bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formate Drilling and Completion Fluids: Evaluation of Potential Well-Productivity Impact, Valemon
Authors: Fleming N.. , Moland L. G. , Svanes G.. , Watson R.. , Green J.. , Patey I.. , Byrne M.. , Howard S..
Published: September 2015

Valemon, operated by Statoil, is a high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) gas/condensate field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Production started at the beginning of 2015 from a development consisting initially of cased-and-perforated wells. However, during early field development, the orginal concept was for a standalone-screen (SAS) lower completion. A potassium/cesium (K/Cs) formate water-based system with a density of 2.02 specific gravity (sg) was considered as a candidate drilling-and-completion fluid for the wells completed with screens, one of which could potentially be suspended in formate brine for up to 10 months before the arrival of the platform and before cleanup and the onset of production. An unknown was the possibility for any near-wellbore interaction with these fluids during extended contact and the possible detrimental impact on productivity. Computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) modeling was performed to determine the length of time formate would be in contact with the near wellbore, demonstrating that, especially for the lower-permeability intervals, a contact time of approximately 45 days was a possibility. In light of this, a sequence of corefloods was performed that involved extended soaks in formate along with pre- and post-test analyses to identify potential damage mechanisms. Those identified included kaolinite dissolution, precipitation of barium and cesium silicate, and swelling of kaolinite because of the incorporation of potassium and cesium into the kaolinite lattice. To confirm the findings from the CFD and coreflood modeling, a field review was made of Statoil’s experiences with suspending wells for extended time in formate before cleanup and production. The field review demonstrated positive experiences in the use of formates in suspended wells with respect to productivity. Lower than expected productivity was experienced for some wells, but this could not be related conclusively to the use of formates. This paper provides an overview of lessons learned from coreflooding, CFD modeling, and actual field data on wells suspended in formate before cleanup and production.
A Facial Expression Recognition Algorithm Based on Local Binary Pattern and Empirical Mode Decomposition
Authors: Yang Hong , Zhu Deli
Published: September 2015

To improve the efficiency of facial expression recognition, this paper puts forward a kind of recognition algorithm
based on local binary pattern (LBP) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD). First of all, process the empirical
mode decomposition into the preprocessing facial image, and bring forward many a high frequency images instead of the
original image; then, divide the sub domain of the high frequency image and obtain the sub domain LBP histogram and
full face histogram; finally, identify the expression of the generated LBP histogram. Through the experiment on JAFFE
database, it shows that the method is effective for facial expression recognition.
Mechanism for Producer Services to Upgrade Value Chain from the
Perspective of Spatial Networks
Authors: Zhang Rui , Liu Shuhan , Wu Shaoyu , Meng Dabin
Published: September 2015

The study aimed to analyze the function mechanism for producer services to upgrade value chain based on
spatial networks, with regional domestic Export Sophistication Index for measuring the position of China’s provinces in
the global value chain. Using spatial econometrics model, the study set up a variety of spatial weight matrices, to empirically
test the spatial networks’ effect as a result of the producer services with changes in the positions of China’s various
provinces in the global value chain. Results indicate that: first, the producer services have an obvious spatial networks
effect on upgrading of the various parts of China in the global value chain. Second, the estimated results of distance based
spatial weights matrix model were contiguity based spatial weights matrix results, implying that space network effect is
not limited to the neighboring provinces. Third, the spatial network effect of economic based weights matrix model was
stronger than distance based spatial weights matrix model, which shows that today, the changing value chain of Chinese
provinces is more inclined to “regional powerful combination”, rather than “regional strength complementary”.
Interactive Pickup of Three-dimensional Fine Point Cloud Based on GPU
Authors: Huang Ming , Yang Fang , Zhang Yong , Fu Xinle
Published: September 2015

Three-dimensional fine point cloud has gradually become a key data source of three-dimensional model.
The large scale point cloud interactive quick pick up is a kind of important operation in the point cloud data processing
and applications. Since the point cloud model is composed of massive points, the speed of ordinary picking method is
limited. A GPU-based point cloud picking algorithm was thus presented to solve the problem. The basic idea of the algorithm
is that by spatial transformation converting the point cloud to screen space, and then, the point was calculated
which is the nearest to the mouse click point in screen space. The GPU's parallel computing capabilities were used to
achieve spatial transformation and distance comparison by compute shader in this algorithm. So the speed of the
pickup has been increased. The results show that compared with the CPU, the pickup method based on GPU has greater
speed advantage. Especially for the point cloud over 4 million points, the speed of the pickup has been increased 2-3
times faster.
Comparative Analysis on Soil Basic Properties Between Southern and Northern Slopes in Funiu Mountain, China
Authors: Hao Chengyuan , Zhang Hebing , Zhou Jian
Published: September 2015

The spatial variation of soil physical and chemical properties in Funiu Mountain was studied to provide references
for identifying soil spatial variation mechanism in bordering land of China warm temperate zone and northern subtropical
region. Using vertical gradient sampling and traditional statistics method, the soil samples at the altitude from
1640 m to 1870 m were collected to compare physical and chemical properties between south and north slopes of the Funiu
Mountain. The results showed that soil pH, soil organic matter and soil total nitrogen were remarkably correlated with
altitude change, but soil electrical conductivity, soil available nitrogen, available phosphors, available potassium, and total
potassium were not related to altitude. With the increase of altitude, soil pH and total nitrogen increased, but soil organic
matter decreased. Compared with the soil properties of northern slope in Funiu Mountain, soil acidity, electrical conductivity,
and available nitrogen were higher in southern slope. Especially, the soil available nitrogen was much higher than
the mean value observed in northern slope samples. The contents of soil organic matter, available phosphorus, available
potassium, total nitrogen, and total potassium showed no striking difference on between southern and northern slopes. In
conclusion, both altitude and slope direction significantly influenced spatial variation of soil properties in Funiu Mountain.
It added to the boundary effect of Qinling Mountains, and revealled the interaction mechanism of the environmental
elements such as land-climate-soil-ecosystem in Funiu Mountain.
Karyotype characterization of the endemic piscine leech from Lake Baikal with vindication of Baicalobdella cottidarum Dogiel, 1957 (Piscicolidae, Hirudinea)
Authors: Kaygorodova Irina , Natyaganova Antonina
Published: September 2015

In this paper, we present for the first time data on karyotype analysis of
leeches of the genus Baicalobdella (Piscicolidae) parasitizing Lake Baikal
endemic cottoid fishes. Both mitotic and meiotic chromosomes are described.
Leech testisacs were processed by a ?shaking-blotting? technique, and
chromosomal preparations were stained with water-based fuchsine. Diploid and
haploid chromosome sets demonstrated 2n=34 and n=17, respectively, with
maximal chromosome length of 1.5-3.0 ?m. Comparative karyotype analysis of
two ecological forms of Baicalobdella leeches revealed differences in
chromosome numbers and its morphology. Previously studied Baicalobdella
torquata (Grube, 1871) parasitizing Baikal amphipods had smaller diploid and
haploid sets (2n=32, n=16). In addition to numerical superiority, differing
patterns of chromosome size gradation and presence of satellite elements were
found in the karyotype of piscine Baicalobdella leeches. This confirms the
systematic position of the Baikal cottoid leech parasite as a separate
species, validating the original name Baicalobdella cottidarum sensu Dogiel,
1957.
Experimental studies on improvement of coefficient of performance of window air conditioning unit
Authors: Tharves Mohideen , Nethaji Nagachari
Published: September 2015

This paper presents the performance analysis of a window air conditioner unit incorporated with wick less loop heat pipes (WLHP). The WLHP are located on the evaporator side of the air conditioning unit. The working medium for the WLHP is R134a refrigerant gas, an alternate refrigerant. The supply and return humidity of room air, the heat removal rat, and the coefficient of performance of the unit are analyzed for various ambient and room temperatures before and after incorporation of WLHP. The performance curves are drawn by comparing the power consumption and humidity collection rates for various room and ambient temperatures. The results show that coefficient of performance of the unit is improved by 18% to 20% after incorporation of WLHP due to pre-cooling of return air by WLHP, which reduces the thermal load on compressor. Similarly, the energy consumption is reduced by 20% to 25% due to higher thermostat setting and the humidity collection is improved by 35% due to pre-cooling effect of WLHP. The results are tabulated and conclusion drawn is presented based on the performance.
Multistage ensemble of feedforward neural networks for prediction of heating energy consumption
Authors: Jovanovic Radisa , Sretenovic Aleksandra , Zivkovic Branislav
Published: September 2015

Feedforward neural network models are created for prediction of heating
energy consumption of a university campus. Actual measured data are used for
training and testing the models. Multistage neural network ensemble is
proposed for the possible improvement of prediction accuracy. Previously
trained feed-forward neural networks are first separated into clusters, using
k-means algorithm, and then the best network of each cluster is chosen as a
member of the ensemble. Three different averaging methods (simple, weighted
and median) for obtaining ensemble output are applied. Besides this
conventional approach, single radial basis neural network in the second level
is used to aggregate the selected ensemble members. It is shown that heating
energy consumption can be predicted with better accuracy by using ensemble of
neural networks than using the best trained single neural network, while the
best results are achieved with multistage ensemble.
Staging Presymptomatic Type 1 Diabetes: A Scientific Statement of JDRF, the Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association
Authors: Insel Richard A. , Dunne Jessica L. , Atkinson Mark A. , Chiang Jane L. , Dabelea Dana , Gottlieb Peter A. , Greenbaum Carla J. , Herold Kevan C. , Krischer Jeffrey P. , Lernmark Åke , Ratner Robert E. , Rewers Marian J. , Schatz Desmond A. , Skyler Jay S. , Sosenko Jay M. , Ziegler Anette-G.
Published: September 2015

Insights from prospective, longitudinal studies of individuals at risk for developing type 1 diabetes have demonstrated that the disease is a continuum that progresses sequentially at variable but predictable rates through distinct identifiable stages prior to the onset of symptoms. Stage 1 is defined as the presence of β-cell autoimmunity as evidenced by the presence of two or more islet autoantibodies with normoglycemia and is presymptomatic, stage 2 as the presence of β-cell autoimmunity with dysglycemia and is presymptomatic, and stage 3 as onset of symptomatic disease. Adoption of this staging classification provides a standardized taxonomy for type 1 diabetes and will aid the development of therapies and the design of clinical trials to prevent symptomatic disease, promote precision medicine, and provide a framework for an optimized benefit/risk ratio that will impact regulatory approval, reimbursement, and adoption of interventions in the early stages of type 1 diabetes to prevent symptomatic disease.
Summary of the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium Autoantibody Workshop
Authors: Rich Stephen S. , Concannon Patrick
Published: September 2015

The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) sponsored an Autoantibody Workshop, providing data from a large number of type 1 diabetes–affected sibling pair families with multiple autoantibodies assayed (both islet and nonislet targets) and extensive genetic and clinical information. Multiple groups analyzed the autoantibody data and various forms of genetic data. The groups presented their results at the T1DGC Autoantibody Workshop and compared results across genes and autoantibodies. The reports of the analyses of the autoantibody data with genetic information are contained as individual articles in this supplement. There were several consistent findings that emerged from the T1DGC Autoantibody Workshop. The human MHC (HLA genes) is the major contributor to variation in the presence of islet and nonislet autoantibodies in subjects with established type 1 diabetes. The contribution of non-MHC genes/variants to autoantibody prevalence is dependent on the set of single nucleotide polymorphisms tested, the autoantibody evaluated, and the inclusion criteria for sample selection. On the basis of these results, the HLA alleles DRB1*0101 and DRB1*0404 and the PTPN22 R620W variant are consistently associated with autoimmunity in the T1DGC Autoantibody Workshop data.
Biodiversity Of Weed Communities In Organic And Conventional Orchards
Authors: Lisek Jerzy , Sas-Paszt Lidia
Published: September 2015

The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of segetal and ruderal weeds in young apple and cherry organic orchards, where weeds under tree canopies were controlled mechanically with a rototiller, and in conventional orchards, where post-emergence herbicides were used. The research material consisted of phytosociological relevés recorded according to the Braun-Blanquet method, in three organic and three conventional orchards, situated near Skierniewice (central Poland), in 2010-2013. On the basis of the collected source material, species composition for the synanthropic flora, as well as phytosociological stability, the cover factor, and weed infestation rate for the analysed species were determined. The total number of the recorded weeds and the average number of weed species in a single relevé were for each of the three organic orchards greater than for the conventional orchards. The organic orchard situated in the same location as the conventional orchard was characterized by a greater biodiversity of flora. Systematic shallow cultivation of the soil, without herbicide treatments, resulted in the proliferation of perennial weeds.
Tree ring variability and climate response of Abies spectabilis along an elevation gradient in Mustang, Nepal
Authors: Kharal D. K. , Meilby H. , Rayamajhi S. , Bhuju D. , Thapa U. K.
Published: September 2015

In mountainous areas including the Himalayas, tree lines are expected to advance to higher altitudes due to global climate change affecting the distribution and growth of plant species. This study aimed at identifying the tree ring variability of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) and its response to the climate along an elevation gradient in the high Himalayas of central Nepal. Tree core samples were collected from four sites in Mustang district. All sites were located in the same valley and exposed to similar weather conditions. Out of 232 samples collected from the sites, Titi lower (2700 m), Titi upper (2900 m), Pangukhark (3100 m) and Lete upper (3300 m), 44, 40, 39 and 41 series were successfully cross-dated and ring-width chronologies including 168, 79, 138 and 156 years previous to 2012 were developed, respectively. Statistically significant differences in average annual radial growth were noted among the four sites with the highest radial growth observed at mid-elevation sites. Chronological statistics based on residual chronologies for the common period revealed that A. spectabilis at the upper elevation site was more climate sensitive than at the other three sites. At the highest-elevation sites the correlation between pre-monsoon precipitation and tree growth was positive, and for the month of May this was statistically significant (p<0.05). Moreover, spring temperature (March-June) was negatively correlated with precipitation and with tree growth at all sites, and at the upper elevation site (3300 m) the correlation was significant for March, April and May.  Banko Janakari, Vol. 24, No. 1 pp. 3-13
Allometric equations for estimating the above-ground biomass of Castanopsis indica at juvenile stage
Authors: Bhandari S. K. , Neupane H.
Published: September 2015

Most of the Castanopsis indica forest of Nepal in the midhill region was degraded in the recent past especially due to policy conflict between government and local users. But after the introduction of community forestry system, these forests have been rejuvenated gradually. Therefore, the proportion of the juvenile plants in forests is very high and the contribution of juvenile plants on total biomass production cannot be overlooked. Therefore, this study was carried out to develop juvenile biomass models. We measured diameter at 10 cm above ground level (D), total height (H), density (?) and total biomass (W) of indica juveniles. The models were estimated using “library (minpack.lm)” in R. The estimated models were evaluated by using numerical fit statistics and graphical analyses. The selected model Wi = 52.28 (Di2Hi)0.89 explained >95% juvenile biomass of indica with RSE=42.34g, AIC=406.8 and average deviation=13.26.Banko Janakari, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 14-22
Nymphaea tetragona (Nymphaeaceae) a new record for flora of Nepal
Authors: Raskoti B. B. , Bhatt G. D. , Ale R.
Published: September 2015

N/ABanko Janakari, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 55-56
“We Don't Want Your 'Peace' …” The West German Antiwar Movement, Youth Protest, and the Peace Movement at the Beginning of the 1980s
Authors: Balz Hanno
Published: September 2015

This article examines the changes in social movements, in particular the peace movement since the late 1970s, their processes of differentiation as well as their connections to older aspects of the movements. Of particular interest is the breadth of the peace movement, which succeeded in mobilizing several hundred thousand persons at the beginning of the 1980s. How points of conflict developed between this movement and an antiwar movement led by a “new youth movement” around 1980 is the focus of this article.
From Amity to Enmity: German-Russian Relations in the Post Cold War Period
Authors: Yoder Jennifer A.
Published: September 2015

Well before the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the bilateral relationship between Germany and Russia began to deteriorate. This article traces German-Russian relations since the end of the Cold War in order to identify the reasons for the deterioration of the bilateral relationship. It examines the key debates inside Germany about its Russia policy, suggesting when and why the terms of the debates changed.
First surface velocity maps for glaciers of Monte Tronador, North Patagonian Andes, derived from sequential Pléiades satellite images
Authors: Ruiz L. , Berthier E. , Masiokas M. , Pitte P. , Villalba R.
Published: September 2015

We apply cross-correlation to Pléiades satellite images to generate accurate, high-resolution monthly surface velocity maps of Monte Tronador glaciers between March and June 2012. Measured surface displacements cover periods as short as 19 days, with a precision of ∼0.58 m (11 m a−1). These glaciers follow a radial flow pattern, with maximum surface speeds of ∼390 m a−1 associated with steep icefalls. The lower reaches of the debris-covered tongues of Verde and Casa Pangue glaciers are almost stagnant, whereas Ventisquero Negro, another debris-covered glacier, shows acceleration at the front due to calving into a proglacial lake. Low-elevation debris-covered glacier tongues show increasing velocities at the beginning of the accumulation season, whereas higher-elevation, clean-ice tongues reduce their speed during this period. This contrasting behavior is probably in response to an increase in water input to the subglacial system from winter rainfall events at low elevations and a decrease in meltwater production at higher elevations. These sequential velocity maps can help to identify the controls on glacier surface velocity, aid in the delimitation of ice divides and could also contribute to more realistic calibration of ice-flux-mass–balance models in this glacierized area.
A 22 month record of surface meteorology and energy balance from the ablation zone of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand
Authors: Cullen Nicolas J. , Conway Jonathan P.
Published: September 2015

Multi-annual records of glacier surface meteorology and energy balance are necessary to resolve glacier–climate interactions but remain sparse, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. To address this, we present a record from the ablation zone of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, between October 2010 and September 2012. The mean air temperature was 1.2°C at 1760 m a.s.l., with only a moderate temperature difference between the warmest and coldest months (∼8°C). Long-term annual precipitation was estimated to exceed 6000 mm a−1, with the majority of precipitation falling within a few degrees of the freezing level. The main melt season was between November and March (83% of annual ablation), but melt events occurred during all months. Annually, net radiation was positive (a source of energy) and supplied 64% of the melt energy, driven primarily by net shortwave radiation. Net longwave radiation was often positive during cloudy conditions in summer, demonstrating the radiative importance of clouds during melt. Turbulent sensible and latent heat fluxes were directed towards the surface in the summer months, accounting for just over a third of the energy for melt (34%). The energy gain associated with rainfall was small except during heavy events in summer.
Chemical-Looping Combustion and Gasification of Coals and Oxygen Carrier Development: A Brief Review
Authors: Wang Ping , Means Nicholas , Shekhawat Dushyant , Berry David , Massoudi Mehrdad
Published: September 2015

Chemical-looping technology is one of the promising CO2 capture technologies. It generates a CO2 enriched flue gas, which will greatly benefit CO2 capture, utilization or sequestration. Both chemical-looping combustion (CLC) and chemical-looping gasification (CLG) have the potential to be used to generate power, chemicals, and liquid fuels. Chemical-looping is an oxygen transporting process using oxygen carriers. Recently, attention has focused on solid fuels such as coal. Coal chemical-looping reactions are more complicated than gaseous fuels due to coal properties (like mineral matter) and the complex reaction pathways involving solid fuels. The mineral matter/ash and sulfur in coal may affect the activity of oxygen carriers. Oxygen carriers are the key issue in chemical-looping processes. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been widely used for the development of oxygen carriers (e.g., oxide reactivity). Two proposed processes for the CLC of solid fuels are in-situ Gasification Chemical-Looping Combustion (iG-CLC) and Chemical-Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (CLOU). The objectives of this review are to discuss various chemical-looping processes with coal, summarize TGA applications in oxygen carrier development, and outline the major challenges associated with coal chemical-looping in iG-CLC and CLOU.
The Application of an On-Line Optical Sensor to Measure Biomass of a Filamentous Bioprocess
Authors: Nakouti Ismini , Hobbs Glyn
Published: September 2015

Monitoring of all critical process parameters in bioprocess engineering is essential. Sensors have been previously developed for specific parameters such as on-line temperature, pH or stirring control and data logging. However, biomass monitoring needs further development. All current non-invasive technology, such as Near Infra-Red, is limited on biomass measurement of animal and insect cells. Biomass monitoring of industrial bioprocesses of filamentous microorganisms still requires sample removal from the vessel, which could potentially compromise sterility. This study has focused on the application of a non-invasive optical sensor in the on-line monitoring of the biomass of the filamentous microorganism Streptomyces coelicolor A3 (2). Raw output data from the biomass monitor were directly compared to data from the sensors measuring dissolved oxygen levels and off gas evolution and the results successfully demonstrate that the optical sensor is sensitive in identifying different levels of biomass. Therefore, it is possible to use the simple output data to provide real time information on biomass levels of filamentous microorganisms, a very powerful tool in bioprocess engineering.
Utility of Braden Scale Nutrition Subscale Ratings as an Indicator of Dietary Intake and Weight Outcomes among Nursing Home Residents at Risk for Pressure Ulcers
Authors: Kennerly Susan , Boss Lisa , Yap Tracey , Batchelor-Murphy Melissa , Horn Susan , Barrett Ryan , Bergstrom Nancy
Published: September 2015

The Braden Scale for Pressure Sore Risk© is a screening tool to determine overall risk of pressure ulcer development and estimate severity of specific risk factors for individual residents. Nurses often use the Braden nutrition subscale to screen nursing home (NH) residents for nutritional risk, and then recommend a more comprehensive nutritional assessment as indicated. Secondary data analysis from the Turn for Ulcer ReductioN (TURN) study’s investigation of U.S. and Canadian NH residents (n = 690) considered at moderate or high pressure ulcer (PrU) risk was used to evaluate the subscale’s utility for identifying nutritional intake risk factors. Associations were examined between Braden Nutritional Risk subscale screening, dietary intake (mean % meal intake and by meal timing, mean number of protein servings, protein sources, % intake of supplements and snacks), weight outcomes, and new PrU incidence. Of moderate and high PrU risk residents, 61.9% and 59.2% ate a mean meal % of <75. Fewer than 18% overall ate <50% of meals or refused meals. No significant differences were observed in weight differences by nutrition subscale risk or in mean number protein servings per meal (1.4 (SD = 0.58) versus 1.3 (SD = 0.53)) for moderate versus high PrU risk residents. The nutrition subscale approximates subsequent estimated dietary intake and can provide insight into meal intake patterns for those at either moderate or high PrU risk. Findings support the Braden Scale’s use as a preliminary screening method to identify focused areas for potential intervention.
Bacterial Community Diversity of Oil-Contaminated Soils Assessed by High Throughput Sequencing of 16S rRNA Genes
Authors: Peng Mu , Zi Xiaoxue , Wang Qiuyu
Published: September 2015

Soil bacteria play a major role in ecological and biodegradable function processes in oil-contaminated soils. Here, we assessed the bacterial diversity and changes therein in oil-contaminated soils exposed to different periods of oil pollution using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. No less than 24,953 valid reads and 6246 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained from all five studied samples. OTU richness was relatively higher in contaminated soils than clean samples. Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla among all the soil samples. The heatmap plot depicted the relative percentage of each bacterial family within each sample and clustered five samples into two groups. For the samples, bacteria in the soils varied at different periods of oil exposure. The oil pollution exerted strong selective pressure to propagate many potentially petroleum degrading bacteria. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that organic matter was the highest determinant factor for explaining the variations in community compositions. This suggests that compared to clean soils, oil-polluted soils support more diverse bacterial communities and soil bacterial community shifts were mainly controlled by organic matter and exposure time. These results provide some useful information for bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soil in the future.
Combining Protein and Strain Engineering for the Production of Glyco-Engineered Horseradish Peroxidase C1A in Pichia pastoris
Authors: Capone Simona , Ćorajević Lejla , Bonifert Günther , Murth Patrick , Maresch Daniel , Altmann Friedrich , Herwig Christoph , Spadiut Oliver
Published: September 2015

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP), conjugated to antibodies and lectins, is widely used in medical diagnostics. Since recombinant production of the enzyme is difficult, HRP isolated from plant is used for these applications. Production in the yeast Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris), the most promising recombinant production platform to date, causes hyperglycosylation of HRP, which in turn complicates conjugation to antibodies and lectins. In this study we combined protein and strain engineering to obtain an active and stable HRP variant with reduced surface glycosylation. We combined four mutations, each being beneficial for either catalytic activity or thermal stability, and expressed this enzyme variant as well as the unmutated wildtype enzyme in both a P. pastoris benchmark strain and a strain where the native α-1,6-mannosyltransferase (OCH1) was knocked out. Considering productivity in the bioreactor as well as enzyme activity and thermal stability, the mutated HRP variant produced in the P. pastoris benchmark strain turned out to be interesting for medical diagnostics. This variant shows considerable catalytic activity and thermal stability and is less glycosylated, which might allow more controlled and efficient conjugation to antibodies and lectins.
Applications of Engineered DNA-Binding Molecules Such as TAL Proteins and the CRISPR/Cas System in Biology Research
Authors: Fujita Toshitsugu , Fujii Hodaka
Published: September 2015

Engineered DNA-binding molecules such as transcription activator-like effector (TAL or TALE) proteins and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) (CRISPR/Cas) system have been used extensively for genome editing in cells of various types and species. The sequence-specific DNA-binding activities of these engineered DNA-binding molecules can also be utilized for other purposes, such as transcriptional activation, transcriptional repression, chromatin modification, visualization of genomic regions, and isolation of chromatin in a locus-specific manner. In this review, we describe applications of these engineered DNA-binding molecules for biological purposes other than genome editing.
Diffusion Rates and Dispersal Patterns of Unfed versus Recently Fed Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius L.)
Authors: Goddard Jerome , Caprio Michael , Goddard Jerome
Published: September 2015

Bed bug problems have been increasing since the 1980s, and accordingly, there have been intensive efforts to better understand their biology and behavior for control purposes. Understanding bed bug diffusion rates and dispersal patterns from one site to another (or lack thereof) is a key component in prevention and control campaigns. This study analyzed diffusion rates and dispersal patterns in a population of bed bugs, recently fed and unfed, in both one-dimensional and two-dimensional settings. When placed in the middle of a 71 cm × 2.7 cm artificial lane, approximately half of the bugs regardless of feeding status stayed at or near the release point during the 10 min observation periods, while about a fourth of them walked to the end of the lane. When placed in the middle of an arena measuring 51 cm × 76 cm and allowed to walk in any direction, approximately one-fourth of bed bugs, fed or unfed, still remained near their release point (no significant difference between fed or unfed). As for long-distance dispersal, 11/50 (22%) of recently fed bed bugs moved as far as possible in the arena during the 10 min replications, while only 2/50 (4%) unfed bed bugs moved to the maximum distance. This difference was significantly different (p < 0.0038), and indicates that unfed bed bugs did not move as far as recently fed ones. A mathematical diffusion model was used to quantify bed bug movements and an estimated diffusion rate range of 0.00006 cm2/s to 0.416 cm2/s was determined, which is almost no movement to a predicted root mean squared distance of approximately 19 cm per 10 min. The results of this study suggest that bed bugs, upon initial introduction into a new area, would have a difficult time traversing long distances when left alone to randomly disperse.
Mechanisms Underlying the Regulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity by Vitamin D
Authors: Wei Ran , Christakos Sylvia
Published: September 2015

Non-classical actions of vitamin D were first suggested over 30 years ago when receptors for the active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3), were detected in various tissues and cells that are not associated with the regulation of calcium homeostasis, including activated human inflammatory cells. The question that remained was the biological significance of the presence of vitamin D receptors in the different tissues and cells and, with regard to the immune system, whether or not vitamin D plays a role in the normal immune response and in modifying immune mediated diseases. In this article findings indicating that vitamin D is a key factor regulating both innate and adaptive immunity are reviewed with a focus on the molecular mechanisms involved. In addition, the physiological significance of vitamin D action, as suggested by in vivo studies in mouse models is discussed. Together, the findings indicate the importance of 1,25(OH)2D3 as a regulator of key components of the immune system. An understanding of the mechanisms involved will lead to potential therapeutic applications for the treatment of immune mediated diseases.
A segmentation based analysis for measuring customer satisfaction in maritime transportation
Authors: Ekinci Yeliz , Uray Nimet , Ülengin Füsun , Duran Cem
Published: September 2015

This study was conducted to profile customers according to the level of satisfaction with the service attributes of maritime public transport provided by Seabus Service Company (SSC), the sole provider of maritime transport in Istanbul. Such analysis needs to be conducted by considering market segments in terms of maritime transportation usage and post purchase behavior. This was accomplished by conducting quantitative research through face-to-face surveys of SSC passengers. According to the results by multivariate data analysis, including factor analysis and cluster analysis, six segments are revealed in terms of customer satisfaction level with the maritime service attributes. Moreover, there are significant differences among the segments in terms of usage frequency (travel frequency in this study), age and education level. Different strategies for different customer segments within the maritime passenger market to increase customer usage and satisfaction of maritime transportation in Istanbul are suggested from the findings. Thus, this paper provides guidelines for the Turkish Maritime Authorities as to how to expand maritime transportation usage in Istanbul, which is not only the largest city and the most crucial trade center of Turkey but also has the highest share of passenger maritime transportation in the country.
Suicide, travail et sociologie(s)
Authors: Le Breton David
Published: September 2015

Les déterminants sociaux ne suffisent pas à orienter l’individu vers le choix d’une mort volontaire. Les conditions sociales sont toujours mêlées à des conditions affectives. Si, souvent, les approches psychologiques occultent l’ancrage social et culturel, celles du sociologue considèrent les individus comme des adultes éternels, n’ayant jamais eu d’enfance, ni d’inconscient ni de difficultés intimes. L’anthropologie des mondes contemporains, ou la psychodynamique du travail, peut ressaisir la singularité individuelle en croisant la trame affective et sociale qui baigne l’individu et surtout les significations qui alimentent son rapport au monde et particulièrement dans les transformations du management contemporain.
Comment rouvrir le dossier du travail et rendre l’action collective possible ? À propos de deux exemples d’intervention en situation de crise
Authors: Bègue Florence
Published: September 2015

Cet article retrace deux interventions en milieu de travail, dans des contextes de crise et souligne la nécessité de réponses collectives, tant dans leur élaboration que dans leur réalisation. Les principes de l’intervention restent les mêmes, mais chaque démarche reste unique, imprévisible et ouvre un chantier dont on ne mesure ni l’étendue, ni les obstacles, ni l’aboutissement. Dans tous les cas, la démarche vise à rendre la parole à ceux qui l’ont perdue ; elle propose de mettre en mouvement, en dynamique, en vie, les questions du travail qui se posent à ceux qui l’exercent, de retisser du sens commun, de lutter pour rendre l’action collective possible.
Effet boomerang d’une enquête de terrain et engagement journalistique
Authors: Weissman Élisabeth
Published: September 2015

À quoi sert une enquête de terrain qui témoigne de la souffrance au travail engendrée par la casse des missions de service public, qui en décrypte les causes systémiques et recense les résistances qu’elle suscite ? Outre la reconnaissance pour les salariés du caractère transversal et collectif de leur situation, elle peut avoir un effet boomerang de soulagement, de mise en perspective et de mise en réseau des nouvelles modalités d’action. Autant d’incidences qui posent la question de l’engagement du journaliste et du caractère erroné de la prétendue neutralité journalistique.
Plaintes d’employeurs devant le Conseil de l’ordre des médecins : quand l’incompétence se fait juge de la compétence
Authors: Carré Alain , Huez Dominique
Published: September 2015

L’élaboration depuis 1980, dans un contexte d’organisations du travail délétères, d’une « clinique médicale du travail » dont les fondements reposent sur les sciences humaines du travail, permet aux médecins qui y adhèrent et la pratiquent de diagnostiquer le lien entre la santé d’un travailleur et des éléments de son travail et d’en attester. Les employeurs, afin d’assurer leur désengagement moral lors de conflit avec un travailleur, utilisent une stratégie classique de dénigrement et d’intimidation des praticiens qui rendent visible ce lien en les poursuivant devant les juridictions de l’ordre des médecins dont la compétence et le fonctionnement sont problématiques.
Virtual Clay Prototyping System – A Framework for Real-Time Modeling
Authors: Bin Qi , Ming Sun Xiao , Eujin Pei , Jian Liu Bing
Published: September 2015

In order to provide users a real-time force-feedback immersive virtual modelling environment, powerful computing capabilities are often needed. As this potentially results in a calculation bottleneck, virtual modelling scenes are often delayed and resulting in a poor user experience. In this paper, the authors present a novel approach to improve the calculation speed for the volume pixel (voxel) amount of force feedback generated based on the amount of pressure exerted on the ‘virtual material’ per unit time. Results from the experiments reveal that this approach required less computing power, thereby offering a better user experience. This has been confirmed through a series of trials that investigated the amount of time students spent during sketching, physical modelling and virtual prototyping. Results found that the remapped virtual prototyping method was more effective than physical model in productivity in terms of time, and efficiency in terms of data conversion.
Mechanical Vibration Remote Laboratory Development using iLab Shared Architecture
Authors: Brahim Nasri , Ridha Ennetta , Sofienne Bouallègue
Published: September 2015

This paper focuses on the implementation of the first remote laboratory in the mechanical field being used by the Higher Institute of Industrial Systems of Gabès (ISSIG)-Gabès University, Tunisia. The developed remote laboratory is achieved thanks to the e-Sience Tempus project. The control system for this remote laboratory was implemented using LabVIEW software. The experiment studies the forced vibrations system. The students access our platform via the internet to determine the resonance frequency of damping forced vibration from the amplitude vs. excitation frequency and the phase angle vs. excitation curves. The students also determined the damping ration for system via phase angle vs. excitation frequency curve. All online experiments were deployed on the interactive version of iLab Shared Architecture (ISA).
Analysis and Simulation of Wind Turbine Optimal Control Considering wind Turbulence Characteristics
Authors: Gu Bo , Yongqian Liu , Yuxiang Hou , Shun Kang
Published: September 2015

A maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm of wind turbines considering wind turbulence characteristics is presented in this paper. The turbulence characteristics of natural wind are analyzed, and the natural wind speed model is established. A MPPT algorithm based on extremum-seeking control (ESC) is proposed, which considers the turbulence characteristics containing in wind speed. The goal of the MPPT algorithm is to keep the wind turbines running at the maximum wind energy utilization coefficient point stably. The algorithm is modeled and analyzed, and the simulation results show that the MPPT algorithm is correct and effective.
How to Deal with Sports Activity Datasets for Data Mining and Analysis
Authors: Rauter Samo , Fister Iztok , Fister Jr. Iztok
Published: September 2015

The aim of this paper is to briefly present the fundamentals of sports training to computational intelligence community and present a short description on recently released sport activity datasets for data mining and data analysis. Training plan for professional mountainbiker is presented in details. Moreover, tools for parsing sport activities files are discussed. Finally, tips and open challenges are exposed that refer to the data analysis and data mining of the proposed sports activity datasets.
Opportunistic Neighbour Prediction Using an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Cadger Fraser , Curran Kevin , Santos Jose , Moffet Sandra
Published: September 2015

Device mobility is an issue that affects both MANETs and opportunistic networks. While the former employs conventional routing techniques with some element of mobility management, opportunistic networking protocols often use mobility as a means of delivering messages in intermittently connected networks. If nodes are able to determine the future locations of other nodes with reasonable accuracy then they could plan ahead and take into account and even benefit from such mobility. Location prediction in combination with geographic routing has been explored in previous literature. Most of these location prediction schemes have made simplistic assumptions about mobility. However more advanced location prediction schemes using machine learning techniques have been used for wireless infrastructure networks. These approaches rely on the use of infrastructure and are therefore unsuitable for use in opportunistic networks or MANETs. To solve the problem of accurately predicting future location in non-infrastructure networks, the authors have investigated the prediction of continuous numerical coordinates using artificial neural networks. Simulation using three different mobility models representing human mobility has shown an average prediction error of less than 1m in normal circumstances.
Assessment of the Engines-Out Flight Performance of a Commercial Jet
Authors: Avrenli Kivanc A. , Dempsey Barry J.
Published: September 2015

While today's twin-engine jets are more efficient than yesterday's three- and four-engine jets, they are more vulnerable to total loss of power due to reduced engine redundancy. Total loss of power is a grave emergency situation because it leaves the flight crew with only one chance for landing. In the history of commercial aviation, total loss of power commonly occurred at lower altitudes, which gave flight crews very limited time to react. Thus, it is essential for flight crews to have sufficient knowledge on aircraft power-off glide performance. However, flight crew operating manuals scarcely present any relevant information. To fill in this gap, this study assess the power-off glide performance of the Airbus A320, which forms the backbone of the U.S. Commercial Aviation Industry. The study develops handy references for A320 pilots regarding aircraft power-off glide range and endurance. For future research, the findings can be utilized to develop an innovative, real-time power-off glide-range-depiction device for the A320.
Research Concerning Passenger Mobbing on Security Personnel and Its Effect on Their Job Satisfaction in Air Transportation
Authors: Ergün Nalan
Published: September 2015

The aim of this study is to find out the relationship between the degree of security staff being subjected to passenger mobbing and their job satisfaction. As a result of the analysis of data from 919 security staff working at the checkpoints of Turkey Istanbul Atatürk Airport, a significant but inverse relationship is identified between the level of mobbing and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the results of the analysis carried out to find the relationships among the mobbing subdimensions and job satisfaction point to a significant and inverse correlation between “attacks on reputation” and “attacks on communication” mobbing subdimensions and job satisfaction. No relationship is found between the “attacks on physical and psychological health” mobbing subdimension and job satisfaction.
Engineering Kindness
Authors: Mason Cindy
Published: September 2015

The author provides first steps toward building a software agent/robot with compassionate intelligence. She approaches this goal with an example software agent, EM-2. She also gives a generalized software requirements guide for anyone wishing to pursue other means of building compassionate intelligence into an AI system. The purpose of EM-2 is not to build an agent with a state of mind that mimics empathy or consciousness, but rather to create practical applications of AI systems with knowledge and reasoning methods that positively take into account the feelings and state of self and others during decision making, action, or problem solving. To program EM-2 the author re-purposes code and architectural ideas from collaborative multi-agent systems and affective common sense reasoning with new concepts and philosophies from the human arts and sciences relating to compassion. EM-2 has predicates and an agent architecture based on a meta-cognition mental process that was used on India's worst prisoners to cultivate compassion for others, Vipassana or mindfulness. She describes and presents code snippets for common sense based affective inference and the I-TMS, an Irrational Truth Maintenance System, that maintains consistency in agent memory as feelings change over time, and provides a machine theoretic description of the consistency issues of combining affect and logic. The author summarizes the growing body of new biological, cognitive and immune discoveries about compassion and the consequences of these discoveries for programmers working with human-level AI and hybrid human-robot systems.