Iron(II) Sulfate(VI) from Titania Production as a Raw Material for Preparation of Hydrogen Sulfide Sorbents

A hybrid sorbent material for removal of hydrogen sulfide from air was developed. The material is based on activated carbon and iron compounds obtained from waste iron(II) sulfate(VI) heptahydrate. The iron salt is deposited on the carbonaceous support and subjected to oxidation (Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺) using atmospheric oxygen under alkaline conditions. An effect of H₂O₂ addition to the process on the composition of the resultant material was also examined. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed easy conversion of waste FeSO₄·7H₂O to iron oxides Fe₃O₄ and FeOOH. The activated carbon supporting iron oxides revealed a higher efficiency in H₂S elimination from air compared to the commercial activated carbon, without any modification.     

Mobile context-based framework for threat monitoring in urban environment with social threat monitor

Engaging users in threat reporting is important in order to improve threat monitoring in urban environments. Today, mobile applications are mostly used to provide basic reporting interfaces. With a rapid evolution of mobile devices, the idea of context awareness has gained a remarkable popularity in recent years. Modern smartphones and tablets are equipped with a variety of sensors including accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure gauges, light and GPS sensors. Additionally, the devices become computationally powerful which allows for real-time processing of data gathered by their sensors. Universal access to the Internet via WiFi hot-spots and GSM network makes mobile devices perfect platforms for ubiquitous computing. Although there exist numerous frameworks for context-aware systems, they are usually dedicated to static, centralized, client-server architectures. There is still space for research in the field of context modeling and reasoning for mobile devices. In this paper, we propose a lightweight context-aware framework for mobile devices that uses data gathered by mobile device sensors and performs on-line reasoning about possible threats based on the information provided by the Social Threat Monitor system developed in the INDECT project.     

Range mode and range median queries in constant time and sub-quadratic space

Given a list of n items and a function defined over sub-lists, we study the space required for computing the function for arbitrary sub-lists in constant time.For the function mode we improve the previously known space bound O(n²/logn) to O(n²loglogn/log²n) words.For median the space bound is improved to O(n²loglog²n/log²n) words from O(n²⋅log(k)n/logn), where k is an arbitrary constant and log(k) is the iterated logarithm.     

Estimating the Laplace-Beltrami Operator by Restricting 3D Functions

We present a novel approach for computing and solving the Poisson equation over the surface of a mesh. As in previous approaches, we define the Laplace-Beltrami operator by considering the derivatives of functions defined on the mesh. However, in this work, we explore a choice of functions that is decoupled from the tessellation. Specifically, we use basis functions (second-order tensor-product B-splines) defined over 3D space, and then restrict them to the surface. We show that in addition to being invariant to mesh topology, this definition of the Laplace-Beltrami operator allows a natural multiresolution structure on the function space that is independent of the mesh structure, enabling the use of a simple multigrid implementation for solving the Poisson equation.     

Decision trees for uplift modeling with single and multiple treatments

Most classification approaches aim at achieving high prediction accuracy on a given dataset. However, in most practical cases, some action such as mailing an offer or treating a patient is to be taken on the classified objects, and we should model not the class probabilities themselves, but instead, the change in class probabilities caused by the action. The action should then be performed on those objects for which it will be most profitable. This problem is known as uplift modeling, differential response analysis, or true lift modeling, but has received very little attention in machine learning literature. An important modification of the problem involves several possible actions, when for each object, the model must also decide which action should be used in order to maximize profit. In this paper, we present tree-based classifiers designed for uplift modeling in both single and multiple treatment cases. To this end, we design new splitting criteria and pruning methods. The experiments confirm the usefulness of the proposed approaches and show significant improvement over previous uplift modeling techniques.     

Ultrastructural and developmental toxicity of potato and tomato leaf extracts to beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua (lepidoptera: noctuidae)

Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua is a herbivorous moth and a serious pest of many economically important plants, which are used as food sources. Because of rigorous standards of food quality, usage of synthetic insecticides in crop protection, against pests, is limited. Solanaceae plant extracts may be a relatively cheap source of efficient natural insecticides that can limit usage of synthetic substances. Their biological activity is not fully known. In particular, ultrastructural studies, using transmission electron microscopy, are not usual. In the present article we describe the effects of sublethal concentrations of tomato and potato leaf extracts against S. exigua. Acute lethal effects were not observed. Both extracts exerted similar effects within midgut and fat body cells. Midgut cells were not significantly altered while fat body cells showed prominent swelling of nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum, vacuolization of mitochondria and fusion of fat droplets. These changes were much more intensive within groups exposed to potato than tomato extracts at highest concentration at least. Light microscopy was used to observe and document developmental alterations of S. exigua exposed to potato and tomato leaf extracts. Potato leaf extracts significantly decreased hatching success and caused morphological malformations of imagoes. Among them, malformations of wings were the most prominent. Interestingly, these effects were not observed within populations exposed to tomato extracts at highest concentration at least.     

Genetic Background of Fetal Growth Restriction

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is one of the most formidable challenges in present-day antenatal care. Pathological fetal growth is a well-known factor of not only in utero demise in the third trimester, but also postnatal morbidity and unfavorable developmental outcomes, including long-term sequalae such as metabolic diseases, diabetic mellitus or hypertension. In this review, the authors present the current state of knowledge about the genetic disturbances responsible for FGR diagnosis, divided into fetal, placental and maternal causes (including preeclampsia), as well as their impact on prenatal diagnostics, with particular attention on chromosomal microarray (CMA) and noninvasive prenatal testing technique (NIPT).     

Endogenous Polyamines and Ethylene Biosynthesis in Relation to Germination of Osmoprimed Brassica napus Seeds under Salt Stress

Currently, seed priming is reported as an efficient and low-cost approach to increase crop yield, which could not only promote seed germination and improve plant growth state but also increase abiotic stress tolerance. Salinity represents one of the most significant abiotic stresses that alters multiple processes in plants. The accumulation of polyamines (PAs) in response to salt stress is one of the most remarkable plant metabolic responses. This paper examined the effect of osmopriming on endogenous polyamine metabolism at the germination and early seedling development of Brassica napus in relation to salinity tolerance. Free, conjugated and bound polyamines were analyzed, and changes in their accumulation were discussed with literature data. The most remarkable differences between the corresponding osmoprimed and unprimed seeds were visible in the free (spermine) and conjugated (putrescine, spermidine) fractions. The arginine decarboxylase pathway seems to be responsible for the accumulation of PAs in primed seeds. The obvious impact of seed priming on tyramine accumulation was also demonstrated. Moreover, the level of ethylene increased considerably in seedlings issued from primed seeds exposed to salt stress. It can be concluded that the polyamines are involved in creating the beneficial effect of osmopriming on germination and early growth of Brassica napus seedlings under saline conditions through moderate changes in their biosynthesis and accumulation.     

Determination of Omega Fatty Acid Profiles in Egg Yolk by HILIC-LC-MS and GC-MS

The paper presents the analysis of the profile composition of fatty acids in the molecules of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, by using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The profiles of 15 phosphatidylcholine and 8 phosphatidylethanolamine species were analyzed with a newly developed hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)–electrospray ionization (ESI)–tandem mass spectroscopy (MS/MS) method, by using a new stationary bonded phase. The application of the new method in control and experimental groups of egg yolk revealed significant differences in the composition of phospholipid species containing mainly polyunsaturated fatty acids. Additionally, using GC-MS, the profile of fatty acids in four groups with different dietary supplementation of hens was analyzed and 20 fatty acids in egg yolks were determined. Monounsaturated fatty acids were found in higher amounts than saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg yolks. Oleic acid (18:1) was the major monounsaturated fatty acid in egg yolk while palmitic acid (16:0) was the major saturated fatty acid. Linoleic acid (18:2), arachidonic acid (20:4), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) reached the highest levels among the polyunsaturated fatty acids.