bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La distinción metodológica entre el lenguaje teórico y el lenguaje observacional: un análisis epistemológico
Authors: Islas Mondragón Damián
Published: November 2017

En este artículo analizo los principales argumentos y contraargumentos realistas y antirrealistas que se han construido a favor y en contra de la capacidad científica para producir conocimiento objetivo y verdadero acerca del mundo social y natural. Argumento que el lenguaje teórico y el lenguaje observacional con el que los científicos sociales y naturales se refieren a las diversas entidades, fenómenos, propiedades y procesos científicos observables e inobservables están determinados, en la práctica, por sus tradiciones teóricas de investigación, lo cual muestra que la metodología científica depende en cierta medida de las teorías que son, a lo sumo, un proceder constructivo y no un proceder de descubrimiento.
Pensamiento propio e integración transdisciplinaria en la epistémica social
Authors: Rodríguez Orozco Arlet
Published: November 2017

La educación evoluciona en la vida del estudiante (ontogenia) y en la vida del sistema escolar (filogenia). Estas rutas pueden consolidar la continuidad o producir un cambio en la formación del pensamiento propio como estrategia pedagógica. La experiencia que expongo sucedió durante los ciclos 2015-1 y 2016-1 al dictar la materia Epistemología de la Investigación a nivel licenciatura en Estudios Sociales y Gestión Local en la unidad ENES (UNAM de Morelia. He basado la praxis educativa en dinámicas de colaboración, buscando arraigar la formación cognitiva del pensamiento propio en jóvenes aprendices del estudio social. El descubrimiento constante, la recuperación del pensamiento en tiempo presente y el reconocimiento recíproco produjeron resultados sintéticos dispuestos aquí para la develación reflexiva.
Crisis en la enseñanza de la metodología cualitativa
Authors: López Sánchez Ericka
Published: November 2017

Los nuevos debates metodológicos dentro de las ciencias sociales apuntan a la superación del antagonismo entre lo cuantitativo y lo cualitativo, y proponen el enfoque mixto, integral o de triangulación; no obstante estas propuestas presentan desaciertos específicamente en dos sentidos: 1) continúa una falta de comprensión del origen epistemológico de cada uno de estos enfoques, lo que conlleva a seguir otorgando un rango secundario a lo cualitativo al momento de pretender integrar ambas metodologías y 2) se considera que las técnicas de recopilación de datos son en sí los métodos cualitativos. Se discurre que parte de estos yerros están relacionados con la escasa enseñanza que se hace de la metodología cualitativa a nivel posgrado.
Epistemología y habitus académico en la enseñanza de la investigación. Entrevista a Gilberto Giménez Montiel
Authors: Rizo García Marta , Rodríguez Mora Tania
Published: November 2017

No Aplica
Debates metodológicos contemporáneos: práctica y enseñanza de la investigación social
Authors: Autor Sin
Published: November 2017

No Aplica
El equívoco llamado a una militancia filosófica de Alain Badiou
Authors: Lazo Briones Pablo
Published: November 2017

Quiero defender aquí una lectura doble de la propuesta ético-política de Badiou: por una parte, en tanto que su descripción del acontecimiento abre la posibilidad de una resignificación del orden social en su conjunto y de una idea de resistencia política plausible; por otra parte la derivación de esta resignificación hacia la ética tiende a formalizarse al extremo y, así, a caer en una posición inoperante justo en el medio político y social del que pretendía una renovación. De aquí que su apuesta por una militancia de filósofos acabe por ser equívoca, pues no aclara el papel táctico que tendría dicha militancia.
Zonas intermedias de la cultura. Reflexiones en torno al problema (historiográfico) de la contemporaneidad
Authors: Adler Jazmín
Published: November 2017

Este artículo aborda la complejidad historiográfica implicada en el análisis de fenómenos contemporáneos desde nuestra propia contemporaneidad temporal y espacial, y se enfoca en la problemática suscitada por las prácticas artísticas tecnológicas actuales. Ubicadas entre el instante evasivo del ahora y un pasado que no cesa de quedar atrás, estas prácticas acabaron configurándose como zonas intermedias de la cultura, en tanto rebasan los sobrestimados límites impuestos por “guardianes de frontera” y “fóbicos del tiempo”. Después de revisar ocho nociones filosóficas referidas al carácter intempestivo de los acontecimientos que interrumpen el continuum histórico, se concluye que lo extemporáneo, encarnado por dichos espacios intermedios, constituye la estrategia más legítima para asir la contemporaneidad.
La extensión universitaria en la transformación de la educación superior. El caso de Uruguay
Authors: Cano Menoni Agustín , Castro Vilaboa Diego
Published: November 2017

El presente artículo aborda el potencial pedagógico de la extensión universitaria, cuando es integrada a los procesos de formación e investigación. Se parte de los resultados de un estudio de casos desarrollado en el periodo de agosto de 2011 a febrero de 2013 en el marco de la Administración Nacional de Educación Pública (ANEP) y la Universidad de la República (Ude­lar) (Uruguay). Después de presentar la política de extensión del caso uruguayo, se sintetizan algunas conceptualizaciones de los modelos pedagógicos universitarios, proponiendo su com­plejización a partir de las experiencias estudiadas. Finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones de la investigación en tres ejes de análisis: transformaciones del papel docente; potencial de la extensión para la transformación curricular, y dificultades ob­servadas en relación al marco institucional de las experiencias.
Profundizar en los mooc: una visión pedagógica, económica y social
Authors: Llorent Vaquero Mercedes
Published: November 2017

No Aplica
Giant Pericardial Cyst - Eroding Left Ventricle
Authors: Shah Ram Kishor , Jaiswal RK , Pokharel DP
Published: November 2017

Pericardial cyst is the result of an outpuching of the parietal pericardium that is lined by mesothelial cells. They represent 6% of mediastinal masses, and 33% of mediastinal cysts. Other cysts in the mediastinum are brochogenic-34%, enteric-12%, thymic and others-21%. A 19 year old man admitted with exertional breathlessness and a typical chest pain. The result of physical examination was within normal linits. Resting 12-lead electrocardiography shows T inversion in lead 1, AVL, V5 and V6. A posteroanterior chest radiograph revealed a cystic mass in the mediastinum. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography confirmed the presence of a large fluid filled cyst within the pericardial space. Contrast CT imaging revealed a giant pericardial cyst (10x10x12cm) in left cardiophrenic angle, later confirmed intraoperatively and by histopathology. Pericardial cysts occur at the rate of 1 person per 100,000. Seventy five percent of them have no associated symptoms, and are usually found incidentally during routine chest x-ray or echocardiography. Cardiac tamponade, obstruction of right main stem bronchus, and sudden death are the life threatening emergencies that have been reported. The management of pericardial cysts includes observation, percutaneous drain-age, and resection.
Rheumatic Fever (RF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Prevention and COntrol Program in Nepal.
Authors: Regmi Prakash Raj , Upadhyaya AB
Published: November 2017

Ministry of Health and population, Government of Nepal announced the launch of National program for prevention and control of RF/RHD in Nepal in Ashad 2063 BS. Implementation of this program started on 15 Ashad 2064 with technical and organization support from Nepal Heart Foundation. Budget allocated for this Program in fiscal year 2063/064 was Nrs. 30 Lakhs, in 2064/065 Nrs. 40 Lakhs and in 2065/66 Nrs 10 Lakhs. This is the first program in Nepal launched by the government for prevention & control of heart disease. Nepal Heart foundation is the main authorizedvorganization for implementation of this program.
Evaluation of the thixoformability of 318.1 aluminum alloy
Authors: Peluso Tomais G. , Zoqui Eugênio J.
Published: November 2017

The objective of this study was to evaluate the thixoformability of 318.1 aluminum alloy in terms of its thermodynamic, metallurgical and rheological characteristics. The influence of processing parameters on the microstructural evolution of the alloy in the semisolid state and, consequently, its rheological behavior and thixoformability, were studied. The processing parameters investigated were temperature, heating rate and duration of heat treatment. The study was motivated by the dearth of articles in the literature on the thixoformability of this material in industrial environments. The alloy was first subjected to heat treatment to spheroidize its microstructure and observe the microstructural evolution. Hot-pressing tests were then performed to observe the rheological behavior. Micrographs were used to determine average primary-phase grain size, globule size and shape factor. The results confirmed the material to be suitable for semisolid processing from a metallurgical perspective because of its good morphological consistency. Heat treatment successfully spheroidized the microstructure, giving shape factors as high as 0.62 and primary-phase globule and grain sizes as high as 70 μm and 110 μm, respectively. The apparent viscosity was of the order of 105 Pa · s, which is similar to that of liquid glass according to the literature, indicating very good formability. Little variation in the results was observed, showing the suitability of the material for thixoforming from a rheological perspective.
Deswelling of Hydrogels in Aqueous and Polyethylene Glycol Solutions. A New Approach for Drug Delivery Application
Authors: Angar Nour-Elhouda , Aliouche Djamel
Published: November 2017

To enhance the properties of pure poly(acrylamide) hydrogel, diprotic maleic acid co-monomer was included into the reaction mixture during hydrogel synthesis. These hydrogels have been shown important swelling in distilled water and deswelling in acidic solution. In present work, we based on these considerations to study the deswelling behaviour of poly(acrylamide-co-maleic acid) hydrogels in different media (air, polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200), acidic solution). Hydrogels of poly(acrylamide) and its copolymers with maleic acid were prepared by copolymerization and chemical crosslinking with methylene bisacrylamide. The obtained hydrogels have shown substantial mass swelling in distilled water and shrinking in acidic solution and PEG200. Results showed that the PEG200 was a better solvent for hydrogel deswelling and possibly will be used for gel drying. The swelling and deswelling kinetics were described by second-ordered and first-ordered models, respectively. BSA desorption in PEG200 was also studied.
Thermoplastic Starch/Wood Composites: Effect of Processing Technology, Interfacial Interactions and Particle Characteristics
Authors: Fekete Erika , Kun Dávid , Móczó János
Published: November 2017

hermoplastic starch (TPS)/wood composites in a wide composition range were prepared in an internal mixer followed by compression molding. Three types of lignocellulose fibers were used to study the effect of particle and surface characteristics on the processability as well as the mechanical and water absorption properties of the composites. The mechanical properties of these composites were also compared with those of the composites processed by injection molding in an earlier study, and the effect of processing technology on the mechanical properties was also investigated. The processing of TPS/lignocellulose composites in the internal mixer demanded more energy with increasing amount and aspect ratio of the fibers as a result of a network formation. Only a small variation among the dispersion component of the surface tension of the wood samples was found, and almost no difference in the stiffness and strength of the composites prepared in the internal mixer was observed. The results proved that the influence of the processing method on the stiffness and strength of the composites depends strongly on the aspect ratio of the wood particles. Increasing anisotropy results in increasing difference in the mechanical properties of the composites prepared by different methods. The equilibrium water uptake of the fibers and the composites depended especially on the size and, consequently, on the specific surface area of the wood fibers.
Analysis of the Dynamic Wheel Loads in Railway Transition Zones Considering the Moisture Condition of the Ballast and Subballast
Authors: Wang Haoyu , Silvast Mika , Markine Valeri , Wiljanen Bruce
Published: November 2017

Transition zones in railway tracks are the locations with considerable changes in vertical support structures, e.g., near bridges. Due to possible water flow constrictions in transition zone structures, there is frequently an increased moisture level in the ballast/subballast layers, which is a potential source of track degradation. This paper presents results of the moisture condition measured in three transition zones using ground penetrating radar, where the ballast/subballast are analyzed. The relationship between the moisture condition and track degradation in the transition zones is studied by comparing it to the longitudinal track level that is measured by the track inspection coaches. A strong connection is found between the high moisture condition and track degradation in the transition zones. The dynamic behavior of the transition zones with high moisture condition is analyzed using the Finite Element method. Differential stiffness and settlement are taken into consideration in the transition zone model, which is also coupled with a vehicle. The ballast/subballast layers are modelled as solid elements. Increased moisture conditions are considered as a reduction of elastic modulus, according to laboratory findings. Results show that high moisture leads to an increase of dynamic wheel loads in the transition zone, which explains the connection and confirms that the high moisture condition is a source of transition zone problems.
Methods to Evaluate the Aging Grades of Reclaimed Asphalt Binder
Authors: Kou Changjiang , Xiao Peng , Kang Aihong , Mikhailenko Peter , Baaj Hassan , Wu Zhengguang
Published: November 2017

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is of great significance for alleviating the problem of resource waste and land space occupation in the context of asphalt pavement. However, the use rate of RAP is still low in many countries because of limited understanding and no unified recycling guidelines, especially in terms of materials classification and aging grades. In this study, reclaimed asphalt pavements from sixteen different sections in southern China were collected, including with base and polymer modified asphalt (PMA). The performance of the reclaimed asphalt binder (RAB) at low, average and high temperatures was tested, using various methods, to find suitable indexes for categorizing aging grades. The viscosity (135 °C) and penetration (25 °C) were found to distinguish the aging degree of RAB the most consistently, and served as the indices to classify the RAB into different grades. To simplify the evaluation of aging grades, a comprehensive service life was determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process, taking service years and surface levels into account. As a result, a good correlation was found between comprehensive service life and the aging grades.
Simultaneous Dual-Arm Motion Planning for Minimizing Operation Time
Authors: Kurosu Jun , Yorozu Ayanori , Takahashi Masaki
Published: November 2017

Dual-arm robots are expected to perform work in a dynamic environment. One of the most basic tasks that a dual-arm robot does is pick-and-place work. However, this work is more complicated when there are several objects in the robot’s workspace. Additionally, it is likely to take a long time to finish the work as the number of objects increases. Therefore, we propose a method using a combination of two approaches to achieve efficient pick-and-place performance by a dual-arm robot to minimize its operation time. First, we use mixed integer linear programming (MILP) for the pick-and-place work to determine which arm should move an object and in which order these objects should be moved while considering the dual-arm robot’s operation range. Second, we plan the path using the rapidly exploring random tree so that the arms do not collide, enabling the robot to perform efficient pick-and-place work based on the MILP planning solution. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations and experiments using an actual dual-arm robot.
Practical Field Calibration of Portable Monitors for Mobile Measurements of Multiple Air Pollutants
Authors: Lin Chun , Masey Nicola , Wu Hao , Jackson Mark , Carruthers David , Reis Stefan , Doherty Ruth , Beverland Iain , Heal Mathew
Published: November 2017

To reduce inaccuracies in the measurement of air pollutants by portable monitors it is necessary to establish quantitative calibration relationships against their respective reference analyser. This is usually done under controlled laboratory conditions or one-off static co-location alongside a reference analyser in the field, neither of which may adequately represent the extended use of portable monitors in exposure assessment research. To address this, we investigated ways of establishing and evaluating portable monitor calibration relationships from repeated intermittent deployment cycles over an extended period involving stationary deployment at a reference site, mobile monitoring, and completely switched off. We evaluated four types of portable monitors: Aeroqual Ltd. (Auckland, New Zealand) S500 O3 metal oxide and S500 NO2 electrochemical; RTI (Berkeley, CA, USA) MicroPEM PM2.5; and, AethLabs (San Francisco, CA, USA) AE51 black carbon (BC). Innovations in our study included: (i) comparison of calibrations derived from the individual co-locations of a portable monitor against its reference analyser or from all the co-location periods combined into a single dataset; and, (ii) evaluation of calibrated monitor estimates during transient measurements with the portable monitor close to its reference analyser at separate times from the stationary co-location calibration periods. Within the ~7 month duration of the study, ‘combined’ calibration relationships for O3, PM2.5, and BC monitors from all co-locations agreed more closely on average with reference measurements than ‘individual’ calibration relationships from co-location deployment nearest in time to transient deployment periods. ‘Individual’ calibrations relationships were sometimes substantially unrepresentative of the ‘combined’ relationships. Reduced quantitative consistency in field calibration relationships for the PM2.5 monitors may have resulted from generally low PM2.5 concentrations that were encountered in this study. Aeroqual NO2 monitors were sensitive to both NO2 and O3 and unresolved biases. Overall, however, we observed that with the ‘combined’ approach, ‘indicative’ measurement accuracy (±30% for O3, and ±50% for BC and PM2.5) for 1 h time averaging could be maintained over the 7-month period for the monitors evaluated here.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TaN Thin Films Prepared by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering
Authors: Zaman Anna , Meletis Efstathios
Published: November 2017

Reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit tantalum nitride (Ta–N) thin films on Si substrate. The effect of varying the N2 percentage in the N2/Ar gas mixture on the Ta–N film characteristics was investigated. Mechanical and tribological properties were studied using nanoindentation and pin-on-disc wear testing. Decreasing the N2 content in the gas mixture was found to change the film structure from face centered cubic (fcc) TaN (from 25% to 10% N2) to highly textured fcc TaN (at 7% N2) to a mixture of fcc TaN1.13 and hexagonal Ta2N (at 5% N2), and finally to hexagonal Ta2N (at 3% N2). A high hardness of about 33 GPa was shown by the films containing the hexagonal Ta2N phase (5% and 3% N2). Decreasing the N2 content below 7% N2 was also found to result in microstructural refinement with grain size 5–15 nm. Besides the highest hardness, the film deposited with 3% N2 content exhibited the highest hardness/modulus ratio (0.13), and elastic recovery (68%), and very low wear rate (3.1 × 10−6 mm3·N−1·m−1).
Analysis of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems Based on Operational Scenarios Using Value Modelling
Authors: Vidyadharan Akash , Philpott Robert , Kwasa Benjamin , Bloebaum Christina
Published: November 2017

In recent years, the use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) has moved beyond the realm of military operations and has made its way into the hands of consumers and commercial industries. Although the applications of UAS in commercial industries are virtually endless, there are many issues regarding their operations that need to be considered before these valuable pieces of equipment are allowed for widespread civil use. Currently, UAS operations in the public domain are guided and controlled by the FAA Part 107 rules after overwhelming public pressure caused by the earlier 333 exemption. In order to approach such larger issues, this paper will exploit the use of value models, which will help to quantify how the different environmental and operational scenarios play a role in UAS operations based on the task being performed. The primary aim of this research is to use the attributes from key factors of the UAS such as the autonomy levels (AL) and technology readiness levels (TRL) along with their operating scenario factors, such as the environmental complexity and task complexity, based on the operating environment in which a UAS performs its task. To analyze the performance of autonomous UAS in different operational scenarios, the physical characteristics and class of a UAS may be linked to its AL and TRL. Using these parameters, the risks faced by the UAS in a particular mission are quantified and a value is assigned to the abstract entities involved. Although there are many critical questions with respect to good practices to be followed by UAS operators in order to obtain valuable data and information on the structures being scanned and monitored, there are many other challenges with regards to large scale operations of UAS such as the ethical, legal and societal implications that have to be addressed.
Lithium-Sulfur Battery Technology Readiness and Applications—A Review
Authors: Fotouhi Abbas , Auger Daniel , O’Neill Laura , Cleaver Tom , Walus Sylwia
Published: November 2017

Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery is generally considered as a promising technology where high energy density is required at different applications. Over the past decade, there has been an ever increasing volume of Li-S academic research spanning materials development, fundamental understanding and modelling, and application-based control algorithm development. In this study, the Li-S battery technology, its advantages and limitations from the fundamental perspective are firstly discussed. In the second part of this study, state-of-the-art Li-S cell modelling and state estimation techniques are reviewed with a focus on practical applications. The existing studies on Li-S cell equivalent-circuit-network modelling and state estimation techniques are then discussed. A number of challenges in control of Li-S battery are also explained such as the flat open-circuit-voltage curve and high sensitivity of Li-S cell’s behavior to temperature variation. In the last part of this study, current and future applications of Li-S battery are mentioned.
Resilient Prosumer Scenario in a Changing Regulatory Environment—The UniRCon Solution
Authors: Sanduleac Mihai , Ciornei Irina , Albu Mihaela , Toma Lucian , Sturzeanu Marta , Martins João
Published: November 2017

Technological developments are pushing for new solutions based upon massive integration of renewable electricity generation in networks already facing many challenges. This paper presents a novel approach to managing the energy transfer towards prosumers making use of smart management of local energy storage. The proposed design (including storage dimensioning) is based on several operating scenarios in which the prosumer might operate as: (i) a “load only” entity (from a grid perspective), thus exhibiting investment resiliency against regulatory changes and high energy efficiency; or (ii) a prosumer, in case regulatory opportunistic profit might be available. This can be realized within a newly proposed Uni-directional Resilient Consumer (UniRCon) architecture. The major aim of the proposed architecture is to achieve optimal self-consumption while avoiding curtailment even in a changing regulatory environment like, for example, the total lack of incentives for generation based on renewable energy sources (RES). One of the major advantages of the proposed architecture consists in the adaptability to changes in the regulatory and market environment. The term resilience is used with multiple meanings: (a) the prosumer’s financial resilience against regulatory changes when investment calculations assume no-grid injections; (b) the prosumer’s technical resilience, with electrical design based on standalone operation; (c) the resilience of clusters of interconnected end-user installations with enabled community-level electricity exchange, independent of the existing main grid supply; (d) the contribution to grid resilience, by enabling AC microgrid (MG) operation in island mode when large portions of the grid are formed by clusters of UniRCon prosumers (the ease of islanding segmentation of the local grid in case of emergencies). For proof of concept, three use-cases are detailed: (i) photovoltaic (PV) installations connected behind the meter; (ii) PV and storage available and controllable behind the meter; and (iii) the UniRCon architecture. The three use-cases are then compared and assessed for four near-future timelines as starting points for the investment. Numerical simulations show the attractiveness of the UniRCon solution in what concerns both system operation costs and supply resilience. Savings are expressed as opportunity savings arising from difference in tariffs while charging and discharging the storage unit and due to the avoidance of curtailment, as well as special taxes for the connection of PV (depending on regulatory environment). An extension of the UniRCon concept is presented also at community scale, with neighbourhood energy exchange inside a resilient cluster.
Normal Behaviour Models for Wind Turbine Vibrations: Comparison of Neural Networks and a Stochastic Approach
Authors: Lind Pedro , Vera-Tudela Luis , Wächter Matthias , Kühn Martin , Peinke Joachim
Published: November 2017

To monitor wind turbine vibrations, normal behaviour models are built to predict tower top accelerations and drive-train vibrations. Signal deviations from model prediction are labelled as anomalies and are further investigated. In this paper we assess a stochastic approach to reconstruct the 1 Hz tower top acceleration signal, which was measured in a wind turbine located at the wind farm Alpha Ventus in the German North Sea. We compare the resulting data reconstruction with that of a model based on a neural network, which has been previously reported as a data-mining algorithm suitable for reconstructing this signal. Our results present evidence that the stochastic approach outperforms the neural network in the high frequency domain (1 Hz). Although neural network retrieves accurate step-forward predictions, with low mean square errors, the stochastic approach predictions better preserve the statistics and the frequency components of the original signal, retaining high accuracy levels. The implementation of our stochastic approach is available as open source code and can easily be adapted for other situations involving stochastic data reconstruction. Based on our findings we argue that such an approach could be implemented in signal reconstruction for monitoring purposes or for abnormal behaviour detection.
Operational Range of Several Interface Algorithms for Different Power Hardware-In-The-Loop Setups
Authors: Brandl Ron
Published: November 2017

The importance of Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) experiments is rising more and more over the last decade in the field of power system and components testing. Due to the bidirectional exchange between virtual and physical systems, a true-to-reality interface is essential; however, linking several dynamic systems, stability issues can challenge the experiments, the components under test, and the individuals performing the experiments. Over the time, several interface algorithms (IA) have been developed and analyzed, each having different advantages and disadvantages in view of combining virtual simulations with physical power systems. Finally, IA are very specific to the kind of PHIL experiment. This paper investigates the operational range of several IA for specific PHIL setups by calculations, simulations, and measurements. Therefore, a selection of the mainly used respectively optimized IA is mathematically described. The operational range is verified in a PHIL system testing environment. Furthermore, in order to study the influence of different PHIL setups, according to software and hardware impedance, different tests using linear and switching amplifiers are performed.
Impacts of Reclassified Brown Coal Reserves on the Energy System and Deep Decarbonisation Target in the Czech Republic
Authors: Rečka Lukáš , Ščasný Milan
Published: November 2017

In 2015, a 24-year-long prohibition of coal mining within some territories in the North Bohemia coal basin was lifted and as a consequence mining a part of the brown coal reserves might well be resumed. This paper analyses the impacts of maintaining the ban versus three options for a less environmentally stringent policy on the Czech energy system; fuel- and technology-mix, the costs of generating energy, emissions and related external costs up to 2050. We find that overall the effect of lifting the ban, on coal usage, air pollutant emissions and hence externalities is rather small, up to 1–2% compared to the level of keeping the ban. The small difference in the impacts remains even if changes in the prices of fossil fuels and European Emission Allowances or different development in nuclear power usage are assumed. In fact, changing these assumptions will result in more pronounced differences in the impacts than the four policy options might deliver. Maintaining the ban would not achieve the European Energy Roadmap 2050 target and the newly adopted policy and the other two counter-environmental proposals would miss the 80% reduction target to an even greater degree. The environmental and external health costs attributable to emissions of local air pollutants stemming from power generation are in a range of €26–32 billion over the whole period and decline from about 0.5% of gross domestic product in 2015 to 0.1% in 2050.
Genome-Wide Epigenetic Studies in Chicken: A Review
Authors: David Sarah-Anne , Mersch Marjorie , Foissac Sylvain , Collin Anne , Pitel Frédérique , Coustham Vincent
Published: November 2017

Over the years, farmed birds have been selected on various performance traits mainly through genetic selection. However, many studies have shown that genetics may not be the sole contributor to phenotypic plasticity. Gene expression programs can be influenced by environmentally induced epigenetic changes that may alter the phenotypes of the developing animals. Recently, high-throughput sequencing techniques became sufficiently affordable thanks to technological advances to study whole epigenetic landscapes in model plants and animals. In birds, a growing number of studies recently took advantage of these techniques to gain insights into the epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in processes such as immunity or environmental adaptation. Here, we review the current gain of knowledge on the chicken epigenome made possible by recent advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques by focusing on the two most studied epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications. We discuss and provide insights about designing and performing analyses to further explore avian epigenomes. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in relation to bird phenotypes may provide new knowledge and markers that should undoubtedly contribute to a sustainable poultry production.
FRED: Exergame to Prevent Dependence and Functional Deterioration Associated with Ageing. A Pilot Three-Week Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Mugueta-Aguinaga Iranzu , Garcia-Zapirain Begonya
Published: November 2017

Introduction: Frailty syndrome and advanced age may decrease the acceptance of illness and quality of life, and worsen patients’ existing health conditions, as well as leading to an increase in health care expenses. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to reduce frailty risk via the use of a FRED game which has been expressly designed and put together for the study. Materials and methods: A total of 40 frail volunteers with a score of <10 points in the short physical performance battery (SPPB) took part in a feasibility study in order to validate the FRED game. Following randomisation, the study group (20 subjects) took part in nine sessions of 20 min each over a three-week period. The control group (19 subjects) continued to lead their daily lives in the course of which they had no physical activity scheduled; Results: After three weeks and having taken part in nine physical activity sessions with the FRED game, 60% of subjects from the study group (12/20) obtained a score of ≥10 points at the end of the study, i.e., less risk of evidencing frailty. This result proved to be statistically significant (p < 0.001). The degree of compliance with and adherence to the game was confirmed by 100% attendance of the sessions. Discussion: Our findings support the hypothesis that FRED, an ad hoc designed exergame, significantly reduced the presence and severity of frailty in a sample of sedentary elders, thus potentially modifying their risk profile. Conclusions: The FRED game is a tool that shows a 99% certain improvement in the degree of frailty in frail elderly subjects. The effectiveness of the design of ad hoc games in a certain pathology or population group is therefore evidenced.
Association of Emotional Labor and Occupational Stressors with Depressive Symptoms among Women Sales Workers at a Clothing Shopping Mall in the Republic of Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Chung Yuh-Jin , Jung Woo-Chul , Kim Hyunjoo , Cho Seong-Sik
Published: November 2017

In the distribution service industry, sales people often experience multiple occupational stressors such as excessive emotional labor, workplace mistreatment, and job insecurity. The present study aimed to explore the associations of these stressors with depressive symptoms among women sales workers at a clothing shopping mall in Korea. A cross sectional study was conducted on 583 women who consist of clothing sales workers and manual workers using a structured questionnaire to assess demographic factors, occupational stressors, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the association of these stressors with depressive symptoms. Scores for job stress subscales such as job demand, job control, and job insecurity were higher among sales workers than among manual workers (p < 0.01). The multiple regression analysis revealed the association between occupation and depressive symptoms after controlling for age, educational level, cohabiting status, and occupational stressors (sβ = 0.08, p = 0.04). A significant interaction effect between occupation and social support was also observed in this model (sβ = −0.09, p = 0.02). The multiple regression analysis stratified by occupation showed that job demand, job insecurity, and workplace mistreatment were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both occupations (p < 0.05), although the strength of statistical associations were slightly different. We found negative associations of social support (sβ = −0.22, p < 0.01) and emotional effort (sβ = −0.17, p < 0.01) with depressive symptoms in another multiple regression model for sales workers. Emotional dissonance (sβ = 0.23, p < 0.01) showed positive association with depressive symptoms in this model. The result of this study indicated that reducing occupational stressors would be effective for women sales workers to prevent depressive symptoms. In particular, promoting social support could be the most effective way to promote women sales workers’ mental health.
Factors Effecting the Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) Concentrations in Slovak Households
Authors: Mečiarová Ľudmila , Vilčeková Silvia , Krídlová Burdová Eva , Kiselák Jozef
Published: November 2017

Thirty five Slovak households were selected for an investigation of indoor environmental quality. Measuring of indoor air physical and chemical factors and a questionnaire survey was performed during May 2017. The range of permissible operative temperature was not met in 11% of objects. Relative humidity met the legislative requirements in all monitored homes. Concentrations of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) were significantly higher in the apartments than in the family houses. The average TVOC levels in the apartments and family houses were 519.7 µg/m3 and 330.2 µg/m3, respectively. Statistical analysis confirmed the effect of indoor air temperature, relative humidity and particulate matter (PM0.5 and PM1) on the levels of TVOCs. Higher TVOC levels were observed also in homes where it is not a common practice to open windows during cleaning activities. Other factors that had a statistically significant effect on concentrations of volatile organic compounds were heating type, attached garage, location of the apartment within residential building (the floor), as well as number of occupants. Higher TVOC concentrations were observed in indoor than outdoor environment, while further analysis showed the significant impact of indoor emission sources on the level of these compounds in buildings. The questionnaire study showed a discrepancy between objective measurement and subjective assessment in the household environment, and pointed to insufficient public awareness about volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Neighborhood Characteristics, Alcohol Outlet Density, and Alcohol-Related Calls-for-Service: A Spatiotemporal Analysis in a Wet Drinking Country
Authors: Marco Miriam , Freisthler Bridget , Gracia Enrique , López-Quílez Antonio , Lila Marisol
Published: November 2017

Alcohol outlets have been associated with different social problems, such as crime, violence, intimate partner violence, and child maltreatment. The spatial analysis of neighborhood availability of alcohol outlets is key for better understanding of these influences. Most studies on the spatial distribution of alcohol outlets in the community have been conducted in U.S. cities, but few studies have assessed this spatial distribution in other countries where the drinking culture may differ. The aim of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of alcohol outlets in the city of Valencia, Spain, and its relationship with neighborhood-level characteristics, as well as to examine the influence of alcohol outlet density on alcohol-related police calls-for-service. Spain is characterized by having a “wet” drinking culture and greater social acceptance of drinking compared to the U.S. Data on alcohol outlets between 2010–2015 in three categories (off-premise, restaurants and cafes, and bars) were used for the analysis. We used the 552 census block groups allocated within the city as neighborhood unit. Data were analyzed using Bayesian spatiotemporal regression models. Results showed different associations between alcohol outlets categories and neighborhood variables: off-premise density was higher in areas with lower economic status, higher immigrant concentration, and lower residential instability; restaurant and cafe density was higher in areas with higher spatially-lagged economic status, and bar density was higher in areas with higher economic status and higher spatially-lagged economic status. Furthermore, restaurant and cafe density was negatively associated with alcohol-related police calls-for-service, while bar density was positively associated with alcohol-related calls-for-service. These results can be used to inform preventive strategies for alcohol-related problems at the neighborhood-level in Spain or other countries with a wet drinking culture. Future research would benefit from exploring the relationship between alcohol availability and different social problems in cities outside the U.S.
An Improved Identification Code for City Components Based on Discrete Global Grid System
Authors: Qi Kun , Cheng Chengqi , Hu Yi’na , Fang Huaqiang , Ji Yan , Chen Bo
Published: November 2017

City components are important elements of a city, and their identification plays a key role in digital city management. Various identification codes have been proposed by different departments and systems over the years, however, their application has been partly hindered by the lack of a unified coding framework. The use of a code identifying a city component for unified management and geospatial computation across systems is still problematic. In this paper, we put forward an improved identification code for city components based on the discrete global grid system (DGGS). According to their spatial location, city components were identified with one-dimensional integer codes. The results illustrated that this identification code could express the location information of city components explicitly, as well as indicate the spatial distance relationship and the spatial direction relationship between different components. The experiment showed that this code performed better than traditional codes in data query and geospatial computation. Therefore, we concluded that this improved identification code was conducive to the more efficient management of city components, and hence might be used to improve digital city management.
Comparative Proteomics Analyses of Pollination Response in Endangered Orchid Species Dendrobium Chrysanthum
Authors: Wang Wei , Yu Hongyang , Li Tinghai , Li Lexing , Zhang Guoqiang , Liu Zhongjian , Huang Tengbo , Zhang Yongxia
Published: November 2017

Pollination is a crucial stage in plant reproductive process. The self-compatibility (SC) and self-incompatibility (SI) mechanisms determined the plant genetic diversity and species survival. D. chrysanthum is a highly valued ornamental and traditional herbal orchid in Asia but has been declared endangered. The sexual reproduction in D. chrysanthum relies on the compatibility of pollination. To provide a better understanding of the mechanism of pollination, the differentially expressed proteins (DEP) between the self-pollination (SP) and cross-pollination (CP) pistil of D. chrysanthum were investigated using proteomic approaches—two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry technique. A total of 54 DEP spots were identified in the two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) maps between the SP and CP. Gene ontology analysis revealed an array of proteins belonging to following different functional categories: metabolic process (8.94%), response to stimulus (5.69%), biosynthetic process (4.07%), protein folding (3.25%) and transport (3.25%). Identification of these DEPs at the early response stage of pollination will hopefully provide new insights in the mechanism of pollination response and help for the conservation of the orchid species.
Zinc Signal in Brain Diseases
Authors: Portbury Stuart , Adlard Paul
Published: November 2017

The divalent cation zinc is an integral requirement for optimal cellular processes, whereby it contributes to the function of over 300 enzymes, regulates intracellular signal transduction, and contributes to efficient synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Given the critical role of zinc in a breadth of cellular processes, its cellular distribution and local tissue level concentrations remain tightly regulated via a series of proteins, primarily including zinc transporter and zinc import proteins. A loss of function of these regulatory pathways, or dietary alterations that result in a change in zinc homeostasis in the brain, can all lead to a myriad of pathological conditions with both acute and chronic effects on function. This review aims to highlight the role of zinc signaling in the central nervous system, where it may precipitate or potentiate diverse issues such as age-related cognitive decline, depression, Alzheimer’s disease or negative outcomes following brain injury.
Microtubule Depolymerization by Kinase Inhibitors: Unexpected Findings of Dual Inhibitors
Authors: Tanabe Kenji
Published: November 2017

Microtubule-targeting agents are widely used as clinical drugs in the treatment of cancer. However, some kinase inhibitors can also disrupt microtubule organization by directly binding to tubulin. These unexpected effects may result in a plethora of harmful events and/or a misinterpretation of the experimental results. Thus, further studies are needed to understand these dual inhibitors. In this review, I discuss the roles of dual inhibitors of kinase activity and microtubule function as well as describe the properties underlining their dual roles. Since both kinase and microtubule inhibitors cause cell toxicity and cell cycle arrest, it is difficult to determine which inhibitor is responsible for each phenotype. A discrimination of cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 or G2/M and/or image analyses of cellular phenotype may eventually lead to new insights on drug duality. Because of the indispensable roles of microtubules in mitosis and vesicle transport, I propose a simple and easy method to identify microtubule depolymerizing compounds.
Investigation of the Reversible Lithiation of an Oxide Free Aluminum Anode by a LiBH4 Solid State Electrolyte
Authors: Weeks Jason , Tinkey Spencer , Ward Patrick , Lascola Robert , Zidan Ragaiy , Teprovich Joseph
Published: November 2017

In this study, we analyze and compare the physical and electrochemical properties of an all solid-state cell utilizing LiBH4 as the electrolyte and aluminum as the active anode material. The system was characterized by galvanostatic lithiation/delithiation, cyclic voltammetry (CV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Constant current cycling demonstrated that the aluminum anode can be reversibly lithiated over multiple cycles utilizing a solid-state electrolyte. An initial capacity of 895 mAh/g was observed and is close to the theoretical capacity of aluminum. Cyclic voltammetry of the cell was consistent with the constant current cycling data and showed that the reversible lithiation/delithiation of aluminum occurs at 0.32 V and 0.38 V (vs. Li+/Li) respectively. XRD of the aluminum anode in the initial and lithiated state clearly showed the formation of a LiAl (1:1) alloy. SEM-EDS was utilized to examine the morphological changes that occur within the electrode during cycling. This work is the first example of reversible lithiation of aluminum in a solid-state cell and further emphasizes the robust nature of the LiBH4 electrolyte. This demonstrates the possibility of utilizing other high capacity anode materials with a LiBH4 based solid electrolyte in all-solid-state batteries.