bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of organic additive saccharin on the magnetic properties of CoMnP thin films
Authors: Krishnappa M.RM. , Rajasekaran N. , Ganesan S. , Emerson R.N.
Published: May 2018

Electrodeposition technique provides an easy way to produce magnetic thin films. Magnetic thin films are extensively used in various magnetic induction writing heads, magnetic MEMS devices and other magnetic sensing devices. Thus we have synthesized CoMnP thin films from aqueous bath with organic additive saccharin using electrochemical deposition technique and examined its magnetic properties. The electrochemical deposition method is especially interesting due to its low cost, high throughput and high quality of deposit. The CoMnP alloys were electrodeposited galvanostatically for various composition of the bath solution and for various concentration of the additive saccharin. The effects of electrodeposition condition and organic additive saccharin on the magnetic properties of CoMnP thin films were investigated. Structure and the Morphology of the film were studied using X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Elemental compositions of the film were studied using energy dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Magnetic properties of the deposited films were studied using Vibrating sample Magnetometer (VSM). SEM measurement indicated that the surface morphology was affected by the nature of the organic additives to a large extent. CoMnP films formed under optimized conditions are found to be polycrystalline in nature with hcp structure. Moreover, it was obvious that the presence of organic additive saccharin, in the electroplating bath, modified the magnetic properties of the CoMnP thin films according to the VSM measurements.
Effect of slurry from stone cutting industry in the treatment of dye wastewater
Authors: Gupta Saru , Verma P. S. , Bakre P. P.
Published: May 2018

The effectiveness of the use of slurry generated in stone cutting industry in the electrochemical treatment and reuse of the dye wastewater collected from various dyeing units of Sanganer area was studied using stainless steel electrodes and current density of 3mA/cm2. It was observed to have a high pH, TDS, TSS, BOD, COD and high concentration of heavy metals. A substantial reduction in TDS, BOD, COD and heavy metals in the treated wastewater as compared to the original dye wastewater sample was observed. The efficacy of the treatment was tested by observing the survival rate of Gambusia affinis in the treated wastewater.
Influence of injection timing on the performance, emissions, combustion analysis and sound characteristics of Nerium biodiesel operated single cylinder four stroke cycle direct injection diesel engine
Authors: Prabhakar S. , Banugopan V. N. , Annamalai K. , Sentilkumar P. , Devaradjane G. , Jayaraj S.
Published: May 2018

The automobile sector which is growing day to day consumes the fossil fuel more than its growth. So there is a demand for exploring new sources of fuels for existing engines. This led to the growth in bio diesels which is an alternate fuel. An alternative fuel must be technically feasible, economically competitive, environmentally acceptable, and readily available. In this project esterified Nerium oil is used as an alternate fuel. A single cylinder stationary kirloskar engine is used to compare the performance and emission characteristics between pure diesel and Nerium blends. In this project selection of suitable nerium blend and selection of optimized injection timing for the blend is done. The Nerium oil blends are in percentage of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of Nerium oil to 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% & 0% of diesel. From this project it is concluded that among all nerium and diesel blends 20% of nerium and 80% of diesel blend at 30º BTDC gives better performance nearing the diesel. When comparing the emission characteristics HC, CO is reduced when compared to diesel, however NOx emission is slightly increased when compared to diesel. Hence Nerium blend can be used in existing diesel engines with minimum modification in the engine. It also describes the usage of non-edible oil to a greater extent.
FT Raman spectrum and band assignments for metal–free phthalocyanine (H2Pc)
Authors: Marshell J.
Published: May 2018

Metal-free phthalocyanines(H2Pc) and its derivatives are an important organic electro and photo active material with remarkable chemical stability and flexibility offering considerable interest for many intensive applications. The complexity of the molecule makes the vibrational study of the Raman spectrum difficult. A vibrational assignment of the frequencies in the F.T Raman spectrum of H2Pc has been made in comparison with its metal derivatives, other related porphyrin, pyrrole, indole and ortho-subsituted benzene structures.
Experimental analysis on the blends of oxygenated fuels with diesel in a direct injection diesel engine for performance evaluation and emissions
Authors: Sudeshkumar M. P. , Devaradjane G.
Published: May 2018

Rapid depletion of petroleum reserves and the environmental pollution caused by the growing use of conventional fuels created a challenge before the world that new type of fuels should replace the conventional fuels to achieve the future emission regulations. Hence great deal of research effort has been focused to find alternative fuel. The consideration of oxygenates with diesel fuel is a recent approach receives great attention in reducing the exhaust emissions of an engine The combustion, performance and emission characteristics of diesel fuel and oxygenated blends with diesel are analyzed in a four stroke naturally aspirated single cylinder direct injection compression ignition engine. The additives include 2-Ethoxyethanol (2EE), DiethyleneGlycol Dimethyl ether (DGM) and 2-Methoxyethanol (2ME) and the oxygenated compounds were selected based on the availability, price and oxygen content. These oxygenated compounds are blended with diesel fuel in proportion of 6% by volume. Combustion parameters such as in-cylinder pressure and Heat release rate were studied. The engine emission characteristics of the Compression ignition (CI) engine fuelling with oxygenated blends are studied experimentally. The performance of oxygenates on thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption were studied. Comparing the combustion, performance and emission, the addition of 2-methoxy ethanol blend shows better performance than other two oxygenated blends with diesel and diesel fuel.
Formation constants of lanthanide metal ion chelates with some substituted sulfonic acids
Authors: Sonone R. S. , Murhekar G. H.
Published: May 2018

The pKa and logK values of some substituted sulfonic acid in 70% (v/v) dioxane-water mixture have been determined using pH metric measurements. The stability constant of complexes of Gd (III), Tb (III) and Ho (III) with p-aminobenzenesulfonic (L1) and p-sulfophthalic acid (L2), 2-amino-5-chloro benzenesulfonic acid (L3) and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (L4) have been determined at 0.1M ionic strength at 28±0.1 0C pH metrically. It is observed that both the metal ions formed 1:1 & 1:2 complexes with all the ligands.
The African Metropolis and the aesthetics of superfluity
Authors: Ritzer Ivo
Published: May 2018

Drawing on Achille Mbembe’s idea of superfluity as both quantity and a paradoxical hybrid of indispensability and expendability in a city’s life, this article maps out possible relations between aesthetics and politics, aiming to understand the often contradictory spectrum of cultural and artistic production in an urban context. Looking at recent negotiations of the African Metropolis in media culture, the article not only attempts to describe artistic practices as preoccupied with conspicuous spectacle but also to come to grips with a contemporary aesthetics that itself imagines the African Metropolis in a hysterical way, obsessed with thrills and a rush for the rush.
The landscapes and aesthetics of soap opera: Townships, television and tourism
Authors: Gibson Sarah
Published: May 2018

The aesthetics of soap opera have been neglected within Television Studies, despite renewed interest in the aesthetics of television. Soap opera has frequently been regarded as a textual object unworthy and incapable of sustaining aesthetic attention, and the limited work that has been done on the cinematography of soap opera focuses on its realism. This article returns to debates on the cinematography of soap opera by focusing on the televisual aesthetic of the South African soap opera, Uzalo (2015–present). The visual pleasures of the landscapes of KwaMashu and KwaZulu-Natal distinguish it from other soap operas and offer new ways of understanding the aesthetics of soap opera. These ‘landscapes of television’ offer new ways of interpreting the conventionally ‘realist’ genre of soap opera through notions of the ‘spectacular’. Uzalo’s cinematography is read as an example of soap opera’s ‘spectacular realism’ that promotes a televisual tourist glance.
When the Chevalier d’Éon met Alexander McQueen: History, gender and subjectivity in the costumes in Eonnagata
Authors: Bancroft Alison
Published: May 2018

This article is a psychoanalytically inflected reading of two of the costumes that Alexander McQueen designed in 2008 for the contemporary dance piece Eonnagata. These costumes were notable because they were McQueen’s only work for theatre. He accepted the invitation to contribute to the project because it offered a collaborative way of working and also because he had a profound interest in the subject matter – the Chevalier d’Éon, the famous eighteenth-century courtier, soldier and spy who lived both as a woman and as a man. McQueen himself showed a clear interest throughout his life both in the problematic nature of the human condition and in the interior life of the mind. Psychoanalysis is concerned with the interior life and its manifestation in the wider, social world, and its particular understanding of subjectivity marries closely with McQueen’s own understanding of the human subject as being fundamentally a matter of the mind. Thus, bringing psychoanalysis to bear on a discussion of McQueen’s work in Eonnagata will, I believe, produce particular insights that go beyond the discussions of gender that are the usual interpretive context for the story of the Chevalier d’Éon and that might not otherwise be apparent.
Event Review
Authors: Lucena-Muñoz Eufrasio
Published: May 2018

III Jornadas de Plástica Teatral: El traje a escena (3rd Symposium on Theatre Arts: Costume on Stage), Madrid, 8–10 June 2017
MASK: Dialogue between an inside and an outside perspective of costume
Authors: Østergaard Charlotte
Published: May 2018

This visual essay introduces an independent collaborative artistic research project between costume designers Charlotte Østergaard and Jeppe Worning utilizing mask as costume to examine one’s relationship to the MASK from two perspectives: inside and outside. The research process starts with artistic practice: beginning by interacting with the objects/materials of study, we engage in a critical dialogue with the experiences we invoke. How can we as costume designers have an awareness of the costume from within and at the same time keep a gaze from the outside? Starting from the inside, we must dare to act as performers wearing the object of study, feeling it from the inside. As a wearer, the feeling of the material on the body may be a personal experience; it is also critical to incorporate a second perspective – perceiving the MASK from the outside. This project provoked a critical dialogue between the sensorial feeling (inside) and the visual expression (outside) of the mask. The dialogue between these two perspectives challenges us to become ‘active observers’ to our artistic expression.
Character and costume in cinema: The Hollywood Costume exhibition
Authors: Nadoolman Landis Deborah
Published: May 2018

During a masterclass held in 2012, and in reference to her extensive publishing on film costume design, Deborah Nadoolman Landis invited the audience to also write on the subject, noting ‘I ask my colleagues if I am to be the only one to fill the shelf with books on costume design and film’. Landis was the curator of the V&A exhibition, Hollywood Costume, the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind in decades. The exhibition analysed the extensive and detailed process employed to create a character through costume. Landis’ paper, on 22 April 2012, launched a series of talks titled Marking the Paradigm Shift in Design for Performance Through Costume organized by Donatella Barbieri for the Research Hub in Design for Performance at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London. The above quote and those that follow are edited with Landis from a transcript of the event.
“Caliphate” against the Crown: Martyrdom, Heresy, and the Rhetoric of Enemyship in the Kingdom of Jordan
Authors: Fowler Randall
Published: May 2018

The execution of captured Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh in February 2015 by Daesh (or ISIS) forces generated large public outcry in Jordan and thereby presented the regime of King Abdullah II with a moment of danger. In response to this rhetorical situation, the Abdullah regime engaged in rhetorics of enemyship based on appeals to religious orthodoxy, authoritarian ideology, and apocalyptic language. By examining these texts, this essay seeks to draw from contemporary rhetorical scholarship on terrorism, enemyship, and mass violence to expand the heuristic scope of the rhetoric of enemyship to include political rhetoric situated outside democratic contexts.
Efficient discovery of approximate dependencies
Authors: Kruse Sebastian , Naumann Felix
Published: May 2018

Functional dependencies (FDs) and unique column combinations (UCCs) form a valuable ingredient for many data management tasks, such as data cleaning, schema recovery, and query optimization. Because these dependencies are unknown in most scenarios, their automatic discovery has been well researched. However, existing methods mostly discover only exact dependencies, i.e., those without violations. Real-world dependencies, in contrast, are frequently approximate due to data exceptions, ambiguities, or data errors. This relaxation to approximate dependencies renders their discovery an even harder task than the already challenging exact dependency discovery. To this end, we propose the novel and highly efficient algorithm P
yro
to discover both approximate FDs and approximate UCCs. P
yro
combines a separate-and-conquer search strategy with sampling-based guidance that quickly detects dependency candidates and verifies them. In our broad experimental evaluation, P
yro
outperforms existing discovery algorithms by a factor of up to 33, scales to larger datasets, and at the same time requires the least main memory.
UlTraMan
Authors: Ding Xin , Chen Lu , Gao Yunjun , Jensen Christian S. , Bao Hujun
Published: May 2018

Massive trajectory data is being generated by GPS-equipped devices, such as cars and mobile phones, which is used increasingly in transportation, location-based services, and urban computing. As a result, a variety of methods have been proposed for trajectory data management and analytics. However, traditional systems and methods are usually designed for very specific data management or analytics needs, which forces users to stitch together heterogeneous systems to analyze trajectory data in an inefficient manner. Targeting the overall data pipeline of big trajectory data management and analytics, we present a unified platform, termed as
UlTraMan.
In order to achieve
scalability, efficiency, persistence
, and
flexibility
, (i) we extend Apache Spark with respect to both data
storage
and
computing
by seamlessly integrating a key-value store, and (ii) we enhance the MapReduce paradigm to allow flexible optimizations based on random data access. We study the resulting system's flexibility using case studies on data retrieval, aggregation analyses, and pattern mining. Extensive experiments on real and synthetic trajectory data are reported to offer insight into the scalability and performance of UlTraMan.
Order dispatch in price-aware ridesharing
Authors: Zheng Libin , Chen Lei , Ye Jieping
Published: May 2018

With the prevalence of car-hailing applications, ridesharing becomes more and more popular because of its great potential in monetary saving and environmental protection. Order dispatch is the key problem in ridesharing, which has a strong impact on riders' experience and platform's performance. Existing order dispatch research works fail to consider the price of the orders, which can be an important reference because it directly relates to the platform's profit. Our work takes the order price into concern, and formulates a constrained optimization problem, which takes platform's profit as the optimization objective and performs controls on riders' detour distance and waiting time. We prove the problem is NP-hard, thus, we propose approximation methods. We further develop a simulation framework based on real ridesharing order and vehicle data. We conduct experiments with this simulation framework to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed methods.
Exact processing of uncertain top-k queries in multi-criteria settings
Authors: Mouratidis Kyriakos , Tang Bo
Published: May 2018

Traditional rank-aware processing assumes a dataset that contains available options to cover a specific need (e.g., restaurants, hotels, etc) and users who browse that dataset via top-
k
queries with linear scoring functions, i.e., by ranking the options according to the weighted sum of their attributes, for a set of given weights. In practice, however, user preferences (weights) may only be estimated with bounded accuracy, or may be inherently uncertain due to the inability of a human user to specify exact weight values with absolute accuracy. Motivated by this, we introduce the
uncertain top-k query
(
UTK
). Given uncertain preferences, that is, an approximate description of the weight values, the
UTK
query reports all options that may belong to the top-
k
set. A second version of the problem additionally reports the exact top-
k
set for each of the possible weight settings. We develop a scalable processing framework for both
UTK
versions, and demonstrate its efficiency using standard benchmark datasets.
The crystal structure of poly[bis(4-hydroxybenzoato-κO)-(μ2-4,4′-bipyridine-κ2
N:N′)copper(II)] hydrate, C24H20N2O7Cu
Authors: He Haiyan , Li Yuyang , Yang Qiucheng , Li Lei
Published: May 2018

C24H20N2O7Cu, monoclinic, C2/c, a = 19.6241(4) Å, b = 10.4639(2) Å, c = 10.7024(2) Å, β = 96.163(2)° V = 2184.99(8) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0312, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0863, T = 293 K.
Crystal structure of 4-phenyl-3-((4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione, C17H14N6S
Authors: Aouad Mohamed Reda , Messali Mouslim , Rezki Nadjet , Shivalingegowda Naveen , Warad Ismail
Published: May 2018

C17H14N6S, orthorhombic, P212121 (no. 19), a = 7.3832(3) Å, b =14.4702(7) Å, c = 15.2806(7) Å, V = 1632.52(13) Å3, Z = 4 and with R
int = 0.0577, R
gt(F) = 0.0358, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.0944, T = 296(2) K.
Crystal structure of 1,1′-(pentane-1,5-diyl)bis(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium)bis(hexafluorophosphate), C13H22F12N4P2
Authors: Wan-Ming Xiong , Long Zhou , Shen-Ming Lv , Xu-Liang Nie , Jing Chen , Chang-Gan Huang
Published: May 2018

C13H22F12N4P2, monoclinic, P21/c, a = 12.9171(13) Å, b = 13.3953(13) Å, c = 12.5808(12) Å, β = 97.766(1)°, V = 2156.9(4) Å3, Z = 4,R
gt(F) = 0.0583, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1557, T = 296(2) K.
Crystal structure of 1,1-di(4-cyanophenyl)-2,2-diphenylethene, C28H18N2
Authors: Bao-Xi Miao , Hao Sun , Zhong-Hai Ni
Published: May 2018

C28H18N2, orthorhombic, Pccn (no. 56), a = 9.8955(6) Å, b = 11.0163(6) Å, c = 19.9752(14) Å, V = 2177.5(2) Å3, Z = 4, R
gt(F) = 0.0402, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1012, T = 123(2) K.
The crystal structure of chlorido(2-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)phenolato-κ2
N,O)(2-(1H-pyrazol-3-yl)phenol-κN)copper(II), C18H15ClCuN4O2
Authors: Li Wu-Wu , Zheng Min-Yan , Zhang Zun-Ting
Published: May 2018

C18H15ClCuN4O2, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 8.938(3) Å, b = 9.228(3) Å, c = 12.127(6) Å, α = 105.478(7)°, β = 110.358(8)°, γ = 99.727(6)°, V = 865.0(6) Å3, Z = 2, R
gt(F) = 0.0504, wR
ref(F
2) = 0.1447, T = 296(2) K.
Correlation of clinical grading, physical tests and nerve conduction study in carpal tunnel syndrome
Authors: Izadi Sadegh , Kardeh Bahareh , Hooshiar Seied Saeed Hosini , Neydavoodi Mojtaba , Borhani-Haghighi Afshin
Published: May 2018

Background and aims

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common debilitating condition. As the reliability of CTS-specific physical tests and its clinical grading remain a matter of debate, we determined the correlations between these assessments with nerve conduction study (NCS).

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, patients with uni or bilateral CTS, which was confirmed in electrodiagnosis, were enrolled. Clinical grading was based on the modified criteria of the Italian CTS Study Group. Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Boston Questionnaire (BQ) were used. Physical tests [Phalen’s, reverse Phalen’s, Tinel’s and manual carpal compression test (mCCT)] were performed by a single blinded neurologist. A p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 100 patients (age=47.48±11.44 years; 85% female) with 181 involved hands were studied. The majority of hands (59.7%) were classified as grade 2 of clinical grading. On NCS, hands with mild (64%), moderate (27%) and severe (9%) CTS were identified. Sensory (velocity, latency and amplitude) and motor parameters (latency and amplitude) were significantly correlated with clinical grades (p-value<0.001). The correlation of NPRS (p-value=0.009) and BQ (p-value<0.001) scores with NCS was significant. None of the physical tests were significantly correlated with NCS in terms of result or duration (p-value>0.05).

Conclusions

We found that physical tests are not a reliable screening method for evaluation of CTS severity. However, the BQ and clinical grading can be more valuable due to their significant correlation with NCS.

Implications

Physicians might benefit from employing clinical grading and BQ in practice for better assessment of CTS severity.
Tyrosinase inhibition potency of phthalimide derivatives: crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and molecular docking studies
Authors: Then Li Yee , Kwong Huey Chong , Quah Ching Kheng , Chidan Kumar C.S. , Chia Tze Shyang , Wong Qin Ai , Chandraju Siddegowda , Karthick Thangavel , Win Yip-Foo , Sulaiman Shaida Fariza , Hashim Nurul Shafiqah , Ooi Kheng Leong
Published: May 2018

A new series of seven 2-((pyridinylamino)methyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione derivatives were synthesized under mild condition and characterized by spectroscopy analysis. The crystal structures of these derivatives were further determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. All derivatives adopt a V-shape conformation. The dihedral angle between phthalimide and pyridine rings increases as the torsion angle C1–N1–C9–N2 between phthalimide ring and methylene group increases. The torsion angles and molecular conformations are comparable to those related structures from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). Furthermore, the intermolecular interactions of all studied crystal structures were quantified and analyzed using Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis. The quantitative data on the percentage contributions of overall interactions in all compounds are calculated by the two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint plots from the HS analysis. These compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant and antityrosinase properties. Noteworthy, 2-(((6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)amino)methyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione (compound g) exhibited higher tyrosinase inhibitory activity (EC50=753 μg/mL) than the positive control ‘arbutin’ (EC50=403 μg/mL). The inhibitory effect of compound g was further confirmed by computational molecular docking studies and the result revealed the 6-methoxypyridin-3-yl substituent has a better binding affinity toward tyrosinase.
Larval hemolymph of rhinoceros beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, enhances insulin secretion through ATF3 gene expression in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells
Authors: Kim Seung-Whan , Suh Hyun-Woo , Yoo Bo-Kyung , Kwon Kisang , Yu Kweon , Choi Ji-Young , Kwon O-Yu
Published: May 2018

In this study, we show that INS-1 pancreatic β-cells treated for 2 h with hemolymph of larvae of rhinoceros beetle, Allomyrina dichotoma, secreted about twice as much insulin compared to control cells without such treatment. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) was the highest upregulated gene in DNA chip analysis. The A. dichotoma hemolymph dose-dependently induced increased expression levels of genes encoding ATF3 and insulin. Conversely, treatment with ATF3 siRNA inhibited expression levels of both genes and curbed insulin secretion. These results suggest that the A. dichotoma hemolymph has potential for treating and preventing diabetes or diabetes-related complications.
Spectral Distribution of Oscillator Strength for Core-to-Valence Transitions probed by using X-ray Absorption and Total Electron Yield Modes
Authors: Brykalova Xenia O. , Pavlychev Andrey A.
Published: May 2018

Changes in spectral distribution of oscillator strength for core-to-valence transitions probed by X-ray absorption and total electron yield (TEY) modes are studied in more detail. The quantitative analysis of their redistribution in TEY due to the saturation effect is performed by applying the model

M
˜

$\tilde M$

-function method suggested by Flesch et al. J. Chem. Phys. 138 (2013) 144302. The model

M
˜

$\tilde M$

-function method is generalized to account for the saturation-induced distortion of the line shape of the transitions embedded into the core ionization continua and located below them. It is shown that TEY measurements produce essential changes not only in the relative intensity of the transitions but also shift upward the transition energy, broaden the Lorentzian and Gaussian widths and enhance the line asymmetry. The Gaussian width of the TEY signal undergoes the most substantial broadening though the Lorentzian width increases significantly too. The saturation-induced distortion of the line shapes is not negligible even if the well-known escape-to-penetration condition is valid.
Verification: The Hysteron Proteron Argument
Authors: Pelletier Francis Jeffry , Linsky Bernard
Published: May 2018

This paper investigates the strange case of an argument that was directed against a positivist verification principle. We find an early occurrence of the argument in a talk by the phenomenologist Roman Ingarden at the 1934 International Congress of Philosophy in Prague, where Carnap and Neurath were present and contributed short rejoinders. We discuss the underlying presuppositons of the argument, and we evaluate whether the attempts by Carnap (especially) actually succeed in answering this argument. We think they don’t, and offer instead a few sociological thoughts about why the argument seems to have disappeared from the profession’s evaluaton of the positivist criterion of verifiability.
An Energy-Based Approach to Characterizing Short-Term Aging Characteristics of Asphalt
Authors: Qurashi Irfan A. , Swamy Aravind K.
Published: May 2018

Various researchers have used the viscosity ratio to quantify the aging characteristics of asphalt binder. The calculation of this viscosity ratio requires viscosity values of asphalt binder under unaged and aged conditions. The asphalt binder is aged under laboratory conditions using a rolling thin film oven (RTFO) for 85 minutes at 163°C. Because of its failure to capture the aging characteristics completely, researchers have some apprehensions regarding the use of the viscosity ratio to characterize the aging susceptibility of asphalt. Several researchers have reported that activation energy is a fundamental property of a material and can be accurately related to the temporal changes within the material. This article presents a reaction kinetics-based activation energy approach to quantify the changes in the viscosity of asphalt binder when exposed to an elevated temperature. For this purpose, three distinct asphalt binders were aged using RTFO under laboratory conditions for an extended period. The viscosity of unaged and aged binders was measured using a rotational viscometer over a range of temperatures. These viscosity measurements were used to compute the aging index and viscous flow activation energy. The test results and subsequent analysis indicated that the aging index was able to capture short-term aging effects to a limited extent for unmodified asphalt, but it failed with modified asphalt binders. Also, the rankings of binders based on the aging index were inconsistent over the range of temperatures used in this study. On the other hand, the computed activation energy and rate of change in activation energy showed a strong correlation with aging time. Thus, it can be concluded that the RTFO aging process combined with the viscous flow activation energy can be used to quantify the aging characteristics of asphalt binder accurately.
A missing piece: the spiny mouse and the puzzle of menstruating species
Authors: Bellofiore Nadia , Cousins Fiona , Temple-Smith Peter , Dickinson Hayley , Evans Jemma
Published: May 2018

We recently discovered the first known menstruating rodent. With the exception of four bats and the elephant shrew, the common spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is the only species outside the primate order to exhibit menses. There are few widely accepted theories on why menstruation developed as the preferred reproductive strategy of these select mammals, all of which reference the evolution of spontaneous decidualisation prior to menstrual shedding. Though menstruating species share several reproductive traits, there has been no identifiable feature unique to menstruating species. Such a feature might suggest why spontaneous decidualisation, and thus menstruation, evolved in these species. We propose that a ≥3-fold increase in progesterone during the luteal phase of the reproductive cycle is a unique characteristic linking menstruating species. We discuss spontaneous decidualisation as a consequence of high progesterone, and the potential role of prolactin in screening for defective embryos in these species to aid in minimising implantation of abnormal embryos. We further explore the possible impact of nutrition in selecting species to undergo spontaneous decidualisation and subsequent menstruation. We summarise the current knowledge of menstruation, discuss current pre-clinical models of menstruation and how the spiny mouse may benefit advancing our understanding of this rare biological phenomenon.
Objective evaluation of ram and buck sperm motility by using a novel sperm tracker software
Authors: Buchelly Imbachí F , Zalazar L , Pastore J I , Greco M B , Iniesta-Cuerda M , Garde J J , Soler A J , Ballarin V , Cesari A
Published: May 2018

This work offers researchers the first version of an open-source sperm tracker software (Sperm Motility Tracker, V1.0) containing a novel suit of algorithms to analyze sperm motility using ram and buck sperm as models. The computer-assisted semen analysis is used in several publications with increasing trend worldwide in the last years, showing the importance of objective methodologies to evaluate semen quality. However, commercial systems are costly and versatility is constrained. In the proposed method, segmentation is applied and the tracking stage is performed by using individual Kalman filters and a simplified occlusion handling method. The tracking performance in terms of precision (number of true tracks), the percentage of fragmented paths and percentage of correctly detected particles were manually validated by three experts and compared with the performance of a commercial motility analyzer (Microptic’s SCA). The precision obtained with our sperm motility tracker was higher than the one obtained with a commercial software at the current acquisition frame rate of 25 fps (P < 0.0001), concomitantly with a similar percentage of fragmentized tracks (P = 0.0709) at sperm concentrations ranging 25–37 × 106 cells/mL. Moreover, our tracker was able to detect trajectories that were unseen by SCA. Kinetic values obtained by using both methods were contrasted. The higher values found were explained based on the better performance of our sperm tracker to report speed parameters for very fast motile sperm. To standardize results, acquisition conditions are suggested. This open-source sperm tracker software has a good plasticity allowing researchers to upgrade according requirements and to apply the tool for sperm from a variety of species.
Mixed Effects of Company-Initiated Customer Engagement on Customer Loyalty: The Contingency Role of Service Category Involvement
Authors: Steinhoff Lena , Witte Carina , Eggert Andreas
Published: May 2018

Customer engagement, a customer’s active participation in and connection with a firm’s services, has been promoted as a key driver of customer loyalty. Yet, insights on how to effectively manage engagement are scarce. This article employs an experimental study to assess the loyalty-effect of customer engagement and disentangle the effectiveness of company-initiated versus customer-initiated engagement for different customer types. We establish a positive impact of customer engagement on customer loyalty, mediated by company image. However, adopting a finer-grained view on engagement effectiveness, we show mixed effects of company-initiated engagement contingent on customers’ service category involvement. Specifically, for high involvement customers, company-initiated engagement positively affects loyalty, while it impedes loyalty for low involvement customers. Company image and reactance toward the company act as mediating mechanisms. We provide guidance to managers on how to design and whom to target with their engagement strategies.
The Impact of Psychological Ownership on Value in Use and Relational Outcomes
Authors: Kleinaltenkamp Michael , Storck Franziska , Gumprecht Patrick , Li Jingshu
Published: May 2018

Services largely represent transactions through which customers gain the right to use tangible or intangible resources of service providers. In doing so, customers attain access to resources without the need to own them legally. Feelings of ownership have important behavioral, emotional, and psychological consequences, even when a consumer is only the user of resources, not the legal owner. Research in the organizational field has especially investigated this so-called psychological ownership. Following this research, the current study investigates the effects of customer-perceived psychological ownership in the field of car-sharing services. Based on a qualitative pre-study, a quantitative study was conducted, that shows that psychological ownership has a significant positive influence on each of the identified value-in-use dimensions. Furthermore, the study reveals how the various dimensions influence customers’ satisfaction, affective commitment and word-of-mouth intention.
Керування нетиповими внутрішніми фінансовими ризиками фінансових посередників
Authors: Grytsenko Anton , Shcherban Pavel , Girman Yuriy
Published: May 2018

Мета роботи – охарактеризувати внутрішні ризики, які виникають під час керування діяльністю фінансового посередника (страхової компанії), визначити їх періодичність та шляхи антикризового управління ними.

Метод. Дослідження проведено із застосуванням методів наукової абстракції, структурного і декомпозіціонного аналізу, інструментів причинно-наслідкової комунікації.

Результати. Охарактеризовано роль та місце внутрішніх фінансових ризиків в системі ефективності роботи суб’єкта господарювання та клієнтів фінансового посередника. Сформульовано рекомендації для нейтралізації нетипових ризиків, що виникають у фінансових посередників, зокрема страхових компаній, як комплекс антиризових заходів, зокрема, із розвитку діяльності страхової компанії за рахунок прогнозування показників та застосування нефінансових методів регулювання.

Практичне значення дослідження. Результати дослідження можна використовувати в керуванні нетиповими видами внутрішніх ризиків страхових компаній та інших фінансових посередників.

Оригинальность / ценность / научная новизна исследования. Висвітлено розширену характеристику нетипових внутрішніх ризиків фінансових посередників та сформульовані підходи до часових тенденцій розвитку напрямків діяльності страховика шляхом прогнозування її показників та застосування нефінансових методів регулювання.

Перспективи подальших досліджень – удосконалювати механізм управління внутрішніми фінансовими ризиками фінансових посередників у нетиповому середовищі та з урахуванням не тематичних аспектів діяльності.

 Тип статті – теоретична.
Cognitive and emotional experiences of working in a glass office: a case study on normative control
Authors: Ivanov Lachezar
Published: May 2018

Purpose/Research question. The increased opportunities for surveillance in glass offices motivate the study to pursue the following research question: how does normative control operate in a glass office working environment? Design/Method/Approach. A case study approach was adopted in order to explore the phenomenon in its context. The empirical data consist of twenty semi-structured interviews conducted at the business school of a large UK-based university. Findings. The article reveals the cognitive and emotional experiences of working in a glass office. Normative control is exercised through the building`s design and through managerial discourse. The study also captures employees´ response to the control attempt related to resistance to exposure and impression management. Theoretical implications and Originality. Prior literature that investigates the concept of organizational space as a structure of control links it to bureaucratic control functioning vertically through direct managerial supervision and instructions. The present article demonstrates how control can work on the horizontal level through the management of beliefs, norms, emotions, and social influence. Research limitations/Future research. To the limitations of this research belong issues concerning internal validity, such as the inability to use multiple sources of data generation (observations, document analysis) in order to ensure triangulation.  Paper type – empirical.
КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНІ ЗАСАДИ ЗБЕРЕЖЕННЯ ТА ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ГЕНЕТИКО-СЕЛЕКЦІЙНИХ РЕСУРСІВ ЛІСОВИХ ПОРІД В УКРАЇНІ
Authors: Danchuk O.Т.
Published: May 2018

Проаналізовано чинні законодавчі та галузеві нормативні акти, в частині, що регулює охоронний і господарський статус лісових генетичних резерватів і плюсових насаджень. Встановлено, що значна частина раніше виділених лісових генетичних резерватів і плюсових насаджень неефективно виконують функцію збереження генофонду. Обґрунтовано потребу впровадження норм і положень, які забезпечували б ефективне використання репродуктивного потенціалу генетичних резерватів і плюсових насаджень, їх безперервне функціонування як стабільних та складних за просторовою і віковою структурою гомеостатичних систем, підвищення рівня генетико-селекційної цінності та біологічної стійкості на основі проведення селективних рубань та введення обмежень на санітарні рубання.
ПИТАННЯ ДОЦІЛЬНОСТІ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ТУЇ ВЕЛЕТЕНСЬКОЇ У ЛІСОВОМУ ГОСПОДАРСТВІ РІВНИННОЇ ЧАСТИНИ ЛЬВІВЩИНИ
Authors: Іvchenko А.І. , Pundiak О.І. , Fajda V.О.
Published: May 2018

Відсутність типових лісових об'єктів туї велетенської Thuja plicata D. Don. для досліджень до певної міри компенсовано обстеженням великорозмірної біогрупи цього виду, що сформувалася на місці колишнього розсадника, а також менших біогруп у п'яти парках регіону. Потенційну продуктивність насаджень оцінено за класом бонітету. На всіх ділянках цей показник вищий, ніж у великорозмірній біогрупі туї велетенської у селі Задвір'я, де ріст дерев гальмується наявністю шару мергелю у ґрунті. Ріст найкращих біогруп відповідає І класу бонітету. За результатами виявлених тенденцій рекомендовано тую велетенську для закладання експериментальних лісових насаджень з метою можливості отримання у перспективі більш ґрунтовних висновків щодо широкого використання цього виду в лісових насадженнях.
КОМПОЗИЦІЙНІ ОСНОВИ ФОРМУВАННЯ ПАРКОВИХ АЛЕЙ
Authors: Kurnytska M.P. , Shelest I.Yu.
Published: May 2018

Наведено результати ландшафтно-планувальних досліджень алейних насаджень відомих парків Львова з метою виявлення основних принципів і композиційних факторів їх формування, а також оцінювання декоративного та санітарного стану. На основі проведеної інвентаризації дерев алейних посадок проаналізовано їх основні таксаційні показники, визначено видову і планувальну структуру алей та архітектурно-композиційні особливості їх формування. Акцентовано увагу на проблемах функціонування, збереження та покращення стану досліджуваних алей.
ПРАЛІСИ ТА СТАРОВІКОВІ ЛІСИ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОГО ПРИРОДНОГО ПАРКУ "ГУЦУЛЬЩИНА"
Authors: Pogribnyy O.O. , Stefurak Yu.P. , Prorochuk V.V. , Fokshey S.I.
Published: May 2018

Здійснено аналіз лісового фонду ДП "Кутське лісове господарство" та проведено інвентаризаційні дослідження їх пралісових та старовікових деревостанів. Описано деревостани, живе надґрунтове вкриття, фауну та мікобіоту виявлених пралісів і старовікових лісів. Здійснено детальний їх аналіз за основними діагностичними показниками: кількість ярусів, кількість підросту, типологічний аналіз, кількість мертвої деревини. Визначено розподіли деревостанів по лісництвах за категоріями лісів загалом і за головними лісотворними породами. Запропоновано заходи щодо збереження виявлених пралісів і старовікових лісів.
АНАЛІЗ ФІЗІОЛОГІЧНИХ ЗМІН РОСЛИН В УМОВАХ ПОРУШЕНИХ ЗЕМЕЛЬ ЯВОРІВСЬКОГО СІРЧАНОГО КАР'ЄРУ
Authors: Kopiy M.L. , Kucherjavyj V.P.
Published: May 2018

За допомогою методів фітоіндикації проведено аналіз найбільш характерних рослин на п'яти дослідних секціях у межах порушених ландшафтів Яворівського сірчаного кар'єру. Для оцінювання реакції рослин на стан навколишнього середовища, методом крохмальної проби проаналізовано дослідні види рослин на сухостійкість. Виокремлено відсутність крохмалю у виду Rubus caesius L. на зімкненій ділянці та його присутність у цього виду на відкритій нерекультивованій ділянці. Таку ж тенденцію спостережено у виду Hieracium pilosella L., що можна пояснити здатністю рослин адаптовуватись до умов середовища.Проаналізовано зразки рослин на чутливість до газів SO2 та Cl2 і встановлено, що переважаюча кількість рослин є газостійкою до SO2 та газочутливою до Cl2. З'ясовано, що найбільш газостійкими видами до SO2 є: Solidago virgaurea L., Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth., Tussilago farfara L., Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench. Дещо іншу тенденцію виявлено у газостійкості рослин до Cl2. Найбільш газостійкими видами є: Solidago virgaurea L., Tussilago farfara L., Phragmites communis Trin., Helichrysum arenarium (L.) Moench. Найчутливішими видами рослин до газових випарів обох видів є Rubus caesius L., Equisetum arvense L. Визначено реакцію рослин на вплив розчинів NaCl та Na2SO4, на третю та на сьому доби, що дало змогу встановити істотну солестійкість аналізованих рослин у межах дослідних ділянок.
АНАЛІЗ ОСНОВНИХ ПРОБЛЕМ МЕТОДОЛОГІЇ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ВУГЛЕВОДНЕВИХ ГАЗІВ
Authors: Motalo A.V. , Stadnyk B.I. , Motalo V.P.
Published: May 2018

Розглянуто і проаналізовано проблематику розвитку сучасної газової кваліметрії. Проаналізовано та означено теоретичні, практичні і нормативно-методологічні задачі оцінювання якості різних видів вуглеводневих газів – природних, зріджених та скраплених (нафтових) газів. Розроблено методику визначення рівня якості природного газу як джерела енергії, яка ґрунтується на методології кваліметричних вимірювань з урахуванням компонентного складу газу і всіх його фізико-хімічних властивостей, що впливають на теплотворну здатність газу і зміст енергії в ньому.
ЕКОЛОГІЗАЦІЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ УКРАЇНИ НА ШЛЯХУ ДО ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ
Authors: Paranyak R.P. , Lapishko M.L. , Voytovich N.V.
Published: May 2018

Визначено поняття екологізації економічної політики країни, проаналізовано основні напрями екологізації виробництва. Розкрито особливості поліструктурної моделі реалізації екологічної політики, проаналізовано характер та інструменти екологічного регулювання, що існують у секторальних політиках ЄС, та визначено екологічні компоненти горизонтальних політик ЄС. Виявлено ще нереалізовані інструменти економічного регулювання стану природного середовища в Україні.Визначено напрями євроінтеграційного розвитку в контексті активізації антикризових трансформацій виробничої сфери; розглянуто схему Європейської системи торгівлі квотами на викиди та можливості її адаптації в Україні. Розглянуто діяльність ООН, СОТ, Європейського Союзу у вирішенні глобальних екологічних проблем.
ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ПАЛЬМОВОЇ ОЛІЇ У ХАРЧОВІЙ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ: СВІТОВИЙ ДОСВІД
Authors: Solod M.I.
Published: May 2018

Розглянуто проблему доцільності використання пальмової олії у харчовій промисловості України. Наведено коротку історію появи виробництв пальмової олії та її основні технологічні властивості, завдяки яким вона зайняла вигідну позицію на світовому ринку та у харчовій промисловості. Проаналізовано сучасні дослідження стосовно її безпеки для здоров'я людини. Узагальнено наслідки виробництва пальмової олії для екологічної ситуації у світі. Зроблено висновки щодо можливості використання альтернативних джерел отримання олії, не шкідливої для середовища та здоров'я людини.
РОЗВ'ЯЗОК КОНТАКТНОЇ ЗАДАЧІ ПРО ВЗАЄМОДІЮ ДЕФОРМІВНОГО ПРИВІДНОГО КОЛЕСА З ДЕФОРМІВНОЮ ПОВЕРХНЕЮ
Authors: Kovbasa V.P. , Kadem A.A. , Kalinichenko D.Yu.
Published: May 2018

Наведено аналітичні залежності для визначення розподілу тиску у зоні контакту деформівного колеса з деформівною поверхнею (ґрунтом), які отримано з використанням криволінійних інтегралів першого роду, та аналітичні залежності визначення границь контакту, отримані на основі врахування сумарних зміщень тіл, що контактують на границях контакту, які є вихідними для розв'язання контактної задачі взаємодії колеса з поверхнею (ґрунтом). Отримані функції границь контакту залежать як від прикладених до колеса зусиль, так і від механічних властивостей самого колеса та поверхні. Отримані залежності можуть бути використані у розв’язуванні задач, пов'язаних з експлуатацією, зокрема у проектуванні рушіїв мобільних енергозасобів.
МЕТОД КОМПЕНСАЦІЇ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ПОТОКІВ У ЗАДАЧІ КОНТРОЛЮ ЯКОСТІ ТЕКСТИЛЬНИХ МАТЕРІАЛІВ
Authors: Rozhkov S.O.
Published: May 2018

Розглянуто метод побудови системи ідентифікації, яка ґрунтується на використанні автономної системи розрахунку міри близькості між пред'явленими образом та еталоном. Істотною особливістю такого підходу є значне зменшення (стиснення) інформації, що надходить на вхід системи прийняття рішення. Розглянутий метод дає змогу побудувати систему розпізнавання, яка буде інваріантною до збурень у просторі об'єкта.
ПРОГРАМНИЙ КОМПЛЕКС МОНІТОРИНГУ ТА ПРОГНОЗУВАННЯ ТРАФІКУ ПОТОКУ В СЕГМЕНТІ КОМП'ЮТЕРНОЇ МЕРЕЖІ
Authors: Droniuk I.M. , Fedevych O.Yu.
Published: May 2018

Розроблено програмний комплекс, який призначений для моніторингу, визначення та прогнозування змін параметрів трафіку потоку в єдиному домені колізій у сегменті комп'ютерної мережі. Розроблено математичну модель на основі диференціальних рівнянь коливного руху та реалізовано прогнозування трафіку потоку. Спираючись на результати прогнозування трафіку потоку в сегменті комп'ютерної мережі і максимально допустиме завантаження вузлового обладнання сегменту комп'ютерної мережі, реалізується адаптивне управління вузловим обладнанням для запобігання втратам пакетів даних.
ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ЗМІНИ ЙМОВІРНІСНИХ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК ВІДМОВ УТОМИ В ГУМОВИХ МАТЕРІАЛАХ У ЗВИЧАЙНОМУ СТАНІ ТА ПІСЛЯ СТАРІННЯ
Authors: Larin O.O.
Published: May 2018

Представлено аналіз ймовірнісних характеристик відмов утоми в гумових матеріалах під час їх циклічного навантаження. Дослідження проведено на основі концепції континуальної механіки пошкоджуваності. Кінетику росту пошкоджуваності визначено за характеристиками кривих утоми, які побудовано відносно еквівалентних напружень, що відповідають приведенню складного напружено-деформованого стану до еквівалентного простого на помірних деформаціях гумових матеріалів. Дослідження здійснено для матеріалу, що застосовується в якості матриці каркасу пневматичних шин. Проведено порівняльний аналіз зміни ймовірності відмови внаслідок утоми для матеріалу до та після старіння.