bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Social Factors Related to Smoking among Rural, Low‐Income Women: Findings from a Systematic Review
Authors: Mitchell Star A. , Kneipp Shawn M. , Giscombe Cheryl W. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractObjectiveThis systematic review of the literature assesses congruency of findings from descriptive, qualitative, and association studies focusing on factors influencing smoking and smoking cessation with findings from smoking cessation interventions that included low‐income rural women.Design and SampleSix databases relevant to the health and social sciences were searched in this systematic review using combinations of select keyword terms, specific inclusion criteria, and studies between 1997 and 2012.ResultsDescriptive studies on this population of smokers provide economic, environmental, and social factors related to smoking patterns. Qualitative studies found social support received from an individual's social network was viewed as most beneficial when considering or maintaining smoking cessation while randomized controlled trials included in this review implemented social support through peripheral resources or resources with little personal connection to the sample and failed to produce significant results.ConclusionsFew studies have focused on the specific needs and difficulties of smoking cessation among rural low‐income women and interventions have not targeted the complex social network of this population. Incongruence in study findings supports the need for smoking assessment and cessation interventions that incorporates the unique social and cultural meanings of smoking in rural low‐income women.
Modification of flower colour by suppressing β‐ring carotene hydroxylase genes in Oncidium
Authors: Wang H.‐M. , To K.‐Y. , Lai H.‐M. , Jeng S.‐T. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractOncidium ‘Gower Ramsey’ (Onc. GR) is a popular cut flower, but its colour is limited to bright yellow. The β‐ring carotene hydroxylase (BCH2) gene is involved in carotenoid biogenesis for pigment formation. However, the role of BCH2 in Onc. GR is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the functions of three BCH2 genes, BCH‐A2, BCH‐B2 and BCH‐C2 isolated from Onc. GR, to analyse their roles in flower colour. RT‐PCR expression profiling suggested that BCH2 was mainly expressed in flowers. The expression of BCH‐B2 remained constant while that of BCH‐A2 gradually decreased during flower development. Using Agrobacterium tumefaciens to introduce BCH2 RNA interference (RNAi), we created transgenic Oncidium plants with down‐regulated BCH expression. In the transgenic plants, flower colour changed from the bright yellow of the wild type to light and white‐yellow. BCH‐A2 and BCH‐B2 expression levels were significantly reduced in the transgenic flower lips, which make up the major portion of the Oncidium flower. Sectional magnification of the flower lip showed that the amount of pigmentation in the papillate cells of the adaxial epidermis was proportional to the intensity of yellow colouration. HPLC analyses of the carotenoid composition of the transgenic flowers suggested major reductions in neoxanthin and violaxanthin. In conclusion, BCH2 expression regulated the accumulation of yellow pigments in the Oncidium flower, and the down‐regulation of BCH‐A2 and BCH‐B2 changed the flower colour from bright yellow to light and white‐yellow.
Light compensation points in shade‐grown seedlings of deciduous broadleaf tree species with different successional traits raised under elevated CO2
Authors: Kitao M. , Hida T. , Eguchi N. , Tobita H. , Utsugi H. , Uemura A. , Kitaoka S. , Koike T. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractWe measured leaf photosynthetic traits in shade‐grown seedlings of four tree species native to northern Japan, raised under an elevated CO2 condition, to investigate the effects of elevated CO2 on shade tolerance of deciduous broadleaf tree species with different successional traits. We considered Betula platyphylla var. japonica and Betula maximowicziana as pioneer species, Quercus mongolica var. crispula as a mid‐successional species, and Acer mono as a climax species. The plants were grown under shade conditions (10% of full sunlight) in a CO2‐regulated phytotron. Light compensation points (LCPs) decreased in all tree species when grown under elevated CO2 (720 μmol·mol−1), which were accompanied by higher apparent quantum yields but no photosynthetic down‐regulation. LCPs in Q. mongolica and A. mono grown under elevated CO2 were lower than those in the two pioneer birch species. The LCP in Q. mongolica seedlings was not different from that of A. mono in each CO2 treatment. However, lower dark respiration rates were observed in A. mono than in Q. mongolica, suggesting higher shade tolerance in A. mono as a climax species in relation to carbon loss at night. Thus, elevated CO2 may have enhanced shade tolerance by lowering LCPs in all species, but the ranking of shade tolerance related to successional traits did not change among species under elevated CO2, i.e. the highest shade tolerance was observed in the climax species (A. mono), followed by a gap‐dependent species (Q. mongolica), while lower shade tolerance was observed in the pioneer species (B. platyphylla and B. maximowicziana).
Unravelling the mechanisms for plant survival on gypsum soils: an analysis of the chemical composition of gypsum plants from Turkey
Authors: Bolukbasi A. , Kurt L. , Palacio S. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractDepending on their specificity to gypsum, plants can be classified as gypsophiles (gypsum exclusive) and gypsovags (non‐exclusive). The former may further be segregated into wide and narrow gypsophiles, depending on the breadth of their distribution area. Narrow gypsum endemics have a putative similar chemical composition to plants non‐exclusive to gypsum (i.e. gypsovags), which may indicate their similar ecological strategy as stress‐tolerant plant refugees on gypsum. However, this hypothesis awaits testing in different regions of the world. We compared the chemical composition of four narrow gypsum endemics, one widely distributed gypsophile and six gypsovags from Turkey. Further, we explored the plasticity in chemical composition of Turkish gypsovags growing on high‐ and low‐gypsum content soils. Differences were explored with multivariate analyses (RDA) and mixed models (REML). Narrow gypsum endemics segregated from gypsovags in their chemical composition according to RDAs (mainly due to higher K and ash content in the former). Nevertheless, differences were small and disappeared when different nutrients were analysed individually. All the gypsovags studied accumulated more S and ash when growing on high‐gypsum than on low‐gypsum soils. Similar to narrow gypsum endemics from other regions of the world, most local gypsum endemics from Turkey show a similar chemical composition to gypsovags. This may indicate a shared ecological strategy as stress‐tolerant plants not specifically adapted to gypsum. Nevertheless, the narrow gypsum endemic Gypsophila parva showed a chemical composition typical of gypsum specialists, indicating that various strategies are feasible within narrowly distributed gypsophiles.
Influence of Body Condition on Serum Metabolic Indicators of Lipid Mobilization and Oxidative Stress in Dairy Cows During the Transition Period
Authors: Folnožić I , Turk R , Đuričić D , Vince S , Pleadin J , Flegar–Meštrić Z , Valpotić H , Dobranić T , Gračner D , Samardžija M 
Published: September 2015

ContentsThe objectives of this study were to examine the influence of body condition of cows on metabolic and antioxidative status, as well as to investigate the relationship between metabolic indicators of lipid mobilization and oxidative stress during transition period. The study was conducted on 24 Holstein‐Friesian dairy cows divided into 2 groups according to their body condition score (BCS) as optimal (n = 12; BCS from 3.25 to 3.75) or adipose (n = 12; BCS ≥4). Metabolic status (glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, NEFA and BHB), paraoxonase‐1 (PON1) and apolipoprotein A‐I (ApoA‐I) were analysed in sera taken on days −30, −10, −2, 0, 5, 12, 19, 26 and 60 relative to parturition. Adipose cows had significantly higher glucose concentration at parturition being significantly decreased after parturition on days 12 and 19. Total cholesterol and HDL‐C concentrations were the lowest at parturition and significantly higher on days 26 and 60 after parturition in both groups of cows. Both investigated groups had significantly higher NEFA concentration from parturition until day 19 after parturition, indicating energy deficit and an increased lipid mobilization after calving. There were no significant differences in BHB concentration during transition period in both groups. No significant differences were found in PON1 activity and ApoA‐I concentration during transition period in both groups of cows. However, in adipose cows, although not significantly different, PON1 was decreased from calving until day 19 after parturition indicating a disturbance in antioxidative status in adipose cows. PON1 significantly positively correlated with total cholesterol and HDL‐C concentrations and negatively with NEFA indicating a strong relationship of PON1 with lipid metabolism. Significant positive correlation between NEFA and BHB in both groups of cows points out on energy deficit during transition period that cows tend to overcome by lipid mobilization providing alternative source of energy needed for parturition and lactation.
Biologically inspired skin lesion segmentation using a geodesic active contour technique
Authors: Kasmi R. , Mokrani K. , Rader R. K. , Cole J. G. , Stoecker W. V. 
Published: September 2015

Background/PurposeComputer‐aided diagnosis of skin cancer requires accurate lesion segmentation, which must overcome noise such as hair, skin color variations, and ambient light variability.MethodsA biologically inspired geodesic active contour (GAC) technique is used for lesion segmentation. The algorithm presented here employs automatic contour initialization close to the actual lesion boundary, overcoming the ‘sticking’ at minimum local energy spots caused by noise artifacts such as hair. The border is significantly smoothed to mimic natural lesions. In addition, features that mimic biological parameters include spectral image subtraction and removal of peninsulas and inlets. Multiple boundary choices borders are created by parameter options used at different steps. These choices can allow future improvement over the basic default border.ResultsThe basic GAC algorithm was tested on 100 images (30 melanomas and 70 benign lesions), yielding a median XOR border error of 6.7%, comparable to the median inter‐dermatologist XOR border error (7.4%), and lower than the gradient vector flow snake median XOR error of 14.2% on the same image set. On a difficult low‐contrast border set of 1238 images, which included 350 non‐melanocytic lesions, a median XOR error of 23.9% is obtained.ConclusionGAC techniques show promise in attaining the goal of automatic skin lesion segmentation.
The Sec2 translocase of the chloroplast inner envelope contains a unique and dedicated SECE2 component
Authors: Li Yubing , Singhal Rajneesh , Taylor Isaiah W. , McMinn Patrick H. , Chua Xien Yu , Cline Kenneth , Fernandez Donna E. 
Published: September 2015

SummaryBiogenesis of chloroplasts involves a series of protein trafficking events. Nuclear‐encoded proteins are imported into the organelle, and then trafficked to various chloroplast locations by systems that are directly homologous to bacterial systems. Although the thylakoid‐based systems have been studied extensively, much less is known about the systems that reside and function in the inner envelope membrane. One such system, the Sec2 system, is homologous to both the thylakoid‐based Sec1 system and bacterial Sec systems, and may mediate both integration and translocation across the inner envelope. At a minimum, this system is expected to include three components, but only two, SCY2 and SECA2, have been identified in Arabidopsis. Bioinformatics and protein modeling were used to identify the protein encoded by At4g38490 as a candidate for the missing component (SECE2). Cellular localization, biochemistry, protein interaction assays in yeast, and co‐immunoprecipitation experiments were used to establish that this protein is an integral membrane protein of the inner envelope, and specifically interacts with the SCY2 component in vivo. Sequence analyses indicated that SECE2 proteins are found in a variety of plants, and differ from the thylakoid SECE1 proteins in a stroma‐exposed helical domain, which may contribute to their specificity. Finally, a genetic analysis indicated that SECE2 plays an essential role in plant growth and development.
Hot Gas Forming for Advanced Tubular Automobile Components: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Landgrebe Dirk , Schieck Frank 
Published: September 2015

Today most industrial sectors are faced with several challenges such as the reduction of CO2 emission, the shortage of resources and the increasing individualization of products. This situation particularly appears in the automotive industry. To reduce CO2 emission of cars there is no alternative to decreasing weight. Advanced lightweight design implies new materials, innovative component design and finally new production methods. Based on this not only the CO2 emission during the operation phase becomes a focus, also the manufacturing process becomes more and more important.
Following upcoming requests for lightweight materials, new design principles and energy and resource efficient production processes, conventional forming technologies are reaching their limits. By including temperature as an active temperature parameter into the production process, advanced final component properties are possible, forming limits can be extended and process chains can be shortened.
This is valid particularly for hydroforming. Advantages and disadvantages of this technology are well known, and today there are a few typical automotive components in series production. Compared to a blank half shell design of car components, hydroformed profiles allow a flangeless design, the reduction of individual parts in a component and an excellent degree of material utilization. To implement high temperatures into this technology, alternative heat-resistant forming media are mandatory. The substitution of water by nitrogen increases the thermal process limits up to 1,000°C, but this also requires new systems engineering.
This paper gives an overview on the development of hot gas forming technology and illustrates prospects and limits by means of automotive-related parts for metallic lightweight materials such as ultra-high strength and stainless steel, Aluminum or Magnesium. Beside the determination of temperature-related material characteristics, the research focused on process and tool design based on thermo-mechanically coupled FE simulation. The consecutive manufacturing of prototyping parts allows the validation of simulation results and assesses the prospects to shorten existing process chains in the future.
Virtual Test Field for Sustainability Assessment of Cybertronic Production Systems
Authors: Ilsen Rebecca , Meissner Hermann , Aurich Jan C. 
Published: September 2015

Studying the goals, ideas and trends of the concept of cybertronic production systems (CTPS) leads to the hypothesis that CTPS supports a sustainable development. The paper proposes an approach for simulating and verifying this hypothesis.
Cybertronic production systems are formed by the application of cybertronic systems (CTS) in production. To examine the behavior of cybertronic systems depending on their level of interconnection, intelligence and independence a multi-agent system of a production system is implemented. This simulation system can be used as virtual test field to evaluate impacts of changes in the production system on all level of detail (process, machine tool, factory level) by using sustainability indicators on factory level.
Tuning the Mechanical Properties of High-Density Polyethylene by ECAE Process
Authors: Fetecau Catalin , Stan Felicia , Sandu Laurentiu , Susac Florin 
Published: September 2015

This paper investigates the ability of the equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) process to induce morphological changes and hence tune the mechanical properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In this study, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), compression and cylindrical macro-indentation tests have been used to investigate the evolution of the mechanical properties of HDPE processed by ECAE up to four passes via route BC, i.e. counter clockwise 90° billet rotation about its longitudinal axis.
It was found that the ECAE process induces significant plastic deformations with changes in the crystalline structure. The ECAE process increased the HDPE crystallinity by 10 to 15%. The number of ECAE passes has a significant effect on the magnitude of the mechanical properties especially on the elastic modulus and yield stress. Young’s modulus and yield strength decreased with increasing the number of ECAE passes and reached a stationary state after the third pass.
Layerwise Automated Visual Inspection in Laser Powder-Bed Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Aminzadeh Masoumeh , Kurfess Thomas 
Published: September 2015

Laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) is an additive manufacturing (AM) process that enables fabrication of functional metal parts with near-net-shape geometries. The drawback to L-PBF is its lack of precision as well as the formation of defects due to process randomness and irregularities associated with laser powder fusion. Over the past two decades much research has been conducted to control laser powder fusion in order to provide parts of higher quality.
This paper addresses online quality monitoring in AM by in-situ automated visual inspection of each layer which is aimed to geometric objects and defects from high-resolution visual images. A scheme for online defect detection system is presented that consists of three levels of processing: low-level, intermediate-level, and high-level processing. Each level is described and appropriately divided to several stages, when insightful. Techniques that are feasible in each level for successful defect detection and classification are identified and described. Requirements and specifications of the measurement data to achieve desired performance of the online defect detection system are stated.
Image processing algorithms are developed for first level of processing and implemented for segmentation of geometric objects. Due to the large variation of intensities within the powder region and fused regions, and also the non-multi-modal nature of the image, the basic segmentation algorithms such as thresholding do not produce appropriate results. In this work, morphological operations are effectively designed and implemented following thresholding to achieve the desired object segmentation. Examples of implementations are given. The paper provides the results of object segmentation which is the initial stage of development of an in-situ automated visual inspection for L-PBF process.
Direct Electric Current Spot Treatment’s Effect on Springback of 90 Degree Bent 2024-T3 Aluminum
Authors: Ruszkiewicz Brandt J. , Scriva Christopher , Reese Zachary C. , Nikhare Chetan P. , Roth John T. , Ragai Ihab 
Published: September 2015

One of the largest issues for sheet metal forming techniques such as stamping and incremental forming is springback. Springback is the elastic recovery of a material after it has been formed resulting in distorted part geometries. Springback can be compensated for during the forming process, however, this often requires forming the metal further than the desired shape. Unfortunately, if a formed part is designed such that it is close to its forming limit, compensation could push the material too far and cause fracture. It has been shown that by pulsing electric current throughout an entire workpiece during forming, springback can be greatly reduced and sometimes eliminated.
This paper examines the effect of pulsing direct electric current, through localized points of a workpiece after it has been deformed into a 90-degree bend, but prior to the reversal of the bending die (i.e., while the part is still constrained). It was found that, with a high current density for a short amount of time, springback could be greatly reduced without the need to run a larger current through the entire workpiece. The largest springback reduction was seen when the electric current was forced to flow across the bend in the specimen. This finding is advantageous for industry as it will allow springback reduction in large parts that would normally require much larger power sources to generate the correct current density, if current is run through the entire part. A potential barrier between industry and this technology is that machines would need to be either created or modified to apply electric current at known places at a specific current density and time. To modify an existing machine may be difficult because the machine would need to be insulated from the electric current.
Electrically-Assisted Machining of Titanium Alloy Ti-6Al-4V and Nickel-Based Alloy IN-738: An Investigation
Authors: Ulutan Durul , Pleta Abram , Mears Laine 
Published: September 2015

Despite their increasing use in leading industries, manufacture of alloys with superior mechanical properties have been a big challenge in the recent years. Researchers have been working on using assisted or augmented processes to overcome this challenge, with methods such as ultrasonically assisted, thermally assisted, vibration-assisted, magnetic field-assisted, and laser-assisted machining. Utilizing electrical assistance in manufacturing has not caught much attention due to its difficult-to-apply nature. However, it is possible to increase the ductility and machinability (through reduced flow stress) of certain metallic materials through the use of electricity. In this method, the electrical current resistively heats the material while aiding in deforming the material through the electroplastic effect.
The limited amount of work in this topic is mainly focused on exploring the forming characteristics of relatively softer materials. Application of this augmentation to alloys with superior mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, on the other hand, has not been explored. This study aims to fill in that void through an investigation of applying different currents through the tool concentrated on the tool-workpiece contact zone. Both the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V and the nickel-based superalloy IN-738 were investigated, and the results showed that for both materials, there are two separate thresholds that need to be considered in any analysis. The first threshold is where the material starts to get deformed, below which no significant divergence from the baseline (no current) tests was observed. After exceeding this value, machining forces start decreasing with increasing current up to a certain point (second threshold) where the effect of electric current is reversed. If the second threshold is surpassed, the machining forces increase rapidly. Findings of this study can be used in assisting the machining of such materials.