bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Magnetic Carbon Nanotubes Functionalized with Pyridine Groups: Synthesis, Characterization and Their Application as an Efficient Carrier for Plasmid DNA and Aptamer
Authors: Kaboudin Babak , Saghatchi Fatemeh , Kazemi Foad , Akbari‐Birgani Shiva
Published: June 2018

Magnetic functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes have been synthesized, characterized and studied for therapeutically active nucleic acids interaction and delivery. In this study, pyridine functionalized magnetically was investigated for plasmid DNA and aptamer delivery. A thorough structural characterization of new carrierhas been carried out by means of transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy images, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, vibrating‐sample magnetometer and spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of magnetic functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes allow the directional control of conjugated nucleic acids with a transporter using an external magnetic field. They can be used as a transporter to afford noncovalent binding with nucleic acids and are supposed to cross the plasma membrane and internalize into the cytoplasm without inducing cell death.
Organocatalyzed Synthesis and Antifungal Activity of Fully Substituted 1,4‐Dihydropyridines
Authors: Khan M. Musawwer , Saigal  , Khan Sarfaraz , Shareef Sumbulunnisan , Danish Mohammad
Published: June 2018

An efficient one‐pot four‐component domino reaction for the convenient access of fully diversified 1,4‐dihydropyridines (1,4‐DHPs) from simple starting materials using basic organocatalyst is demonstrated. These derivatives were synthesized in good to excellent yields via the reaction between dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, arylamines, malononitrile, and aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by 1,8‐Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU) in ethanol at room temperature. The molecular structure of 1,4‐DHP derivative 5 h was confirmed by the single crystal X‐ray analysis. Mild reaction conditions, short reaction time, applicable to a broad range of substrates and simple experimental procedure are some of the salient features of the present protocol. In addition, the synthesized compounds were screened against Aspergillus niger (MTCC‐281), Aspergillus fumigates (MTCC‐343) and Claviceps purpure for in vitro antifungal activity and noted that most of the compounds were exhibit good to excellent antifungal activities compared to the standard reference.
Electrodeposited MnCO3 as a High Performance Electrode Material for Supercapacitor
Authors: Vardhan P. Vishnu , Idris Mustapha Balarabe , Ramanathan V. , Devaraj S.
Published: June 2018

MnCO3 as an electrode material for supercapacitor is slowly gaining momentum. So far, wet chemical methods have been used to synthesize MnCO3 for supercapacitor applications. The electrode fabrication of thus prepared MnCO3 requires a certain percentage of conductive additive and binder; both of them do not contribute significantly to the measured capacitance. Herein, we report electrodeposition of MnCO3 and its capacitance properties. MnCO3 has been electrodeposited from an aqueous mixture of MnSO4 and Na3C6H5O7 by chronopotentiometry. X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic studies confirm the formation of MnCO3. Microscopic studies reveal the formation of micron‐sized spherical particles by the agglomeration of sub‐micron sized cubes. Electrodeposited MnCO3 delivers a specific capacitance of 194 F g−1 at a specific current of 0.5 A g−1 and demonstrates good rate capability. Further, it also exhibits high cycling stability over 10,000 cycles with retention of 92% of its initial specific capacitance value and 100% coulombic efficiency.
Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficient Mixed‐Fullerene Derivative Charge Extraction Layers
Authors: Yin Xuewen , Han Jianhua , Zhou Yu , Nan Hui , Yao Zhibo , Tai Meiqian , Li Xin , Li Jianbao , Wang Ning , Lin Hong
Published: June 2018

The short‐circuit current density of inverted perovskite solar cells is unsatisfactory due to the intrinsic relatively low electron mobility and electrical conductivity of PC61BM. To solve this problem, a solution‐processed mixed‐fullerene derivative electron transporting material by mixing PC61BM with C60 was developed to improve charge extraction capacity in fully low temperature processed devices. Incorporation of C60 into the PC61BM layer improves the mobility from 2.15×10−3 to 4.71×10−3 cm2⋅V−1⋅s−1 and the conductivity of electron transporting layers, thus enhancing the interfacial electron extraction capacity and reducing the electron transfer resistance. As a result, the average power conversion efficiency increases from 12.80% to 15.47% by 21% due to the significant increases in the average short‐circuit current density from 19.26 to 22.08 mA⋅cm−2 by 15%. Meanwhile, the optimal efficiency of 16.44% with rigid substrates and 12.93% with flexible substrates are obtained with almost no hysteresis. This work provides a novel and simple method to greatly improve the short‐circuit current density and hence the photovoltaic performance of inverted perovskite solar cells.
Existence of a Preferred Orientation for the Methoxy Group on an Extended Aromatic System.
Authors: Amaudrut Jérôme , Braccini Isabelle , Duhamel Eric , Montalbetti Christian
Published: June 2018

The conformations of a methoxy group introduced on naphthalene in position 2 has been investigated both experimentally (searches in crystallographic data, NOE measurements by NMR) and theoretically with ab initio calculations. While expected at first glance as being equivalent and predicted as such by force field methods, the two conformations where the methoxy is in the plane of the aromatic ring and turned either towards one or the other proton of naphthalene are actually very different in energy : ΔE=1.2 to 1.8 kcal mol−1, a surprisingly high value! The delocalization of the oxygen lone pair on the π‐system of the aromatic ring differs between the two conformers and is proposed to account predominantly for such unexpectedly large ΔE. It is our opinion that given the magnitude of the energies involved, force field methods should be corrected to take into account this conformational effect.
Synthesis, Structures and Recognition Properties of Two Cadmium(II) Phosphonates for Highly Selective Sensing of Cr2O72− and CrO42− Anions
Authors: Su Yuming , Cai Xiao'ou , Sun Hongmei , Sun Zhengang , Dong Dapeng , Zhu Yanyu , Wang Tingting
Published: June 2018

Two cadmium (II) phosphonates, [Cd(MPBP)(2, 2′−bipy)(H2O)]⋅H2O (1) and [Cd(H2BPDP)(2,2′−bipy)2(H2O)]⋅H2O (2) [H2MPBP=4,4−Bis(monoethylphosphonomethyl)biphenyl, H4BPDP=biphenyl−4,4′−diylbis(methylene)diphosphonic acid, 2,2′−bipy=2,2′−bipyridine], had been successfully synthesized under hydrothermal conditions with different reaction temperatures by using H2MPBP as the phosphonate ligand and 2,2′−bipyridine as the second organic ligand. The compound 1 exhibited a 3D supramolecular structure, in which {CdN2O4} polyhedra and {CPO3} tetrahedra were interconnected by MPBP anions to form a 1D double chain via corner–sharing. Neighboring chains were linked into a 2D supramolecular sheet in the ac–plane by hydrogen bonding interactions, which were further assembled through π−π stacking interactions to form a 3D supramolecular structure. Compound 2 was assembled through π−π stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions to form a 1D supramolecular structure. Furthermore, both compounds exhibited remarkable luminescent properties, and could be applied as the high selective and sensitive luminescent sensors in the sensing of Cr2O72− and CrO42− anions through the luminescence quenching effect with a low–detection limit of 3.5 × 10−7 M and 4.6 × 10−7 M (for 1) and 6.1 × 10−7 M and 4.3 × 10−7 M (for 2), respectively. Additionally, the probable mechanisms for the quenching behaviour for the two compounds had also been investigated in detail.
Moving towards Nitrogen‐Based Lewis Acids: A Theoretical Study
Authors: Ullah Sabnam S. , Kashyap Chayanika , Guha Ankur K.
Published: June 2018

Density functional calculations predict that reduction of heteroatom in cyclic nitrenium ion increases the Lewis acidity. Calculations also predict that annelation is a very effective way of stabilizing cyclic nitrenium ions and increasing the Lewis acidic character at the nitrenium centre. This is supported by the lowering in the energies of LUMO coupled with the high values of electrophilicity index as well as high hydride affinity. Substituents are also likely to influence their Lewis acidity. Electron withdrawing substituents increases their acidity while electron donating substituents decreases the same.
Hybrid Conjugates Formed between Gold Nanoparticles and an Amyloidogenic Diphenylalanine‐Cysteine Peptide
Authors: Pelin Juliane N. B. D. , Gatto Emanuela , Venanzi Mariano , Cavalieri Francesca , Oliveira Cristiano L. P. , Martinho Herculano , Silva Emerson R. , Aguilar Andrea M. , Souza Juliana S. , Alves Wendel A.
Published: June 2018

We investigated the effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the aggregation of a CFF (C=cysteine; F=phenylalanine) tripeptide (derived from Aβ peptide) in aqueous medium. Special attention was dedicated to the role of AuNPs as inducers and inhibitors during nucleation kinetics and the structure of the resulting scaffolds was carefully investigated. At millimolar concentrations, the tripeptide was found to form β‐sheet structures organized into long filaments. Spectral signatures and topography of the filaments were studied by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing that conjugation to AuNPs not only stabilizes the system, but also inhibit or enhance amyloid‐like features depending on the synthesis route used in the preparation of AuNPs. Sodium borohydride (NaBH4) mediated synthesis of AuNPs gave rise to a strong absorption peak close to 520 nm, indicating that AuNPs were dispersed, independently of the peptide concentration added in the reaction. However, when the peptide/gold salt mixture was heated at 60 °C, AuNPs and AuNP‐decorated filaments were both formed in solution and the fractions of which population were found to be dependent on the [HAuCl4]/[CFF] ratio, as illustrated by TEM images. In addition, the insertion of AuNPs at the surface of CFF nanostructures can promote electron transfer from the metallic nanoparticles to the CFF surface, creating an n‐type semiconductor, and causing a peak shift of the phenylalanine absorption band.
Ionic Liquid Originated Synthesis of N,P‐doped Graphene for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Li Tianhao , Tang Daomei , Wang Min , Song Qunliang , Li Chang Ming
Published: June 2018

Water electrolysis, generating clean hydrogen, always requires high‐performance and low‐cost electrocatalysts. Ionic liquid, namely N,N‐bis(4‐(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl)‐N‐methyl‐d‐glucaminium hexaflorophosphate (MBMG‐PF6), was infiltrated into the pretreated graphene as the precursor to prepare N,P‐double doped graphene (G(PF6)). This material has been applied as a metal‐free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), demonstrating a good catalytic activity with an onset overpotential of 100 mV, a Tafel slope of 88 mV dec−1, a 97% Faradaic efficiency (FE) and a good durability over 10 h. According to the structural and compositional studies, this good HER performance can be attributed to the N,P‐dopant and highly porous structure of this catalyst.
Anisian (Middle Triassic) ammonoids from British Columbia (Canada): biochronological and palaeobiogeographical implications
Authors: Ji Cheng , Bucher Hugo
Published: June 2018

New Anisian (Middle Triassic) ammonoids are reported from British Columbia (BC), Canada. Eight species are reported, including one new genus and two new species:Eofrechites roopnarinigen. et sp. nov. andParafrechites cordeyisp. nov. New ammonoid subzones are recognized, leading to improved correlation betweenBCand Nevada: theHollandites minorZone is correlated with the interval intercalated between theUnionvillites hadleyiSubzone and thePseudodanubites nicholsiSubzone; anEogymnotoceras thompsoni–Anagymnotoceras spivakiZone is recognized inBCand correlated with the interval intercalated between theAugustaceras escheriandAnagymnotoceras spivakisubzones;Gymnotoceras weitschatiis found inBCfor the first time and co‐occurs withEogymnotoceras deleeni, suggesting either a rough correlation with the sum ofG. weitschati,G. mimetusandG. rotelliformiszones of Nevada or a strong diachronism ofG. weitschatiandG. rotelliformisalong the Palaeopacific margin of North America. The rare occurrences of low‐palaeolatitude restricted species in the mid‐palaeolatitude record indicate that exchanges were more frequent than previously documented during the Anisian. Despite a preservation bias in north‐easternBCdue to the lower carbonate content, it clearly emerges that the enhanced sampling effort leads to maximal association zones with duration of the same order of magnitude as those of Nevada, indicating that evolutionary turnover rates of ammonoids did not decrease toward higher latitude. Therefore, the common view that geographically differentiated evolutionary rates originates from the latitudinal gradient of taxonomic richness does not hold for Anisian ammonoid faunas along the Palaeopacific margin of North America.
Ultrasound‐assisted dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction using hydrophobic thiolated ionic liquids immobilized on gold nanoparticles for the preconcentration and determination of amino acids in human plasma samples
Authors: Zare Fahimeh , Jannesar Ramin , Purkait M. K. , Ghaedi Mehrorang
Published: June 2018

We describe the pre‐column derivatization of 19 amino acids with o‐phthalaldehyde/2‐mercaptopropionic acid. The derivatives were extracted using an ultrasound‐assisted dispersive micro‐solid‐phase extraction based on hydrophobic thiolated ionic liquids immobilized on gold nanoparticles. For this purpose, 10 mg of adsorbent was added to 10 mL of aqueous sample in the absence of any electrolyte and was inserted in ultrasound bath, which led to the efficient dispersion of adsorbent. The correlation between the extraction efficiency and parameters were optimized using experimental design and response surface methodology. The effects of alkyl‐chain length and anion of hydrophobic thiolated ionic liquids on the surface water wettability of gold nanoparticles were measured. Also, NMR spectroscopy and BET analysis were performed to recognize the formation of thiolated ionic liquids. Transmission electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction were conducted to characterize the gold nanoparticles. The suggested method shows a linear range (0.5–500 μmol L−1) under the optimized conditions with limits of detection in the range of 0.11–0.98 μmol L−1 for analytes. The validated method was successfully used for the quantification of nineteen amino acid derivatives with relative recoveries in the acceptable range of 81.1–104.4% and relative standard deviation less than 4.2%.
Performance limit states for progressive collapse analysis of reinforced concrete framed buildings
Authors: Parisi Fulvio , Scalvenzi Martina , Brunesi Emanuele
Published: June 2018

The definition of performance limit states for progressive collapse design and assessment of civil structures is an open issue and deserves special attention in view of future building codes and standards. In this study, the main findings of a multilevel sensitivity analysis are presented to characterize the progressive collapse capacity of a selected class of modern European buildings having a reinforced concrete framed structure. After that a group of capacity model properties are assumed as random variables on the basis of earlier studies, the sensitivity of both ultimate load capacity and corresponding maximum and residual drifts to the ultimate steel strain and location of column‐removal scenario is assessed. Then, the influence of the capacity model properties on maximum drift demand corresponding to a code‐compliant design gravity load is evaluated. Finally, five performance limit states associated with increasing levels of damage are introduced and the corresponding load capacity is quantified under varying capacity model properties. Analysis results indicate a high sensitivity to the ultimate steel strain, column location in plan, beam span and yield steel strength.
An experimental study on the wind pressure distribution of tapered super high‐rise buildings
Authors: Deng T. , Fu J.Y. , Xie Z.N. , Pi Y.L. , Shi B.Q.
Published: June 2018

Studies on the effect of different shape strategies on wind‐induced responses of super tall buildings have been extensive. However, little systematic research on the influence of aerodynamic shapes on wind pressure distributions of super high‐rise building having a height more than 500 m is reported in the literature. In this paper, a series of wind tunnel tests are conducted on models simulating tapered buildings taller than 500 m with an aspect ratio of 9:1 by applying synchronous pressure measurement technology to investigate the influence of different shape strategies on the wind force coefficients of the cross section (Cs) and on the peak negative pressure distributions on surfaces. The shape strategies considered include tapering of the cross section of a building along its height, chamfered modification, and opening ventilation slots. It is found that the wind force coefficient Cs increase with an increase of the tapering ratio. It is shown that chamfered modification can effectively reduce most of the wind force coefficients Cs to less than 0.9. As for peak wind pressures, a zone having a higher negative pressure is found to locate at the bottom of the side faces of the model. With an increase of the tapering ratio, the peak negative pressure of side faces of the model slightly decreases. Chamfered modification can significantly increase the peak negative pressure at the chamfered location. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that opening ventilation slots had less effect on Cs, but the peak negative pressure can significantly increase at the area of opening ventilation slots and adjacent areas.
Research and development of an innovative self‐centering energy dissipation brace
Authors: Li Ran , Shu Ganping , Liu Zhen , Ge Hanbin
Published: June 2018

Innovative self‐centering energy dissipation braces (SCBs) with super‐elastic shape memory alloy wires are designed and tested on a uniaxial MTS 810 hydraulic servo‐controlled fatigue testing machine. This type of SCB is modeled using finite element method and analyzed by ANSYS software. The test and analysis results show that this type of innovative SCB possesses energy dissipation capacity and self‐centering ability. This paper also describes the multistage working mechanism of the SCBs and exhibits the mechanical behaviors of the braces. The hysteretic behavior of steel frame structures with conventional braces, the buckling‐restrained braces, and the SCBs are compared by conducting low‐frequency cyclic loading. Nonlinear dynamic analyses of steel frame structures with the conventional braces, the buckling‐restrained braces, and the SCBs under frequently occurred earthquake, design basis earthquake, and rare earthquake, respectively, are also performed to compare the seismic responses of steel structures with different braces. The seismic behaviors of these frames are investigated by comparing the peak acceleration, the maximum interstory displacement angle, and the maximum base shear. The results show that the innovative SCB possesses excellent energy dissipation capacity as well as self‐centering ability. Additionally, the innovative SCBs can effectively control the seismic response of the steel frame structure.
A european call options pricing model using the infinite pure jump levy process in a fuzzy environment
Authors: Zhang Huiming , Watada Junzo
Published: June 2018

An options pricing model is a pricing model in a real‐life environment and needs to take into account uncertainties in the environment such as randomness and fuzziness. As such, this paper makes use of fuzzy theory to construct an options pricing model based on an infinite pure jump Levy process in a fuzzy environment, with the drift, diffusion, and jump as trapezoidal fuzzy random variables. Following this, the Monte Carlo simulation algorithm is used to conduct numerical simulations, where the instrumental variable method is employed to increase the convergence rate of the simulation. A simulation experiment is also used to compare the pricing result of the Black–Scholes (BS) model, the variance gamma (VG) options pricing model in a certain environment, and the VG options pricing model in a fuzzy environment. The result of the analysis indicates that the VG options pricing model in a fuzzy environment is a feasible one, with the fuzzy interval narrowing as the option exercise price increases. On the other hand, the fuzzy interval widens as the option expiration date increases. Owing to the introduction of more uncertainties, the option price obtained under this model is higher than those of other models. The option price under the model is also more sensitive to changes in the jump parameter: as the jump parameter increases, the fuzzy interval narrows. Finally, an empirical examination using Tencent Holdings (HK.0700) and its stock options indicates that the expectation using fuzzy pricing is closer to the market price than that of the BS model. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Study on the flashover performance of an anti‐thunder composite insulator under ice accretion conditions for a 10 kV distribution line
Authors: Lu Jiazheng , Wang Bowen , Fang Zhen , Jiang Zhenglong , Hu Jianping , Wu Wei
Published: June 2018

In this paper, an anti‐thunder composite insulator combining an arrester and an insulator is developed and applied to 10‐kV distribution line. The anti‐thunder composite insulator is divided into an insulation section and a lightning protection section. The flashover performance of the anti‐thunder composite insulator and an ordinary composite insulator under ice accretion conditions are experimentally analyzed. The relationship between the icing thickness (d) and the flashover voltage is derived under the contaminated condition of 0.25 mg/cm2 salt density. With the increase of d, the effect of icing on the breakdown voltage of the anti‐thunder composite insulator is less than that of an ordinary composite insulator. When d increases from 2 to 12 mm, the breakdown flashover voltage of the anti‐thunder composite insulator and the ordinary composite insulator drops by 40.0 and 61.9%, respectively. Based on the simulation model, the potential and electric field distribution of the anti‐thunder composite insulator are analyzed. Our simulation and experimental results indicate that the proportion of the potential of the insulation section is more than 90% under the rated voltage. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the anti‐ice flash performance of the insulation section has an important influence on the flashover performance of the anti‐thunder composite insulator and that an appropriate increase of AC reference voltage of the anti‐thunder composite insulator will be an effective method to promote the stability of the internal zinc oxide varistor under ice accretion conditions. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Remaking stormwater as a resource: Technology, law, and citizenship
Authors: Cousins Joshua J.
Published: June 2018

This review examines how stormwater is being rethought of as a resource in urban planning and governance. No longer administered simply as a conveyance problem, a range of actors are progressively repurposing stormwater as an underutilized resource that can resolve water quality and quantity challenges. I suggest this transition emerged out of the need to address a host of problems rooted in the institutional and infrastructural legacy of treating stormwater as a waste and flood control problem, as well as a new set of concerns associated with climate change, continued urbanization, and fiscal and administrative cuts. As a response, a number of technical and political mechanisms are looking to remake stormwater as a resource. In particular, the review focuses on the role of green infrastructure and technological change, legal structures, and incentives to enroll citizens into the governance process. These practices assemble stormwater as a resource by configuring diverse forms of knowledge, technology, and relations that meet political goals to build smart, resilient, and sustainable cities.

This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water

Human Water > Water Governance

Science of Water > Water Quality
Group-Based Expert Walkthroughs to Compensate for Limited Access to Target User Groups as in Case of Chronically Ill Patients
Authors: Gappa Henrike , Nordbrock Gaby , Mohamad Yehya , Velasco Carlos A.
Published: June 2018

Involvement of real end users right from the beginning of an IT project is understood nowadays as good practice particularly in research projects where new and innovative concepts are to be investigated. In some situations, this is not feasible though, because this would cause unreasonable burden on target users, e.g., in case of chronically ill older patients or it is simply not possible, because administrative hurdles like permission by ethical committees need to be overcome, therefore it is necessary to install substituting methods. In the PICASO project (Personalised Integrated Care Approach for Service Organisations and Care Models for Patients with Multi-Morbidity and Chronic Conditions) this was achieved by implementing group-based expert walkthroughs where experts with different work-domain expert knowledge, in this case from usability, accessibility, clinical practice and software development, walked through an application by following typical usage scenarios target users are supposed to achieve. In contrast to the original method outcomes of walkthroughs were documented in form of software requirements, i.e. essential functionalities and features of the envisioned application instead of usability and accessibility issues. This way a reference document for developers evolved that closed the gap in bringing user requirements to application development.
SubtitleFormatter: Making Subtitles Easier to Read for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Viewers on Personal Devices
Authors: Kushalnagar Raja , Kushalnagar Kesavan
Published: June 2018

For deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) viewers who cannot understand speech, many countries require video producers/distributors to provide speech-to-text over the video, also called subtitles that can be turned on or off by the viewer. These subtitles must comply with national subtitle quality standards. The growth in video capable personal devices has shifted viewers away from watching broadcast video on a standardized television display and towards watching video on interactive personal devices. However, personal devices range widely from tiny watch displays to enormous television displays, with different proportions which impact subtitle readability. SubtitleFormatter automatically formats subtitles according to a display’s screen size and minimum font size for reading. A user study of subtitle formatting evaluates subtitle readability, and finds that viewers preferred SubtitleFormatted-segmented subtitles over wrap around (arbitrarily-formatted) subtitles.
Co-exploring Interaction Opportunities for Enabling Technologies for People with Rheumatic Disorder
Authors: Joshi Suhas Govind , Valen Jørgen
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a case of co-design for people with rheumatic disorder to support the argument of opening up the design space to include interaction opportunities found in the physical world. The position argued for is that opening up the design space beyond common screen-based interfaces may contribute to the design of enabling technologies for people with rheumatic disorders by acknowledging their varying capabilities during both design and use. The presented results consist of one thematic analysis of home interviews and group discussions as well as one statistical analysis of the results from a formative evaluation of six conceptual prototypes developed along with the participants. The paper uses the combination of the thematic analysis, the six conceptual prototypes, and formative evaluation of performance scores and preference ratings to demonstrate how our co-design process involving users with rheumatic disorder in all phases allowed participants to discover both limitations and opportunities as they explored and co-designed alternative concepts.
Techniques for Improved Speech-Based Access to Diagrammatic Representations
Authors: Murillo-Morales Tomas , Miesenberger Klaus
Published: June 2018

Natural language interfaces (NLIs) are a novel approach to non-visual accessibility of diagrammatic representations, such as statistical charts. This paper introduces a number of methods that aim to compensate for the lack of sight when accessing semantically-enhanced diagrams through a Web-based NLI.
Multivariate Calibration and Experimental Validation of a 3D Finite Element Thermal Model for Laser Powder Bed Fusion Metal Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Mahmoudi Mohamad , Tapia Gustavo , Karayagiz Kubra , Franco Brian , Ma Ji , Arroyave Raymundo , Karaman Ibrahim , Elwany Alaa
Published: June 2018

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) typically suffers from high degrees of variability in the properties/performance of the fabricated parts, particularly due to the lack of understanding and control over the physical mechanisms that govern microstructure formation during fabrication. This paper directly addresses an important problem in metal AM: the determination of the thermal history of the deposited material. Any attempts to link process to microstructure in AM would need to consider the thermal history of the material. In situ monitoring only provides partial information and simulations may be necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the thermo-physical conditions to which the deposited material is subjected. We address this in the present work through linking thermal models to experiments via a computationally efficient surrogate modeling approach based on multivariate Gaussian processes (MVGPs). The MVGPs are then used to calibrate the free parameters of the multi-physics models against experiments, sidestepping the use of prohibitively expensive Monte Carlo-based calibration. This framework thus makes it possible to efficiently evaluate the impact of varying process parameter inputs on the characteristics of the melt pool during AM. We demonstrate the framework on the calibration of a thermal model for laser powder bed fusion AM of Ti-6Al-4V against experiments carried out over a wide window in the process parameter space. While this work deals with problems related to AM, its applicability is wider as the proposed framework could potentially be used in many other ICME-based problems where it is essential to link expensive computational materials science models to available experimental data.
NEW WORDS FOR OLD WRONGS
Authors: Maitra Ishani
Published: June 2018

This paper begins with the idea that there are sometimes gaps in our shared linguistic/conceptual resources that make it difficult for us to understand our own social experiences, and to make them intelligible to others. In this paper, I focus on three cases of this sort, some of which are drawn from the literature on hermeneutical injustice. I offer a diagnosis of what the gaps in these cases consist in, and what it takes to fill them. I argue that these gaps are filled in, at least initially, by labels of a particular kind. Specifically, these are labels that allow us to see the experiences in question as novel instances of phenomena with which we are already normatively familiar. Further, I also show that these labels bring with them important downsides: they introduce distortions into our understandings of these experiences. Using a pair of case studies (‘statutory rape,’ ‘sexual harassment’), I illustrate these distortions.
Why judges need jurisprudence in cyberspace
Authors: Reed Chris
Published: June 2018

Judges are increasingly asked to decide whether a rule of national law is applicable to a cyberspace actor who is not present in their jurisdiction, or whose activities do not clearly fall within the established understanding of the rule. They do this through interpreting the applicability and meaning of the law.

Every attempt to enforce a national law makes a claim that the law has authority over the cyberspace actor. By accepting that claim, the judge asserts that the law's claim is legitimate. This is a Hartian exercise, adopting the internal view of the national legal system as the test for legitimacy.

But in cyberspace the legitimacy of a national law claim is determined not by the internal perspective of the legal system but by the external perspective of cyberspace actors. A law will only have authority in cyberspace if it can convince cyberspace actors that its claim is legitimate. And a legal system which repeatedly makes illegitimate claims thereby weakens its status as a system which adheres to the rule of law.

Judges can help solve this problem by interpreting laws and applying public and private international law so as to reject applicability claims which are illegitimate. To do this successfully, they need to understand the jurisprudential foundations of any law's authority in cyberspace.
Maternal vitamin D and neonatal anthropometrics and markers of neonatal glycaemia: Belfast Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study
Authors: Casey Claire , McGinty Ann , Holmes Valerie A. , Patterson Chris C. , Young Ian S. , McCance David R.
Published: June 2018

Vitamin D deficiency is a common occurrence globally, and particularly so in pregnancy. There is conflicting evidence regarding the role of vitamin D during pregnancy in non-skeletal health outcomes for both the mother and the neonate. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of maternal total 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD) with neonatal anthropometrics and markers of neonatal glycaemia in the Belfast centre of the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study. Serological samples (n 1585) were obtained from pregnant women in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland, between 24 and 32 weeks’ gestation as part of the HAPO study. 25OHD concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography tandem-MS. Cord blood and neonatal anthropometric measurements were obtained within 72 h of birth. Statistical analysis was performed. After adjustment for confounders, birth weight standard deviation scores (SDS) and birth length SDS were significantly associated with maternal total 25OHD. A doubling of maternal 25OHD at 28 weeks’ gestation was associated with mean birth weight SDS and mean birth length SDS higher by 0·05 and 0·07, respectively (both, P=0·03). There were no significant associations with maternal 25OHD and other measures of neonatal anthropometrics or markers of neonatal glycaemia. In conclusion, maternal total 25OHD during pregnancy was independently associated with several neonatal anthropometric measurements; however, this association was relatively weak.
Adherence to the healthy Nordic diet is associated with weight change during 7 years of follow-up
Authors: Kanerva Noora , Harald Kennet , Männistö Satu , Kaartinen Niina E. , Maukonen Mirkka , Haukkala Ari , Jousilahti Pekka
Published: June 2018

Studies indicate that the healthy Nordic diet may improve heart health, but its relation to weight change is less clear. We studied the association between the adherence to the healthy Nordic diet and long-term changes in weight, BMI and waist circumference. Furthermore, the agreement between self-reported and measured body anthropometrics was examined. The population-based DIetary, Lifestyle and Genetic Determinants of Obesity and Metabolic syndrome Study in 2007 included 5024 Finns aged 25–75 years. The follow-up was conducted in 2014 (n 3735). One-third of the participants were invited to a health examination. The rest were sent measuring tape and written instructions along with questionnaires. The Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS) was used to measure adherence to the healthy Nordic diet. Association of the baseline BSDS and changes in BSDS during the follow-up with changes in body anthropometrics were examined using linear regression analysis. The agreement between self-reported and nurse-measured anthropometrics was determined with Bland–Altman analysis. Intra-class correlation coefficients between self-reported and nurse-measured anthropometrics exceeded 0·95. The baseline BSDS associated with lower weight (β=−0·056, P=0·043) and BMI (β=−0·021, P=0·031) over the follow-up. This association was especially evident among those who had increased their BSDS. In conclusion, both high initial and improved adherence to the healthy Nordic diet may promote long-term weight maintenance. The self-reported/measured anthropometrics were shown to have high agreement with nurse-measured values which adds the credibility of our results.
A review of the use of convolutional neural networks in agriculture
Authors: Kamilaris A. , Prenafeta-Boldú F. X.
Published: June 2018

Deep learning (DL) constitutes a modern technique for image processing, with large potential. Having been successfully applied in various areas, it has recently also entered the domain of agriculture. In the current paper, a survey was conducted of research efforts that employ convolutional neural networks (CNN), which constitute a specific class of DL, applied to various agricultural and food production challenges. The paper examines agricultural problems under study, models employed, sources of data used and the overall precision achieved according to the performance metrics used by the authors. Convolutional neural networks are compared with other existing techniques, and the advantages and disadvantages of using CNN in agriculture are listed. Moreover, the future potential of this technique is discussed, together with the authors’ personal experiences after employing CNN to approximate a problem of identifying missing vegetation from a sugar cane plantation in Costa Rica. The overall findings indicate that CNN constitutes a promising technique with high performance in terms of precision and classification accuracy, outperforming existing commonly used image-processing techniques. However, the success of each CNN model is highly dependent on the quality of the data set used.
Second-order nonlinear gyrokinetic theory: from the particle to the gyrocentre
Authors: Tronko Natalia , Chandre Cristel
Published: June 2018

A gyrokinetic reduction is based on a specific ordering of the different small parameters characterizing the background magnetic field and the fluctuating electromagnetic fields. In this tutorial, we consider the following ordering of the small parameters:$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}_{B}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}^{2}$where$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}_{B}$is the small parameter associated with spatial inhomogeneities of the background magnetic field and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$characterizes the small amplitude of the fluctuating fields. In particular, we do not make any assumption on the amplitude of the background magnetic field. Given this choice of ordering, we describe a self-contained and systematic derivation which is particularly well suited for the gyrokinetic reduction, following a two-step procedure. We follow the approach developed in Sugama (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 7, 2000, p. 466): In a first step, using a translation in velocity, we embed the transformation performed on the symplectic part of the gyrocentre reduction in the guiding-centre one. In a second step, using a canonical Lie transform, we eliminate the gyroangle dependence from the Hamiltonian. As a consequence, we explicitly derive the fully electromagnetic gyrokinetic equations at the second order in$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$.
Why didn't they ask Evans?: a response to Karen May
Authors: Turney Chris S.M.
Published: June 2018

In ’Why didn't they ask Evans?’ (Turney, 2017), I draw together previously unpublished sources and new analyses of published material to cast further light on the circumstances that led to the fatal events surrounding the return of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Polar Party on the British Antarctic Expedition (BAE, 1911–1913). Of particular importance are the notes on the meeting between the Royal Geographical Society's President Lord Curzon and the widows Kathleen Scott and Oriana Wilson in April 1913, which explicitly identify Lieutenant Edward ‘Teddy’ Evans as having removed food that exceeded his allocation as a member of the Last Supporting Party (Curzon, 1913), the establishment and almost immediate closure of a ‘Committee of Enquiry’ chaired by Lord Curzon (Beaumont, 1913a, b, c; Cherry-Garrard, 1913a; Darwin, 1913; Goldie, 1913), the recognition of missing food at key depots by the returning Polar Party on the 7, 24 and 27 February 1912 (Scott, 1913a; Wilson, 1912), Evans’ anger at not being selected as a member of the Polar Party and his early departure home (Evans, 1912), the revised timeline of when Evans fell down with scurvy on the Ross Ice Shelf to apparently align with when and where the food was removed (The Advertiser, 3 April 1912, Adelaide: 10) (Cherry-Garrard, 1922; Ellis, 1969; Evans, 1912, 1913a, 1943; Lashly, 1912; Scott, 1913a, 1913b), Evans’ failure to ensure Scott's orders regarding the return of the dog sledging teams had been acted on (Cherry-Garrard, 1922; Gran, 1961; Hattersley-Smith & McGhie, 1984) and the misunderstanding amongst senior Royal Geographical Society members during Evans’ recuperation in the UK that Apsley Cherry-Garrard ‘was to meet the South Pole party, with two teams of dogs, at the foot of the [Beardmore] glacier’ (Markham, 1913). I would like to thank May (2018) for her comment and acknowledge that Edward Wilson's sketchbooks of the expedition's logistics, scientific priorities, sketches and notes on the BAE comprise entries from 1911–1912 and not solely from 1912, which Turney (2017) used to denote the year of the last entry.
Morphological awareness and reading abilities in second- and third-grade Hebrew readers
Authors: VAKNIN-NUSBAUM VERED
Published: June 2018

The contribution of morphological awareness to reading comprehension in Hebrew was tested in 100 second- and third-grade students on three types of morphology: inflections, derivations, and construct formation, controlling for vocabulary knowledge. Third graders performed better than second graders on inflectional and construct formation awareness, but only derivations and construct formation predicted success in reading comprehension. Significant differences in reading comprehension but not in orthographic word recognition and phonological decoding were found between students with low and high morphological awareness. The results highlight the importance of examining the unique contribution of different components of morphological awareness to reading comprehension.
Conceptual Models of Early and Involuntary Retirement among Canadian Registered Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
Authors: Hewko Sarah , Reay Trish , Estabrooks Carole A. , Cummings Greta G.
Published: June 2018

RESUMÉ

La disponibilité des professionnels de la santé est fondamentale pour la santé de la population. Plusieurs tendances contribuent cependant à la pénurie de ces professionnels. Objet : Élaborer et valider des modèles conceptuels de retraite hâtive et de retraite involontaire pour les infirmières et les professionnels paramédicaux (PP). Méthode : Une revue de la littérature sur la retraite (n = 23 études) a été réalisée. Toutes les variables rapportées comme des facteurs prédictifs de la retraite hâtive ou de la retraite involontaire ont été incorporées dans un modèle. Pour atteindre une validité apparente, nous avons mené des entrevues avec des infirmières et des PP canadiens (n = 14). Résultats : Le modèle conceptuel de la retraite hâtive incluait huit catégories (38 facteurs): caractéristiques du lieu de travail, variables sociodémographiques, attitudes et croyances, contexte plus général, facteurs organisationnels, famille, mode de vie et santé, en lien avec le travail. Le modèle de la retraite involontaire incluait quatre catégories (8 facteurs): contexte plus général, variables sociodémographiques, mode de vie et santé, famille. Les responsabilités en matière de soins (facteur) ont été ajoutées compte tenu des résultats des entrevues. Discussion : Les infirmières et les PP tiennent compte de nombreux facteurs lorsqu’ils envisagent leur retraite. Certains seraient sensibles à l’intercession, ce qui permettrait d’étendre la vie professionnelle des infirmières et des PP plus âgés.
Linear Rayleigh–Bénard stability of a transversely isotropic fluid
Authors: HOLLOWAY C. R. , SMITH D. J. , DYSON R. J.
Published: June 2018

Suspended fibres significantly alter fluid rheology, as exhibited in for example solutions of DNA, RNA and synthetic biological nanofibres. It is of interest to determine how this altered rheology affects flow stability. Motivated by the fact thermal gradients may occur in biomolecular analytic devices, and recent stability results, we examine the problem of Rayleigh–Bénard convection of the transversely isotropic fluid of Ericksen. A transversely isotropic fluid treats these suspensions as a continuum with an evolving preferred direction, through a modified stress tensor incorporating four viscosity-like parameters. We consider the linear stability of a stationary, passive, transversely isotropic fluid contained between two parallel boundaries, with the lower boundary at a higher temperature than the upper. To determine the marginal stability curves the Chebyshev collocation method is applied, and we consider a range of initially uniform preferred directions, from horizontal to vertical, and three orders of magnitude in the viscosity-like anisotropic parameters. Determining the critical wave and Rayleigh numbers, we find that transversely isotropic effects delay the onset of instability; this effect is felt most strongly through the incorporation of the anisotropic shear viscosity, although the anisotropic extensional viscosity also contributes. Our analysis confirms the importance of anisotropic rheology in the setting of convection.
Heterogeneity and strong competition in ecology
Authors: HUTRIDURGA H. , VENKATARAMAN C.
Published: June 2018

We study a competition-diffusion model while performing simultaneous homogenization and strong competition limits. The limit problem is shown to be a Stefan-type evolution equation with effective coefficients. We also perform some numerical simulations in one and two spatial dimensions that suggest that oscillations in motilities are detrimental to invasion behaviour of a species.