Basic Components Research Articles

UIGuider: Detecting Implicit Design Guidelines Using a Domain Knowledge Graph Approach

Mobile application developers must adhere to a set of design guidelines to ensure consistency in graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and strive for best practices. Violating these widely accepted design guidelines can negatively impact user experience and diminish an application’s market value. Although a few explicit design guidelines outline specific user interface layouts to avoid, substantial design knowledge remains scattered across various web pages. This implicit design knowledge includes design guidelines for UI component usage scenarios, anatomy, fine-grained categorizations, etc. Manually inspecting design guideline violations is knowledge-intensive and time-consuming, demanding high levels of expertise. To address this, we propose UIGuider, a novel approach to automatically constructing a component-based design knowledge graph using multimodal data. UIGuider can discern valuable text containing design guidelines, extract component and concept entities, and establish relationships among them. Our experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of UIGuider in automatically detecting implicit design guidelines and constructing domain knowledge graphs. Additionally, the result presentation of a design violation detection tool is optimized. The results of user studies confirm that the use of the knowledge graph and real-world app datasets enhances the overall usability of the tool.

Polyols and polyurethane foams based on chitosans of various molecular weights

AbstractShrinking resources of fossil oil prompt search for other biosphere‐present substrates to obtain polyols, which in turn are basic components to synthesize polyurethane foams (PUF). Widely available examples are biopolymers like starch, cellulose, and chitosan. It has been shown that oligomeric chitosan as well as water soluble chitosan can be applied to obtain polyols and rigid PUF of good performance properties. In this paper, the higher molecular mass chitosans, insoluble in organic solvents and water, were converted to polyols and ultimately into foamed polyurethane plastics. The polyols were characterized by the infrared spectra (IR), 1H‐NMR, and MALDI‐ToF methods. Their properties, such as density, viscosity, surface tension and hydroxyl numbers, were determined. The PUF were obtained from these polyols of various molecular mass. The biodegradable, rigid PUF of enhanced thermal resistance were obtained. Their physical parameters like apparent density, water volume absorption, dimension stability, heat conductance, compressive strength, and heat resistance at 150 and 175°C were studied and compared with those synthesized previously from oligomeric chitosan and water soluble chitosan.

Strategies to enhance stress tolerance in lactic acid bacteria across diverse stress conditions.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) hold significant importance in diverse fields, including food technology, industrial biotechnology, and medicine. As basic components of starter cultures, probiotics, immunomodulators, and live vaccines, LAB cells resist a variety of stressors, including temperature fluctuations, osmotic and pH shocks, exposure to oxidants and ultraviolet radiation, substrate deprivation, mechanical damage, and more. To stay alive in these adversities, LAB employ a wide range of stress response strategies supported by various mechanisms, for example rearrangement of metabolism, expression of specialized biomolecules (e.g., chaperones and antioxidants), exopolysaccharide synthesis, and complex repair and regulatory systems. LAB can coordinate responses to various stressors using global regulators. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about stress response strategies used by LAB and consider mechanisms of response to specific stressful factors, supported by illustrative examples. In addition, we discuss technical approaches to increase the stress resistance of LAB, including pre-adaptation, genetic modification of strains, and adjustment of cultivation conditions. A critical analysis of the recent findings in this field augments comprehension of stress tolerance mechanisms in LAB, paving the way for prospective research directions with implications in fundamental and practical areas.

A two-view deep interpretable TSK fuzzy classifier under mutually teachable classification criterion

Most of the existing classification techniques generally requires the consistent distribution assumption between training and testing samples. However, recent results theoretically reveal that enhanced classification performance may be achieved by breaking this assumption and meanwhile managing to satisfy a subtle assumption between a prediction function, training and testing samples. Although such a subtle assumption is too hard to be leveraged as a criterion for designing a single-view classifier, this study as the first attempt exhibits its natural yet distinctive value in designing a two-view classifier. In this study, originating from the inconsistent distribution assumption between training and testing samples, a new mutually teachable classification criterion is proposed, and accordingly a two-view deep interpretable Tagaki-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy classifier called Tvd-TFC is developed. In order to keep both promising classification performance and high interpretability of Tvd-TFC, it simply takes our recent work-- deep Tagaki-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy classifier (D-TSK-FC) as a basic component of each deep sub-classifier for each view. The distinctive novelty of Tvd-TFC exists in that its double deep structures along with two respective views are interchangeably learnt in deep learning manner according to the proposed mutually teachable classification criterion. The proposed learning algorithm can not only minimize the testing error along with each view but also ensure the consistency between two views. Experimental results on two-view datasets demonstrate that the proposed classifier Tvd-TFC realizes enhanced or at least comparable classification performance and simultaneously has better interpretability in contrast to the comparative classifiers.

Non-destructive, whole-plant phenotyping reveals dynamic changes in water use efficiency, photosynthesis, and rhizosphere acidification of sorghum accessions under osmotic stress.

Noninvasive phenotyping can quantify dynamic plant growth processes at higher temporal resolution than destructive phenotyping and can reveal phenomena that would be missed by end-point analysis alone. Additionally, whole-plant phenotyping can identify growth conditions that are optimal for both above- and below-ground tissues. However, noninvasive, whole-plant phenotyping approaches available today are generally expensive, complex, and non-modular. We developed a low-cost and versatile approach to noninvasively measure whole-plant physiology over time by growing plants in isolated hydroponic chambers. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach by measuring whole-plant biomass accumulation, water use, and water use efficiency every twodays on unstressed and osmotically stressed sorghum accessions. We identified relationships between root zone acidification and photosynthesis on whole-plant water use efficiency over time. Our system can be implemented using cheap, basic components, requires no specific technical expertise, and should be suitable for any non-aquatic vascular plant species.

Interdisciplinary educational and methodological support of medical and biological disciplines using the resources of the Technopark of Universal Pedagogical Competencies

Introduction. Changes in the higher pedagogical education system require qualitatively new scientific and methodological support for educational programs and improved methodological support for various forms of students' educational work. In the context of modernization of education, modeling the educational process is to be based on an interdisciplinary approach. Technology parks for universal pedagogical competencies significantly expand the capabilities of teaching methods and provide the opportunity to strengthen the practical interdisciplinary training of the future teacher. Changed learning objectives and means of organizing the educational process require new-generation educational and methodological support where interdisciplinary educational and methodological complexes play the leading role, which allows implementing the conceptual approaches of the Federal State Educational Standard of higher education. Materials and methods. The study employed the following methods: theoretical analysis of publications on interdisciplinary educational and methodological support for biomedical disciplines, including identification of the main methodological approaches and principles, basic provisions and components of the integrative approach within such disciplines; a survey of students for assessing the effective implementation of the developed interdisciplinary educational and methodological support and student satisfaction with the quality of teaching biomedical disciplines. 56 undergraduate students (2-5th year) of South Ural State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University (Russian Federation) took part in the survey. Results. The subject of this study is the methodology for forming and developing students’ professional competence using the integrative approach and the resource base of the Technopark of Universal Pedagogical Competencies when studying biomedical disciplines. A means of implementing interdisciplinary learning is interdisciplinary tasks and assignments, including those performed using Technopark equipment (digital neurotechnology laboratory BiTronics Lab, interactive anatomical table Pirogov, binocular digital microscopes with the possibility of video and photo recording of the studied objects. The student survey showed that 85.7% of respondents consider it necessary to use a wider interdisciplinary approach in studying biomedical disciplines to improve the quality of education. Conclusion. Interdisciplinary educational and methodological support of medical and biological disciplines in training biology teachers using the capabilities of the Technopark of Universal Pedagogical Competencies and the pedagogical Quantorium of South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University allows students to develop natural science literacy and provides professional training for a future biology teacher in accordance with the needs of society in the context of modernizing higher pedagogical education.

Применение резонансно-рефлектометрического метода для поиска GPS-трекеров

The principles of operation of the advanced resonant-reflectometric method for detecting GPS trackers and its advantages are described. It is shown that the detection of the re-radiated signal depends on parameters such as the power level and duration of the probing pulses, the frequencies of the probing pulses relative to the resonance frequency of the GPS tracker's input tract; the quality factor of the GPS tracker's input tract and the distance from the scanning antenna to the GPS tracker. A block diagram for experimental validation and determination of the optimal parameters for detecting the re-radiated signal is proposed, and a component base for its implementation is selected. A prototype module of a hardware-software complex based on the resonant-reflectometric method has been developed. The obtained experimental data confirmed the viability of the resonant-reflectometric method for detecting GPS trackers.

Efficient Software Development Process Using Component-Based and ORM

The software development process has many variations. Each software development technique has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are efficient development processes and some could be more efficient. This research aims to build a web-based application efficiently utilizing component-based and ORM with a case study of financial management applications on community radio. This research begins with data collection through observations and interviews, requirement analysis, and system design, implementation, and testing. This research shows that combining component-based software development and object-relational mapping (ORM) can increase software development efficiency compared to non-component-based and pure SQL.

Unveiling vocabulary teaching and learning beliefs of teachers and learners in an EFL context

Vocabulary is often considered as a key predictor of second language ability, and how teachers and learners’ beliefs and conceptualizations about vocabulary affect their teaching and learning has recently gained unprecedented momentum in the field of second language education. However, despite their importance, there is a paucity of research that has combined data from teachers and learners to illuminate their beliefs and conceptualizations. The main aim of this quantitative study is to combine data from English language teachers and learners to explore their beliefs and conceptualizations about vocabulary learning and knowledge. The study voluntarily recruited 113 learners and 91 teachers from a major Saudi university to fill out an online questionnaire. The findings revealed that both teachers and learners generally valued vocabulary on a par with grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and that both groups showed a general understanding of the basic components of word knowledge; however, their beliefs differed significantly. The results also indicated that despite showing an awareness of the role of textbooks and the incidental approach to vocabulary learning, there were significant differences in teachers and learners’ beliefs. The study concluded with a range of suggested implications, as well as suggestions for further studies on how to address the present lacunae in the field.

Distributional ecology: Opening new research windows by addressing aggregation‐related puzzles

AbstractAimDistribution of species is one of the most elementary but fundamental biodiversity patterns, yet too many puzzles remain unsolved. In most cases, distribution of species is not random, but presents some degree of aggregation. Accordingly, the term ‘distributional aggregation’ is prevailingly used in ecology and evolutionary biology to reflect the non‐random distribution characteristic of species in space and time. However, its meanings are multiform and can be decomposed into a variety of components.LocationGlobal.MethodsIn this paper, through synthesizing historical literature and comparing relevant meanings of distributional aggregation under different contexts, we summarize the current statistical metrics in detecting and evaluating distributional aggregation that are suitable for different field‐survey methods, study models and sampling scales. In particular, we explore the concept under the multi‐species setting for which few conceptual advances and statistical methods have been developed.ResultsWe propose pure data dispersion and spatiotemporal proximity, as two basic components of distributional aggregation. We further explore three advanced components of distributional aggregation: orthogonal, hierarchical and parallel components that can simultaneously link sampling taxa, sampling sites and sampling methods.Main ConclusionsWe hope the systematic review can serve as a potentially useful primer to ecologists for better understanding and investigating complex and new distributional patterns of biological diversity. We further provide informative guides on developing new statistical methods and metrics. We also discuss useful simulation algorithms for generating diverse distributional aggregation patterns of species, aiming to help ecologists to test and compare the performance of different metrics related to diversity and distribution patterns of species.

Variables related to the stability of soil macro and microaggregates of a toposequence in the Brazil south region

Soil aggregates are the basic components of soil structure, being important to its environmental properties and functions. The objective of this study was to investigate the variables related to the aggregates stability, measured by the method of dry and wet sieving and by applying ultrasound energy, in three different soils of a toposequence in southern Brazil. The study was performed in three soils sampled in the city of Pinhais / PR: i) Oxisol (top slope); Ii) Inceptisol (medium third) and; Iii) Gleisol (floodplain). The aggregates stability was determined measured by the method of dry and wet sieving (macroaggregates), as well as by applying ultrasound energy (microaggregate). The results were correlated with soil chemical, physical and mineralogical attributes. The organic matter, the low crystallinity Fe oxides and kaolinite were the most important variables for the profile structural stability. In turn, the soil texture did not show a direct relation with soil aggregation. The Gleisol show highest structural stability, followed by Oxisol and Inceptisol.

Paulownia trees as a sustainable solution for CO2 mitigation: assessing progress toward 2050 climate goals

Due to the progressive climate change on our planet, scientists are interested in solving this issue since it threatens not only certain regions or countries but also the world’s ecosystems and economies. Therefore, minimizing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and reducing atmospheric levels are global priorities. Thus, it is necessary at this moment to develop an appropriate approach to reduce or stabilize CO2 levels in the atmosphere. However, CO2 capture projects are long-term, low-profitable, and high-risk environmental projects. Consequently, it is necessary to find an appropriate and sustainable CO2 capture approach that is efficient in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels while having a safe impact on the environment. Although carbon (C) is the key basic component used to produce biological compounds by photosynthetic organisms in terrestrial plants, the C pathway is a key factor affecting the capture of CO2 by photosynthetic organisms. Among photosynthetic organisms, Paulownia, a multipurpose tree, is popular around the world for its timber and its potential role in CO2 sequestration. Paulownia spp. belongs to the Paulowniaceae family and comprises a group of trees. These trees are primarily found in southeastern Asia, particularly in China, and have been intentionally grown for more than two millennia due to their ornamental, cultural, and medicinal value. The number of Paulownia species varies depending on taxonomic classification, ranging from 6 to 17. Among them, Paulownia tomentosa, Paulownia elongata, Paulownia fortunei, and Paulownia catalpifolia are the most widely recognized and favored species. The present review provides a comprehensive technical-economic scenario for the capture of one million tons of CO2 by Paulownia trees (as a terrestrial plant model, grown on 2,400 ha−1). P. tomentosa can be utilized in agroforestry systems to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within urban cities and emphasize the carbon storage potential of agroforestry. In conclusion, Paulownia trees as an environmental mass project showed great encouragement to investors and governments to expand these types of projects to achieve global climate goals by 2050.

Influence of Aging Time on Compressive Strength of Silica Fume Reinforced High Strength Concrete Composite

The goal of this study is to gather a High Strength Concrete (HSC) composite reinforced by silica fume and superplasticizers. Specimens are Cured by water and tested after aging time of 3, 7, 28 days. Specimens are cubes of 150 and 200 mm and 150x300mm cylinder. The aim is to get mean strength of 80- 85 MPa, and determination of physical properties of the materials used, which are basic components of the High Strength Concrete (HSC) composites. After designing mix proportions, according to design requirements some adjustments were done. Both fresh and hardened properties of the specimens were tested under standard condition (curing schemes, setting time, comp.str. etc). Compressive strength test results were gathered and compared with the requirements.

Angelica gigas polysaccharide induces CR3-mediated macrophage activation and the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells against HCT-116 cells via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways

Angelica gigas (A. gigas) is traditional medicinal herb that mainly exists in Korea and northeastern China. There have been relatively few studies conducted thus far on its polysaccharides and their bioactivities. We purified and described a novel water-soluble polysaccharide derived from A. gigas and investigated its immunoenhancing properties. The basic components of crude and purified polysaccharides (F1 and F2) were total sugar (41.07% - 70.55%), protein (1.12–10.33%), sulfate (2.9–5.5%), and uronic acids (0.5–31.05%) in total content. Our results demonstrated that the crude and fractions' molecular weights (Mw) varied from 42.2 to 285.2 × 103 g/mol. As the most effective polysaccharide, F2 significantly stimulated RAW264.7 cells to release nitric oxide (NO) and express several cytokines. Furthermore, F2 increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-ɣ), natural killer cytotoxicity receptors (NKp44), and granzyme-B in NK-92 cells and enhanced the cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells. In our experiments, we found that F2 stimulated RAW264.7 cells and NK-92 cells via MAPK and NF-κB pathways. The monosaccharide and methylation analysis of the high immunostimulant F2 polysaccharide findings revealed that the polysaccharide was primarily composed of 1 → 4, 1 → 6, 1 → 3, 6, 1 → 3 and 1 → 3, 4, 6 galactopyranose residues, 1 → 3 arabinofuranose residues, 1 → 4 glucopyranose residues. These results demonstrated that the F2 polysaccharide of A. gigas which possesses potential immunostimulatory attributes, could be used to create a novel functional food.

Enhancing pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): Utility-value interventions support knowledge integration

For meaningful technology-enhanced teaching, teachers need to systematically integrate the basic components of content, pedagogical and technological knowledge. To motivationally foster knowledge integration, we tested the effectiveness of a utility-value intervention in two experiments (laboratory: N = 43, online: N = 115) within German pre-service teacher education. Teachers randomly either received the utility-intervention or not. Afterwards all teachers were asked to learn essential aspects on teaching mathematics with technologies using an online learning environment. We did not find an effect on learning and motivation. Epistemic network analyses revealed that the intervention group realized more integration processes than the control group.

The signal generator: A critical analysis of its basic principles, applications, and development

The signal generator is a fundamental electronic device used in a wide range of applications, from communication systems to research fields. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the basic principles, applications, and development of signal generators. Beginning with an introduction to the signal generator and its importance in various fields, the paper delves into its basic information, including the definition, types, basic components, and working principles. The applications of signal generators in communication, research, and software implementation are then discussed. The development of modern signal generators and their specifications are analyzed, followed by a comparison with previous technologies. The design of a signal generator based on FPGA is presented, including the working principles and advantages of FPGA, results and data, and the problems solved by FPGA. Finally, the paper concludes with key findings, limitations, and future issues.

Organizational aspects of nutritional support for patients in a multidisciplinary emergency hospital

Nutritional support, which is a process of substrate provision with all the nutrients necessary for life for various categories of patients who do not have the opportunity for proper natural nutrition, is a mandatory basic component of their intensive treatment. The practical implementation of nutritional support has two aspects: clinical and organizational. Currently, all components of the clinical aspect are well developed and tested and there are no reasons not to use them in everyday clinical practice. The least resolved and worked out in the majority of our medical institutions remains the organizational aspect, which often does not allow for the proper realization of this type of medical treatment. The article contains the main organizational options for decision the existing problem and many years of practical experience in implementing nutritional support in a multidisciplinary emergency hospital.

Characterization of Stronghold Fortifications by 2D/3D/4D Electrical Resistivity Tomography: Major Push Towards Quantitative Interpretation

AbstractGeophysical methods are widely used as noninvasive tools for archaeological prospection. In a first step is usually applied basic prospection of vast areas, when data are evaluated only in qualitative way. Sometimes is performed second step, during which take place more detailed multidimensional or combined surveys in order to image archeological monuments complexly, allowing quantitative interpretation. Hence, we used a unique and novel combination of multidimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) on the Early Middle Ages stronghold fortifications at Vinoř (Czechia) to achieve such interpretation. The joint results of 2D/3D/4D (time-lapse) surveys allowed us to precisely characterize individual construction components of the fortifications, including a ditch and rampart enhanced by a front wall with a berm. The ERT results recovered the fortification dimensions and the volume of building material used. The surveyed fortification section was verified by excavations directly after the ERT measurements. A comparison of the excavated section with geophysics proved that ERT was able to infer all the important fortification characteristics. In addition, illustrative picture of the resistivity manifestations of the basic components of this very typical fortification construction were obtained. The results show that multidimensional ERT provide access to quantitative interpretation allowing to explain archaeological structures behind investigated anomalies. In result, sites containing cultural heritage can be leaved intact, excavations can be substituted in surprisingly large extent, while unprecedented amount of archaeological information is still retrieved.

Spaceflight impacts xyloglucan oligosaccharide abundance in Arabidopsis thaliana root cell walls

Over the course of more than a decade, space biology investigations have consistently indicated that cell wall remodeling occurs in a variety of spaceflight-grown plants. Here, we describe a mass spectrometric method to study the fundamental composition of xyloglucan, the most abundant hemicellulose in dicot cell walls, in space-grown plants. Four representative Arabidopsis root samples, from a previously conducted spaceflight experiment - Advanced Plant EXperiment - 04 (APEX-04), were used to investigate changes in xyloglucan oligosaccharides abundances in spaceflight-grown plants compared to ground controls. In situ localized enzymatic digestions and surface sampling mass spectrometry analysis provided spatial resolution of the changes in xyloglucan oligosaccharides abundances. Overall, the results showed that oligosaccharide XXLG/XLXG and XXFG branching patterns were more abundant in the lateral roots of spaceflight-grown plants, while XXXG, XLFG, and XLFG/XLFG were more abundant in the lateral roots of ground control plants. In the primary roots, XXFG had a higher abundance in ground controls than in spaceflight plants. This methodology of analyzing the basic components of the cell wall in this paper highlights two important findings. First, that are differences in the composition of xyloglucan oligosaccharides in spaceflight root cell walls compared to ground controls and, second, most of these differences are observed in the lateral roots. Thus, the methodology described in this paper provides insights into spaceflight cell wall modifications for future investigations.

RGMU: A High-flexibility and Low-cost Reconfigurable Galois Field Multiplication Unit Design Approach for CGRCA

Finite field multiplication is a non-linear transformation operator that appears in the majority of symmetric cryptographic algorithms. Numerous specified finite field multiplication units have been proposed as a fundamental module in the coarse-grained reconfigurable cipher logic array to support more cryptographic algorithms; however, it will introduce low flexibility and high overhead, resulting in reduced performance of the coarse-grained reconfigurable cipher logic array. In this article, a high-flexibility and low-cost reconfigurable Galois field multiplication unit (RGMU) is proposed to balance the tradeoffs between the function, delay, and area. All the finite field multiplication operations, including maximum distance separable matrix multiplication, parallel update of Fibonacci linear feedback shift register, parallel update of Galois linear feedback shift register, and composite field multiplication, are analyzed and two basic operation components are abstracted. Further, a reconfigurable finite field multiplication computational model is established to demonstrate the efficacy of reconfigurable units and guide the design of RGMU with high performance. Finally, the overall architecture of RGMU and two multiplication circuits are introduced. Experimental results show that the RGMU can not only reduce the hardware overhead and power consumption but also has the unique advantage of satisfying all the finite field multiplication operations in symmetric cryptography algorithms.