bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining Pinterest as a Curriculum Resource for Negative Integers: An Initial Investigation
Authors: Hertel Joshua , Wessman-Enzinger Nicole
Published: April 2017

This paper reports an investigation of mathematical resources available on the social media site Pinterest. Pinterest is an online bulletin board where users create visual bookmarks called pins in order to share digital content (e.g., webpages, images, videos). Although recent surveys have shown that Pinterest is a popular reference for teachers, understanding of the mathematical resources available on the site is lacking. To take initial steps in investigating the curriculum resources provided by Pinterest, we used keyword searches to gather a database of pins related to the topic of negative integers. A content analysis was conducted on the pins with a focus on several characteristics including mathematical operations, mathematical models, use of real-world context, and whether mathematical errors were present in source material. Results show a dominance of addition and subtraction over other operations, use of mathematical models in half of pins, infrequent use of real-world context, and mathematical errors in roughly one-third of pins. We provide a breakdown of these results and discuss implications of the findings for mathematics teacher education and professional development.
Research on Optimal Planning of Access Location and Access Capacity of Large-Scale Integrated Wind Power Plants
Authors: Li Hui , Li Gengyin , Liu Siwei , Wang Yuning , Wang Zhidong , Wang Jiaming , Zhang Ning
Published: April 2017

This paper proposes a multi-objective optimal planning model of access location and access capacity for large-scale integrated wind power generation considering the mutual restriction between the planning of large-scale wind power plants and the planning of power system network. In this model, the power flow equilibrium degree, investment costs and active network loss are taken as the optimization goals. The improved differential evolution (IDE) algorithm is applied to calculate the Pareto optimal solution set of wind power’s access planning. With the solution results described by the Pareto pattern, all the alternative solutions are then ranked based on the entropy weight method and the final compromised solution is selected by the method of technique for order preference by similarity to ideal (TOPSIS). And the proposed optimal planning model is tested based on a practical planning need of large-scale integrated wind power generation in an actual power grid of China in 2020. The simulation results show that applied with the proposed optimization model and matching algorithm, the planning scheme of large-scale wind power’s access location and access capacity under complex and practical power system circumstances has been successfully optimized.
An Isolated Three-Port Bidirectional DC-DC Converter with Enlarged ZVS Region for HESS Applications in DC Microgrids
Authors: Wang Cheng-Shan , Li Wei , Wang Yi-Feng , Han Fu-Qiang , Meng Zhun , Li Guo-Dong
Published: April 2017

In this paper, a two-stage three-port isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter (BDC) for hybrid energy storage system (HESS) applications in DC microgrids is proposed. It has an enlarged zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) region and reduced power circulation loss. A front-end three-phase interleaved BDC is introduced to the supercapacitor (SC) channel to compensate voltage variations of SC. Consequently, wide ZVS range and reduced circulation power loss for SC and DC bus ports are achieved under large-scale fluctuating SC voltage. Furthermore, a novel modified pulse-width-modulation (PWM) and phase-shift (PHS) hybrid control method with two phase-shift angles is proposed for BA port. And it contributes to an increasing number of switches operating in ZVS mode with varying battery (BA) voltage. Phase shift control with fixed driving frequency is applied to manage power flow. The ZVS range as well as the current stress of resonant tanks under varying port voltages is analyzed in detail. Finally, a 1 kW prototype with peak efficiency of 94.9% is built, and the theoretical analysis and control method are verified by experiments.
Power Loss Analysis for Wind Power Grid Integration Based on Weibull Distribution
Authors: Al Ameri Ahmed , Ounissa Aouchenni , Nichita Cristian , Djamal Aouzellag
Published: April 2017

The growth of electrical demand increases the need of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, to meet that need. Electrical power losses are an important factor when wind farm location and size are selected. The capitalized cost of constant power losses during the life of a wind farm will continue to high levels. During the operation period, a method to determine if the losses meet the requirements of the design is significantly needed. This article presents a Simulink simulation of wind farm integration into the grid; the aim is to achieve a better understanding of wind variation impact on grid losses. The real power losses are set as a function of the annual variation, considering a Weibull distribution. An analytical method has been used to select the size and placement of a wind farm, taking into account active power loss reduction. It proposes a fast linear model estimation to find the optimal capacity of a wind farm based on DC power flow and graph theory. The results show that the analytical approach is capable of predicting the optimal size and location of wind turbines. Furthermore, it revealed that the annual variation of wind speed could have a strong effect on real power loss calculations. In addition to helping to improve utility efficiency, the proposed method can develop specific designs to speeding up integration of wind farms into grids.
Impedance Decoupling in DC Distributed Systems to Maintain Stability and Dynamic Performance
Authors: Aldhaheri Ahmed , Etemadi Amir
Published: April 2017

DC distributed systems are highly reliable and efficient means of delivering DC power or adopting renewable energy resources. However, DC distributed systems are prone to instability and dynamic performance degradation due to the negative incremental input impedance of DC-DC converts. In this paper, we propose a generic method to eliminate the impact of the negative input impedance on DC systems by shaping the source output impedance such that its bode-plot is restricted in the area that is contained below the product of the source’s duty ratio and its characteristic impedance. The performance deterioration originates whenever the output impedance of the source exceeds, in magnitude, the input impedance of the load converter due to deficiency in stability margins. Hence, confining the impedance in the proposed region helps decouple the interaction between the converters and preserve their own dynamic performances. The proposed method was proven by analytical analysis, time-based simulation, and practical experiments. All of their outcomes were in agreement, proving the effectiveness of the proposed method in preserving the dynamic performance of distributed systems.
System Identification of a Heaving Point Absorber: Design of Experiment and Device Modeling
Authors: Bacelli Giorgio , Coe Ryan , Patterson David , Wilson David
Published: April 2017

Empirically based modeling is an essential aspect of design for a wave energy converter. Empirically based models are used in structural, mechanical and control design processes, as well as for performance prediction. Both the design of experiments and methods used in system identification have a strong impact on the quality of the resulting model. This study considers the system identification and model validation process based on data collected from a wave tank test of a model-scale wave energy converter. Experimental design and data processing techniques based on general system identification procedures are discussed and compared with the practices often followed for wave tank testing. The general system identification processes are shown to have a number of advantages, including an increased signal-to-noise ratio, reduced experimental time and higher frequency resolution. The experimental wave tank data is used to produce multiple models using different formulations to represent the dynamics of the wave energy converter. These models are validated and their performance is compared against one another. While most models of wave energy converters use a formulation with surface elevation as an input, this study shows that a model using a hull pressure measurement to incorporate the wave excitation phenomenon has better accuracy.
Measurement of Line-to-Ground Capacitance in Distribution Network Considering Magnetizing Impedance’s Frequency Characteristic
Authors: Yang Qing , Zhang Bo , Ran Jiaquan , Chen Song , He Yanxiao , Sun Jian
Published: April 2017

Signal injection method (SIM) is widely applied to the insulation parameters’ measurement in distribution network for its convenience and safety. It can be divided into two kinds of patterns: injecting a specific frequency signal or several frequencies’ groups, and scanning frequency in a scheduled frequency scope. In order to avoid the disadvantages in related researches, improved signal injection method (ISIM), in which the frequency characteristic of the transformer magnetizing impedance is taken into consideration, is proposed. In addition, optimization for signal injection position has been accomplished, and the corresponding three calculation methods of line-to-ground capacitance has been derived. Calculations are carried out through the vector information (vector calculation method), the amplitude information (amplitude calculation method), the phase information (phase calculation method) of voltage and current in signal injecting port, respectively. The line-to-ground capacitance is represented by lumped parameter capacitances in high-voltage simulation test. Eight different sinusoidal signals are injected into zero-sequence circuit, and then line-to-ground capacitance is calculated with the above-mentioned vector calculation method based on the voltage and the current data of the injecting port. The results obtained by the vector calculation method show that ISIM has a wider application frequency range compared with signal injection method with rated parameters (RSIM) and SIM. The RSIM is calculated with the rated transformer parameters of magnetizing impedance, and the SIM based on the ideal transformer model, and the relative errors of calculation results of ISIM are smaller than that for other methods in general. The six groups of two-frequency set are chosen in a specific scope which is recommended by vector calculation results. Based on ISIM, the line-to-ground capacitance calculations through the amplitude calculation method and phase calculation method are compared, and then its application frequency range, which can work as a guidance for line-to-ground capacitance measurement, is concluded.
CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Gene-Silencing of the Mutant Huntingtin Gene in an In Vitro Model of Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Kolli Nivya , Lu Ming , Maiti Panchanan , Rossignol Julien , Dunbar Gary
Published: April 2017

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative genetic disease characterized by a loss of neurons in the striatum. It is caused by a mutation in the Huntingtin gene (HTT) that codes for the protein huntingtin (HTT). The mutant Huntingtin gene (mHTT) contains extra poly-glutamine (CAG) repeats from which the translated mutant huntingtin proteins (mHTT) undergo inappropriate post-translational modifications, conferring a toxic gain of function, in addition to its non-functional property. In order to curb the production of the mHTT, we have constructed two CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)-Cas9 (CRISPR associate protein) plasmids, among which one nicks the DNA at untranslated region upstream to the open reading frame (uORF), and the other nicks the DNA at exon1-intron boundary. The primary goal of this study was to apply this plasmid into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) extracted from the bone-marrow of YAC128 mice, which carries the transgene for HD. Our results suggest that the disruption of uORF through CRISPR-Cas9 influences the translation of mHTT negatively and, to a lesser extent, disrupts the exon1-intron boundary, which affects the translation of the mHTT. These findings also revealed the pattern of the nucleotide addition or deletion at the site of the DNA-nick in this model.
Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxic Activities of Ocimum forskolei and Teucrium yemense (Lamiaceae) Essential Oils
Authors: Ali Nasser , Chhetri Bhuwan , Dosoky Noura , Shari Khola , Al-Fahad Ahmed , Wessjohann Ludger , Setzer William
Published: April 2017

Background: Ocimum forskolei and Teucrium yemense (Lamiaceae) are used in traditional medicine in Yemen. Methods: The chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the essential oils isolated from the leaves of Ocimum forskolei Benth. (EOOF) and two different populations of Teucrium yemense Deflers., one collected from Dhamar province (EOTY-d), and another collected from Taiz (EOTY-t) were investigated. The antimicrobial activities of the oils were evaluated against several microorganisms with the disc diffusion test or the broth microdilution test. The essential oils were screened for in-vitro cytotoxic activity against human tumor cells. EOOF and EOTY-d were screened for free-radical-inhibitory activity using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Results: Sixty-four compounds were identified in (EOOF) representing 100% of the oil content with endo-fenchol (31.1%), fenchone (12.2%), τ-cadinol (12.2%), and methyl (E)-cinnamate (5.1%) as the major compounds. In EOTY-d, 67 compounds were identified, which made up 91% of the total oil. The most abundant constituents were (E)-caryophyllene (11.2%), α-humulene (4.0.%), γ-selinene (5.5%), 7-epi-α-selinene (20.1%), and caryophyllene oxide (20.1%), while the major compounds in EOTY-t were α-pinene (6.6%), (E)-caryophyllene (19.1%) α-humulene (6.4%), δ-cadinene (6.5%), caryophyllene oxide (4.3%), α-cadinol (9.5%), and shyobunol (4.6%). The most sensitive microorganisms for EOOF were B. subtilis, S. aureus, and C. albicans with inhibition zones of 34, 16, and 24 mm and MIC values of, 4.3 mg/mL, 4.3 mg/mL, and 8.6 mg/mL, respectively. EOTY-t showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, B. cereus, A. niger, and B. cinerea with MIC values of 0.156, 0.156, 0.313 and 0.313 mg/mL, respectively. Neither essential oil showed remarkable radical inhibition (IC50 = 31.55 and 31.41 μL/mL). EOTY-d was active against HT-29 human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines with IC50 = 43.7 μg/mL. Consistent with this, EOTY-t was active against both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast adenocarcinoma cells. Conclusions: The antimicrobial activity of Ocimum forskolei essential oil against B. subtilis and C. albicans is consistent with its traditional use in Yemeni traditional medicine to treat skin infections. Both O. forskolei and T. yemense show wide variations in their respective essential oil compositions; there remains a need to investigate both species botanically, genetically, and phytochemically more comprehensively.
Influence of NbC Addition on the Sintering Behaviour of Medium Carbon PM Steels
Authors: Özdemirler Doğan , Gündüz Süleyman , Erden Mehmet
Published: April 2017

In this work, the effects of NbC additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties were examined. In order to do this, NbC compounds were added into the Fe matrix at the weight percentage of 0.1–2 with individually to obtain powder mixture. The microstructure of the powder metallurgy (PM) steels were characterized by optic microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Experimental results indicated that NbC alloyed steels can be produced by PM technology. An increase in strength was observed when the amount of NbC compounds increased for all PM steels. The precipitation of carbides and nitrides in these steels limits austenite grain growth and increases the precipitation hardening or clustering hardening that results in significant improvement in strength.
Multi-Response Optimization of Electrothermal Micromirror Using Desirability Function-Based Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Saleem Muhammad , Farooq Umar , Izhar Umer , Khan Umar
Published: April 2017

The design of a micromirror for biomedical applications requires multiple output responses to be optimized, given a set of performance parameters and constraints. This paper presents the parametric design optimization of an electrothermally actuated micromirror for the deflection angle, input power, and micromirror temperature rise from the ambient for Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system. Initially, a screening design matrix based on the Design of Experiments (DOE) technique is developed and the corresponding output responses are obtained using coupled structural-thermal-electric Finite Element Modeling (FEM). The interaction between the significant design factors is analyzed by developing Response Surface Models (RSM) for the output responses. The output responses are optimized by combining the individual responses into a composite function using desirability function approach. A downhill simplex method, based on the heuristic search algorithm, is implemented on the RSM models to find the optimal levels of the design factors. The predicted values of output responses obtained using multi-response optimization are verified by the FEM simulations.
Direct Substitution of Alcohols in Pure Water by Brønsted Acid Catalysis
Authors: Ortiz Rosa , Herrera Raquel
Published: April 2017

With the increasing concern for sustainability, the use of environmentally friendly media to perform chemical processes has attracted the attention of many research groups. Among them, the use of water, as the unique solvent for reactions, is currently an active area of research. One process of particular interest is the direct nucleophilic substitution of an alcohol avoiding its preliminary transformation into a good leaving group, since one of the by-products in this approach would be water. The direct substitution of allylic, benzylic, and tertiary alcohols has been achieved through SN1-type reactions with catalytic amounts of Brønsted or Lewis acids; however, organic solvents are often required. In this review, the pioneering SN1 approaches performed in pure water and in the absence of a metal based Lewis acid are compiled and discussed.
Development of a Novel Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Matrine in Sophora flavescens
Authors: Zhang Junping , Wang Yanchun , Zheng Wei
Published: April 2017

A simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor fabricated with graphene nanosheets (GNs) and a hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocomposite–modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed for the determination of matrine (MT). The as-prepared electrode (GNs/HA/GCE) was verified to outperform bare a GCE and GNs-modified electrode with increased oxidation peak currents and the decreased over-potential in the redox process of MT, indicating the great enhancement of electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of MT by the composite of GNs and HA. Under the optimized conditions, the oxidation peak currents were related linearly with the concentration of MT, ranging from 2 μM to 3 mM, and the detection limit (S/N = 3) was 1.2 μM. In addition, the proposed electrochemical sensor can be successfully applied in the quantitative determination of MT in Sophora flavescens extract.
The Synthesis of 2-Aminobenzoxazoles Using Reusable Ionic Liquid as a Green Catalyst under Mild Conditions
Authors: Zhou Ya , Liu Zhiqing , Yuan Tingting , Huang Jianbin , Liu Chenjiang
Published: April 2017

A facile, green, and efficient method for the direct oxidative amination of benzoxazoles using heterocyclic ionic liquid as catalyst has been developed. The reaction proceeded smoothly at room temperature and gave the desirable 2-aminobenzoxazoles with good to excellent yields (up to 97%). The catalyst 1-butylpyridinium iodide can be easily recycled and reused with similar efficacies for at least four cycles.
Homocysteine Induces Hepatic Steatosis Involving ER Stress Response in High Methionine Diet-Fed Mice
Authors: Ai Yanbiao , Sun Zhenzhen , Peng Chuan , Liu Lingli , Xiao Xiaoqiu , Li Jibin
Published: April 2017

Elevated circulating homocysteine (Hcy) has been proposed to be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It is also reported that Hcy causes protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, we used a high methionine diet (HMD)-fed mouse model and cultured primary hepatocytes to investigate the effects of Hcy on hepatic lipids metabolism. C57BL/6J mice received either standard chow diet (CT, n = 10) or diet supplemented with 2% methionine (MET, n = 10) for 16 weeks. In in vitro experiments, cultured mouse primary hepatocytes were treated with Hcy, or Hcy combined with 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA), or tunicamycin (TM), respectively. HMD-fed mice exhibited a mild increase in plasma Hcy level. There was no significant difference of body weight gain between the two groups. Nevertheless, HMD feeding increased epididymal fat/body weight ratio, elevated plasma triglyceride (TG) level, and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) level. Similarly, mice on HMD displayed higher liver/body weight ratio, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and its ratio to alanine aminotransferase (ALT), which was supported by the morphological observations of hepatic triglyceride accumulation in liver tissue as well as primary hepatocytes. Activation of the sterol response element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c) in Hcy-treated hepatocytes with increased expression of genes involved in hepatic de novo lipogenesis was partially reduced by pretreatment of 4-PBA. Hcy-induced ER stress was also ameliorated by 4-PBA pretreatment, thus demonstrating an important role of Hcy-induced ER stress response in hepatic steatosis. These findings suggest that elevated Hcy was a critical factor in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Activation of the ER stress response may be involved in Hcy-induced hepatic steatosis.
Sport Nutrition Knowledge, Behaviors and Beliefs of High School Soccer Players
Authors: Manore Melinda , Patton-Lopez Megan , Meng Yu , Wong Siew
Published: April 2017

For adolescent athletes (14–18 years), data on sport nutrition knowledge, behaviors and beliefs are limited, especially based on sex, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. High school soccer players (n = 535; 55% female; 51% White, 41% Latino; 41% National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participants (80% Latino)) completed two questionnaires (demographic/health history and sport nutrition). The sport nutrition knowledge score was 45.6% with higher scores in NSLP-Whites vs. NSLP-Latinos (p < 0.01). Supplement knowledge differed by sex (16% lower in females; p = 0.047) and race/ethnicity (33% lower in Latinos; p < 0.001). Breakfast consumption was 57%; females ate breakfast less (50%) than males (60%; p < 0.001); NSLP-participants ate breakfast less (47%) than non-NSLP (62%; p < 0.001). Supplement use was 46%, with Latinos using more supplements than Whites do (p = 0.016). Overall, 30% used protein shakes, with females using less than males (p = 0.02), while use was twice as likely in Latino vs. White (p = 0.03). Overall, 45% reported their nutrient requirements were different from non-athlete peers. Latinos were less likely (p = 0.03) to report that their diet met nutritional requirements, but more than twice as likely to report that nutritional supplements were necessary for training (p < 0.001). Adolescent athletes, especially females and Latinos, would benefit from sport nutrition education that enhances food selection skills for health and sport performance.
Vitamin A Oral Supplementation Induces Oxidative Stress and Suppresses IL-10 and HSP70 in Skeletal Muscle of Trained Rats
Authors: Petiz Lyvia Lintzmaier , Girardi Carolina Saibro , Bortolin Rafael Calixto , Kunzler Alice , Gasparotto Juciano , Rabelo Thallita Kelly , Matté Cristiane , Moreira José Claudio Fonseca , Gelain Daniel Pens
Published: April 2017

Exercise training intensity is the major variant that influences the relationship between exercise, redox balance, and immune response. Supplement intake is a common practice for oxidative stress prevention; the effects of vitamin A (VA) on exercise training are not yet described, even though this molecule exhibits antioxidant properties. We investigated the role of VA supplementation on redox and immune responses of adult Wistar rats subjected to swimming training. Animals were divided into four groups: sedentary, sedentary + VA, exercise training, and exercise training + VA. Over eight weeks, animals were submitted to intense swimming 5 times/week and a VA daily intake of 450 retinol equivalents/day. VA impaired the total serum antioxidant capacity acquired by exercise, with no change in interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α levels. In skeletal muscle, VA caused lipid peroxidation and protein damage without differences in antioxidant enzyme activities; however, Western blot analysis showed that expression of superoxide dismutase-1 was downregulated, and upregulation of superoxide dismutase-2 induced by exercise was blunted by VA. Furthermore, VA supplementation decreased anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 and heat shock protein 70 expression, important factors for positive exercise adaptations and tissue damage prevention. Our data showed that VA supplementation did not confer any antioxidative and/or protective effects, attenuating exercise-acquired benefits in the skeletal muscle.
High Fat Diets Sex-Specifically Affect the Renal Transcriptome and Program Obesity, Kidney Injury, and Hypertension in the Offspring
Authors: Tain You-Lin , Lin Yu-Ju , Sheen Jiunn-Ming , Yu Hong-Ren , Tiao Mao-Meng , Chen Chih-Cheng , Tsai Ching-Chou , Huang Li-Tung , Hsu Chien-Ning
Published: April 2017

Obesity and related disorders have increased concurrently with an increased consumption of saturated fatty acids. We examined whether post-weaning high fat (HF) diet would exacerbate offspring vulnerability to maternal HF-induced programmed hypertension and kidney disease sex-specifically, with a focus on the kidney. Next, we aimed to elucidate the gene–diet interactions that contribute to maternal HF-induced renal programming using the next generation RNA sequencing (NGS) technology. Female Sprague-Dawley rats received either a normal diet (ND) or HF diet (D12331, Research Diets) for five weeks before the delivery. The offspring of both sexes were put on either the ND or HF diet from weaning to six months of age, resulting in four groups of each sex (maternal diet/post-weaning diet; n = 5–7/group): ND/ND, ND/HF, HF/ND, and HF/HF. Post-weaning HF diet increased bodyweights of both ND/HF and HF/HF animals from three to six months only in males. Post-weaning HF diet increased systolic blood pressure in male and female offspring, irrespective of whether they were exposed to maternal HF or not. Male HF/HF offspring showed greater degrees of glomerular and tubular injury compared to the ND/ND group. Our NGS data showed that maternal HF diet significantly altered renal transcriptome with female offspring being more HF-sensitive. HF diet induced hypertension and renal injury are associated with oxidative stress, activation of renin-angiotensin system, and dysregulated sodium transporters and circadian clock. Post-weaning HF diet sex-specifically exacerbates the development of obesity, kidney injury, but not hypertension programmed by maternal HF intake. Better understanding of the sex-dependent mechanisms that underlie HF-induced renal programming will help develop a novel personalized dietary intervention to prevent obesity and related disorders.
The Production of the PHAR-QA Competence Framework
Authors: Atkinson Jeffrey
Published: April 2017

This article describes the background and methodology of the PHAR-QA (Quality Assurance in European Pharmacy Education and Training) project that produced a competence framework for pharmacy education and practice in the EU. In order to produce a harmonized competence framework that could be accepted within the EU situation, we developed a two-stage Delphi process centred on two expert panels. A small panel of academics produced the competence framework that was then validated by the rankings of a large panel consisting of representatives of the EU pharmacy community. The main aspects of this process are developed in this article.
Luther, Bach, and the Jews: The Place of Objectionable Texts in the Classroom
Authors: McGinnis Beth , McGinnis Scott
Published: April 2017

This article examines the pedagogical challenges and value of using objectionable texts in the classroom by way of two case studies: Martin Luther’s writings on Jews and two works by J.S. Bach. The use of morally or otherwise offensive materials in the classroom has the potential to degrade the learning environment or even produce harm if not carefully managed. On the other hand, historically informed instructors can use difficult works to model good scholarly methodology and offer useful contexts for investigating of contemporary issues. Moral judgments about historical actors and events are inevitable, the authors argue, so the instructor’s responsibility is to seize the opportunity for constructive dialogue.
Kernel Sparse Subspace Clustering with a Spatial Max Pooling Operation for Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data Interpretation
Authors: Zhai Han , Zhang Hongyan , Xu Xiong , Zhang Liangpei , Li Pingxiang
Published: April 2017

Hyperspectral image (HSI) clustering is generally a challenging task because of the complex spectral-spatial structure. Based on the assumption that all the pixels are sampled from the union of subspaces, recent works have introduced a robust technique—the sparse subspace clustering (SSC) algorithm and its enhanced versions (SSC models incorporating spatial information)—to cluster HSIs, achieving excellent performances. However, these methods are all based on the linear representation model, which conflicts with the well-known nonlinear structure of HSIs and limits their performance to a large degree. In this paper, to overcome these obstacles, we present a new kernel sparse subspace clustering algorithm with a spatial max pooling operation (KSSC-SMP) for hyperspectral remote sensing data interpretation. The proposed approach maps the feature points into a much higher dimensional kernel space to extend the linear sparse subspace clustering model to nonlinear manifolds, which can better fit the complex nonlinear structure of HSIs. With the help of the kernel sparse representation, a more accurate representation coefficient matrix can be obtained. A spatial max pooling operation is utilized for the representation coefficients to generate more discriminant features by integrating the spatial-contextual information, which is essential for the accurate modeling of HSIs. This paper is an extension of our previous conference paper, and a number of enhancements are put forward. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on two well-known hyperspectral data sets—the Salinas image and the University of Pavia image—and the experimental results clearly indicate that the newly developed KSSC-SMP algorithm can obtain very competitive clustering results for HSIs, outperforming the current state-of-the-art clustering methods.
Improving Spatial Coverage for Aqua MODIS AOD using NDVI-Based Multi-Temporal Regression Analysis
Authors: Zhang Tianhao , Zeng Chao , Gong Wei , Wang Lunche , Sun Kun , Shen Huanfeng , Zhu Zhongmin , Zhu Zerun
Published: April 2017

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides widespread Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) datasets for climatological and environmental health research. Since MODIS AOD clearly lacks coverage in orbit-scanning gaps and cloud obscuration, some applications will benefit from data recovery using multi-temporal AOD. Aimed at qualitatively describing the relationship between multi-temporal AOD, AOD loadings and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been considered based on the mechanism of satellite AOD retrieval. Accordingly, the NDVI-based Weighted Linear Regression (NWLR) has been proposed to recover AOD by synthetically weighing AOD similarity, spatial proximity, and NDVI similarity. To evaluate the performance of AOD recovery, simulated experiments applying gap and window masks were conducted in South Asia and Beijing, respectively. The evaluation results demonstrated that the linear regression R2 achieved 0.8 and the absolute relative errors remained steady. Further validation was conducted between the recovered and actual AODs using 56 Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) sites in East and South Asia from 2013 to 2015, which demonstrated that over 41% of recovered AODs fell within the expected error (EE) envelope. Additional validation conducted in South Asia and Beijing showed that recovery by NWLR did not expand satellite-derived AOD errors, and the accuracy of recovered AOD was consistent with the accuracy of the original Aqua MODIS Deep Blue (DB) AOD. The recovery results illustrated that AOD coverage was improved in most regions, especially in North China, Mongolia, and South Asia, which could provide better support in aerosol spatio-temporal analysis and aerosol data assimilation.
Downscaling Land Surface Temperature in Complex Regions by Using Multiple Scale Factors with Adaptive Thresholds
Authors: Yang Yingbao , Li Xiaolong , Pan Xin , Zhang Yong , Cao Chen
Published: April 2017

Many downscaling algorithms have been proposed to address the issue of coarse-resolution land surface temperature (LST) derived from available satellite-borne sensors. However, few studies have focused on improving LST downscaling in urban areas with several mixed surface types. In this study, LST was downscaled by a multiple linear regression model between LST and multiple scale factors in mixed areas with three or four surface types. The correlation coefficients (CCs) between LST and the scale factors were used to assess the importance of the scale factors within a moving window. CC thresholds determined which factors participated in the fitting of the regression equation. The proposed downscaling approach, which involves an adaptive selection of the scale factors, was evaluated using the LST derived from four Landsat 8 thermal imageries of Nanjing City in different seasons. Results of the visual and quantitative analyses show that the proposed approach achieves relatively satisfactory downscaling results on 11 August, with coefficient of determination and root-mean-square error of 0.87 and 1.13 °C, respectively. Relative to other approaches, our approach shows the similar accuracy and the availability in all seasons. The best (worst) availability occurred in the region of vegetation (water). Thus, the approach is an efficient and reliable LST downscaling method. Future tasks include reliable LST downscaling in challenging regions and the application of our model in middle and low spatial resolutions.
Parallel Detection of Refractive Index Changes in a Porous Silicon Microarray Based on Digital Images
Authors: Li Chuanxi , Jia Zhenhong , Li Peng , Wen Hao , Lv Guodong , Huang Xiaohui
Published: April 2017

A new technique for the refractive index change with high-sensitivity measurements was proposed by the digital image of porous silicon (PSi) microarray utilization in this paper. Under the irradiation of a He-Ne laser, the surface images of the PSi array cells with the microcavity structure were obtained by the digital imaging equipment, whereas the refractive index change of each array cells was detected by calculating the average gray value of the image and the refractive index change measurement sensitivity was 10−4. This technique could be utilized in the label-free and parallel detection of refraction index changes induced by a biological reaction in the microarray or the chip.
Moveable Factories for Leapfrog Manufacturing in an Industrial Economy
Authors: Fox Stephen , Richardson Mark
Published: April 2017

Moveable factories can enable leapfrogging of fixed industrial factories, and so make immediate contributions to global goals of more resilient sustainable manufacturing. Moveable factories bring into use diverse technological advances that reduce the number, size, and weight of machines needed to carry out manufacturing operations at points of supply and/or demand. However, fixed industrial factories continue to be the principal focus for development and application of new manufacturing technologies. At the same time, fixed industrial factories continue to be seen by policy makers around the world as the default option for developing prosperity: rather than as an old fashioned production paradigm to be leapfrogged over. In this paper, findings are reported from a case study investigating potential for moveable factories to bring leapfrog manufacturing to an industrial economy. This case study comprised literature review, interviews, and theoretical analyses. Study findings indicate that organisations in an industrial economy will consider moveable factories if fixed factories are not feasible, practical, or viable. By contrast, potential for improved efficiency and flexibility may not be sufficient to motivate a shift away from fixed industrial factories.
Morphologie et évolution des cavernes et formes superficielles dans les quartzites du Roraima
Authors: Galan Carlos , Lagarde J
Published: April 2017

Cet article décrit les caractéristiques des formes superficielles et des

cavités dans les quartzites précambriens du Groupe Roraima de la i Guyane vénézuélienne et fait suite à la contribution de Pouyllau et Seurin I (cf. Karstologia 1985, n°5). On présente les mécanismes qui interviennent dans leur genèse, en particulier le rôle de la dissolution intergranulaire qui i attaque le ciment de silice authigénique. En surface, le processus de dissolution-désagrégation agit à partir du "réseau de fractures et transforme le sommet des tepuys en champs de crevasses et de tourelles. i La genèse des cavités, notamment i en bordure de falaise (fissures de i décompression), s'accompagne du processus de soutirage ("piping") et d'effondrements (ex : système perte-émergence de la Sima Aonda). L'hypothèse i "hydrothermaliste", envisagée pour la formation de certaines cavités, reste à démontrer. Les surfaces d'érosion étagées du Roraima se sont élaborées au [ cours du Secondaire et du Tertiaire ; le recul des falaises a permis le recoupe¬ ment de cavités très anciennes comme celles du Cerro Autana.
Review of the monograph
Authors: Ryzhkova Inna
Published: April 2017

Victoiria V. Tevlina. From Russia to Norway and to its North. Real and Potential Migration. Children, adults, Families. 2015. Arkhangelsk: IPP “Pravda Severa”.
Borders and Tolerance in Contemporary Political and Cultural Discourse
Authors: Nikiforova Basia , Rossvær Viggo
Published: April 2017

Chronicle.
Review of the Monograph
Authors: Sautkin Aleksandr
Published: April 2017

Author’s collective. Philosophy in the Border Zone. 2015. Orkana Akademisk.
Resistance to Western Popular and Pop-Culture in India
Authors: Mickūnas Algis
Published: April 2017

The essay is designed to present the phenomena of popular culture, its difference from pop culture, both products of modern West, and their impact on film and advertisement media in India. First, the discussion focuses on the Critical School which proposed the initial thesis of commodification of culture with a resultant “lowering” of standards to appeal to “the masses”, and an appeal to the “average” tastes. In the essay an argument is presented that pop culture is a “critique” of popular culture and is an elitist position attempting to shock popular mores and media content. Given this setting, it is argued that while India has followed both the globalizing popular and pop cultures, neither are adequate to encompass Indian media, specifically their film content.
Scepticism in Information Society
Authors: Ladov Vsevolod
Published: April 2017

This article analyzes contemporary writings on the philosophy of information with special attention to the concept of informational scepticism. The author of the concept, Luciano Floridi, supposes that scepticism that arises as the result of the attempt to differentiate real and virtual objects in modern information society is epistemologically harmless, since the difference between the real and the virtual does not have any specific informative content. This article points out logical and epistemological difficulties of this theoretical viewpoint and proposes a way of overcoming them.
The effect of national brand image in the process of customer purchase decision
Authors: Lopes Da Silva Elaine , Bravo Ibarra Edna Rocío , Oliveira Heloísa , Guzman Pedraza Tulia
Published: April 2017

The main objective of this research will be to determine the effect of national brand image of Spanish Firms in Brazil. For this purpose, a comparative analysis of the image of the Spanish companies and of their main competitors in Brazil (USA and Germany) has been made, from a sample of 346 Brazilian entrepreneurs. The results of this research may contribute to Spanish entrepreneurs in supporting the development of better marketing tactics, adapted to the Brazilian market.
Short-Term Response of a Coastal Wetland Fish Assemblage to Tidal Regime Restoration in Oregon
Authors: Silver Brook P. , Hudson J. Michael. , Lohr Samuel C. , Whitesel Timothy A.
Published: April 2017

Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, completed construction of a large-scale tidal marsh restoration project on the Ni-les'tun Unit within the Coquille River estuary in 2011. To understand the initial effects of restoration construction and establish a baseline for long-term monitoring, we documented the assemblage of fish species 3 y before and 2 y after restoration construction. The overall fish assemblage in the Ni-les'tun Unit was substantially different after restoration construction, with an increased abundance, frequency, and richness of estuarine and diadromous fish species. Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus and species of Sculpin (family Cottidae) dominated the Ni-les'tun Unit and control area in both relative abundance and capture frequency throughout this study. Among salmonids, Coastal Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii and Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch had the highest frequency of occurrence and relative abundance both before and after restoration construction. Fish occupied newly constructed channels within 2 y. Species found in new channels included freshwater species (e.g., juvenile salmonids), introduced species (e.g., Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis), and estuarine species (e.g., Sculpin, Threespine Stickleback, and Shiner Perch Cymatogaster aggregata). Changes were likely due to improved access and changing habitat created by the reintroduced tidal regime. We recommend long-term monitoring to assess the trajectory of the biological response to the restoration over time.
Localization and Mapping for Indoor Navigation
Authors: Gaber Heba , Marey Mohamed , Amin Safaa , Tolba Mohamed F.
Published: April 2017

Mapping and exploration for the purpose of navigation in unknown or partially unknown environments is a challenging problem, especially in indoor environments where GPS signals can't give the required accuracy. This chapter discusses the main aspects for designing a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) system architecture with the ability to function in situations where map information or current positions are initially unknown or partially unknown and where environment modifications are possible. Achieving this capability makes these systems significantly more autonomous and ideal for a large range of applications, especially indoor navigation for humans and for robotic missions. This chapter surveys the existing algorithms and technologies used for localization and mapping and highlights on using SLAM algorithms for indoor navigation. Also the proposed approach for the current research is presented.
A Review of Vessel Segmentation Methodologies and Algorithms
Authors: Hassan Gehad , Hassanien Aboul Ella
Published: April 2017

“Prevention is better than cure”, true statement which all of us neglect. One of the most reasons which cause speedy recovery from any diseases is to discover it in advanced stages. From here come the importance of computer systems which preserve time and achieve accurate results in knowing the diseases and its first symptoms .One of these systems is retinal image analysis system which considered as a key role and the first step of Computer Aided Diagnosis Systems (CAD). In addition to monitor the patient health status under different treatment methods to ensure How it effects on the disease.. In this chapter the authors examine most of approaches that are used for vessel segmentation for retinal images, and a review of techniques is presented comparing between their quality and accessibility, analyzing and catgrizing them. This chapter gives a description and highlights the key points and the performance measures of each one.
Fuzzy-Based Approach for Reducing the Impacts of Climate Changes on Agricultural Crops
Authors: Gadallah Ahmed M. , Mohammed Assem H.
Published: April 2017

Climate changes play a significant role in the crops plantation process. Such changes affect the suitability of planting of many crops in their traditional plantation dates in a given place. In contrary, many of such crops become more suitable for planting at other new dates in their traditional places or in other new places regarding the climate changes. This chapter presents a fuzzy-based approach for optimizing crops planting dates with the ongoing changes in climate at a given place. The proposed approach incorporates four phases. The first phase is concerned with climate data preparation. And the second phase is concerned with Defining suitability membership functions. While in third phase is responsible for automatic fuzzy clustering. Finally, the fourth phase is responsible for fuzzy selection and optimization for the more suitable plantation dates for each crop. This chapter consists of an introduction, related works, the proposed approach, a first case study, a second case study, results discussion, future research directions and finally the chapter conclusion.
Multiple Sequence Alignment Optimization Using Meta-Heuristic Techniques
Authors: Issa Mohamed , Hassanien Aboul Ella
Published: April 2017

Sequence alignment is a vital process in many biological applications such as Phylogenetic trees construction, DNA fragment assembly and structure/function prediction. Two kinds of alignment are pairwise alignment which align two sequences and Multiple Sequence alignment (MSA) that align sequences more than two. The accurate method of alignment is based on Dynamic Programming (DP) approach which suffering from increasing time exponentially with increasing the length and the number of the aligned sequences. Stochastic or meta-heuristics techniques speed up alignment algorithm but with near optimal alignment accuracy not as that of DP. Hence, This chapter aims to review the recent development of MSA using meta-heuristics algorithms. In addition, two recent techniques are focused in more deep: the first is Fragmented protein sequence alignment using two-layer particle swarm optimization (FTLPSO). The second is Multiple sequence alignment using multi-objective based bacterial foraging optimization algorithm (MO-BFO).