bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O porównaniu dwóch populacji
Authors: Stelmach Jacek
Published: December 2014

A comparison of two populations is an interesting and very common statistical problem. It involves finding statistically significant differences based on given samples. The most common way is to verify the hypothesis concerned the equality of certain, characteristic parameters, i.e. mean, standard deviation or fraction. The most efficient parametric tests need to fulfill assumptions about the normal distribution of examined populations. There are, however, cases where comparing "the shape" of multivariate populations could be crucial. Additionally, the distributions of tested populations are either unknown or cannot be treated as multivariate normal distributions. This paper presents the results of investigations on the comparison of two populations where the differences between eigenvectors were implemented. Test statistics, based on the differences between first eigenvectors of tested populations, make it possible to examine the differences of a shape, regardless of its mean or standard deviation. They could be used, for example, to test the variability of a given phenomenon even with the trends. It was proposed to verify the hypotheses with permutation tests, where no assumptions about the distribution must be fulfilled. Doing so would make it possible to use different test statistics as well. At the end of the paper, the characteristics of the examined tests were estimated using Monte Carlo simulation.
Zastosowanie programowania zero-jedynkowego w harmonogramowaniu czynności projektu
Authors: Krzeszowska-Zakrzewska Bogumiła
Published: December 2014

Because of increasing interest in project management in the subject literature, optimisation techniques are often considered in project planning and scheduling. The main project scheduling techniques are CPM or PERT. Those methods deliver schedules with optimal project finish times and ensure the level of resource usage is controlled. In practical situations, project schedules should be optimised not only because of time but also because of resource usage and cash flows. The above techniques do not meet those requirements. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how zero-one programming can be used in project scheduling. Zero-one programming is a special case of integer programming where all the decision variables are integers and can assume values of either zero or one. A zero-one programming formulation has been applied to solve three project scheduling problems, namely the optimisation of project completion time, resource usage and project cash flows.
Repeated Selective Cutting Controls Neotropical Bracken (Pteridium arachnoideum) and Restores Abandoned Pastures
Authors: Aguilar-Dorantes Karla , Mehltreter Klaus , Vibrans Heike , Mata-Rosas Martin , Esqueda-Esquivel Valentín A.
Published: December 2014

Neotropical bracken fern invades disturbed forests and burned and abandoned pastures in Latin America, inhibiting the growth of associated vegetation and altering community structure. Cutting of all aboveground vegetation every 6 to 12 mo has proven to be inefficient as a control method. We studied the impact of selective cutting of bracken every 2 mo, shading, and a combination of cutting + shading during 14 mo in a bracken-dominated, abandoned pasture in Veracruz, Mexico. At the end of the experiment, cutting with or without shading drastically reduced bracken cover from >90% to less than 1%, decreased leaf number from 18 to fewer than two leaves per m2, and depleted bracken leaf biomass. The significant reduction of bracken was correlated with a significant 3.9- to 5.7-fold increase in richness of other plant species. Cutting without shading was the only treatment that significantly reduced rhizome biomass to less than 62% of control plots, whereas cutting + shading was the only treatment to promote a significant increase in both cover and shoot biomass of successional plant species. Selective cutting of P. arachnoideum repeated every 2 mo was more successful than nonselective cuttings repeated at longer intervals, because it removed newly emerging leaves before their complete expansion and supported the recovery and reestablishment of other plant species, which may help to control bracken. Although costs for the first year of selective cutting were twice as much as for nonselective cutting, it may prove less expensive and more efficient than nonselective cutting in the long term.
Extent of Kentucky Bluegrass and Its Effect on Native Plant Species Diversity and Ecosystem Services in the Northern Great Plains of the United States
Authors: Toledo David , Sanderson Matt , Spaeth Kenneth , Hendrickson John , Printz Jeff
Published: December 2014

Kentucky bluegrass, a nonnative species, has invaded rangelands in the United States and is currently present in most rangelands across the Northern Great Plains. Despite its accelerated expansion, the consequences of Kentucky bluegrass on the diversity of native plant species and on ecosystem services remain largely unknown. We synthesized the available data related to Kentucky bluegrass and how it affects native plant diversity and ecosystem services. We found that invasion may bring negative consequences to ecosystem services, such as pollination, habitat for wildlife species, and alteration of nutrient and hydrologic cycles, among others. To maintain the flow of ecosystem goods and services from these rangeland ecosystems, range science must adapt to the challenge of introduced, cool-season grass dominance in mixed-grass prairie. Based on our findings, we identify research needs that address ecosystem changes brought on by Kentucky bluegrass invasion and the corresponding effects these changes have on ecosystem services. We are dealing with novel ecosystems, and until we have better answers, adaptive management strategies that use the best available information need to be developed to adapt to the invasion of this pervasive invasive species.
Efficacy of Exotic Control Strategies for Restoring Coastal Prairie Grasses
Authors: Holl Karen D. , Howard Elizabeth A. , Brown Timothy M. , Chan Robert G. , de Silva Tara S. , Mann E. Tyler , Russell Jamie A. , Spangler William H.
Published: December 2014

Restoration in Mediterranean-climate grasslands is strongly impeded by lack of native propagules and competition with exotic grasses and forbs. We report on a study testing several methods for exotic plant control combined with planting native grasses to restore prairies in former agricultural land in coastal California. Specifically we compared tarping (shading out recently germinated seedlings with black plastic) once, tarping twice, topsoil removal, herbicide (glyphosate), and a control treatment in factorial combinations with or without wood mulch. Into each treatment we planted three native grass species (Elymus glaucus, Hordeum brachyantherum, andStipa pulchra) and monitored plant survival and cover for three growing seasons. Survival of native grass species was high in all treatments, but was slightly lower in unmulched soil removal and control treatments in the first 2 yr. Mulching, tarping, and herbicide were all effective in reducing exotic grass cover and enhancing native grass cover for the first 2 yr, but by the third growing season cover of the plant guilds and bare ground had mostly converged, primarily because of the declining effects of the initial treatments. Mulching and tarping were both considerably more expensive than herbicide treatment. Topsoil removal was less effective in increasing native grass cover likely because soil removal altered the surface hydrology in this system. Our results show that several treatments were effective in enhancing native grass establishment, but that longer term monitoring is needed to evaluate the efficacy of restoration efforts. The most appropriate approach to controlling exotics to restore specific grassland sites will depend not only on the effectiveness, but also on relative costs and site constraints.
Provider Visits and Early Vascular Access Placement in Maintenance Hemodialysis
Authors: Erickson Kevin F. , Mell Matthew , Winkelmayer Wolfgang C. , Chertow Glenn M. , Bhattacharya Jay
Published: December 2014

Medicare reimbursement policy encourages frequent provider visits for patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis. We hypothesize that patients seen more frequently by their nephrologist or advanced practitioner within the first 90 days of hemodialysis are more likely to undergo surgery to create an arteriovenous (AV) fistula or place an AV graft. We selected 35,959 patients aged ≥67 years starting hemodialysis in the United States from a national registry. We used multivariable regression to evaluate the associations between mean visit frequency and AV fistula creation or graft placement in the first 90 days of hemodialysis. We conducted an instrumental variable analysis to test the sensitivity of our findings to potential bias from unobserved characteristics. One additional visit per month in the first 90 days of hemodialysis was associated with a 21% increase in the odds of AV fistula creation or graft placement during that period (95% confidence interval, 19% to 24%), corresponding to an average 4.5% increase in absolute probability. An instrumental variable analysis demonstrated similar findings. Excluding visits in months when patients were hospitalized, one additional visit per month was associated with a 10% increase in odds of vascular access surgery (95% confidence interval, 8% to 13%). In conclusion, patients seen more frequently by care providers in the first 90 days of hemodialysis undergo earlier AV fistula creation or graft placement. Payment policies that encourage more frequent visits to patients at key clinical time points may yield more favorable health outcomes than policies that operate irrespective of patients’ health status.
Comparison of changes in selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations during the composting and anaerobic digestion processes of municipal waste and sewage sludge mixtures
Authors: Siebielska Izabela
Published: December 2014

Changes in naphthalene (Naph), phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and benzo(ghi)perylene (BgP) concentrations in a mixture of sewage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal waste were determined during composting and anaerobic digestion. The processes were carried out on a laboratory scale. The selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in the samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The rates at which the PAHs concentrations decreased were evaluated during composting and anaerobic digestion. The selected PAHs degradation kinetics were compared during these processes. The most important conclusion of this work is that composting is much more effective than anaerobic digestion in removing five PAHs from a mixture of sewage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal waste.
Adsorption and removal of triphenylmethane dyes from water by magnetic reduced graphene oxide
Authors: Sun Jian-Zhong , Liao Zhi-Hong , Si Rong-Wei , Kingori Gakai Peter , Chang Fu-Xiang , Gao Lu , Shen Yu , Xiao Xiang , Wu Xiang-Yang , Yong Yang-Chun
Published: December 2014

Triphenylmethane (TPM) dye is one of the most prevalent and recalcitrant water contaminants. Magnetic reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is an efficient adsorbent for organic pollutants removal. However, the performance and adsorption kinetics of magnetic rGO towards TPM have not yet been studied. In this study, a magnetic Fe3O4@rGO nano-composite, which could be easily removed from water with a simple magnetic separation step was synthesized and characterized. The magnetic rGO showed fast adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity towards different TPM dyes (the Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity is 64.93 mg/g for adsorption of crystal violet). The adsorption processes are well-fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 > 0.99) and the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.9996). Moreover, the magnetic rGO also showed excellent recycling and regeneration capabilities. The results indicated that adsorption with magnetic rGO would be a promising strategy to clean up the TPM contamination.
UV/Tio2 photocatalytic reactor for real textile wastewaters treatment
Authors: da Motta Maurício , Pereira Raquel , Madalena Alves M. , Pereira Luciana
Published: December 2014

Textile dye wastewaters are characterized by strong colour, salts and other additives, high pH, temperature, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biodegradable materials. Being aesthetically and environmentally unacceptable, these wastewaters need to be treated before their discharge. Anaerobic bioprocesses have been proposed as being environmentally friendly and relatively cheap; however, when applied to real effluent with a complex composition, they can fail. In this study, a photoreactor combining UV light and TiO2, immobilized in cellulosic fabric, was applied for the treatment of two industrial textile wastewaters. High colour and COD removal, and detoxification, were achieved for both wastewaters, at controlled pH of 5.5. Effluents showed very poor biodegradability due to their complex composition; thus, the proposed process is an efficient alternative.
An Ecological Framework of Place: Situating Environmental Gerontology within a Life Course Perspective
Authors: Moore Keith Diaz
Published: December 2014

This article presents an emergent heuristic framework for the core environmental gerontology concept of “place.” Place has been a central concern in the field since the 1970s (Gubrium, 1978) for its hypothesized direct relationship to identity, the self, and agency–suggestive of the appropriateness of lateral theoretical linkages with developmental science. The Ecological Framework of Place (EFP) defines place as a socio-physical milieu involving people, the physical setting, and the program of the place, all catalyzed by situated human activity and fully acknowledging that all four may change over time. The article begins with a concise overview of the EFP before moving on to consider it within three theoretical terrains: place theory, developmental science theory, and environmental gerontology theory. The EFP will be argued to be a place theory which subsumes themes of emergent environmental gerontology theories within a developmental science perspective. Implications for theory, method and practice are discussed. One of the strengths of the model is its ability to serve both research and practice, as is exhibited in its ability to incorporate applied design research and inform architectural decision-making so often lacking in other environmental gerontology models. Place should be viewed as an integrative concept providing opportunities for both environmental gerontology and developmental science to more critically concern the profound role places have in terms of agency, identity and sense of self over the life course.
Event Simultaneity Does Not Eliminate Age Deficits in Implicit Probabilistic Sequence Learning
Authors: Forman-Alberti Alissa B. , Seaman Kendra L. , Howard Darlene V. , Howard James H.
Published: December 2014

Recent studies have shown age-related deficits in learning subtle probabilistic sequential relationships. However, virtually all sequence learning studies have displayed successive events one at a time. Here we used a modified Triplets Learning Task to investigate if an age deficit occurs even when sequentially-presented predictive events remain in view simultaneously. Twelve young and 12 old adults observed two cue events and responded to a target event on each of a series of trials. All three events remained in view until the subject responded. Unbeknownst to participants, the first cue predicted one of four targets on 80% of the trials. Learning was indicated by faster and more accurate responding to these high-probability targets than to low-probability targets. Results revealed age deficits in sequence learning even with this simultaneous display, suggesting that age differences are not due solely to general processing declines, but rather reflect an age-related deficit in associative learning.
EMPLOYEE AGE AND REACTIONS TO DOWNSIZING
Authors: Lahner Jessica M. , Hayslip Bert , McKelvy Tara N. , Caballero Daniela M.
Published: December 2014

The present study explored the career development concerns among employees varying by age who had worked for organizations that either had or had not engaged in downsizing within a 1-year timeframe. The sample consisted of 72 layoff survivors and 92 non-survivors (employees whose organizations had not downsized). Each completed an online survey assessing career concerns framed in the context of Super's Life Span Life Space theory of career development, as well as measures assessing perceptions of loss, job insecurity, distress, social support, loss history, religiosity, and job satisfaction. Younger employees reported more job dissatisfaction, as did survivors, and younger survivors reported more such dissatisfaction relative to older survivors, and saw the downsizing as less equitable than did older survivors. Among non-survivors, age effects were minimal. Younger employees reported more concerns about Crystallization, Specification, Implementation, Innovation, Stabilizing, Consolidating, Advancing, and Updating, as did survivors. For Crystallization, and to a lesser extent for Innovation, younger survivors reported more such concerns than did older survivors, while among non-survivors, these differences were minimal. A similar age by survivorship pattern was found for psychophysical health, career-recycling tendencies, and for concerns at Super's career stages/maxicycles of Exploration, Establishment, and Maintenance. These findings suggest that young survivors appear to be less vocationally adaptable, more vocationally and personally vulnerable to downsizing, and more impacted in seeing downsizing as unfair, perhaps due to unrealistic career trajectory expectations. In contrast, older employees, perhaps due to increased job and/or layoff experience or the perception that downsizing was handled more equitably via greater loyalty to the organization, appear to be more resilient in these respects.
Advance to and Persistence in Graduate School: Identifying the Influential Factors and Major-Based Differences
Authors: Xu Yonghong Jade
Published: December 2014

Structured within an expanded econometric theoretical framework, this study uses national data sources to identify the critical factors that influence college graduates' advance to and persistence in graduate education and to compare the systematic differences between students in the STEM and non-STEM majors. The findings indicate that there is a high attrition rate from graduate education in both STEM and non-STEM majors. Male, Caucasian, and students who received their bachelor degree at a traditional (younger) age are more likely to attend and complete graduate education, regardless of academic major. Major-based differences are apparent in the impact from variables including parents' education, total undergraduate debt, institution selectivity, and student's academic background measured by SAT/ACT scores and cumulative GPA in undergraduate major.
Positive Youth Development and Undergraduate Student Retention
Authors: Demetriou Cynthia , Powell Candice
Published: December 2014

The primary theoretical tradition in the study of college retention has been sociological. A review and synthesis of common themes of development among traditional-age, college students suggests that a developmental perspective on the retention of youth in college may have more to offer than the dominant sociological paradigm. This article argues that a key question in examining undergraduate retention should be are colleges and universities meeting the developmental needs of the youth enrolled in their institutions. The Positive Youth Development (PYD) perspective is proposed as a more beneficial paradigm than current models used to examine college student retention. Opportunities and resources to support features of positive developmental settings in the college context are explored, as are potential limitations and directions for future research. The conclusion discusses the overall benefits of using a developmental and strengths-based perspective to study undergraduate retention.
Large cities and their traffic: Spatial aspect
Authors: Jovanovic Miomir , Vracarevic Bojan
Published: December 2014

The analysis of the interdependence of transport strategy and the portion of
urban land given over to traffic attains its full meaning only in the light
of drastically different spatial/physical characteristics of world cities.
Advocates of the pro-automobile transport strategy are persistent in their
support of the hypothesis that along with the increase in the degree of
motorisation of a population, the share of urban land needed for transport
unavoidably increases. But it is exactly this spatial aspect that makes
transport strategy of the large, proautomobile oriented US cities (that
occupy few thousand square kilometres and have extremely low population
densities), completely inadequate for the compact, densely populated cities
of developing countries and countries in transition. Distinctive features of
large cities of the developing world and countries in transition:
monocentric, compact spatial structure and extremely high urban densities,
are the main causes of extremely high volumes of motorized traffic per unit
of urbanized area (in spite of their very low levels of motorization). Supply
of urban roads per capita in these metropolises is not going to significantly
improve, whatever length of new urban roads they (manage to) construct. That
makes them completely unsuitable for pro-automobile transport strategy and,
at the same time, very suitable for development of light rail and metro
systems, and rigorous traffic limitation policy.
Comparison of efficacy of local hemostatic modalities in anticoagulated patients undergoing tooth extractions
Authors: Bajkin Branislav , Selakovic Srecko , Mirkovic Sinisa , Sarcev Ivan , Tadic Ana , Milekic Bojana
Published: December 2014

Background/Aim. Patients receiving long-term oral anticoagulant therapy pose
a clinical challenge during invasive dental procedures. The goal of this
study was to compare different local hemostatic modalities after tooth
extraction in patients receiving chronic Vitamin-K antagonist therapy.
Methods. Totally 90 patients with International Normalized Ratio (INR) ? 3.0
requiring simple extraction of one or two teeth were randomized into three
groups, 30 patients in each group. The patients with the mean INR value of
2.35 ? 0.37, in whom extraction wound was sutured comprised the group A. In
the group B with the mean INR of 2.43 ? 0.4, local hemostasis was achieved by
placing absorbable gelatin sponges into the wound without suturing. The group
C consisted of the patients with the mean INR of 2.36 ? 0.34 in whom neither
gelatin sponge nor suturing were used for providing local hemostasis.
Bleeding was registered as an event if other than initial hemostatic measure
was needed or additional oral surgeon intervention required. Results. The
obtainded results show that 1 (3.3%) patient in the group A, 2 (6.7%)
patients in the groups B and C manifested post-extraction bleeding. All cases
of hemorrhage were easily solved with local hemostatic measures and all,
except one case, were registered in the first two hours after the procedure
until the dismissal. A difference between the groups was not statistically
significant (?2 = .42, p > 0.05). Conclusion. In therapeutically
anticoagulated patients tooth extractions can be safely performed without
altering the dose of anticoagulant medication if efficient local hemostasis
is provided. In most cases, in patients with INR ? 3.0 after extraction of
one or two teeth postoperative bleeding can be controlled with local
pressure, without any additional local hemostatic measures.
Retrobulbar hemodynamic parameters in men and women with open angle glaucoma
Authors: Marjanovic Ivan , Marjanovic Marija , Gvozdenovic Ranko , Risovic Dusica
Published: December 2014

Background/Aim. Several factors may have influence on systemic circulation.
Additionally, peripheral circulation also demonstrates sex differences, in
young women presenting significantly lower finger blood flow in comparison to
men of the same age, a finding that disappears in women after menopause. The
aim of this study was to compare the retrobulbar hemodynamic parameters
measured by means of color Doppler imaging in women and men with open-angle
glaucoma and elevated intraocular pressure. Methods. A total of 52 eyes from
52 open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients, with elevated intraocular pressure
(IOP), were included in this cross-sectional study. Peak-systolic velocity
(PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and Pourcelot resistivity index (RI)
were assessed in the ophtalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), and
posterior cilliary arteries (PCA). IOP was measured both with Goldmann
Applanation tonometer (GAT) and with the dynamic contour tonometer (DCT),
three times respectively. Ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) appeared during the
DCT measurement. Results. The retrobulbar hemodynamic parameters did not show
any difference between men and post-menopausal women. Conclusion. The results
of our study did not find any difference between sexes in patients with
open-angle glaucoma and elevated intraocular pressure.
What Kind of Citizen? An Analysis of the Social Studies Curriculum in Turkey
Authors: Kuş Zafer
Published: December 2014

The social studies curriculum was recently revised in Turkey, running in a pilot scheme in the school year 2004–05. It was then implemented in primary schools all over Turkey from 2006. This study describes the kind of citizen it aims to form by analysing all of the documents relating to social studies teaching. The social studies curriculum for primary education was prepared as separate programmes for the fourth and fifth grades, and the sixth and seventh grades. These two programmes are therefore discussed and analysed separately in this study. This research has some characteristics of a case study as a result of the qualitative research designs and content analysis used. According to the research, the main goal of the social studies curriculum in Turkey, which is to form citizens who are democratic, active and respectful of human rights, is visibly promoted in the social studies curriculum.
Dendroclimatology in the Eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Touchan Ramzi , Meko David M. , Anchukaitis Kevin J.
Published: December 2014

Dendroclimatology in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) region has made important contributions to the understanding of climate variability on timescales of decades to centuries. These contributions, beginning in the mid-20th century, have value for resource management, archaeology, and climatology. A gradually expanding tree-ring network developed by the first author over the past 15 years has been the framework for some of the most important recent advances in EM dendroclimatology. The network, now consisting of 79 sites, has been widely applied in large-scale climatic reconstruction and in helping to identify drivers of climatic variation on regional to global spatial scales. This article reviews EM dendroclimatology and highlights contributions on the national and international scale.
A Tree-Ring Based Late Summer Temperature Reconstruction (AD 1675–1980) for the Northeastern Mediterranean
Authors: Trouet Valerie
Published: December 2014

This article presents a late summer temperature reconstruction (AD 1675–1980) for the northeastern Mediterranean (NEMED) that is based on a compilation of maximum latewood density tree-ring data from 21 high-elevation sites. This study applied a novel approach by combining individual series from all sites into one NEMED master chronology. This approach retains only the series with a strong and temporally robust common signal and it improves reconstruction length. It further improved the regional character of the reconstruction by using as a target averaged gridded instrumental temperature data from a broad NEMED region (38–45°N, 15–25°E). Cold (e.g. 1740) and warm (e.g. 1945) extreme years and decades in the reconstruction correspond to regional instrumental and reconstructed temperature records. Some extreme periods (e.g. cold 1810s) reflect European-wide or global-scale climate conditions and can be explained by volcanic and solar forcing. Other extremes are strictly regional in scope. For example, 1976 was the coldest NEMED summer over the last 350 years, but was anomalously dry and hot in northwestern Europe and is a strong manifestation of the summer North Atlantic Oscillation (sNAO). The regional NEMED summer reconstruction thus contributes to an improved understanding of regional (e.g. sNAO) vs. global-scale (i.e. external) drivers of past climate variability.
A Note on Cohen's Overlapping Proportions of Normal Distributions
Authors: Grice James W. , Barrett Paul T.
Published: December 2014

Social scientists are often interested in computing the proportion of overlap and nonoverlap between two normal distributions that are separated by some magnitude. In his popular book, Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (1988, 2nd ed.), Jacob Cohen provided a table (Table 2.2.1) for determining such proportions from common values of separation. Unfortunately, Cohen's proportions are inconsistent with his explication of the popular index of effect size, d; and his proportions are underestimates of distributional overlap and overestimates of nonoverlap. The authors explain how Cohen derived his values and then provide a revised, corrected table of proportions that also match values presented elsewhere.
Classifying Young Soccer Players by Training Performances
Authors: Abade Eduardo A. , Gonçalves Bruno V. , Silva Alexandra M. , Leite Nuno M. , Castagna Carlo , Sampaio Jaime E.
Published: December 2014

Players within the same age group may present different physical and physiological profiles. This study classified young soccer players according to their physical and physiological profiles obtained during the training sessions and compared classification by age and playing position criteria. 151 male elite Portuguese soccer players (under 15, under 17, and under 19 years old) participated. Time-motion and body acceleration and deceleration data were collected using GPS technology with heart rate monitored continuously across the selected training sessions. The data were grouped using two-step cluster analysis to classify athletes. A repeated-measures factorial ANOVA was performed to identify differences in the variables. Three clusters comprised 15.2%, 37.1%, and 47.7% of the total sample, respectively. Players of the same ages and playing experience had different performance profiles. Grouping players with similar physiological profiles during training sessions may allow coaches to balance oppositions and reduce the variability of the physiological outcomes.
Effects of Set Configuration of Resistance Exercise on Perceived Exertion
Authors: Mayo Xián , Iglesias-Soler Eliseo , Fernández-Del-Olmo Miguel
Published: December 2014

Set configuration refers to the repetitions performed with regard to the maximum possible number of repetitions, a factor affecting RPE that has not been previously studied. This study analyzed the effect of set configuration and muscle mass on RPE. Eight students ( M age = 23.7 yr. ± 1.7) completed four sessions corresponding to types of exercise with different amount of muscle mass (bench press and parallel squat) and two set configurations: a session with five sets of repetitions to failure and a cluster session. The cluster session involved the same intensity, volume, and rest than the failure session, guaranteeing the same work-to-rest ratio. RPE was higher in Failure vs Cluster sessions and higher in parallel squat vs bench press. This suggests that set configuration influences RPE. Similarly, RPE can be affected by the muscle mass of the exercise performed.
Rapid proliferation of activated lymph node CD4+ T cells is achieved by greatly curtailing the duration of gap phases in cell cycle progression
Authors: Mishima Takuya , Toda Shoko , Ando Yoshiaki , Matsunaga Tsukasa , Inobe Manabu
Published: December 2014

Peripheral T cells are in G0 phase and do not proliferate. When they encounter an antigen, they enter the cell cycle and proliferate in order to initiate an active immune response. Here, we have determined the first two cell cycle times of a leading population of CD4+ T cells stimulated by PMA plus ionomycin in vitro. The first cell cycle began around 10 h after stimulation and took approximately 16 h. Surprisingly, the second cell cycle was extremely rapid and required only 6 h. T cells might have a unique regulatory mechanism to compensate for the shortage of the gap phases in cell cycle progression. This unique feature might be a basis for a quick immune response against pathogens, as it maximizes the rate of proliferation.
An Optimised Aqueous Extract of Phenolic Compounds from Bitter Melon with High Antioxidant Capacity
Authors: Tan Sing , Stathopoulos Costas , Parks Sophie , Roach Paul
Published: December 2014

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is a tropical fruit claimed to have medicinal properties associated with its content of phenolic compounds (TPC). The aim of the study was to compare water with several organic solvents (acetone, butanol, methanol and 80% ethanol) for its efficiency at extracting the TPC from freeze-dried bitter melon powder. The TPC of the extracts was measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and their antioxidant capacity (AC) was evaluated using three assays. Before optimisation, the TPC and AC of the aqueous extract were 63% and 20% lower, respectively, than for the best organic solvent, 80% ethanol. However, after optimising for temperature (80 °C), time (5 min), water-to-powder ratio (40:1 mL/g), particle size (1 mm) and the number of extractions of the same sample (1×), the TPC and the AC of the aqueous extract were equal or higher than for 80% ethanol. Furthermore, less solvent (40 mL water/g) and less time (5 min) were needed than was used for the 80% ethanol extract (100 mL/g for 1 h). Therefore, this study provides evidence to recommend the use of water as the solvent of choice for the extraction of the phenolic compounds and their associated antioxidant activities from bitter melon.
Correction on Iliyasu, A.M. et al. Hybrid Quantum-Classical Protocol for Storage and Retrieval of Discrete-Valued Information. Entropy, 2014, 16, 3537-3551
Authors: Iliyasu Abdullah , Venegas-Andraca Salvador , Yan Fei , Salama Ahmed
Published: December 2014

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: The correct name of the fourth author is: Ahmed S. Salama. In the Acknowledgment Section, we added the research Project No. 2014/01/2079. Below is the corrected version of the section.[...]
A Novel Data-Driven Fast Capacity Estimation of Spent Electric Vehicle Lithium-ion Batteries
Authors: Zhang Caiping , Jiang Jiuchun , Zhang Weige , Wang Yukun , Sharkh Suleiman , Xiong Rui
Published: December 2014

Fast capacity estimation is a key enabling technique for second-life of lithium-ion batteries due to the hard work involved in determining the capacity of a large number of used electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This paper tries to make three contributions to the existing literature through a robust and advanced algorithm: (1) a three layer back propagation artificial neural network (BP ANN) model is developed to estimate the battery capacity. The model employs internal resistance expressing the battery’s kinetics as the model input, which can realize fast capacity estimation; (2) an estimation error model is established to investigate the relationship between the robustness coefficient and regression coefficient. It is revealed that commonly used ANN capacity estimation algorithm is flawed in providing robustness of parameter measurement uncertainties; (3) the law of large numbers is used as the basis for a proposed robust estimation approach, which optimally balances the relationship between estimation accuracy and disturbance rejection. An optimal range of the threshold for robustness coefficient is also discussed and proposed. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy and the robustness of the BP ANN model together with the proposed identification approach, which can provide an important basis for large scale applications of second-life of batteries.
Improved Control Strategy for Microgrid Ultracapacitor Energy Storage Systems
Authors: Dou Xiaobo , Quan Xiangjun , Wu Zaijun , Hu Minqiang , Sun Jianlong , Yang Kang , Xu Minhui
Published: December 2014

Ultracapacitors (UCs), with their features of high power density and high current charge-discharge, have become the best choice for dynamic power compensation to improve the stability of microgrids and are increasingly being applied in microgrids. This paper presents the control of an energy storage system (ESS) based on ultracapacitors in the context of grid-connected microgrids. The ESS is composed of DC/AC and DC/DC converters tied by a dc link. An improved dynamic model for the ESS is proposed. Based on the proposed model a Proportional-Integral-Resonant (PIR) DC link voltage controller is proposed to maintain the DC link voltage through the charging-discharging control of ultracapacitors, capable of working properly under all operating conditions. An extra double frequency component is injected into the UC current by a R controller to dynamically compensate for DC instantaneous power and double frequency AC instantaneous power due to unbalanced grid conditions and disturbances. This feature maintains the DC link voltage constant under unbalanced conditions and increases the degrees of freedom of the DC/AC converter and thus facilitates the application of UCs in microgrids. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Effective Removal of Cadmium Ions from a Simulated Gastrointestinal Fluid by Lentinus edodes
Authors: Qiao Xin , Huang Wen , Bian Yinbing
Published: December 2014

Lentinus edodes, a functional food, was evaluated as a potential antidote for adsorption/removal of cadmium ion from simulated gastrointestinal fluids. An adsorption/removal capacity of 65.12 mg/g was achieved by L. edodes in solutions with a pH ranging from 2.5 to 6.0, while little if any adsorption was observed in solutions with a pH under 2.5. In solutions with pH 6.0, 84% of the cadmium adsorption by L. edodes occurred in the first minute. Scanning electronic microscopic examination showed that the cell wall polysaccharides of L. edodes provided a rough sponge-like surface for effective cadmium adsorption. FTIR indicated that the carboxyl, hydroxyl and –NH groups of the cell wall polysaccharides and proteins were the primary functional groups that chemically bind with cadmium ions. The energy dispersive spectrometry further revealed that cation exchange might be attributed to cadmium biosorption. These results suggested that L. edodes was effective for cadmium detoxication, especially in low concentration.
TGF-β1 Protection against Aβ1–42-Induced Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in Rats
Authors: Shen Wei-Xing , Chen Jia-Hui , Lu Jian-Hua , Peng Yu-Ping , Qiu Yi-Hua
Published: December 2014

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, a cytokine that can be expressed in the brain, is a key regulator of the brain’s responses to injury and inflammation. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common neurodegenerative disorder, involves inflammatory processes in the brain in addition to the hallmarks, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, we have shown that T-helper (Th) 17 cells, a subpopulation of CD4+ T-cells with high proinflammation, also participate in the brain inflammatory process of AD. However, it is poorly known whether TGF-β1 ameliorates the lymphocyte-mediated neuroinflammation and, thereby, alleviates neurodegeneration in AD. Herein, we administered TGF-β1 via the intracerebroventricle (ICV) in AD model rats, by Aβ1–42 injection in both sides of the hippocampus, to show the neuroprotection of TGF-β1. The TGF-β1 administration after the Aβ1–42 injection ameliorated cognitive deficit and neuronal loss and apoptosis, reduced amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression, elevated protein phosphatase (PP)2A expression, attenuated glial activation and alleviated the imbalance of the pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory responses of T-lymphocytes, compared to the Aβ1–42 injection alone. These findings demonstrate that TGF-β1 provides protection against AD neurodegeneration and suggest that the TGF-β1 neuroprotection is implemented by the alleviation of glial and T-cell-mediated neuroinflammation.
Comparing Biofouling Control Treatments for Use on Aquaculture Nets
Authors: Swain Geoffrey , Shinjo Nagahiko
Published: December 2014

Test panels comprised of uncoated, copper coated and silicone coated 7/8'' (22 mm) mesh knitted nylon net were evaluated to compare their properties and the effectiveness to prevent biofouling. This paper describes test procedures that were developed to quantify the performance in terms of antifouling, cleanability, drag and cost. The copper treatment was the most effective at controlling fouling, however, the silicone treated nets were the easiest to clean. The drag forces on the net were a function of twine diameter, twine roughness and fouling. After immersion, the uncoated nets had the most drag followed by the silicone and copper treatments. The cost of applying silicone to nets is high; however, improved formulations may provide a non-toxic alternative to control fouling.
Anti-Proliferative Effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis Ethanol Extract on Human Endometrial RL-95 Cancer Cells
Authors: Chang Chi-Chang , Hsu Hsia-Fen , Huang Kuo-Hung , Wu Jing-Mei , Kuo Shyh-Ming , Ling Xue-Hua , Houng Jer-Yiing
Published: December 2014

Endometrial cancer is a common malignancy of the female genital tract. This study demonstrates that Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract (SOE) significantly inhibited the proliferation of RL95-2 human endometrial cancer cells. Treating RL95-2 cells with SOE caused cell arrest in the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis of RL95-2 cells by up-regulating Bad, Bak and Bax protein expression and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein expression. Treatment with SOE increased protein expression of caspase-3, -8 and -9 dose-dependently, indicating that apoptosis was through the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, SOE was also effective against A549 (lung cancer), Hep G2 (hepatoma), FaDu (pharynx squamous cancer), MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer), and especially on LNCaP (prostate cancer) cell lines. In total, 10 constituents of SOE were identified by Gas chromatography-mass analysis. Caryophyllene oxide and caryophyllene are largely responsible for most cytotoxic activity of SOE against RL95-2 cells. Overall, this study suggests that SOE is a promising anticancer agent for treating endometrial cancer.
Resveratrol Modulates the Topoisomerase Inhibitory Potential of Doxorubicin in Human Colon Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Schroeter Anika , Marko Doris
Published: December 2014

Resveratrol (RSV) is currently being widely discussed as potentially useful for anticancer therapy in combination with classical chemotherapeutics, e.g., the topoisomerase II (TOP II) poison doxorubicin (DOX). However, there is still a lack of knowledge of possible interference at the target enzyme, especially since RSV itself has recently been described to act as a TOP poison. We therefore sought to address the question whether RSV affects DOX-induced genotoxic and cytotoxic effects with special emphasis on TOP II in HT-29 colon carcinoma cells. RSV was found to counteract DOX-induced formation of DNA-TOP-intermediates at ≥100 µM for TOP IIα and at 250 µM for TOP IIβ. As a consequence, RSV modulated the DNA-strand breaking potential of DOX by mediating protective effects with an apparent maximum at 100 µM. At higher concentration ranges (≥200 µM) RSV diminished the intracellular concentrations of DOX. Nevertheless, the presence of RSV slightly enhanced the cytotoxic effects of DOX after 1.5 h and 24 h of incubation. Taken together, at least in cell culture RSV was found to affect the TOP-poisoning potential of DOX and to modulate its cytotoxic effectiveness. Thus, further studies are needed to clarify the impact of RSV on the therapeutic effectiveness of DOX under in vivo conditions.
Radiosensitizing Effect of Schinifoline from Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb et Zucc on Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer A549 Cells: A Preliminary in Vitro Investigation
Authors: Wang Cheng-Fang , Fan Li , Tian Mei , Qi Xue-Song , Liu Jian-Xiang , Feng Jiang-Bin , Du Shu-Shan , Su Xu , Wang Yong-Yan
Published: December 2014

Schinifoline (SF), a 4-quinolinone derivative, was found in Zanthoxylum schinifolium for the first time. 4-Quinolinone moieties are thought to have cytotoxic activity and are often used as a tubulin polymerization inhibitors, heterogeneous enzyme inhibitors and antiplatelet agents. However, very little information respect to radiosensitization has focused on SF. This work aimed to investigate the radiosensitizing effect of SF on A549 cells. The cell viability results indicated cytotoxicity of SF on A549 cells, with IC50 values of 33.7 ± 2.4, 21.9 ± 1.9 and 16.8 ± 2.2 μg/mL, respectively, after 6, 12, 24 h treatment with different concentrations, and the 10% or 20% IC50 concentration during 12 h was applied in later experiments. The results of cell proliferative inhibition and clonogenic assay showed that SF enhanced the radiosensitivity of A549 cells when applied before 60Co γ-irradiation and this effect was mainly time and concentration dependent. The flow cytometric data indicated that SF treatment before the irradiation increased the G2/M phase, thus improving the radiosensitivity of A549, leading to cell apoptosis. This paper is the first study that describes the in vitro radiosensitising, cell cycle and apoptotic-inducing effects of schinifoline.
The Effect of Multiple Extrusions on the Properties of Montmorillonite Filled Polypropylene
Authors: Delva Laurens , Ragaert Kim , Degrieck Joris , Cardon Ludwig
Published: December 2014

Nanocomposites have attracted a great deal of interest during recent years. Much research has been conducted towards the incorporation of clay particles in a polypropylene matrix. However, the effect of extrusion reprocessing on the material properties has not been studied in depth. In this study, composites of polypropylene (PP) reinforced with organic modified montmorillonite (MMT) (4 wt%) and coupling agent were subjected to 15 extrusion cycles. The materials were characterized by melt flow index (MFI), plate-plate rheometry, tensile testing and impact measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed an improved intercalation of the MMT clay in the first few extrusions, thus improving the mechanical properties. Increasing the processing steps furthermore lead to a decrease in elastic modulus and impact strength, which was attributed to a reduction in matrix-filler interaction, most probably caused by organoclay degradation as shown by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results of this study provide a useful insight in either the recycling of PP/MMT waste streams or the use of clay particles as a strengthening filler agent in the recycling process of different polymer waste streams.