bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Induction of plant resistance to nematodes sedentary biogenic elicitors
Authors: Удалова  , Udalova Zh. , Зиновьева  , Zinoveva S.
Published: January 2017

Objective of research: to study the mechanisms of induced tomato plant resistance to rootknot nematode Meloidogyne incognita and potato to cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis.

Materials and methods: The biogenic elicitors — chitosan and signal molecules — SA, JA for the modulation of immune plant responses were used. In experiment 1, tubers of potato cultivars Istrinskii (PCN-susceptibility) and Krinitsa (PCN-resistant), were treated with aqueous solutions of the immunomodulators at the specified concentrations. A low molecular weight soluble chitosan and acetylation degree of 15% and signal molecule — SA was used as an elicitor. In experiment 2, system tomato M. incognia was studied. Water solutions of chitosan, signal molecules: SA, JA were used for treatment of tomato seeds for 2 h and then the seeds were planted in sterile soil. The control plants were treated with water. Cultivation of plants was carried out by the standard technique. Plants were maintained in a greenhouse long enough for the nematodes to complete their life cycle. Development of nematodes in the processed plants estimated on morphophysiological and population characteristics. Biochemical indicators of roots and leaves of tomatoes estimated for 14 days after infection of plants. Previously identified major biochemical indicators of the plants in the genome that contain genes that determine the resistance of plants.

The effects of biogenic elicitors on plant resistance were also evaluated by some metabolic changes related to natural plant resistance to tomato and potato to plant nematodes. These indicators were studied in clarifying mechanisms of induced resistance.

Results and discussion: Biogenic elicitors induce systemic resistance of plants to plant parasitic nematodes — Meloidogyne incognita and Globodera rostochiensis (decrease in the parasitic invasion of the roots; an inhibition of the vital activity of the parasite; a decrease in fertility and the amount of agents sources (larvae and eggs) capable of infecting the plants).

The addition of signal molecules (salicylic and jasmonic acid) to elicitors increased their activity as immunomodulators. In present investigation, the mechanisms of induced plant resistance nematode were studied. The data obtained suggest that the mechanisms natural and induced by biogenic elicitors tomato resistance to the nematode have the same origin. These features meet all requirements of the new generation of methods of plant protection and the use of biogenic elicitors to raise plant resistance to parasitic nematodes may be promising.
Hallux rigidus
Authors: Ho Bryant , Baumhauer Judith
Published: January 2017

An estimated 40% of the US population have foot problems. Of all patients aged over 50 years, 2.5% report degenerative arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint, termed ‘hallux rigidus’. First MTP osteoarthritis is the most common arthritic condition in the foot. Progression of great toe arthritis is associated with pain and loss of motion. Non-surgical intervention begins with shoe modifications and orthotics designed to limit MTP motion. In patients with mild arthritis, operative procedures focus on removing excess osteophytes (cheilectomy) to prevent dorsal impingement with or without a concomitant osteotomy (Moberg) to improve or shift range of motion into a less painful arc. In patients with more advanced arthritis, operative management has centred on arthrodesis of the first MTP joint. A recent Level 1 study shows excellent function and pain relief with a small hydrogel hemi-implant into the metatarsal head Multiple joint-sparing procedures such as joint arthroplasty or resurfacing have been described with inconsistent results.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2017;2:13–20. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.2.160031
Effect of migration on employment (A case study of district Hangu, Pakistan)
Authors: Arafat Muhammad
Published: January 2017

When a person leave his/her home place and migrate to other place, he/she may call emigrant. This paper deals with effect of migration on employment. The study was carried out to investigate the pre and post occupation of emigrants. Primary data was conducted from two villages of district Hangu, namely Shnawari and Darband through questionnaire and descriptive statistic was used to achieve the objectives. It is concluded that emigration has significant effect on employment opportunity, before emigration 45.58% people were jobless and the figure dropdown to 1.36% after migration. Most of them are drivers and majority of emigrants have qualified up to matric. They have skill but lack of technical training and the remittance they send have a significant impact on household income.
Machine-coded genetic operators and their performances in floating-point genetic algorithms
Authors: Satman Mehmet Hakan , Akadal Emre
Published: January 2017

Machine-coded genetic algorithms (MCGAs) use the byte representation of floating-point numbers which are encoded in the computer memory. Use of the byte alphabet makes classical crossover operators directly applicable in the floating-point genetic algorithms. Since effect of the byte-based mutation operator depends on the location of the mutated byte, the byte-based mutation operator mimics the functionality of its binary counterpart. In this paper, we extend the MCGA by developing new type of byte-based genetic operators including a random mutation and a random dynamic mutation operator. We perform a simulation study to compare the performances of the byte-based operators with the classical FPGA operators using a set of test functions. The prepared software package, which is freely available for downloading, is used for the simulations. It is shown that the byte-based genetic search obtains precise results by carrying out the both exploration and exploitation tasks by discovering new fields of the search space and performing a local fine-tuning. It is also shown that the introduced byte-based operators improve the search capabilities of FPGAs by means of convergence rate and precision even if the decision variables are in larger domains.
Hubungan Hygiene Sanitasi dengan Kualitas Bakteriologis Depot Air Minum (DAM) di Kabupaten Balangan
Authors: Suriadi Suriadi , Husaini Husaini , Marlinae Lenie
Published: January 2017

Drinking water depo (DAM) continues to increase in line with the dynamics of the community needs to drinking water. DAM water contamination can be caused by  factor sanitation hygiene of the DAM. This research aims to determine of the relationshipbetweensanitary hygiene andbacteriological quality in the DAM. It is observational using cross sectional design. Thepopulation of this research was over all depo of drinking water in Balangan, while sample was takenby purposive sampling which has been determined based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The research variables are location, building, production equipment, production process, sanitary facilities and bacteriological quality. The instrument used in this research was the observation sheets and laboratory tests. Data was analyzed by univariate, bivariate analysis using chi square test. The results showed from 41 DAM, there are 13 (31.7%)  less sanitary conditions of hygiene, 17 (41.5%) is enough and 11 (26.8%) good,  then  quality of bakteriologis are 30 (73%) eligible and 11 (27%)  not eligible. There is no relationship betwen locations (p = 0.698) and bacteriological quality, no relationship building (p=0.840) with the bacteriological quality, no relationship of production equipment (p=0.618) with the bacteriological quality, no relationship of production proces (p=0.986) with the bacteriological quality and there is no relationship of sanitation facilities (p=0.515) with bacteriological quality.The most of sanitation hygiene condition is notrelationshipto bacteriological quality of reffil drinking water depo.
HUBUNGAN KADAR TIMBAL DALAM DARAH DENGAN JUMLAH ERITROSIT PADA SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR (Studi di SD Negeri Grinting 01 Kecamatan Bulakamba Kabupaten Brebes Jawa Tengah)
Authors: Maskinah Eni Maskinah
Published: January 2017

Title: The Association Between Blood Lead Levels and Eryhrocyte Counts in Elementary School Students.Background: Lead is a heavy metal that can cause both acute and chronic toxicity to human. Infant and children are usually more sensitive to lead toxicity than adults. The data of CDC (Centre for Desease Control and Prevention) showed that 49% of lead poisoning cases were happened to children with the age of under six year. Lead is known to affect the hematologic system by interfering with heme synthesis and caused anaemia. The aim of this research was to identify the association between blood lead level (BLL) and erythrocyte counts.Method: This research was an observational research using the analytical approach and cross sectional design with 52 students participated in purposive sampling. Blood level as the independent variable and the dependent variable was erythrocyte counts.Results: The research results showed that the mean of BLL was 31,52 µg/dl, the minimum value is 11,6 µg/dl and the maximum value is 48,89 µg/dl. The mean of erythrociyte count was 4,72x 1012/L. Chi Square Test showed that the value of p >0,05, (PR=0,84, 95% CI=0,27-2,63) meaning that there was no association between blood lead level and erythrocyte counts.Conclusion: The children have been exposed to lead according to standards set by CDC, which 5 µg/dl average 31,52 µg/dl. There was no association between blood lead level and erythrocyte counts (p>0.05).
FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG BERHUBUNGAN DENGAN PRAKTEK SANITASI LINGKUNGAN BERSIH DAN SEHAT MELALUI 'PHBS' PADA SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR DI KECAMATAN BANYUMANIK
Authors: Dangiran Hanan Lanang
Published: January 2017

Title : The factors Related to The Sanitation Practice through Clean and Healthy Life Behaviour on Elementary School Students at Banyumanik DistrictBackground: The high rate of diarrhea incident in Semarang, especially on elementary school students, needs a special attention. The incident rate in the area of Banyumanik district shows a high level compared to those of other working areas. The incident rate of 5-14 year ages shows an increase from 2013 to 2015, from 142 to 187 and to 289 cases. Clean and healthy environment sanitation through “PHBS” seems to be the simple way to a self protection against various diseases. Based on the - background mentioned above, the research was conducted to analyze the factors relating to the sanitation practice of clean and healthy environment through “PHBS”. Method: This research was conducted by using descriptive analysis with a quantitative approach. The research samples were taken using random sampling of 72 elementary school students from 11 elementary schools at Banyumanik district. Results: The research result showed that 68,1% of the respondents experienced a good practice and 31,9% experienced a not-so-good practice. The statistical analysis showed that there was a correlation between knowledge of clean and healthy sanitation environment (p-value = 0,019) and attitude (p-value = 0,029) toward the practice of clean and healthy sanitation environment.Conclusion: Level of knowledge was able to increase attitude toward practice of clean and healthy sanitation environment.
Distribusi Kasus Leptospirosis di Kabupaten Demak Jawa Tengah
Authors: Kuswati Kuswati
Published: January 2017

Title: Distribution of Leptospiosis Incidence in Demak District, Central JavaBackground: Leptospirosis is zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira bacteria and transmitted to human through contact with animal urine into contaminated environment. Demak District is one of the endemic area in Central - Java. The number of cases is fluctuative  over the year 2011-2016 with the peak of 20 cases in 2011, and It decreased at low number in 2016. Many factors may contributed such as water puddle, rat, and behaviour. Nowdays,the information about the distribution and spreading of cases was lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe the leptospiroses incidence based on the epidemiological variable and  spatially in Demak District.Method: It was an observational research using cross sectional design. The subjects were 89 cases over the year 2011-2016. The variables studied consisted of epidemiological variabels (man, place, and time), physical and biological environment factors, and behaviour aspects. Interviews and observation were conducted as the data collection  techniques.The collected data would be analysed descriptively and spatially.Result: The results of this research showed that the lepstospirosis incidence was –suffered more by male (66%) compared to female. Most of them (67,4%) were farmers. The peak of leptospirosis incidence occured in 2011. The existence of water puddle around the house, and drainage functioning as the media where the rat died. There were rats in the house where the cases occured (98,7%). Most of the subjects (66,7%) stated that they did their activities everyday in bare foot. Spatial analysis showed that Mranggen and Karangawen sub district had high numbers of leptospirosis cases.Conclusion: Most of the leptispirosis cases were suffered more by male compared to female and the subjects worked as  farmers. Mranggen and Karangnawen were two districts  with  high incidence of leptospirosis relatively. These areas  held a history as flooding areas in previous time.
Coupled Versus Uncoupled Blow-Up Rates in Cooperative n-Species Logistic Systems
Authors: López-Gómez Julián , Maire Luis
Published: January 2017

This paper ascertains the exact boundary blow-up rates of the large positive solutions of a class of cooperative logistic systems involving n species in a general domain of

ℝ
N

{\mathbb{R}^{N}}

of class

𝒞

2
+
ν

{\mathcal{C}^{2+\nu}}

,

0
<
ν
<
1

{0<\nu<1}

. The problem models a population divided in groups whose individuals compete with those of the same group, while simultaneously they cooperate with the members of the remaining groups. Our main result provides with the exact blow-up rates along the edges of Ω from the values of the blow-up rates of the underlying uncoupled system. Rather astonishingly, these blow-up rates are independent of the strength of the cooperative effects, which play a secondary role in the analysis carried out in this paper. No previous result of this nature is available in the specialized literature for more than

n
=
2

{n=2}

species.
Determination of the Starting Point in Time Series for Trend Detection Based on Overlapping Trend
Authors: Xuedong Gao , Kan Gu
Published: January 2017

The traditional time series studies consider the time series as a whole while carrying on the trend detection; therefore not enough attention is paid to the stage characteristic. On the other hand, the piecewise linear fitting type methods for trend detection are lacking consideration of the possibility that the same node belongs to multiple trends. The above two methods are affected by the start position of the sequence. In this paper, the concept of overlapping trend is proposed, and the definition of milestone nodes is given on its base; these way not only the recognition of overlapping trend is realized, but also the negative influence of the starting point of sequence is effectively reduced. The experimental results show that the computational accuracy is not affected by the improved algorithm and the time cost is greatly reduced when dealing with the processing tasks on dynamic growing data sequence.
Low Cost Locating Method of Wireless Sensor Network in Precision Agriculture
Authors: Yu Cunjiang
Published: January 2017

The wireless sensor network covers more scale with more sensor nodes for larger scale agriculture. The article describes improvement of DV-Hop Algorithm to locate the nodes with quadrilateral range positioning method, so that the difficulty of dilatation method in agriculture actual application to be solved. The analog test for the algorithm is conducted and is mainly developed for the average locating error with illustration and discussion on the proportion relations of average error, average connectivity and anchor nodes. According to the analog results, the algorithm obtains better effect on the average locating error, which improves the accuracy of the algorithm.
Head Pose Estimation Based on Robust Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Bao Jiao , Ye Mao
Published: January 2017

Head pose estimation plays an important role in face recognition. However, it faces vast challenges on account of the initialization, facial feature points’ location accuracy and so on. Inspired by the observation that head pose angles change smoothly and continuously, we present a method based on a robust convolutional neural network for head pose estimation. The proposed network architecture consists of three levels and each level has three convolutional neural networks. The first level is a global one; it predicts the head pose quickly as a preliminary estimation. The following two levels are local ones; they refine the estimation achieved from the previous level step by step. Higher and higher resolution image with different input regions are taken as input in our network. At last, a multi-level regression is employed to combine the estimations from each level. The whole process is conducted in a cascade way to improve the head pose estimation performance directly with three angles together. We perform large experiments on nine challenging benchmark datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that our method performs better than the compared methods.
Depth Data Reconstruction Based on Gaussian Mixture Model
Authors: Li Zhe , Ma Chen , Zhang Tian-Fan
Published: January 2017

Depth data is an effective tool to locate the intelligent agent in space because it accurately records the 3D geometry information on the surface of the scanned object, and is not affected by factors like shadow and light. However, if there are many planes in the work scene, it is difficult to identify objects and process the resulting huge amount of data. In view of this problem and targeted at object calibration, this paper puts forward a depth data calibration method based on Gauss mixture model. The method converts the depth data to point cloud, filters the noise and collects samples, which effectively reduces the computational load in the following steps. Besides, the authors cluster the point cloud vector with the Gaussian mixture model, and obtain the target and background planes by using the random sampling consensus algorithm to fit the planes. The combination of target Region Of Intelligent agent (ROI) and point cloud significantly reduces the computational load and improves the computing speed. The effect and accuracy of the algorithm is verified by the test of the actual object.
Application of Improved Recommendation System Based on Spark Platform in Big Data Analysis
Authors: Xie Li , Zhou Wenbo , Li Yaosen
Published: January 2017

In the era of big data, people have to face information filtration problem. For those cases when users do not or cannot express their demands clearly, recommender system can analyse user’s information more proactive and intelligent to filter out something users want. This property makes recommender system play a very important role in the field of e-commerce, social network and so on. The collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm based on Alternating Least Squares (ALS) is one of common algorithms using matrix factorization technique of recommendation system. In this paper, we design the parallel implementation process of the recommendation algorithm based on Spark platform and the related technology research of recommendation systems. Because of the shortcomings of the recommendation algorithm based on ALS model, a new loss function is designed. Before the model is trained, the similarity information of users and items is fused. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm is better than that of algorithm based on ALS.
Destination Networks as a Tool for Minimizing the Risk and Improving the Performance of a Destination
Authors: Holešinská Andrea , Bobková Markéta
Published: January 2017

The management of a tourist destination in the form of networks is considered to be one of the possible approaches to destination governance structures. The concept of destination governance is based on the cooperation between actors from the public and private sectors. It is known that public–private relationships built on trust, joint risk taking and based on informal structures have a positive impact on the level of growth at a tourist destination. The aim of this paper is to quantify to what extent each of the determinants of the DMO success participate in the total destination performance, and thus point out the factors of a potential risk.

The main objective of this paper is the cooperation between the destination management organization (DMO), public sector and entrepreneurs providing tourism services. The data collection was achieved by conducting in-depth interviews and structured questionnaires. The analysed data identify the factors of successful mutual cooperation that are used as inputs for further modelling. The contribution of the paper lies in the application of the total quality management concept methodology to identify the share of each factor/determinant in the DMO performance.
Attitude of Local Dwellers towards Ecotourism in the Okomu National Park, Edo State Nigeria
Authors: Digun-Aweto Oghenetejiri , Fawole Ogbanero Pipy , Ayodele Ibukun Augustine
Published: January 2017

Ensuring local community support for national parks is viewed as a paramount ingredient for conservation and sustainability. This is advocated for the park to meet its conservation goals. The Okomu National Park (ONP), Edo State, Nigeria, is one of such protected areas of lush green rain forest requiring conservation.

This study examined the local inhabitants’ attitudes view on ecotourism towards the national park and its importance to natural resource conservation in ONP. The park is home to the endangered white throated monkey and the forest elephant.

Data were collected on the basis of questionnaires, distributed among eight communities, which have a direct relationship with the park. A total of 338 questionnaires were distributed in eight communities around the park. The results of the survey revealed positive attitudes towards ecotourism in the area of the conservation of wildlife (69%). In addition, 71% of respondents thought that ecotourism helped in saving their forests.

A positive relationship between benefits derived, educational level, religion, family size and being a native of the area and attitudes were established, suggesting that these significant factors play an important role in influencing local support for conservation. Among the major limitations the local inhabitants listed their exclusion as copartners in the management of the park and the prohibitive laws that deprive the locals of gathering non-timber forest products, which negatively affects their livelihood. ONP conservationists should work at improving their relationship with the host communities, and include them in management activities. Only then can development and conservation goals be achieved.
Place Attachment and Tourist Experience in the Context of Desert Tourism – the Case of Wadi Rum
Authors: Allan Mamoon
Published: January 2017

This paper aims to explore the relationship between tourist experience and place attachment in a desert tourism experience. The current study was carried out with a sample of international and domestic visitors in Wadi Rum, Southern Jordan. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between the nearby constructs of the study units such as the four tourist experience dimensions (education, esthetics, entertainment, and escapism), and the two dimensional place attachments measures (place identity and place dependence). Moreover, the findings also indicate that education factor had a significantly positive relationship with place identity, and there was a significantly positive relationship between escapism factor and place dependence. The findings can be used to develop the tourist experience and place attachment in the context of desert tourism experience. They further help tourism destinations managers, planners and marketers to provide appropriate marketing strategies and enrich their offers to desert tourism participants.
Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous extract of dried Juglans regia green husk and examination of its biological properties
Authors: Abbasi Zahra , Feizi Sholeh , Taghipour Elham , Ghadam Parinaz
Published: January 2017

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have widespread applications. Recently, the synthesis of NPs using plant extract has attracted much attention. In this study, with an easy and rapid process at room temperature, AgNPs were produced by the aqueous extract of dried Juglans regia green husk, which is considered as a waste. The first sign of AgNPs synthesis was the color change of the sample from light green to yellowish brown. In addition, the production of AgNPs was examined by UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. The antibacterial effect of AgNP on Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus and anticoagulation activity were determined. Synthesized silver colloid had electromagnetic absorbance at approximately 450 nm. The hydrodynamic diameter of monodisperse AgNPs was approximately 67 nm. The face center cubic metallic silver, which was spherical in shape, was in the range 3–50 nm with the average size of 7 nm. The extract showed antioxidant activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). Phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, reducing sugars, proteins, ascorbic acid and carotenoids existing in the extract acted as reducing agents. AgNPs may be capped by biomolecules having O-H, C=O, N-H and other stabilizing functional groups.
The antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Muscari neglectum flower ethanol extract
Authors: Mahboubi Mohaddese , Taghizadeh Mohsen
Published: January 2017

Introduction:
Muscari neglectum has been used as food in some countries.

Objective: The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of M. neglectum were the subject of the study.

Methods: In this study, the total phenolic, flavonoid, monomeric anthocyanin contents, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of M. neglectum flowers ethanol extract were determined by different methods against some food poisoning microorganisms.

Results: Total phenolic, flavonoids and anthocyanin contents of the extract were 18.2, 0.94 and 0.11%, respectively. The IC50 for M. neglectum was higher than that of BHT. M. neglectum extract showed no inhibition zone (IZ) against Staphylococcus aureus and had small IZ against Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli had the higher IZ than the others. The lower MIC and MLC values were for C. albicans, followed by Sh. flexneri and E. coli. S. aureus had the higher MIC and MLC values than the others.

Conclusion: Therefore, the M. neglectum flower extract can be used as a natural preservative and coloring agent in foods as replacement of synthetic ones.
Solubility and solubilizing capabilities of aqueous solutions of Extractum Taraxaci e radix cum herba aqu. siccum in light of selected values of general Hildebrand-Scatchard-Fedors theory of solubility
Authors: Marczyński Zbigniew , Nowak Sławomira , Jambor Jerzy , Zgoda Marian Mikołaj
Published: January 2017

Introduction: The general Hildebrand-Scatchard theory of solubility supplemented by Fedors’ solubility parameter

−

δ

1
2

$- \delta ^{{1 \over 2}} $

was used to estimate the real solubility by −log x2 (log of the mole fraction) of phytochemicals contained in Ext. Taraxaci e radix cum herba aqu. siccum. Surface activity of aqueous solution of extracts was determined and quantified – solubilizing capabilities of solutions of cexp. ≥cmc in relation to cholesterol particle size of Ø=1.00 mm, as well as of ketoprofen were defined.

Objective: The calculated value −log x2 collated with the polarity of extraction medium εM allows to estimate the optimal solubility of phytochemicals that determine the viscosity of the aqueous extract of dandelion and above all its surface activity and the ability to solubilize lipophilic therapeutic agents (ketoprofen).

Methods: Viscosity of water model solutions of dandelion extracts and exhibition solutions after the effective micellar solubilization of cholesterol and ketoprofen was measured using Ubbelohde viscometer in accordance with the Polish Standard. The surface tension of aqueous solutions of extract and exhibition solutions after solubilization of cholesterol and ketoprofen was measured according to the Polish Standard with stalagmometric method.

Results: The calculated factual solubility, and mainly the determined and calculated hydrodynamic size mean, that despite the complex structure of the micelle, it solubilizes cholesterol (granulometric grain of diameter Ø=1.00 mm) and ketoprofen (state of technological fragmentation) in equilibrium conditions. Equilibrium solubilization of ketoprofen also occurs in an environment of model gastric juice (0.1 mol HCl).

Conclusions: The obtained results indicate that after the administration (and/or dietary supplementation) with Ext. Taraxaci e radix cum herba aqu. siccum, the physiological parameters of gastric juice would not be measured and its presence (phytosurfactant) in the body of the duodenum (bile A) increases abilities of solubilizing lipophilic therapeutic agents and cholesterol accounting for its use in the treatment of liver diseases and cholesterol gall bladder stones.
Law regulations concerning food supplements, dietetic food and novel food containing herbal substances
Authors: Baraniak Justyna , Kujawski Radosław , Ożarowski Marcin
Published: January 2017

Food supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients and/or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect. However, they often contain herbal substances or their preparations. Food supplements belong to category of food and for that reason are regulated by food legislation. European Union regulations and directives established general directions for dietary supplements, dietetic food, which due to their special composition or manufacturing process are prepared for specific groups of people with special nutritional needs, and novel food/novel food ingredients to ensure product safety, suitability and appropriate consumer information.
Preparation of High Surface Area Activated Carbon from Spent Phenolic Resin by Microwave Heating and KOH Activation
Authors: Cheng Song , Zhang Libo , Zhang Shengzhou , Xia Hongying , Peng Jinhui
Published: January 2017

The spent phenolic resin is as raw material for preparing high surface area activated carbon (HSAAC) by microwave-assisted KOH activation. The effects of microwave power, activation duration and impregnation ratio (IR) on the iodine adsorption capability and yield of HSAAC were investigated. The surface characteristics of HSAAC were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms, FTIR, SEM and TEM. The operating variables were optimized utilizing the response surface methodology (RSM) and were identified to be microwave power of 700 W, activation duration of 15 min and IR of 4, corresponding to a yield of 51.25 % and an iodine number of 2,384 mg/g. The pore structure parameters of the HSAAC, i. e., Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume, and average pore diameter were estimated to be 4,269 m2/g, 2.396 ml/g and 2.25 nm, respectively, under optimum conditions. The findings strongly support the feasibility of microwave-assisted KOH activation for preparation of HSAAC from spent phenolic resin.
Effects of Vacancy Concentration and Temperature on Mechanical Properties of Single-Crystal γ-TiAl Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Ruicheng Feng , Hui Cao , Haiyan Li , Zhiyuan Rui , Changfeng Yan
Published: January 2017

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to analyze tensile strength and elastic modulus under different temperatures and vacancy concentrations. The effects of temperature and vacancy concentration on the mechanical properties of γ-TiAl alloy are investigated. The results show that the ultimate stress, ultimate strain and elastic modulus decrease nonlinearly with increasing temperature and vacancy concentration. As the temperature increases, the plastic of material is reinforced. The influence of temperature on strength and elastic modulus is larger than that of vacancy concentration. The evolution process of vacancy could be observed clearly. Furthermore, vacancies with different concentrations develop into voids first as a function of external forces or other factors, micro cracks evolve from those voids, those micro cracks then converge to a macro crack, and fracture will finally occur. The vacancy evolution process cannot be observed clearly owing to the thermal motion of atoms at high temperature. In addition, potential energy is affected by both temperature and vacancy concentration.
Evaluation of a community-based positive youth development program in Hong Kong: views of program implementers
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Ma Cecilia M.S. , Zhu Xiaoqin
Published: January 2017

Using a subjective outcome evaluation method, the current study investigated program implementers’ perceptions of the Tier 1 Program of the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong. After completion of the program, 599 program implementers completed a valid and reliable scale (i.e. Form B) to give their ratings on program content, their own performance, and perceived program effectiveness. As expected, most program implementers perceived the program in a favorable way by giving very positive ratings on the three aspects measured in Form B. Grade differences on the ratings were observed, with implementers teaching the senior curriculum held more positive views on program effectiveness than did those teaching the junior curriculum. Similar to previous findings, perceived program content and perceived worker performance predicted program effectiveness. Findings of the present study provide further evidence for the success of the Tier 1 Program of the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong.
Changes of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Cranberries Subjected to Ultrasound Treatment
Authors: Nowacka Malgorzata , Fijalkowska Aleksandra , Wiktor Artur , Rybak Katarzyna , Dadan Magdalena , Witrowa-Rajchert Dorota
Published: January 2017

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of ultrasound treatment in osmotic solution, carried out at different time and solutions, on mechanical and thermal properties of cranberries. Ultrasound treatment was applied for 30 and 60 min in liquid mediums such as 61.5 % sucrose solution and 30 % sucrose solution with 0.1 % steviol glycosides addition. Before the ultrasound treatment samples were subjected to traditional operations (cutting, blanching). The traditional operations and ultrasonic treatment of whole fruits did not influence or slightly influenced dry matter content and mechanical properties. The cutting had impact on thermal properties to the highest extent due to the exposition of fruits’ flesh. The combination of cutting and sonication decreased thermal conductivity which suggests that mass transfer was more pronounced. The sonication had greater influence when compared to only ultrasonic treatment. Combined both cutting and blanching with ultrasonic treatment led to greater changes in cranberries properties.
Figures-of-Merit for the Technical Development and Application of Advanced Oxidation Processes
Authors: Bolton James R. , Bircher Keith G. , Tumas William , Tolman Chadwick A.
Published: January 2017

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which involve the in-situ generation of highly potent chemical oxidants such as the hydroxyl radical (•OH), have recently emerged as an important class of technologies for accelerating the oxidation and hence destruction of a wide range of organic contaminants in polluted water and air. We propose generally applicable standard figures-of-merit for comparing these waste treatment technologies. These figures-of-merit are based on electrical energy consumption within two phenomenological kinetic order regimes: one for high contaminant concentrations (electrical energy per mass, EE/M) and one for low concentrations (electrical energy per order of magnitude per m
The GC-MS Analysis of Organic Intermediates from the TiO2 Photocatalytic Treatment of Water Contaminated by Lindane (1α,2α,3/3,4α,5α,6β- hexachlorocyclohexane)+
Authors: Guillard Chantal , Pichat Pierre , Huber Gaspard , Hoang-Van Can
Published: January 2017

Elimination from water of lindane, a common soil insecticide whose occurrence in groundwaters used as sources of drinking water is of great concern, was shown to be achieved by the TiO
Oxidative Degradation and Fluorescence of a Non-biodegradable Brightener via Titania Suspensions: Implications for the Natural Cycle
Authors: Bandara J. , Kiwi J. , Humphry-Baker R. , Pulgarin C.
Published: January 2017

Degradation induced by light is presented for Tinopal DMS-X a stilbene type fluorescence whitening agent (FWA) which is quite resistant to biodegradation. This substance has been chosen for the study of the titania induced degradation of polycyclic stilbenes since it is one of the most important compound of its class found in a variety of washing effluents. TiO
Study at 20 kHz and 500 kHz of the Ultrasound-Ozone Advanced Oxidation System : 4-Nitrophenol Degradation
Authors: Barbier Philippe F. , Petrier Christian
Published: January 2017

Degradation of organic compounds in aqueous medium by use of ozone can be improved with ultrasound. Using 4-nitrophenol as an example, it was evidenced that the ultrasonic frequency modifies the efficiency of the treatment. Determination of the total organic carbon during the course of the reaction indicates that yield are better when the medium is submitted to a 500 kHz irradiation than a 20 kHz one. This result is correlated to the better yields of H
Quantum Yields for the Photodegradation of Pollutants in Dilute Aqueous Solution: Phenol, 4-Chlorophenol and N-Nitrosodimethylamine
Authors: Ho Te-Fu L. , Bolton James R. , Lipczynska-Kochany Ewa
Published: January 2017

A broadband method has been applied to determine the quantum yields for the photochemical removal of three common pollutants: phenol, 4-chlorophenol and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in dilute aqueous solution. Flash photolysis (xenon flash lamps) was used to cause a significant amount of photolysis without photolyzing intermediates. The analysis of reactant depletion following a single flash was carried out by high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or UV/visible absorption spectroscopy. The method for determining quantum-yields employed p-benzoquinone as an actinometer and was validated by determining the average (200-400 nm) quantum yield for the generation of hydroxyl radicals from the photolysis of hydrogen peroxide (0.90 ± 0.10) and the quantum yields for the photolysis of phenol (0.13 ± 0.02) and 4-chlorophenol (0.24 ± 0.04). The values determined agree very well with the literature ones obtained with monochromatic radiation. The quantum yield for the direct photolysis of NDMA was found to be 0.11 ± 0.03 at neutral pH and 0.27 ± 0.02 at pH 2-4. Under conditions where hydrogen peroxide is the principal absorber, the NDMA quantum yield is 0.32 ± 0.04, independent of pH in the range 2-8.
Detoxification and Desilvering of Photographic Processing Effluents by an Alternative Technology: Photocatalysis at Semiconductor/Solution Interfaces
Authors: Tahiri Halima , Serpone Nick
Published: January 2017

Four principal types of organic developing agents are typically used in photographic science: (a) HO- (CH=CH)
Economic Aspects of Integrated (Chemical + Biological) Processes for Water Treatment
Authors: Esplugas Santiago , Ollis David F.
Published: January 2017

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) can provide complete mineralization of oxidizable, nonbiodegradable organic contaminants in water. However, a small AOP followed by a biological oxidation of contaminant partial oxidation intermediates may provide a less expensive, two-step mineralization process than use of a larger, single chemical step AOP for achieving any desired degreee of contaminant mineralization. We use a simple economic model to estimate how the relative, two-step process cost varies with (i) the required total process mineralization efficiency and (ii) the relative cost of the (photochemical AOP versus biological oxidation reactor. All circumstances considered indicate that a two step chemical plus biological process is less expensive than a single, chemical step. In order to test this outcome more substantially, the appearance of better literature economic estimates for individual chemical and biological oxidation processes will be required.
Relative Photonic Efficiencies and Quantum Yields in Heterogeneous Photocatalysis
Authors: Serpone Nick
Published: January 2017

Quantum yield and quantum efficiency (QY) as used in heterogeneous photocatalysis (solid/liquid or solid/gas systems) have too often been used incorrectly to mean the ratio of the rate of a given event to the rate of incident photons impinging on the (external) reactor walls, typicallyfor broadband radiation. There is little accord on how to express process efficiency. At times QY is defined, often ill-defined, and more frequently workers fail to describe how it was assessed. This has led to much confusion in the literature, not only because of its different meaning from homogeneous photochemistry but also because this method of describing photon efficiency precludes a comparison of results from different laboratories owing to variations in light sources, reactor geometries, and overall experimental conditions. It cannot be overemphasized that the reported QY is an apparent quantum yield, indeed a lower limit of the true quantum yield. This position paper addresses this issue and argues that any reference to quantum yields or quantum efficiencies in a heterogeneous medium is ill-advised unless the actual number of photons absorbed by the light harvester (the photocatalyst) has been determined. The extent of light scattering in a solid/liquid heterogeneous medium is significant. A practical and simple alternative to compare process efficiencies was recently (Serpone et al., J Photochem. Photobiol. A.Chem., 94 (1996) 191-203) suggested by defining a relative photonic efficiency (ζ
Combined Electron-Beam and Biological Purification of Industrial Wastewater from Surfactant
Authors: Pikaev A. K. , Kabakchi S. A. , Putilov A. V. , Kaipov L. I. , Vanyushkin B. M.
Published: January 2017

The paper is a review of the results obtained in our laboratories from the study on the mechanism and technology of combined electron-beam and biological purification of industrial wastewater from non-biodegradable hard surfactants. They are a mixture of isomeric isobutylnaphthalene sulfonates which is known as nekal and is utilized as an emulsifier in the production of synthetic rubber, for example, at the Voronezh plant in Russia. The electron irradiation is used for the conversion of nekal to biodegradable products by the removal of alkyl or sulfonate groups from the molecule (with the formation of naphthalene sulfonate, alkyl naphthalenes and naphthalene). Different experimental techniques were applied to elucidate the mechanism of the respective radiation-induced processes. For example, it was found by pulse radiolysis that
Study of Volatile Organic Compounds Destruction by Dielectric Barrier Corona Discharge
Authors: Krasnoperov Lev N. , Krishtopa Larisa G. , Bozzelli Joseph W.
Published: January 2017

An experimental and mechanistic study on the destruction of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs: Methane, Methyl Chloride, Chlorobenzene, Toluene, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, 1-Pentene and Cyclohexene) in 0.21: 0.79 oxygen-nitrogen mixture “zero air” over the concentration range of 5-100000 ppm by dielectric barrier corona discharge plasma was performed. Tubular-flow, coaxial-wire, AC-powered dielectric barrier corona discharge reactors were used to determine the kinetics of destruction, reaction products and electric power requirements. High efficiency VOC destruction/removal was demonstrated. Efficiency of destruction (calculated per unit volume of air) increases with decreasing VOC concentration. At low VOC concentrations (5-100 ppm) the energy required for destruction is 0.001- 0.1 J cm
An Industrial-Scale Experiment of Pulse Corona Process for Removing SO2 and NOx from Combustion Flue Gas
Authors: Song Y. H. , Shin W. H. , Choi Y. S. , Kim S. J.
Published: January 2017

An industrial-scale pulse corona process to remove SO
UV/H2O2 Degradation and Toxicity Reduction of Textile Azo Dyes: Remazol Black-B, a Case Study
Authors: Ince Nilsun H. , . Stefan Mihaela I. , Bolton James R.
Published: January 2017

The treatment of textile dyeing and finishing wastewaters by conventional methods, such as biological, physical and chemical processes or combinations thereof, are in common practice but have unique drawbacks, namely, a number of refractory chemicals in the effluents and difficulty in the complete removal of color. The study described herein is an investigation of an advanced oxidation treatment of a common azo dye, Remazol Black-B, widely used in textile dyeing and finishing operations. The investigation was focused on monitoring the degradation and toxicity reduction of an aqueous solution of the dye up to 30 min of treatment by a UV/H
Photocatalytic Inactivation of Different Bacteria and Bacteriophages in Drinking Water at Different TiO2 Concentration With or Without Exposure to O2
Authors: Armon R. , Narkis N. , Neeman I.
Published: January 2017

During the last decade the use of titanium dioxide has been the focus of water purification studies for photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds. However, the possible use of this technology for water disinfec­tion has been essentially unexplored. In our study U.V. black light (365 nm) at 5.5 mW cm
Photocatalytic Decomposition of Chlorinated Benzaldehydes in Aqueous Solution Using TiO2
Authors: Bekböle Miray , Getoff Nikola
Published: January 2017

Photocatalytic degradation of 2-, 3-, and 4-chlorobenzaldehydes (2-ClBzA, 3-ClBzA and 4-ClBzA) in aqueous solution was investigated in the presence of TiO
Computational and Experimental Studies of UV/Titania Photocatalytic Oxidation of VOCs in Honeycomb Monoliths
Authors: Hall Robert J. , Bendfeldt Peggy , Obee Timothy N. , Sangiovanni Joseph J.
Published: January 2017

The use of honeycombs as monolith supports for UV/Titania photocatalysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical model based on analysis of the UV intensity distribution, transport of gaseous contaminants to the catalyzed surface, and surface photocatalytic destruction has been developed. Both diffuse and specular reflection models have been developed for the UV illumination calculations. The model uses measured intrinsic photocatalytic destruction rates determined in a research reactor which gives the concentration-, humidity-, and UV intensity-dependences of the rates. Model predictions have been compared to measurements in a high-flow, staged monolith, demonstration purifier for several gaseous contaminants of interest. Agreement between modeling and experiment is generally quite good. The sensitivity of purifier efficiency to monolith pore size and illuminated contact time is discussed. The performance obtained with honeycombs is comparable to that with porous foams, but with much reduced weight, pressure drop, and cost. The conclusion of this research is that honeycomb monoliths are attractive for use in practical UV/Titania photocatalytic devices, particularly at very high flow rates where pressure drop is a concern, and for those situations where monolith weight is an important design constraint.