Principal Effect Research Articles

Analysis of Buñuelos Growth Rate Using 2k Factorial Design

Buñuelos are a traditional food not only in Colombia but in several parts of the world. They are prepared mainly with cassava starch, cornstarch, cheese, water or milk. The purpose of this work is to determine which factors (trademark, time, temperature, serving size) or interactions between them are important to achieve a major volume of the buñuelos. Thus, a 2 k design is proposed to analyze the factors on the growth rate of buñuelos. The growth rate is calculated taking into account the buñuelos diameter before fried and after fried. The results indicate that the serving size has the principal effect on the response variable but followed by the trademark and some interactions between time and temperature.

A Study of the Electrodeposition of Gold Process in Iodine Leaching Solution

This paper mainly discusses electrodeposition of gold from iodine leaching solution through single-factor testing and explores the influence of gold concentration in catholyte, mass fraction of iodine in anolyte, anolyte n(I2):n(I−), cell voltage, and electrolysis time on the percentage of gold deposition and coulombic efficiency. Moreover, a response surface methodology was adopted to study interactions among variables and influence on the percentage of gold deposition, with mass fraction of iodine in anolyte, anolyte n(I2):n(I−), and cell voltage as variable factors and percentage of gold deposition as the response value. The electrodeposition process was fitted via pseudo first-order kinetics and pseudo second-order kinetics. Finally, the free surface morphology of gold deposited on the cathode plate was observed by scanning electron microscope. Given the results, a principal effect relationship can be concluded between mass fraction of iodine in anolyte, anolyte n(I2):n(I−), cell voltage, and percentage of gold deposition, with cell voltage > anolyte n(I2):n(I−) > mass fraction of iodine in anolyte and a second-order regression equation obtained with percentage of gold deposition as the response value. The optimized process conditions were gold concentration in catholyte 20 mg/L, mass fraction of iodine in anolyte 0.59%, anolyte n(I2):n(I−) is 1:7.5, cell voltage 12.9 V, and electrolysis time 2 h. The average percentage of gold deposition of three confirmatory experiments was 96.43%, a figure very close to the predicted value of the model 97.76%, which proves that the quadratic polynomial model obtained by response surface methodology optimization is feasible and that the electrodeposition of gold process conforms to a pseudo second-order kinetic model. Au can be attached well to the cathode plate and the deposition layer is formed by granular grain accumulation.

That's not fair! The effects of teacher justice and academic achievement on Self and Other's resistant agency.

Notwithstanding the emphasis on the idea that students should be actively and accountably engaged in their educational pathways, little research has investigated learners' agentic behaviours that take the form of student resistance to adult authority. This paper presents an experimental study aimed to assess whether, and to what extent, student Self and Other resistant agency depends on perceptions of teacher justice and student achievement. Participants were asked to read one of four scenarios concerning a generic student asking for the possibility to retake a test she/he had previously failed, with an experimental design including two levels of teacher justice×2 levels of academic achievement. Then, they answered two items regarding the likelihood of protest on the part of the student depicted in the scenario and enforced by themselves in having to deal with a similar situation. The multilevel analysis indicated a principal effect of justice and target, with resistant agency rated as more likely in the unjust condition and for the Other. The justice effect was further qualified by an interaction with the achievement level, with resistant agency higher in the unjust and low achievement condition. Finally, a three-way interaction appeared, with Self resistant agency higher in the just and high achievement condition. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for teacher practices, as they emphasize the importance just learning environments have in allowing students to express their opinions as well as dissent.

Therapies that are available and under development for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: What about lung function?

Respiratory failure is the principal source of morbidity and mortality among patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy exerting a negative influence on their total quality of life. The aim of this review is to provide systematically current literature evidence about the effects of different treatment options (available or under development) for Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the pulmonary function of these patients. A comprehensive search was undertaken using multiple health-related databases, while two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of studies. A third person addressed any disagreements between reviewers. The quality of the methodology of the included studies was also assessed. A total of 19 original research papers (nine evaluating the role of steroids, six idebenone, three eteplirsen, one stem-cell therapy, and one ataluren) were found to fulfill our selection criteria with the majority of them (14 of 19) being prospective studies, not always including a control group. Endpoints mainly used in these studies were values of pulmonary function tests. Current and under development treatments proved to be safe and no significant adverse events were reported. A beneficial impact on pulmonary function was described by authors in the majority of these studies. The principal effect was slowing of lung disease progress, as expressed by spirometric values. However, the risk of bias was introduced in many of the above studies, while high heterogeneity in terms of treatment protocols and outcome measures limits the comparability of the results. Glucocorticoids remain the best-studied pharmacologic therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and very likely delay the expected decline in lung function. With regard to new therapeutic agents, initial study results are encouraging. However, larger clinical trials are needed that minimize the risk of study bias, optimize the comparability of treatment groups, examine clinically meaningful pulmonary outcome measures, and include long-term follow up.

THE EFFECT OF SUPERVISION IMPLEMENTATION TOWARDS TEACHER PERFORMANCE AT SMKN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT GROUP IN PADANG CITY

This research aimed to obtain information on: Performance of teachers, Implementation of supervision and significant influence between the implementation of the supervision to the teachers performance at SMKN Business and Management in Padang. The hypothesis of this research is the implementation of academic supervision significantly affect to the teachers performance. The population this research are 125 people all of teachers. Samples 76 people were taken using Random Sampling. Instrument of research using questionnaire with Likert scale models that have been tested for validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using correlation and simple regression techniques with the help of statistical program SPSS version 20.0 IBMM. The results showed that: the performance of teachers enough category in the level of achievement of 71.49%. Implementation of supervision by the principal enough category in the level of achievement of 69.14% and Implementation of supervision by the principal positive effect on the performance of teachers at SMK Business and Management Group in Padang City of 9.3

OmicplotR: visualizing omic datasets as compositions

BackgroundDifferential abundance analysis is widely used with high-throughput sequencing data to compare gene abundance or expression between groups of samples. Many software packages exist for this purpose, but each uses a unique set of statistical assumptions to solve problems on a case-by-case basis. These software packages are typically difficult to use for researchers without command-line skills, and software that does offer a graphical user interface do not use a compositionally valid method.ResultsomicplotR facilitates visual exploration of omic datasets for researchers with and without prior scripting knowledge. Reproducible visualizations include principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, MA plots and effect plots. We demonstrate the functionality of omicplotR using a publicly available metatranscriptome dataset.ConclusionsomicplotR provides a graphical user interface to explore sequence count data using generalizable compositional methods, facilitating visualization for investigators without command-line experience.

Study on safety monitoring model of crack opening displacement for high-pile wharf

Safety monitoring is an important measure for the safe operation of water conservancy projects. The monitoring model plays an important role in monitoring data analysis, widely used in reservoirs and dams. However, relevant theories and studies are rarely applied in port terminals. Since high-pile wharves are different from reservoirs or dams in working environment and working behaviour, it is necessary to develop a monitoring model for high-pile wharves considering the working characteristics. In this paper, it was proposed that principal effect factors of crack opening displacement of high-pile wharves were temperature component, wind component, heap load component, and time effect, according to the change law of dependent and independent variables. The expressions of these factors were given. On the basis of it, the statistical model and Least Squares Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM) model of crack opening displacement (COD) was established respectively. The evaluation method for these models was developed. Models were used in fitting and prediction with data series of COD of a high-pile wharf to verify the effectiveness and reasonableness. The results showed that the proposed models with high precision and certain prediction ability can provide scientific principles for data analysis and safety monitoring of high-pile wharves.

Soil washing remediation of heavy metal from contaminated soil with EDTMP and PAA: Properties, optimization, and risk assessment

Soil washing is a rapid and efficient remediation technique for soil contaminated by heavy metals. In this study, Cd, Pb, and Zn were removed from contaminated soil by ethylenediamine tetra (methylene phosphonic acid) (EDTMP) and polyacrylic acid (PAA). We then investigated the effect of varying the concentration, pH and duration of the washing processes. Single-factor experiments suggest that the PAA washing process may be dominated by electrostatic adsorption, and is suitable for remediation under weak acid and neutral conditions. Meanwhile, EDTMP remediation might be dominated by chelation, which is favorable in strong acid and alkaline environments. In a quadratic saturation D-optimization design (QSDD), we optimized the washing parameters and further explored the washing mechanism including primary factor, principal effect, interaction effect, and the optimal washing conditions, with simultaneously changing multiple influencing factors. The optimum efficiencies of Cd, Pb, and Zn removal were 92.74%, 96.14%, and 50.76% respectively in EDTMP remediation, and 84.62, 79.24, and 41.66% respectively in PAA remediation. The washing processes effectively reduced the availability of Cd, Pb, and Zn in contaminated soil, without noticeably affecting soil chemical properties. Therefore, the washing incurred little ecological risk. EDTMP and PAA are suitable remediation agents of soil contaminated by heavy metals.

Evaluating the impact of the selection process of principal in Brazilian public schools

Abstract Educational quality in Brazil has improved at a slow pace despite continued public policy efforts. The international literature has noted the importance of school management and the principal’s profile on students’ performance, but this discussion is recent in Brazil. In this study, we investigate the effects of the selection process of principals on students’ performance from public state schools in Brazil. We conclude that while the “selection process” channel is not clear, the “principal quality effect” indicates that the more democratic and technical selection methods tend to select most qualified principals in terms of leadership and managerial abilities. The principal who has time to implement changes, who adopts management practices to encourage teachers and has experience being the leader of the school present better results in terms of student’s performance. Therefore, it is important that the principal selection process choose professionals with the skills mentioned.

Toluene-induced phase transitions in blue phase liquid crystals

ABSTRACTWe report phase transitions in blue phase-forming liquid crystals (LCs) that are triggered by exposure to toluene vapours. Specifically, we reveal that room-temperature cholesteric phase mixtures of MLC-2142 and S-811 form blue phases (BP I, II and III) with increasing vapour pressure of toluene. To probe the mechanism underlying this observation, we investigated the phase behaviour of mixtures of BP-forming LCs containing a range of non-volatile aromatic compounds (e.g. pyrene). We interpret our observations to indicate that the principal effect of small aromatic compounds is to decrease the energy penalty associated with the formation of disclination lines in BPs. We also conclude that the absorption of toluene into the BP-forming LCs lowers the energy required for the formation of disclination cores in the BP phase, thus allowing the elastically favoured double-twist cylinders to form at lower temperatures. We demonstrate that BP-forming LCs containing pyrene can be used to detect toluene at concentrations below 200 ppm at room temperature. Overall, these results guide the design of LC-based materials that respond to VOCs at concentrations relevant to occupational settings.

Feeding difficulties and eating disorders in pediatric patients with cancer.

Feeding difficulties and disorders are a common problem in the pediatric population, which involve a series of deficient behaviors about nutrition processes that can adversely affect psychomotor, psychosocial, and physical development of children. This study aimed to describe the frequency of feeding difficulties or disorders in pediatric patients with cancer. A prospective study which included 125 children from 1-19 years treated at the Department of Oncology of the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, was conducted. The diagnosis of eating disorders and feeding difficulties was determined during the first 48 h since admission, and the age of the patient influenced the type of disorder and feeding difficulties. Children older than 11 years presented more frequently an intense resistance of feeding because of discomfort pain (fear of feeding) than younger children (11.4 ± 4.7 vs. 7.4 ± 4.9, p ≤ 0.001). The most frequent alteration associated with malnutrition was loss of appetite (odds ratio [OR]: 8.8, confidence interval [CI] 95% 2.9-26.9, p<0.001), followed by fear of feeding (OR: 3.14, CI 95% 1.24-7.9, p=0.015), and the organic causes showed the highest risk for malnutrition (OR: 3.1, CI 95% 0.98-9.7, p=0.054). Over 90% of the studied population demonstrated at least one eating disorder or feeding difficulty. The principal effect is inadequate nutritional intake due to limited appetite and fear of feeding, which can result in undernutrition. For this reason, the identification of alterations in nutrition processes should be part of the comprehensive assessment of cancer patients.

Principal Stress Ratio Effect at Residual Stress Determination Utilizing the Variation of Indentation Hardness

The determination of residual stresses is an important issue when it comes to material failure analysis. The variation of global indentation properties, due to the presence of residual stresses, can serve as a guideline for the size and direction of such stresses. One of these global indentation properties, the material hardness, is unfortunately invariant of residual stresses when metals and alloys are at issue. In this situation, one has to rely on the size of the indentation contact area for residual stress determination. For other materials such as ceramics and polymers, where elastic deformations are of greater importance at indentation, such invariance is no longer present. Here, this variation is investigated based on finite element simulations. The aim is then to determine how the indentation hardness is influenced by the principal residual stress ratio and also discuss if such an influence is sufficient in order to determine the size and direction of such stresses in an experimental situation. It should be emphasized that this work does not suggest a new approach to residual stress determination (by indentation testing) but investigates the applicability of previously derived methods to a situation where the surface stress field is not simplified as equi-biaxial or uniaxial. For simplicity, but not out of necessity, only cone indentation of elastic-perfectly plastic materials is considered.

Influence of defects on the shock Hugoniot of tantalum

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the effect of vacancies and dislocations on the dynamic response of single crystal tantalum to shock loading along the ⟨110⟩ axis. A Hugoniostat technique is employed, for which a series of states along the Hugoniot are sampled by many individual simulations. We show that defects have a limited effect on the shock/particle velocity relationship and that the shock pressure/volume relationship can be well predicted by taking into account the changes in the initial density and sound speeds of the samples. The principal effect of initial defects is the activation of heterogeneous dislocation nucleation and expedited dislocation multiplication during shock. The heat generated by plastic work, caused by defects moving through the lattice, is substantial. The result is significantly divergent final shock temperatures for different initial defect concentrations and pronounced changes in the resultant shock melting temperatures. The motion of dislocations also leaves behind a noninconsequential concentration of vacancies that is quantified.

The effects of post-awakening light exposure on the cortisol awakening response in healthy male individuals

BackgroundIt is assumed that the expression of the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is modulated by light exposure during the peri-awakening period. While initial evidence supports this principal effect, the specific role of the spectral composition of light (brightness and wavelength) is still incompletely understood. MethodTwo counterbalanced within-subject experiments were conducted in a standardized sleep laboratory setting to investigate the effect of light intensity (study I; two days: dim vs. bright light) and spectral composition (study II; three days: red vs. blue vs. green light) on the CAR. Across studies, light exposure was conducted for one-hour post-awakening and the accuracy of CAR assessments (based on eight saliva samples) was well-controlled in line with recent guidelines. ResultsThe two studies revealed consistent effects of light exposure on the CAR. Specifically, an increased CAR was found after exposure to bright (vs. dim) light (study I; (F(3.7, 106.4) = 11.93, p < .001, η²p = .29) and following blue and green (vs. red) light exposure (study II; F(4.9, 194.6) = 2.49, p = .037, η²p = .10). ConclusionOur findings illustrate the crucial role of light intensity and wavelength for expression of the CAR, in line with current theoretical knowledge of underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Myristic acid based imidazoline derivative as effective corrosion inhibitor for steel in 15% HCl medium

There is a high demand of effective and eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor for industrial applications. In an attempt to prepare a benign and effective corrosion inhibitor for acidizing purpose, an imidazoline derivative, N-(2-(2-tridecyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethyl)tetradecanamide (NTETD) was synthesized from myristic acid and diethyleneamine. The characterization of the newly synthesized compound was done using 1H NMR, FTIR, and elemental analysis techniques. NTETD was examined as a corrosion inhibitor for low carbon steel in 15% HCl solution using weight loss, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), linear polarization (LPR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX), atomic force spectroscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. It was found that, the optimum concentration of NTETD is 300 mg/L. With this concentration, inhibition efficiency above 93% is achievable. Results from PDP show that, NTETD acted as a mixed type corrosion inhibitor but with principal effect on cathodic corrosion half reactions. The calculated value of the adsorption-desorption equilibrium constant (1.015 × 103) reveals a strong bonding between NTETD molecules and the steel surface. The EDAX, FTIR, and XPS results confirm the adsorption of NTETD molecules on the steel surface. SEM and AFM results agree with experimental findings that NTETD is effective in corrosion mitigation of steel in 15% HCl solution. The possible corrosion inhibition mechanism by NTETD has been proposed.

On the suppression and distortion of non-equilibrium fluctuations by transpiration

A fluid in a nonequilibrium state exhibits long-ranged correlations of its hydrodynamic fluctuations. In this article, we examine the effect of a transpiration interface on these correlations—specifically, we consider a dilute gas in a domain bisected by the interface. The system is held in a nonequilibrium steady state by using isothermal walls to impose a temperature gradient. The gas is simulated using both direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) and fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD). For the FHD simulations, two models are developed for the interface based on master equation and Langevin approaches. For appropriate simulation parameters, good agreement is observed between DSMC and FHD results with the latter showing a significant advantage in computational speed. For each approach, we quantify the effects of transpiration on long-ranged correlations in the hydrodynamic variables. The principal effect of transpiration is a suppression of the correlations, an outcome largely explained by a reduction in the temperature gradient due to the interface. We also observe a distortion of the temperature correlations, specifically the appearance of a new peak located near the interface.

O-GlcNAcylation alters the selection of mRNAs for translation and promotes 4E-BP1–dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in the retina

Diabetes promotes the posttranslational modification of proteins by O-linked addition of GlcNAc (O-GlcNAcylation) to Ser/Thr residues of proteins and thereby contributes to diabetic complications. In the retina of diabetic mice, the repressor of mRNA translation, eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), is O-GlcNAcylated, and sequestration of the cap-binding protein eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF4E) is enhanced. O-GlcNAcylation has also been detected on several eukaryotic translation initiation factors and ribosomal proteins. However, the functional consequence of this modification is unknown. Here, using ribosome profiling, we evaluated the effect of enhanced O-GlcNAcylation on retinal gene expression. Mice receiving thiamet G (TMG), an inhibitor of the O-GlcNAc hydrolase O-GlcNAcase, exhibited enhanced retinal protein O-GlcNAcylation. The principal effect of TMG on retinal gene expression was observed in ribosome-associated mRNAs (i.e. mRNAs undergoing translation), as less than 1% of mRNAs exhibited changes in abundance. Remarkably, ∼19% of the transcriptome exhibited TMG-induced changes in ribosome occupancy, with 1912 mRNAs having reduced and 1683 mRNAs having increased translational rates. In the retina, the effect of O-GlcNAcase inhibition on translation of specific mitochondrial proteins, including superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), depended on 4E-BP1/2. O-GlcNAcylation enhanced cellular respiration and promoted mitochondrial superoxide levels in WT cells, and 4E-BP1/2 deletion prevented O-GlcNAcylation-induced mitochondrial superoxide in cells in culture and in the retina. The retina of diabetic WT mice exhibited increased reactive oxygen species levels, an effect not observed in diabetic 4E-BP1/2-deficient mice. These findings provide evidence for a mechanism whereby diabetes-induced O-GlcNAcylation promotes oxidative stress in the retina by altering the selection of mRNAs for translation.

Characteristics, Structure, and Effects of an On-Line Tool for Improvement in Adolescents' Competency for Interaction With Alcohol: The e-ALADOTM Utility.

This research report aims to present the characteristics, structure and effects of a psychoeducational technological innovation (called the e-ALADO Program) for the prevention of alcohol intake in adolescents. Based on the Competency model for interaction with alcohol, this program consists of a total of 24 lessons that promote conceptual, procedural, and attitudinal learning, in ICT format (www.alado.es). The hypothesis of this validation study established that adolescents treated with the program would improve their levels of competence and their interaction behavior with alcohol, depending of their personal level of self-regulation. A total of 148 adolescents from 12 to 16 years of age from three Spanish educational centers with different sociocultural contexts participated. A quasi-experimental methodology with repeated measures and use of inferential analysis was used (ANOVAs and MANOVAs). The results show a main principal effect of the Treatment variable, of the Self-Regulation Level variable, and an interaction effect of Treatment × Self-regulation in the conceptual and attitudinal subcompetence for interaction with alcohol. The results are discussed in the face of new technological developments that allow the evaluation and intervention in the prevention of alcohol intake with adolescents. An important implication of this work is related to the importance of self-regulation as a psychological variable. Also, the suitability of psychoeducational interventions with new technological formats in the prevention of adolescents’ alcohol intake as entrepreneurial activity.

Molecular modelling predicts that 2-methoxyestradiol disrupts HIF function by binding to the PAS-B domain

An estradiol metabolite, 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME), has emerged as an important regulator of ovarian physiology. 2ME is recognized as a potent anti-angiogenic agent in clinical trials and laboratory studies. However, little is known about its molecular actions and its endogenous targets. 2ME is produced by human ovarian cells during the normal menstrual cycle, being higher during regression of the corpus luteum, and is postulated to be involved in the anti-angiogenic process that plays out during luteolysis.We utilized cell biology techniques to understand the molecular mechanism of 2ME anti-angiogenic effects on human granulosa luteal cells. The principal effect of 2ME was to alter Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1A (HIF1A) sub-cellular localization. Molecular modelling and multiple bioinformatics tools indicated that 2ME impairs Hypoxia Inducible Factor complex (HIF) nuclear translocation by binding to a buried pocket in the HIF1A Per Arnt Sim (PAS)-B domain. Binding of 2ME to HIF1A protein is predicted to perturb HIF1A-Hypoxia Inducible Factor B (HIFB) interaction, a key step in HIF nuclear translocation, preventing the transcriptional actions of HIF, including Vascular Endotelial Growth Factor (VEGF) gene activation. To our knowledge, 2ME is the first putative HIF endogenous ligand characterized with anti-angiogenic activity. This postulate has important implications for reproduction, because angiogenic processes are critical for ovarian follicular development, ovulation and corpus luteum regression. The present research could contribute to the development of novel pharmacological approaches for controlling HIF activity in human reproductive diseases.

Influence of principal stress effect on deformation and permeability of coal containing beddings under true triaxial stress conditions.

In situ stress is generally an anisotropic/true triaxial stress (σ1 > σ2 > σ3). Bedding weakens the continuity and integrity of coal. It is critical to understand the mechanical behaviour and gas migration of coal under true triaxial stress conditions. We performed experiments of cubic coal samples to investigate the permeability evolution and mechanical behaviour of coal under true triaxial stress conditions by using newly developed true triaxial geophysical apparatus. We analysed the effect of principal stresses on deformation and permeability characteristics of coal containing bedding planes. The results show that volumetric strain, stress states and bedding directions determine the permeability comprehensively. The variable quantity of strain was the largest in the direction normal to the bedding plane. The expansion or compression degree was characterized by the difference between the major and minor principal strain (ɛ1 − ɛ3). Essentially, this represents the difficulty degree with regard to coal being compressed at the initial stress state and the deformation degree in ɛ1 and ɛ3 direction. The variation of (ɛ1 − ɛ3) was consistent with that of permeability. Under an identical true triaxial stress condition, permeability was smaller when larger stress was applied in the direction normal to the bedding plane. Additionally, stress level in the direction parallel to the bedding planes and the directions between stresses in the direction parallel to the bedding planes and the flow direction also affect the permeability and strain. By solving lateral expansion coefficient, coal also exhibited anisotropic properties.