bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of cereal diseases on the qualitative traits of spring barley breeding lines
Authors: Zawieja Bogna , Bakinowska Ewa , Bichoński Andrzej , Pilarczyk Wiesław 
Published: June 2017

Summary
The differences between individual breeding lines of spring barley and a control variety were tested in terms of several measured (continuous) and qualitative traits. The impact of the qualitative traits (diseases) on the quantitative traits, especially yield, was assessed on the basis of the significance of differences for both qualitative traits and yield. Depending on the type of trait, either a logistic model or analysis of variance was used as a statistical tool. The statistically significant differences between some breeding lines and the control variety were shown. It was observed that in fodder barley both infection by mildew and lodging influenced yield. The results of analyses obtained in the so-called pre-preliminary trials and preliminary trials were different. This fact confirmed the necessity of repeating trials over several years.
Target language use by teachers co-teaching tomorrow's teachers of Chinese
Authors: Medwell Jane , Richardson Katherine , Li Li 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThis paper reports an exploratory study of a Native Speaker Teacher (NST) of Mandarin Chinese and a Primary Languages Teacher (PLT) teaching Chinese to English pre-service primary school teachers, and is particularly focused on the use of target language (TL) by these two co-teachers.Although some studies of TL use have compared the use of target language by native and non-native speakers teaching individually, there are no studies which examine target language use in a native and non-native co-teaching situation, or relate this to the background experience of the teachers. The data collected in this study included observations of planning meetings between both teachers, observations of the teaching of the program, and interviews with both teachers.This paper focuses upon the use of target language by the Chinese Native speaker teacher (NST) and the English Primary Languages Teacher (PLT) and the ways in which this changed and developed across the teaching sessions, as well as the relationship between their TL use, background and beliefs about language teaching in the program. Findings of this study show that, even in a co-teaching situation, target language use by the native speaker teacher and the primary languages teacher differed substantially in terms of their practices of and their beliefs about use of target language, and both were influenced by their own cultures of learning. The results also suggest that working together changed the teaching behavior of both teachers and enabled them to reflect critically on their prior assumptions.
来华留学生汉语学习动机变化成因分析——基于作文文本的定性分析
Authors: 丁 安琪 
Published: June 2017

提要在来华学习汉语的过程中，留学生汉语学习动机会产生或增强或消减的变化。造成动机变化的成因非常复杂。本文在对181篇留学生作文进行文本分析的基础上，将其汉语学习动机变化成因归纳为9类：教师因素、教材因素、同学因素、自信心、社会文化认同、汉语学习态度、汉语语言因素、课堂教学因素以及应对困难的措施等。这些因素既能引起动机的增强，也能引起动机的消减，但他们对动机增强与消减所起的作用并不完全相同，其中社会文化认同因素在动机增强与消减中都是最重要的因素。
A review on corrosion protection with single-layer, multilayer, and composites of graphene
Authors: Gergely András 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn this review, most of the works are attempted to cover about corrosion protection of metals with molecular-tight atomic thin carbon layers of all sorts of graphene derivatives from the very beginning to the latest theoretical and experimental research findings, so as engineering achievements in the field up to date. Although high and tuneable electrical conductivity of graphene is the main feature exploited in majority of the applications such as catalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, low electrical but high chemical resistivity electrodes in batteries, and ultracapacitors, corrosion protection of metals favours the opposite – good physical separation and electrical insulation. Both of the latter ones lead to durable excellent protection, which can only be ensured by special design and implementation. Thus, the milestones of major hardships both on theoretical and practical sides are delineated similarly as utmost developments in circumventing all problems with an aim to ensure timely transfer from the research phase to successful industry utilisations. Relying on numerous works, this paper gives a comprehensive overview in the subjects of preparation, modification, and use of multiple sorts of graphene in the forms of neat, combined layers, and composite coatings on numerous metals. All performance parameters are given in detail. Chronological order of the article serves the purpose to give the reader a clear picture and an important clue on viability of strategies in the aspects of environmental friendliness, attainable maximum durability, and performance of corrosion protection with graphene films, as well as further advancements in the field expected to occur in the near future.
Prediction of Pressure Drop in Venturi Scrubbers by Multi-Gene Genetic Programming and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System
Authors: Esmaeili Hadi , Mohebbi Ali 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Studying the pressure drop in venturi scrubbers had been the subject of many types of researches due to its importance for removing pollutants from polluted gas. In this study, two new approaches based on Multi-Gene Genetic Programming (MGGP) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) were used to predict the pressure drop in venturi scrubbers. The main parameters studied were the throat gas velocity of venturi scrubbers (Vgth), the liquid to gas flow rate ratio (L/G), and the axial distance of the venturi scrubbers (z) as the inputs to the network, while the pressure drop was as the output. One set of experimental data, which was gathered from five different venturi scrubbers including a circular and an adjustable prismatic venturi scrubber with a wetted wall irrigation, a rectangular venturi scrubber and two ejector venturi scrubbers with different throat diameters were applied for this study. The results of ANFIS and MGGP were compared with experimental data and those values from Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) from our previous work. In this work, the coefficient of the determination (i. e. R2 value) was used to show the prediction ability of these new approaches. Results showed that MGGP and ANFIS can accurately predict the pressure drop in venturi scrubbers with R2 values of 0.9972 and 0.9734, respectively. The results also showed that MGGP has more precision than ANFIS and ANNs. Therefore, based on MGGP, two correlations were generated for two clusters of data. The comparison results between one of these correlations (i. e. correlation 1 with R2 value equal to 0.9937) and other models showed that our correlation has a very good precision and can predict the pressure drop in a more agreement with the experimental data.
Expression of genes encoding IGFBPs, SNARK, CD36, and PECAM1 in the liver of mice treated with chromium disilicide and titanium nitride nanoparticles
Authors: Minchenko Dmytro O. , Tsymbal D. O. , Yavorovsky O. P. , Solokha N. V. , Minchenko O. H. 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Objective. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of chromium disilicide and titanium nitride nanoparticles on the expression level of genes encoding important regulatory factors (IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGFBP3, IGFBP4, IGFBP5, SNARK/NUAK2, CD36, and PECAM1/CD31) in mouse liver for evaluation of possible toxic effects of these nanoparticles.
Methods. Male mice received 20 mg chromium disilicide nanoparticles (45 nm) and titanium nitride nanoparticles (20 nm) with food every working day for 2 months. The expression of IGFBP1, IGFBP2, IGFBP3, IGFBP4, IGFBP5, SNARK, CD36, and PECAM1 genes in mouse liver was studied by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
Results. Treatment of mice with chromium disilicide nanoparticles led to down-regulation of the expression of IGFBP2, IGFBP5, PECAM1, and SNARK genes in the liver in comparison with control mice, with more prominent changes for SNARK gene. At the same time, the expression of IGFBP3 and CD36 genes was increased in mouse liver upon treatment with chromium disilicide nanoparticles. We have also shown that treatment with titanium nitride nanoparticles resulted in down-regulation of the expression of IGFBP2 and SNARK genes in the liver with more prominent changes for SNARK gene. At the same time, the expression of IGFBP3, IGFBP4, and CD36 genes was increased in the liver of mice treated with titanium nitride nanoparticles. Furthermore, the effect of chromium disilicide nanoparticles on IGFBP2 and CD36 genes expression was significantly stronger as compared to titanium nitride nanoparticles.
Conclusions. The results of this study demonstrate that chromium disilicide and titanium nitride nanoparticles have variable effects on the expression of IGFBP2, IGFBP3, IGFBP4, IGFBP5, SNARK, CD36, and PECAM1 genes in mouse liver, which may reflect the genotoxic activities of the studied nanoparticles.
Premature ovarian failure could be an alarming sign of polyglandular autoimmune dysfunction
Authors: Saif Aasem , Assem M. 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
A 31-year-old lady, diagnosed to have premature ovarian failure in the gynecology clinic, was referred for endocrine assessment because of an abnormal thyroid function test. Clinical examination revealed hypotension, and fungal skin infection under her atrophic breasts. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level was very high. Assessment of the suprarenal function revealed evidence of Addison’s disease. Polyglandular autoimmune dysfunction was diagnosed. She was treated with prednisone, fludrocortisone, and levothyroxine with significant improvement of her general condition and blood pressure.
The role of thyrostimulin and its potential clinical significance
Authors: Karponis Dimitrios , Ananth S. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThyrostimulin is a glycoprotein heterodimer of GPA2 and GPB5, first described in 2002. It is involved in the physiological function of several tissues. Moreover, evidence points towards the ability of thyrostimulin’s individual monomers to induce a biological effect, which could denote the circulatory/systemic effects of the molecule when found in higher concentrations. From the evolutionary point of view, thyrostimulin shares a binding epitope with the thyroid-stimulating hormone for the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor, whilst possessing affinity for another unique binding site on the same receptor. Although thyrostimulin can be involved in the hypothalamicpituitary- thyroid axis, its presence in various tissues in an eclectic array of different species renders it multifunctional. From weight loss via increasing metabolic rate to progression of cancer in human ovaries, it is certainly not a signaling molecule to overlook. Furthermore, thyrostimulin has been implicated in bone metabolism, acute illness, and reproductive function. In summary, to our knowledge, this is the first review dealing with the physiological role of thyrostimulin and its potential applications in the clinical practice.
Polypropylene/basalt thick film composites: structural, mechanical and dielectric properties
Authors: Alkan Ümit , Karabul Yaşar , Bulgurcuoğlu Ayşe Evrim , Kılıç Mehmet , Özdemir Zeynep Güven , İçelli Orhan 
Published: June 2017

AbstractIn this work, polypropylene/volcanic basalt rock (PP/VBR) thick film composites with different VBR powder mass ratio varying from 0.5 wt.% to 20.0 wt.% were prepared by using the hot press technique. The effects of VBR powder doping on mechanical, structural and dielectric properties of PP were investigated by stress-strain measurements, Fourier transform infrared analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and dielectric spectroscopy methods. The highest tensile strength, percentage strain and energy at break were achieved for 0.5 wt.% VBR powder doped PP composite. According to the stress-percentage strain curves of the samples, it was observed that 0.5 wt.% VBR powder doping increases the mechanical performance of PP polymer. In addition, regardless of the doping concentration level of basalt powder, the real part of complex dielectric function (ε′) of all PP composites display approximately frequency independent behavior between 100 Hz and 1 MHz. On the other hand, 0.5 wt.% VBR powder doped PP composite has also the lowest dielectric constant at the vicinity of 2.7 between 100 Hz and 1 MHz. The composite also has considerably low dielectric loss which has a crucial importance for technological applications. For these reasons, PP/0.5 wt.% VBR composite with the highest tensile strength can be considered as a suitable candidate for microelectronic devices. Furthermore, the alternative current conductivity mechanism was determined as nearly constant loss due to approximately constant dielectric loss between 10 Hz and 1 MHz.
Long-term changes in atmospheric depositions in Slovakia
Authors: Krupová Danica , Bošeľa Michal , Pavlenda Pavel , Tóthová Slávka 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
The aim of this paper was to analyse temporal changes in chemism of atmospheric deposition in Slovakia. Two kinds of deposition, bulk and throughfall were considered and analysed for the period of 1996-2010. Data acquired from permanent monitoring plots (PMP) of Level II were used for this purpose. These plots were established as a part of the ICP Forests Programme. The changes in the composition of deposition were identified for the spruce and beech plots. The results were compared among three spruce plots, two beech plots and one mixed spruce-beech-fir plot. Precipitation pH was higher on the beech than on the spruce plots and during the spotted period increased on both spruce and beech plots. Depositions of cations decreased significantly on the spruce and beech plots in bulk deposition for all elements except for calcium. The significant decline of sulphur and ammonium nitrogen was found on both spruce and beech plots, but the highest decrease of sulphur deposition was found in throughfall precipitation (R2 = 0.75). The amount of nitrate nitrogen did not change during the study period.
Production of biodiesel from Vernicia montana Lour. oil using a co-solvent method and the subsequent evaluation of its stability during storage
Authors: Le Hanh Ngoc Thi , Imamura Kiyoshi , Furuta Masakazu , Van Boi Luu , Maeda Yasuaki 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe costs associated with the production of biodiesel fuel (BDF) are directly affected by the nature of the feedstock material and the methods used during the production process. In Southeast Asia, many non-edible oils are used to produce BDFs, as exemplified by the recent use of the non-edible oil derived fromVernicia montanaLour. in Laos and Vietnam for the production of BDF. In this work, we developed an improved procedure for the production of BDF fromVernicia montanaoil consisting of 80.3%±0.5% α-eleostearic acid moiety (C18:3) using a co-solvent method. Furthermore, the stability of the BDF was evaluated based on its iodine value and unsaturated ester content. The optimized production conditions were determined to be as follows: methanol/oil molar ratio of 6:1, 1% (wt/wt) KOH, 20% (wt/wt) acetone as a co-solvent, and a reaction temperature of 40°C. Under these conditions, we achieved a BDF conversion efficiency of 99%±0.3% within 30 min of initiating the transesterification process. Notably, the BDF produced fromVernicia montanaoil showed good stability to air at temperatures ≤30°C for 1 month, showing similar stability properties to the BDF produced from rapeseed oil.
High-solids semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of corn silage in bag-type digester
Authors: Rusín Jiří , Kašáková Kateřina , Chamrádová Kateřina 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to discuss the usability of a newly designed partially stirred horizontal anaerobic bioreactor made from triple layer bag material Sioen B6070 and heated by circulating hot air. For verification of the possibility of processing typical agricultural fibrous substrate at relatively high solids content in this type of reactor, the semi-continuous mesophilic (40±3°C) anaerobic digestion of corn silage of KWS Atletico cultivar was conducted. The reactor with a total volume of 0.7 m3provided 0.5 m3working volume. Liquid slurry from the 1st stage of the agricultural biogas station Pustejov II was used as inoculum. The silage dosage was performed so that the reactor reached high methane production intensity at low volumetric production of the digestate for 120 days. The average organic loading reached 4.27 kgVSm−3d−1while the average hydraulic retention time decreased to 85 days. The dry biogas production intensity was 3.42 mN3m−3d−1with an average methane content of 52.5 vol%. The specific methane production from corn silage was 0.419 mN3kgVS−1. At the end of the test, the digestate contained 13–14 wt% of total solids (TS) and 82–85 wt% of volatile solids in TS. The bag-type digester with hot air heating can be used by small farmers where there is no viable biogas cogeneration.
An efficient and catalyst-free synthesis of N-arylidene-2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-3-ylamine derivatives via Strecker reaction under controlled microwave heating
Authors: Abdel Hameed Afaf Mohamed , Moustafa Moustafa Sherief , Al-Mousawi Saleh Mohammed , Awed Reham R. , Sadek Kamal Usef 
Published: June 2017

AbstractAn efficient one-pot multicomponent reaction of 2-aminopyridine with aromatic aldehydes and either benzoyl cyanide or cyanamide in pyridine under controlled microwave heating afforded N-aryldene-2-arylimidazo[1,2-a]-pyridine-3-ylamine derivatives. The reaction is catalyst free and is of high atom economy.
Perspectives Regarding the Prefect Institution in Romania
Authors: Dincă Dragoş 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
The article highlights the key moments during the evolution of the prefect institution in Romania and it analyses the recent proposals of reorganization that aim to transform the prefect statute from high ranked civil servant to dignitary.
In addition, the principle of deconcentration is detailed and a scenario of reforming the prefect institution is proposed, by analyzing the applicability of this principle within the administrative practice of Romania.
The article analyzes the duties of the prefect institution, the possibility of transferring them to other entities and the appropriateness of maintaining this institution.
Smart Cities: Transport Challenges of the Macedonian Capital City
Authors: Jovanovska Mimoza Bogdanoska , Nechoska Daniela Koltovska 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Smart City as a concept presupposes using new information and communication technologies in order to improve the quality of life within a particular geographic area. There are six different pillars in the frame of this concept and their one purpose is to achieve better efficiency of city operations. Smart mobility and transport are some of them. The efforts of traditional cities to become smart are not easily and quickly achievable. Numerous traffic solutions have already been implemented in different cities all over the world that make the ‘jump’ from traditional city to smart city. This paper provides an overview of the ‘smart’ transport solutions that have been implemented in the city of Skopje as a traditional city, which is on its way to becoming a smart city.
The presented smart solutions are related to traffic management and control area and are aimed at alleviating traffic problems. The focus is on non-motorized solutions, e-vehicles, adaptive traffic control systems and public transport solutions. Several aims have been set in this paper – to promote the achievements of the municipality of Skopje aimed at transforming Skopje into a smart city in a transport area; to present its functionality, and to point out the disadvantages related to law regulations and the interconnection of all stakeholders involved. Finally, the idea is to provide a starting point for future research and to recommend future steps in this direction in the city of Skopje.
Functional imaging of brown adipose tissue in human
Authors: El Hadi Hamza , Vettor Roberto , Rossato Marco 
Published: June 2017

Abstract
Obesity has become a major public health challenge and an increasing trend is seen in its prevalence worldwide. It is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat as a result of an energy imbalance leading to caloric overload. Since the discovery of functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adult humans, with energy dissipating properties, this thermogenic tissue has thus emerged as an attractive therapeutic target to combat obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders. The advancements in imaging modalities to evaluate organ-specific metabolism in humans is substantially contributing to understand the physiological role of BAT. This review presents an overview of the different imaging approaches implied in BAT assessment, with a special emphasis on adult human BAT. In this context, we also attempted to summarize the developmental origins and physiology of BAT.
The Historian’s Silences: What Livy Did Not Know—Or Chose Not to Tell
Authors: Ridley Ronald T. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe fragments of Livy’s annalistic predecessors may be meagre, but they allow us to detect variant traditions which he does not include. Polybios, Tacitus and the emperor Claudius also record such variants on early Roman history. The same is true of the antiquarians Varro, Cincius, Verrius Flaccus, Gellius and Festus. These variants are examined to suggest what Livy might have rejected and why.
clubber: removing the bioinformatics bottleneck in big data analyses
Authors: Miller Maximilian , Zhu Chengsheng , Bromberg Yana 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWith the advent of modern day high-throughput technologies, the bottleneck in biological discovery has shifted from the cost of doing experiments to that of analyzing results. clubber is our automated cluster-load balancing system developed for optimizing these “big data” analyses. Its plug-and-play framework encourages re-use of existing solutions for bioinformatics problems. clubber’s goals are to reduce computation times and to facilitate use of cluster computing. The first goal is achieved by automating the balance of parallel submissions across available high performance computing (HPC) resources. Notably, the latter can be added on demand, including cloud-based resources, and/or featuring heterogeneous environments. The second goal of making HPCs user-friendly is facilitated by an interactive web interface and a RESTful API, allowing for job monitoring and result retrieval. We used clubber to speed up our pipeline for annotating molecular functionality of metagenomes. Here, we analyzed the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill study data to quantitatively show that the beach sands have not yet entirely recovered. Further, our analysis of the CAMI-challenge data revealed that microbiome taxonomic shifts do not necessarily correlate with functional shifts. These examples (21 metagenomes processed in 172 min) clearly illustrate the importance of clubber in the everyday computational biology environment.