bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Method for the Isolation and Characterization of Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids from Cyanobacteria
Authors: Ngoennet Siripat , Nishikawa Yasuhiro , Hibino Takashi , Waditee-Sirisattha Rungaroon , Kageyama Hakuto
Published: December 2018

This report provides a broadly applicable and cost-effective method for the purification of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) from cyanobacteria. As MAAs are known to have multiple bioactivities for health and beauty, a universal isolation method of MAAs from biomass is attractive. In particular, the biomass of photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria is of interest as a natural source of useful compound production, because of their photoautotrophic property. The method presented here is applicable for the isolation of mycosporine-2-glycine (M2G), which is a rare MAA produced in a halotolerant cyanobacterium. This method also allowed for the isolation of two of the most common MAAs, shinorine (SHI) and porphyra-334 (P334). A three-step separation process using low pressure liquid chromatography yielded purified MAAs, which were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analyses. The purified MAAs exhibited free radical scavenging activity in the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. The experimental parameters obtained in this report may allow for a scale-up of the MAA purification process for future industrial applications.
Green Synthesis of High Temperature Stable Anatase Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Using Gum Kondagogu: Characterization and Solar Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye
Authors: Saranya Kothaplamoottil Sivan , Vellora Thekkae Padil Vinod , Senan Chandra , Pilankatta Rajendra , Saranya Kunjumon , George Bini , Wacławek Stanisław , Černík Miroslav
Published: December 2018

The present study reports a green and sustainable method for the synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) from titanium oxysulfate solution using Kondagogu gum (Cochlospermum gossypium), a carbohydrate polymer, as the NPs formation agent. The synthesized TiO2 NPs were categorized by techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope- Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and particle size analysis. Additionally, the photocatalytic actions of TiO2 NPs were assessed with regard to their ability to degrade an organic dye (methylene blue) from aqueous solution in the presence of solar light. Various parameters affecting the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 NPs were examined, including catalyst loading, reaction time, pH value and calcination temperature of the aforementioned particles. This green synthesis method involving TiO2 NPs explores the advantages of inexpensive and non-toxic precursors, the TiO2 NPs themselves exhibiting excellent photocatalytic activity against dye molecules.
The Evolution of Chinese Shamanism: A Case Study from Northwest China
Authors: Xing Haiyan , Murray Gerald
Published: December 2018

This paper presents information on the shamanic religious system practiced among the Tu ethnic group of Qinghai Province in Northwest China. After presenting ethnographic information on the spirit beliefs, rituals, and shamanic specialists of the Tu, the paper will use a systemic definition of religion to (1) identify changes that have occurred in the focus of Tu shamanism and the role of the shaman, and (2) identify a cluster of causal factors—techno-economic, sociopolitical, and ideational—exogenous to the religious system itself that appear to have played a role in generating these changes. The paper will focus on two specific changes: (1) a decrease in the frequency of private shamanic healing rituals, and (2) a corresponding increase in the importance of shamanic leadership in collective rainfall rituals that affect the entire community. The explanatory paradigm utilized is a modified adaptation to contemporary Chinese reality of the Historical Materialist paradigm pioneered by Marx and Engels and the Cultural Materialist paradigm developed by Marvin Harris. While continuing to emphasize the causal power of technological and economic factors, the Chinese experience, both at the macro level of transformations of the Chinese economy and at the micro level of Tu shamanism, forces analytic attention on the causal impact of socio-political and ideological variables.
Authority without Authenticity: The Zhuangzi’s Genuine Pretending as Socio-Political Strategy
Authors: D’Ambrosio Paul , Moeller Hans-Georg
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we present a socio-political reading of the Zhuangzi based in part on a brief review of contemporary Chinese scholarship on the text. We will argue that the approach to dealing with authority in the Zhuangzi can be summarized by the phrase “externally transforming without transforming internally”. When applied to situations where the individual engages with political or social authority, this idea commends the art of retaining a non-conforming and non-committed internal state while, to an extent, conforming to external circumstances and committing to certain actions. In this way the Zhuangzi not only aims at ensuring safety in potentially dangerous encounters with authority, but also the avoidance of “authenticating” authority. Following the language and logic of the Zhuangzi, the emphasis is on “forgetting (wang 忘)”, “losing (sang 桑)”, and “negating (wu 無)” one’s social self, rather than constructing or discovering an “authentic self” that might ultimately only reify authority. We will refer to the Zhuangzi’s strategy in terms of what we call “genuine pretending”.
Measurement of Systemic Risk in a Common European Union Risk-Based Deposit Insurance System: Formal Necessity or Value-Adding Process?
Authors: Barkauskaite Aida , Lakstutiene Ausrine , Witkowska Justyna
Published: December 2018

Scientific discussions have emphasized that the main problem with the current deposit insurance system is that the current system does not evaluate the risks that banks assume to calculate the deposit insurance premiums in many countries of the European Union (E.U.). Thus, the prevailing system does not safeguard a sufficient level of stability in the banking system. Scientific studies show that the deposit insurance system should consider not only the risk indicators for individual banks, but it must also consider the systemic risk of banks that affects the stability of the banking system. Hence, the question arises as to whether measurements of systemic risk in a common E.U. risk-based deposit insurance system are a formal necessity or if they are a value-adding process. Expanding the discussion of scientists, this article analyzes how contributions to insurance funds would change the banks of Lithuania following the introduction of the E.U.’s overall risk-based deposit insurance system and after taking into consideration the additional systemic risk. The research results that were obtained provide evidence that the introduction of a risk-based deposit insurance system would redistribute payments to the deposit insurance fund between banks operating in Lithuania, and, thereby, would contribute to a reduction in the negative effects of the deposit insurance system and would improve the stability in the financial system.
Visual-Based SLAM Configurations for Cooperative Multi-UAV Systems with a Lead Agent: An Observability-Based Approach
Authors: Trujillo Juan-Carlos , Munguia Rodrigo , Guerra Edmundo , Grau Antoni
Published: December 2018

In this work, the problem of the cooperative visual-based SLAM for the class of multi-UA systems that integrates a lead agent has been addressed. In these kinds of systems, a team of aerial robots flying in formation must follow a dynamic lead agent, which can be another aerial robot, vehicle or even a human. A fundamental problem that must be addressed for these kinds of systems has to do with the estimation of the states of the aerial robots as well as the state of the lead agent. In this work, the use of a cooperative visual-based SLAM approach is studied in order to solve the above problem. In this case, three different system configurations are proposed and investigated by means of an intensive nonlinear observability analysis. In addition, a high-level control scheme is proposed that allows to control the formation of the UAVs with respect to the lead agent. In this work, several theoretical results are obtained, together with an extensive set of computer simulations which are presented in order to numerically validate the proposal and to show that it can perform well under different circumstances (e.g., GPS-challenging environments). That is, the proposed method is able to operate robustly under many conditions providing a good position estimation of the aerial vehicles and the lead agent as well.
A Real-Time Weed Mapping and Precision Herbicide Spraying System for Row Crops
Authors: Xu Yanlei , Gao Zongmei , Khot Lav , Meng Xiaotian , Zhang Qin
Published: December 2018

This study developed and field tested an automated weed mapping and variable-rate herbicide spraying (VRHS) system for row crops. Weed detection was performed through a machine vision sub-system that used a custom threshold segmentation method, an improved particle swarm optimum (IPSO) algorithm, capable of segmenting the field images. The VRHS system also used a lateral histogram-based algorithm for fast extraction of weed maps. This was the basis for determining real-time herbicide application rates. The central processor of the VRHS system had high logic operation capacity, compared to the conventional controller-based systems. Custom developed monitoring system allowed real-time visualization of the spraying system functionalities. Integrated system performance was then evaluated through field experiments. The IPSO successfully segmented weeds within corn crop at seedling growth stage and reduced segmentation error rates to 0.1% from 7.1% of traditional particle swarm optimization algorithm. IPSO processing speed was 0.026 s/frame. The weed detection to chemical actuation response time of integrated system was 1.562 s. Overall, VRHS system met the real-time data processing and actuation requirements for its use in practical weed management applications.
Accuracy Bounds for Array-Based Positioning in Dense Multipath Channels
Authors: Wilding Thomas , Grebien Stefan , Mühlmann Ulrich , Witrisal Klaus
Published: December 2018

The accuracy of radio-based positioning systems will be limited by multipath interference in realistic application scenarios. This paper derives closed-form expressions for the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) on the achievable time-of-arrival (ToA) and angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation-error variances, considering the presence of multipath radio channels, and extends these results to position estimation. The derivations are based on channel models comprising deterministic, specular multipath components as well as stochastic, diffuse/dense multipath. The derived CRLBs thus allow an evaluation of the influence of channel parameters, the geometric configuration of the environment, and system parameters such as signal bandwidth and array geometry. Our results quantify how the ToA and AoA accuracies decrease when the signal bandwidth is reduced, because more multipath will then interfere with the useful LoS component. Antenna arrays can (partly) compensate this performance loss, exploiting diversity among the multipath interference. For example, the AoA accuracy with a 16-element linear array at 1 MHz bandwidth is similar to a two-element array at 1 GHz , in the magnitude order of one degree. The ToA accuracy, on the other hand, still scales by a factor of 100 from the cm-regime to the m-regime because of the dominating influence of the signal bandwidth. The position error bound shows the relationship between the range and angle information under realistic indoor channel conditions and their different scaling behaviors as a function of the anchor–agent placement. Specular multipath components have a maximum detrimental influence near the walls. It is shown for an L-shaped room that a fairly even distribution of the position error bound can be achieved throughout the environment, using two anchors equipped with 2 × 2 -array antennas. The accuracy limit due to multipath increases from the 1–10-cm-range at 1 GHz bandwidth to the 0.5–1-m-range at 100 MHz .
Dual Path Lock-In System for Elimination of Residual Amplitude Modulation and SNR Enhancement in Photoacoustic Spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang Qinduan , Chang Jun , Cong Zhenhua , Wang Zongliang , Wang Fupeng
Published: December 2018

A technique for elimination of residual amplitude modulation (ERAM) in photoacoustic spectroscopy based on dual path lock-in was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. There are two lock-in amplifiers, one is for gas concentration demodulation and another for residual amplitude modulation (RAM) measurement by tuning the reference signal in different phases, and then a dual path lock-in technique based on subtraction is applied to RAM removal, improving the second harmonic profile significantly. In this system, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) increases about two times based on our dual path lock-in technique compared to one distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD). The system achieved a good linear response (R-square = 0.99887) in a concentration range from 100 ppmv to 2400 ppmv and a minimum detection limit (MDL) of 1.47 ppmv.
Cooperative Jammer Selection for Secrecy Improvement in Cognitive Internet of Things
Authors: Xie Ping , Xing Ling , Wu Honghai , Seo Jung Taek , You Ilsun
Published: December 2018

Smart homes can improve the quality of life and be implemented by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. However, security is a very important issue in smart homes. For this reason, we propose a secrecy transmission protocol for primary user (PU) by selecting friendly jammer in cognitive IoT model. In particular, a secondary transmitter (ST) is selected to transmit secondary signals by the PU’s frequency spectrum, while another ST is chosen to transmit artificial noise to protect the transmission confidentiality of the PU against eavesdropping. Moreover, two selection schemes are presented to confirm the former and the latter ST, and the goal is to optimize the secondary transmission performance and the primary security performance, respectively. For the non-security model and the proposed protocol, we derive the closed-form expressions of the intercept probability and the outage probability for the PU. We also obtain the closed-form expression of outage probability for the secondary user. The numerical results show that the security performance of the PU is significantly enhanced in our protocol compared to the non-security model. In addition, the outage performance of the secondary users is also improved in high secondary transmit SNR region.
Energy-Balancing Unequal Clustering Approach to Reduce the Blind Spot Problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)
Authors: Islam Nazmul , Dey Saurabh , Sampalli Srinivas
Published: December 2018

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have become a significant part of surveillance techniques. With unequal clustering approaches and multi-hop communication, WSNs can balance energy among the clusters and serve a wide monitoring area. Recent research has shown significant improvements in unequal clustering approaches by forming clusters prior to the selection of cluster heads. These improvements adopt different geometric fractals, such as the Sierpinski triangle, to divide the monitoring area into multiple clusters. However, performance of such approaches can be improved further by cognitive partitioning of the monitoring area instead of adopting random fractals. This paper proposes a novel clustering approach that partitions the monitoring area in a cognitive way for balancing the energy consumption. In addition, the proposed approach adopts a two-layered scrutinization process for the selection of cluster heads that ensures minimum energy consumption from the network. Furthermore, it reduces the blind spot problem that escalates once the nodes start dying. The proposed approach has been tested in terms of number of alive nodes per round, energy consumption of nodes and clusters, and distribution of alive nodes in the network. Results show a significant improvement in balancing the energy consumption among clusters and a reduction in the blind spot problem.
A Regularized Weighted Smoothed L0 Norm Minimization Method for Underdetermined Blind Source Separation
Authors: Wang Linyu , Yin Xiangjun , Yue Huihui , Xiang Jianhong
Published: December 2018

Compressed sensing (CS) theory has attracted widespread attention in recent years and has been widely used in signal and image processing, such as underdetermined blind source separation (UBSS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), etc. As the main link of CS, the goal of sparse signal reconstruction is how to recover accurately and effectively the original signal from an underdetermined linear system of equations (ULSE). For this problem, we propose a new algorithm called the weighted regularized smoothed L 0 -norm minimization algorithm (WReSL0). Under the framework of this algorithm, we have done three things: (1) proposed a new smoothed function called the compound inverse proportional function (CIPF); (2) proposed a new weighted function; and (3) a new regularization form is derived and constructed. In this algorithm, the weighted function and the new smoothed function are combined as the sparsity-promoting object, and a new regularization form is derived and constructed to enhance de-noising performance. Performance simulation experiments on both the real signal and real images show that the proposed WReSL0 algorithm outperforms other popular approaches, such as SL0, BPDN, NSL0, and L p -RLSand achieves better performances when it is used for UBSS.
Sensor Distribution Optimization for Structural Impact Monitoring Based on NSGA-II and Wavelet Decomposition
Authors: Li Peng , Huang Liuwei , Peng Jiachao
Published: December 2018

Optimal sensor placement is a significant task for structural health monitoring (SHM). In this paper, an SHM system is designed which can recognize the different impact location and impact degree in the composite plate. Firstly, the finite element method is used to simulate the impact, extracting numerical signals of the structure, and the wavelet decomposition is used to extract the band energy. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the dimensions of the vibration signal. Following this, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to optimize the placement of sensors. Finally, the experimental system is established, and the Product-based Neural Network is used to recognize different impact categories. Three sets of experiments are carried out to verify the optimal results. When three sensors are applied, the average accuracy of the impact recognition is 59.14%; when the number of sensors is four, the average accuracy of impact recognition is 76.95%.
Context/Resource-Aware Mission Planning Based on BNs and Concurrent MDPs for Autonomous UAVs
Authors: Hireche Chabha , Dezan Catherine , Mocanu Stéphane , Heller Dominique , Diguet Jean-Philippe
Published: December 2018

This paper presents a scalable approach to model uncertainties within a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) embedded mission manager. It proposes a concurrent version of BFM models, which are Bayesian Networks built from FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and used by MDPs (Markov Decision Processes). The models can separately handle different applications during the mission; they consider the context of the mission including external constraints (luminosity, climate, etc.), the health of the UAV (Energy, Sensor) as well as the computing resource availability including CPU (Central Processing Unit) load, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) use and timing performances. The proposed solution integrates the constraints into a mission specification by means of FMEA tables in order to facilitate their specifications by non-experts. Decision-making processes are elaborated following a “just enough” quality management by automatically providing adequate implementation of the embedded applications in order to achieve the mission goals, in the context given by the sensors and the on-board monitors. We illustrate the concurrent BFM approach with a case study of a typical tracking UAV mission. This case also considers a FPGA-SoC (FPGA-System on Chip) platform into consideration and demonstrates the benefits to tune the quality of the embedded applications according to the environmental context.
Lightweight Workload Fingerprinting Localization Using Affinity Propagation Clustering and Gaussian Process Regression
Authors: Subedi Santosh , Pyun Jae-Young
Published: December 2018

Fingerprinting localization approach is widely used in indoor positioning applications owing to its high reliability. However, the learning procedure of radio signals in fingerprinting is time-consuming and labor-intensive. In this paper, an affinity propagation clustering (APC)-based fingerprinting localization system with Gaussian process regression (GPR) is presented for a practical positioning system with the reduced offline workload and low online computation cost. The proposed system collects sparse received signal strength (RSS) data from the deployed Bluetooth low energy beacons and trains them with the Gaussian process model. As the signal estimation component, GPR predicts not only the mean RSS but also the variance, which indicates the uncertainty of the estimation. The predicted RSS and variance can be employed for probabilistic-based fingerprinting localization. As the clustering component, the APC minimizes the searching space of reference points on the testbed. Consequently, it also helps to reduce the localization estimation error and the computational cost of the positioning system. The proposed method is evaluated through real field deployments. Experimental results show that the proposed method can reduce the offline workload and increase localization accuracy with less computational cost. This method outperforms the existing methods owing to RSS prediction using GPR and RSS clustering using APC.
Driver’s Facial Expression Recognition in Real-Time for Safe Driving
Authors: Jeong Mira , Ko Byoung Chul
Published: December 2018

In recent years, researchers of deep neural networks (DNNs)-based facial expression recognition (FER) have reported results showing that these approaches overcome the limitations of conventional machine learning-based FER approaches. However, as DNN-based FER approaches require an excessive amount of memory and incur high processing costs, their application in various fields is very limited and depends on the hardware specifications. In this paper, we propose a fast FER algorithm for monitoring a driver’s emotions that is capable of operating in low specification devices installed in vehicles. For this purpose, a hierarchical weighted random forest (WRF) classifier that is trained based on the similarity of sample data, in order to improve its accuracy, is employed. In the first step, facial landmarks are detected from input images and geometric features are extracted, considering the spatial position between landmarks. These feature vectors are then implemented in the proposed hierarchical WRF classifier to classify facial expressions. Our method was evaluated experimentally using three databases, extended Cohn-Kanade database (CK+), MMI and the Keimyung University Facial Expression of Drivers (KMU-FED) database, and its performance was compared with that of state-of-the-art methods. The results show that our proposed method yields a performance similar to that of deep learning FER methods as 92.6% for CK+ and 76.7% for MMI, with a significantly reduced processing cost approximately 3731 times less than that of the DNN method. These results confirm that the proposed method is optimized for real-time embedded applications having limited computing resources.
Transfer of Deoxynivalenol (DON) through Placenta, Colostrum and Milk from Sows to Their Offspring during Late Gestation and Lactation
Authors: Sayyari Amin , Uhlig Silvio , Fæste Christiane Kruse , Framstad Tore , Sivertsen Tore
Published: December 2018

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination of feed may result in reduced growth, feed refusal, immunosuppression, and health problems in swine. Piglets can be exposed to DON via placenta before birth and via milk during lactation. The extent of early-life exposure of piglets to DON is, however, not fully known. This study was therefore aimed at investigating DON uptake in sows fed with naturally contaminated diets, DON transfer across placenta during late gestation, and transfer of DON to piglets via colostrum and milk. Forty-four crossbred sows were evaluated from day 93 ± 1 of gestation until weaning of piglets and fed with feed made from naturally DON-contaminated oats at three concentration levels: (1) control (DON < 0.2 mg/kg), (2) DON level 1 (1.4 mg DON/kg), and (3) DON level 2 (1.7 mg DON/kg). The transfer of DON to the piglets was evaluated in 15 sows, with repeated sampling of blood and milk from the sows and blood samples from five piglets of each litter. The piglet/sow plasma DON ratio and milk/plasma (M/P) DON ratio in sows were calculated to estimate the degree of transfer. Piglet/sow plasma ratios were 2.14 at birth, 2.30 within 12–36 h after parturition, 0.08 on day 7, 0.16 on day 21, and 0.20 at weaning. M/P ratios were 0.92, 1.11, 0.94, 1.21, and 0.90, respectively. The results indicate that DON is efficiently transferred across placenta and into milk. However, the low piglet/sow plasma ratios at mid-lactation to weaning indicate that the piglets were most strongly exposed to DON in early life, despite the high M/P ratios and efficient secretion of DON in milk throughout the entire lactation.
Exposure to domestic violence and abuse and consultations for emergency contraception: nested case-control study in a UK primary care dataset
Authors: Jackson Joni , Lewis Natalia V , Feder Gene S , Whiting Penny , Jones Timothy , Macleod John , Redaniel Maria Theresa
Published: December 2018

Background

Evidence of an association between exposure to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and use of emergency contraception (EC) is lacking in the UK.

Aim

To quantify the association between exposure to DVA and consultations for EC in general practice.

Design and setting

Nested case-control study in UK general practice.

Method

Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, the authors identified all women all women aged 15–49 years registered with a GP between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016. Cases with consultations for EC (n = 43 570) were each matched on age and GP against four controls with no consultations for EC (n = 174 280). The authors calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between exposure to DVA in the previous year and consultations for EC. Covariates included age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, pregnancy, children, alcohol misuse, and depression.

Results

Women exposed to DVA were 2.06 times more likely to have a consultation for EC than unexposed women (95% CI = 1.64 to 2.61). Women aged 25–39 years with exposure to DVA were 2.8 times more likely to have a consultation for EC, compared with unexposed women (95% CI = 2.08 to 3.75). The authors found some evidence of an independent effect of exposure to DVA on the number of consultations for EC (OR 1.48, 95% CI = 0.99 to 2.21).

Conclusion

A request for EC in general practice can indicate possible exposure to DVA. Primary care consultation for EC is a relevant context for identifying and responding to DVA as recommended by the World Health Organization and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. DVA training for providers of EC should include this new evidence.
Testing Angular Momentum Transport and Wind Loss in Intermediate-mass Core-helium Burning Stars
Authors: Tayar Jamie , Pinsonneault Marc H.
Published: December 2018

Stars between 2 and 3 M
☉ rotate rapidly on the main sequence, and their rotation rates in the core-helium burning (secondary-clump) phase can therefore be used to test models of angular momentum loss used for gyrochronology in a new regime. Because both their core and surface rotation rates can be measured, these stars can also be used to set strong constraints on angular momentum transport inside stars. We find that they are rotating slower than angular momentum conservation and rigid rotation would predict. Our results are insensitive to the degree of core–envelope coupling because of the small moment of inertia of the radiative core. We discuss two possible mechanisms for slowing down the surfaces of these stars: (1) substantial angular momentum loss and (2) radial differential rotation in the surface convection zone. Modern angular momentum loss prescriptions used for solar-type stars predict secondary-clump surface rotation rates in much better agreement with the data than prior variants used in the literature, and we argue that such enhanced loss is required to understand the combination of core and surface rotation rates. However, we find that the assumed radial differential rotation profile in convective regions has a strong impact on the predicted surface rotation rates, and that a combination of enhanced loss and radial differential rotation in the surface convection zone is also consistent with the data. We discuss future tests that can quantify the impact of both phenomena. Current data tentatively suggest that some combination of the two processes fits the data better than either one alone.
Parabolic Jets from the Spinning Black Hole in M87
Authors: Nakamura Masanori , Asada Keiichi , Hada Kazuhiro , Pu Hung-Yi , Noble Scott , Tseng Chihyin , Toma Kenji , Kino Motoki , Nagai Hiroshi , Takahashi Kazuya , Algaba Juan-Carlos , Orienti Monica , Akiyama Kazunori , Doi Akihiro , Giovannini Gabriele , Giroletti Marcello , Honma Mareki , Koyama Shoko , Lico Rocco , Niinuma Kotaro , Tazaki Fumie
Published: December 2018

The M87 jet is extensively examined by utilizing general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations, as well as the steady axisymmetric force-free electrodynamic (FFE) solution. Quasi-steady funnel jets are obtained in GRMHD simulations up to the scale of ∼100 gravitational radii (r
g) for various black hole (BH) spins. As is known, the funnel edge is approximately determined by the following equipartitions: (i) the magnetic and rest-mass energy densities and (ii) the gas and magnetic pressures. Our numerical results give an additional factor that they follow the outermost parabolic streamline of the FFE solution, which is anchored to the event horizon on the equatorial plane. We also show that the matter-dominated, nonrelativistic corona/wind plays a dynamical role in shaping the funnel jet into the parabolic geometry. We confirm a quantitative overlap between the outermost parabolic streamline of the FFE jet and the edge of the jet sheath in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations at ∼(101–105)r
g, suggesting that the M87 jet is likely powered by the spinning BH. Our GRMHD simulations also indicate a lateral stratification of the bulk acceleration (i.e., the spine-sheath structure), as well as an emergence of knotty superluminal features. The spin characterizes the location of the jet stagnation surface inside the funnel. We suggest that the limb-brightened feature could be associated with the nature of the BH-driven jet, if the Doppler beaming is a dominant factor. Our findings can be examined with (sub)millimeter VLBI observations, giving a clue for the origin of the M87 jet.
Short Gamma-Ray Bursts Viewed from Far Off-axis
Authors: Eichler David
Published: December 2018

The recent radio observations of a superluminal radio afterglow following gamma-ray burst (GRB) 170817A are interpreted in terms of a jet impacting a baryonic cloak, which is presumably the material caught at the front of the jet as the latter emerges from a denser ejected material. Assuming that we, the observers, are located at a viewing angle of ∼0.2 radians from the emitting material (perhaps slightly more from jet axis), we suggest that the Lorentz factor of the jet is ≲20 at the time of the prompt emission, and that, as suggested previously, it is accelerated to much higher values before finally decelerating during the afterglow phase. A less extreme example of a short GRB being observed off-axis may have been GRB 150101B. A feature of GRBs viewed from large offset angles is a large afterglow isotropic equivalent energy as compared to prompt emission, as predicted, and this is born out by the observations of these two GRB. It is also shown that the prompt emission of GRB 170817A, if seen way off-axis (θ ≫ 1/Γ), could not be made by internal shocks in the baryonic material that powers the afterglow.
Quantitative evaluation of the plutonium proliferation resistance
Authors: Kulikov Yevgeny , Kulikov Gennady , Apse Vladimir , Shmelev Anatoly , Geraskin Nikolay
Published: December 2018

The mathematical model presented in (Kulikov et al. 2018) can be used for the quantitative evaluation of the plutonium proliferation resistance. This requires the warm-up process of an implosion nuclear explosive device (NED) with a different structure to be analyzed with respect to various heat removal conditions and the option to be identified in which the NED remains operational for the longest time possible. The fraction of the 238Pu isotope with which, even in this case, the NED will prove to be operational only for quite a short time can be regarded as sufficient for the plutonium with such composition to be considered a proliferation resistant material.

The purpose of the paper is to evaluate in quantitative terms the content of 238Pu in plutonium for ensuring its proliferation resistance and to identify the factors which influence significantly this evaluation.

The data, procedures and findings from earlier works on the topic, as well as the authors’ own estimates and calculations were used for the study.

It has been shown that the important factors involved in the plutonium proliferation resistance evaluation are the NED technology level and the required NED lifetime.

Depending on the required lifetime, tougher requirements can be introduced with respect to the 238Pu content both from the standpoint of low-technology and high-technology NEDs.

With a lifetime of five hours taken as the guide-mark (a NED is unlikely to be finally assembled, transported and used for such a short time), it is only plutonium containing 55% of 238Pu that can be considered a proliferation resistant fissile material.
Application of diffusion approximation in the calculations of reactor with cavities
Authors: Seleznev Evgeny , Bereznev Valery
Published: December 2018

The importance of calculation of radiation fields inside in-reactor cavities is associated with the necessity to simulate the emergency modes in fast breeder reactors (FBR), as well as reactor states with different coolant levels in special dedicated channels of passive feedback devices in lead-cooled fast reactors (LFR) of BREST type or in sodium cavities in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR).

The Last Flight (LF) method (Bell and Glesston 1974, Davison 1960, DOORS3.2 1988, Mynatt et. al. 1969, Rhoades and Childs 1988, Rhoades and Sipmson 1997, SCALE 2009, Voloschenko et. al. 2012), or the method of the unscattered component is widely known and is commonly used in computer codes based on the method of spherical harmonics for obtaining solution in a gas medium at a certain distance from the calculated volume domain (DORT (Rhoades and Childs 1988), TORT (Rhoades and Sipmson 1997) and others (SCALE 2009)). The practice of its application (DOORS3.2 1988) demonstrated that acceptable results are achievable at considerable distances from the surface separating dense and gas media (more than two meters). Obtaining high-quality solution is not guaranteed for cavities within the calculation area.

In addition, it is desirable to implement the cavities calculation methodology within the framework of the approximations used in reactor calculations introducing certain specific features. In particular isotropy of the neutron flux density and the necessity of forced introduction of a “conditional” calculation cell on the boundary surface of the void cavity are assumed in the diffusion approximation. If the LF method is oriented on the connection of the source point with the detection point, then it is necessary to determine in the calculation of neutron field in the cavities the neutrons escaping the surface area of the source and neutrons reaching a certain surface area of the cavity. In order to solve the problem, the authors suggested using the approximate solution presented in the paper.

Thus, an algorithm for calculation of in-reactor cavities using the diffusion approximation was developed and implemented by the authors.
A new species of Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe (Araneae, Sicariidae), with updated distribution records and biogeographical comments for the species from Mexico, including a new record of Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour)
Authors: Valdez-Mondragón Alejandro , Cortez-Roldán Mayra R. , Juárez-Sánchez Alma R. , Solís-Catalán Karen P.
Published: December 2018

A new species of the spider genusLoxoscelesHeineken & Lowe, 1832,Loxoscelesmalintzisp. n., is described from the states of Puebla, Morelos and Guerrero, in the central region of Mexico. The description is based on adult males and females with morphological and ultra-morphological images. Updated distribution maps are provided for the 39 species recorded from the Mexican territory (including the new species). The states with the greatest diversity are Baja California Sur, Baja California and Sonora, with five species each. A total of 441 records for the 39 species, based on arachnological collections, data bases and literature, were used to update the distribution maps.LoxoscelesbonetiGertsch, 1958 is the species with the highest number of records in Mexico, with a total of 58 records from different localities. The states with the most records so far are Guerrero, with 55 records, Morelos, with 35 records, and Baja California Sur, with 30 records.Loxoscelesrufescens(Dufour, 1820), an introduced species, is recorded for the second time in Mexico, from the state of Chihuahua, being the first well-documented record for the country. Mexico has the greatest diversity of species ofLoxoscelesworldwide, with 39 (two introduced species) of the 134 described species. Additionally, biogeographical comments for the species from Mexico are provided.
« Sans nous, le monde s’arrête » : la première grève générale féministe en Espagne
Authors: Montagnon Marie
Published: December 2018

«  Sin nosotras se para el mundo  » (« Sans nous, le monde s’arrête ») : c’est l’un des slogans les plus repris, le 8 mars 2018 en Espagne, à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des femmes, au cours de laquelle plusieurs millions de personnes ont répondu à la convocation de la première grève générale féministe impulsée par la Comisión 8M. À partir d’une enquête ethnographique 2 menée à Madrid à deux échelons du mouvement, l’assemblée régionale de la communauté de Madrid et l’assemblée locale du quartier central de Lavapiés, cet article revient sur les principales revendications et sur le processus ayant conduit à cette mobilisation nationale, puis sur ses modalités d’organisation pour mettre en avant quelques-unes des caractéristiques du mouvement féministe espagnol contemporain.
La réalité quotidienne à la Velotte, une surface de projection confrontée au cadre de soin
Authors: Rebière Vincent , Diaz Jorge
Published: December 2018

Nous montrons comment la réalité quotidienne du groupe à La Velotte, centre psychothérapique fondé par Paul-Claude Racamier à Besançon, est prise en compte jusque dans ses moindres détails. Le cadre de soin constitue des limites permettant de contenir les différentes parties clivées des patients psychotiques, de les relier et de les mettre en forme. À partir d’une vignette clinique, nous amenons la notion d’objets incestuels, objets réels du quotidien, banals en apparence, véritables ligatures intrafamiliales que le cadre va permettre progressivement de désamalgamer.
Psychose et sexualité dans un foyer de réhabilitation psychosociale à Athènes : antinomies entre la honte, la culpabilité et les objectifs de rétablissement
Authors: Stylianidis Stelios
Published: December 2018

Cet article se réfère à une réflexion concernant la sexualité dans un foyer de réinsertion psychosociale pour sujets psychotiques, qui s’inspire des principes de rétablissement (recovery) et d’autonomie. À partir d’un matériel clinique issu d’un travail de supervision d’une équipe thérapeutique concernant une situation qui s’est produite à la suite d’une liaison amoureuse entre deux résidents psychotiques de ce Foyer, nous essayons de développer une problématique institutionnelle et groupale touchant les attitudes et contre-attitudes des autres patients, ainsi que des membres du personnel soignant par rapport à cela. Nous discutons, entre autres, les contradictions provenant de la culture et des objectifs de rétablissement vs la honte et la culpabilité des soignants devant le vécu d’« endogamie » et d’incestualité dans le cadre de ce foyer.
Psychopathologie du corps : regards, reflets autour d’un dispositif thérapeutique groupal
Authors: Manga-Carrola Patricia , Picard Charlyne , Morra Angelina , Sanahuja Maria de la Almudena
Published: December 2018

Ces dernières années, apparaissent dans les médias des mannequins dits « grande taille », ce qui amène à cliver la beauté selon les morphologies. Malgré une évolution, le culte de la minceur prédomine. L’intériorisation de ce regard social est alors source de souffrance. De nombreuses adolescentes en surpoids éprouvent honte et culpabilité, impactant la construction du soi, des liens intersubjectifs et familiaux. Nous avons ainsi créé un dispositif de groupe thérapeutique novateur où le regard est notre fil d’Ariane. Ce regard s’articule à travers des médiations où sont associés éprouvés corporels et pensées. Notre propos porte sur les groupes de parole, celui des jeunes filles, éclairé par les temps de supervision, et celui des jeunes filles accompagnées de leurs parents. Nous mettrons en lumière comment la dynamique groupale permet de travailler le lien « attaqué », le soi et les processus inconscients en jeu pour que le regard et la parole puissent devenir thérapeutiques.
Groupes d’analyse de la pratique : des espaces vitaux
Authors: Amado Gilles
Published: December 2018

Cet article vise à éclairer les raisons du succès des groupes d’analyse de la pratique dans l’univers professionnel de ces dernières années. Pour ce faire, un retour sur l’histoire française de la dynamique de groupe permet d’abord de repérer la mise à l’écart des tâches et compétences dans les premiers séminaires de formation au profit de l’analyse de l’ici et maintenant des groupes de diagnostic. C’est sans doute la pression économique et gestionnaire, ses avatars et ses dommages qui ont placé le travail au cœur des réflexions de plusieurs cliniciens français comme des groupes d’analyse et de formation. À partir de vignettes cliniques, l’auteur tente de montrer comment il est possible d’articuler une psychanalyse groupale avec les contraintes de l’activité professionnelle et du fonctionnement organisationnel au sein duquel elle se situe.
Developing Person-Centered Care Through the Biographies of the Older Adult
Authors: Jefferies Diana , Hatcher Deborah
Published: December 2018

Background:

A lack of specialized knowledge about providing health care to older people decreases their health outcomes and quality of life. This article presents an innovative learning strategy for preregistration nursing students to raise awareness of person-centered care of the older adult.

Method:

This report is based on the authors' own experience and includes comments from students to the authors who taught the unit of study from 2010 to 2015, supported by current literature and theory discussing contemporary educational strategies.

Results:

Students came to value the older adult as a person to whom they could relate and the learning promoted person-centered care delivery. Although many students found this approach to learning to be challenging, student feedback demonstrated that the overall reception of the strategy was very positive.

Conclusion:

This strategy facilitated learning to improve person-centered care and addressed negative attitudes toward older adults, which improved health outcomes and their quality of life. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(12):742–746.]
Nursing Student Satisfaction With Daily Life: A Holistic Approach
Authors: Williams Susan Gordon , McDermott Ryon , Fruh Sharon , Graves Rebecca , Hall Heather , Wright Theresa , Swanzy Debra , Carter Christen
Published: December 2018

Background:

Nursing school, clinical, and academic life challenges most students' satisfaction with daily life. This study sought to examine associations between undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with daily life and body mass index (BMI), self-weight perception, and intake of 18 commonly consumed food and beverages over the past 30 days.

Method:

A cross-sectional, correlational, online study facilitated data collection from 215 nursing students.

Results:

One unit increase in satisfaction with daily life predicted a modest 36% decrease in the odds of being overweight/obese. One unit increase in satisfaction with daily life predicted a 106% increase in the odds of being in the about the right weight category. Approximately 44.9% of the nursing students were in the overweight, obese, or extremely obese categories.

Conclusion:

Healthy nutrition and normal BMI, with a positive self-weight perception, before nurses enter the workforce may have lifelong benefits. Nursing faculty can provide motivation, a supportive environment, and tools to instill a culture of health and wellness. [J Nurs Educ.2018;57(12):751–755.]
La Soumaâ du Khroub ou l’invention du « Tombeau de Massinissa »
Authors: Cazeaux Mathilde
Published: December 2018

Non loin de Constantine (Algérie) s’élève un mausolée d’époque libyque appelé Soumaâ du Khroub (« Tour du Khroub ») ou « Tombeau de Massinissa », en référence au célèbre roi numide (202-148 aC). Le présent article retrace les différentes étapes de la patrimonialisation de cet édifice, et examine comment le fait d’associer un édifice à la mémoire d’un personnage historique joue dans ce processus. En effet, c’est au moment des campagnes scientifiques qui accompagnent l’armée de conquête française que la Soumaâ est répertoriée, décrite et représentée comme objet de patrimoine et ce sont des savants français qui formuleront les premiers l’hypothèse de son attribution à Massinissa, au début du xxe siècle. Après l’indépendance, les spécialistes écarteront cette possibilité, mais les institutions et les médias algériens continuent de la désigner sous le nom de « Tombeau de Massinissa ». Et c’est autour de cette mémoire, en contradiction avec le « regard savant » que se construit la cohérence du site actuel, dont la dernière partie vise à mesurer le degré de patrimonialisation.