bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Language competency, group development and sociometric status of foreign students in Russian higher eduction institutions (a case study of Chinese students)
Authors: Chibisova M.Y. , Verchenova E.A.
Published: March 2017

The article presents the results of an empirical study of Socio-psychological characteristics of group of Chinese students who are studying at Russian universities. 132 Chinese students aged between 18 to 26 years from Foundation course were involved in the study. Using investigational methods we found a correlation between language competence and sociometric and referentometric status of Chinese students throughout the academic year. It is expected that the acquired results are due to three factors: socio-psychological, where interpersonal relationships depend on the students' achievements; cultural-specific factors, where tenacity and diligence in work are valuable, and processes of socio-cultural adaptation.
Self-relation and relations with significant adults as factors of satisfaction with life in adolescents
Authors: Golovey L.A. , Danilova M.V. , Danilova Y.Y. , Danilova M.V.
Published: March 2017

The article is devoted to the study of factors influencing life satisfaction of teenagers raised in families as well as those raised in orphanages. Both groups are studied with regard to their self-attitude, self-confidence and relationships with significant adults. Sample: 96 teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years (46 of them live in or- phanages). Methods: Self-attitude methodology by S.R. Pantileev, Trust questionnaire by T.P. Skripkina, Child-parent relationships questionnaire by O.A. Karabanova and P.V. Troyanskaya, Life Satisfaction scale by E. Diner. The research proved the level of trust in orphanage-raised teenagers to be considerably lower than that of family-raised teenagers. The way teenagers see their relationships with significant adults also turned out to be fairly different in case of orphanage-raised groups due to their caregivers' authoritarian attitude towards them and lack of empathy and communication. The study also shows that the level of life satisfaction in the orphanage group is significantly below the average and substantially lower than in the group from family-raised teenagers. Positive self-attitude, person’s approval of his/ her intellectual capacities, as well as the caregiver's understanding of his pupil's features, are predictors of life satisfaction in the group of teenagers from orphanages. Concerning the family-raised teenagers, much more factors are involved in maintaining their subjective well-being.

The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities (project № 16-06-00307а “Psycho-emotional well-being and ways of personality self-fulfillment in adolescent and adult periods of development”).
Young people's attitudes towards their health and blood donation
Authors: Krushelnitskaya O.B. , Marinova T.Y. , Milekhin A.V.
Published: March 2017

The article presents the results of theoretical analysis of social and psychological problems of the donation, as well as researches of correlations between youth attitude towards their health and blood donation. The most active and safe donors are typically young volunteers with altruistic attitudes. Therefore, along with the study of altruism as the motive of the donation, an important aspect of the problem is the attitude of young people towards their health. 115 people were involved in an empirical study (39 men and 76 women) aged between 20 and 33 years, with and without experience of blood donation. We analyzed the young people's ideas about the personal qualities of the donor and donation motives. It has been shown that the more young people tend to lead a healthy lifestyle, the more positive their ideas are about the motives and personal qualities of the donor. There is a positive relationship between the youth attitude towards blood donation and its own involvement in donor movement. The more young people are involved in the donation practice, the more positive their evaluation of the motivations and personality traits of donors is. Also a positive relationship between the involvement of young people in the practice of donation and commitment to a healthy lifestyle was found. The study results suggest that the lack of awareness in donation issues is a significant obstacle for the expansion of youth participation in the donor movement.
AVALIAÇÃO DO MODELO DE REGRESSÃO LINEAR MÚLTIPLA E REDES NEURAIS ARTIFICIAIS NA PREVISÃO DO GANHO DE MASSA EM ANIMAIS
Authors: Lopes M. L. M. , Chavarette F. R. , Cossi A. M.
Published: March 2017

A massa de um animal torna-se uma variável importante a ser estudada, visto que a partir dela, pode-se avaliar o crescimento e o estado nutricional do animal, administrar adequadamente remédios e parasiticidas e estabelecer o valor de venda do animal no mercado. O artigo aborda o desenvolvimento de uma proposta para previsão do ganho de massa em animais através do método de regressão linear múltipla e de uma técnica baseada na inteligência artificial, mais especificamente, as redes neurais artificiais. O objetivo é desenvolver os dois métodos e aplicá-los na análise de ganho de massa, para isto, levou-se em consideração dados de massa adquiridos pelo animal e o valor de escore de condição corporal obtidos em um determinado período. A análise foi feita utilizando dados de 12 animais avaliados em três períodos distintos e considerando três tipos de alimentação: 1 - alimentação convencional (controle), 2 - caroço de algodão e 3 - farelo de algodão e milho-triturado. Através dos resultados obtidos das análises do erro percentual médio absoluto e do coeficiente de determinação pode-se observar que ambos os métodos demonstram eficiência na previsão de ganho de massa em animais.
FLORAÇÃO E RENDIMENTO DE FRUTOS DA ABOBRINHA ITALIANA ‘DAIANE’ SOB APLICAÇÃO DE REGULADOR VEGETAL E FERTILIZANTE FOLIAR
Authors: De Matos J. P. , Correia E. C. S. S. , Monteiro R. N. F. , Domingues Neto F. J. , Da Silva D. P.
Published: March 2017

A abobrinha italiana, da família das cucurbitáceas, situa-se entre as dez hortaliças de maior valor econômico e de maior produção no Brasil. A crescente demanda nos últimos anos por alimentos com alta qualidade, incentivaram o emprego de novas tecnologias de produção, como o uso de reguladores vegetais e fertilizantes foliares. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação foliar do regulador vegetal Biozyme® TF e do fertilizante foliar K-fol®, associados ou não, na floração e no rendimento de frutos da abobrinha ‘Daiane’. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com seis tratamentos: Controle (0 mL L-1); Biozyme® TF (1,0 ml L-1); Biozyme® TF (2,0 ml L-1); Biozyme® TF + K-fol® (1,0 ml L-1 + 1,0 g L-1); Biozyme® TF + K-fol® (2 ml L-1 + 2,0 g L-1) e K-fol® (2,0 g L-1) e quatro blocos, totalizando 24 parcelas experimentais com dez plantas cada. As variáveis analisadas foram: número de flores masculinas e femininas e peso médio dos frutos. As avaliações referentes a quantificação da floração e do rendimento foram conduzidas a cada quatro dias, iniciando-se 30 dias após o transplante e estendendo-se por 40 dias, totalizando 10 avaliações. Houve aumento significativo no número de flores e no peso médio dos frutos da abobrinha pela aplicação isolada ou associada do regulador vegetal Biozyme® TF e do fertilizante foliar K-fol®.
ACÚMULO DE NUTRIENTES E MASSA SECA PRODUZIDA POR Crotalaria juncea CULTIVADA NO CERRADO
Authors: Silva M. S. , Oliveira G. R. F. , Merloti L. F. , Sá M. E.
Published: March 2017

A adubação verde com Crotalaria juncea é uma estratégia vastamente utilizada no Cerrado para melhorar as características químicas, físicas e biológicas do solo, em uma matriz que apresenta limitações naturais para o desempenho adequado dos cultivos. O objetivo do trabalho foi de verificar o acúmulo de nutrientes e produção de matéria seca por C. juncea cultivada em solo de Cerrado. Dois experimentos foram realizados nos anos de 2015 e 2016, em um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico, no município de Selvíria, MS, Brasil. As semeaduras foram realizadas a lanço em área previamente preparada com aração e gradagem, sem utilização de adubação. Aos 80 dias após a semeadura e antes do pleno florescimento, as plantas foram manejadas com roçadora. Foram feitas as seguintes avaliações: (a) Massa seca: amostras obtidas de cada parcela foram levadas à estufa, realizou-se a mensuração da massa seca e o valor médio foi extrapolado para unidade de kg ha-1. (b) Acúmulo de nutrientes: após coleta de amostras das plantas, determinou-se os teores de macro e micronutrientes e, posteriormente, multiplicou-se o teor de cada nutriente pela massa seca de C. juncea produzida, obtendo-se o acúmulo de macronutrientes (g kg-1) e micronutrientes (mg kg-1). O adubo verde apresentou elevada produção de matéria seca e excelente acúmulo de nitrogênio, potássio e ferro.
DESENVOLVIMENTO DE UM EQUIPAMENTO PARA TRITURAÇÃO DE COCO VERDE
Authors: Simonetti R. H. , Guimarães M. S. , Pinto J. S. , Silva M. , Nääs I. de A.
Published: March 2017

O Brasil é responsável por cerca de 80% da produção de cocos na América do Sul. O resíduo de cascas de coco se transforma em um problema ambiental, uma vez que sua degradação pode ocorrer em até oito anos. Por outro lado, as fibras processadas podem se transformar em uma série de produtos utilizados na indústria da construção, automotiva e de insumo para agricultura ou jardinagem. O processamento da extração das fibras de coco verde ou seco é uma tarefa difícil exigindo trabalho árduo. A mecanização deste processo se faz necessária no sentido de melhorar a qualidade de vida do trabalhador deste segmento, facilitando o posterior aproveitamento das fibras e reduzindo o impacto ambiental do produto. Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver um equipamento triturador de cascas de coco. O princípio de funcionamento do triturador de coco foi baseado no acionamento de um rotor das facas, que efetua o processo de corte dos cocos, depositados no triturador. Visou-se obter um equipamento de utilização simples e prática, para que a trituração seja executada sem riscos. Foram executados ensaios de compressão para determinar a força de rompimento da fruta e também calculados os valores que deveriam ter o torque do motor a ser usado. O protótipo foi construído e testado. No teste, os cocos foram, em sua maioria, completamente triturados, indicando a eficiência da máquina.
QUALIDADE DO CARVÃO VEGETAL VISANDO USO DOMÉSTICO
Authors: Garcia D. P. , Rodrigues C.R. , Dal Bem E. A. , Ferreira J. P.
Published: March 2017

O Brasil é o maior produtor e consumidor mundial de carvão vegetal. Só as indústrias siderúrgicas consomem cerca de 70% da produção nacional. As aplicações residenciais e comerciais utilizam 0,14% dessa produção, representando consumo de 871 mil t em 2015. Embora haja muitos artigos discorrendo sobre o carvão vegetal, são poucos os que tratam da qualidade, sobretudo comparando com os padrões estabelecidos na Resolução nº 40, da Secretaria de Abastecimento e Agricultura. Desta forma, esse artigo faz uma avaliação do carvão vegetal, comparando-os com este padrão de qualidade. Com base em cinco amostras comerciais, adotou-se a umidade, cinzas, materiais voláteis, carbono fixo, poder calorífico superior e rótulos das embalagens como variáveis características de qualidade. Assim, dentre os 25 parâmetros avaliados, 36% não foram atendidos. Concluindo que as amostras apresentaram baixa qualidade para uso doméstico e as empresas não cumprem exigências mínimas de qualidade para o produto.
Exogenous thiourea modulates antioxidant defence and glyoxalase systems in lentil genotypes under arsenic stress
Authors: Talukdar Dibyendu
Published: March 2017

Arsenic (As) is a wide-spread toxic and carcinogenic metalloid, affecting crop productivity worldwide. Lentil, an edible grain legume, is increasingly exposed to soil arsenic contamination. However, our understandings regarding mechanistic details and mitigation strategies against arsenic toxicity in edible legume are extremely poor. Main purpose of the present study was to investigate the As-effects and its mitigation by thiourea (TU), a sulfhydryl bioregulator, in lentil. Four widely grown lentil genotypes were grown in nutrient media, supplemented with 30 μM sodium arsenate (As), As + 6.5 mM TU and As + 13 mM TU, keeping an untreated control for 10 d. As severely affected plant dry weight by accumulating in shoots and roots. However, TU application sequestered As in crop roots and prevented up-ward translocation of As. TU coordinately modulated glyoxalase system I and II (Gly I and II) and ascorbate (AsA)-glutathione (GSH) redox, and antioxidant defense enzymes in both leaves and roots of four genotypes. Elevation of Gly system prevented toxic methyl glyoxal overaccumulation whereas stimulated AsA-GSH cycle enzymes and Glutathione s-transferase and catalase effectively scavenged H2O2 and prevented reactive oxygen species (ROS) -mediated onset of oxidative damage in four genotypes, as was evident from ROS-imaging study. Results suggested exogenous TU stimulated the Gly and antioxidant defense in fine tune against As-induced oxidative damage in lentil genotypes.
Temperature Stress Induced Antioxidative and Biochemical Changes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars
Authors: Sarkar Jayanwita , Chakraborty Bishwanath , Chakraborty Usha
Published: March 2017

The aim of this study is to understand the effect of elevated temperature on wheat seedlings of four cultivars, Gayetri (GY), Gandhari (GN), Kedar (KD), PBW343 in terms of  tolerance/susceptibility , along with antioxidative and biochemical responses. For this, seedlings of four cultivars were exposed to different temperatures ranging from 25-400C for six hours. According to heat susceptibility index calculated GN was found to be heat tolerant, PBW343 heat sensitive and the other two, GY and KD moderately tolerant.  Exposure to high temperature led to gradual increase in membrane lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide accumulation. H2O2 and malonaldehyde accumulated to much higher amount in leaf tissues of PBW343 and GY than GN and KD. Among antioxidative enzymes, catalase, glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase activity initially increased at 350C, followed by reduced activity under heat stress in all cultivars. However, peroxidase activity continued to increase under heat stress. Total chlorophyll and non enzymatic antioxidant carotenoids, initially increased upto 300C, following which there was gradual decrease in these components. Compatible osmolytes - proline and total sugar level within cellular compartments were enhanced upto 350C. Results suggested that wheat can endure heat induced oxidative stress up to certain period, manifested by elevation of non enzymatic antioxidants and osmo protectants, as well as upregulation of antioxidative enzymes.
MORTALITY OF TROPICAL FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS UNDER WATER AND SALT STRESS CONDITIONS
Authors: SACHAN SHEPHALI , Jain Avinash
Published: March 2017

Mortality of selected tropical forest tree species seedlings viz. Tectona grandis, Pongamia pinnata, Dalbergia latifolia and Gmelina arborea were tested under water and salt stress conditions for 4 months under nursery stage. Water stress included moderate and severe waterlogging & moderate and severe drought conditions. The salt stress in the soil was maintained to 4, 8 and 12 ds/m. Pot culture experiments with twenty treatment combinations following RBD factorial design were conducted in TFRI Jabalpur nursery. The water equivalent to the field capacity of the soil was provided to the seedlings to maintain waterlogging. The drought condition in polybags was maintained according to Permanent Wilting point (PWP), which was calculated on the basis of Cumulative Pan Evaporation (CPE) values measured through Open Pan Evaporimeter. Mortality of seedlings of the species under study increased with the increase in salt concentration from 4 to 12 ds/m. Gmelina arborea shown 100% mortality in 4ds/m, 8ds/m and 12ds/m concentration of salt. Cumulative effect of salt and waterlogging & salt and drought was found to be more prominent in Gmelina arborea as compare to other three species. Tectona grandis was found to be more tolerable to waterlogged followed by drought conditions.  Waterlogging conditions observed to be excellent for Pongamia pinnata seedlings plantation shown 0% mortality. As a whole, the mortality of seedlings due to water and salt stress was found in the order Dalbergia latifolia (90.95%) > Gmelina arborea (82.50%) > Tectona grandis (74%) > Pongamia pinnata (35.56%). 
Transformation of Mungbean Plants for Salt and Drought Tolerance by introducing a gene for an osmoprotectant glycine betaine
Authors: Baloda Anila , Madanpotra Seema , Aiwal P.K.J
Published: March 2017

Mungbean (VignaradiataL. Wilczek) is an important grain legume widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent and in South East Asian countries. Protein and carbohydrate of Mungbean are easily digestible and create less flatulence than proteins derived from other legumes.Mungbean is very sensitive to salinity, drought, high and low temperature during the flowering and seed/pod development stages resulting in heavy losses to productivity. The development of genetically engineered plants by the introduction and/or over expression of selected abiotic stress tolerant genes seems to be a viable option for obtaining improved plants. Stable transformation and expression of transgene (codA gene) was achieved in mungbean through Agrobacterium tumefaciensmediated system using cotyledonary node explants, under the optimized conditions. Molecular analysis of transgenic plants was done by using PCR, DOT-BLOT, ELISA and Western blotting. The primary transformants were checked for salt tolerance by the leaf disc test.
Socioeconomic Determinants of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Shigella Infections in Bangladeshi Children
Authors: Gruninger Randon J. , Johnson Russell A. , Das Sumon K. , Nelson Eric J. , Spivak Emily S. , Contreras John R. , Faruque A.S.G. , Leung Daniel T.
Published: March 2017

Background: Shigella species (spp.) are a leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhea in children worldwide. The recent emergence of quinolone-resistant Shigella spp. gives cause for concern, and South Asia has been identified as a reservoir for global spread. The influence of socioeconomic status on antimicrobial resistance in developing countries, such as those in South Asia, remains unknown.Methods: We used data collected from 2009 to 2014 from a hospital specializing in the treatment of diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to determine the relationship between ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella spp. isolates and measures of socioeconomic status in Bangladeshi children less than 5 years of age.Results: We found 2.7% (230/8, 672) of children who presented with diarrhea had Shigella spp. isolated from their stool, and 50% (115/230) had resistance to ciprofloxacin. Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, we found that children from families where the father’s income was in the highest quintile had significantly higher odds of having ciprofloxacin-resistant Shigella spp. compared to children in the lowest quintile (OR = 6.1, CI 1.9-19). Factors protective against the development of resistance included access to improved sanitation (OR = 0.27, CI 0.11-0.7), and improved water sources (OR = 0.48, CI 0.25-0.92). We did not find a relationship between ciprofloxacin resistance and other proxies for socioeconomic status, including the presence of animals in the home, nutritional status, paternal education level, and the number of family members in the home.Conclusions: Although the associations between wealth and antimicrobial resistance are not fully understood, possible explanations include increased access and use of antibiotics, greater access to healthcare facilities and thus resistant pathogens, or greater consumption of commercially produced foods prepared with antibiotics.
Microbiological quality of ice and ice machines used in food establishments
Authors: Hampikyan Hamparsun , Bingol Enver Baris , Cetin Omer , Colak Hilal
Published: March 2017

The ice used in the food industry has to be safe and the water used in ice production should have the quality of drinking water. The consumption of contaminated ice directly or indirectly may be a vehicle for transmission of pathogenic bacteria to humans producing outbreaks of gastrointestinal diseases. The objective of this study was to monitor the microbiological quality of ice, the water used in producing ice and the hygienic conditions of ice making machines in various food enterprises. Escherichia coli was detected in seven (6.7%) ice and 23 (21.9%) ice chest samples whereas E. coli was negative in all examined water samples. Psychrophilic bacteria were detected in 83 (79.0%) of 105 ice chest and in 68 (64.7%) of 105 ice samples, whereas Enterococci were detected only in 13 (12.4%) ice samples. Coliforms were detected in 13 (12.4%) water, 71 (67.6%) ice chest and 54 (51.4%) ice samples. In order to improve the microbiological quality of ice, the maintenance, cleaning and disinfecting of ice machines should be carried out effectively and periodically. Also, high quality water should be used for ice production.
Influence of environmental variables on saxitoxin yields by Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in a mesotrophic subtropical reservoir
Authors: Casali Simone Pereira , Dos Santos André Cordeiro Alves , de Falco Patrícia Bortoletto , Calijuri Maria do Carmo
Published: March 2017

Saxitoxins are a class of toxins produced by at least two groups of evolutionarily distant organisms (cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates). While the toxicity of these toxins is relatively well characterized, to date little is known about their drivers and ecological functions, especially in lower latitude tropical and subtropical freshwater ecosystems. In the present study, we aimed to obtain a better understanding of the main drivers of saxitoxin concentrations in aquatic environments. We investigated the relationships among saxitoxin concentrations in a mesotrophic subtropical reservoir dominated by the cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii with physical, chemical and biological water variables. The highest saxitoxin concentrations were 0.20 μg·L−1, which occurred in the samples with the highest densities of C. raciborskii (maximum of 4.3 × 104 org·mL−1) and the highest concentration of dissolved nutrients (nitrate from 0.2 to 0.8 μg·L−1, ortophosphate from 0.3 to 8.5 μg·L−1). These correlations were confirmed by statistical analyses. However, the highest saxitoxin relative concentrations (per trichome) were associated with lower C. raciborskii densities, suggesting that saxitoxin production or the selection of saxitoxin-producing strains was associated with the adaptation of this species to conditions of stress. Our results indicate that C. raciborskii toxin yields vary depending on the enrichment conditions having potential implications for reservoir management.
Multiresistant opportunistic pathogenic bacteria isolated from polluted rivers and first detection of nontuberculous mycobacteria in the Algerian aquatic environment
Authors: Djouadi Lydia Neïla , Selama Okba , Abderrahmani Ahmed , Bouanane-Darenfed Amel , Abdellaziz Lamia , Amziane Meriam , Fardeau Marie-Laure , Nateche Farida
Published: March 2017

Opportunistic infections constitute a major challenge for modern medicine mainly because the involved bacteria are usually multiresistant to antibiotics. Most of these bacteria possess remarkable ability to adapt to various ecosystems, including those exposed to anthropogenic activities. This study isolated and identified 21 multiresistant opportunistic bacteria from two polluted rivers, located in Algiers. Cadmium, lead, and copper concentrations were determined for both water samples to evaluate heavy metal pollution. High prevalence of Enterobacteria and non-fermentative Gram-negative rods was found and a nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM) strain was isolated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detection of NTM in the Algerian environment. The strains were tested for their resistance against 34 antibiotics and 8 heavy metals. Multiple antibiotics and heavy metals resistance was observed in all isolates. The two most resistant strains, identified as Acinetobacter sp. and Citrobacter freundii, were submitted to plasmid curing to determine if resistance genes were plasmid or chromosome encoded. Citrobacter freundii strain P18 showed a high molecular weight plasmid which seems to code for resistance to zinc, lead, and tetracycline, at the same time. These findings strongly suggest that anthropized environments constitute a reservoir for multiresistant opportunistic bacteria and for circulating resistance genes.
Inclusive water poverty index: a holistic approach for helping local water and sanitation services planning
Authors: Kini Janvier
Published: March 2017

This paper addresses two approaches to guiding the inclusion of the poor and vulnerable in clean water and sanitation programmes in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals. It proposes an operational and adapted participatory approach for identifying the poorest and most vulnerable, which has become a central interest for inclusive development policies worldwide post Millennium Development Goals. Then, it proposes an inclusive water poverty index for the inclusion of the poor and vulnerable. This index, with six components, materializes the spatial and temporal equity in the distribution of water and sanitation services through a given district or municipality, particularly in developing countries.
Assessment of emerging hydrological, water quality issues and policy discussion on water sharing of transboundary Kabul River
Authors: Akhtar Shahid Mehmood , Iqbal Javed
Published: March 2017

Transboundary water sharing policy between Pakistan and Afghanistan along with emerging issues over the Transboundary Kabul River have been discussed incorporating long-term hydrological trend analysis, water quality issues and temporal changes in land cover/land use. The annual (1977–2015) mean river flow of 26.32 billion (109) cubic metres (BCM) with a range of 13.77 to 42.2 BCM and standard deviation of 6.026 BCM revealed no significant trend in annual inflow data of the Kabul River. Afghanistan planned developments in the basin were analysed in the light of reduction in the transboundary flow. Faecal coliforms, pH (7.90 to 8.06), Escherichia coli and other water quality parameters were found to be within permissible limits, however, dissolved oxygen was just above the permissible limits to sustain aquatic life. Water was found unsuitable for drinking while suitable for agriculture and aquatic life. Remote sensing data used for temporal change detection showed an increase in built-up-areas and cultivated areas along Kabul River inside Pakistan by 50 and 47%, respectively. Significant changes were observed at two locations in the river course. Insights of emerging Kabul River issues and a way forward have been discussed which could serve as the basis for formulation of adaption strategies leading to a ‘Kabul River Water Treaty’.
Simulation of water scarcity in a leap-forward developing arid region: a system dynamics model of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Authors: Dai Shanshan , Li Lanhai , Xu Honggang
Published: March 2017

The leap-forward development policy emphasizes water resource scarcity. Given the importance of water resources to an economy, especially in arid areas, this paper explores various management strategies that could be used in the semi-arid region of Xinjiang to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of multifunctional water projects and support sustainable ‘leap-forward’ economic growth. Embedding the logistic growth function within a system dynamics framework, our model provides a universally implementable model for sustainable water planning. The dynamic current and projected water supply and demand and water use efficiency are captured. Potential water management strategies are simulated to test system performance. The results suggest that, as water scarcity becomes more acute, the current water supply will not be able to support the leap-forward development policy with current water usage efficiency. In the short term, implementing efficient industrial water consumption technology and promoting water-saving irrigation technology may postpone the cultivated land reduction process. In the long term, developing more water-saving industrial enterprises, and planning to use more drought-tolerant plants, will be effective ways to avoid a decrease in cultivated land area.
Tracing groundwater recharge sources beneath a reservoir on a mountain-front plain using hydrochemistry and stable isotopes
Authors: Li Xue , Ye Siyuan , Wang Liheng , Zhang Jiangyi
Published: March 2017

Mountain-front recharge, including mountain block recharge and stream seepage, is important for basin aquifers. With the construction of reservoirs in mountainous areas and the recurrent seepage problems of dams, reservoir seepage might become another type of mountain-front recharge. This study identified the recharge sources of groundwater beneath Huangbizhuang Reservoir on the North China Plain (NCP). Hydrochemical data and the stable isotopic compositions (δ18O and δD) of water were employed to determine the occurrence of Huangbizhuang Reservoir seepage recharge to groundwater in the mountain-front area. Then, the relative percentages of ‘reservoir seepage’ to total recharge were quantified using end-member mixing analysis (EMMA). The results suggest that the recharge sources beneath the reservoir are mountain block recharge, local precipitation and reservoir seepage. Using D and δ18O values, EMMA revealed that the mean contribution ratio of reservoir seepage to groundwater beneath the reservoir is 36% ± 4%, while that of mountain block recharge is 33% ± 11% in consideration of the uncertainty. Reservoir seepage accounts for a large proportion of mountain-front recharge and should be included in the calculations of mountain-front recharge on the NCP, which is currently ignored.
Gaussian process regression for monitoring and fault detection of wastewater treatment processes
Authors: Samuelsson Oscar , Björk Anders , Zambrano Jesús , Carlsson Bengt
Published: March 2017

Monitoring and fault detection methods are increasingly important to achieve a robust and resource efficient operation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The purpose of this paper was to evaluate a promising machine learning method, Gaussian process regression (GPR), for WWTP monitoring applications. We evaluated GPR at two WWTP monitoring problems: estimate missing data in a flow rate signal (simulated data), and detect a drift in an ammonium sensor (real data). We showed that GPR with the standard estimation method, maximum likelihood estimation (GPR-MLE), suffered from local optima during estimation of kernel parameters, and did not give satisfactory results in a simulated case study. However, GPR with a state-of-the-art estimation method based on sequential Monte Carlo estimation (GPR-SMC) gave good predictions and did not suffer from local optima. Comparisons with simple standard methods revealed that GPR-SMC performed better than linear interpolation in estimating missing data in a noisy flow rate signal. We conclude that GPR-SMC is both a general and powerful method for monitoring full-scale WWTPs. However, this paper also shows that it does not always pay off to use more sophisticated methods. New methods should be critically compared against simpler methods, which might be good enough for some scenarios.
Design and optimization of hydrogen production from hydrothermally pretreated sugarcane bagasse using response surface methodology
Authors: Soares Lais Américo , Braga Juliana Kawanishi , Motteran Fabrício , Sakamoto Isabel Kimiko , Silva Edson Luiz , Varesche Maria Bernadete Amâncio
Published: March 2017

Hydrogen production from hydrothermally pretreated (200 °C for 10 min at 16 bar) sugarcane bagasse was analyzed using response surface methodology. The yeast extract concentration and the temperature had a significant influence for hydrogen production (p-value 0.027 and 0.009, respectively). Maximum hydrogen production (17.7 mmol/L) was observed with 3 g/L yeast extract at 60 °C (C10). In this conditions were produced acetic acid (50.44 mg/L), butyric acid (209.71 mg/L), ethanol (38.4 mg/L), and methane (6.27 mmol/L). Lower hydrogen productions (3.5 mmol/L and 3.9 mmol/L) were observed under the conditions C7 (2 g/L of yeast extract, 35.8 °C) and C9 (1 g/L of yeast extract, 40 °C), respectively. The low yeast extract concentration and low temperature caused a negative effect on the hydrogen production. By means of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis 20% of similarity was observed between the archaeal population of mesophilic (35 and 40 °C) and thermophilic (50, 60 and 64 °C) reactors. Likewise, similarity of 22% was noted between the bacterial population for the reactors with the lowest hydrogen production (3.5 mmol/L), at 35.8 °C and with the highest hydrogen production (17.7 mmol/L) at 60 °C demonstrating that microbial population modification was a function of incubation temperature variation.
Novel approaches for the production of bio-diesel using waste vegetable oil
Authors: Nalabolu* Mohan Reddy , Bobbarala Varaprasad , Kandula Mahesh
Published: March 2017

At the present moment worldwide waning fossil fuel resources as well as the tendency for developing new renewable biofuels have shifted the interest of the society towards finding novel alternative fuel sources. Biofuels have been put forward as one of a range of alternatives with lower emissions and a higher degree of fuel security and gives potential opportunities for rural and regional communities. Biodiesel has a great potential as an alternative diesel fuel. In this work, biodiesel was prepared from waste cooking oil it was converted into biodiesel through single step transesterification. Methanol with Potassium hydroxide as a catalyst was used for the transesterification process. The biodiesel was characterized by its fuel properties including acid value, cloud and pour points, water content, sediments, oxidation stability, carbon residue, flash point, kinematic viscosity, density according to IS: 15607-05 standards. The viscosity of the waste cooking oil biodiesel was found to be 4.05 mm2/sec at 400C. Flash point was found to be 1280C, water and sediment was 236mg/kg, 0 % respectively, carbon residue was 0.017%, total acid value was 0.2 mgKOH/g, cloud point was 40C and pour point was 120C. The results showed that one step transesterification was better and resulted in higher yield and better fuel properties. The research demonstrated that biodiesel obtained under optimum conditions from waste cooking oil was of good quality and could be used as a diesel fuel.
Colchicum verlaqueae Fridlender : un colchique nouveau endémique du littoral sarde
Authors: Fridlender Alain
Published: March 2017

Trois colchiques endémiques vivent en Sardaigne : C. gonarei décrit en 1978, C. actupii décrit en 1999 et enfin C. verlaqueae Fridlender sp.nov. précédemment confondu avec C. corsicum Baker. Les deux autres taxons qui poussent sur cette île (C. multiflorum et C. cupanii) possèdent une aire de distribution assez vaste en Méditerranée occidentale.
Biogéographie et écologie comparées du Genévrier thurifère (Juniperus thurifera L.) dans les Alpes françaises du sud/Comparative biogeography and ecology of the Incense Juniper in the French southern Alps
Authors: Garraud Luc , Lebreton Philippe , Genis Jean-Michel
Published: March 2017

ANG:Incense Juniper (Juniperus thurifera L.), biogeography, ecology, Southern Alps
Notes synonymiques et chorologie concernant quelques Lamiaires africains (Insecta, Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae)
Authors: Sudre Jérôme , Téocchi Pierre
Published: March 2017

Suite à une visite effectuée par l'un de nous aux collections du laboratoire d'entomologie du MNHN de Paris, et suite à l'examen de quatre types conservés au musée de Dresde, ainsi qu'au travers d'observations personnelles, des synonymies nouvelles ont pu être établies par comparaison de divers types.
Forage quality declines with rising temperatures, with implications for livestock production and methane emissions
Authors: Lee Mark A. , Davis Aaron P. , Chagunda Mizeck G. G. , Manning Pete
Published: March 2017

Abstract. Livestock numbers are increasing to supply the growing demand for meat-rich diets. The sustainability of this trend has been questioned, and future environmental changes, such as climate change, may cause some regions to become less suitable for livestock. Livestock and wild herbivores are strongly dependent on the nutritional chemistry of forage plants. Nutrition is positively linked to weight gains, milk production and reproductive success, and nutrition is also a key determinant of enteric methane production. In this meta-analysis, we assessed the effects of growing conditions on forage quality by compiling published measurements of grass nutritive value and combining these data with climatic, edaphic and management information. We found that forage nutritive value was reduced at higher temperatures and increased by nitrogen fertiliser addition, likely driven by a combination of changes to species identity and changes to physiology and phenology. These relationships were combined with multiple published empirical models to estimate forage- and temperature-driven changes to cattle enteric methane production. This suggested a previously undescribed positive climate change feedback, where elevated temperatures reduce grass nutritive value and correspondingly may increase methane production by 0.9 % with a 1 °C temperature rise and 4.5 % with a 5 °C rise (model average), thus creating an additional climate forcing effect. Future methane production increases are expected to be largest in parts of North America, central and eastern Europe and Asia, with the geographical extent of hotspots increasing under a high emissions scenario. These estimates require refinement and a greater knowledge of the abundance, size, feeding regime and location of cattle, and the representation of heat stress should be included in future modelling work. However, our results indicate that the cultivation of more nutritious forage plants and reduced livestock farming in warming regions may reduce this additional source of pastoral greenhouse gas emissions.
Ownership Patterns and Control of Top 100 Turkish Listed Companies
Authors: Mustafa Aree Saeed , Che-Ahmad Ayoib , Chandren Sitraselvi a/p
Published: March 2017

This study aims to highlight the importance of protecting investors’ rights, and particularly those of minority shareholders. This study addresses the predominant control-ownership structure of the top 100 firms listed in Bursa Istanbul (BI) using the data for 2015. It shows the most common control-ownership structure within business groups, in which shareholders exercise control over a group of firms and maintain a small stake of firms’ equities. Turkish firms are categorised with highly concentrated ownership and families’ being the dominant shareholders owning more than 80% of all publically listed firms in BI. The study results indicate that the divergence between cash rights and control rights (wedge)in the top 100 Turkish firms is mainly achieved through pyramidal-ownership structure, dual class shares, and cross-ownership at about 41%, 40% and 11%, respectively, while approximately 8% of firms do not use wedge. Hence, wedge exacerbates Type II Agency Problems. This paper calls for future research to study the environment of wedge for Turkish firms listed in BI.
Boundary Value Problems at Infinite Genus
Authors: Davis Simon
Published: March 2017

Boundary value problems are formulated on infinite-genus surfaces. These are solved for a variety of boundary conditions. The symbol calculus for differential operators is developed further for solution of parabolic differential equations at infinite genus.
Study of Oblique Propagating Whistler Mode Waves in Presence of Parallel DC Electric Field in Magnetosphere of Saturn
Authors: Kaur R. , Pandey R. S.
Published: March 2017

In this paper whistler mode waves have been investigated in magnetosphere of Saturn. The derivation for perturbed distribution function, dispersion relation and growth rate have been determined by using the method of characteristic and kinetic approach. Analytical expressions for growth rate and real frequency of whistlers propagating oblique to magnetic field direction are attained. Calculations have been performed at 6 radial distances in plasma sheet region of Saturn’s magnetosphere as per data provided by Cassini. Work has been extended for bi-Maxwellian as well as Loss-cone distribution function. Parametric analysis show that temperature anisotropy, increase in number density, energy density and angle of propagation increases the growth rate of whistler waves along with significant shift in wave number. In case of Loss-cone distribution, increase in growth rate of whistlers is significantly more than for bi-Maxwellian distribution function. Generation of second harmonics can also be seen in the graphs plotted. It is concluded that parallel DC field stabilizes the wave and temperature anisotropy, angle of propagation, number density and energy density of electrons enhances the growth rate. Thus the results are of importance in analyzing observed VLF emissions over wide spectrum of frequency range in Saturnian magnetosphere. The analytical model developed can also be used to study various types of instabilities in planetary magnetospheres.
The negative impact of prison work on sleep health
Authors: James Lois , Todak Natalie , Best Suzanne
Published: March 2017

Objectives

To examine the prevalence of sleep disorders, deprivation, and quality in a sample of prison employees, and investigate the relationship between exposure to work‐related critical incidents and sleep.

Methods

We surveyed 355 Washington State Department of Corrections employees. The survey included the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index and the Critical Incident History Questionnaire.

Results

We found 28% and 45% of the sample reported suffering from Apnea and insomnia, respectively. Over half of the sample reporting sleeping less than 2 h between shifts and being constantly fatigued. We found significant associations between exposure to critical incidents and sleep problems.

Conclusions

Prison workers are in desperate need of help to improve their sleep. Our findings suggest the importance of continued investigation of prison worker sleep health using objective measures, toward the development of programs for improving sleep and resilience to critical incidents and stress.
Lung function not affected by asbestos exposure in workers with normal Computed Tomography scan
Authors: Schikowsky Christian , Felten Michael K. , Eisenhawer Christian , Das Marco , Kraus Thomas
Published: March 2017

Background: It has been suggested that asbestos exposure affects lung function, even in the absence of asbestos‐related pulmonary interstitial or pleural changes or emphysema. Methods: We analyzed associations between well‐known asbestos‐related risk factors, such as individual cumulative asbestos exposure, and key lung function parameters in formerly asbestos‐exposed power industry workers (N = 207) with normal CT scans. For this, we excluded participants with emphysema, fibrosis, pleural changes, or any combination of these. Results: The lung function parameters of FVC, FEV1, DLCO/VA, and airway resistance were significantly associated with the burden of smoking, BMI and years since end of exposure (only DLCO/VA). However, they were not affected by factors directly related to amount (eg, cumulative exposure) or duration of asbestos exposure. Conclusions: Our results confirm the well‐known correlation between lung function, smoking habits, and BMI. However, we found no significant association between lung function and asbestos exposure.
An Optical Actuator Based on Gold‐Nanoparticle‐Containing Temperature‐Memory Semicrystalline Polymers
Authors: Ge Feijie , Lu Xili , Xiang Jun , Tong Xia , Zhao Yue
Published: March 2017

Photoresponsive actuators based on semicrystalline poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) loaded with small amounts of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are described. Upon absorption of light (532 nm), the heat released by the AuNPs raises the temperature in the irradiated region to Tlight to melt crystallites with lower melting temperatures (TmTlight . Once the light is turned off, the recrystallization of oriented chains in the actuation domains upon cooling gives rise to an expansion force. We show that the photoinduced contraction force, Tlight , and the speed for reaching Tlight can readily be adjusted, which makes EVA/AuNP a robust, fast optical actuation system tunable in both speed and magnitude. The material design can easily be extended to other temperature‐memory semicrystalline polymers in combination with various light‐absorbing and heat‐generating additives.
Ligandenumlagerungen an Fe/S‐Cofaktoren: langsame Isomerisierung eines biomimetischen [2Fe‐2S]‐Clusters
Authors: Bergner Marie , Roy Lisa , Dechert Sebastian , Neese Frank , Ye Shengfa , Meyer Franc
Published: March 2017

Ligandenaustauschprozesse spielen eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Biosynthese von Eisen‐Schwefel‐Clustern, vor allem während des Transfers des gebildeten Clusters vom Gerüst‐ zum entsprechenden Zielprotein. Trotz wichtiger Erkenntnisse aus In‐vivo‐ und In‐vitro‐Studien sind die mikroskopischen Details dieses Ligandenaustausches bisher nicht verstanden. Nun konnte die Isomerisierung eines biomimetischen [2Fe‐2S]‐Clusters mit gemischten S/N‐Donorliganden mechanistisch aufgeklärt werden. Dieser Cluster liegt in Lösung in Form zweier geometrischer Isomere vor, und die temperaturabhängige 1H‐NMR‐Spektroskopie lieferte detaillierte Einblicke in den Verlauf der Isomerisierung. Ein kombinierter theoretischer und experimenteller Ansatz zeigt, dass es sich hierbei um einen assoziativen Prozess mit Koordination eines Lösungsmittelmoleküls an eines der beiden Eisen(III)‐Ionen handelt. In der protonierten und der gemischtvalenten Form des Clusters läuft die Isomerisierung um mindestens zwei Größenordnungen schneller ab. Diese Ergebnisse leisten einen Beitrag zum Verständnis von Signalgebungs‐ und Ligandenaustauschprozessen in der Biosynthese von Eisen‐Schwefel‐Cofaktoren.
Dehydrogenative B−H/C(sp3)−H Benzylic Borylation within the Coordination Sphere of Platinum(II)
Authors: Kelly Colin M. , Fuller Jack T. , Macaulay Casper M. , McDonald Robert , Ferguson Michael J. , Bischof Steven M. , Sydora Orson L. , Ess Daniel H. , Stradiotto Mark , Turculet Laura
Published: March 2017

The first examples of stoichiometric dehydrogenative B−H/C(sp3)−H benzylic borylation reactions, which are of relevance to catalytic methylarene (di)borylation, are reported. These unusual transformations involving a (κ2‐P,N)Pt(η3‐benzyl) complex, and either pinacolborane or catecholborane, proceed cleanly at room temperature. Density functional calculations suggest that borylation occurs via successive σ‐bond metathesis steps, whereby a PtII−H intermediate engages in C(sp3)−H bond activation‐induced dehydrogenation.