Premature Stage Research Articles

Accounting Reform and IPSAS Adoption in Greece

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the level of acceptance and preparation of the Local Administration Organizations regarding the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in Greece. Design/Methodology/Approach: In order to accomplish this purpose a survey was realized by addressing a questionnaire to officers and employees of the finance department of 325 municipalities in Greece and to the elected representatives who are responsible for their financial management and reporting. Findings: The results from 58 municipalities that participated in the research show that even though the officers and employees of the finance department of municipalities are not familiar with IPSAS, there is a wide acceptance of the need to implement them. It was also concluded that municipalities in Greece are not prepared for the accounting change and the adoption of IPSAS. Overall, Greece appears to be at a premature stage with delays observed in the implementation of existing enacted reforms. Practical Implications: The study provides useful insights on IPSAS implementation process for all the parties engaged in public administration reform such as regulators, standard setters, institutional organizations as well as to countries that are in process or planning to adopt IPSAS. Originality/value: To the knowledge of the authors this is the first study that has examined in depth the perceptions and attitudes of Local Administration Organizations in Greece regarding IPSAS adoption.

The associations among arterial stiffness, endothelial dysfunction and the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive subjects with/without carotid atherosclerosis

Abstract Background While arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, which are diffuse vascular damage, are phenotypes of vascular damage, their associations with the progression of atherosclerosis, which is focal vascular damage, has not been fully clarified. The present prospective observational study was conducted to examine whether arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction predict the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in subjects medicated for hypertension with/without carotid atherosclerosis. Methods and results In 617 subjects receiving antihypertensive treatment, we conducted flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and common carotid artery intima-media thickness mean and maximal (IMTmean and IMTmax) at the baseline and the end (3 years' later) of study periods. During the study period, FMD was decreased and baPWV, IMTmean and IMTmax were increased significantly. In subjects without carotid atherosclerosis (IMTmax <1.1mm, n=416), baPWV, but not FMD, at baseline had significant associations with IMTmean and IMTmax at both the baseline and end of study period. As shown in Figure, the changes of IMTmean and also IMTmax during the study period were higher in the highest tertile ranges of baPWV at the baseline than in the lowest tertile range of baPWV. On the other hand, in subjects with carotid atherosclerosis (IMTmax >1.1mm, n=201), both baPWV and FMD were not associated with any markers of carotid atherosclerosis and also their changes during the study period. Conclusion In subjects with hypertension, arterial stiffness rather than endothelial dysfunction may be associated with the progression of carotid atherosclerosis, and this association may be significant in the premature stage of atherosclerosis. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): Omron Healthcare, Asahikasei Calpis

Combating Flash Flood in Haor Areas: Strategic Adaptation towards Sustainable Crop Production

In Haor areas of Bangladesh agricultural activities are limited to four - five months of a year due to water logged condition and boro rice is the prominent crop grown within this short time span in dry season. But farmers often had to face almost total crop failure due to recurrent flash flood events. This paper attempts to evaluate Haor farmers’ adaptation through adopting strategies in securing boro rice from flash flood damage at pre-mature and mature stages. To reach this objective, a pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data from randomly selected 115 Haor farmers from February to May, 2020 while Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were also done as necessary during the research work. Results revealed that cultivation of short duration boro rice variety ranked top followed by practicing varietal diversification and early harvesting of rice (at 80% maturity) as the most significant adaptive strategies in securing boro rice. Obtained results also highlighted the possibilities of attaining desirable resilience through change in the adaptation behavior of Haor farmers’ if the identified farming practices are widely promoted and adopted. Hence, any development plans for Haor area should integrate local knowledge with modern strategies thus resulting a location specific sustainable flash flood adaptation policy.

Prospect of Spin-Orbitronic Devices and Their Applications.

SummaryScience, engineering, and medicine ultimately demand fast information processing with ultra-low power consumption. The recently developed spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced magnetization switching paradigm has been fueling opportunities for spin-orbitronic devices, i.e., enabling SOT memory and logic devices at sub-nano second and sub-picojoule regimes. Importantly, spin-orbitronic devices are intrinsic of nonvolatility, anti-radiation, unlimited endurance, excellent stability, and CMOS compatibility, toward emerging applications, e.g., processing in-memory, neuromorphic computing, probabilistic computing, and 3D magnetic random access memory. Nevertheless, the cutting-edge SOT-based devices and application remain at a premature stage owing to the lack of scalable methodology on the field-free SOT switching. Moreover, spin-orbitronics poises as an interdisciplinary field to be driven by goals of both fundamental discoveries and application innovations, to open fascinating new paths for basic research and new line of technologies. In this perspective, the specific challenges and opportunities are summarized to exert momentum on both research and eventual applications of spin-orbitronic devices.

A Model-Based Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Changes of the Urban Expansion in Arid Area of Western China: A Case Study in North Xinjiang Economic Zone

Investigation of urban expansion can provide a better understanding of the urbanization process and its driving forces, which is critical for environmental management and land use planning. Total of 514 sampling points from the aerial photos and field sampling were applied to assess the image accuracy. A Conversion of Land Use and its Effect at Small Region Extent (CLUE-S) model was established to simulate the urbanization process at the township level in the North Xinjiang Economic Zone (NXEZ) of western China. Historical land use and land cover changes with multi-temporal remote sensing data were retrieved, and the underlying driving forces were explored by training the CLUE-S model. Moreover, future changes in urban development were simulated under different scenarios. Results showed that the overall accuracy reaches larger than 80% for the years of 2002, 2005, and 2007, and the corresponding kappa coefficient is bigger than 0.8. The NXEZ is at a premature development stage compared with urban clusters in eastern China. Before 1999, the driving force in this region was primary industry development. In recent years, secondary industries started to show significance in urbanization. These findings indicate that the industrial base and economic development in the NXEZ are still relatively weak and have not taken a strong leading role. When industry and population become the main driving factors, the regional economy will enter a new stage of leap-forward development, which in turn will stimulate a new round of rapid urbanization.

Precocious Downregulation of Krüppel-Homolog 1 in the Migratory Locust, Locusta migratoria, Gives Rise to An Adultoid Phenotype with Accelerated Ovarian Development but Disturbed Mating and Oviposition.

Krüppel-homolog 1 (Kr-h1) is a zinc finger transcription factor maintaining the status quo in immature insect stages and promoting reproduction in adult insects through the transduction of the Juvenile Hormone (JH) signal. Knockdown studies have shown that precocious silencing of Kr-h1 in the immature stages results in the premature development of adult features. However, the molecular characteristics and reproductive potential of these premature adult insect stages are still poorly understood. Here we report on an adult-like or ‘adultoid’ phenotype of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, obtained after a premature metamorphosis induced by the silencing of LmKr-h1 in the penultimate instar. The freshly molted adultoid shows precocious development of adult features, corresponding with increased transcript levels of the adult specifier gene LmE93. Furthermore, accelerated ovarian maturation and vitellogenesis were observed in female adultoids, coinciding with elevated expression of LmCYP15A1 in corpora allata (CA) and LmKr-h1 and vitellogenin genes (LmVg) in fat body, whereas LmE93 and Methoprene-tolerant (LmMet) transcript levels decreased in fat body. In adultoid ovaries, expression of the Halloween genes, Spook (LmSpo) and Phantom (LmPhm), was elevated as well. In addition, the processes of mating and oviposition were severely disturbed in these females. L. migratoria is a well-known, swarm-forming pest insect that can destroy crops and harvests in some of the world’s poorest countries. As such, a better understanding of factors that are capable of significantly reducing the reproductive potential of this pest may be of crucial importance for the development of novel locust control strategies.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: From Neonate to Adult

“Bronchopulmonary dysplasia” is a term devised in 1967 to describe chronic lung disease in premature infants treated for respiratory distress syndrome. With improving management techniques, younger and lower birth-weight infants now are surviving after they are born at increasingly premature stages of lung development. Despite improving management techniques, the overall incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia has not changed significantly over time, but the clinical definition and radiographic features have evolved accordingly.1

Factores de riesgo asociados a bacteriemia en lactantes. Servicio de Clínicas Pediátricas. 2019

Introducción: la bacteriemia no tiene nada que ver con algo tóxico. Se considera una etapa temprana de la sepsis. Objetivo: identificar algunos factores de riesgo que se asociaron a bacteriemia en lactantes ingresados en el servicio de clínicas pediátricas del Hospital Provincial Pediátrico Docente “General Milanés” en el período comprendido del 1ro enero al 31 diciembre 2019, en Granma. Método: se realizó un estudio observacional analítico de caso y control que investigó la asociación entre la bacteriemia y factores de riesgo relacionados con la edad, sexo, desnutrición, bajo peso al nacer, prematuridad, no lactancia materna exclusiva, uso previo de antimicrobianos y hospitalización reciente. Se seleccionaron 48 casos y 144 controles. Se utilizaron métodos teóricos y empíricos y se calculó el Odd Ratio. Resultados: en el análisis univariado la edad (OR=2,51, IC= 1,28 - 4,91; p=0,01), la desnutrición (OR=30,88, p=0,00; IC=8,28-115,17), la prematuridad (OR=71,51, p=0,00; IC=13,55-77,35), el bajo peso al nacer (OR = 6,90, p = 0,01 IC=3,27-14,58), la no lactancia materna exclusiva (OR=6,90, IC=3,15-15,12; p=0,00), el uso previo de antimicrobianos (OR=19,67, IC=7,03-55,06, p=0,00) y la hospitalización reciente (OR=16,75, IC=6,45-43,40; p=0,00) contribuyeron al riesgo de bacteriemia en lactantes. El sexo no tuvo relación estadísticamente significativa (OR=1,55, IC= 0,81-2,98; p= 0,24). Conclusiones: La hospitalización reciente y la desnutrición fueron los de mayor riesgo. Se concluye que con los valores del modelo de la regresión logística binaria, se podrá estimar el riesgo de padecer esta enfermedad.

Effects of macroalgae Gracilaria lemaneiformis and Saccharina japonica on growth and gonadal development of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius: New insights into the aquaculture management in southern China

Taking advantage of the seasonally appropriate water temperature in southern China is an important approach to expanding Strongylocentrotus intermedius aquaculture for the increasing market demand. However, appropriate diets remain largely uninvestigated and seed supply is in shortage, leaving the most serious problems of S. intermedius aquaculture in southern China unaddressed. Here, a feeding experiment was conducted for ∼6 months (from November 2018 to May 2019) to compare the somatic and gonadal growth, as well as gonadal development of S. intermedius (∼30 mm of test diameter) fed either macroalgae Gracilaria lemaneiformis or Saccharina japonica at the temperatures simulating water those off southern China coast (Fuzhou, 119°50′ E, 26°24′ N). Test size, wet body weight, specific growth rate, lantern size, wet gut weight and gonad yield of S. intermedius fed S. japonica were all significantly larger than those of sea urchins fed G. lemaneiformis. The present results indicate that long-term feeding G. lemaneiformis is unacceptable for aquacultural S. intermedius in southern China, because of the inefficiency of supporting somatic and gonadal growth. Saccharina japonica may suffice as a suitable diet for the aquaculture of S. intermedius in southern China. Further, spent gonads were observed in S. intermedius fed G. lemaneiformis in May 2019, meanwhile all gonads of individuals fed S. japonica remained in the premature stage. This suggests that G. lemaneiformis displays a promising potential for accelerating gonadal development of S. intermedius and subsequently supports the seed production of sea urchins in spring in southern China. The present study provides valuable information into the aquaculture management of S. intermedius in southern China.

MUVINE: Multi-Stage Virtual Network Embedding in Cloud Data Centers Using Reinforcement Learning-Based Predictions

The recent advances in virtualization technology have enabled the sharing of computing and networking resources of cloud data centers among multiple users. Virtual Network Embedding (VNE) is highly important and is an integral part of the cloud resource management. The lack of historical knowledge on cloud functioning and inability to foresee the future resource demand are two fundamental shortcomings of the traditional VNE approaches. The consequence of those shortcomings is the inefficient embedding of virtual resources on Substrate Nodes (SNs). On the contrary, application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in VNE is still in the premature stage and needs further investigation. Considering the underlying complexity of VNE that includes numerous parameters, intelligent solutions are required to utilize the cloud resources efficiently via careful selection of appropriate SNs for the VNE. In this paper, Reinforcement Learning based prediction model is designed for the efficient Multi-stage Virtual Network Embedding (MUVINE) among the cloud data centers. The proposed MUVINE scheme is extensively simulated and evaluated against the recent state-of-the-art schemes. The simulation outcomes show that the proposed MUVINE scheme consistently outperforms over the existing schemes and provides the promising results.

Machine Learning Method for Pancreatic Cancer Detection using Naïve Bayes and Decision Tree Algorithm

Machine Learning is the study of algorithms and application of artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is said to be the superset of machine learning. It aims to develop those programs which can learn and improves it upon increasing experience. It is designed to learn by itself. The aim is to detect pancreatic cancer using machine learning approach. Pancreas is responsible for secreting insulin which helps to control the blood glucose level in the human body. The paper aims to detect pancreatic cancer with the help of machine learning. The tumor is detected using image processing and is to be detected at the premature stage so that proper medication and treatment can be provided to increase the survival rate of the patient. The MRI image of pancreas obtained after MRI scan will be preprocessed and its noise is removed. The segmentation of MRI images will be performed using FCM algorithm. The tumor present in the image will be detected with the help of morphological process and multi clustering model. After Segmentation the image will be divided into various regions. With the help of the hybrid technique the primary and secondary regions are compressed and are used for telemedicine application. DWT is used for DE noising the image. GLCM features are extracted. The image then compared with the database images of pancreatic tumors and is classified as abnormal and normal with the help of BPN based classifier. The image is classified into abnormal and normal. The malignant image is considered as abnormal. The abnormal image is then segmented using SFCM and tumor part is clustered. After clustering the tumor part validation about the presence of pancreatic cancer is given.

Adoption of the Internet of Things in the Healthcare Services of Sri Lanka

The study explored the research issue of factors in the adoption of the Internet of Things in the health care services of Sri Lanka. To address this issue, the study examined Four research objectives respectively Evaluation of the impact of the proposed technological acceptance determinants on adoption towards IoT in the healthcare system evaluation of the moderating effect of Provincial area, Gender, Age in adoption towards IoT in the healthcare system. By extending UTAUT2 with other significant variables, such as perceived creditability and attitude, this study brought the novel insights into consideration for further research. UTAUT2 argued that the most influential antecedent to adoption intention was performance expectancy. This study gave a new perspective to identify trust as an influential factor driving intention to adopt IoT technology. This study provided insights for companies, to understand better what the determinants of adopting IoT products are. The research suggests that increasing physician’s adoption towards IoT and healthcare organizations should create awareness of IoT products. This could be done in two comprehensive stages; first increase awareness among healthcare staff, which should be the focus on the way to bring business benefits to the organization. Secondly, awareness should be created among the patients, the final customers of IoT technology, which should be focused on enhancing both novelty and quality of IoT enabled healthcare products.However, the IoT technology is still in its early premature stage of development and requires an intense evangelization. To a certain extent, this research had identified the critical factors that impact adoption towards IoT in the healthcare industry in the Sri Lankan context. Then results were supported by the empirical study of the research and can be implemented both theoretical as well as managerial context to impose a radical change in the field of technology adoption of the healthcare industry.

Influence of Social Moderators in the Internet of Things of Srilankan Healthcare Services

The globalization of healthcare enables us with the lens to look at the future through the economical globalization of the country and as the infrastructure for a better mankind. Healthcare in modern era is more of a system that connects health technologies, services and application provided to public health. The smart rehabilitation based on Internet of Things (IoT) was introduced very recently mainly to overcome issues of scarce resource caused by growing aging population. On the other hand, shortage of doctors is a much critical issue where the crowded hospitals and long waiting list to seek doctors as well as less time spend for consultation are because of mal distribution of doctors. This study attempted to evaluate the impact of the technological acceptance determinants on adoption towards IoT in the healthcare system and evaluate the moderating effect of provincial area as well as demographic factors in adoption towards IoT in the Srilankan hospitals. The primitive purpose of this study is to provide Healthcare departments and agencies including; hospitals, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies to develop a balanced idea of the expectations of the users of IoT. The framework of the study was adopted by combining the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and UTAUT2 models. The structural models of the research were generated using SPSS V26 and AMOS V26. Hypotheses were tested through the proposed final model of the study. The research revealed that provincial area moderate Social influence, Facilitating condition and perceived creditability in adoption towards IoT in the healthcare system. The finding of this study discovered that younger physicians are more likely to adopt IoT products. Hence IoT marketers might consider targeting young physicians who like to explore new technologies. This study also implicated that physicians who have sufficient resources and knowledge toward IoT at hospital have a higher intention to adopt. the research. However, the IoT technology is still in its early premature stage of development and requires an intense evangelization. To a certain extent, this research had identified the critical factors that impact adoption towards IoT in healthcare industry in the Sri Lankan context and suggests that health care organizations should create awareness of IoT products to increase physician’s adoption towards IoT.

Reproductive timing and synchronized reproduction of the sea urchin Pseudechinus magellanicus (Echinoidea: Temnopleuridae) in central Patagonia, Argentina

ABSTRACT The reproduction of the sea urchin Pseudechinus magellanicus and the influence of environmental factors were studied during a 27-month period in central Patagonia, Argentina, where this species is among the dominant grazers in kelp forests and tide pools. The monthly variation in the gonad dry weights, gonadal stages and other quantitative reproductive variables (oocyte diameter, density and thickness of spermatogenic columns) indicated a clearly annual gametogenic cycle and revealed a high level of spawning synchrony. A main spawning event occurs between August and September, and a minor and asynchronous spawning event was recorded during the austral summer (January–March). The highest gonadal growth rate occurs between late spring and summer, accompanied by growth and early prematurity gonadal stages, indicating active vitellogenesis. The accumulation of ova begins in autumn and shows a peak during winter. After spawning, the recovery stages are not extended in time and ovaries do not show a complete meshwork of nutritive phagocytes within the acinus, suggesting simultaneous reabsorption and inversion processes. Spermatogenesis shows a higher maturation rate than oogenesis, and a higher temporal prevalence of premature and mature stages. Major spawning coincides with the first rise in seawater temperature, the maximum rate of increase in day length and the maximum peak of chlorophyll a. Results also revealed some temporal differences in the gonadal cycle, vitellogenesis and spawning periods compared with other P. magellanicus populations from different latitudes. This could be attributed to individual differences in the acquisition and allocation of energy for gametogenesis, as well as to local environmental factors.

Optimized grass hopper algorithm for diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease

The Modified Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm which identifies Parkinson disease symptoms at an early (premature) stage was proposed. Parkinson disease, type of movement ailment, could be life-threatening if not treated at premature stage. Therefore, diagnosis of Parkinson disease became essential in early stages so that all the symptoms could be controlled by giving required medication to the patient. Hence ensuring the patient longevity. As part of this research work, a novel model Modified Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm was introduced which was based on the traditional Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm and search strategy for feature selection. Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm was relatively a novel heuristic optimization swarm intelligence algorithm which was stimulated by grasshoppers searching for food. This population-based method has capability to provide solution for real-life problems in undefined search space. It mimics grasshopper swarm’s behaviour and their social interaction. Popular algorithms like Random Forest, Decision Tree and k-Nearest Neighbour classifier were used in judgement on shortlisted aka selected features. Different datasets of handwriting (meander and spiral), speech and voice were used for evaluating the presented model. The proposed algorithm was effective in Parkinson disease identification having accuracy (computed) of 95.37%, 99.47% detection rate and 15.78% false alarm rate. This helps larger cause of patient in receiving treatment in pre-mature stage. The presented bio-inspired algorithm was adequately steady and has ability to identify the optimal feature set. Finally results obtained from the assessment of introduced Modified Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm on these data sets were evaluated and contrasted with respect to outcome of Modified Grey Wolf Optimizer and Optimized Cuttlefish Algorithm. The experiment’s outcome revealed that the presented Modified Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm assists in reducing the selected features count and improving the accuracy.

Chemometric methods for fatty acid compositions of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) and black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seeds at different maturity stages

This study was conducted to determine the effects of seed maturity stages depending on different harvest dates on fatty acid compositions of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) and black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) with the aid of chemometric methods. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) analysis were used to assess and compare fatty acid compositions of fenugreek and black cumin seeds. Experiments for fenugreek and black cumin plants were separately conducted side-by side. For both plant species, 9 different harvest dates at 3 seed maturity stages (immature, premature, and full mature) were experimented. Following the harvests, plant height, single plant weight, crude oil content and fatty acid compositions were determined. Plant heights varied between 45.10-63.37 cm for fenugreek and between 34.57-43.67 cm for black cumin; crude oil contents varied between 4.01-4.95% for fenugreek and between 18.42-40.35% black cumin. Present findings revealed that immature stage had positive effects on crude oil content of fenugreek seeds and premature stage on crude oil contents of black cumin seeds. Also, 9 fatty acid components were identified in fenugreek and 7 in black cumin seeds. In both plant species, linoleic acid (C18:2) was the major component. With the greatest UFA (total unsaturated fatty acids) and the lowest SFA (total saturated fatty acids) ratios, F8 (19 July 2019) harvest date could be recommended for fenugreek plants and B4 (17 July 2019) for black cumin plants. PCA and AHC analysis revealed that with regard to fatty acid composition, F3 (08 July 2019) harvest date was different from the others in fenugreek and B1 (10 July 2019) in black cumin plants. It was concluded based on present findings that seed maturity stages had significant effects on fatty acid composition of fenugreek and black cumin seeds.

Organic geochemical traits and paleo-depositional conditions of source rocks from the Carboniferous to Permian sediments of the northern Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, China

The organic geochemical traits of Carboniferous to Permian hydrocarbon source rocks (SRs) from the Mahu Sag, Junggar basin, have been investigated in terms of thermal maturity (TM), hydrocarbon potential (HP), organic matter (OM) source input and paleoenvironment. A total of forty-seven (47) core samples from five (5) wells have been surveyed through standard organic geochemical approaches, including the total organic carbon (TOC) and the rock pyrolysis (RP) measurement. Fifteen (15) of the samples were bitumen extraction and fractionation, and their aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons were carried out for the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The results indicate that the studied samples came from the C and the P1f are the moderate or good SRs, but samples from the P2w and P1j are not good enough, most of them are poor or moderate SRs. The TM was indicated by the temperature of maximum pyrolysis yield (Tmax), the Carbon Preference Index (CPI) and Odd to Even Preference (OEP) values, the C30 M/H versus Tm/Ts, the C29 ββ/(ββ+αα) versus C29 20S/(20S + 20R), and the alkyl naphthalene ratios. Result shows that almost all the samples from the P1f are in the mature stage at present; some samples of P1j and C are in the premature or mature stage, others are completely immature; all P2w samples are in the immature stage at present. The OM source was indicated by the n-Alkane distribution, the relative quantity of C27–C28–C29 steranes, the (C19+C20)/C23 tricyclic terpane (TT), and the Terrigenous/aquatic ratio (TAR). The deposition environment was inferred by the pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph), the Gammacerane index, and the relative quantity of fluorene compounds (Fls), dibenzothiophen compounds (DBTs) and dibenzofuran compounds (DBFs). Result shows that the mainly OM source of the P2w, P1f, P1j, and C were the saline lacustrine algal, but some samples of the P1j were mixed with the higher plants; most samples deposited in the strong reduction environment except the samples came from the P2w and some samples came from the P1j. Considering the OMs’ content, type, origination, deposited paleo-environment and TM, the SRs of the P1f are considered the best sources rocks with the best conditions of the oil and gas generation.

Circular Economy Competencies for Design

This study addresses what competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) designers need in order to successfully design products and services for a circular economy. Existing literature, though sparse, has identified a number of circular economy competencies for design. Yet, a coherent overview is lacking. To complement the competencies found in the literature with insights from practice, we conducted 18 semi-structured interviews with design professionals. Our study identifies seven circular economy competencies for design: (1) Circular Impact Assessment, (2) Design for Recovery, (3) Design for Multiple Use Cycles, (4) Circular Business Models, (5) Circular User Engagement, (6) Circular Economy Collaboration, and (7) Circular Economy Communication. We used a general sustainability competencies framework to categorize our findings. Interestingly, we did not find evidence of the Systems Thinking competency in practice, although in the literature it is mentioned as a relevant competency for design for a circular economy. In addition, we found that methods and tools are still largely lacking or in a premature stage of development. We conclude that design for a circular economy can be seen as an upcoming, independent field within the sustainability domain, and that requires a specific set of competencies, methods, and tools. Our overview of circular economy competencies for design can guide the development of relevant methods and tools, circular economy-based design curricula, and training programs in the future.

A semi-supervised Support Vector Data Description-based fault detection method for rolling element bearings based on cyclic spectral analysis

The early and accurate detection of rolling element bearing faults, which is closely linked to the timely maintenance and repair before a sudden breakdown, is still one of the key challenges in the area of condition monitoring. Nowadays in the frames of research advanced signal processing techniques are combined with high level machine learning approaches, focusing towards automatic fault diagnosis and decision making. A plethora of Health Indicators (HIs) have been proposed to feed in machine learning models in orderto track the system degradation. Cyclic Spectral Analysis (CSA), including Cyclic Spectral Correlation (CSC) and Cyclic Spectral Coherence (CSCoh), has been proved as a powerful tool for rotating machinery fault detection. Due to the periodic mechanism of bearing fault impacts, the HIs extracted from the Cyclostationary (CS) domain can detect bearing defects even in premature stage. On the other hand, supervised machine learning approaches with labelled training and testing datasets cannot be yet realistically applied in industrial applications. In order to overcome this limitation, a novel semi-supervised Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) with negative samples (NSVDD) fault detection approach is proposed in this paper. The NSVDD model utilizes CS indicators to build the feature space, and fits a hyper-sphere to calculate the Euclidean distances in order to isolate the healthy and faulty data. An uniform object generation method is adopted to generate artificial outliers as negative samples for the NSVDD. A systematic fault detection decision strategy is proposed to estimate the bearing status simultaneously with the detection of fault initiation. Furthermore, a multi-level anomaly detection framework is built based on data at i) single sensor level, ii) machine level and iii) entire machine fleet level. Three run-to-failure bearing datasets including signals from twelve bearings are used to implement the proposed fault detection methodology. Results show that, the CS based indicators outperform time indicators and Fast Kurtogram (FK) based Squared Envelope Spectrum (SES) indicators. Moreover, the proposed NSVDD model show superior characteristics in anomaly detection compared to three classification methodologies, i.e. the Back-Propagation Neural Network, the Random Forest and the K-Nearest Neighbour.

Effect of high temperature on gametogenesis of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius in the Sea of Japan, northern Hokkaido, Japan

A long-term (1987 to 2011) monitoring survey of recruitment of Strongylocentrotus intermedius juveniles in the Rebun Island in the Sea of Japan of northern Hokkaido revealed a significant negative correlation between juvenile density and water temperature, at times of the year when adults have growing and mature gonads. It is possible that high temperature has a negative impact on gametogenesis of S. intermedius. We investigated digestion, somatic and gonad growth, and gonad development of adult S. intermedius from the Rebun Island from June to September 2011. Experimental temperature treatments were: monthly average (CT, 11.2–19.9 °C), high (HT, 13.4–22.7 °C), and low (LT, 10.5–18.2 °C). These temperatures represent the temperature range of the last 30 years in the island. At the highest temperature in late August, digested kelp dry matter in HT was lower than in LT. Body weight in CT and LT increased significantly during the experiment. Testicular development in CT and LT progressed to the spent stage in late September, but remained at the partly spawned stage in HT. Ovaries in CT and LT developed to the premature, partly spawned, or the spent stage, from early to late September, a time when ovarian development in HT progressed from the premature to the partly spawned stages, although some ovaries retained the growing stage, indicating that oogenesis was suppressed. In CT and LT, oocyte area increased significantly from early to late August, when ovaries developed from the growing to the premature stages, due to initiation of oogenesis. In contrast, in late July, oocyte area in HT was significantly larger in CT and LT, which might be due to increased digested kelp dry matter and digestibility, which enable resources to accumulate for gametogenesis at <20 °C. Oocyte area in HT was significantly smaller in late August and in early September, reflecting delayed ovarian development, but it rapidly increased from early to late September, when kelp digestibility increased, possibly due to decreased temperature, which enables animals to compensate for delayed oocyte growth leading to oogenesis. Low gonad growth in HT, and delayed maturation and spawning would be the causal factor of decreased juvenile recruitment.