bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tribo‐chemical smoothening process with silica nanoparticles
Authors: Jin L. , Scheerer H. , Andersohn G. , Oechsner M. , Hellmann D. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractAdditional silica (silicon dioxide) nanoparticles were added in the tribo‐gap to prevent the severe abrasive wear. The method was a flat surface‐contact reciprocating sliding test between the sintered silicon carbide surfaces with water lubrication. Before testing, the silica nanoparticles were added in the tribo‐gap. These silica nanoparticles acted as a buffer layer during the initial running‐in, thus the abrasion risk was decreased. After running‐in, the silicon carbide surface was tribo‐chemically smoothened without severe abrasion. Comparing to the same tests without silica nanoparticles, the same ultra‐low friction state (friction coefficient was approx. 0.01) was built, and the running‐in period was shortened by 80 %. As has been well reported, the tribo‐chemical smoothening process for silicon carbide needs abundant water, e. g., in the point‐contact tests. However, in the surface‐contact case, water is locally insufficient, which induces severe wear. The preset silica nanoparticles can solve this wear problem. Therefore, it is not necessary to polish the silicon carbide surfaces as the seal faces in mechanical seals. Instead, a pair of rough silicon carbide surfaces can be pressed onto each other and then proceed to a running‐in with preset silica nanoparticles. After running‐in, a pair of precisely mated tribo‐chemically smoothened surfaces can be naturally obtained.
Technical Note: A method for quality assurance of landmark sets for use in evaluation of deformable image registration accuracy of lung parenchyma
Authors: Guy Christopher L. , Weiss Elisabeth , Jan Nuzhat , Christensen Gary E. , Hugo Geoffrey D. 
Published: December 2018

PurposeTo develop a quality control method to improve the accuracy of corresponding landmark sets used for deformable image registration (DIR) evaluation in the lung parenchyma.MethodsAn iterative workflow was developed as a method for quality assurance of landmark sets. Starting with the initial landmark set for a given image pair, a landmark‐based deformation was applied to one of the images. A difference image and a color overlay were generated using the deformed image and the other image of the pair. Inspection of these generated images at locations of landmarks allowed for the identification of misplaced landmarks. The observer responsible for creating the initial landmark set was tasked with review and revision of points flagged by the quality assurance procedure. Using the updated landmark sets, the process was repeated until all points were acceptable to the reviewer.ResultsEighteen landmark sets, containing a mean (SD) of 170 (31) landmarks, were created using CT images from non‐small cell lung cancer patients exhibiting large geometric changes and atelectasis resolution, making landmark specification challenging. Following the quality assurance procedure, the final landmark sets contained a mean (SD) of 165 (25) landmarks, as points too difficult to match were removed and points were added to regions deficient in landmarks. For landmark sets in which changes were made, maximum and mean differences in landmark positions before and after quality assurance ranged between 8.7–81.5 mm and 0.3–9.6 mm, respectively.ConclusionsAn effective method for improving the accuracy of landmark correspondence was presented. This quality assurance approach enables more accurate evaluation of DIR for lung parenchyma in clinical image pairs in the absence of a ground truth deformation and may be applicable to other feature‐rich anatomical sites.
Quantification of the electrostatic and covalent interaction between whey proteins and low methoxyl pectin using PFG‐NMR diffusometry
Authors: Setiowati Arima Diah , Vermeir Lien , De Neve Lorenz , Sedaghat Doost Ali , Sinnaeve Davy , Van der Meeren Paul 
Published: December 2018

AbstractAs interaction between proteins and polysaccharides is expected to change the average diffusion coefficient and the distribution width, it is believed that NMR diffusometry can be a useful tool to study and quantify the interaction between whey protein isolate (WPI) and low methoxyl pectin (LMP). For this purpose, the influence of pH, dry‐heat‐treatment duration, and WPI to LMP ratio on WPI and LMP interaction was evaluated using pulsed field gradient NMR. At pH 5.0 and 5.5, approximately 40–50% of the WPI present in the mixture interacted with LMP through electrostatic interaction. Hence, it is important to measure the degree of covalent interaction at a pH where electrostatic interaction between WPI and LMP is limited. The diffusion coefficient of WPI gradually decreased as the mixtures of WPI and LMP were incubated for 1, 2, 8, and 16 days, which was accompanied by an increase in the distribution width. With regard to the LMP concentration, the higher the LMP concentration, the higher the amount of WPI bound to LMP and the smaller the diffusion coefficient of WPI. Overall, the results indicate that NMR diffusometry enables the quantification of the interaction in biopolymer mixtures. Whereas the results showed a similar trend as that obtained via chemical analysis, pulsed field gradient NMR does not require any sample pretreatment.
Constitutive modeling of inherent anisotropy in a strain space multiple mechanism model for granular materials
Authors: Ueda Kyohei , Iai Susumu 
Published: December 2018

SummaryConsideration of fabric anisotropy is crucial to gaining an improved understanding of the behavior of granular materials. This paper presents a constitutive model to describe the sand behavior associated with fabric anisotropy within a framework of a strain space multiple mechanism model. In the proposed model, a second‐order fabric tensor is extended by incorporating a new function that represents the effect of inherent (or initial fabric) anisotropy, along with three additional parameters: two of them, a1 and a2, control the degree of anisotropy, and the second mode of inherent anisotropy can be expressed by introducing the parameter a2 as well as the first mode by the parameter a1. The third parameter, θ0, expresses the principal direction of inherent anisotropy (eg, the normal vector direction of bedding planes relative to horizontal axis). The formulation of the dilative component of dilatancy (ie, positive dilatancy) is also extended to consider the effect of inherent anisotropy based on the interlocking mechanism. Experimental data on the complex anisotropic responses of Fraser River sand and Toyoura sand under monotonic loading is used to validate this model. The proposed model is shown to successfully capture anisotropic responses, which become contractive or dilative depending on different principal‐stress directions, with a single set of anisotropy parameters; thus, the model is considered to possess the capability to simulate the anisotropic behaviors of granular materials. In addition to different loadings on the same fabric, the effects of different fabric anisotropies upon the sand behavior under the same loadings are also investigated.
A biocultural analysis of mortuary practices in the later Anglo‐Saxon to Anglo‐Norman Black Gate Cemetery, Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne, England
Authors: Swales Diana Mahoney 
Published: December 2018

AbstractThe lack of grave goods in cemeteries from later Anglo‐Saxon England (eighth to 11th century AD) has in the past been interpreted as reflecting standardisation of burial rites dictated by Christian doctrine. This study employed a biocultural approach to investigate whether variations in mortuary practices such as burial location, grave form, and body disposition within the eighth to 12th‐century Black Gate Cemetery, Newcastle‐upon‐Tyne represented alternative mediums of social display.Skeletal markers commonly associated with early life stress (cribra orbitalia and linear enamel hypoplasia), non‐specific stress (tibial periosteal lesions and maxillary sinusitis), oral health (calculus, caries, abscesses, and ante‐mortem tooth loss), and biomechanical stress (appendicular and spinal degenerative joint disease and trauma) were examined macroscopically on the skeletal remains of 643 individuals. The aim of the analysis was to investigate whether patterns in age, sex, and biological stress in the different burial locations, burial types, and body positions evidenced social status or sociocultural relationships between the different mortuary practices.Demographic and biocultural analysis revealed the inclusion of males, females, non‐adults, and the elderly in all of the mortuary practices, and no evidence for marked inequalities in biological stress between those afforded the different burial practices. The dominant influence for non‐significant trends in the stress data was variation in age‐structure between different areas of burial. However, non‐significant but consistently higher frequencies of stress indicators were observed in graves containing stone inclusions (pillow stones, head‐cists, and earmuffs) compared with those constructed from stone (cists and rubble cists) and plain burials, all burial practices with a similar mortality profile.The distribution of age and stress indicators between the mortuary practices placed in the wider sociocultural context provided a deeper insight into the complex contribution of social relationships, life‐course, pragmatism, regional and temporal trends, and cultural and religious beliefs upon treatment of the deceased.
Novel ranking of protective and risk factors for adolescent adiposity in US females
Authors: Narla A. , Rehkopf D. H. 
Published: December 2018

SummaryObjectiveRank the importance of potentially modifiable psychosocial, dietary and environmental risk and protective factors for female adolescent obesity in order to target and inform public health prevention efforts. Utilizing the largest dataset available that captures the onset of the adolescent obesity surge in the USA, the study provides a more robust understanding of paediatric obesity risk factors.MethodsData were obtained from an observational, longitudinal study conducted between 1989 and 2001, the NHLBI Growth and Health Study. This study includes girls aged 9–19 years from three urban US locations, with Black and White girls generally represented equally. Data were analysed using multiple regression, random forest and propensity score matching to determine the strongest adiposity risk and protective factors during ages 9–12 predicting adiposity at age 19 with multiple methods to maximize the ability to identify possible public health interventions. Multiple linear regression and random forest analysis identified the strongest associations among 288 risk and protective factors selected from the study's literature review. For the 190 factors associated with follow‐up adiposity from the data, propensity score matching was used to control for confounding of these factors.ResultsFindings suggest that highest priority interventional targets across the domains surveyed are lowering specific nutrients; eating meals with others or during activities without skipping; parents fixing evening snacks; improving perceptions of non‐extremes as the healthy weight; improving self‐worth, physical activity and social competence; and limiting any negative impact of dieting relatives. Similar associations were observed for Black and White girls.ConclusionThe clinical implications of these findings allow health practitioners to target behavioural change efforts and address social and environmental factors that have demonstrated higher prioritization value for early obesity interventional efforts for adolescents.
Cancer survivors' experiences with breakdowns in patient‐centered communication
Authors: Street Richard L. , Spears Erica , Madrid Sarah , Mazor Kathleen M. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractObjectiveThis study analyzed cancer survivors' communication experiences that fell short of being patient‐centered. Patients' descriptions of communication “breakdowns” were analyzed according to domain (eg, information exchange, fostering relationships, and managing emotions), whether it was a breakdown of commission (what was communicated) or omission (what should have been communicated) and whether it involved a clinician or the health care organization.MethodsCancer survivors (from an online panel of patients) completed the Patients Assessment of Communication Experience measure. Ratings less than “excellent” elicited a prompt asking where communication fell short. Communication breakdowns were categorized as one of commission/omission, if it involved a clinician/health care system, and within which communication domain. Thematic analysis explored how communication breakdowns affected respondents' cancer care experiences.ResultsOverall communication was rated as less than excellent by 153 respondents, of which 79 identified a specific communication breakdown. Over half (n = 43, 54%) were problems of omission, mostly attributed to interaction with health care organizations (n = 25). Breakdowns of commission (n = 36, 46%) occurred primarily within clinical encounters (n = 32). Most breakdowns were problems of information exchange (49%) or fostering relationships (27%). Three overarching themes emerged—emotional fallout from unmet information needs, inattention to patient perspective, and uncertainty about navigation and team communication.ConclusionsPatient‐centered communication breakdowns create distress that worsens patients' cancer care experiences. Communication skills training for clinicians should address listening, perspective taking, and assessing/satisfying patients' information and emotional needs. Health care organizations should enhance processes to provide timely, useful information to patients.
Partner‐specific prediction of RNA‐binding residues in proteins: A critical assessment
Authors: Jung Yong , EL‐Manzalawy Yasser , Dobbs Drena , Honavar Vasant G. 
Published: December 2018

AbstractRNA‐protein interactions play essential roles in regulating gene expression. While some RNA‐protein interactions are “specific”, that is, the RNA‐binding proteins preferentially bind to particular RNA sequence or structural motifs, others are “non‐RNA specific.” Deciphering the protein‐RNA recognition code is essential for comprehending the functional implications of these interactions and for developing new therapies for many diseases. Because of the high cost of experimental determination of protein‐RNA interfaces, there is a need for computational methods to identify RNA‐binding residues in proteins. While most of the existing computational methods for predicting RNA‐binding residues in RNA‐binding proteins are oblivious to the characteristics of the partner RNA, there is growing interest in methods for partner‐specific prediction of RNA binding sites in proteins. In this work, we assess the performance of two recently published partner‐specific protein‐RNA interface prediction tools, PS‐PRIP, and PRIdictor, along with our own new tools. Specifically, we introduce a novel metric, RNA‐specificity metric (RSM), for quantifying the RNA‐specificity of the RNA binding residues predicted by such tools. Our results show that the RNA‐binding residues predicted by previously published methods are oblivious to the characteristics of the putative RNA binding partner. Moreover, when evaluated using partner‐agnostic metrics, RNA partner‐specific methods are outperformed by the state‐of‐the‐art partner‐agnostic methods. We conjecture that either (a) the protein‐RNA complexes in PDB are not representative of the protein‐RNA interactions in nature, or (b) the current methods for partner‐specific prediction of RNA‐binding residues in proteins fail to account for the differences in RNA partner‐specific versus partner‐agnostic protein‐RNA interactions, or both.
A clay‐based formulation of the herbicide imazaquin containing exclusively the biologically active enantiomer
Authors: López‐Cabeza Rocío , Poiger Thomas , Cornejo Juan , Celis Rafael 
Published: December 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDImazaquin is a chiral herbicide which displays high mobility in soils. Like other imidazolinones, imazaquin is available for use only as racemic mixture of its enantiomers. In this work, several clay materials were assayed as adsorbents of imazaquin, and then the most suitable material was selected to prepare a clay‐based slow release imazaquin nanoformulation containing exclusively the biologically active R‐enantiomer. Next, laboratory experiments were conducted to illustrate the benefits of using the clay‐based R‐imazaquin formulation over the free (non‐supported) racemic herbicide or the free pure R‐imazaquin enantiomer regarding its leaching behavior and bioefficacy.RESULTSThe clay material selected as a carrier for R‐imazaquin, hexadecyltrimethylammonium‐saturated montmorillonite (SA‐HDTMA), combined a high affinity for the herbicide and a high stability of the clay‐herbicide adsorption complex. In a simulated scenario of high water input shortly after herbicide application, the clay‐based R‐imazaquin formulation displayed reduced leaching and increased bioefficacy compared to free racemic imazaquin and free R‐imazaquin.CONCLUSIONThe new clay‐R‐imazaquin formulation prepared, besides avoiding the environmental impact caused by the application of the less active S‐enantiomer, reduced the herbicide leaching losses and prolonged the herbicidal activity, by increasing the residence time of the herbicide in the topsoil. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Small rodent species on pig and dairy farms: habitat selection and distribution
Authors: Lovera Rosario , Fernández María Soledad , Cavia Regino 
Published: December 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDRodent species are common in livestock production systems, and some of them are considered serious pests because of the sanitary problems and economic losses they cause. Information about microhabitat selection by rodent species in livestock production systems is necessary for understanding rodent requirements and to contribute to effective prevention and development of control measures for pest rodent species. In this work we study microhabitat selection by rodent species that inhabit pig and dairy farms in central Argentina. Rodent trapping was conducted over three years (2008–2011) on 18 livestock farms, each one sampled seasonally during one year. To study habitat selection, microhabitat characterizations were performed describing 22 environmental variables in captured sites and random trap sites without captures.RESULTSWith a trapping effort of 7333 Sherman and 7026 cage live trap‐nights, 444 rodents of seven species were captured (including the murine pest species Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus and Mus musculus and four native species). The three murines selected characteristics related to building structure and/or to food sources availability/proximity, while Akodon azarae selected sites with tall herbatious vegetation.CONCLUSIONSWe identified microhabitat characteristics that explain habitat distribution of small rodent species in these complex farm systems. This study contributes to broaden the integrated pest management of rodent pest species and could also contribute to the reduction of the use of rodenticides in these systems. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Simulation and diagnosis of observation, model and background error contributions in data assimilation cycling
Authors: Berre Loïk 
Published: December 2018

Data assimilation is usually cycled in time, through a temporal succession of analysis and forecast steps. This implies that forecast errors arise from contributions of observation, model and background errors, which are introduced during successive steps of the cycling. A linearized expansion of forecast errors is here considered, in order to derive expressions and estimates of respective accumulated contributions of these different errors with varying ages. Experiments are conducted in the context of the Météo‐France global numerical weather prediction system ARPEGE.Formal and experimental results indicate that old background errors, which contain all error components arising from corresponding previous cycles, are dampened by successive steps of the cycling, so that they become negligible after a 4‐day period. It is then shown that the variance contribution of recent observation errors tends to converge in time like a power series, within 4 days. This leads the observation error contribution variance to be globally stable in time, which can be interpreted as an approximate compensation between damping of old observation errors and accumulation of recent observation errors. Ensemble experiments and innovation‐based diagnostics are also used to estimate and compare model error contributions with observation error contributions. Such model error diagnostics are likely to be useful e.g. for calibrating model error parametrization schemes in ensemble systems.
Integral sliding mode control for Euler‐Lagrange systems with input saturation
Authors: Guo Yong , Huang Bing , Li Ai‐jun , Wang Chang‐qing 
Published: December 2018

SummaryThis paper investigates the robust control for the Euler‐Lagrange (EL) system with input saturation by using the integral sliding mode control and adaptive control. An integral sliding mode surface that is suitable for solving the problem of the input constraint is given based on the saturation function. By using the integral sliding mode surface, two robust antisaturation controllers are designed for the EL system with external disturbances. The first controller can deal with the external disturbances with known bounds, whereas the second one can compensate the external disturbances with unknown bounds by using the adaptive control. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed controllers is demonstrated by strict theoretical analysis and numerical simulations.
A discrete‐time nonlinear state observer for the anaerobic digestion process
Authors: Chaib Draa K. , Zemouche A. , Alma M. , Voos H. , Darouach M. 
Published: December 2018

SummaryThis paper is concerned with the design of an LMI‐based
discrete‐time nonlinear state observer for an anaerobic digestion model. In presence of disturbances in both the dynamics of the model and the output measurement signals, the proposed observer robustly estimates all state variables including bacteria concentrations, which are costly and difficult to measure. In the goal to increase applicability of the proposed observer for other systems, we present the theoretical results in a general way. First, due to the use of Young's inequality in a convenient way, we get new sufficient conditions, expressed in terms of bilinear matrix inequalities (BMIs), ensuring the
criterion. Then, to render the BMIs convex, two alternative solutions are proposed, where both lead to linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions. It is shown analytically and numerically that these two solutions provide less conservative LMI conditions compared to the existing methods in the literature. To validate the proposed methodology on a real‐world model, an application to an anaerobic digestion model is given.