bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pressure-Time Study of Slow Burning Rate Ap/HTPB Based Composite Propellant by Using Closed Vessel Test (CVT)
Authors: Mukhtar Amir , Nasir Habib , Waheed Hizba
Published: September 2018

The Closed vessel (CV) is an equipment used to study the ballistic parameters by recording burning time history, pressure buildup during the process and vivacity of the propellants. It is an apparatus which consists of strong pressure vessel, piezo-electric pressure transducers, sensors and dedicated software. To save time and resources this method is employed instead of dynamic firing while doing research and development of propellants. A measured amount of propellant charge is loaded in the vessel and fired remotely. Ignition is provided by the filament which ignites the black powder charge. In this study, we have used Closed Vessel Tests (CVT) for the first time for recording the ballistic parameters of slow burning composite rocket propellant. We developed a set of composite solid propellant samples containing a mixture of bimodal Ammonium Perchlorate (AP) as an oxidizer, Hydroxy-terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) as a binder as well as fuel, Dioctyl Sebacate (DOS) as plasticizer, 1-(2-methyl) Aziridinyl Phosphine Oxide (MAPO) as bonding agent and Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI) as curator. Samples were developed by changing the solid loading percentage of bimodal AP particles. By increasing the percentage of AP, the oxidizer-fuel ratio (O/F) increases which effects the ballistic parameters. It is observed that maximum pressure and vivacity increases with increase in solid filler in the propellants. As quantity of AP increases, rate of rise of pressure also increases. CVT firing of each sample was done three times to obtain average burning time and pressure buildup history to evaluate the effect of oxidizer loadings on ballistic parameters of the composite propellant.
MOF Derived Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
Authors: Khan Noaman , Saim Saher , Shi Xuan , Noman Muhammad , Durani Mujahid Wasim , Ali Asad
Published: September 2018

Highly porous ZIF-67 (Zeolitic imidazole framework) has a conductive crystalline metal organic framework (MOF) structure which was served as a precursor and template for the preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) electrocatalysts. As a first step, the chloroplatinic acid, a platinum (Pt) precursor was infiltrated in ZIF-67 with a precise amount to obtain 0.12 mg.cm-2 Pt loading. Later, the infiltrated structure was calcined at 700°C in Ar:H2 (90:10 vol%) gas mixture. Multi-walled nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were grown on the surface of ZIF-67 crystals following thermal activation at 700°C. The resulting PtCo-NCNTs electrocatalysts were deposited on Nafion-212 solid electrolyte membrane by spray technique to study the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in the presence of H2/O2 gases in a temperature range of 50-70°C. The present study elucidates the performance of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes ORR electrocatalysts derived from ZIF-67 and the effects of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) steaming on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) employing PtCo-NCNTs as ORR electrocatalysts. We observed that the peak power density at 70°C was 450 mW/cm2 for steamed membrane electrode assembly (MEA) compared to 392 mW/cm2 for an identical MEA without steaming.
Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization and Biological Applications of Novel Zinc Complexes with Schiff Bases
Authors: Rehman Mehrine , Ali Saqib , Munawar Khurram Shahzad
Published: September 2018

Schiff base ligands, having nitrogen and oxygen donor sites and their zinc (II) complexes have been prepared by using methanol as a solvent. Purity of the compounds has been tested by TLC and are characterized by FT-IR, multinuclear NMR (1H and 13C). FT-IR spectra suggested the binding of precursors and their chelation with zinc (II) moieties by showing characteristics peaks in particular regions. 1H-NMR also approves the synthesis of compounds by showing characteristics peaks of azomethine proton (HC=N) and phenolic proton (-OH). On complexation phenolic proton was disappeared while a down field shift was observed in azomethine proton.13C-NMR data further supports the formation of compounds by the displaying and shifting of characteristic peaks of azomethine carbon (HC=N).The DNA binding ability of all the synthesized ligands was studied by UV-Visible spectroscopy. A hypochromic affect was observed showing that ligands interacted with DNA by intercalation. The results implied that these synthesized compounds can be employed for the formulation of Anticancer and Antitumor drugs in future with less toxic side effects to normal cells (unlike toxic drugs presently used) .Moreover they were found to have antifungal and antibacterial activity by Disc Diffusion method. Zinc containing complexes have been investigated a lot recently for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus. Thus, these synthesized compounds are potential drug candidates for research if explored .
Next-Generation Biomaterials for Bone-Tissue Regeneration: Mg-Alloys on the Move
Authors: Naqvi Rida Batool , Joya Yasir Faheem , Karim Muhammad Ramzan Abdul
Published: September 2018

Disorders related to the bone health are becoming a significant concern due to subsequent rise in ageing human population. It is estimated that more than two million bone-surgeries are performed worldwide with an annual cost of $2.5 billion. In order to replace damaged bone-tissues and restore their function, biomaterials consisting of stainless steels, cobalt-chromium and titanium alloys are implanted. However, these permanent (non-biodegradable) implants often lead to stress-shielding effects and ions release as they interact with the cells and fluids in the body. It is required to overcome these issues by improving the quality of implant materials and increasing their service life. Recently, research in biodegradable materials, consisting of magnesium alloys in particular, has received global attention owning to their biocompatibility and closer mechanical properties to the natural bone. However, due to their rapid corrosion rate in the body fluids, clinical applications of Mg-alloys as viable bone-implants have been restricted. A number of Mg-alloys have been tested since (both in vivo and in vitro) to optimize their biodegradation rare and corrosion properties. The present review summarizes the most recent developments in Mg-alloys designed with biodegradation tailored to the bone-cells growth and highlights the most successful ways to optimize their surface properties for optimum cell/material interaction.
Grafting of Silica Particles with Linoleic Acid via Modified Stober’s Method for Preconcenrtration of Pesticides in Drinking Water
Authors: Atta Sadia , Fatima Mehreen , Islam Atif , Gull Nafisa , Sultan Misbah
Published: September 2018

The extensive use of pesticides in agricultur has raised toxicity level in environment because of their mutagenic and carcinogenic activity. A sensitive technique is needed to develop for the detection of pesticides to get high sensitivity and selectivity in complex matrices. Modified Stober‘s method was used for the synthesis of pure SiO2 particles and grafted by linoleic acid. Grafted SiO2 were examined for its capability as a sorbent for removal and preconcentration of four organochlorine pesticides i.e. endrin, dieldrin, aldrin and DDT. The particles of SiO2 undergo hydrophobic interaction with linoleic acid by grafting. Both pure SiO2 and linoleic acid grafted SiO2 particles were characterized by SEM, FTIR and XRD. FTIR confirmed the grafting of SiO2 with linoleic acid. XRD and SEM results showed monodispersed and spherical SiO2 particles. The evaluation of grafted SiO2 was carried out by spiking organochlorine pesticides in drinking water. The grafted SiO2 particles could be used as a sorbent in solid phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography with reverse phase C18 column with aqueous acetonitrile as a mobile phase with ultraviolet detector at 224 nm. The percent recoveries for aldrin, dieldin, endrin and DDT were 81, 52, 60 and 91%, respectively.
Effect of Ag, In and AgIn Alloying Additions on Microstructure and Texture of Mg-3Al-1Zn Alloy during Multi-Pass Warm Rolling
Authors: Kamran Javed , bin Awais Hasan , Tariq Naeem Ul Haq , Wang Yin
Published: September 2018

In the present investigation the rolling response, microstructure and texture evolution of four Mg alloys during multi-pass warm rolling were evaluated. The nominal composition of the base alloy (alloy-1) was Mg-3Al-1Zn. The alloy-2, 3 and 4 were developed by separate additions of non-rare earth elements Ag and In, and a master alloy 85Ag15In (wt.%) to make target compositions Mg-3Al-1Zn-0.5x, (x = Ag ,In, AgIn). Samples from all four alloys were subjected to multi-pass warm rolling at 300 °C to accumulative reductions of 50, 75 and 90% with 8 minutes inter-pass annealing. For all four alloys, crack free sheets of less than 1 mm thickness were produced successfully with true strain corresponding to 90% reduction. The as-cast microstructures revealed second phase particles at grain boundaries and grains interiors for all alloys. A slight scatter in the size of the deformed grains was observed for alloy-1, 2 and 3 after rolling reductions of 50, 75 and 90%. However, a sustained decrease in grain size with increasing the rolling reductions was only observed in alloy-4, despite inter-pass annealing. XRD macro-texture results of alloy-2 and 3 presented very strong basal texture showing almost concentric contours around normal direction (ND). Such strong sheet texture is attributed to a preferential alignment of basal planes parallel to the sheet surface. On the other hand alloy-1 and alloy-4 revealed a weaker texture with basal poles spread more towards transverse direction (TD) as compared to rolling direction (RD) and may be due to the activation of some  non-basal slip and twinning in addition to basal slip under the same processing parameters.
Nickel Coated Carbon Nanomaterial for the Removal of Heavy and Toxic Metals (Cd, Cu) from Water and Wastewater
Authors: Asim Tayyaba , Ahmad Riaz , Ansari MUHAMMAD Shahid
Published: September 2018

Heavy metals in water have always remained a point of concern for the environmental scientists due to their non biodegradability and toxicity. Adsorption and membrane filtration are the most widely studied and applied processes for the treatment of water. Activated carbons have frequently been used for the removal of heavy metals from water by the process of adsorption. With the development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials are used as the adsorbents in water treatment and have proved effective for the removal of heavy and toxic metals from water. nanocarbon materials, nanometal particles and polymer supported nanoparticles are widely used. A new adsorbent comprising of graphite coated with nanonickel particles was prepared, characterized and used for the removal of heavy and toxic metals from water. nanomaterial was characterized using ICP-AES, FTIR, XRD, and SEM. It was used for the removal of cadmium and copper from water. Kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption of cadmium and copper on both the materials was investigated and compared. Adsorption isotherm of Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich were also applied to the adsorption data for the adsorption and removal of cadmium and copper. Effect of pH was also studied and it was found that nanomaterial was very effective for the removal of Cd and Cu from acidic solutions. Effect of different acids at different concentration was studied and it was found that nanomaterial remained stable for adsorption while carbon alone deteriorated. Results indicate that developed nanomaterial is a very effective adsorbent for the removal of heavy and toxic metals from water and wastewater.
Low Temperature Synthesis of Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles and its Application in Nanocrystalline Thin Films
Authors: Khan Muhammad Yasir , Chandio Ali Dad , Sohail Muhammad , Arsalan Muhammad , Akhtar Muhammad Wasim , Abbas Syed Zeeshan , Akhtar Zeeshan
Published: September 2018

The nano-sized TiO2 is an important material based on its application for solar cells. The low-cost synthesis of nano-sized TiO2 is of high demand for commercial purposes. Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles was achieved via the low-temperature Sol-gel method. Surface morphology was confirmed from SEM analysis, which showed that particle size is in the range of nanometer with no aggregation, The XRD results confirm the formation of anatase phase with high crystallinity. Furthermore, as prepared nano-sized TiO2 particles were developed as sol-gel ink which was later deposited by spin coating on glass substrate with controlled spinning speed thereafter structural and optical properties were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and DSC-TGA. The low-cost synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with highly conductive thin films can be used as a potential material for future dye-sensitized solar cells
Clinical Presentation and Treatment of Amniotic Fluid Embolism
Authors: McBride Anne-Marie
Published: September 2018

Obstetric emergencies often require intensive care intervention. Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare, unpredictable, and often catastrophic complication of pregnancy that is suspected in a woman who experiences cardiac arrest after a cesarean section. The condition occurs in approximately 1 in 40 000 births and has an average case-fatality rate of 16%. This complication may result from activation of an inflammatory response to fetal tissue in the maternal circulation. Risk factors may include maternal age over 35 years and conditions in which fluid can exchange between the maternal and fetal circulations. The presentation is abrupt, with profound cardiovascular and respiratory compromise, encephalopathy, fetal distress, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Diagnosis is by exclusion and clinical presentation. Treatment is supportive, with a focus on reversal of hypoxia and hypotension, delivery of the fetus, and correction of coagulopathy. Staff debriefing and psychological support for the woman and family are vital.
Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy
Authors: Martin Stephanie , Arafeh Julie
Published: September 2018

In the United States, cardiac disease is a leading contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity. This review addresses the impact of cardiac disease on management of pregnancy and how the physiological changes of pregnancy complicate patient treatment. Approaches to assessing risk in pregnant women with cardiac disease are reviewed. Key elements of a successful disease management strategy are reviewed. Management of cardiac arrest in a pregnant patient is discussed.
Physiologic and Hemodynamic Changes During Pregnancy
Authors: Troiano Nan H.
Published: September 2018

Substantial physiologic changes accompany pregnancy, the most profound of which involve the cardiovascular system. These changes affect maternal hemodynamic and oxygen transport status. This article describes cardiovascular changes that occur during pregnancy including blood volume, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, vascular resistance, and colloid osmotic pressure. Alterations in factors related to maternal oxygen transport including oxygen affinity, delivery, and consumption also are described. Concepts related to fetal oxygen transport and adaptive responses to hypoxemia are presented. Technical considerations regarding assessment of maternal hemodynamic and oxygen transport status during pregnancy are described and assessment findings during labor, birth, and the immediate postpartum period are interpreted. A maternal hemodynamic and oxygen transport profile is presented to illustrate these principles in clinical practice.
Hepatitis B Virus Blocks the CRE/CREB Complex and Prevents TLR9 Transcription and Function in Human B Cells
Authors: Tout Issam , Gomes Melissa , Ainouze Michelle , Marotel Marie , Pecoul Timothee , Durantel David , Vaccarella Salvatore , Dubois Bertrand , Loustaud-Ratti Veronique , Walzer Thierry , Alain Sophie , Chemin Isabelle , Hasan Uzma
Published: September 2018

Effective B cell responses such as cytokine secretion, proliferation, and Ab-specific responses are essential to clear hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, HBV alters numerous immune pathways to persist in the host. B cell activity depends on activation of the innate sensor TLR9 by viral or bacterial DNA motifs. How HBV can deregulate B cell functions remains unknown. In this study, we show that HBV can enter and decrease TLR9 expression in human primary B cells. Using PBMCs from human blood donors, we show that TLR9 expression was reduced in all peripheral B cells subsets exposed to HBV. B cell function mediated by TLR9, but not TLR7, such as proliferation and proinflammatory cytokines secretion, were abrogated in the presence of HBV; however, global Ig secretion was not downregulated. Mechanistically, we show, using human myeloma B cell line RPMI 8226, that the surface Ag hepatitis B surface Ag was responsible for TLR9 dysfunction. hepatitis B surface Ag suppressed the phosphorylation and thus the activation of the transcription factor CREB, preventing TLR9 promoter activity. Finally, we corroborated our in vitro findings in a cohort of chronic HBV carriers and found that TLR9 expression and function were significantly suppressed. The effect of HBV on TLR9 activity in B cells gives insights into oncoviral immune escape strategies, providing knowledge to develop novel immunotherapeutic approaches in chronic HBV–carrier patients.
C-Type Lectin Receptor CD23 Is Required for Host Defense against Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus Infection
Authors: Guo Yahui , Chang Qing , Cheng Liqing , Xiong Sihan , Jia Xinming , Lin Xin , Zhao Xueqiang
Published: September 2018

Infection by invasive fungi, such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptococcus neoformans, is one of the leading death causes for the increasing population of immunocompromised and immunodeficient patients. Several C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), including Dectin-1, -2, and -3 and Mincle can recognize fungal surface components and initiate the host antifungal immune responses. Nevertheless, it remains to be determined whether other CLRs are involved in antifungal immunity. Our recent study suggests that CD23 (CLEC4J), a CLR and also a well-known B cell surface marker, may function to sense C. albicans components in antifungal immunity. However, it is not clear how CD23 functions as a fungal pattern recognition receptor and whether the antifungal role of CD23 is specific to C. albicans or not. In this study, we show that CD23 can recognize both α-mannan and β-glucan from the cell wall of C. albicans or A. fumigatus but cannot recognize glucuronoxylomannan from Cryptococcus. Through forming a complex with FcRγ, CD23 can induce NF-κB activation. Consistently, CD23-deficient mice were highly susceptible to C. albicans and A. fumigatus but not to C. neoformans infection. The expression of CD23 in activated macrophages is critical for the activation of NF-κB. CD23 deficiency results in impaired expression of NF-κB–dependent genes, especially iNOS, which induces NO production to suppress fungal infection. Together, our studies reveal the CD23-induced signaling pathways and their roles in antifungal immunity, specifically for C. albicans and A. fumigatus, which provides the molecular basis for designing potential therapeutic agents against fungal infection.
Diagnostic test for number concept development during early childhood
Authors: Bezuidenhout Hanrie S.
Published: September 2018

Background: This article presents the Afrikaans translation of an originally German diagnostic test for early number concept development. The process of ‘importing’ a test to South Africa by considering linguistic-, functional-, cultural and metric equivalence is outlined. A theoretical model describes five levels of young children’s hierarchical number concept development which collectively contribute to early mathematical understanding. The five-level hierarchical structure has previously been confirmed by testing the theoretical model in a one-dimensional Rasch analysis in Germany. Aim: The current study aimed to determine whether the individual items, allocated to test the concepts of each level of the Afrikaans translation of the diagnostic test, confirm the hierarchical structure of the theoretical model. Setting: A Rasch analysis indicated that the model was fit for the Afrikaans translation. A sample of 165 Afrikaans-speaking grade one children was tested in six Afrikaans medium primary schools in Gauteng. Methods: Analysis of fit values, person and item reliability and a person–item map was used as part of a Rasch analysis. Results: The theoretical model of hierarchical number concept development holds for the Afrikaans MARKO-D. Five levels were clearly distinguishable on a Write map and the individual items tested the concepts according to the levels of the theoretical model. Conclusion: The Afrikaans MARKO-D can now successfully be used to describe young Afrikaans children’s number concept development. A five-level theoretical model is a useful tool for teachers using the MARKO-D to assess young children’s numerical competence.
Near-optimality of linear recovery from indirect observations
Authors: Juditsky Anatoli , Nemirovski Arkadi
Published: September 2018

We consider the problem of recovering linear image

Bx

of a signal

x

known to belong to a given convex compact set

\mathcal X

from indirect observation

\omega=Ax+\xi

of

x

corrupted by random noise

\xi

with finite covariance matrix. It is shown that under some assumptions on

\mathcal X

(satisfied, e.g. when

\mathcal X

is the intersection of

K

concentric ellipsoids/elliptic cylinders, or the unit ball of the spectral norm in the space of matrices) and on the norm

\|\cdot\|

used to measure the recovery error (satisfied, e.g. by

\|\cdot\|_p

-norms,

1\leq p\leq 2

, on

\mathbf R^m

and by the nuclear norm on the space of matrices), one can build, in a computationally efficient manner, a "seemingly good“
linear in observations estimate
. Further, in the case of zero mean Gaussian observation noise and general mappings

A

and

B

, this estimate is near-optimal among all (linear and nonlinear) estimates in terms of the maximal over

x\in \mathcal X

expected

\|\cdot\|

-loss. These results form an essential extension of classical results [7, 24] and of the recent work [13], where the assumptions on

\mathcal X

were more restrictive, and the norm

\|\cdot\|

was assumed to be the Euclidean one.
Are You Realizing the Full Potential of Pharmacy Practice in the Healthcare System?
Authors: Saulnier Lauza
Published: September 2018

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Epidemiology of Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E Based on Laboratory Surveillance Data—India, 2014–2017
Authors: Murhekar Manoj V. , Ashok M. , Kanagasabai K. , Joshua Vasna , Ravi M. , Sabarinathan R. , Kirubakaran B. K. , Ramachandran V. , Shete Vishal , Gupta Nivedita , Mehendale Sanjay M.
Published: September 2018

Hepatitis A and hepatitis E viruses (HAV and HEV) are the most common etiologies of viral hepatitis in India. To better understand the epidemiology of these infections, laboratory surveillance data generated during 2014–2017, by a network of 51 virology laboratories, were analyzed. Among 24,000 patients tested for both HAV and HEV, 3,017 (12.6%) tested positive for HAV, 3,865 (16.1%) for HEV, and 320 (1.3%) for both HAV and HEV. Most (74.6%) HAV patients were aged ≤ 19 years, whereas 76.9% of HEV patients were aged ≥ 20 years. These laboratories diagnosed 12 HAV and 31 HEV clusters, highlighting the need for provision of safe drinking water and improvements in sanitation. Further expansion of the laboratory network and continued surveillance will provide data necessary for informed decision-making regarding introduction of hepatitis-A vaccine into the immunization program.
Risk Factors for Malaria Infection in Central Madagascar: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Population Survey
Authors: Howes Rosalind E. , Franchard Thierry , Rakotomanga Tovonahary Angelo , Ramiranirina Brune , Zikursh Melinda , Cramer Estee Y. , Tisch Daniel J. , Kang Su Y. , Ramboarina Stéphanie , Ratsimbasoa Arsène , Zimmerman Peter A.
Published: September 2018

Community prevalence of infection is a widely used, standardized metric for evaluating malaria endemicity. Conventional methods for measuring prevalence include light microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), but their detection thresholds are inadequate for diagnosing low-density infections. The significance of submicroscopic malaria infections is poorly understood in Madagascar, a country of heterogeneous malaria epidemiology. A cross-sectional community survey in the western foothills of Madagascar during the March 2014 transmission season found malaria infection to be predominantly submicroscopic and asymptomatic. Prevalence of Plasmodium infection diagnosed by microscopy, RDT, and molecular diagnosis was 2.4%, 4.1%, and 13.8%, respectively. This diagnostic discordance was greatest for Plasmodium vivax infection, which was 98.5% submicroscopic. Village location, insecticide-treated bednet ownership, and fever were significantly associated with infection outcomes, as was presence of another infected individual in the household. Duffy-negative individuals were diagnosed with P. vivax, but with reduced odds relative to Duffy-positive hosts. The observation of high proportions of submicroscopic infections calls for a wider assessment of the parasite reservoir in other regions of the island, particularly given the country’s current focus on malaria elimination and the poorly documented distribution of the non–P. falciparum parasite species.
Rapid SO2
emission reductions significantly increase tropospheric
ammonia concentrations over the North China Plain
Authors: Liu Mingxu , Huang Xin , Song Yu , Xu Tingting , Wang Shuxiao , Wu Zhijun , Hu Min , Zhang Lin , Zhang Qiang , Pan Yuepeng , Zhu Tong
Published: September 2018

Abstract. The North China Plain has been identified as a significant hotspot of ammonia (NH3) due to extensive agricultural activities. Satellite observations suggest a significant increase of about 30 % in tropospheric gas-phase NH3 concentrations in this area during 2008–2016. However, the estimated NH3 emissions decreased slightly because of changes in Chinese agricultural practices, i.e., the transition in fertilizer types from ammonium carbonate fertilizer to urea, and in the livestock rearing system from free-range to intensive farming. We note that the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) have rapidly declined by 60 % over recent few years. By integrating in situ measurement datasets, multi-year NH3 emission inventories, and chemical transport model simulations, we demonstrate that the increases in NH3 can be almost entirely attributable to this rapid SO2 emission reduction. The annual average sulfate concentrations decreased by about 50 %, which significantly weakened the formation of ammonium sulfate and increased the average proportions of gas phase NH3 within the total NH3 column concentrations from 26 % (2008) to 37 % (2016). Both the decreases in sulfate and increases in NH3 concentrations show highest values in summer, possibly because the formation of sulfate aerosols is more sensitive to SO2 emission reductions in summer than in other seasons.
Distribution of minor metallic elements within waste incineration bottom ashes defined by WDX/EDX spectrometry
Authors: Kowalski Piotr R. , Kasina Monika , Michalik Marek
Published: September 2018

Abstract. A number of metallic elements are inherited from waste during
thermal treatment and concentrated in the incineration residues. Because the
major part of the incineration residue mass are bottom ashes (BAs), their
study is of great importance from the point of view of their environmental
impact or resource potential. The general focus of this study was on the
minor metallic elements present in BAs. They co-occurred with main phases
and often determined the inherited potential of the material. The analysed
residues were produced from municipal and industrial waste. The BAs were
studied using spectroscopic methods of chemical microanalysis: energy
dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and wavelength dispersive X-ray
spectrometry (WDX). Both the main and minor metallic elements were
concentrated in metallic components. They were typically present as separate
grains and metallic inclusions (commonly in the glass matrix of the grains)
ranging in size from several to hundreds of micrometres. Despite Fe-, Al-
and Cu-rich occurrences, metallic elements rarely occurred in fragments
composed of a single element. Their main forms of occurrence were alloy
grains, admixtures in polymetallic occurrences and micro-inclusions in
glassy matrix. The content of particular elements in those forms was
investigated and described in greater detail. Even though two types of
bottom ash were formed from different types of waste and differences in used
technologies were present, the obtained materials contained metallic
components having similar attributes. Elevated concentrations of not only Fe
and Al, but also Ti, Cu and Zn, allow us to consider bottom ash as a
promising material from the point of view of metallic elements' recovery
(e.g. by the physical concentration of elements through gravity or magnetic
methods).
Novel specular meteor radar systems using coherent MIMO techniques to study the mesosphere and lower thermosphere
Authors: Chau Jorge Luis , Urco Juan Miguel , Vierinen Juha Pekka , Volz Ryan Andrew , Clahsen Matthias , Pfeffer Nico , Trautner Jörg
Published: September 2018

Abstract. Typical specular meteor radars (SMRs) uses one transmitting antenna and at least a five-antenna interferometric configuration on reception to study the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. The interferometric configuration allows the measurement of the angle-of-arrival (AOA) of the detected meteor echoes, which in turn is needed to derive atmospheric parameters (e.g., mean winds, momentum fluxes, temperatures, and neutral densities). Recently, we have shown that coherent MIMO configurations in atmospheric radars, i.e., Multiple Input (transmitters) and Multiple Output (receivers), with proper diversity in transmission can be used to enhance interferometric atmospheric and ionospheric observations. In this study we present two novel SMR systems using multiple transmitters in interferometric configuration, each of them employing orthogonal pseudo-random coded transmitted sequences. After proper decoding, the AOAs of the detected meteor echoes with respect to the transmitter site are obtained at each antenna of the receiver site. We present successful implementations of (1) five transmitters and one receiver using coded continuous wave (CW) (MISO-CW), and (2) five transmitters and five receivers using coded CW (MIMO-CW). The latter system allows simultaneous independent observations of the specular meteor trails with respect to the transmitter and with respect to the receiver. The quality of the obtained results is evaluated in terms of the resulting mean winds, the number of detections and the daily diffusion trail versus altitude behavior. We show that the proposed configurations can increase the number of meteor detections, thereby improving the quality of atmospheric estimates, and obtain new atmospheric parameters (e.g., horizontal divergence, vorticity, etc.), particularly when combined with multi-static approaches. The use of multiple collocated transmitters for interferometric AOA determination makes building a multi-static radar network logistically easier, as only one receiver antenna is sufficient for interferometric measurements.
Using The Kramers-Kronig Transforms To Retrieve The Conductivity From The Effective Complex Permittivity
Authors: Bakry Mostafa , Klinkenbusch Ludger
Published: September 2018

Abstract. While measuring the effective permittivity of dispersive material it may be
of interest to distinguish between conductivity losses (caused by free
electrons) and dielectric losses (caused by bounded electrons) which both are
included in the imaginary part. This usually turns out to be a non-trivial
task unless suitable dispersion models for the dielectric and/or the
conductivity properties of the material are assumed. In this paper we present
a more general method based on the Kramers-Kronig transformations to separate
the conductivity from the effective complex permittivity of a dispersive
material. The Kramers-Kronig transforms (or KK-transforms) are unique
integral relations between the real and the imaginary part of a complex
quantity describing a causal system. The proposed method and the
corresponding algorithm are tested by first supposing some fictitious values
of the complex permittivity satisfying the KK-transforms. Then, different
values of a conductivity are added leading to a change of the imaginary part
of the effective permittivity while the real part remains the same. The
effective permittivity (including a conductivity part) does generally not
satisfy the KK-transforms. This fact will be employed to retrieve the
conductivity from that effective complex permittivity. Finally the method is
applied to measured values found in the literature to retrieve the
conductivity from the effective permittivity of composite material.
Polar Code decoder exploration framework
Authors: Kestel Claus , Weithoffer Stefan , Wehn Norbert
Published: September 2018

Abstract. The increasing demand for fast wireless communications requires
sophisticated baseband signal processing. One of the computational
intense tasks here is advanced Forward Error Correction (FEC), especially the decoding.
Finding efficient hardware implementations for sophisticated FEC
decoding algorithms that fulfill throughput demands under strict
implementation constraints is an active research topic due to
increasing throughput, low latency, and high energy efficiency
requirements. This paper focuses on the interesting class of Polar Codes that are
currently a hot topic. We present a modular framework to automatically
generate and evaluate a wide range of Polar Code decoders, with
emphasis on design space exploration for efficient hardware
architectures. To demonstrate the efficiency of our framework a very
high throughput Soft Cancellation (SCAN) Polar Code decoder is shown that was
automatically generated. This decoder is, to the best of our knowledge,
the fastest SCAN Polar Code decoder published so far.
Flood forecasting in large karst river basin by coupling PERSIANN CCS QPEs with a physically based distributed hydrological model
Authors: Li Ji , Yuan Daoxian , Liu Jiao , Jiang Yongjun , Chen Yangbo , Hsu Kuo Lin , Sorooshian Soroosh
Published: September 2018

Abstract. There is no long-term meteorological or hydrological data in karst river basins to a large extent. Especially lack of typical rainfall data is a great challenge to build a hydrological model. Quantitative precipitation estimates (QPEs) based on the weather satellites could offer a good attempt to obtain the rainfall data in karst area. What's more, coupling QPEs with a distributed hydrological model has the potential to improve the precision for flood forecasting in large karst watershed. Precipitation estimation from remotely sensed information using artificial neural networks-cloud classification system (PERSIANN-CCS) as a technology of QPEs based on satellites has been achieved a wide research results in the world. However, only few studies on PERSIANN-CCS QPEs are in large karst basins and the accuracy is always poor in practical application. In this study, the PERSIANN-CCS QPEs is employed to estimate the hourly precipitation in such a large river basin-Liujiang karst river basin with an area of 58 270 km2. The result shows that, compared with the observed precipitation by rain gauge, the distribution of precipitation by PERSIANN-CCS QPEs has a great similarity. But the quantity values of precipitation by PERSIANN-CCS QPEs are smaller. A post-processed method is proposed to revise the PERSIANN-CCS QPEs products. The result shows that coupling the post-processed PERSIANN-CCS QPEs with a distributed hydrological model-Liuxihe model has a better performance than the result with the initial PERSIANN-CCS QPEs in karst flood simulation. What's more, the coupling model’s performance improves largely with parameter re-optimized with the post-processed PERSIANN-CCS QPEs. The average values of the six evaluation indices including Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient has a 14 % increase, the correlation coefficient has a 14 % increase, process relative error has a 8 % decrease, peak flow relative error has a 18 % decrease, the water balance coefficient has a 7 % increase, and peak flow time error has 25 hours decrease, respectively. Among them, the peak flow relative error and peak flow time error have the biggest improvement, which are the greatest concerned factors in flood forecasting.The rational flood simulation results by the coupling model provide a great practical application prospect for flood forecasting in large karst river basins.
A constraint upon the basal water distribution and thermal state of the Greenland Ice Sheet from radar bed echoes
Authors: Jordan Thomas M. , Williams Christopher N. , Schroeder Dustin M. , Martos Yasmina M. , Cooper Michael A. , Siegert Martin J. , Paden John D. , Huybrechts Philippe , Bamber Jonathan L.
Published: September 2018

Abstract. There is widespread, but often indirect, evidence that a significant fraction of the bed beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet is thawed (at or above the pressure melting point for ice). This includes the beds of major outlet glaciers and their tributaries and a large area around the NorthGRIP borehole in the ice-sheet interior. The ice-sheet-scale distribution of basal water is, however, poorly constrained by existing observations. In principle, airborne radio-echo sounding (RES) enables the detection of basal water from bed-echo reflectivity, but unambiguous mapping is limited by uncertainty in signal attenuation within the ice. Here we introduce a new, RES diagnostic for basal water that is associated with wet–dry transitions in bed material: bed-echo reflectivity variability. This technique acts as a form of edge detector and is a sufficient, but not necessary, criteria for basal water. However, the technique has the advantage of being attenuation insensitive and suited to combined analysis of over a decade of Operation IceBridge survey data.The basal water predictions are compared with existing analyses of the basal thermal state (frozen and thawed beds) and geothermal heat flux. In addition to the outlet glaciers, we demonstrate widespread water storage in the northern and eastern interior. Notably, we observe a quasilinear corridor of basal water extending from NorthGRIP to Petermann Glacier that spatially correlates with elevated heat flux predicted by a recent magnetic model. Finally, with a general aim to stimulate regional- and process-specific investigations, the basal water predictions are compared with bed topography, subglacial flow paths and ice-sheet motion. The basal water distribution, and its relationship with the thermal state, provides a new constraint for numerical models.
Resistirse al tiempo: los libros-arte y el cultivo de la memoria.
Authors: Mínguez-García Hortensia
Published: September 2018

El género del Libro-Arte ha venido desarrollándose de manera cada vez más prolífica en la práctica contemporánea. Si bien es cierto que formal y estéticamente es un género polimórfico, como género narrativo posee, per se, un anclaje poético ligado a la construcción de microrrelatos; a veces, declaraciones intimistas, otras, de urdimbre denunciante. Los libros de artista, como libros que son, son un medio ideal para resemantizar nuestra cultura a través de la deconstrucción de la Historia. Para ello, muchos son los artistas que, distanciándose de la perspectiva de los grandes relatos, deciden escribir una Nueva Historia a través de un complejo ejercicio de la recuperación de la memoria social e inclusive la posmemoria. El presente texto busca mostrar cómo a través de la relación entre el tema de la Memoria y los libros de artista, se constata un ejercicio transdisciplinar en donde el artista se torna un relator, un investigador, un poeta; pero, ante todo, un creativo que busca llegar a la sociedad desde una visión heteroglósica más rica y contrastada de la historia, un artista eminentemente empático y preocupado por proyectar a la humanidad hacia un futuro mejor.
Levantamento Das Espécies Arbóreas Exóticas E Conscientização Ambiental Numa Escola Em Catolé Do Rocha – PB
Authors: Alves Lunara De Sousa , Véras Mario Leno Martins , Irineu Toni Halan da Silva , Melo Filho José Sebastião de , Dias Thiago Jardelino
Published: September 2018

Quantidades de árvores são importantes na paisagem ambiental, desempenhando várias funções na redução e poluição e ameniza os fatores edafoclimáticos. Por isso é necessário obter uma escola bem arborizada, o que não acontece na maioria das escolas. Nesse sentido, objetivou-se com esta pesquisa quantificar as espécies arbóreas exóticas como também conscientizar toda a comunidade escolar acerca dos problemas relacionados à arborização na Escola Estadual João Suassuna no município de Catolé do Rocha – PB. A pesquisa foi realizada de Julho a Agosto de 2013 e foi dividida em duas etapas: a primeira foi verificar se há algum problema fitossanitário com as árvores como também a quantificação. Já a etapa qualitativa abordou assuntos referentes à educação ambiental. Nisso foi elaborado uma atividade de pesquisa com os alunos, em que estes procuraram em revistas, livros e internet textos e imagens abordando algo sobre a arborização. Observou-se que a escola é arborizada com plantas exóticas. O trabalho de educação ambiental feito na referida escola proporcionou em grande medida bons resultados, principalmente quando os alunos participaram ativamente no levantamento quantitativo das árvores e na confecção de cartazes de conscientização.
Jongerenrechtbanken: oplossingsgerichte lekenrechtspraak voor en door leerlingen
Authors: Slump Gert Jan , Asscher Jessica
Published: September 2018

Youth courts in the Netherlands

This article describes the backgrounds, the development and first findings on youth courts in the Netherlands. A Dutch version of the USA youth courts was developed and piloted in 4 Amsterdam schools. Cases referred are small (partly illegal) incidents committed in the school environment. The Dutch youth court practice is described against the background of transformational change in society and the development of restorative justice and (peer oriented) development of citizenship. Although the model is still in development and schools are somewhat reluctant to deliver and refer cases, practice is growing.
Excessieve prijzen in het mededingingsrecht
Authors: Kreijger P.J.
Published: September 2018

Excessieve prijzen in het mededingingsrecht

In het hier besproken arrest komt opnieuw een evergreen uit het (Europees) mededingingsrecht aan de orde: het (beweerd) misbruik van machtspositie in de vorm van excessieve tarieven van collectieve beheersorganisaties voor auteursrechten met een (feitelijk dan wel wettelijk verankerd) incassomonopolie. Het Hof van Justitie bevestigt dat bij toepassing van de in de Franse discothekenrechtspraak uit de jaren tachtig ontwikkelde methode van internationale tariefvergelijkingHvJ 13 juli 1989, zaak C-395/87, Tournier, ECLI:EU:C:1989:319 en HvJ 13 juli 1989, gevoegde zaken C-110/88, C-241/88 en C-242/88, Lucazeau e.a., ECLI:EU:C:1989:326. ook kan worden gebruikt als maar een beperkt aantal lidstaten in deze vergelijking wordt betrokken. Voorwaarde is dan wel dat deze lidstaten voldoende representatief zijn en er voor koopkrachtverschillen wordt gecorrigeerd. Alleen als de uit die vergelijking blijkende prijsverschillen significant en duurzaam zijn, kan sprake zijn van misbruik.

HvJ 14 september 2017, zaak C-177/16, Autortiesību un komunicēšanās konsultāciju aģentūra/Latvijas Autoru apvienība tegen Konkurences padome, ECLI:EU:C:2017:689.
Развитие городской образовательной политики в области обучения учеников с опытом миграции (Development of urban education policy in the field of educating immigrant-children)
Authors: Jaworska Dorota , Alieva Khedi
Published: September 2018

This article is based on the analysis of immigrant-children's development of education process from and the development of institutional cooperation as part of the work on "Models of immigrant integration" in Gdansk. The article presents the experiences of schools, local government institutions and public organizations involved in creating conditions for the education of immigrants. В статье представлен опыт школ, учреждений местного самоуправления и общественных организаций, участвующих в создании условий для обучения иммигрантов. Гданьская дорога к разработке городской политики образования иммигрантов вела от интервенции через диагностику проблем к поиску собственных инновационных решений. Наличие учеников-мигрантов в Гданьских школах было своего рода социальной лабораторией, в которой предпринятые действия подвергались постоянному размышлению и критической рефлексии. Статья была создана на основе анализа процесса развития образования детей с опытом миграции и развития институционального сотрудничества в контексте работ по «Модели Интеграции Иммигрантов» в Гданьске.
That thing is so annoying: How proactive chat helps us reach more users
Authors: Epstein Michael
Published: September 2018

The comment came from a fellow librarian when I asked if she had noticed our new proactive chat widget. Yes, she said, “that thing is so annoying.” When I mentioned the percentage our chat requests were up by her eyes got wide and she replied, “Really?” Yes, really, and I was somewhat surprised myself. I should explain.
La corona y sus ceremonias en La Ilustración Española y Americana durante el reinado de Alfonso XII (1874-1885)
Authors: Gómez Requejo María
Published: September 2018

La Ilustración Española y Americana(1869-1921) es el máximo exponente de la prensa gráfica española de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. Era una revista ilustrada de gran formato que incluía entre sus secciones información de actualidad, en la que se encontraban las actividades institucionales, dicha información se complementaba con una serie de grabados de gran calidad que aportaban significado y detalle a lo escrito. La revista se convirtió en testigo de excepción de las ceremonias de acceso al poder y tránsito vital del rey Alfonso XII. Este tipo de ceremonias ponían de manifiesto el vínculo entre el rey y sus súbditos a la vez que auguraban la continuidad de la dinastía. El protocolo desplegado en las mismas se hizo visible al lector a través del papel. En esa medida la revista contribuyó a la difusión del protocolo y el ceremonial.La Ilustración Española y Americana (1869-1921) is the best example of a graphic Spanish newspaper from the second half of the nineteenth century. It was a broadsheet illustrated magazine that included current news in its sections. Institutional activities were among them. This news was complemented with high quality engravings which offered further meaning and details to the writing. The magazine became a privileged witness to King Alfonso XII’s public ceremonies of accession to power as well as those of his life. These ceremonies revealed the emotional bonds between the King and his citizens as well as guaranteed the continuity of the dynasty into the future. The ceremonies and their protocol were then actually visible to the readers of the magazine and in that way it expanded its presentation and enlightenment.