , Sriram Sharath , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis paper presents the development and experimental analysis of a curved microelectrode platform for the DEP deformation of breast cancer cells (MDA‐MB‐231). The platform is composed of arrays of curved DEP microelectrodes which are patterned onto a glass slide and samples containing MDA‐MB‐231 cells are pipetted onto the platform's surface. Finite element method is utilised to characterise the electric field gradient and DEP field. The performance of the system is assessed with MDA‐MB‐231 cells in a low conductivity 1% DMEM suspending medium. We applied sinusoidal wave AC potential at peak to peak voltages of 2, 5, and 10 Vpp at both 10 kHz and 50 MHz. We observed cell blebbing and cell shrinkage and analyzed the percentage of shrinkage of the cells. The experiments demonstrated higher percentage of cell shrinkage when cells are exposed to higher frequency and peak to peak voltage electric field.
Modelling rocking response via equivalent viscous damping
Authors: Tomassetti Umberto , Graziotti Francesco , Sorrentino Luigi , Penna Andrea 
Published: June 2019

SummaryThe assessment of the out‐of‐plane response of masonry structures has been largely investigated in literature assuming that walls respond as rigid or semi‐rigid bodies, and relevant equations of motion of single‐degree‐of‐freedom and multi‐degree of freedom systems have been proposed. Therein, energy dissipation has been usually modelled resorting to the classical hypotheses of impulsive dynamics, delivering a velocity‐reduction coefficient of restitution applied at impact. In fewer works, a velocity‐proportional damping force has been introduced, by means of a viscous coefficient being constant or variable. A review of such models is presented, a criterion for equivalence of dissipated energy is proposed, equations predicting equivalent viscous damping ratios are derived and compared with experimental responses. Finally, predictive equations are examined in terms of incremental dynamic analyses for large sets of natural ground motions.
Ultrasonic‐pretreated lipase‐catalyzed synthesis of medium–long–medium lipids using different fatty acids as sn‐2 acyl‐site donors
Authors: Wang Qiang , Xie Yuejie , Johnson David R. , Li Yuanyuan , He Zhifei , Li Hongjun 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe current work aimed to evaluate the effect of ultrasonic treatment on the enzymatic transesterification of medium–long–medium (MLM) lipids using 2‐monoacylglycerol, bearing distinct fatty acids at the sn‐2 position with palmitic acid, octadecanoic acid, oleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acids as sn‐2 acyl donors. The effects of ultrasonic treatment conditions, including substrate concentration, reaction temperature and time, and enzyme loading, on the insertion of fatty acids into the sn‐2 acyl position of MLM lipids were investigated. The data showed that low‐frequency ultrasonic treatment could remarkably improve the insertion rate of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) into the sn‐2 position of MLM lipids, compared with the conventional treatment method. By increasing the ultrasonic frequency from 20 to 30 KHz, while maintaining power at 150 W, the rate of synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acid and PUFA increased from 23.7% and 26.8% to 26.6% and 32.4% (p < 0.05), respectively. Moreover, ultrasonic treatment reduced the optimum reaction temperature from 45 to 35°C. However, the activity of Lipozyme RM‐IM treated with ultrasound considerably declined from 31.10% to 26.90% (p < 0.05) after its fourth cycle, which was lower than that without ultrasonic treatment. This work provokes new routes for the utilization of ultrasonic technology in the synthesis of MLM lipids using different fatty acids as sn‐2 acyl donors.
Implication of evaporative loss estimation methods in discharge and water temperature modelling in cool temperate climates
Authors: Ouellet‐Proulx Sébastien , St‐Hilaire André , Boucher Marie‐Amélie 
Published: June 2019

AbstractEvaporative flux is a key component of hydrological budgets. Water loss through evapotranspiration reduces volumes available for run‐off. The transition from liquid to water vapour on open water surfaces requires heat. Consequently, evaporation act as a cooling mechanism during summer. Both river discharge and water temperature simulations are thus influenced by the methods used to model evaporation. In this paper, the impact of evapotranspiration estimation methods on simulated discharge is assessed using a semidistributed model on two Canadian watersheds. The impact of evaporation estimation methods on water temperature simulations is also evaluated. Finally, the validity of using the same formulation to simulate both of these processes is verified. Five well‐known evapotranspiration models and five evaporation models with different wind functions were tested. Results show a large disparity (18–22% of mean annual total evapotranspiration) among the evapotranspiration methods, leading to important differences in simulated discharge (3–25% of observed discharge). Larger differences result from evaporation estimation methods with mean annual divergences of 34–48%. This translates into a difference in mean summer water temperature of 1–15%. Results also show that the choice of model parameter has less influence than the choice of evapotranspiration method in discharge simulations. However, the parameter values influence thermal simulations in the same order of magnitude as the choice of evaporation estimation method. Overall, the results of this study suggest that evapotranspiration and open water evaporation should be represented separately in a hydrological modelling framework, especially when water temperature simulations are required.
Magnetic resonance imaging versus transvaginal ultrasound for complete survey of the pelvic compartments among patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis
Authors: Hernández Gutiérrez Alicia , Spagnolo Emanuela , Hidalgo Paula , López Ana , Zapardiel Ignacio , Rodriguez Roberto 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) in detecting deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), using Enzian classification. Secondarily, to evaluate the influence of nodule size on the accuracy of MRI and TVU.MethodsA retrospective study was carried out at “La Paz” University Hospital, Madrid, Spain, between April 2012 and December 2014. Inclusion criteria were suspicion of DIE at gynecologic examination, indication to undergo TVU, MRI and surgery. Exclusion criteria were previous hysterectomy, bowel resection, or urinary tract surgery. The diagnosis of DIE using MRI or TVU was considered positive when it correlated with histology. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and mean size of the nodule were calculated.ResultsIn the present study involving 48 women, TVU demonstrated greater accuracy than MRI for recto‐vaginal (77% vs 69%) and vaginal (94% vs 89%) endometriosis. MRI showed greater accuracy (96%) than TVU (92%) for bladder endometriosis. The size of the nodule did not have a significantly different effect on the accuracy of TVU compared with MRI.ConclusionIn the present study, TVU provided a more accurate localization of vaginal and recto‐vaginal endometriosis as compared with MRI; however, MRI should be recommended if a suspicion of bladder endometriosis exists. The nodule size did not seem to influence the accuracy of the two techniques.
AN INVESTIGATION AND CONDITION ASSESSMENT OF THE EXISTING WATER CONTROL INFRASTRUCTURE IN SELECTED SMALLHOLDER IRRIGATION SCHEMES: CASE OF TUGELA FERRY IRRIGATION SCHEME AND MOOI RIVER IRRIGATION SCHEME, SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Dirwai T.L. , Senzanje A. , Mudhara M. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis study investigated and evaluated the condition of the existing water conveyance, storage and control infrastructure in the Mooi River Irrigation Scheme (MRIS) and the Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme (TFIS), in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. An infrastructure condition assessment (ICA) was undertaken based on inspections and condition scoring or grading. In addition, technical experts were consulted to determine the weights of the structural evaluation criteria using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Furthermore, the fishbone ‘Ishikawa’ diagram and the relative causal index (RCI) method were used to carry out the root cause analysis (RCA). For RCI, questionnaires were administered to stakeholders to capture their perception of the causal factors. According to the study, the fishbone ‘Ishikawa’ diagram characterized and identified 23 probable causal factors that led to infrastructure dilapidation. The RCI quantified the causal factors and revealed the converging points between technical experts (te) and the extension workers (ex) regarding causal factors. The converging causal factors were related to maintenance (RCIte = 0.8, RCIex = 0.7), people (RCIte = 0.7, RCIex = 0.7), institutions (RCIte = 0.7, RCIex = 0.6) and the environment (RCIte = 0.8, RCIex = 0.7). The study further revealed that the stakeholders involved had points of divergence on causes of infrastructure decay. Follow‐up questionnaires were again administered to discover the reasons for diverging thoughts. The study recommends participatory engagement in process and procedure design for enhanced infrastructure conditions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.