bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
,Deutschsprachige Briefkultur im europäischen Kontext‘
Authors: Chiara Conterno
Published: September 2020

Während der Brief in der Alltagskommunikation unserer globalisierten Welt längst ersetzt worden ist durch elektronische Medien, gewinnt die Form epistolaren Schreibens heute immer klarere Konturen und wird in ihrer spezifischen Medialität und historischen Relevanz erkennbar.
Die Geschichte des Briefes als einer der wesentlichen Ausdrucksformen neuzeitlicher Individualität ist inzwischen – zumindest in Ansätzen und kulturhistorischen Momentaufnahmen – untersucht worden. Zur Entwicklung der Gattung ,Brief‘ im Laufe der Jahrhunderte
wurden in den letzten Jahren einige Studien veröffentlicht. Es sei an folgende Werke erinnert: Deutsche Briefe, 1750–1950, hg. von Heinz Schlaffer, Gert Mattenklott und Hannelore Schlaffer (Frankfurt a.M. 1988); Karl Heinz Bohrer, Der romantische Brief. Die Entstehung
ästhetischer Subjektivität, (Frankfurt a.M. 1989); Reinhard M. G. Nickisch, Brief (Stuttgart 1991); Annette C. Anton, Authentizität als Fiktion. Briefkultur im 18. und 19. Jahrhundert (Stuttgart 1995); Robert Velussig, Schriftliche Gespräche. Briefkultur im
18. Jahrhundert (Wien 2000); Johannes Anderegg, Schreibe mir oft! Zum Medium Brief zwischen 1750 und 1830 (Göttingen 2001); Tanja Reinlein, Der Brief als Medium der Empfindsamkeit. Erschriebene Identitäten und Inszenierungspotentiale (Würzburg 2003); András
F. Balogh, Der Brief in der österreichischen und ungarischen Literatur (Budapest 2005); Vom Verkehr mit Dichtern und Gespenstern. Figuren der Autorschaft in der Briefkultur, hg. von Jochen Strobel (Heidelberg 2006); Adressat: Nachwelt. Briefkultur und Ruhmbildung,
hg. von Detlev Schrötter (ünchen 2008); Der Brief. Ereignis & Objekt, hg. von Anne Bohnenkamp–Renke und Waltraud Wiethölter (Frankfurt a.M. 2008); Jörg Schuster und Jochen Strobel, Briefkultur – Texte und Interpretationen von Martin Luther bis
Thomas Bernhard (Berlin 2013); Briefkultur. Transformationen epistolaren Schreibens in der deutschen Literatur, hg. von Isolde Schiffermüller und Chiara Conterno (Würzburg 2015); Deutschsprachige Briefdiskurse zwischen den Weltkriegen. Texte, Kontexte, Netzwerke,
hg. von Sabina Becker und Sonia Goldblum (München 2018).
Die Tagebücher Carl Schmitts
Authors: Tielke Von Martin , Giesler Gerd
Published: September 2020

Das Werk Carl Schmitts (1888-1985) wird von seinem Verlag Duncker & Humblot in vorbildlicher Weise betreut. Nahezu sämtliche monographische Titel – nur an sehr wenigen hat der Verlag nicht die Rechte – sind hier lieferbar gehalten, zunächst als fotomechanische
Nachdrucke, jetzt zunehmend auf der Basis eines um die Korrekturen Schmitts in seinen Handexemplaren ergänzten und durch Register erschlossenen Neusatzes. Duncker & Humblot ist zudem nicht nur um die selbständigen Veröffentlichungen bemüht, der Verlag hat auch, neben
den beiden von Schmitt selbst herausgegebenen Aufsatzbänden, weitere Aufsätze Schmitts in zwei voluminösen, von Günter Maschke vorzüglich edierten und reich kommentierten Bänden vorgelegt. Damit sind optimale Bedingungen gegeben für eine lebendige Rezeption
diesseits des Mausoleums einer historisch-kritischen Gesamtausgabe.
ANALISIS SIDIK CEPAT KERAWANAN LONGSOR LAHAN DI KAWASAN PERTAMBANGAN TANAH URUG
Authors: Kiky Widyaputra Primanda , Herniti Dwi
Published: September 2020

Kegiatan pertambangan tanah urug pada topografi yang berbukit memiliki potensi terjadi longsor lahan. Suatu kejadian longsor lahan pada kegiatan pertambangan dapat menimbulkan kerugian baik berupa material ataupun korban jiwa, sehingga diperlukan kajian sebagai upaya mitigasi dan pengurangan risiko longsor di kawasan pertambangan tanah urug. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah 1) mengidentifikasi lokasi potensi longsor lahan di kawasan pertambangan tanah urug Kabupaten Bantul; dan 2) menganalisis faktor longsor lahan secara sidik cepat di kawasan pertambangan tanah urug Kabupaten Bantul. Identifikasi potensi longsor dilakukan melalui pendekatan spasial guna memperoleh informasi kerawanan longsor secara sidik cepat. Metode identifikasi lokasi berpotensi longsor dilakukan dengan pengamatan kelerengan, penggunaan lahan, geologi dan tanah. Hasil analisis sidik cepat, adanya kejadian longsor terdahulu, pemodelan lereng, dan pengamatan lapangan menunjukkan potensi kerawanan longsor lahan terdapat di kawasan pertambangan tanah urug di Dusun Karangtalun, Wukirsari, Imogiri, Bantul, dan faktor longsor lahan adalah dari faktor topografi dan lereng.
The Mira-Titan Universe. III. Emulation of the Halo Mass Function
Authors: Bocquet Sebastian , Heitmann Katrin , Habib Salman , Lawrence Earl , Uram Thomas , Frontiere Nicholas , Pope Adrian , Finkel Hal
Published: September 2020

We construct an emulator for the halo mass function over group and cluster mass scales for a range of cosmologies, including the effects of dynamical dark energy and massive neutrinos. The emulator is based on the recently completed Mira-Titan Universe suite of cosmological N-body simulations. The main set of simulations spans 111 cosmological models with 2.1 Gpc boxes. We extract halo catalogs in the redshift range z = [0.0, 2.0] and for masses

. The emulator covers an eight-dimensional hypercube spanned by {

,

,

, σ
8, h, n

s
, w
0, w

a
}; spatial flatness is assumed. We obtain smooth halo mass functions by fitting piecewise second-order polynomials to the halo catalogs and employ Gaussian process regression to construct the emulator while keeping track of the statistical noise in the input halo catalogs and uncertainties in the regression process. For redshifts z ≲ 1, the typical emulator precision is better than 2% for

and <10% for

. For comparison, fitting functions using the traditional universal form for the halo mass function can be biased at up to 30% at

for z = 0. Our emulator is publicly available at https://github.com/SebastianBocquet/MiraTitanHMFemulator.
Rotational Disruption of Dust and Ice by Radiative Torques in Protoplanetary Disks and the Implications for Observations
Authors: Tung Ngo-Duy , Hoang Thiem
Published: September 2020

Dust and ice mantles on dust grains play an important role in various processes in protoplanetary disks (PPDs) around a young star, including planetesimal formation, surface chemistry, and being the reservoir of water in habitable zones. In this paper, we perform two-dimensional modeling of rotational disruption of dust grains and ice mantles due to centrifugal force within suprathermally rotating grains spun-up by radiative torques for disks around T-Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars. We first study rotational disruption of large composite grains and find that large aggregates could be disrupted into individual nanoparticles via the RAdiative Torque Disruption (RATD) mechanism. We then study rotational desorption of ice mantles and ro-thermal desorption of molecules from the ice mantle. We find that ice mantles in the disk's warm surface layer and above can be disrupted into small icy fragments, followed by rapid evaporation of molecules. We suggest that the rotational disruption mechanism can replenish the ubiquitous presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/nanoparticles in the hot surface layers of PPDs as observed in mid-IR emission, which are presumably destroyed by extreme ultraviolet (UV) stellar photons. We find that the water snowline is more extended in the presence of rotational desorption, which would decrease the number of comets but increase the number of asteroids formed in the solar nebula. Finally, we suggest that RATD breaking up carbonaceous grains more efficiently than it does silicates might resolve the carbon deficit problem measured on the Earth and rocky bodies.
The Information Content in Analytic Spot Models of Broadband Precision Light Curves. II. Spot Distributions and Lifetimes and Global and Differential Rotation
Authors: Basri Gibor , Shah Riya
Published: September 2020

With the advent of space-based precision photometry missions, the quantity and quality of starspot light curves has greatly increased. This paper presents a large number of starspot models and their resulting light curves to (1) better determine light-curve metrics and methods that convey useful physical information and (2) understand how the underlying degeneracies of the translation from physical starspot distributions to the resulting light curves obscure that information. We explore models of relatively active stars at several inclinations while varying the number of (dark) spots, random spot distributions in position and time, timescales of growth and decay, and differential rotation. We examine the behavior of absolute and differential variations of individual intensity dips and overall light curves and demonstrate how complex spot distributions and behaviors result in light curves that typically exhibit only one or two dips per rotation. Unfortunately, simplistic “one- or two-spot” or “active longitude” descriptions or modeling of light curves can often be highly misleading. We also show that short “activity cycles” can easily be simply due to random processes. It turns out to be quite difficult to disentangle the competing effects of spot lifetime and differential rotation, but under most circumstances, spot lifetime is the more influential of the two. Many of the techniques tried to date only work when spots live for many rotations. These include autocorrelation degradation for spot lifetimes and periodograms for both global and differential rotation. Differential rotation may be nearly impossible to accurately infer from light curves alone unless spots live for many rotations. The Sun and solar-type stars its age or older are unfortunately the most difficult type of case. Further work is needed to have increased confidence in light-curve inferences.
Detection of a Disk Surrounding the Variably Accreting Young Star HBC722
Authors: (Zach) Xi Yek , Dunham Michael M. , Arce Héctor G. , Bourke Tyler L. , Chen Xuepeng , Green Joel D. , Kóspál Ágnes , Longmore Steven N.
Published: September 2020

We present new ALMA 233 GHz continuum observations of the FU Orionis Object HBC722. With these data we detect HBC722 at millimeter wavelengths for the first time, use this detection to calculate a circumstellar disk mass of 0.024 M
⊙, and discuss implications for the burst triggering mechanism.
Baseline Resistance-Associated Substitutions may Impact DAA Response among Treatment Failure Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin in Real Life
Authors: Ren Shan , Wei Feili , Jin Yi , Lu Junfeng , He Zhimin , Ma Lina , Zheng Yanhong , Wang Junli , Chen Xinyue
Published: September 2020

Background

To evaluate the impact of baseline resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment response among pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin (PR) failing patients in a real-life setting.

Methods

Blood samples and clinical data from 171 patients who failed PR treatment were collected. All of them received rescue DAA regimens. RAS identified in the NS3, NS5A and NS5B regions by Sanger sequencing method were compared by DAA regimen and HCV subtypes. We assessed sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12) and evaluated the impact of baseline RASs on the effectiveness of DAA regimens in clinical practice.

Results

The overall SVR12 rates were: 89.47% (153/171), 92.1% (117/127) in patients without cirrhosis versus 81.8% (36/44) in those with cirrhosis, without significant difference (χ2=3.69, P=0.08); 87.9% in genotype (GT)1b patients ( n=116) versus 93.8% in GT2a ( n=32) versus 90.5% in GT3 ( n=21) versus 100% in GT6 ( n=2), without significant difference (χ2=1.02, P=0.84); 66.7% in asunaprevir (ASV) + daclatasvir (DCV) regimen ( n=24) versus 94.0% in sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimen ( n=133), with significant difference (χ2=19.7, P=0.001). Our results showed that the prevalence of NS3, NS5A, NS5B RASs was 45.02%, 39.76% and 71.34%, respectively, and higher incidence of RASs in cirrhosis than without cirrhosis (81.8% versus 63.8%), with a statistically significant difference (χ2=4.92, P=0.03). In the ASV/DCV cohort ( n=24), 4 of 11 patients (36.4%) with baseline NS3/NS5A RASs achieved SVR12, whereas 12 of 13 patients (92.3%) without RASs achieved SVR12, with significant difference (χ2=8.39, P=0.008). However, this relationship was not seen in the SOF-based subgroup (94.6% versus 92.7%; χ2=0.18, P=0.7). Treatment failure with DAAs occurred in 10.53% ( n=18) of our study population, baseline NS5A substitution including L31M or Y93H ( n=13) was the most frequently detected RAS, rescue regimen with velpatasvir (VEL)/SOF + ribavirin (RBV) for 12 weeks or 24 weeks was highly effective in patients who failed previous use of NS5A inhibitors, regardless of GT or cirrhosis.

Conclusions

Natural RASs are common in Chinese patients failing with PR treatment. High prevalence of clinically relevant RASs (such as L31M, Y93H) supports the appropriateness of HCV resistance tests to properly guide DAA-based therapy. These findings might be used to select salvage therapies.
Cyperus-dominated vegetation in the eastern Po river
Authors: Pellizzari Mauro
Published: September 2020

The ephemeral vegetation dominated by Cyperus sp. pl. was surveyed and analyzed along the eastern trait of the Po River (Po Plain, Italy). Two formerly described communities were recognized: Cyperetum esculenti and Amaranthus tuberculatus-phytocoenon. A third greater cluster is assigned to a new association: Cyperetum micheliano-glomerati. It is characterized by Cyperus glomeratus, C. michelianus, C. odoratus and C. squarrosus, that have been detected on over 75 % of the relevés. The main floristic and ecological traits of these detected vegetation types are discussed.
Seven new species of jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) from Xishuangbanna, China
Authors: Wang Cheng , Li Shuqiang
Published: September 2020

Seven new species of jumping spiders collected from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in Yunnan, China, are diagnosed and described: Charippus yinaesp. nov. (♂♀), Chinattus inflatussp. nov. (♂), Indomarengo yuisp. nov. (♂), Phintella bannasp. nov. (♂♀), P. miisp. nov. (♂♀), Simaetha menglunsp. nov. (♂♀) and S. pengisp. nov. (♂♀). Charippus yinaesp. nov. is the second species of the genus Charippus Thorell, 1895, which was previously known only from one sex.
Development of early maturity maize hybrids for resistance toFusarium andAspergillus ear rots and their associated mycotoxins
Authors: Stagnati L. , Martino M. , Battilani P. , Busconi M. , Lanubile A. , Marocco A.
Published: September 2020

Maize is mainly affected by two fungal pathogens,Fusarium verticillioides andAspergillus flavus, causingFusarium ear rot (FER) andAspergillus ear rot (AER), respectively. Both fungi are of concern to stakeholders as they affect crop yield and quality, contaminating maize grains with the mycotoxins fumonisins and aflatoxins. The easiest strategy to prevent pre-harvest contamination byF. verticillioides andA. flavus is to develop maize hybrids resistant to FER and AER, as well as to their associated mycotoxins. The objective of this investigation was to test 46 F1 hybrids, originated from different Italian, US and Canadian breeding groups, for these important traits and their agronomic performances. All hybrids were planted and artificially inoculated with toxigenic strains ofF. verticillioides andA. flavus at two locations in 2017, and the best performing 17 out of 46 were also tested in 2018. Ear rots were present in all hybrids in 2017 and 2018, with percentages ranging from 6.50 to 49.50%, and 5.50 to 45.53%, for FER and AER, respectively. Seven hybrids (PC8, PC15, PC9, PC11, PC14, PC34 and PC17) presented the lowest levels of both diseases considering the overall locations and growing seasons, and three of these (PC8, PC11 and PC14) were also amongst the least mycotoxin contaminated hybrids in 2017. The inbred lines used in hybrid production may provide additional sources of resistance suitable in breeding programs targeting multiple pathogens and their mycotoxins.
Investigating the Role of Professional Accounting Education in Enhancing Meta-Competency Development
Authors: Morpurgo Mark T. , Azevedo Ana
Published: September 2020

A broad set of business competencies, meta-competencies (MCs), include influencing/persuading, teamwork/relationship building, critical/analytical thinking, self/time management, leadership, strategic thinking, presentation, and communication. This chapter incorporates research from two studies examining MCs in undergraduate and professional business programs. The MISLEM project found that, in comparison to graduates, employers demonstrated less optimism about graduates' competencies. Subsequently, Morpurgo investigated differences in the perception of competency acquisition between professional accountants (PAs) and supervisors in Canada by posing three questions: 1) Is there a MC importance gap between Canadian PAs and their supervisors? 2) Do professional accounting programs contribute to bridging the MC capability gap? and 3) What factors contribute to MC development? The study found perceptual differences between PAs and supervisors regarding the importance and capability of MCs as well as differences in work experience and classroom learning for competency development.
Competency Mapping for Technical Educational Institutes in India
Authors: Kumar Parvesh , Singhal Sandeep , Kansal Jimmy
Published: September 2020

Achieving and maintaining organizational excellence in a technical educational institution largely depends on the competencies of faculty members. Consequently, the management of faculty competencies are very important for any technical educational institution. Work skills lead to significant organizational growth which provides a competitive advantage to technical educational institutions. A critical factor related to the long-term success of an institution is its ability to assess the efficiency of the faculty and use that knowledge to achieve tangible results. For the overall development of students and the organization, knowledge of faculty members about mapping systems and process upgradation is important. This chapter discusses in depth the mapping of competences in the technical educational institute at different levels and analyzes the deficiencies in required skills to improve the level of competency. The research was carried out by taking a study on a government engineering institute based at Haryana, India as a model technical educational institute.
IT-Enabled Competency-Based Performance Management System
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Kankana , Banerjea Nikhil Ranjan , Sil Jaya
Published: September 2020

Competency-based performance management system (CBPMS) has become the key tool for every firm to be in a strategically sustained advantageous position. The objective is to identify relevant and important competencies for successful accomplishment of desired tasks. In this chapter a holistic approach is proposed to review the competency-based approach that is based on the framework of relevant work-related and behavioral competencies. CBPMS is explained in terms of sequential steps of framing the competencies which provide better performance advantages with their expected values and thereby measuring the levels of these work related and behavioral competencies present in the job incumbents with the help of IT interventions. Using this approach, an organization will be able to more effectively use their limited resources to reap more benefits from their investments in both people and technology.
A Comparative Policy Analysis in the E-Health Industry Between China and the USA
Authors: Ma Xiang , Ding Kun , Shyu Joseph Z.
Published: September 2020

With the problems of neonatal survival and aging of the population becoming increasingly serious, the voice that longs for a new model of the medical industry is pushed to the limelight in the society. Gradually, a neologism “eHealth” is perceived by the public. A number of countries believe the eHealth industry will be the most promising industry in the 21st century, and policies should be made to promote its development. From the view of the policy tools, this paper proposes a theoretical analysis framework for the eHealth industry to compare the policies of the eHealth industry between China and the USA, who respectively enacted “Healthy China 2030” and “Federal Health IT Strategic Plan (2015-2020).” The results illustrate that China prefers to use “demand side policy,” which focuses on “legal and regulatory” and “public services.” While the USA prefers to use “supply side policy,” which focuses on “public services.” Moreover, this study unscrambles the specific policy terms and provides the policy recommendations for the further development of the eHealth industry.
Single-Channel Region-Based Speller for Controlling Home Appliances
Authors: Shukla Praveen Kumar , Chaurasiya Rahul Kumar , Verma Shrish
Published: September 2020

The brain-computer interface (BCI) system uses electroencephalography (EEG) signals for correspondence between the human and the outside world. This BCI communication system does not require any muscle action; hence, it can be controlled with the help of brain activities only. Therefore, this kind of system is helpful for patients, who are completely paralyzed or suffering from diseases like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and spinal cord injury, etc., but having a normal functioning brain. A region-based P300 speller system for controlling home electronic appliances is proposed in this article. With the help of the proposed system, users can control and use appliances like an electronic door, fan, light, system, etc., without carrying out any physical movement. The experiments are conducted for five, ten, and fifteen trails for each subject. Among all classifiers, the ANN classifier provides the best off-line experiment accuracy of the order of 80% for fifteen flashes. Moreover, for the control translation, the Arduino module is also designed which is low cost and low power-based and physically controlled a device.
The Impact of Compulsory Computer Studies on ICT Literacy at Junior Secondary Schools in Livingstone District
Authors: Simulwi Leslie , Musonda Evaristo
Published: September 2020

The study investigates the impact of compulsory computer studies (CS) on information and communication technology (ICT) literacy in secondary schools in the Livingstone District, Zambia. The objectives were to investigate the availability of specialised ICT teachers, to find out the availability of ICT equipment and infrastructure, and to establish the impacts of compulsory ICT. The study was mainly qualitative using primary data, however, had a component of quantitative research using secondary data in form of Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ), ICT examinations results for grade nine. The study established that the introduction of ICT as a compulsory subject had an impact on teacher and pupil literacy in ICT, and due to insufficient ICT equipment, may have negatively affected the performance of the pupils in the ICT final examination.
Student Performance Measurement on Psychometric Parameters
Authors: Burman Iti , Som Subhranil , Hossain Syed Akhter , Sharma Mayank
Published: September 2020

Educational data mining provides various advantages to the education systems in many ways. It enhances the teaching process, the learning process, the scholastic performance of students, career selection, employability, and more. The differences in attitude of students' behavior lead to difference in their academic performance. The article covers the non-intellectual parameters of students to enhance their academic performance. The study tests the relationship between psychometric constructs of students and their academic correlate. The models for enhancing intellectual performance which involves various non-intellectual parameters are analyzed using structural equation modeling. It is observed that the values of the models were retrieved near to fit values. The results entail that the models will be beneficial for students in improving their academic performance by revising their psychological parameters.
Start a Business, Get a Credit, Make an Impact
Authors: Samoilenko Sergey , Osei-Bryson Kweku-Muata
Published: September 2020

It is well known that small and medium enterprises (SME) are important drivers of economic growth, particularly in the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, typically many SMEs operate as informal enterprises which limits their access to finance. Access to appropriate levels of credit (i.e., get credit) is generally a necessary condition but not sufficient condition for improvement in socio-economic outcomes (i.e., make impact). Thus, improving access to credit is still a desirable goal. This paper uses a DEA-based multi-method approach to explore the “ICT Capabilities & Going Legit & Get Credit & Make Impact” path. The results show that there are statistically significant links between ICT Capabilities and legitimization of SMEs (i.e., going legit), ICT capabilities and get credit, and going legit and get credit. Given this desirability of improving access to credit (i.e., get credit), these results suggest that the increasing the level ICT capabilities should result in increases in the levels of going legit and get credit.
Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Services in Bindura Urban of Zimbabwe
Authors: Kurebwa Jeffrey
Published: September 2020

This study seeks to understand the capacity of adolescent-friendly reproductive health services (AFRHS) in promoting sexual reproductive health (SRP) among adolescents in Bindura Urban of Zimbabwe. The data collection methods used allowed the researcher to get insight on adolescents' experience and the factors associated with their accessing SRH services from AFRHS, the meaning of AFRHS for adolescents, healthcare providers' attitudes towards adolescents seeking SRH services, and community perceptions and readiness to accept AFRHS. The findings showed that both socio-cultural and health facility factors influence utilisation of SRH services. Many of these factors stem from the moral framework encapsulated in socio-cultural norms and values related to the sexual health of adolescents and healthcare providers' poor value clarification. This study provides an empirical understanding of the reasons and factors associated with SRH service utilisation, which goes much deeper than program provision of AFRHS in Zimbabwe.
The Optimal Path Finding Algorithm Based on Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Khekare Ganesh , Verma Pushpneel , Dhanre Urvashi , Raut Seema , Sheikh Shahrukh
Published: September 2020

Urbanization has been extensively increased in the last decade. In proportion, the number of vehicles throughout the world is increasing broadly. The detailed survey of available optimal path algorithms is done in this article, and to ease the overall traveling process, a dynamic algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm takes into consideration multiple objectives like dynamic traffic density, distance, history data, etc. and provides an optimal route solution. It is hinged on reinforcement learning and capable of deciding the optimal route on its own. A comparative analysis of the proposed algorithm is done with a genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization algorithm, and the artificial neural networks algorithm. Through simulation results, it is proved that the proposed algorithm has better efficiency, decision making, and stability. It will ease the driver's headache and make the journey more comfortable with traffic less short distance routes that will minimize overall travel time making a positive impact on traffic jams, accidents, fuel consumption, and pollution.
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor α Subunits Regulate Tie2-Expressing Macrophages That Influence Tumor Oxygen and Perfusion in Murine Breast Cancer
Authors: Steinberger Kayla J. , Forget Mary A. , Bobko Andrey A. , Mihalik Nicole E. , Gencheva Marieta , Roda Julie M. , Cole Sara L. , Mo Xiaokui , Hoblitzell E. Hannah , Evans Randall , Gross Amy C. , Moldovan Leni , Marsh Clay B. , Khramtsov Valery V. , Eubank Timothy D.
Published: September 2020

Tie2-expressing monocytes/macrophages (TEMs) are a distinct subset of proangiogenic monocytes selectively recruited to tumors in breast cancer. Because of the hypoxic nature of solid tumors, we investigated if oxygen, via hypoxia-inducible transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α, regulates TEM function in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. We orthotopically implanted PyMT breast tumor cells into the mammary fat pads of syngeneic LysMcre, HIF-1αfl/fl/LysMcre, or HIF-2αfl/fl/LysMcre mice and evaluated the tumor TEM population. There was no difference in the percentage of tumor macrophages among the mouse groups. In contrast, HIF-1αfl/fl/LysMcre mice had a significantly smaller percentage of tumor TEMs compared with control and HIF-2αfl/fl/LysMcre mice. Proangiogenic TEMs in macrophage HIF-2α–deficient tumors presented significantly more CD31+ microvessel density but exacerbated hypoxia and tissue necrosis. Reduced numbers of proangiogenic TEMs in macrophage HIF-1α–deficient tumors presented significantly less microvessel density but tumor vessels that were more functional as lectin injection revealed more perfusion, and functional electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed more oxygen in those tumors. Macrophage HIF-1α–deficient tumors also responded significantly to chemotherapy. These data introduce a previously undescribed and counterintuitive prohypoxia role for proangiogenic TEMs in breast cancer which is, in part, suppressed by HIF-2α.
Study on the Pre-Chamber Fueling Ratio Effect on the Main Chamber Combustion Using Simultaneous PLIF and OH* Chemiluminescence Imaging
Authors: Sampath Ramgopal , Tang Qinglong , Echeverri Marquez Manuel , Sharma Priybrat , Hlaing Ponnya , Ben Houidi Moez , Cenker Emre , Chang Junseok , Johansson Bengt , Magnotti Gaetano
Published: September 2020

Pre-chamber combustion (PCC) enables leaner air-fuel ratio operation by improving its ignitability and extending flammability limit, and consequently, offers better thermal efficiency than conventional spark ignition operation. The geometry and fuel concentration of the pre-chamber (PC) is one of the major parameters that affect overall performance. To understand the dynamics of the PCC in practical engine conditions, this study focused on (i) correlation of the events in the main chamber (MC) with the measured in-cylinder pressure traces and, (ii) the effect of fuel concentration on the MC combustion characteristics using laser diagnostics. We performed simultaneous acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) from the side, and OH* chemiluminescence imaging from the bottom in a heavy-duty optical engine. Two different PC Fueling Ratios (PCFR, the ratio of PC fuel to the total fuel), 7%, and 13%, were investigated. The “negative” regions of the PLIF fields were used to visualize PC jets and the MC combustion. The absence of acetone seeding in the PC, and its consumption during the MC combustion contributed to the loss of PLIF signal (negative regions). The instantaneous PLIF/OH* fields showed the appearance of PC jets near its pressure maximum. The PC jet interacting with the piston surface was accompanied by an increase in OH* chemiluminescence intensity and its area. Increasing PCFR resulted in a lag of ~0.6° crank angle in the PC and MC pressure and the pressure difference (ΔPPC-MC) between the two, for the two PCFR cases. This led to a phase lag in the PC flame jet penetration distance, which in turn delayed the increase in the total OH* chemiluminescence intensity for the higher PCFR case. For similar ΔPPC-MC, we observed wider OH* regions with increased PCFR. This result distinguished the radical concentration effect on the MC combustion from the fluid mechanical effects controlled by ΔPPC-MC.
In-Cycle Closed-Loop Combustion Control for Pilot Misfire Compensation
Authors: Jorques Moreno Carlos , Stenlaas Ola , Tunestal Per
Published: September 2020

Pilot injections are normally used for the reduction of diesel engine emissions and combustion noise. Nonetheless, with a penalty on the indicated thermal efficiency. The cost is reduced by the minimization of the pilot mass, which on its counterpart increases the risk of pilot misfire. Pilot misfire can have a higher penalty on the indicated efficiency if it is not compensated adequately. This paper investigates how in-cycle closed-loop combustion control techniques can reduce the effects of pilot misfire events.

By closed-loop combustion control, pilot misfire can be detected and counteracted in-cycle. Two injection strategies are investigated. The first is the control of the main injection, the second includes an additional second pilot injection. Based on the in-cycle misfire diagnose, two architectures are investigated. The first uses a cycle-to-cycle controller to set the main injection under each scenario. The second is a fully in-cycle controller with feedback from predictive models. All the algorithms were tested experimentally in a Scania D13 engine.

The results confirmed that in-cycle closed-loop combustion control can effectively reduce the effects of pilot misfire. An error of +1.5CAD on the main SOC and −0.5bar IMEP on the engine load was reduced to 0±0.6CAD and 0±0.4bar IMEP using the cycle-to-cycle architecture. The predictive in-cycle control can further reduce the error of the main SOC to 0±0.4CAD and 0±0.2bar IMEP for the engine load. These two approaches had one degree of freedom, and therefore only one of the combustion timing parameters (SOC or CA50) was regulated successfully. With the additional degree of freedom of the second pilot injection, the misfire effects were not only reduced, but also fully counteracted.

The methods are limited by the time window where pilot misfire observability and controllability overlap. This is set by the injections’ separations and the respective ignition delays. The second pilot injection can be further improved by the regulation of its injection timing and duration. The results can enhance the nominal set-up optimization by including the in-cycle controllability and regulation performance in the constraints.
Velocity Field Measurements with High Speed Structural Image Velocimetry in the Primary Atomization Region of Future Diesel Fuels
Authors: Dageförde Toni , Gröger Karsten , Kawaharada Noritsune , Dinkelacker Friedrich
Published: September 2020

Fuel spray breakup in combustion engines and hence all following processes are determined by the primary atomization. Due to high optical densities as well as high velocities and structures in the μm-range, the measurement of sprays in the near nozzle region is extremely challenging. Therefore, the processes of the primary breakup are not fully understood yet, although these processes are very important for simulation of spray atomization. One important property of a spray is the velocity distribution close to the nozzle outlet. With the newly developed Structural Image Velocimetry (SIV) technique it is possible to visualize spray structures in the near nozzle region and track them via cross-correlation algorithms, so that two-dimensional velocity fields of the spray can be derived. The initial SIV technique is improved with a new high-speed setup, allowing to observe also the temporal behavior of the spray velocities during the injection. Within this work, velocities of potential future diesel fuels were measured under engine relevant conditions with a variation of fuel pressure, fuel temperature and gas pressure based on the ECN Spray A conditions. Velocity fields of Oxymethlyenether 3-5 (OME) as an E-Fuel and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a Bio-Fuel were measured and compared with Gas-to-Liquid Diesel (GTL) as a reference fuel. For constant fuel pressures, the velocity distribution for OME shows significantly different values than for GTL and HVO, having about 15 % lower values and much lower deceleration behavior in downstream direction. Obviously the OME spray has a weaker air-fuel interaction. This can be attributed to a lower density leading to reduced nozzle outlet velocities and a lower Weber number.
Parameter Identification of a Power Loss Model for Vehicle Transmissions Based on Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Liu Zhihong , Rinderknecht Stephan
Published: September 2020

As the transmission design directly impacts drive unite operation and power flow to the driveline, the transmission power loss is a critical target in the drivetrain development. The demand of more precise and more efficient power loss prediction has therefore increased significantly, which highlights the need of new methodologies in order to optimize the power loss model for vehicle transmissions. The possible power losses that exist in the power flow path, are gear mesh losses, gear churning losses, gear windage losses, bearing losses, synchronizer losses and sealing losses. Thanks to the decades of research, analytical models are available for the prediction of these component losses, which could deliver power loss distributions and overall efficiency maps of complex transmissions.

The aim of this paper is to introduce a methodology to improve the accuracy of a chosen power loss model on a system level. A detailed power loss prediction for a two-speed transmission in an electric vehicle has been performed. The simulated overall power losses and the available experimental results match well. However, since many assumptions are made in the analytical modelling process, there are still deviations between the predicted and the measured results. In order to reduce the deviations, all uncertain parameters are firstly analyzed based on the parameter sensitivity analysis method FAST that allows determining the influential uncertain parameters. The sensitivities of those influential parameters are locally defined at all operating regions, by which the sensitive operating areas of all influential uncertain parameters to the overall power losses could be defined. The identification of these parameters at their sensitive regions prevents the unnecessary interference with other uncertain parameters at the identification process. With the help of identified parameters, a better proximity between the simulated and measured results is achieved.
Online Estimation of Membrane Water Content in Vehicular PEMFC by Complex Morlet Wavelet Transformations
Authors: Jin Jie , Su Zhou , Wei Yuehua , Lin Shi
Published: September 2020

The amount of water content in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is an important factor affecting the efficiency and life of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and there are several methods to measure it. However, it’s widely believed that the most feasible method to measure the water content in the MEA is an indirect way as described below: measure the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and take advantage of the positive correlation between the proton’s conductivity, which is reciprocal of specific resistance, and the water content in MEA. The traditional EIS measurement method has the shortcoming of high cost and slow speed, especially in low frequency bands, so this method is unsuitable for high-power vehicle fuel cell systems. In this paper, a measuring method which does not require a large number of experiments and only need to perform Morlet wavelet transform on the PEMFC voltage signal as well as current signal is proposed. The EIS of PEMFC is exactly the quotient obtained by dividing the voltage wavelet coefficient by the current wavelet coefficient. This measuring method is firstly verified in by simulation in a PEMFC equivalent circuit model established on the MATLAB/Simulink platform and then is tested in a commercial fuel cell simulation platform. The simulation results show that the EIS measured by wavelet transform is very close to the theoretical value and can effectively determine the level of water content in the proton exchange membrane in the current state. This positive result can be further applied to the dynamic control of water balance in automotive fuel cell systems.
Dorsal Morphology of the Calcaneus—An Osteological Study
Authors: Murerwa Rebecca , Amuti Thomas , Muuthuri Nikita , Wambui Anita , Ouko Innocent , Ogeng’o Julius
Published: September 2020

Background: The calcaneus exhibits variations in articular facets and calcaneal sulcus width. These variations influence occurrence of osteoarthritic conditions, whose prevalence is significant in our setting, and are essential during surgeries involving the foot. Despite this, local data on calcaneal facets remain scarce.

Methods: Sixty calcanei were obtained from the National Museum of Kenya. The number, type and shapes of their facets were documented and calcaneal sulcus width measured. Images were taken and collected data were represented in tables and figures.

Results: The calcanei had 1–3 articular facets. The common calcanei type noted was type 1B on the right calcaneus and 1B on the left. The least was type 4 on the right and 2C on the left. In terms of shape, types 1 and 4 calcanei had non-rounded facets while type 2 had rounded facets. The width of the sulcus calcanei was narrowest among type 1 calcanei in the right foot at 0.53 cm. On the left foot, type 2 calcanei had narrower (0.455 cm, range 0.35–0.60) calcaneal sulcus width.

Conclusion: Our findings may aid in surgeries of the foot and in providing a link between local calcaneal variations and prevalence of osteoarthritic foot conditions.

Keywords: Calcaneal-facets, Sinus tarsi, Arthritis
Comparison of strength of sandcrete blocks produce with fine aggregate from different sources
Authors: Alejo A. O.
Published: September 2020

Sandcrete blocks comprise of water, natural sand cement. Sandcrete blocks are the building units used in the construction of wall and partitions. Diverse sizes of sandcrete blocks are used to construct free standing walls and building structure with load and non – load bearing units. This research work investigate and compared strength of sandcrete blocks produced with fine aggregate from different source in Owo local government area. The targeted areas within Owo local government are Emure, Ipele and Shagari. Sieve analysis was conducted on the samples and the result revealed that all the samples are good for sandcrete block production. Thirty six sandcrete cubes samples were mould. The mix proportion 1:6 was used. Batching by volume was adopted. Curing was done by full immersion of sandcrete and compressive strength test was carried out on each specimen at 7, 14. 21 and 28 days respectively. The percentage of fine aggregate used in this research was 100% for all samples. The results revealed that sandcrete blocks produced with fine aggregate from Ipele, Shagari and Emure gives compressive strength of 4,15N/MM2, 3.56N/MM2 and 5.48N/MM2 at 28 days respectively. Based on the result of this research work, it is recommended that Emure fine aggregate (sand) is considered as most suitable out of the samples tested for sandcrete blocks production.

Keywords: Sand, Sandcrete blocks, Compressive strength, Curing, Production practice.
Acidic leaching of iron from Kaoje Goethite ore by hydrochloric acid: Kinetics modelling
Authors: Ayinla K.I. , Baba A.A. , Girigisu S. , Bamigboye O.S. , Tripathy B.C. , Ibrahim A.S. , Azeez S.O.
Published: September 2020

Considering the recent focus of the Nigeria Government to grow and develop the nation’s economy through the solid minerals sector reform, this study has been devoted to the kinetics of a Nigerian goethite ore by hydrochloric acid leaching for improved iron and steel industries applications. This study was performed in three different phases. In the first phase, acidic leaching of iron from a goethite ore was examined and the influence of the operating variables including: HCl concentration, leaching temperature, stirring speed and particle sizes was examined experimentally. The optimum condition was found to be HCl concentration of 1.81M, temperature of 80°C, 200 rpm stirring speed and particle size 0.09 μm for iron in the range of investigated parameters. Under those conditions, the highest iron recovery was obtained to be 95.67 %. In the second phase, the dissolution kinetics of iron was evaluated by the shrinking core models. The finding reveals that diffusion through the fluid was the leaching kinetics rate controlling step of the iron. The activation energy (Ea) was found to be 14.54 kJmol-1 for iron. Equation representing the leaching kinetic of iron was achieved to be 1−2/3α - (1 − x)2/3 = 0.7272 × e−38.29/8.314×T × t. The final stage of the experiment was carried out by characterizing the leached residues by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the result showed majorly the presence of rutile (TiO2), anglesite (PbSO4), and traces of iron-silicate face like pyrite (FeS), quartz (SiO2).

Keywords: kinetics modelling, leaching, low-grade, recovery, shrinking core
Optimizing the control and automation of variable torque on 3-phase induction motor using programable neuro logic controller and variable frequency drive
Authors: Eneh J.N. , Ene P.C.
Published: September 2020

This paper presents optimizing the control and automation of variable torque on 3-phase induction motor using programmable neuro logic controller (PNLC) and variable frequency drive (VFD). The system was designed by developing a transfer model of the nonlinear input current from the load cells and feed to an improved PLC model for an approximate current function which is identified by the VFD with respect to the controlled load torque to power the 4.07KW rated 3-phase induction motor. The models were implemented using control system toolbox, neural network toolbox and simulated with Simulink in MATLAB. From the simulation of the improved controller model, the step response time performance of the PLC was improved from 2.25s to 1.22s with the PNLC.The simulation result of the VFD controlled 3-PIM motor shows that 37.07% of energy (power) was conserved compared to a characterized system with 20% energy conservation rate.

Keywords: 4.07KW 3-phase induction motor, PLC, ANN, VFD, Energy conservation rate
Comparative analysis of selected facial recognition algorithms
Authors: Popoola J.A. , Yinka-Banjo C.O.
Published: September 2020

Systems and applications embedded with facial detection and recognition capabilities are founded on the notion that there are differences in face structures among individuals, and as such, we can perform face-matching using the facial symmetry. A widely used application of facial detection and recognition is in security. It is important that the images be processed correctly for computer-based facial recognition, hence, the usage of efficient, cost-effective algorithms and a robust database. This research work puts these measures into consideration and attempts to determine a cost-effective and reliable algorithm out of three algorithms examined.

Keywords: Haar-Cascade, PCA, Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces, LBPH, Face Recognition.
A Panel Examination of IFRS Adoption and Financial Statement Quality: Evidence from Selected Firms in Ghana
Authors: Amankwa Richard Fosu , Mawutor John Kweku Mensah , Yiadom Eric Boachie
Published: September 2020

This study examined the effect of IFRS adoption on the quality of financial statements of selected firms on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The study used the extent of management practices as a metric for financial statement quality. The audited annual reports of the selected firms from the GSE were analyzed using a panel regression model over the period 2001-2006 and 2007-2014. The study finds the adoption of IFRS to be significantly and negatively affect earnings management practices and, thus, improves financial statement quality. On the extent of earnings management practices, the study finds a decrease in the post-adoption era as opposed to the pre-adoption era, signifying an improvement in accounting quality. The panel regression results show that adopting IFRS significantly decreases the extent of earnings management.