ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Karen Gu, Lawrence Mok, Mark M.W. Chong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The expression of any gene must be precisely controlled for appropriate function. This expression can be controlled at various levels. This includes epigenetic regulation through DNA methylation or histone modifications. At the posttranscriptional level, regulation can be via alternative splicing or controlling messenger RNA (mRNA) stability. RNA cleavage is one way to control mRNA stability. For example, microRNA (miRNA)-induced mRNA cleavage has long been recognised in plants. RNA cleavage also appears to be widespread in other kingdoms of life, and it is now clear that mRNA cleavage plays critical functions in animals. Although miRNA-induced mRNA cleavage can occur in animals, it is not a widespread mechanism. Instead, mRNA cleavage can be induced by a range of other mechanisms, including by endogenous short inhibitory RNAs (endo-siRNAs), as well as the Ribonuclease III (RNase III) enzymes Drosha and Dicer. In addition, RNA cleavage induced by endo-siRNAs and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) is important for genome defence against transposons. Moreover, several RNase has been identified as important antiviral mediators. In this review, we will discuss these various RNA endonucleolytic cleavage mechanisms utilised by animals to regulate the expression of genes and as a defence against retrotransposons and viral infection.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Seungyeon Lee, Minsung Kim, Jessica S. Mendoza, Ian M. McDonough〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A potential new clinical disorder is arising due to the addiction to cellphones called nomophobia—or feelings of discomfort or anxiety experienced by individuals when they are unable to use their mobile phones or utilize the conveniences these devices provide. However, before being able to officially classify this disorder as clinically relevant, more research needs to be conducted to determine how nomophobia relates to existing disorders. In a sample of 397 undergraduate students, the present study examined the relationship between the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) and the Obsessiveness Content Scale (OBS) of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (the MMPI-2). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test whether the OBS Content Scale would be related to a one-factor NMP-Q solution (Fig. 1) or a four-factor NMP-Q solution (Fig. 2). Convergent and divergent validity were also investigated. The four-factor model was a better fit than the one-factor model as indicated by most fit indices. The findings showed that the OBS latent variable was correlated with all of the four NMP-Q latent variables. Mixed support was found for convergent validity, but high support was found for the divergent validity of the NMP-Q factors. This study contributes to a growing body of literature seeking to better understand the addictive nature of cellphones and takes a new perspective on addiction research and obsessiveness. These findings provide a better understanding between pre-existing assessments of personality disorders (e.g., obsessiveness) that are emerging from the overuse of mobile phones or the excessive fear of losing one's cell phone.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chiara Sanmartin, Francesca Venturi, Cristina Sgherri, Anita Nari, Monica Macaluso, Guido Flamini, Mike Frank Quartacci, Isabella Taglieri, Gianpaolo Andrich, Angela Zinnai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This research aimed to study the effects of packaging and storage temperature on the shelf-life of an extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as it can occur in most points of sale. The evolution of the chemical and sensory characteristics of an EVOO, initially stored in stainless steel silos under nitrogen at 12–18 °C, was evaluated after packaging. Tinplate tin (TT) and greenish glass (GG), the most used packaging containers, and temperatures of 6 and 26 °C were taken into consideration. After 125 days from packaging all the samples maintained clearness, green and yellow reflections and the positive sensory notes of bitterness and pungency of the starting EVOO. Shelf-life of EVOO was significantly affected by different storage conditions: oil samples stored in GG at 6 °C preserved for the most part the positive attributes, whereas those stored in TT at 26 °C showed a significant presence of the rancid flavor due to oxidative processes. Moreover, samples stored in GG at 6 °C maintained the highest bitterness intensity and did not show defects at the end of the storage period. The results suggest that storage in GG at a low temperature could represent a promising storage condition to slow-down the oil degradation during market storage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): J.M. Lázaro-Guevara, B.J. Flores-Robles, K. Garrido, V. Pinillos-Aransay, A. Elena-Ibáñez, L. Merino-Meléndez, J.A. López-Martínez, R. Victoriano-Lacalle〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Retinal diseases associated with the dysfunction or death of photoreceptors are a major cause of blindness around the world, improvements in genetics tools, like next generation sequencing (NGS) allows the discovery of genes and genetic changes that lead to many of those retinal diseases. Though, there very few databases that explores a wide spectrum of retinal diseases, phenotypes, genes, and proteins, thus creating the need for a more comprehensive database, that groups all these parameters.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉Multiple open access databases were compiled into a new comprehensive database. A biological network was then crated, and organized using Cytoscape. The network was scrutinized for presence of hubs, measuring the concentration of grouped nodes. Finally, a trace back analysis was performed in areas were the power law reports a high r-squared value near one, that indicates high nodes density.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉This work leads to creation of a retinal database that includes 324 diseases, 803 genes, 463 phenotypes, and 2461 proteins. Four biological networks (1) a disease and gene network connected by common phenotypes, (2) a disease and phenotype network connected by common genes, (3) a disease and gene network with shared disease or gene as the cause of an edge, and (4) a protein and disease network. The resulting networks will allow users to have easier searching for retinal diseases, phenotypes, genes, and proteins and their interrelationships.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusions〈/h6〉 〈p〉These networks have a broader range of information than previously available ones, helping clinicians in the comprehension of this complex group of diseases.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ho Seong Lee, Hyun Mi Lee, Jun-Young Park, Hyung-Tae Lim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigated the effect of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S concentration (5, 10 and 50 ppm) on the degradation and performance of Ni-YSZ anode supported solid oxide fuel cells. When supplied with hydrogen fuel containing H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S, the cell voltage dropped rapidly, and with increasing H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S concentration, voltage drop % increased (due to higher sulfur coverage on the Ni surface) and saturated more rapidly. A high concentration (50 ppm) of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S led to an additional, slow rate voltage loss. In all cases, cell performance did not completely recover even after being supplied with H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S-free hydrogen fuel, because of the incomplete desorption of sulfur from the Ni surface. After the performance tests, nickel sulfides were detected on the Ni surface by Raman spectra, which were produced by the reaction of the remaining adsorbed sulfur with Ni during the cooling process. This indicates that the formation of nickel sulfides was not responsible for the secondary voltage drop. SEM/EDS analyses combined with FIB revealed that the reason for the additional 2〈sup〉nd〈/sup〉 drop was Ni oxidation; at a high sulfur coverage ratio (50 ppm), the outer layer of the Ni particle was oxidized by oxygen ions transported from the electrolyte. This indicates that H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S concentration as well as current density is a critical factor for Ni oxidation, and gives rise to the second voltage drop (irreversible cell degradation). The present work showed that the degradation behavior and phenomenon can differ significantly depending on the concentration of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S, i.e., permanent changes may or may not occur on the anode (such as Ni oxidation) depending upon H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S concentration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tami Astie Ulhiza, Noor Illi Mohamad Puad, Azlin Suhaida Azmi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sago wastewater (SWW) causes pollution to the environment due to its high organic content. Annually, about 2.5 million tons of SWW is produced in Malaysia. In this study, the potential of SWW as a substrate for biohydrogen production by 〈em〉Enterobacter aerogenes (E. aerogenes)〈/em〉 was evaluated. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to find the optimum conditions. From preliminary optimization, it was found that the most significant factors were yeast extract, temperature, and inoculum size. According to Face Centered Central Composite Design (FCCCD), the maximum hydrogen concentration and yield were 630.67 μmol/L and 7.42 mmol H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/mol glucose, respectively, which is obtained from the sample supplemented with 4.8 g/L yeast extract concentration, 5% inoculum, and incubated at the temperature of 31 °C. Cumulative hydrogen production curve fitted by the modified Gompertz equation suggested that 〈em〉H〈/em〉〈sub〉〈em〉max〈/em〉〈/sub〉, 〈em〉R〈/em〉〈sub〉〈em〉max〈/em〉〈/sub〉, and 〈em〉λ〈/em〉 from this study were 15.10 mL, 2.18 mL/h, and 9.84 h, respectively.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 30 October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Meenu Hans, Sachin Kumar〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydrogen (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) and methane (CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) are the potential alternative energy carriers with autonomous extensive and viable importance. These fuels could complement the advantages, and discard the disadvantages of each other, if produced simultaneously. Considering their complementary properties, co-production of a mixture of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 in the form of biohythane in two-stage anaerobic digestion (AD) process is gaining more interest than their individual production. Biohythane is a better transportation fuel than compressed natural gas (CNG) in terms of high range of flammability, reduced ignition temperature as well as time, without nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, improved engine performance without specific modification, etc. Other than production of biohythane, performing two-stage AD is advantageous over one-stage AD due to short HRT, high energy recovery, high COD removal, higher H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 yields, and reduced carbon dioxide (CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) in biogas. For improved biohythane production, various aspects of two-stage AD need to be emphasized. Keeping the facts in mind, the process of two-stage AD along with microbial diversity in comparison to one-stage AD has been discussed in the previous sections of this review. For large scale commercial production, and utilization of biohythane in automobile sector, its execution needs evaluation of process parameters, and problems associated with two-stage AD. Hence, the later part of this review describes the production process of biohythane, concerned microbial diversity, operational process parameters, major challenges and their solutions, applications, and economic evaluation for enhanced production of biohythane.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Minako Hosono, Kouji Sakaki, Yumiko Nakamura, Shuichi Ino〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper presents a flexible and compact rescue jack system that uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy as its pressure source. The jack system comprises a container for the hydrogen-absorbing alloy and an end effector thin enough to be applied within a 2 mm-thick gap, made of a fiber-reinforced rubber bag. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy (LaNi〈sub〉4.45〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Mn〈sub〉0.05〈/sub〉), whose plateau pressure was set to near atmospheric pressure at 25 °C, released hydrogen gas when heated to 50 °C. Experiments showed the system could lift 100 kg at moderate speed when the alloy container was placed in hot water (50 °C). Moreover, the jack system could maintain a 50 mm lift of 100 kg for nearly 12 h—performance comparable with that of an air jack. This clearly indicates the fiber-reinforced rubber bag is a suitable end effector of the actuator. The proposed jack system has good potential for prompt rescue activities conducted by non-professional operatives.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rafael Ortiz Cebolla, Eveline Weidner, William Buttner, Christian Bonato, Kevin Hartmann, Kara Schmidt〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Certification of hydrogen sensors to meet standards often prescribes using large-volume test chambers [1,2]. However, feedback from stakeholders such as sensor manufacturers and end-users indicates that chamber test methods are often viewed as too slow and expensive for routine assessment. Flow-through test methods are potentially an efficient and cost-effective alternative for sensor performance assessment. A large number of sensors can be simultaneously tested, in series or in parallel, with an appropriate flow-through test fixture. The recent development of sensors with response times of less than 1s mandates improvements in equipment and methodology to properly capture the performance of this new generation of fast sensors; flow methods are a viable approach for accurate response and recovery time determinations, but there are potential drawbacks. According to ISO 26142 [1], flow-through test methods may not properly simulate ambient applications. In chamber test methods, gas transport to the sensor is dominated by diffusion which is viewed by some users as mimicking deployment in rooms and other confined spaces. Conversely, in flow-through methods, forced flow transports the gas to the sensing element. The advective flow dynamics may induce changes in the sensor behaviour relative to the quasi-quiescent condition that may prevail in chamber test methods. The aim of the current activity in the JRC and NREL sensor laboratories [3,4] is to develop a validated flow-through apparatus and methods for hydrogen sensor performance testing. In addition to minimizing the impact on sensor behaviour induced by differences in flow dynamics, challenges associated with flow-through methods include the ability to control environmental parameters (humidity, pressure and temperature) during the test and changes in the test gas composition induced by chemical reactions with upstream sensors. Guidelines on flow-through test apparatus design and protocols for the evaluation of hydrogen sensor performance have been developed. Various commercial sensor platforms (e.g., thermal conductivity, catalytic and metal semiconductor) were used to demonstrate the advantages and issues with the flow-through methodology.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhangjun Wang, Chao Jin, Jing Sui, Cong Li, Ruizhi Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Perovskite oxide has attracted wild attentions as a promising bifunctional electrocatalyst family for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here, phosphorus-doped SrCo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Mo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 perovskites has been prepared and evaluated as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. X–ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that P-doping benefits the formation of more stable tetragonal phase, and the generation of more surface adsorbed oxygen species. Compared with SrCo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Mo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 perovskites without doping, rotating disk electrode measurements indicates that P-doped SrCo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉Mo〈sub〉0.5〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 exhibits a positively shifted half-wave potentional of 50 mV for ORR, and a reduced OER overpotential (∼58 mV) at 10 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 in 0.1 M KOH solution. The enhanced catalytic activities and stabilities contribute to optimized surface characteristic and stable phase structure. The work not only provides a new strategy to develop efficient bifunctional oxygen catalysts, but also enriches knowledge of perovskite oxides.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shengchao Rui, Jin Guo, Gang Li, Changjian Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A series of experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of vent burst pressure on stoichiometric hydrogen–air premixed flame propagation and pressure history in a 1 m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 rectangular vessel in this paper. Pressure buildup and flame evolution are recorded using piezoelectric pressure transducers and a high-speed camera, respectively. The results show typical pressure peaks of three different mechanisms for all vent burst pressures in the experiments. The first pressure peak, generated by the rupture of the vent cover, increases with the vent failure pressure, with the subsequent outflow inertia of combustion products giving rise to a negative pressure. The second pressure peak results from the constant bulk motion of the flame bubble (the Helmholtz oscillation), and the third is produced by the interaction between the combustion waves and the acoustic waves. The time interval between the first pressure peak and the second pressure transient remained nearly constant. The Helmholtz oscillation always appears as the vent ruptures and its magnitude increases with the vent burst pressure. Furthermore, the lower the vent failure pressure, the longer the Helmholtz oscillation is sustained. The peak of the acoustically enhanced pressure always occurs within several milliseconds of the flame front touching the vessel. From a theoretical perspective, Rasbash's equation models the relationship between the maximum reduced explosion overpressure and the vent burst pressure precisely. Also, it is observed that the maximum lengths of the external flames were found to be nearly identical in all tests, but the average propagation rate of the flame front increases with the vent burst pressure. It is interesting that a phenomenon of intense oscillation of internal flame bubble was observed with the increase of vent burst pressure.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sheng Zhu, Pengcheng Li, Guitai Wu, Zhenyu Li, Pei Wu, Yongming Hu, Haoshuang Gu, Wanping Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Two kinds of Pt〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composite nanoceramics have been prepared using SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles and SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 agglomerate powder separately. One is of a relatively uniform and porous microstructure with a specific surface area of 8.1 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g, and the other is of a rather non-uniform microstructure with large SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 agglomerates and crack-like pores and a specific surface area of 6.4 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g. While the samples of uniform microstructure typically show a sensitivity of 150 to 1% H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 – 20% O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 – N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in air of 50% relative humidity (RH) at room temperature, those of non-uniform microstructure surprisingly show much higher sensitivities of 850 and 450 in air of 50% and 70% RH, respectively, to the same concentration of hydrogen. The influence of humidity on the samples has been further studied and a much higher humidity tolerance has been revealed for those samples of non-uniform microstructure. All these results demonstrate a clear and unexpected advantage of a non-uniform microstructure over a uniform one in humidity tolerance for room-temperature hydrogen-sensitive Pt〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composite nanoceramics.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhaomin Wang, Lu Yu, Limin Chang, Limin Wang, Yong Cheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Owing to its high capacity of 994 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, low cost, and environmental friendliness, tin (Sn) is considered as an advanced anode material for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Here, a facile strategy to fabricate core-shell structured Sn@NC composites with one-step and large-scale production is introduced in a liquid-phase reaction under room temperature. When used as anode materials for LIBs, the optimal Sn@NC composite delivers a high reversible discharge capacity of 761.2 and 476 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at a current density of 200 and 1000 mA g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 after 200 cycles, respectively. A high capacity of 328.3 mAh g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 can also be obtained even at a current density of 2000 mA g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The excellent cycling stability and rate performance of the composite can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of the nanometer size of Sn powder and porous structure of the carbon shell, both of which can effectively reduce the absolute volume change of electrode during the repeated charge-discharge cycles, and thus lead to excellent electrochemical performances at both rate capability and cycling life.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 30 October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fawzi A.M. Elhamshri, Muhammet Kayfeci〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Heat transfer in metal hydride bed significantly affects the performance of metal hydride reactors (MHRs). Enhancing heat transfer within the reaction bed improves the hydriding rate. This study presents performance analysis in terms of storage capacity and time of three different cylindrical MHR configurations using storage media LaNi〈sub〉5〈/sub〉: a) reactor cooled with natural convection, b) reactor with a heat pipe on the central axis, c) reactor with finned heat pipe. This study shows the impact of using heat pipes and fins for enhancing heat transfer in MHRs at varying hydrogen supply pressures (2–15 bar). At any absorption temperature, hydrogen absorption rate and hydrogen storage capacity increase with the supply pressure. Results show that using a heat pipe improves hydrogen absorption rate. It was found that finned heat pipe has a significant effect on the hydrogen charge time, which reduced by approximately 75% at 10 bar hydrogen supply pressure.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Prasenjit Chakraborty, Tanusri Karmakar, Neeraj Arora, Geetashree Mukherjee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is responsible for a large number of deaths each year. Oral cancer is the most frequent subtype of HNSCC. Historically, oral cancer has been associated with an increase in the consumption of tobacco and alcohol products, seen especially in the Asian subcontinent. It has also been associated with infection by the human papilloma virus (HPV), particularly strain HPV16. Treatment usually involves a multidisciplinary approach of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiation. The advent of immunotherapy has broadened the scope for treatment. A better immune response to the tumour can also elicit the action of other therapeutic approaches. A heightened immune response, on the other hand, can lead to resistant tumour formation through the process of immunoediting. Molecular profiling of the tumour microenvironment (TME) can provide us with better insight into the mechanism and progression of the disease, ultimately opening up new therapeutic options. High-throughput molecular profiling techniques over the past decade have enabled us to appreciate the heterogeneity of the TME. In this review, we will be describing the clinicopathological role of the immune and genomic landscape in oral cancer. This study will update readers on the several immunological and genetic factors that can play an important function as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in various forms of head and neck cancer, with a special emphasis on oral carcinoma.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Naghmeh Dehghani, Mohsen Afsharmanesh, Mohammad Salarmoini, Hadi Ebrahimnejad, Ahmad Bitaraf〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉An experiment was conducted to show the effects of different levels of pennyroyal, thyme and savory essential oils dietary supplementation on performance, organs weight, intestinal morphology, and serum lipids in quails. A total of 550 day-old Japanese quail chicks were allocated into 11 dietary treatments of 5 replications (10 birds in each cage) under a randomized experimental design. The treatments were a basal diet (Control), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of thyme essential oil (TO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of savory essential oil (SO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of pennyroyal essential oil (PO) added separately to the basal diet, or also the basal diet supplemented with 100 ppm of flavophospholipol. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured weekly and calculated totally for 35 d. The organs weight and morphology of intestine parts of one bird from each cage were measured on 35 d. At the same day, blood samples were collected and cholesterol and triglyceride values were separately determined for male and female quails. Although the addition of different levels of essential oils in quail's diet did not affect BWG, a significant decline in FI was observed in the group supplemented with 400 ppm of TO. At the same time, FCR significantly improved (P 〈 0.05) in the same group as well as in the group supplemented with the antibiotic. However, the organs weight was not significantly affected by the experimental treatments. Nevertheless, villi height of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was significantly increased and crypt depth was significantly decreased in the quails fed diets supplemented with different levels of TO and SO. The values of serum triglycerides decreased in both sexes in the groups that received diets supplemented with different levels of essential oils whereas the values of cholesterol decreased only in males of the essential oils supplemented groups. From the present observations it can be concluded that thyme and savory essential oils can improve FCR by decreasing FI through boosting the absorption of nutrients in intestine. These plant essential oils can replace antibiotic growth parameters without having any adverse effect on quail's health with thyme essential oil exerting the most effective activity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): M.G. Mithra, M.L. Jeeva, M.S. Sajeev, G. Padmaja〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The ethanol yields from lignocellulo-starch biomass (peels of sweet potato, elephant foot yam, tannia, greater yam and beet root) by fed-batch separate hydrolysis and fermentation (F-SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (F-SSF) using 〈em〉Saccharomyces cerevisiae〈/em〉 were compared. Fed-batch saccharification of steam or dilute sulphuric acid pretreated biomass enhanced the reducing sugar yield which resulted in high RS consumption, volumetric ethanol productivity and ethanol yield during the first 24 h fermentation under F-SHF mode, while continuous production and utilization of reducing sugars occurred up to 72 h in F-SSF. Dilute sulphuric acid pretreated residues under F-SHF gave higher ethanol yield (34–43 g/L) and productivity (274–346 ml/kg dry biomass) than steam pretreatment (27–36 g/L and 223–295 ml/kg respectively), while F-SSF was superior for steam pretreated peels of sweet potato, elephant foot yam and tannia giving ethanol yields from 281 to 302 ml/kg. Glucose and xylose were present in all the hydrolysates with a preponderance of glucose and fermentation resulted in significant reduction in glucose levels in both F-SHF and F-SSF. Higher levels of total soluble phenolics and hydroxymethyl furfural were observed in the hydrolysates from dilute sulphuric acid pretreatment and yeast assimilated/detoxified part of the inhibitors, while only trivial amounts of furfural were present due to the low xylose content in the hydrolysates. Continuous formation led to higher accumulation of inhibitors in F-SSF despite supplementation with the detoxification mix comprising Tween 20, polyethylene glycol and sodium borohydride. F-SHF of dilute sulphuric acid pretreated biomass could be considered as a comparatively advantageous process where only one time feeding of enzyme cocktail and yeast was adopted compared to multiple feeds of enzymes and yeast along with other additives such as detoxification mix or nutrient solution in F-SSF.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): E. Hartill, R.B. Gillis, S. Imran Jiwani, N. Recchia, A. Meal, G.G. Adams〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Hypoglycemia unawareness (HU) has been attributed to both a downward shift in central nervous system (CNS)-triggered sympatho-adrenal responses to low glycaemic thresholds and a subsequent loss of adrenergic symptoms, which, in addition, to cerebral cortex adaptations permit normal function under hypoglycaemic conditions. Both of these mechanisms are brought about by recurring hypoglycemic events (hypoglycemia-associate autonomic failure, HAAF). This can contribute to repetitive cycles of increasingly severe hypoglycaemia, the consequences of which have considerable impact on relatives and significant others (SO) when providing care to patients with diabetes.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉A Systematic Review (SR) of 639 qualitative studies was carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review (PRISMA) principles. The search strategy was developed using MeSH terms for a range of electronic databases: CINAHL, Pubmed, EMBASE, Medline, AMED and ASSIA were systematically searched in order to identify a variety of literature relevant to the review topic. Four duplicate studies were removed and a further 630 studies were excluded due to being irrelevant. Five qualitative studies were retained and analysed.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉The three resultant findings from the literature appraised were i) Experiences and views of Significant Others' (SO) with adult relatives that have HU ii) Support needs of SO and iii) Health professionals interventions to address SO support needs and improve overall HU care. A clear finding was that SO experience difficulties managing HU and this can impact on the relationships that SO and HU patients have. Support needs of SO highlighted were both educational and psychological in nature, with there being a requirement for additional raised awareness within the wider community.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉It is essential that healthcare professionals offer support, such as teaching and support groups. In addition, providing interventions into improving family knowledge of diabetes and support with regard to psychosocial, behavioural and practical support for the person with diabetes. Moreover, improving resources for families to improve diabetes care. However, as the literature was of a qualitative nature, future recommendations would be quantitative research into these suggested nursing implementations to quantitatively assess their usefulness in practice.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Stefan Ehrhart, Ulrich Schraml〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Social-ecological systems are characterized by complexity, uncertainty, and change. Adaptive co-management may help to improve adaptability and resilience and to develop ‘no-regret strategies’ for a sustainable management. It is a dynamic, inductive, and self-organized process based on social learning and collaboration. In this regard, conservation conflicts, conflicts between humans about wildlife, are a contemporary environmental management issue. Their management may be facilitated through adaptive co-management. However, adaptive co-management typically emerges because of a crisis or changing context and is difficult to be applied intentionally. We hypothesize that it may be possible to lay the ground for an adaptive co-management process by activating stakeholders to interact experimentally without a prescriptive application of adaptive co-management criteria. We examined conservation conflicts in the context of three German national parks, where we triggered interaction between 68 stakeholders in nine moderated focus groups. These were recorded and analyzed. Stakeholders discussed similar conflict issues and conflict management suggestions. Subsequently, we conducted a literature synthesis, resulting in 13 adaptive co-management characteristics, and analyzed concurrencies between these and stakeholders' management suggestions. Management suggestions reflected collaborative, interactional, structural, and practice-oriented adaptive co-management characteristics, while political context, rules, adaptability, learning, and monitoring were underrepresented. These underrepresented adaptive co-management characteristics may be harder to be recognized by stakeholders. An implementation of stakeholder-based management suggestions may prepare the systems for change. However, policy windows and resilience have to be observed, underrepresented characteristics have to be examined, and political context, long-term support, monitoring, and facilitation have to be considered. The approach fosters conservation conflict solution. The results could help protected area managers to further develop a local process. The experiment empowered stakeholders and resulted in case-specific suggestions, backed up by adaptive co-management literature. Research should focus on bridging knowledge between case studies as well as between politics, management, stakeholders, and scientists and on further examining stakeholders' capabilities to develop adaptive co-management approaches.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Javier Sánchez Ramírez, Mónica Bequet-Romero, Yanelys Morera Díaz, Francisco Hernández-Bernal, Ana de la Torre Santos, Katty-Hind Selman-Housein Bernal, Yenima Martín Bauta, Cimara H. Bermúdez Badell, Miladys Limonta Fernández, Marta Ayala Avila〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Two phase I clinical trials were conducted to evaluate, among other parameters, the humoral response elicited by a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-based therapeutic vaccine in cancer patients with advanced solid tumors. VEGF reduction was studied using an indirect methodology named as “Platelet VEGF”. This methodology is based on the estimation of VEGF within platelets by subtracting the plasma VEGF level from the serum level and dividing this by the platelet count, and then this latter expression is additionally corrected by the hematocrit. However, there is broad debate, whether serum or plasma VEGF or platelet-derived VEGF measurements is the most appropriate strategy to study the changes that occur on ligand bioavailability when patients are submitted to a VEGF-based immunotherapy.〈/p〉 〈p〉The current research is a retrospective study evaluating the changes on VEGF levels in serum and plasma as well as platelet-derived measurements. Changes in VEGF levels were related with the humoral response seen in cancer patients after an active immunotherapy with a VEGF-based vaccine. The present study indicates that “Platelet VEGF” is the most reliable methodology to investigate the effect of VEGF-based immunotherapies on ligand bioavailability. “Platelet VEGF” was associated with those groups of individuals that exhibited the best specific humoral response and the variation of “Platelet VEGF” showed the strongest negative correlation with VEGF-specific IgG antibody levels. This methodology will be very useful for the investigation of this VEGF-based vaccine in phase II clinical trials and could be applied to immunotherapies directed to other growth factors that are actively sequestered by platelets.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Geneviève André-Fontaine, Laetitia Triger〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Dogs are naturally exposed to numerous pathogenic serogroups. Leptospirosis vaccines are claimed to afford a clinical protection restricted to the serogroups of which they are composed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Objectives〈/h6〉 〈p〉Dogs exhibiting liver and kidney injury were suspected of having leptospirosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) results in naive and vaccinated dogs experiencing leptospirosis outcomes. Only MAT-positive animals were included in the study.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉Over five years, 3 512 dogs were suspected of having leptospirosis. For each case, biochemical parameter results were recorded. Leptospirosis involvement was investigated by MAT performed against 6 major serogroups (Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Australis, Autumnalis, Grippotyphosa and Sejroë). MAT-positive results confirmed leptospirosis cases in 147 naïve dogs and in 580 fully vaccinated dogs. Serological titres of agglutinating antibodies were related to the severity of liver and kidney failure.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉The most prevalent outcome of leptospirosis in unvaccinated dogs was liver failure (57.8%) compared to 51.7% for kidney disease, but the most severe onset (90.8%) was found among the cases of acute kidney injury compared to the severe (42.3%) hepatitis cases. In dogs vaccinated by bivalent Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola bacterins, hepatitis decreased from 57.8 to 46.5% and acute kidney injury from 51.7 to 21.6%. The decrease was shown in leptospirosis cases induced by field strains belonging to the six most prevalent serogroups, including the 4 serogroups heterologous to the vaccine.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉Common vaccination was efficient in decreasing hepatitis and kidney failure induced by field 〈em〉Leptospira〈/em〉 spp infection regardless of the MAT-prominent serogroup and limited the disease severity in the remaining cases.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fengyi Zhong, Qi Wang, Caili Xu, Yi Wang, Bin Xu, Yun Zhang, Guangyin Fan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report the preparation of an ammonia borane hydrolysis catalyst for use in hydrogen production by dispersing Rh nanoparticles on a nitrogen-doped carbon (NPC) support. The resulting Rh/NPC catalyst had a measured turnover frequency of 473.5 min〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, higher than that of many previously reported Rh-based catalysts. This catalyst could also be reused eight times. The large surface area and abundant nitrogen-functional species of NPCs facilitate dispersion of Rh nanoparticles on their surface, providing numerous catalytically active sites for ammonia borane hydrolysis, thereby leading to high catalytic activity. This study demonstrates that NPC support can be used to prepare highly active catalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ya Li, Xundi Zhang, Anmin Hu, Ming Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nanostructured nickel-cobalt alloys of the content of Co varying from 0% to 75% for hydrogen evolution reaction were fabricated by galvanostatic electrochemical deposition processes. With the incorporation of Co into Ni matrix, the morphologies of Ni-Co alloys are changed from nanocones to lamellar structure and finally evolved to a mixed shape of nanocone structure and lamellar structure. Among these Ni-Co alloys, the optimal Ni-60%Co alloy exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity with a small hydrogen overpotential of −180 mV and follows Volmer-Tafel mechanism. Better performance of Ni-60%Co can be attributed to the synergetic combination of Ni and Co and unique complex mesh structure which provides the enlarged exposure of catalytically active sites. In addition, Ni-60%Co alloy also displays good electrochemical stability under 10 h galvanostatic test. With prominent electrochemical properties, Ni-60%Co alloy has a certain advantage in the catalytic hydrogen evolution material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 31 October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tai Thien Huynh, Hau Quoc Pham, At Van Nguyen, Anh Tram Ngoc Mai, Son Truong Nguyen, Long Giang Bach, Dai-Viet N. Vo, Van Thi Thanh Ho〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉For the first time, a novel Pt catalyst supported on mesoporous Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles, which exhibited superior advantages such as high conductivity (0.022 S/cm), large specific surface area (201.481 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g) and homogeneous morphology with 9 nm spherical-like particles, was prepared successfully via the rapid microwave-assisted polyol route. It is found that uniform 3 nm spherical-like Pt nano-forms were adhered homogeneous on the surface of Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Intriguingly, the electrochemical surface area of Pt catalyst supported on mesoporous Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 was found to be around 90.05 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/gPt, which is profoundly higher than ECSA value obtained from Pt/C (E-TEK) catalyst. Furthermore, as for methanol oxidation reaction measurement, the I〈sub〉f〈/sub〉/I〈sub〉b〈/sub〉 ratio of the 20 wt % Pt/Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalyst was found to be approximately 2.33, which 2.5-folds higher than that of the commercial Pt/C (E-TEK) catalyst. Importantly, the chronoamperometry data also revealed that the 20 wt % Pt/Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalyst possessed the higher durability than the commercial 20 wt % Pt/C (E-TEK) catalyst. In addition, the successful synthesis of the 20 wt % Pt/Ti〈sub〉0.7〈/sub〉W〈sub〉0.3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalyst not only offers an attractive catalyst for fuel cell using methanol but also opens application potentials for solar cells, as well as biosensors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lien Thi Tran, Quang Minh Nguyen, Minh Dang Nguyen, Hong Ngan Thi Le, Thao Thi Nguyen, Thu Ha Thi Vu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The current study reports the preparation and investigation of several Pt-based anode catalysts loaded on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as electrocatalysts in both acid and alkaline media for ethanol electrooxidation. The synthesized catalysts are evaluated by the method of XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and TEM. Electrocatalytic properties of these catalysts for ethanol oxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. It was found that the as-prepared nanocatalysts doped by metals and oxide metals showed the improvement of catalytic performance compared to Pt-only supported on graphene catalyst. The results indicated that the presence of Al favoured Pt nanoparticles dispersing on the surface of rGO sheets. Indeed, the PAG catalyst exhibits the highest mass activity for the ethanol oxidation of 1194 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉〈sub〉Pt〈/sub〉 in acid medium and 3691 mA mg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉〈sub〉Pt〈/sub〉 in alkaline medium. In addition, the PAG catalyst also shows good antipoisoning ability for ethanol electrooxidation in both media. This catalyst could be a potential catalyst for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhong Li, ZhengJun Yao, Azhar Ali Haidry, Tomas Plecenik, LiJuan Xie, LinChao Sun, Qawareer Fatima〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Owing to its high energy density and environmentally friendly nature, hydrogen has already been regarded as the ultimate energy of the 21st century and gained significant attention from the worldwide researchers. Meanwhile, there are increasing concerns about its safe use, storage and transport as, despite being colorless and odorless, after certain concentration level it becomes flammable and explosive in air. Therefore, it is imperative to develop H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 sensors for real-time monitoring of the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 leakage for an early warning. This paper firstly introduces the general hydrogen gas sensing mechanism of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-based hydrogen sensors. Then we summarize and comment on the current hydrogen gas sensor based on various TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 materials, which include pristine TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, metal-assisted TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, organic-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composites, carbon-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composites, MOX-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 composites and novel sensor concept with effective top-bottom electrode configuration. Finally, we briefly discuss the obstacles that TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-based H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 sensors have to overcome in the progress of the systematically practical application, possible solutions, and future research perspectives that can be focused in this area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hyun Suk Lim, Minbeom Lee, Dohyung Kang, Jae W. Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This work investigates the role of transition metal at the B-site of ABO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉–type perovskite that affects the lattice oxygen transfer for the partial oxidation of methane. Two types, LaBO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and La〈sub〉0.6〈/sub〉Ca〈sub〉0.4〈/sub〉BO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (B = Fe, Mn, Co), were synthesized and investigated under repeated redox cycles. The Fe-based perovskite had a high tendency of partial oxidation, while the Co-based perovskite mainly led to the full oxidation of methane. The Co-based perovskite was enriched with the surface oxygen component due to the enhanced oxygen transfer from the lattice to the surface vacant site. On the other hand, the Fe-based perovskite showed a relatively low lattice oxygen transfer to the surface oxygen vacancy although it had the highest lattice oxygen ratio among the different B-site perovskites. The selectivity and the production amount of the syngas were improved when the amount of the surface oxygen was controlled by adjusting the re-oxidation extent of the carriers during the oxidation step. Through these experiments, La〈sub〉0.6〈/sub〉Ca〈sub〉0.4〈/sub〉FeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which showed the highest syngas productivity with utilizing earth-abundant metals, was selected as an optimal oxygen carrier for methane reforming.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319918329136-fx1.jpg" width="394" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zunhua Zhang, Peng Cheng, Jian Tan, Junjie Liang, Yeyuan Li, Gesheng Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The initial temperature distribution of the combustible mixture has a significant effect on the measurement accuracy of the laminar burning velocity using the outwardly propagating spherical flame method. In the present study, the initial temperature fields inside the constant-volume combustion vessel were obtained by different arrangement methods of heater. Further, the effects of the non-uniformity of initial temperature field on the propagation processes of two-dimensional premixed H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-air laminar flames were numerically studied. The results show that when the initial temperature field inside the vessel heated by heating tapes reaches a stable state, the temperature of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-air mixture tends to descend first and then rise along the gravity direction, which indicates that the non-uniformity of the temperature field increases with the actual delivered power. Compared with the uniform initial temperature field, the maximum relative deviation of laminar burning velocity of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-air mixture obtained in the non-uniform initial temperature field is 7% when the vessel is heated by heating tapes under the power of 669 W. However, the non-uniformity of the initial temperature field of the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-air mixture in the vessel obviously decreases and the maximum relative deviation of laminar burning velocity is only 2% when a simulated evenly arranged heater is employed to heat the vessel. Consequently, it is quite necessary to evaluate the non-uniformity of the initial temperature field inside the constant-volume combustion vessel before using the outwardly propagating spherical flame method to determine the laminar burning velocity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fuqiang Yang, Jin Guo, Changjian Wang, Shouxiang Lu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Experiments on duct-vented explosions of hydrogen–air mixtures in a 12.3 l cylindrical vessel were conducted, and the effects of duct length and hydrogen concentration on the maximum overpressure and flame behavior within and outside the vented enclosure were investigated. The results show that the maximum overpressure in the vessel first increased and then was maintained nearly unchanged with the length of a relief duct increasing to 2 m. For a given duct length, the maximum overpressure first increased and then decreased when hydrogen concentration increased from 20% to 55%. The burn-up in the duct caused the gas mixtures to move in reverse from the duct to vessel, which consequently decreased the venting efficiency. A pressure wave caused by burn-up in the duct was observed, which resulted in a pressure peak in the external pressure–time histories after it traveled outside the duct. The maximum external overpressure first increased and then decreased with an increase in duct length. For a given duct length, the maximum external overpressure increased with an increase in hydrogen concentration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): K. Goc, W. Prendota, J. Przewoźnik, Ł. Gondek, Cz Kapusta, A. Radziszewska, K. Mineo, A. Takasaki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Magnesium hydride is a very interesting material suggested to be used for storing hydrogen because of its high capacity (∼7.5 wt%). However its application is limited by high decomposition temperature and poor kinetics. This paper presents results of the preliminary study on the new approach to introduction of surface dopants by magnetron sputtering on powdery substrates. Thin films of nickel were successfully deposited on the magnesium hydride powder. SEM observations and EDS elements mapping show uniform and continuous layers, with the thickness up to 320 nm, formed on hydride grains. It was proven by measurements with Sievert's method that such a surface modification increases the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 dissociation/recombination speed and effectively enhances hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reaction rate. The DSC measurements show the reduction of the activation energy of hydrogen desorption by ∼150 kJ/mol and a decrease of the decomposition temperature by 50 K. The study shows that uniform nickel coating of hydride powder by magnetron sputtering can be considered as an effective way for introduction of the catalytic elements and improvement of the hydrogen storage properties of the magnesium hydride.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 46〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 46〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wanhai Zhou, Ding Zhu, Kun Liu, Jinchi Li, Chaoling Wu, Yungui Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Although a low-Al or an Al-free design is an efficient way to develop low-temperature and high-rate metal hydride alloys, the cycling life of these alloys is poor. Our strategy is to employ B-side anti-corrosion elements (e.g., Fe, Si, Sn, Cu) to coordinate the low-temperature and high-power delivery with cycling life. We confirmed that excellent electrochemical kinetics (i.e., surface catalytic and bulk H-diffusion ability) is the primary condition for low-temperature and high-rate delivery, while it reverses with anti-corrosion ability. As a result, the low-temperature dischargeability (LTD), high-rate dischargeability (HRD) and peak power (〈em〉P〈/em〉〈sub〉peak〈/sub〉) progressively decrease with Ni, Si, Cu, Fe, Sn and Al substitution, but the cycling stability successively increases with Ni, Si, Fe, Sn, Cu and Al substitution. Based on the thermodynamics and the coordination of the LTD, the HRD and 〈em〉P〈/em〉〈sub〉peak〈/sub〉 with the cycling life, the (LaCe)〈sub〉1.0〈/sub〉(NiCoMn)〈sub〉4.85〈/sub〉Al〈sub〉0.05〈/sub〉Cu〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉 alloy presents the best overall electrochemical properties. Notably, when using an as-designed Cu-doped anode, the assembled commercial 100 Ah prismatic Ni-MH batteries present excellent power delivery at −40 °C.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S036031991833060X-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 29 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 48〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mehmet F. Cansizoglu, Emad Badradeen, Tansel Karabacak〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report enhanced low temperature hydrogen storage properties of magnesium “nanotrees” fabricated by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) method. The arrays of nanotrees and conventional thin films of elemental Mg have been deposited directly onto gold coated unpolished quartz crystal substrates. Mg nanotrees were about 15 μm in height, 10 μm by 1 μm in lateral size, and were composed of “nanoleaves” of about 20 nm in thickness, 2 μm length, and 1 μm width. Hydrogen absorption and desorption properties of Mg nanotrees and thin films were investigated using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) testing system that is capable of measuring weight changes with a nanogram sensitivity. QCM absorption tests were performed at temperatures 100, 200, and 300 °C under 30 bars of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 pressure. Measurements revealed that Mg nanotrees can absorb hydrogen at significantly higher weight percentage (wt%) and faster rates compared to conventional Mg films under similar conditions. Hydrogen storage of Mg thin film was observed to be at 0.02, 0.30 and 3.91 wt% (weight percentage), while it reached to 1.26, 3.75, and 5.86 wt% for nanotrees at temperatures 100, 200, and 300 °C, respectively, after 150 min. In addition, the results of desorption experiments show that Mg nanotrees can start to release hydrogen at temperatures as low as 100 °C at a rate of 0.11 wt% (vs. 0.01 wt% for thin film at the same temperature) with desorption rates reaching to 1.05 wt% at 200 °C (0.26 wt% for thin film) and 2.57 wt% at 300 °C (1.45 wt% for thin film), which are considerably lower desorption temperatures compared to previously reported values for bulk Mg (〉300 °C). The enhancement in hydrogen absorption and desorption properties of Mg nanotrees is believed to originate from their thin and isolated nanoleaves that also have an improved oxidation resistance property.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): David O. Yawson, Michael O. Adu, Kingsley N. Osei〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ghana imports about US$ 2 million worth of sugar annually. To address this huge import bill and to take advantage of a growing demand for sugar in the West African sub-region, the Government of Ghana initiated a Sugar Policy. The Government of Ghana, therefore, re-constructed and commissioned the Komenda Sugar Factory in 2016 at a reported cost of US$ 35 million. The Komenda Sugar Factory can process 1,250 tons of sugarcane per day (or 225,000 tons per annum), but was shut down soon after the test run and commissioning. This raised considerable public outcry. Among the numerous reasons that were given, it was widely believed that the factory faced feedstock deficits. This study therefore applied satellite remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems to quantify the potential feedstock supply from current production within the immediate catchment of the factory. Supervised classification was applied to Landsat 8 images, using QGIS, to quantify sugarcane production in the study area and at specified buffer distances from the factory. The results showed that the factory could mobilize only 7% of its feedstock requirement within the industrially recommended radius of 40 miles and 13% within the entire catchment area in the 2016/2017 season. Thus, under current scale of production and production conditions, the Komenda Sugar Factory faces large deficits in feedstock supply. National production data suggests that total national sugarcane production in 2016 would only meet 68% of the factory's requirement if it were operational. The results suggest an urgent need to establish a plantation for the factory and to commit out-growers to production to support and sustain the factory if it is to become operational soon. There is also a need for high-yielding, high-brix, and early maturing varieties, coupled with good agronomic practices, to bridge the quantity and (potentially) quality gaps.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Oscar J. Cordero, Rubén Varela-Calviño〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Many evidences support that species from the Human Oral Microbiome Database such as 〈em〉Fusobacterium nucleatum〈/em〉 or 〈em〉Bacteroides,〈/em〉 linked previously to periodontitis and appendicitis, play a role in colorectal cancer (CRC), including metastasis. These typically oral species are invasive anaerobes that form biofilms in their virulent state.〈/p〉 〈p〉Aspirin (a NSAID) has been recently included into routine CRC prevention rationale. NSAIDs can prevent the growth of neoplastic lesions by inhibiting COX enzymes and another set of recently identified COX-independent targets, which include the WNT, AMPK and MTOR signaling pathways, the crosstalk between nucleoli and NF-κB transcriptional activity in apoptosis, and the biochemistry of platelets. These are signaling pathways related to tumor-promoting inflammation. In this process, pathogens or simple deregulation of the microbiota play an important role in CRC. Aspirin and other NSAIDs are efficient inhibitors of biofilm formation and able to control periodontitis development preventing inflammation related to the microbiota of the gingival tissue, so its seems plausible to include this pathway in the mechanisms that aspirin uses to prevent CRC.〈/p〉 〈p〉We propose arguments suggesting that current oral hygiene methods and other future developments against periodontitis might prevent CRC and probably other cancers, alone or in combination with other options; and that the multidisciplinary studies needed to prove this hypothesis might be relevant for cancer prevention.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Brian B. Boutwell〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The topic of consciousness remains central across numerous academic fields ranging from philosophy to cognitive neuroscience. Scholars in all of these fields continue to debate the origins of conscious experiences. More recently, scientists have applied advanced imaging techniques to illuminate brain regions that are at least associated with our subjective feelings of conscious experience. Though much disagreement remains, one point that is generally accepted across fields is that consciousness is not the product of an immaterial substance, but rather is produced by functioning across physical substrates in the brain. This point of agreement is enough to suggest that genetically and environmentally underpinned individual variation in brain structure may contribute to individual variation in consciousness. To the extent that this is correct, it may provide insight on a host of important questions across various academic fields. Equally important, understanding sources of variability in consciousness may be a key piece of the puzzle for understanding not only how consciousness evolved but also how selection pressures might continue to act on the human experience of consciousness across subsequent generations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alexey V. Morozov, Vadim L. Karpov〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cell homeostasis and regulation of metabolic pathways are ensured by synthesis, proper folding and efficient degradation of a vast amount of proteins. Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) degrades most intracellular proteins and thus, participates in regulation of cellular metabolism. Within the UPS, proteasomes are the elements that perform substrate cleavage. However, the proteasomes in the organism are diverse. Structurally different proteasomes are present not only in different types of cells, but also in a single cell. The reason for proteasome heterogeneity is not fully understood. This review briefly encompasses mammalian proteasome structure and function, and discusses biological relevance of proteasome diversity for a range of important cellular functions including internal and external signaling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Oqab Jabali〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Writing has always been seen as the most troublesome and challenging area of language learning for all students without exception especially if it is to be done in a foreign language. Most of these students fail to meet the expectations of instructors both communicatively and linguistically. Those students are, in fact of varied backgrounds, different learning methodologies, varied levels of language skills and experience, let alone different insights, attitudes and conceptions about the writing skill. Consequently, it is significant to exhibit what these students think of writing and how they approach it. This study was meant to serve a two-fold purpose. Firstly, it aimed at examining what the Palestinian EFL students' attitudes towards writing in general are; and secondly, whether the Palestinian EFL students feel any difference between expressing ideas while writing in English and Arabic. The participant of this study were (102) EFL students enrolled in four writing courses offered by the English Department in the Faculty of Humanities at An-Najah National University in the Spring Semester 2016/2017. A 28-item questionnaire modified from Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Questionnaire and an open-ended question to help respondents freely express their attitudes towards writing were used to answer the questions. The study findings showed that students had positive attitudes toward writing, the various writing courses offered by the university, the textbooks and teaching methods used, and their writing skills and strategies.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 11〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lee Hadlington, Mark O. Scase〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study aimed to explore the potential relationship between individual differences in responses to failures with digital technology. In total, 630 participants (50% male) aged between 18–68 years (〈em〉M〈/em〉 = 41.41, 〈em〉SD〈/em〉 = 14.18) completed an online questionnaire. This included a self-report, response to failures in digital technology scale, a measure of Fear of Missing Out, Internet addiction, and the BIG-5 personality traits. Fear of Missing Out, Internet addiction, extraversion, and neuroticism all served as significant positive predictors for maladaptive responses to failures in digital technology. Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness acted as significant negative predictors for maladaptive responses to failures in digital technology. The responses to failures in digital technology scale presented good internal reliability, with items loading onto four key factors, these being; ‘maladaptive responses’, ‘adaptive responses’, ‘external support and venting frustrations’, and ‘anger and resignation’. The findings are discussed in the context of the end user experience, particularly where individual differences are seen to influence the level of frustration arising from a failure. The findings are also seen as a potential route for reducing the negative impact of failures in digital technology, particularly in the context of organisational productivity and responses to malicious cyberattacks.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): David C. Watson〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The research is an investigation of self-compassion and materialism. Self-compassion is when an individual has a caring, non-judgmental view of the self. This quality has been related to lower depression, less negative emotion and higher psychological health (Neff, 2003). Materialism has been consistently associated with low subjective well-being and unhappiness. A related concept is that of the ‘quiet ego’, which is a less competitive, less self-centered individual with more concern with connecting with others and with personal growth (Wayment et al., 2015). Therefore, it is hypothesized that highly materialistic individuals will be lower in self-compassion and have a fear of compassion from others and towards others and that self-compassion and fears of compassion will mediate the relationship between materialism and low subjective well-being. As materialistic individuals are more likely to be competitive and individualistic, it is hypothesized that the ‘quiet ego’ will be negatively related to materialism. These hypotheses were investigated using a set of questionnaires with 423 undergraduate participants. The results indicated a relationship between materialism and fear of compassion for others and of responding to the compassion of others. Materialism was also negatively related to the ‘quiet ego’ and related constructs such as: mindfulness, satisfaction with life and generativity. Self-compassion, fears of compassion and the quiet-ego were also found to mediate the relationship between materialism and measures of well-being. The results are consistent with several theoretical explanations for the development of materialism. It is possible that increasing self-compassion, reducing fears of compassion and ‘ego-quieting’ procedures could be developed as methods of reducing materialistic tendencies.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Anne Handrini Dewi, Ika Dewi Ana〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Objectives〈/h6〉 〈p〉We determined and structurally analyzed the reported effect of hydroxyapatite (HA) bone substitute on alveolar bone regeneration. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic reviews have previously reported the bone regenerative effect of the HA bone substitute.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Materials and methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉A literature search was performed for articles published up to August 2015 using MEDLINE with the search terms “hydroxyapatite,” “bone regeneration,” and “alveolar bone” as well as their known synonyms. The inclusion criteria were set up for human trials with at least five patients. The literature search, eligible article selection, and data extraction were independently performed by two readers, and their agreement was reported by κ value.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉Of the 504 studies found using the MEDLINE literature search, 241 were included for further steps (inter-reader agreement, κ = 0.968). Abstract screening yielded 74 studies (κ = 0.910), with 42 completely fulfilling the inclusion criteria (κ = 0.864). In a final step, 42 studies were further analyzed, with 17 and 25 studies with and without statistical analysis, respectively. The 17 studies reporting similar outcome measures were compared using the calculated 95% confidence intervals. The effect of HA on ridge preservation could not be evaluated.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusions〈/h6〉 〈p〉The use of the HA bone substitute interfered with the normal healing process, with significant differences found for sinus augmentation but not for periodontal bone defects. Thus, a bone substitute with optimal bone regenerative properties for alveolar ridge or socket preservation, sinus augmentation, and periodontal bony defect should be developed.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Luciane Morelis de Abreu, Rosângela Filipini, Beatriz da Costa Aguiar Alves, Gláucia Luciano da Veiga, Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Purpose〈/h6〉 〈p〉To evaluate the perception of breastfeeding self-efficacy in puerperal women and to verify the association between Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Brazilian Version (BSES-VB) scores and sociodemographic and obstetric variables. The practice of breastfeeding is of extreme importance, not only because of its affective value but also because the nutritional composition of human milk is essential nutrients for the adequate growth and development of the newborn.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Design and methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉This is a quantitative and cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 100 puerperal women. The research instruments used were form with demographic, economic, obstetric and breastfeeding data and the BSES-VB.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉40% of the mothers obtained scores compatible with average breastfeeding self-efficacy, 35% of them presented high efficacy and 25% low efficacy. There was no significant relationship between sociodemographic and obstetric variables with the BSES-VB mean scores in the puerperal period. In the association between some variables and items of the breastfeeding self-efficacy scale, it was observed that breastfeeding guidance in the prenatal period and marital status were statistically significant with the mean scores of each item on the scale.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉Only 35% of the puerperal women presented high breastfeeding efficacy. Breastfeeding guidance variables in prenatal care and marital status were statistically significant.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Practice implications〈/h6〉 〈p〉the work of the professionals who work in the care of puerperal women becomes of great importance to provide information on the breastfeeding theme and determining the adherence to the practice of breastfeeding.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mary Lissy P.N., Carolin Peter, Kavya Mohan, Shone Greens, Sneha George〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Clay brick manufacturing is a sector which involves a lot of firing processes requiring higher temperature. To maintain this temperature, large amount of fuel in the form of wood, coal, biomass etc. need to be burnt in the kiln causing serious issues of air pollution. Also, with the increase in the number of industries coming up, large amount of un-disposable waste gets accumulated. If suitable remedies are not adopted for its safe disposal, it may pollute the water bodies through runoff. This project is an effort to reduce the brick firing temperature in the kiln to about 600 °C thereby reducing the cost of production and making the whole process environmental friendly. This work will put forward a suitable alternative for the safe disposal of industrial debris like quarry dust and glass powder by incorporating them as a partial substitute for river sand which is one of the costly constituent of clay brick and thereby further reducing the cost of production. Experimental results showed higher compressive strength of 21.31 N/mm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉when the brick was casted with mix proportion of Cement: Sand: Red earth: Glass Powder: Quarry Dust = 4:1:1:1.5:2.5. The strength measured at temperature 600 °C met the requirements of the National Standards.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lucas Diniz Giraldeli, Bruna Constante Fonseca, Valeria Reginatto〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Fermentative hydrogen production allows the use of renewable biomasses as feedstocks. However, biomass saccharification results not only in carbohydrates, but also in products that can inhibit fermentation. Although biomass hydrolysates contain mixtures of inhibitors, most studies are performed with a single inhibitor. This study evaluates how 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF, 0.60 g/L), levulinic acid (LA, 2.10 g/L), and/or formic acid (FA, 0.80 g/L) mixtures affect two H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-producing clostridia, 〈em〉Clostridium beijerinckii〈/em〉 Br21 and 〈em〉Clostridium acetobutylicum〈/em〉 ATCC 824. Fermentation assays with and without (control) the inhibitors helped to calculate the specific H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production, substrate consumption, and bacterial cell growth rates for 〈em〉Clostridium beijerinckii〈/em〉 Br21 or 〈em〉Clostridium acetobutylicum〈/em〉 ATCC 824. HMF + AL, HMF + AF, AL + AF, and HMF + AL + AF mixtures inhibited H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production by 〈em〉C. beijerinckii〈/em〉 Br21 by 58.7, 60.0, 46.9, and 83.0%, respectively, and by 〈em〉C. acetobutylicum〈/em〉 ATCC 824 by 68.1, 71.4, 58.2, and 89.0%, respectively. 〈em〉Clostridium acetobutylicum〈/em〉 ATCC 824 metabolized HMF more efficiently. However, organic acids and their combination with HMF inhibited H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production by 〈em〉C. beijerinckii〈/em〉 Br21 to a lesser extent, which highlighted that this microorganism is robust for H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production from biomass hydrolysates.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaoshun Zhang, Dezhi Wang, Tao Yu, Zhao Xu, Zhun Fan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To achieve an effective coordination between the secondary control and the tertiary control of load frequency control (LFC), a new optimal active power control (OAPC) is constructed for real-timely changing the operating points of distributed energy resources (DERs) and thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) in an islanded microgrid. A large number of TCLs are integrated as a load aggregator (LA) for participating the secondary control of LFC, which can enhance the dynamic response performance due to their much faster response speeds compared with that of distributed generators. Since OAPC is a nonsmooth and nonlinear optimization with a quite short implementation period, a novel model-free ensemble learning (EL) is proposed to rapidly obtain a high-quality optimal solution for it. EL based OAPC is composed of multiple sub-optimizers and a learning concentrator, where each sub-optimizer is responsible for providing the exploitation and exploration samples to the learning concentrator, while the reinforcement learning based concentrator is mainly used for knowledge learning and knowledge transfer. Case studies are thoroughly carried out to verify the performance of EL based OAPC in an islanded microgrid with 12 DERs and 900 TCLs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ruifeng Chong, Yangyang Fan, Yuqing Du, Ling Liu, Zhixian Chang, Deliang Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Efficient catalysts with high selectivity in products are highly desirable for photocatalytic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reduction. In this work, hydroxyapatite (HAP) decorated TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (HAP/TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) were successfully fabricated via in-situ deposition of Ca(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 on rutile TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 followed by a facile hydrothermal reaction. Comparing with TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, HAP/TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 exhibited significant enhancement (〈em〉ca.〈/em〉 40 times) toward photocatalytic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reduction in the presence of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O with a 〉95% selectivity of CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. The characterizations revealed HAP possessed Lewis basic sites (O〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 in -PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉3-〈/sup〉 groups) and Lewis acidic sites (Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 or OH〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 vacancies), where Lewis basic sites could enhance the adsorption/activation of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and Lewis acidic sites facilitated the adsorption/dissociation of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O respectively, thus promoting the photocatalytic reduction and oxidation half-reactions of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O over Pt/TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The formation of much more stable intermediates over HAP/TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 would be responsible for the high selectivity of CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. Moreover, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical characterizations revealed HAP could also promote the charge separation of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and the charge transfer between TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and adsorbed species. The findings demonstrate HAP has a great potential as efficient assistant for photocatalytic CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 reduction with H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and will stimulate us to design novel semiconductor-based materials with tuned Lewis acidic and Lewis basic sites to achieve highly efficient photocatalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319918332221-fx1.jpg" width="353" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 6 December 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 49〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Robert Ryczkowski, Marcin Jędrzejczyk, Beata Michalkiewicz, Grzegorz Słowik, Witold Kwapiński, Agnieszka M. Ruppert, Jacek Grams〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The goal of this work is to determine an impact of the modification method of Ni/ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalyst by alkali and alkaline earth metals on its activity in thermo-chemical conversion of cellulose to hydrogen-rich gas. Me〈sub〉x〈/sub〉O-ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 supports (where Me = Ca, Mg, Na or K) were prepared by impregnation, precipitation and sol-gel methods. The obtained results reveal that an introduction of dopants to the zirconia support considerably enhances the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 yield in comparison to unmodified catalyst. An increase in the hydrogen formation is accompanied by a rise in the total volume of the produced gases. It is demonstrated that the highest amount of hydrogen is formed in the presence of the catalysts containing CaO-ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 support followed by Na doped materials. This phenomenon can be attributed to more efficient incorporation of Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 cations in the zirconia lattice making it more stable in the reaction conditions. Moreover, it is observed that an activity order of the investigated catalysts is consistent with the changes in the basic character of their surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Joydev Manna, Bernard Tougas, Jacques Huot〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper we report the effect of air exposure on TiFe + 4% Zr alloy and how the hydrogen capacity could be recovered by processing the alloy by cold rolling and ball milling. It has been noted that the alloy could not absorb hydrogen after 7 days of air exposure. To restore the hydrogenation capability of the alloy, it was mechanically treated using cold rolling and ball milling. It was found that the air exposed alloy could be hydrogenated after 30 min of ball milling under argon or after cold rolling. Effect of cold rolling and ball milling on first hydrogenation for pure TiFe alloy was also investigated.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zohreh Merati, Jalal Basiri Parsa, Rasoul Babaei-Sati〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As known, a good support enhances the activity and durability of any catalyst. In the current study, polypyrrole (PPY)/nanocomposite (MWCNTs and Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) films were fabricated by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole solution with a certain amount of nanoparticles on titanium substrates and were used as new support materials for Pt catalyst. The modified electrodes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques. High catalytic activity and long-time stability toward methanol oxidation of Pt/PPY–MWNTs-αAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 catalyst have also been verified by cyclic voltammetry results and chronoamperometric response measurements. This catalyst exhibits a vehemently high current density (345.03 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉) and low peak potential (0.74 v) for methanol oxidation. Other electrochemical measurements (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), CO stripping voltammetry and Tafel test) clearly confirmed that Pt/PPY–MWNTs-αAl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/Ti electrode has a better performance toward methanol oxidation compared to the other electrodes and that can be used as a promising electrode material for application in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S036031991832977X-fx1.jpg" width="416" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinying Li, Xue Cao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Behaviors of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-absorption to CuRn〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 have been investigated at the CCSD(T) theoretical level. The “T-shaped” H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-absorption to the Cu or to Rn atom can be found with different binding energies, and it can be characterized by infrared radiation spectrum. The three-atom Cu/Rn⋯H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interactions are investigated by AIM theory, topological analysis on electron density function, delocalization index, and independent gradient model analysis. It characterizes the partial covalent character for the Cu⋯H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interactions and van der Waals character for the Rn⋯H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interactions. Consistencies show the reliability of bond critical point properties for the present three-atom Cu/Rn⋯H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interactions due to the very small H〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉H distances.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Andrei N. Lipatnikov, Nilanjan Chakraborty, Vladimir A. Sabelnikov〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Transport equations for (i) the rate 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si8.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 of product creation and (ii) its Favre-averaged value 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si9.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈mo〉˜〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 are derived from the first principles by assuming that 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si8.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 depends solely on the temperature and mass fraction of a deficient reactant in a premixed turbulent flame characterized by the Lewis number 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si10.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉L〈/mi〉〈mi〉e〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 different from unity. The right hand side of the transport equation for 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si9.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈mo〉˜〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 involves seven unclosed terms, with some of them having opposite signs and approximately equal large magnitudes when compared to the left-hand-side terms. Accordingly, separately closing each term does not seem to be a promising approach, but a joint closure relation for the sum 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si11.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉T〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉Σ〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 of the seven terms is sought. For this purpose, theoretical and numerical investigations of variously stretched laminar premixed flames characterized by 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si12.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉L〈/mi〉〈mi〉e〈/mi〉〈mo〉〈〈/mo〉〈mn〉1〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 are performed and the linear relation between 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si13.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉T〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉Σ〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 integrated along the normal to a laminar flame and a product of (i) the consumption velocity 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si14.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉u〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 and (ii) the stretch rate 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si15.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉s〈/mi〉〈mo〉˙〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉w〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 evaluated in the flame reaction zone is obtained. Based on this finding and simple physical reasoning, a joint closure relation of 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si16.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉T〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉Σ〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mo〉∝〈/mo〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉ρ〈/mi〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉s〈/mi〉〈mo〉˙〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 is hypothesized, where 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si17.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉ρ〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 is the density and 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si18.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉s〈/mi〉〈mo〉˙〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 is the stretch rate. The joint closure relation is tested against 3D DNS data obtained from three statistically 1D, planar, adiabatic, premixed turbulent flames in the case of a single-step chemistry and 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si19.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉L〈/mi〉〈mi〉e〈/mi〉〈mo〉=〈/mo〉〈mn〉0.34〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, 0.6, or 0.8. In all three cases, the agreement between 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si11.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉T〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉Σ〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 and 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si20.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉ρ〈/mi〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉s〈/mi〉〈mo〉˙〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 extracted from the DNS is good with exception of large (〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si21.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈mo〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mo〉〉〈/mo〉〈mn〉0.4〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉) values of the mean combustion progress variable 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si22.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈mo〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 in the case of 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si19.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉L〈/mi〉〈mi〉e〈/mi〉〈mo〉=〈/mo〉〈mn〉0.34〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉. The developed linear relation between 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si11.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉T〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉Σ〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 and 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si20.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉ρ〈/mi〉〈mi〉W〈/mi〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mi〉s〈/mi〉〈mo〉˙〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mo stretchy="true"〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 helps to understand why the leading edge of a premixed turbulent flame brush can control its speed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 46〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Guillaume Petitpas〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Losses along the LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 pathway are intrinsic to the utilization of a cryogenic fluid. They occur when the fluid is transferred between 2 vessels (liquefaction plant to trailer, trailer to station storage, station storage to pump or compressor, then possibly onto fuel cell electric vehicles …) and when it is warmed up due to heat transfer with the environment. Those losses can be estimated with good accuracy using thermodynamic models based on the conservation of mass and energy, provided that the thermodynamic states are correctly described. Indeed, the fluid undergoes various changes as it moves along the entire pathway (2 phase transition, sub-cooled liquid phase, super-heated warming, non-uniform temperature distributions across the saturation film) and accurate equations of state and 2 phase behavior implementations are essential. The balances of mass and energy during the various dynamics processes then enable to quantify the boil-off losses. In this work, a MATLAB code previously developed by NASA to simulate rocket loading is used as the basis for a LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 transfer model. This code implements complex physical phenomena such as the competition between condensation and evaporation and the convection vs. conduction heat transfer as a function of the relative temperatures on both sides of the saturated film. The original code was modified to consider real gas equations of state, and some semi-empirical relationships, such as between the heat of vaporization and the critical temperature, were replaced by a REFPROP equivalent expression, assumed to be more accurate. Non-constant liquid temperature equations were added to simulate sub-cooled conditions. The model shows that under environmental heat transfer only the liquid phase of a LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 vessel would experience cooling, while the boil-off is mainly a result of evaporation from the saturation film onto the vapor phase. Under the conditions assumed for this work, it was also concluded that the actual LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 density was lower than the corresponding saturation density given by the working pressure of the vessel. During a bottom fill transfer, for example from a LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 trailer to an on-site stationary vessel, it is shown that the boil-off losses are due to the compression of the vapor phase (“pdV” force). The model indicates that the magnitude of those losses is not dependent on the regulated pressure in the receiving vessel but is rather a function of the initial pressure in the vessel, amounting to more than 12% of losses for a vessel initially at 100 psia. At last, the model is used to estimate the amount of vapor H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 vented when depressurizing a LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 trailer following a LH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 delivery.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pingping Gao, Zhiyong Xie, Xiaobo Wu, Chun Ouyang, Ting Lei, Piaopiao Yang, Chunbo Liu, Junbin Wang, Tao Ouyang, Qizhong Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A highly corrosion resistant and conductive carbon/PTFE/TiN composite coating on Ti bipolar plates is prepared by a two-step hydrothermal and impregnation process. The composite coating exhibits a full coverage with uniformly distributed PTFE and TiN particles when 0.1 mol/L of glucose is used as carbon source and 10 wt % PFTE + 3 g/L TiN suspension as impregnating solution. The as-prepared composite coating film shows 0.009 μA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 of corrosion current density and 13 mΩ cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 of ICR in the simulated solution of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, respectively. Meanwhile, the potentiostatic polarization test shows that the corrosion current density of the composite coating is below 1 μA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 under real PEMFC working conditions of the cathode (0.6 V) and anode (−0.1 V). Additionally, the composite coating enhances hydrophobic property with a static contact angle of 120.2°and 115.5°before and after polarization test, respectively. In summary, the Ti substrate with carbon/PTFE/TiN composite coating shows a great potential application as bipolar plates of PEMFCs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhongqi Liu, Junhao Li, Qinfeng Ruan, Kefu Zhang, Wen Ma, Hongying Dong, Ruigang Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Due to the high processing cost of recycling industrial titanium alloy shavings wastes, an efficient method to produce TiH〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 powders from these solid wastes via a combination of thermohydrogen processing (THP) and ball milling treatments is reported in this study. Hydrogen temperature-programmed chemisorption methods (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-TPR and TPD) were applied to explore the hydrogen chemisorption behavior (adsorption, consumption, decomposition, and desorption) and determine the optimal processing parameters for THP. The influence of THP temperature and ball mill parameters (speed and time) on the changes for structure and particle size of the TiH〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 powders was investigated. The phase transition from α-Ti to δ-TiH〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 was observed after THP at 520 °C, while metastable γ-TiH〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 was detected after THP at 620 °C. In according with the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-TPR result, 520 °C was determined as the optimal THP temperature of titanium alloy shavings, and subsequently to obtain relatively fine titanium hydride powders with uniform particle size. This study establishes H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-TPR and TPD as chemically sensitive tools for probing and understanding the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of titanium alloys and beyond.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319918329483-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hee-Sun Shin, Oh-Jung Kwon, Byeong Soo Oh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Long-time operation and various conditions cause the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to degrade, which results in decreased performance. The degradation of the MEA appears as various symptoms, such as the loss of carbon support and agglomeration of the Pt catalyst. In this paper, damage on the surface of the MEA by long-time operation and various conditions is induced intentionally by high-temperature conditions in a thermostat chamber. The MEA surface damage is photographed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the loss of the carbon support that fixes the platinum catalyst is judged. Image processing is used to analyze damage on the MEA surface, and binarization processing is applied to the image processing method. SEM imagery is taken at magnifications of 100 × and the trends in quantified surface damage on the MEA according to the degradation temperature are analyzed. The correlation between the quantitative damage on the MEA surface and the performance of the PEMFC is checked. As a result, the tendency of decreasing PEMFC performance is derived from increasing quantified damage on the MEA surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tingjiang Yan, Na Li, Zaiyong Jiang, Wenfei Guan, Zheng Qiao, Baibiao Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Well dispersive CdS quantum dots (QDs) were successfully in-situ grown on cadmium hydroxyapatite (Cd〈sub〉5〈/sub〉(PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉OH, Cd-Hap) assembled rods through a self-sacrificing hydrothermal method. No any nocuous organic ligands were used in such self-sacrificing route, allowing for a green approach to prepare CdS QDs with clean surfaces and enough active sites. The deposition of CdS QDs onto Cd-Hap surfaces led to a dramatically enhanced performance in H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production under visible light irradiation as compared to bulk CdS nanoparticles. The optimal CdS QDs/Cd-Hap composite displayed a H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 evolution rate of 14.1 μmol h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 without using any noble metal cocatalyst, which was about 4.2 times higher than that of pristine CdS. The apparent quantum efficiency for CdS QDs/Cd-Hap composite was up to 18%. It was also found that CdS QDs/Cd-Hap composite can continuously generate H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 from water in the presence of electron donors for more than 125 h. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of CdS QDs/Cd-Hap composites could be attributed to the high charge separation efficiency resulting from the efficient capture of photoinduced electrons by oxygen vacancies in Cd-Hap rods and the quantum confinement effect of CdS QDs with strong redox capacity as well as the increased active sites.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319918329604-fx1.jpg" width="301" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): G.R. Molaeimanesh, M.A. Bamdezh, M. Nazemian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lattice Boltzmann method is an effective tool for depicting all transport phenomena governed by advection-diffusion-reaction mechanisms. In the present study, five different cathode catalyst layers of PEM fuel cells with dissimilar morphologies are stochastically reconstructed. The agglomerates of carbon black particles are considered as ellipsoids which can have different level of stretching. The reactive air flow through the reconstructed catalyst layers is simulated by 3D lattice Boltzmann agglomerate modeling for the first time. Species distributions in the pore region, electrical potential distribution in the electrolyte film, and current density distribution at the interface of catalyst layer and membrane are depicted and analyzed. The results of this study show that oxygen and water vapor mole fraction variation is unsmooth and disturbed; and by increasing of ellipsoid stretching, this unsmooth and disturbed manner becomes more severe. Besides, the water content of the electrolyte film remains at its initial value mostly at the top of upper agglomerates while higher water content is observed where the agglomerates are closer to each other. Moreover, the catalyst layer in which ellipsoidal agglomerates have the highest level of stretching provides the maximum average current density.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319918329434-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 8 November 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 43, Issue 45〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tao Dong, Peng Wang, Ping Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The synthesis of Ag〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Ag was performed through in-situ deposition and photo-reduction processes with magnetic NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 nanofibers towards enhanced photocatalysis performance and stability. NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 inhibit the photoreduction of Ag〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 into Ag and resulted in high stability. The photocatalytic activity of Ag〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Ag/NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 samples was studied by methylene blue degrading under visible light irradiation. The Ag〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Ag/NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalyst with NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 loading of 3% revealed good photocatalytic performance, high stability and quick degradation after 5 cycles. Photoluminescence spectra and photocurrent tests demonstrated that the formation of hetero-junction facilitated the separation of photo-generated carriers. The trapping experiments confirmed that h〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and •OH were active species during the degradation process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S036031991832946X-fx1.jpg" width="382" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉Z-scheme visible-light-driven magnetic Ag〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Ag/NiFe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalyst was successfully designed and prepared, which exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity and high degradation efficiency after five cycles, also it can be effectively recovered and reused.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Krystian Figlewski, Henning Andersen, Tobias Stærmose, Paul von Weitzel-Mudersbach, Jørgen Feldbæk Nielsen, Jakob Udby Blicher〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an ischemic episode of neurologic dysfunction characterized by a spontaneous clinical resolution of symptoms within 24 hours. Mechanisms of this remarkable recovery are not yet well understood. In patients with permanent brain injury caused by a stroke cortical levels of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) are decreased. In this study, we aimed to investigate, whether similar alterations of cortical GABA are also present in patients with TIA. Ten first-time TIA patients with temporary unilateral motor symptoms from upper limb and 10 control subjects underwent Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) with SPECIAL technique. GABA:creatine (GABA:CR) ratios were measured in the hand area of the primary motor cortex in both hemispheres. GABA:CR ratios were significantly lower in the symptomatic hemisphere of TIA patients when compared with healthy subjects. Whether reduced GABA is induced directly by transient ischemia or is a secondary compensatory mechanism, which facilitate re-establishment of normal function remains to be elucidated. Further research investigating our findings in larger samples will aid in understanding of the clinical significance of GABA alterations in TIA patients. GABA MRS may provide vital information about mechanisms involved in recovery after transient ischemia, which may have crucial importance for development of new neuroprotective strategies in stroke.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Connor J. Welty, Matthew L. Sousa, Frank M. Dunnivant, Paul H. Yancey〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anthropogenic use of high density, toxic elements results in marine pollution which is bio-accumulating throughout marine food webs. While there have been several studies in various locations analyzing such elements in fish, few have investigated patterns in these elements and their isotopes in terms of ocean depth, and none have studied the greatest depth zones. We used a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer-hydride system and an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer to determine concentrations of the high-density elements arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), plus the light-metal barium (Ba), in fish ranging from bathyal (1000 m in Monterey Bay) to upper hadal zones (6500–7626 m in the Kermadec and Mariana Trenches) in the Pacific Ocean. Five species of fish—including the Mariana Trench snailfish, the world's deepest known fish newly discovered—were analyzed for patterns in total element concentration, depth of occurrence, Se:Hg ratio, plus mercury isotopes in the deepest species. Co and As levels decreased with depth. In the Mariana Trench, Pb, Hg, Cd, and Cu were higher than in all other samples, and higher in those plus Ba than in the Kermadec Trench. The latter samples had far higher Ni and Cr levels than all others. Mercury relative isotope analysis showed no depth trends in the deepest species. Se:Hg showed a large molar excess of Se in bathyal flatfish species. These patterns indicate that exposures to pollutants differ greatly between habitats including trenches of similar depths.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jon Klokk Slettedal, Leiv Sandvik, Amund Ringvold〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) is a common eye condition, indicating a risk of various eye diseases. Whether or not PES has extra-ocular physiological or even pathophysiological implications has been a matter of controversy for years.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉In total 1888 persons were examined for PES in 1985–86. Of these, 1864 (98·7%) had died and were therefore available for analysis by 01.01.2016. Age and cause(s) of death were recorded. 9 diagnostic groups (cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, neoplasms, systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Parkinson's disease, aortic aneurysm (AA), and amyloidosis) based on ICD-coding were analyzed for both a possible association between PES and lifespan, as well as PES and specific systemic diseases.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉In the cardiovascular group, PES was not associated with an alteration in longevity. The subgroups 〈em〉acute myocardial infarction〈/em〉 and 〈em〉other cardiovascular diseases〈/em〉 revealed significantly reduced and increased lifespan, respectively, compared to the rest of the population. These deviations were independent of PES. The impact of PES on the neoplasm group showed that PES-positive persons lived 1·81 years (p 〈 0·001) longer than PES-negative persons. No significant differences in the PES prevalence were found in any of the cause of death diagnostic groups.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Interpretations〈/h6〉 〈p〉The present study suggests that lifespan reduction due to neoplasia is nullified by PES, and that this phenomenon is not restricted to one specific neoplasm type. Thus, the paradoxical conclusion emerges that PES provides a lifespan benefit to the patient with a neoplasm. For the remaining diagnostic groups, PES was neither associated with an altered lifespan, nor with any cause of death diagnoses.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaocheng Wei, Dongfang Liu, Lirui Liao, Zhendong Wang, Wenjiao Li, Wenli Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The purpose of this work was to study the sulfur concentration on bioleaching of heavy metals from pig manure employing indigenous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Also, the variations in physicochemical properties of pig manure before and after bioleaching were investigated. The results showed that sulfur concentration significantly affected the rate of acidification, sulfate production and metal solubilization during pig manure bioleaching process. A Michaelis–Menten type equation was utilized to interpret the relationships between sulfur concentration, sulfate production and metal solubilization in the bioleaching process. The rates of metal solubilization during pig manure bioleaching were well described by a first order kinetic equation related to time. After 12 days of bioleaching, 93%–97% of Zn, 96%–98% of Mn and 48%–94% of Cu were leached out from pig manure, respectively. The metals remaining in the pig manure residual were mainly existed in stable forms. In addition, elemental analysis showed that bioleaching process could significantly modify the dewaterbility and organic composition of pig manure. However, fertility analysis found that 9.0%–19.1% of nitrogen, 68.5%–71.0% of phosphorus, 76.5%–78.8% of potassium and 47.5%–49.4% of the total organic carbon (TOC) were lost from pig manure in the bioleaching process. Therefore, bioleaching process used in this study could be applied to remove heavy metals effectively from the pig manure, but more detailed studies need to be done to decrease the nutrients loss from pig manure.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sanja Kostić, Sandro Meier, Etienne Cabane, Ingo Burgert〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Timber-concrete composites require reliable connections between both components, which are usually obtained by metal fasteners or slots in the wood. In this study, an alternative approach is presented based on a fully glued connection in combination with a primer treated wood surface, to enhance the compatibility and the adhesion properties at the interface between beech wood and concrete. Prior to the gluing and the concrete application in a wet-on-wet process, the wood surface was functionalised with a xerogel obtained by means of a sol-gel process, consisting of two layers of silane nanofilms, with different functional groups, which are capable of undergoing further chemical crosslinking reactions with the adhesive. The coating with its functionalities allows for reducing the penetration of the epoxy adhesives into the wood structure and an additional chemical connection to the adhesive can be established. The main objective of this study was to analyse the effect of the surface treatment on the mechanical properties of such composites in 3-point and 4-point bending tests as well as push-out-tests. The results showed that the pre-treatment can improve the load bearing capacity of the timber-concrete composites, but that a ductile behaviour cannot be achieved with the tested adhesives.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cheng Yue, Jianlin Liu, Hongwei Zhang, Liang Dai, Bigui Wei, Qing Chang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Generally, increasing the hydrophobicity of filter media leads to enhanced oil removal by filtration. In this study, the hydrophobicity of quartz sand filter media was increased by modifying the particles with titanate and silane coupling agents (DN101 and KH550) by dry processing. The results show that the quartz sand particle surfaces were uniformly covered with the coupling agents after surface modification, and many fine particles were observed. The optimised parameters for the surface modification procedure were a DN101:KH550 ratio of 1:2, total coupling agent amount of 1.0 wt%, reaction temperature of 60 °C and reaction time of 50 min. Under these conditions, the water contact angle on the filter media surface increased from 40.1° to 82.9°, and the effluent oil concentration decreased from 4.74 mg/L for the unmodified filter media to 2.99 mg/L for the modified filter media when the influent oil concentration was 17.3 mg/L. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results show that DN101 and KH550 formed chemical bonds with the quartz sand surface groups, resulting in the formation of a uniform, stable coating on the surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): James R. Watson, Fredrik Armerin, Dane H. Klinger, Ben Belton〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Aquaculture is a booming industry. It currently supplies almost half of all fish and shellfish eaten today, and it continues to grow faster than any other food production sector. But it is immature relative to terrestrial crop and livestock sectors, and as a consequence it lags behind in terms of the use of aquaculture specific financial risk management tools. In particular, the use of insurance instruments to manage weather related losses is little used. In the aquaculture industry there is a need for new insurance products that achieve both financial gains, in terms of reduced production and revenue risk, and environmental wins, in terms of incentivizing improved management practices. Here, we have developed a cooperative form of indemnity insurance for application to small-holder aquaculture communities in developing nations. We use and advance the theory of risk pools, applying it to an aquaculture community in Myanmar, using empirical data recently collected from a comprehensive farm survey. These data were used to parameterize numerical simulations of this aquaculture system with and without a risk pool. Results highlight the benefits and costs of a risk pool, for various combinations of key parameters. This information reveals a path forward for creating new risk management products for aquaculturalists around the world.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sutas Janbuala, Mana Eambua, Arpapan Satayavibul, Watcharakhon Nethan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The objective of this research was to study the effect of bagasse and bagasse ash on the properties of pottery products. In the experiments, we varied the composition of clay by adding 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by weight of bagasse or by adding 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of bagasse ash and maintained the temperature of the furnace at 900 °C. The results indicate that the best composition is obtained by adding 10% by weight of bagasse ash, which yielded pottery products with improved strength (20.10 MPa), density (1.41 g/cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉), water absorption (13.91%), and porosity (25.73%). In comparison, the composition of clay with 4% by weight of bagasse yielded strength, density, water absorption, and porosity of 10.12 MPa, 1.53 g/cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉, 19.95%, and 30.17%, respectively.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Quan V. Vuong, Hong Ngoc Thuy Pham, Hang T. Vu, Trung Thanh Dang, Thanh Van Ngo, Anita C. Chalmers〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Blueberry ash (〈em〉Elaeocarpus reticulatus〈/em〉 Sm.) fruit has potential for human nutrition, but there is limited information on this fruit. This preliminary study aimed to characterise blueberry ash fruit and examine the influence of extraction solvents on its phytochemical and antioxidant properties. Blueberry ash fruit is dark blue in colour and is a stone fruit of small size (7 mm) and light weight (0.2 g). However, it has a high portion of flesh (60% of fruit weight), which is edible and can be a potential source of phytochemicals. Water, ethanol, acetonitrile, acetone, and their combination were tested for extraction of phytochemicals from flesh of this fruit. Water or absolute organic solvent was ineffective for extraction of phenolic compounds from this fruit, but mixtures of water and organic solvents were more effective, and 50% acetone was the most suitable extraction solvent. Extraction with 50% acetone, this fruit was found to contain high levels of total phenolic content, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and anthocyanins (104 mg GAE/g, 155 mg RUE/g, 78 mg CE/g, and 119 mg CGE/g, respectively). In addition, this fruit was found to possess potent antioxidant properties. Therefore, this fruit should be further studied for identification of its phenolic compounds and further tested for their biological properties.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinyu Tan, Mingzhi Luo, Allen P. Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A cell's ability to establish polarization is one of the key steps in directional migration. Upon the addition of a chemoattractant, N-formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), neutrophils rapidly develop a front end marked by a wide and dense actin network which is a feature of cell polarization. Despite a general understanding of bi-directional crosstalk between endocytosis and polarization, it remains unclear how clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) induced by chemoattractant binding to formyl peptide receptor (FPR) affects neutrophil polarization. In this work, we characterized the spatial organization of FPR and clathrin-coated pits (CCPs), the functional unit of CME, with and without fMLP and found that fMLP induced different distributions of FPR and CCPs. We further found that cells had impaired polarization induced by fMLP when CME is inhibited by small molecule inhibitors. Under these conditions, pERK, pAkt〈sub〉308〈/sub〉, and pAkt〈sub〉473〈/sub〉 were all severely blocked or had altered dynamics. The spatial organization between actin and two major clathrin-mediated endocytic proteins, clathrin and β-arrestin, were distinct and supported clathrin and β-arrestin's functional roles in mediating neutrophil polarization. Together these results suggest that CME plays a pivotal role in a complex process such as cell polarization.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Su Su Maw, Chiyori Haga〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by significant impairment in social communication and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviour or interest. Intervention during early childhood could decrease ASD symptoms. We aimed to identify the most effective intervention based on cognitive, developmental, and behavioural approaches and the factors that impact the effectiveness of the intervention.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing interventions for ASD in preschool-aged children. Electronic databases were searched for related articles with randomised controlled trial (RCT) designs published between 2001 to 2015. Outcome measures were communication, behavioural and cognitive skills, reported as standardised mean differences (SMD) compared to a control group. A Random-effects model was utilised to calculate the pooled estimate effect. Between-study variability was also assessed. The registering number of this study is CRD42017035354.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉Out of the initial 5174 studies that were identified, there were 14 RCTs (746 children) that were included in the final systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled estimate effect provided by random-effects model was 0.23 (95% confidence interval, CI [0.08–0.37]) with no between-study heterogeneity (〈em〉I〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0.00%, p = 0.0018). Three studies of music therapy interventions provided the greatest outcome effects with a shorter duration and lower intensity. SMD for music therapies ranged from 0.40 to 0.62 with 95% CI [0.22 to 1.85]. The quality of the health care provider, the duration, and the intensity of intervention played an important role in the effectiveness of the intervention.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Interpretation〈/h6〉 〈p〉Music therapy appears to be an effective tool for improving social interaction in preschool-aged children with ASD. However, more evidence-based trials are required to further validate the effectiveness of music therapy in ASD.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mansour Babaei, Mohammad Mohammadian, Masoud Abdollahi, Ali Hatami〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Human behavior is recognized as the main factor in the occurrence of accidents (70–90 percent), with human personality and problem solving ability as two related factors in the occurrence of medical errors (annually 42.7 million in the world). The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between personality factors, problem solving ability and medical errors.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Material and methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉This study was a questionnaire case control study. Information on 49 members of medical and nursing staff with medical errors (case group) and 46 without medical errors (control group) were analyzed. To collect the data, two Heppner problem solving questionnaires and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory were used, which were completed by the study population.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉The results illustrate that individuals without medical errors showed higher scores in contentiousness, extraversion and agreeableness and lower scores in neuroticism than those with medical errors. Individuals without medical errors also showed higher scores in problem solving ability scales than those with medical errors.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉Results of this study, suggest that personality factors and problem solving ability are related to medical errors and it may be possible for hospital authorities to use this knowledge when selecting capable medical staff.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peng-Sheng Wei, Yin-Chih Hsieh, Hsuan-Han Chiu, Da-Lun Yen, Chieh Lee, Yi-Cheng Tsai, Te-Chuan Ting〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Absorption coefficient affected by carbon dioxide concentration and optical path length responsible for temperature or global warming across the troposphere layer, which is less than the altitude of 10 km in the atmosphere, is systematically presented in this work. Solar irradiation within a short wavelength range can be absorbed, scattered and transmitted by the atmosphere, and absorbed and reflected by the Earth's surface. Radiative emission in high wavelength ranges from the Earth's surface at low temperature can be absorbed by atmospheric water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gases. Unbalance of radiation thus results in the atmosphere to act as the glass of a greenhouse and increase atmospheric temperature. Even though global warming strongly affects the life of the human being, the cause of global warming is still controversial. This work thus proposes a fundamental and systematical unsteady one-dimensional heat conduction-radiation model together with exponential wide band model to predict absorption coefficients affected by concentration, temperature, optical path lengths and radiation correlated parameters in different bands centered at 15, 4.3, 2.7, and 2 μm of carbon dioxide across the troposphere layer. It shows that absorption coefficient required for calculating heat transfer is strongly affected by carbon dioxide concentration and optical path length across the troposphere. Relevant values of the latter should be greater than 5,000 m. Absorption coefficients in the band centered at 4.3 μm subject to a chosen optical path length of 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msup〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉10〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉4〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/msup〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 m increase from 0.04 m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 0.165 m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉at the tropopause to 0.11 m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 0.44 m〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at the Earth's surface for carbon dioxide concentrations of 100 and 400 ppm, respectively. A more relevant and detailed temperature profile across the troposphere is presented.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nivedita Singh, Ashwinee Kumar Shreshtha, M.S. Thakur, Sanjukta Patra〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Medicinal plants have been the basis for discovery of various important marketed drugs. Xanthine is one such lead molecule. Xanthines in various forms (caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, etc) are abode in tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate etc. giving them popular recognition. These compounds are best known for their diverse pharmaceutical applications as cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibition, antagonization of adenosine receptor, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activities. These properties incentivize to use xanthine as scaffold to develop new derivatives. Chemical synthesis contributes greater diversity in xanthine based derivatisation. With highlighting the existing challenges in chemical synthesis, the present review focuses the probable solution to fill existing lacuna. The review summarizes the available knowledge of xanthine based drugs development along with exploring new xanthine led chemical synthesis path for bringing diversification in xanthine based research. The main objective of this review is to explore the immense potential of xanthine as scaffold in drug development.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): K. Srikanth Kumar, A. Lakshmana Rao, M.V. Basaveswara Rao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Various thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives 〈strong〉3a-l〈/strong〉 possessing indole moiety were designed, synthesized using appropriate conventional heating as well as microwave irradiation methods. All the synthesized compounds were characterized physically and spectrally. The compounds were evaluated for 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 antibacterial activity, 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 antioxidant activity and 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 hypoglycemic activity in relation to the standard drugs. Most of the new compounds exhibited moderate activity and some showed considerable activity. Molecular docking studies were carried out using AutoDock software and revealed that compound 〈strong〉3b〈/strong〉 has significant binding interaction with PPARγ receptor compared with the standard ligand Rosiglitazone.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Janardhan H. Shendkar, Vijaykumar V. Jadhav, Pritamkumar V. Shinde, Rajaram S. Mane, Colm O'Dwyer〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pristine and nanocomposite (NC) hybrid electrodes of polyaniline (PANI)-nickel hydroxide [Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉] have been prepared by single and two-step electrodeposition processes, respectively, onto stainless-steel (SS) substrates. Enhanced reversibility and stability of amorphous PANI- Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NC electrodes compared to single electrode materials have been explored. PANI has a nanofibrous morphology, Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 has nanoplatelet-type morphology, and the NC electrodes retain an overall nanofibrous morphology. The maximum specific capacitance (SC), obtained from integrated charge under voltammetric conditions, for PANI (electro-deposited for 5 min), NC (electrodeposition of Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 for 10 min and 20 min onto PANI electrode surface) and Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (electrodeposited for 10 min) electrodes, are 0.59, 39.06, 32.36, and 113.8 F/g, respectively, suggesting higher electrochemical performance of Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electrode compared to PANI and NC electrodes. The retention in SC values with faster scan rates from 10 to 100 mV/s for PANI, NC (10 min), NC (20 min) and Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 are 38.7, 61.1, 52.4, and 29.0 %, respectively, explicitly confirming a higher reversibility in NC electrodes. The retention in SC values with increase of cycle number up to 1000 for PANI, NC (10 min), NC (20 min) and Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electrodes are 34.9, 61.5, 67.5, and 40.7 % respectively, demonstrating higher electrochemical stability of NC electrodes over pure-phase electrodes. Nearly 2.15, 79.36, 66.66 and 406.83 mC/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 charges on PANI, NC (10 min), NC (20 min) and Ni(OH)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electrodes, respectively, are obtained. Inner to total charge and outer to total charge ratios have been used to explain contributing sites to total charge in pristine and NC electrodes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Patricia Goldschmidt Lins, Silvana Marina Piccoli Pugine, Antonio Márcio Scatolini, Mariza Pires de Melo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Aims〈/h6〉 〈p〉This study aimed to evaluate 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 antioxidant capacity of olive leaf extract (OLE), 〈em〉Olea europaea〈/em〉 L., and its protective effect on peroxyl radical-induced oxidative damage in human erythrocytes.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Main methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉The OLE was evaluated by the following assays: i) total phenolic and flavonoid content; ii) oleuropein content; iii) Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP); iv) antioxidant activity against ABTS〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, DPPH〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉 and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species: superoxide anion (〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msup〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉O〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉2〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mo〉·〈/mo〉〈mo〉−〈/mo〉〈/mrow〉〈/msup〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉), hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and nitric oxide (NO〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉) and v) protective effect on peroxyl radical-induced oxidative damages in human erythrocytes as hemolysis, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formation and oxyhemoglobin oxidation.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Key findings〈/h6〉 〈p〉Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 131.7 ± 9.4 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight (dw) and 19.4 ± 1.3 mg quercetin equivalents/g dw, respectively. Oleuropein content was 25.5 ± 5.2 mg/g dw. FRAP analysis was 281.8 ± 22.8 mg trolox equivalent/g dw and OLE inhibited ABTS〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 (50% effective concentration (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉) = 16.1 ± 1.2 μg/mL) and DPPH〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉 (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 13.8 ± 0.8 μg/mL). The extract demonstrated effective ability to scavenge 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈msup〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mtext〉O〈/mtext〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mn〉2〈/mn〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mo〉·〈/mo〉〈mo〉−〈/mo〉〈/mrow〉〈/msup〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 52.6 ± 2.1 μg/mL), NO〈sup〉〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/rad"〉〈/sup〉 (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 48.4 ± 6.8 μg/mL) and HOCl (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 714.1 ± 31.4 μg/mL). The extract inhibited peroxyl radical-induced hemolysis (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 11.5 ± 1.5 μg/mL), TBARS formation (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 38.0 ± 11.7 μg/mL) and hemoglobin oxidation (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 = 186.3 ± 29.7 μg/mL) in erythrocytes.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Significance〈/h6〉 〈p〉OLE is an important source of natural antioxidants; it has effective antioxidant activity against different reactive species and protects human erythrocytes against oxidative damage.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hidetsugu Mori, Haruhiko Yamada, Keiko Toyama, Kanji Takahashi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Purpose〈/h6〉 〈p〉To establish a new evaluation method to quantify residual ophthalmic viscosurgical device (OVD) volume and corneal endothelium adhesion properties for phacoemulsification surgery.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉We compared the performance of four OVDs (Viscoat®, Healon5®, Healon® and DisCoVisc®) using porcine eyes. First, OVDs were mixed with fluorescent-conjugated dextrans to render them visible under the microscope. A corneal side port was opened, followed by a continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, and a corneal tunnel incision was made. OVDs were injected, then the lens was removed using one-handed phacoemulsification. After this procedure, the anterior segment of the eye was isolated via an equatorial incision and the tissue was immediately frozen in shimmering liquid nitrogen. Sagittal slices (20 μm) were cut with a Cryostat from limbus to limbus. Every tenth slide was imaged using a fluorescent microscope with a CCD camera. We evaluated the percentage of the corneal endothelium covered by each OVD as the OVD adhesion to corneal endothelium ratio (OAE ratio) and the volume of residual OVD in the anterior chamber.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉Viscoat® showed significantly higher endothelium coverage compared with both Healon® and DisCoVisc®. A statistically larger volume of Healon5® remained in the anterior chamber compared with Healon® and DisCoVisc®.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉The new evaluation methods used here provide precise quantitative analysis of OAE ratio and residual OVD volume. These results show that Viscoat® and Healon5® have a high potential for coating the corneal endothelium during phacoemulsification and aspiration surgery.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Javier Villacampa, Gordon P.D. Ingram, Manuel Martí-Vilar, Antonio Olivera-La Rosa〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Despite growing research on online social networking, implicit associations of Facebook users have been largely understudied. In Study 1, we used the Single-Target Implicit Association Test (ST-IAT; Karpinski and Steinman, 2006) in order to assess implicit associations between Facebook and two evolutionary relevant constructs: sexual and prosocial behavior. Additionally, we controlled for the role of participant's relationship status as a potential moderator of Facebook implicit associations. In Study 2, we extended these findings and explored the relationship between implicit and explicit associations towards Facebook. Across two studies, we found that Facebook is more strongly associated with prosocial than with sexual behavior. This effect was not sensitive to sex differences. Further, Study 2 results revealed that implicit and explicit associations did not correlate. We discuss the implications of these findings, underlining the role of implicit measures in cyberpsychology research.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mari Akiyama〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Osteocalcin (OC) is a well-known protein related to bone, however, the role of F-box and WD-40 domain-containing protein 2 (FBXW2) in bone remains unclear. In 2016, the presence of FBXW2 in bovine periosteum was reported. In this study, double immunostaining was used to investigate the relationship between OC and FBXW2. FBXW2 showed tubular structures, and OC showed a similar localization pattern as FBXW2. Double immunostaining findings suggested that FBXW2 tubes were coated with OC. To the author's knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the interaction between OC and FBXW2.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pasi Keinänen, Sanna Siljander, Mikko Koivula, Jatin Sethi, Essi Sarlin, Jyrki Vuorinen, Mikko Kanerva〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, we propose and verify a theoretical model of the development of dispersion quality of aqueous carbon nanotube (CNT) colloid as a function of sonochemical yield of the sonication process. Four different surfactants; Triton X-100, Pluronic F-127, CTAB and SDS were studied. From these four SDS had the lowest dispersion performance which was surprising. Optical dispersion quality results fits well with proposed theoretical model.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): T.F. Adepoju, B. Rasheed, O.M. Olatunji, M.A. Ibeh, F.T. Ademiluyi, B.E. Olatunbosun〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉In 2015, the Worldatlas recorded 50 countries whose source of income is fossil fuel and its derivatives. Surprisingly, these countries solely depend on this source of energy up to 100% (Omar, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia) because of technology improvement. It's so sadden that apart from its adverse effect on the economics of the countries, fossil fuels harmful effects on the universe cannot be overlooked. Meanwhile, the use of renewable energy as a replacement for fossil fuel and its derivatives are faced by the high oil price, high cost of investment for alternative energy, and unfathomed electricity prices. This research work evaluates desirability of making use of alternative source of energy sources by making use of biomass oil over the use of fossil fuel and its derivatives for electricity generation.〈/p〉 〈p〉Lucky nut is an agricultural non edible seed that was employed as raw material for biofuel production. The non-edible oil was extracted from the seeds and the oil was further converted to Lucky nut biofuel via a heterogeneous based catalyst produced from calcinated pearl spar. For modelling and optimization, design expert coupled with genetic algorithms were used to generate experimental designs so as to correlate the variable factors considered for production.〈/p〉 〈p〉The extraction of Lucky nut seed revealed the optimum production yield of 50.80% (v/v) and the oil is highly unsaturated. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrophotometer analyses and scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the calcined catalyst obtained from pearl spar showed the major component found in the pearl spar was K with relative abundance of 58.48%, which favoured the yield of Lucky nut biodiesel (91.00% (v/v)). Based on predicted values, the optimum validated Lucky nut biodiesel by RSMED and ANNED were 89.68% (v/v) and 92.87% (v/v), respectively. Produced properties of biofuel conformed to the biofuel standard.〈/p〉 〈p〉The study concluded that Lucky nut seed is a good source of oil, and its transformation to alternative fuel via a using calcined catalyst proved its fitness as a replacement for fossil fuel.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ryota Funakoshi, Koji Masuda, Hidehiko Uchiyama, Mitsuaki Ohta〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The study aimed to clarify the regularity of the motions of horse's back, rider's pelvis and spine associated with improvement of rider's dynamic trunk alignment. The study used a crossover design, with exercise using the horseback riding simulator (simulator hereafter) as the control condition. The experiments were conducted at Tokyo University of Agriculture Bio-therapy Center. The sample consisted of 20 healthy volunteers age 20–23 years. Participants performed 15-min sessions of horseback riding with a Hokkaido Pony and exercise using the simulator in experiments separated by ≥2 weeks. Surface electromyography (EMG) after horseback riding revealed decreased activity in the erector spinae. Exploratory data analysis of acceleration and angular velocity inferred associations between acceleration (Rider's neck/longitudinal axis [Y hereafter]) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y) as well as angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y) and angular velocity (Horse saddle/Y). Acceleration (Rider's neck/Y) tended to be associated with angular velocity (Rider's pelvis/Y). Surface EMG following exercise revealed decreased activity in the rectus abdominis and erector spinae after the simulator exercise. Horseback riding improved the rider's dynamic trunk alignment with a clear underlying mechanism, which was not observed with the simulator.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ningning Cheng, Jingjing Zhang, Jingmei Yin, Shenmin Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The harm of trans-fatty acids to health has aroused public concern. It is believed that the main source of trans-fatty acids in diets is the isomerization of unsaturated fatty acids in edible oils during cooking. However, the information on the isomerization mechanism is very limited. In this paper, we used oleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid, as a simplified model for edible oil and investigated the mechanism of cis/trans isomerization by computation and experiments. The computational results show that R〈sub〉c〈/sub〉-O-O-H is a very important intermediate, and the cleavage of O-O bond in R〈sub〉c〈/sub〉-O-O-H is the rate-controlling step during the cis/trans isomerization. Using the ATR-FTIR measurements, the contents of elaidic acid were measured quantitatively in sites. The experimental results indicate that the cis/trans isomerization of oleic acid can occur obviously only under oxidizing condition when the temperature is higher than 120 °C.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Show-Yu Lin, Chen-Yung Lin, Ming-Chin Hsin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigated students' risk perceptions with respect to personal hygiene behaviours (PHBs) from a sociocultural perspective along three dimensions: oral intake, physical contact, and preventative. A framework for an ecological system incorporates personal-social-cultural schemata shaping one's PHBs was proposed. A questionnaire survey and interview were administrated to 113 Taiwanese undergraduates who rated their risk concerns regarding 22 PHBs items; interviews were also conducted post-questionnaire to solicit opinions regarding item responses. A descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and post hoc comparison were performed for quantitative data analysis while qualitative data quoting students' elaboration on their responses were presented. This study reached three main conclusions. First, there is a significant difference between the risk perception scores of oral intake PHBs compared to physical contact PHBs. Second, the risk perception scores between this study and the American survey differ significantly. Furthermore, 13 of the items are considered to be socioculturally-embedded PHBs, differing substantially between the two study populations. Therefore, this study suggests that, in order to promote health policy and education, biology, society and culture levels need to be considered.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nury Tatiana Jiménez, Juan Carlos Munévar, José Manuel González, Clementina Infante, Sandra Janneth Perdomo Lara〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Three-dimensional-porous scaffolds of bone graft substitutes play a critical role in both cell targeting and transplantation strategies. These scaffolds provide surfaces that facilitate the response of stem cells related to attachment, survival, migration, proliferation, and differentiation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Objective〈/h6〉 〈p〉The aim of this study was to evaluate the 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 behavior of human dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells cultured on scaffolds of polylactic/polyglycolic acid with and without hydroxyapatite.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Method〈/h6〉 〈p〉We performed an 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 experimental study using dental pulp stem cells obtained from samples of premolars, molars. The cells were cultured on scaffolds with osteogenic differentiation medium. Cell proliferation, adhesion and cell differentiation to an osteoblastic linage in the biomaterial were evaluated at three different time points: 7, 15 and 30 days. Each experiment was performed in triplicate. Analysis of the data was performed with the Split Plot block and MANOVA model.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉The differentiation capability of hDPSCs towards the osteoblast lineage was better in the scaffold of PLGA/HA at 7, 15 and 30 days, as indicated by the high expression of osteogenic markers 〈em〉RUNX2, ALP, OPN〈/em〉 and 〈em〉COL-I〈/em〉, compared with differentiation in the PLGA scaffold. No statistically significant differences were found in cell adhesion between the two types of scaffolds.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉The PLGA/HA scaffold provided better physical and chemical signals, as judged by the ability of dental pulp stem cells to adhere, proliferate and differentiate toward the osteogenic lineage.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Björn-Ole Bast, Uta Rickert, Janna Schneppenheim, François Cossais, Henrik Wilms, Philipp Arnold, Ralph Lucius〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Over the last years, studies on microglia cell function in chronic neuro-inflammation and neuronal necrosis pointed towards an eminent role of these cells in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease. It was found, that microglia cell activity can be stimulated towards a pro- or an anti-inflammatory profile, depending on the stimulating signals. Therefore, investigation of receptors expressed by microglia cells and ligands influencing their activation state is of eminent interest.〈/p〉 〈p〉A receptor found to be expressed by microglia cells is the mineralocorticoid receptor. One of its ligands is Aldosterone, a naturally produced steroid hormone of the adrenal cortex, which mainly induces homeostatic and renal effects. We evaluated if the addition of Aldosterone to LPS stimulated microglia cells changes their inflammatory profile.〈/p〉 〈p〉Therefore, we assessed the levels of nitric oxide (NO), iNOS, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and COX-2 in untreated, LPS-treated and LPS/Aldosterone-treated microglia cells. Furthermore we analyzed p38-MAP-Kinase and NFκB signaling within these cells.〈/p〉 〈p〉Our results indicate that the co-stimulation with Aldosterone leads to a decrease of the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory effect and thus renders Aldosterone an anti-inflammatory agent in our model system.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zahir Shah, Ebenezer Bonyah, Saeed Islam, Waris Khan, Mohammad Ishaq〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this research work we have examined the flow of Williamson liquid film fluid with heat transmission and having the impact of thermal radiation embedded in a permeable medium over a time dependent stretching surface. The fluid flow of liquid films is assumed in two dimensions. By using suitable similarity transformation the governing non-linear partial differential equations have been transformed into non-linear differential equations. An optimal approach has been used to acquire the solution of the modelled problem. The convergence of the technique has been shown numerically. The impact of the Skin friction and Nusslet number and their influence on thin film flow are shown numerically. Thermal radiation, unsteadiness effect and porosity have mainly focused in this paper. Furthermore, for conception and physical demonstration the entrenched parameters, like porosity parameter 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉k〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, Prandtl number 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si2.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉Pr〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, unsteadiness parameter 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si3.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉S〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, Radiation parameter 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si4.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉R〈/mi〉〈mi〉d〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, Magnetic parameter 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si5.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉M〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, and Williamson fluid parameter have been discussed graphically in detail with their effect on liquid film flow.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hiroyuki Miwa, Nobuyuki Itoh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We identified two genes, 〈em〉Cebelin〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Cebelin-like〈/em〉, encoding unknown proteins in mice. Cebelin and Cebelin-like consist of 168 and 167 amino acids with putative secreted signal sequences. However, Cebelin and Cebelin-like are cellular proteins not secreted proteins. 〈em〉Cebelin〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Cebelin-like〈/em〉 were predominantly expressed in the brain among major tissues examined. The expression of 〈em〉Cebelin〈/em〉 in the brain was predominantly detected in the internal granule layer of the cerebellum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mark W. Perlin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Natural variation in biological evidence leads to uncertain genotypes. Forensic comparison of a probabilistic genotype with a person's reference gives a numerical strength of DNA association. The distribution of match strength for all possible references usefully represents a genotype's potential information. But testing more genetic loci exponentially increases the number of multi-locus possibilities, making direct computation infeasible.〈/p〉 〈p〉At each locus, Bayesian probability can quickly assemble a match strength random variable. Multi-locus match strength is the sum of these independent variables. A multi-locus genotype's match strength distribution is efficiently constructed by convolving together the separate locus distributions. This convolution construction can accurately collate all trillion trillion reference outcomes in a fraction of a second.〈/p〉 〈p〉This paper shows how to rapidly construct multi-locus match strength distributions by convolution. Function convergence demonstrates that distribution accuracy increases with numerical resolution. Convolution construction has quadratic computational complexity, relative to the exponential number of reference genotypes. A suitably defined random variable reduces high-dimensional computational cost to fast real-line arithmetic.〈/p〉 〈p〉Match strength distributions are used in forensic validation studies. They provide error rates for match results. The convolution construction applies to discrete or continuous variables in the forensic, natural and social sciences. Computer-derived match strength distributions elicit the information inherent in DNA evidence, often overlooked by human analysis.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Siying Wei, Jingyu Zhao, Shuo Wang, Meiqin Huang, Yining Wang, Yan Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Continuous deficiency of leucine, a member of branched chain amino acids, is able to reduce obesity and improve insulin sensitivity in mice. Intermittent fasting has been shown to be effective in intervention of metabolic disorders including diabetes. However, it is unknown whether intermittent leucine deprivation can intervene in type 2 diabetes progression. We administered leucine-deprived food every other day in 〈em〉db/db〈/em〉 mice, a type 2 diabetes model, for a total of eight weeks to investigate the interventional effect of intermittent leucine deprivation. Intermittent leucine deprivation significantly reduces hyperglycemia in 〈em〉db/db〈/em〉 mice independent of body weight change, together with improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. The total area of pancreatic islets and β cell number are increased by intermittent leucine deprivation, accompanied by elevated proliferation of β cells. The expression level of Ngn3, a β cell progenitor marker, is also increased by leucine-deleted diet. However, leucine deficiency engenders an increase in fat mass and a decrease in lean mass. Lipid accumulation in the liver is elevated and liver function is compromised by leucine deprivation. In addition, leucine deficiency alters the composition of gut microbiota. Leucine deprivation increases the genera of 〈em〉Bacteroides〈/em〉, 〈em〉Alloprevotella〈/em〉, 〈em〉Rikenellaceae〈/em〉 while reduces 〈em〉Lachnospiraceae〈/em〉 and these changes are correlated with fasting blood glucose levels of the mice. Collectively, our data demonstrated that intermittent leucine deprivation can intervene in the progression of type 2 diabetes in 〈em〉db/db〈/em〉 mice. However, leucine deficiency reduces lean mass and aggravates hepatic steatosis in the mouse.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hamid Aziz, Aamer Saeed, Farukh Jabeen, Noor ud Din, Ulrich Flörke〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Tetrazoles are conjugated nitrogen-rich heterocycles considered as bio-isosteres of carboxylic acids. Tetrazoles owing to their conjugated structures serve as biologically relevant potent scaffolds. The present research paper reports the successful synthesis and single crystal analysis of three different tetrazole derivatives 〈strong〉(2, 4, 6)〈/strong〉. The synthesized tetrazole derivatives were evaluated for their possible cytotoxicity LD〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 (52.89, 49.33, 17.28 μg/ml) and antileishmanial activities IC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 (0.166, 10, 5.0 μg/ml). Moreover, molecular docking studies were performed to determine the possible interaction sites of the tetrazole derivatives 〈strong〉(2, 4, 6)〈/strong〉 with TryR, an enzyme involved in the redox metabolism of the 〈em〉Leishmania〈/em〉 parasite. Docking computations demonstrates that the tetrazole derivatives 〈strong〉(2, 4, 6)〈/strong〉 established prominent binding interactions with the key residues of the TryR and possess the potential to effectively inhibit the catalytic activities of the enzyme. The results suggested that the synthesized tetrazole derivative 〈strong〉(2, 4, 6)〈/strong〉 can be possible hit candidates which can be tested further against amastigote stage of parasite and then in an animal model of leishmaniasis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Settakorn Upasen, Piyachat Wattanachai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This research studied various types of packaging to prolong the shelf life of non-preservative white bread. Three types of blown film packages were used, i.e. a single LDPE layer incorporated with an oxygen scavenger, a single LDPE layer containing an oxygen absorber sachet, and three layers of LDPE laminated with O-nylon. The effects of modified packaging atmosphere, i.e. 5, 10, and 21 vol. % of oxygen in nitrogen balance, on the shelf life was also included. Characterization of the packaging films was carried out using several techniques, such as Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) and an optical microscopy. Headspace gases, microbial count, as well as physical appearance were used to evaluate the shelf life. The optical microscopic images showed that incorporating the oxygen scavenger into the plastic film produced small pores, contributing to a passive function of the films as their OTRs were significantly enhanced. However, the microbial growth on bread stored in those packages was suppressed, implying that the intermediate generated from scavenging reaction might act as a fungistatic. Even though the scavenging capability of the oxygen absorber sachet lasted only for 4 days, the fungi and mould development thereafter was still lower compared to the package without the sachet. The prolonging white bread shelf life was found to be primarily dependent on two factors. The package with a high oxygen barrier such three-layer films defeated microorganisms. With a low initial oxygen level of around 5% by volume, the bread shelf life could be prolonged up to 5–7 days.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Vincent Roth, Tatenda Lemann, Gete Zeleke, Alemtsehay Teklay Subhatu, Tibebu Kassawmar Nigussie, Hans Hurni〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Drawing on hydrology, rainfall, and climatic data from the past 25 years, this article investigates the effects of climate change on water resources in the transnational Blue Nile Basin (BNB). The primary focus is on determining the long-term temporal and seasonal changes in the flows of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia at the border to Sudan. This is important because the Blue Nile is the main tributary to the Nile river, the lifeline of both Sudan and Egypt. Therefore, to begin with long-term trends in hydrological time series were detected by means of both parametric and nonparametric techniques. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was calibrated using several sub-basins and new high-resolution land use and soil maps. Future climate change impacts were projected using data from the Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) of the National Centers for Environmental Predictions based on three different climate change scenarios from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3). Projected time series were analysed for changes in rainfall and streamflow trends. Climate change scenario modelling suggested that the precipitation will increase from 7% to 48% and that streamflow from the BNB could increase by 21% to 97%. The results provide a basis for evaluating future impacts of climate change on the upper Blue Nile River (Abay River). This is the main river basin contributing to the Nile and a source of water for millions of people in Sudan and Egypt, downstream from Ethiopia. Three models (CCCMA, CNRM, MRI) were applied in this research, within two future time periods (2046–2064 and 2081–2099) and one scenario (A1B). The Abay Basin was divided into seven sub-basins, six of which were used as inlets to the lowest basin at the border to Sudan. The above-mentioned results show that under current climate change scenarios there is a strong seasonal shift to be expected from the present main rainfall season (June to September) to an earlier onset from January to May with less pronounced peaks but longer duration of the rainfall season. This has direct consequences on the streamflow of the Blue Nile, which is connected to the rainfall season and therefore has direct effects on the people living in the sphere of influence of the Nile River.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Majid Javari〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Causal analysis (CA) is a strong quantitative approach whose mechanisms have climatic predictions. In this study, we studied the patterns of causality (PC) on the effect of rainfall (ER) using climatic series collected from 170 stations for the period 1975–2014 in Iran. Next, we predicted the causal relationships of climatic variables using causal models, including first-generation techniques (FGT), second-generation techniques (SGT), third-generation techniques (TGT), and causal hybrid techniques (CHT). Then, we estimated the causal models using partial squares algorithms (PSA), mechanical equations modeling algorithms (MEMA) such as exploratory and confirmatory methods, and spatial variability methods such as geostatistics and spatial statistical methods. Finally, we evaluated the quality of the methods using the goodness of fit indices, including absolute fit indices (AFI), comparative fit indices (CFI), and parsimonious fit indices (PFI). The results showed that CHT algorithm more suitably predicted the climatic spatiotemporal effect variability (SEV) by extracting direct, indirect, and total effects of climatic variables. Based on the CHT algorithm, the highest and lowest effect values were observed in total effects of winter rainfall (0.98) and summer rainfall variables (0.1), respectively. The SEV ranged from 0.8 to 0.98 for the winter rainfall total effects of CHT in Iran. Using CHT, most of the predicted SEV, particularly the rainfall series, displayed SEV varying from 80% to 98% of the winter rainfall total effects to the annual rainfall in Iran. Similarly, based on the CHT, the highest and lowest SEV values were in western, eastern, and southern regions and in central regions, respectively. In addition, the SEV varied within the range of 0.6–0.74 (varying from 60% to 74% for the autumn rainfall total effects of the annual rainfall in Iran) for the autumn rainfall total effects in Iran. Finally, the SEV of this type of analytical pattern as well as designated subject of CA applications in the atmospheric science and environmental science are discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Seyed Hossein Abrehdari〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉In this study, a simple Simulink model was designed and presented which can describe the overall operation of seismograph based on the desired input and output response.〈/p〉 〈p〉By converting Laplace to seismograph equations and by defining Numerator and Denominator fractions to Num. and Den. (Numerator and Denominator) transfer WWSSN (World-Wide Standard Seismographic Network) functions, the changeability of pole-zero was taken into consideration which indicates the stability and instability of the system layout with respect to pole - zero layout. In fact, the poles and zeros are placed in the seismograph response based on frequency, amplitude and phase (FAP) and are analyzed well. Through this method can also be used to study seismograph transfer function to predict the seismograph output in environments with different seismic noise and to select the most appropriate value for the parameters controlling the output of the device.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elina Kylmäoja, Miho Nakamura, Sanna Turunen, Christina Patlaka, Göran Andersson, Petri Lehenkari, Juha Tuukkanen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) derived mononuclear cells are precursors of 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 osteoclast differentiation. However, few studies have compared the phenotypic and functional properties of osteoclasts generated from these sources and the effects of different growth factors on osteoclastogenesis. Both cell types differentiated into functional osteoclasts, but culturing the cells with or without transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and dexamethasone revealed differences in their osteoclastogenic capacity. When receptor activator for nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) were used for differentiation, we did not observe differences in bone resorption activity or expression of osteoclastogenic genes 〈em〉calcitonin receptor〈/em〉 (〈em〉CR〈/em〉) and 〈em〉nuclear factor of activated T-cells〈/em〉 (〈em〉NFATc1〈/em〉) between the osteoclasts formed from the two sources. Addition of TGF-β and dexamethasone led to higher number of nuclei in multinuclear cells and increased expression of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) 5a and 5b, 〈em〉CR〈/em〉 and 〈em〉NFATc1〈/em〉 in PB- derived osteoclasts depicting the higher osteoclastogenic potential and responsiveness to TGF-β and dexamethasone in PB monocytes. These results conclude that the choice of the osteoclast precursor source as well as the choice of osteoclastogenic growth factors are essential matters in determining the phenotypic characteristics of heterogeneous osteoclast populations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roshan R. Rao, Monto Mani, Praveen C. Ramamurthy〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Globally installed solar photovoltaics (PV) capacity has crossed three hundred gigawatts and is increasing each year. As the share of solar PV in the energy mix of a country increases, forecasting PV power available will be crucial. To forecast the instantaneous and long-term PV power output, understanding the factors influencing them is necessary. In this view, this work elaborates on the factors that impact the PV system through tabulation and graphical explanation. Further, a discussion of the articles related to the dust-induced change in performance is made. To understand the impact of dust on solar PV systems in depth, advanced instrumentation and methodologies have been used in the past few years. One of the methods is the measurement of spectral transmittance/reflectance/absorptance of the dust layer on the PV panel. This has led to the question whether a thin layer of some specific dust can be beneficial by absorbing infrared (IR) heat and hence allowing the PV cells to operate at a lower temperature. Many controlled experiments in the laboratory have been made using the artificial dust and sun simulators; and such studies aid in the development of numerical models. Research in modeling, mathematical analysis (from first principles) of dust deposition, and calculation of its impact on panels have been given importance in recent years. Outdoor experiments are relatively more common than other modes of research in this field. Studies involving the interaction of deposited dust with spectral radiation, improving the correlation between artificial and natural dust deposition, the interplay between dust and atmospheric parameters are to be encouraged.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Verónica Casmo, Marianne Lebbad, Salomão Maungate, Johan Lindh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Infections with 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 spp. and 〈em〉Cystoisospora belli〈/em〉 are important causes of diarrhoea in HIV patients. Nevertheless, information concerning these two parasites is scarce in many African countries, including Mozambique. In this study occurrence of 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 spp. and 〈em〉C. belli〈/em〉 was investigated by microscopy of stool specimens from 108 adult diarrhoeal patients, most with a confirmed HIV diagnosis. The 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 isolates were further characterized by molecular methods.〈/p〉 〈p〉〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 and 〈em〉C. belli〈/em〉 oocysts were found in 8.3% (9/108), and 25.0% (27/108) of the study participants, respectively. Species identification was possible for all 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 isolates with available DNA. The following 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 species were detected (number of cases within parentheses): 〈em〉C. parvum〈/em〉 (3)〈em〉, C. hominis〈/em〉 (3), 〈em〉C. felis〈/em〉 (1)〈em〉,〈/em〉 and 〈em〉C. hominis/C. parvum〈/em〉 (1). Subtyping targeting the gp60 gene revealed two 〈em〉C. hominis〈/em〉 isolates with subtype IaA23R3, one 〈em〉C. parvum〈/em〉 isolate with IIcA5G3d, and one with IIeA12G1.〈/p〉 〈p〉In summary the occurrence of 〈em〉C. hominis〈/em〉 and anthroponotic subtypes of 〈em〉C. parvum〈/em〉 indicates that the main route of 〈em〉Cryptosporidium〈/em〉 transmission in the present study population was human to human (direct or via food and water). The high prevalence of 〈em〉C. belli〈/em〉 highlights the need for early diagnosis of this parasite, for which a treatment exists.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 10〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tomoya Terashima, Yuki Nakae, Miwako Katagi, Junko Okano, Yoshihisa Suzuki, Hideto Kojima〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Microglia are classified mainly into the M1 or M2 phenotypes, which evoke either proinflammatory or neuroprotective responses. Given the association of microglia with the pathogenesis of neuronal diseases, they are in focus as therapeutic targets for the treatment of such conditions. Stem cell factor (SCF) is a ligand for the c-kit receptor, one of the differentiation factors for bone marrow cells. In this study, characteristics of SCF-activated microglia and their effects on neurons were analyzed to investigate the therapeutic potential of SCF in neuronal diseases. SCF was found to induce proliferation, migration, and phagocytosis of microglia. In addition, SCF-derived microglia showed a neuroprotective phenotype expressing anti-inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and M2 markers as compared to the phenotype shown by granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor-derived microglia expressing inflammatory cytokines and M1 markers. Furthermore, supernatant medium from SCF-activated microglia enhanced cell proliferation and protection from cell death in NSC-34 neuronal cells. We conclude that SCF modulates microglial functions and induces activation of the neuroprotective effects of microglia, which could be used for treatment of neuronal diseases.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2018〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Heliyon, Volume 4, Issue 9〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Taahir Harris, Victoria Jideani, Marilize Le Roes-Hill〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bambara groundnut (〈em〉Vigna subterranea〈/em〉) an indigenous legume proclaimed to have medicinal properties within rural areas. Therefore, this study aimed to identify possible medicinal properties of Bambara groundnut (BGN). Flavonoids and tannins were highly concentrated in the red and brown BGN hulls. Among the flavonoid compounds rutin was observed in highest concentrations in brown hull (24.458 ± 0.234 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and myricetin (1.800 ± 0.771 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). While among tannin compounds chlorogenic acid was found in highest concentrations (0.115 ± 0.199 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and ellagic acid in red hull (0.105 ± 0.082 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). The form and colour of the BGN were all important factors to optimize the best extraction yield of phytochemicals. Overall the hulls of the BGN were the optimum source of flavonoids and tannins.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉