bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First record of Borofutus dhakanus (Boletaceae, Leccinoideae) in Thailand
Authors: Thongkantha Sutheera , Thongklam Sulichet , Pathom-Aree Wasu , Lumyong Saisamorn , Bussaban Boonsom
Published: December 2016

A new record of Borofutus dhakanus Hosen & Zhu L. Yang is reported from
Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. The phylogenetic relationships of
the Thai specimen were compared with those of the type species and allied
genera from seven major subfamilies of Boletaceae. The trees were
constructed using sequences of partial 28S rDNA combined with internal
transcribed spacer (ITS) gene regions. The morphological characteristics of
the fungus and its edibility are also discussed. Although many boletes have
been documented from Thailand, most previous records are based only on
morphological characters and there is an urgent need for taxonomic revision.
The ethics of war ending: An addition to the theory of righteous warfare
Authors: Simeunovic Bojana
Published: December 2016

The asymmetric nature of recent wars, in which victory plays neither a
constituting nor regulatory role - which thereby do not yield clearly defined
winners or losers - calls for a renewed analysis of the concept of war
ending. Operating within the bounds of the legalistic paradigm of just war
theory, this work is based on an elementary assumption embedded in the ethics
of war ending: that conflict circumstances are prone to change, and therefore
examining ad bellum criteria ex ante during newly emerged circumstances can
be inaccurate. The aim of this article is to examine and determine if ethics
of war ending constitute a separate entity within the theory of just war and
what does it encompass, as well as what the appropriate criteria is for
determining the moral justification for ending or continuing a conflict.
Epistemic justification of democracy
Authors: Vasovic Ivana
Published: December 2016

This paper aims to offer epistemic justification of democracy in addition to
standard, purely procedural justification. First, we present a cognitive
model of collective decision making and point out its advantages in
comparison to standard statistical models. The logic underlying the
improvement of group, or in our case democratic decision-making is based on a
diversity of perspectives, information and arguments. Relying on the
assumption of cognitive diversity, we argue that given the complexity of the
political issues, majority rule has advantages over the rule of the minority.
Second, we draw on the empirically demonstrated success of the collective
decision-making and the conditions under which it occurs. We argue that a
precondition for good political decision is a political system and
institutions that will encourage the existence of cognitive diversity of
those participating in the democratic process of decision-making.
Assistance or Obstacle? The Impact of Different Levels of English Developmental Education on Underprepared Students in Community Colleges
Authors: Xu Di
Published: December 2016

Developmental education is the most common approach used by community colleges to assist underprepared students for college-level course work. Yet there is limited evidence regarding this strategy on students assigned to the lowest level of the developmental sequence. This paper extends current knowledge on this critical question by examining the impacts of different levels of developmental reading and writing on students’ academic outcomes. The results suggest that the impacts are generally insignificant for students on the margin of needing developmental course work, yet the estimates are negative on students assigned to the lowest level of the developmental sequence. The results therefore support the increasing national push to reform these programs.
Synthesis, Characterisation and Crystal Structure of a Novel Pyridyl Urea Macrocycle
Authors: Perveen Shagufta , Kilburn Jeremy D. , Al-Taweel Areej M. , Light Mark E.
Published: December 2016

A novel pyridyl urea based macrocycle has been synthesised and fully characterised including a single crystal X-ray structure determination. The synthetic approach first involves the reaction of benzyloxycarbonylaminopropyl-3-isocyanate with t-butyl 2-[(2-aminopyridin-3-yl)oxy]acetate resulting in a coupling product. After deprotection of the amine and acid moieties and coupling subsequent coupling in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC), a macrocycle is formed. The structures of the compounds were confirmed by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray crystal structure of the macrocycle reveals as expected a non-binding conformation with an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the urea NH and the pyridyl nitrogen.
Synthesis and Evaluation of Antitumour Activities of Novel Fused Tri- and Tetracyclic Uracil Derivatives
Authors: ElKalyoubi Samar , Fayed Eman
Published: December 2016

Simple one-pot syntheses of indenopyrrolopyrimidines and indolopyrrolopyrimidines were achieved via the cyclocondensation of 6-aminouracils and, respectively, ninhydrin and isatin in the presence of catalytic amounts of glacial acetic acid. Similarly, 5,6-diaminouracil derivatives were used as starting materials for the synthesis of indenopteridines and indolopteridines via their reaction with ninhydrin and isatin, respectively. The synthesised compounds were evaluated for antitumour activity against a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2), some showing antitumour activity comparable with 5-fluorouracil and imatinib.
‘Vaccies Go Home!’: Evacuation, Psychoanalysis and Fiction in World War II Britain
Authors: Ellmann Maud
Published: December 2016

On September 1 1939 the British government launched a program ominously codenamed Operation Pied Piper, whereby thousands of children were evacuated from the cities to the countryside. This operation brought class conflict into the foreground, laying bare the drastic inequalities of British society, but also provided the foundations for the development of child psychoanalysis. This essay examines the impact of the evacuation crisis on psychoanalytic theories of the child, comparing these to the depiction of children in wartime fiction.
Combination of Fuzzy Logic and Analytical Hierarchy Process Techniques to Assess Potassium Saturation Percentage of Some Calcareous Soils (Case Study: Fars Province, Southern Iran)
Authors: Mokarram Marzieh , Najafi-Ghiri Mahdi
Published: December 2016

This research was carried out to evaluate the capability of a combined fuzzy logic-based approach and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for potassium saturation percentage (KSP) estimation in some calcareous soils of southern Iran. Based on a reconnaissance soil survey, 52 soil series were selected and different physical and chemical properties were determined. Five soil parameters including clay, cation exchange capacity, calcium carbonate equivalent, electrical conductivity, and organic carbon were chosen for analysis. Mapping was developed with the kriging method for each parameter. Different fuzzy membership functions were employed and weights for all parameters were calculated according to AHP. Finally, KSP classes were provided for each land unit. Results indicated that about 60% of the studied area is classified as having moderate to high KSP content (>3%) and 40% of had low or very low KSP content (<3%). Then 15 sample points were used for determination of the accuracy of the fuzzy method. Results showed that the fuzzy and AHP methods have a high accuracy for KSP estimation in the studied soils. Further development of the fuzzy and AHP methods would be worthwhile for improving the accuracy of KSP analysis.
Enhancing the Drag Reduction Phenomenon within a Rotating Disk Apparatus Using Polymer-Surfactant Additives
Authors: Rashed Musaab , Mohd Salleh Mohamad , Abdulbari Hayder , Ismail Mohd
Published: December 2016

Pipelines and tubes play important roles in transporting economic liquids, such as water, petroleum derivatives, and crude oil. However, turbulence reduces the initial flow rate at which liquids are pumped, thereby making liquid transportation through pipelines inefficient. This study focuses on enhancing the drag reduction (DR) phenomenon within a rotating disk apparatus (RDA) using polymer-surfactant additives. The complex mixture of polyisobutylene (PIB) and sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (SDS) was used. These materials were tested individually and as a complex mixture in RDA at various concentrations and rotational speeds (rpm). The morphology of this complex was investigated using transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). The reduction of the degradation level caused by the continuous circulation of surfactant additives in RDA could improve the long-term DR level. Experimental result shows that the maximum %DR of the complex mixture was 21.455% at 3000 rpm, while the PIB and SDS were 19.197% and 8.03%, respectively. Therefore, the complex mixture had better performance than these substances alone and were highly dependent on the alkyl chain of the surfactant.
An Investigation of the Methods of Logicalizing the Code-Checking System for Architectural Design Review in New Taipei City
Authors: Lee Wei-I , Chiang Nan-Chih
Published: December 2016

The New Taipei City Government developed a Code-checking System (CCS) using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to facilitate an architectural design review in 2014. This system was intended to solve problems caused by cognitive gaps between designer and reviewer in the design review process. Along with considering information technology, the most important issue for the system’s development has been the logicalization of literal building codes. Therefore, to enhance the reliability and performance of the CCS, this study uses the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) on the basis of design thinking and communication theory to investigate the semantic difference and cognitive gaps among participants in the design review process and to propose the direction of system development. Our empirical results lead us to recommend grouping multi-stage screening and weighted assisted logicalization of non-quantitative building codes to improve the operability of CCS. Furthermore, CCS should integrate the Expert Evaluation System (EES) to evaluate the design value under qualitative building codes.
A Systematic Review of Global Desert Dust and Associated Human Health Effects
Authors: Zhang Xuelei , Zhao Lijing , Tong Daniel , Wu Guangjian , Dan Mo , Teng Bo
Published: December 2016

Dust storms and sandy dust events originating in arid and semi-arid areas can transport particulate material, pollutants, and potential transport long distances from their sources. Exposure to desert dust particles is generally acknowledged to endanger human health. However, most studies have examined anthropogenic particulate sources, with few studies considering contributions from natural desert dust. A systematic literature review was undertaken using the ISI Web of Knowledge and PubMed databases with the objective of identifying all studies presenting results on the potential health impact from desert dust particles across the world. This review reveals an imbalance between the areas most exposed to dust and the areas most studied in terms of health effects. Among the human health effects of dust storms are mortality and morbidity, arising from respiratory system, circulatory system, and other diseases. We summarize the quantitative results of current scientific health research and possible pathological mechanisms, and describe some of the many challenges related to understanding health effects from exposures to desert dust particles. Overall, for respiratory and circulatory mortality, both positive and negative associations have been reported for PM10 of desert dust, but only a positive relationship was reported between PM2.5–10 and mortality, and a positive relationship was also reported between PM2.5 and human mortality. Future pathological studies should continue to focus on those mechanisms causing the most harmful effect of desert dust on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. More attention should also be paid to the association between desert dust and the morbidity of other diseases, such as those affecting the reproductive system and nervous system.
Exosome Proteome of U-87MG Glioblastoma Cells
Authors: Chun Sohyun , Ahn Seunghyun , Yeom Chang-Hwan , Park Seyeon
Published: December 2016

Exosomes are small membrane vesicles between 30 and 100 nm in diameter secreted by many cell types, and are associated with a wide range of physiological and/or pathological processes. Exosomes containing proteins, lipids, mRNA, and microRNA contribute to cell-to-cell communication and cell-to-environment regulation, however, their biological functions are not yet fully understood. In this report, exosomes in the glioblastoma cell line, U-87MG, were isolated and the proteome was investigated. In addition, exosome proteome changes in U-87MG cells exposed to a low temperature were investigated to elucidate whether the exosome proteome could respond to an external stimulus. Cell culture medium was collected, and exosomes were isolated by continuous centrifugation eliminating cell debris, nucleic acids, and other particles. The morphology of exosomes was observed by cryo-tunneling electron microscopy. According to 2-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, certain proteins including collagen type VI alpha 1, putative RNA-binding protein 15B chain A, substrate induced remodeling of the active site regulates HTRA1, coatomer protein complex-subunit beta 2, myosin-heavy chain 1, and keratin-type I cytoskeletal 9 showed differences between the control proteome and the low temperature-exposed proteome.
Psychological Neuromodulatory Treatments for Young People with Chronic Pain
Authors: Miró Jordi , Castarlenas Elena , De la Vega Rocío , Roy Rubén , Solé Ester , Tomé-Pires Catarina , Jensen Mark
Published: December 2016

The treatment of young people with chronic pain is a complex endeavor. Many of these youth do not obtain adequate relief from available interventions. Psychological neuromodulatory treatments have been shown to have potential benefit for adults with chronic pain. Here, we review and summarize the available information about the efficacy of three promising psychological neuromodulatory treatments—neurofeedback, meditation and hypnosis—when provided to young people with chronic pain. A total of 16 articles were identified and reviewed. The findings from these studies show that hypnotic treatments are effective in reducing pain intensity for a variety of pediatric chronic pain problems, although research suggests variability in outcomes as a function of the specific pain problem treated. There are too few studies evaluating the efficacy of neurofeedback or meditation training in young people with chronic pain to draw firm conclusions regarding their efficacy. However, preliminary data indicate that these treatments could potentially have positive effects on a variety of outcomes (e.g., pain intensity, frequency of pain episodes, physical and psychological function), at least in the short term. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate the effects of neurofeedback and meditation training, and research is needed to identify the moderators of treatment benefits as well as better understand the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of all three of these treatments. The findings from such research could enhance overall treatment efficacy by: (1) providing an empirical basis for better patient-treatment matching; and (2) identifying specific mechanisms that could be targeted with treatment.
The Microstructure and Wear Resistance of a Copper Matrix Composite Layer on Copper via Nitrogen-Shielded Arc Cladding
Authors: Li Yinan , Liu Xianbao , Zhou Zhikang , Zhang Lei , Peng Zilong
Published: December 2016

A TiN and TiN·Ti2Cu reinforced copper matrix composite layer was cladded onto a T3 copper substrate to improve the anti-wear performance of copper products by means of the nitrogen-shielded gas tungsten arc cladding method (N2-GTAC). Better than the traditional preparation method of TiN, the TiN particles in the cladding layer were in situ generated using N atoms of shielding gas and Ti atoms of pre-deposited metal powders. In addition, the composite phase TiN·Ti2Cu occurred in the cladding layer, which also had a positive effect on anti-wearing. As Ti increased, the amount and grain size of TiN·Ti2Cu and TiN increased as a result. The hardness of the cladding layer increased with the increasing amount of reinforced phase generated in the layer. The hardness of the layer reached a maximum of 410 HV, which is nearly 5.1 times greater than that of copper. The TiN·Ti2Cu- and TiN-reinforced phases improved the wear resistance of the cladding layers. The cladding layer with 15 wt % Ti had the longsest launch stage (600 s) and the lowest fiction coefficient (0.56).
Single Crystal Growth, Resistivity, and Electronic Structure of the Weyl Semimetals NbP and TaP
Authors: Sapkota Deepak , Mukherjee Rupam , Mandrus David
Published: December 2016

We have successfully synthesized niobium monophosphide and tantalum monophosphide crystals by a chemical vapor transport technique. We report resistivity vs. temperature of both materials in the temperature range from 2 K to 300 K. We have also performed electronic structure calculations and present the band structure and density of states of these two compounds. The calculations show that both compounds are semimetals, as their conduction and valence bands overlap near the Fermi energy.
Intra-Day Trading System Design Based on the Integrated Model of Wavelet De-Noise and Genetic Programming
Authors: Liu Hongguang , Ji Ping , Jin Jian
Published: December 2016

Technical analysis has been proved to be capable of exploiting short-term fluctuations in financial markets. Recent results indicate that the market timing approach beats many traditional buy-and-hold approaches in most of the short-term trading periods. Genetic programming (GP) was used to generate short-term trade rules on the stock markets during the last few decades. However, few of the related studies on the analysis of financial time series with genetic programming considered the non-stationary and noisy characteristics of the time series. In this paper, to de-noise the original financial time series and to search profitable trading rules, an integrated method is proposed based on the Wavelet Threshold (WT) method and GP. Since relevant information that affects the movement of the time series is assumed to be fully digested during the market closed periods, to avoid the jumping points of the daily or monthly data, in this paper, intra-day high-frequency time series are used to fully exploit the short-term forecasting advantage of technical analysis. To validate the proposed integrated approach, an empirical study is conducted based on the China Securities Index (CSI) 300 futures in the emerging China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) market. The analysis outcomes show that the wavelet de-noise approach outperforms many comparative models.
One-Dimensional TiO2 Nanostructured Photoanodes: From Dye-Sensitised Solar Cells to Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Yun Jung-Ho , Wang Lianzhou , Amal Rose , Ng Yun
Published: December 2016

This review presents one dimensional (1D) TiO2 nanostructured photoanodes for next generation solar cells such as dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Due to the unique morphological properties, 1D TiO2 nanostructures can act as express electron channels as well as light scattering layer, leading to improved charge transport properties, such as charge separation, electron injection, and electron lifetime, and light harvesting efficiency. As 1D TiO2 nanostructures are applied to solar cells, 1D TiO2 nanostructures should be further modified to overcome some drawbacks. In this review, we have described some solutions by introducing various 1D TiO2 synthetic methods and device fabrication processes for solar cell applications, where we have described some important surface engineering and hierarchical device design strategies that facilitate charge transport and light utilisation in 1D TiO2 nanostructured photoanode system.
Oxidative Stress and Genotoxicity of Long-Term Occupational Exposure to Low Levels of BTEX in Gas Station Workers
Authors: Xiong Feng , Li Qin , Zhou Bo , Huang Jiongli , Liang Guiqiang , Zhang Li’e , Ma Shuyan , Qing Li , Liang Linhan , Su Jing , Peng Xiaowu , Li Qin , Zou Yunfeng
Published: December 2016

Atmospheric benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) can lead to multiple health injuries. However, what remains uncertain is the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX. Thus, we determined the BTEX levels in the air from the refueling and office areas in gas stations. Then we collected workers’ (200 refueling vs. 52 office workers) peripheral blood samples to analyze the serum total-superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels. DNA damage was analyzed by the comet assay and micronucleus test in buccal epithelial cells. We found that the levels of BTEX in refueling areas were significantly higher than those in office areas (p < 0.001). The serum T-SOD and GSH of refueling workers were significantly lower than those in office workers (p < 0.001). By contrast, the serum MDA and 8-OHdG of refueling workers were significantly higher than those of office workers (p < 0.001, MDA; p = 0.025, 8-OHdG). Furthermore, tail and Olive tail moments in refueling workers were longer (p = 0.004, tail moment; p = 0.001, Olive tail moment), and the micronucleus rate was higher (p < 0.001) than those in office workers. Taken together, long-term exposure to low levels of BTEX may reduce the antioxidant ability and increase the risk of DNA damage in refueling workers of gas stations.
Serum Soluble Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 1 (sFlt-1) Predicts the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis
Authors: Dumnicka Paulina , Sporek Mateusz , Mazur-Laskowska Małgorzata , Ceranowicz Piotr , Kuźniewski Marek , Drożdż Ryszard , Ambroży Tadeusz , Olszanecki Rafał , Kuśnierz-Cabala Beata
Published: December 2016

Organ failure is the most important determinant of the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP). Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is positively associated with organ failure in sepsis. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of automated sFlt-1 measurements for early prediction of AP severity. Adult patients (66) with AP were recruited, including 46 with mild (MAP), 15 with moderately-severe (MSAP) and 5 with severe AP (SAP). Serum and urine samples were collected twice. Serum sFlt-1 was measured with automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Serum concentrations of sFlt-1 were significantly higher in patients with MSAP and SAP as compared to MAP. SAP patients had the highest concentrations. At 24 and 48 h, sFlt-1 positively correlated with inflammatory markers (leukocyte count, C-reactive protein), kidney function (creatinine, urea, cystatin C, serum and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, urine albumin/creatinine ratio), D-dimer and angiopoietin-2. sFlt-1 positively correlated with the bedside index of severity in AP (BISAP) score and the duration of hospital stay. Serum sFlt-1 above 139 pg/mL predicted more severe AP (MSAP + SAP). In the early phase of AP, sFlt-1 is positively associated with the severity of AP and predicts organ failure, in particular kidney failure. Serum sFlt-1 may be a practical way to improve early assessment of AP severity.
Microstructure and Tribological Properties of Mo–40Ni–13Si Multiphase Intermetallic Alloy
Authors: Song Chunyan , Wang Shuhuan , Gui Yongliang , Cheng Zihao , Ni Guolong
Published: December 2016

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to be utilized in tribological environments, but to date their implementation is hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperatures. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo–40Ni–13Si (at %). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of a ternary Mo–Ni–Si molten alloy, which is beneficial to the improvement of ductility of intermetallic alloys. Tribological properties of the designed alloy—including wear resistance, friction coefficient, and metallic tribological compatibility—were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggest that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent tribological property, which is attributed to unique microstructural features and thereby a good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is explained by observing the worn surface, subsurface, and wear debris of the alloy, which was found to be soft abrasive wear.
The Preparation of Modified Industrial Waste Polyacrylonitrile for the Adsorptive Recovery of Pt(IV) from Acidic Solutions
Authors: Yoon Sung , Kim Sok , Cho Chul-Woong , Yun Yeoung-Sang
Published: December 2016

Sorption technique is one of the most effective methods for recovering precious metals from wastewater solutions; however, its main drawbacks of the traditional sorbents are the slow kinetics and relatively low sorption capacities. As a solution, thin sorbent fibers have been highlighted because they can lead to fast adsorption kinetics due to their high surface areas and numerous binding sites. In this sense, the applicability of an industrial waste polyacrylonitrile (PAN) textile was examined to recover Pt(IV) from acid solutions. In order to enrich cationic functional groups on the surface of a PAN textile, the textile was chemically modified via polyethylenmine (PEI) coating. Afterwards, using PEI-coated PAN fiber, batch sorption experiments (isotherms and kinetics) and column experiments were conducted to evaluate its sorption performance toward Pt(IV). It was clearly revealed in column experiments that the PEI-coated waste PAN textile (WPAN) has fast kinetics and good performance for Pt(IV) recovery.
A Thin Film Nanocomposite Membrane with MCM-41 Silica Nanoparticles for Brackish Water Purification
Authors: Kadhom Mohammed , Yin Jun , Deng Baolin
Published: December 2016

Thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes containing MCM-41 silica nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the interfacial polymerization (IP) process. An m-phenylenediamine (MPD) aqueous solution and an organic phase with trimesoyl chloride (TMC) dissolved in isooctane were used in the IP reaction, occurring on a nanoporous polysulfone (PSU) support layer. Isooctane was introduced as the organic solvent for TMC in this work due to its intermediate boiling point. MCM-41 silica NPs were loaded in MPD and TMC solutions in separate experiments, in a concentration range from 0 to 0.04 wt %, and the membrane performance was assessed and compared based on salt rejection and water flux. The prepared membranes were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), contact angle measurement, and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) analysis. The results show that adding MCM-41 silica NPs into an MPD solution yields slightly improved and more stable results than adding them to a TMC solution. With 0.02% MCM-41 silica NPs in the MPD solution, the water flux was increased from 44.0 to 64.1 L/m2·h, while the rejection virtually remained the same at 95% (2000 ppm NaCl saline solution, 25 °C, 2068 kPa (300 psi)).
Erratum: Pferschy-Wenzig, E.-M.; et al. Does a Graphical Abstract Bring More Visibility to Your Paper? Molecules 2016, 21, 1247
Authors: Pferschy-Wenzig Eva-Maria , Pferschy Ulrich , Wang Dongdong , Mocan Andrei , Atanasov Atanas
Published: December 2016

The authors wish to make the following change to their paper [1].[...]
Nickel Based Electrospun Materials with Tuned Morphology and Composition
Authors: Ercolano Giorgio , Farina Filippo , Cavaliere Sara , Jones Deborah , Rozière Jacques
Published: December 2016

Nickel is set to play a crucial role to substitute the less-abundant platinum in clean electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices and catalysis. The controlled design of Ni nanomaterials is essential to fine-tune their properties to match these applications. A systematic study of electrospinning and thermal post-treatment parameters has been performed to synthesize Ni materials and tune their morphology (fibers, ribbons, and sponge-like structures) and composition (metallic Ni, NiO, Ni/C, Ni3N and their combinations). The obtained Ni-based spun materials have been characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The possibility of upscaling and the versatility of electrospinning open the way to large-scale production of Ni nanostructures, as well as bi- and multi-metal systems for widened applications.
Multi-Criteria Evaluation of End-of-Life Vehicles’ Dismantling Scenarios with Respect to Technical Performance and Sustainability Issues
Authors: Schmid Alexis , Batton-Hubert Mireille , Naquin Pascale , Gourdon Rémy
Published: December 2016

Three scenarios of dismantling and shredding operations of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) were compared in this study with respect to technical and sustainability criteria, according to the level of dismantling applied to the vehicles. The scenarios differed from each other in the extent of the dismantling operations. They were implemented experimentally at the industrial scale on representative samples of 120 vehicles. The data collected from the monitoring of the experimental campaigns were used as feed data for the multi-criteria analysis of the scenarios using the PROMETHEE method. Nine criteria of evaluation were selected, namely global warming, local environmental impacts, tropospheric ozone production, ecotoxicity, operational costs, investment costs, occupational risks, employability, and technical performance. The medium-level dismantling scenario was identified as the best scenario with respect to the criteria of evaluation. This scenario included the steps of depollution, followed by the removal of easily accessible and identifiable plastics and glasses. Reasonable changes in the ponderation of the evaluation criteria did not significantly affect the ranking.
Stage Monitoring in Turbid Reservoirs with an Inclined Terrestrial Near-Infrared Lidar
Authors: Tamari Serge , Guerrero-Meza Vicente , Rifad Younès , Bravo-Inclán Luis , Sánchez-Chávez José
Published: December 2016

To monitor the stage in turbid reservoirs with a sloping bank, it has been proposed to install a near-infrared Lidar on the bank and to orient it so that it points at the water surface with a large incidence angle (between ≈ 30° and 70°). The technique assumes that the Lidar can detect suspended particles that are slightly below the water surface. Some laboratory results and the first long-term assessment (>2 years) of the technique are presented. It found that: (1) although the test Lidar provides erratic distance data, they can be easily filtered according to the intensity of the received signal; (2) the Lidar provides reliable data only when the water is very turbid (Secchi depth smaller than ≈ 1.0 m); and (3) the reliable data can be used to estimate daily stage values (after a simple field calibration) with an uncertainty better than ±0.08 m (p = 0.95). Although the present form of the technique is not very accurate, it uses an inexpensive instrument (≈1500 USD) which can be easily installed in a safe place (such as is the roof of a building). It is argued that the technique could be also used to monitor the stage and the sub-surface velocity in others turbid water bodies, such as some coastal areas (a recent field of application) and flooding rivers.
An Improved Zero Potential Circuit for Readout of a Two-Dimensional Resistive Sensor Array
Authors: Wu Jian-Feng , Wang Feng , Wang Qi , Li Jian-Qing , Song Ai-Guo
Published: December 2016

With one operational amplifier (op-amp) in negative feedback, the traditional zero potential circuit could access one element in the two-dimensional (2-D) resistive sensor array with the shared row-column fashion but it suffered from the crosstalk problem for the non-scanned elements’ bypass currents, which were injected into array’s non-scanned electrodes from zero potential. Firstly, for suppressing the crosstalk problem, we designed a novel improved zero potential circuit with one more op-amp in negative feedback to sample the total bypass current and calculate the precision resistance of the element being tested (EBT) with it. The improved setting non-scanned-electrode zero potential circuit (S-NSE-ZPC) was given as an example for analyzing and verifying the performance of the improved zero potential circuit. Secondly, in the S-NSE-ZPC and the improved S-NSE-ZPC, the effects of different parameters of the resistive sensor arrays and their readout circuits on the EBT’s measurement accuracy were simulated with the NI Multisim 12. Thirdly, part features of the improved circuit were verified with the experiments of a prototype circuit. Followed, the results were discussed and the conclusions were given. The experiment results show that the improved circuit, though it requires one more op-amp, one more resistor and one more sampling channel, can access the EBT in the 2-D resistive sensor array more accurately.
Yeast Reporter Assay to Identify Cellular Components of Ricin Toxin A Chain Trafficking
Authors: Becker Björn , Schnöder Tina , Schmitt Manfred
Published: December 2016

RTA, the catalytic A-subunit of the ribosome inactivating A/B toxin ricin, inhibits eukaryotic protein biosynthesis by depurination of 28S rRNA. Although cell surface binding of ricin holotoxin is mainly mediated through its B-subunit (RTB), sole application of RTA is also toxic, albeit to a significantly lower extent, suggesting alternative pathways for toxin uptake and transport. Since ricin toxin trafficking in mammalian cells is still not fully understood, we developed a GFP-based reporter assay in yeast that allows rapid identification of cellular components required for RTA uptake and subsequent transport through a target cell. We hereby show that Ypt6p, Sft2p and GARP-complex components play an important role in RTA transport, while neither the retromer complex nor COPIB vesicles are part of the transport machinery. Analyses of yeast knock-out mutants with chromosomal deletion in genes whose products regulate ADP-ribosylation factor GTPases (Arf-GTPases) and/or retrograde Golgi-to-ER (endoplasmic reticulum) transport identified Sso1p, Snc1p, Rer1p, Sec22p, Erv46p, Gea1p and Glo3p as novel components in RTA transport, suggesting the developed reporter assay as a powerful tool to dissect the multistep processes of host cell intoxication in yeast.
Investigating Multiple Household Water Sources and Uses with a Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) Survey
Authors: MacDonald Morgan , Elliott Mark , Chan Terence , Kearton Annika , Shields Katherine , Bartram Jamie , Hadwen Wade
Published: December 2016

The investigation of multiple sources in household water management is considered overly complicated and time consuming using paper and pen interviewing (PAPI). We assess the advantages of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). We adapted an existing PAPI survey on multiple water sources and expanded it to incorporate location of water use and the impacts of extreme weather events using SurveyCTO on Android tablets. We then compared the efficiency and accuracy of data collection using the PAPI version (n = 44) with the CAPI version (n = 291), including interview duration, error rate and trends in interview duration with enumerator experience. CAPI surveys facilitated high-quality data collection and were an average of 15.2 min faster than PAPI. CAPI survey duration decreased by 0.55% per survey delivered (p < 0.0001), whilst embedded skip patterns and answer lists lowered data entry error rates, relative to PAPI (p < 0.0001). Large-scale household surveys commonly used in global monitoring and evaluation do not differentiate multiple water sources and uses. CAPI equips water researchers with a quick and reliable tool to address these knowledge gaps and advance our understanding of development research priorities.
Combined Vision and Wearable Sensors-based System for Movement Analysis in Rehabilitation
Authors: Ilić Tihomir V. , Milanović Slađan , Potkonjak Veljko , Rodić Aleksandar , Santos-Victor José , Spasojević Sofija
Published: December 2016

Background: Traditional rehabilitation sessions are often a slow, tedious, disempowering and non-motivational process, supported by clinical assessment tools, i.e. evaluation scales that are prone to subjective rating and imprecise interpretation of patient’s performance. Poor patient motivation and insufficient accuracy are thus critical factors that can be improved by new sensing/processing technologies.

Objectives: We aim to develop a portable and affordable system, suitable for home rehabilitation, which combines vision-based and wearable sensors. We introduce a novel approach for examining and characterizing the rehabilitation movements, using quantitative descriptors. We propose new Movement Performance Indicators (MPIs) that are extracted directly from sensor data and quantify the symmetry, velocity, and acceleration of the movement of different body/hand parts, and that can potentially be used by therapists for diagnosis and progress assessment.

Methods: First, a set of rehabilitation exercises is defined, with the supervision of neurologists and therapists for the specific case of Parkinson’s disease. It comprises full-body movements measured with a Kinect device and fine hand movements, acquired with a data glove. Then, the sensor data is used to compute 25 Movement Performance Indicators, to assist the diagnosis and progress monitoring (assessing the disease stage) in Parkinson’s disease. A kinematic hand model is developed for data verification and as an additional resource for extracting supplementary movement information.

Results: Our results show that the proposed Movement Performance Indicators are relevant for the Parkinson’s disease assessment. This is further confirmed by correlation of the proposed indicators with clinical tapping test and UPDRS clinical scale. Classification results showed the potential of these indicators to discriminate between the patients and controls, as well as between the stages that characterize the evolution of the disease.

Conclusions: The proposed sensor system, along with the developed approach for rehabilitation movement analysis have a significant potential to support and advance traditional rehabilitation therapy. The main impact of our work is two-fold: (i) the proposition of an approach for supporting the therapists during the diagnosis and monitoring evaluations by reducing subjectivity and imprecision, and (ii) offering the possibility of the system to be used at home for rehabilitation exercises in between sessions with doctors and therapists.
Wearable Therapy – Detecting Information from Wearables and Mobiles that are Relevant to Clinical and Self-directed Therapy
Authors: Ersoy Cem , Mayora Oscar , Dey Anind , Berthouze Nadia , Kunze Kai , Arnrich Bert
Published: December 2016

Background: This accompanying editorial provides a brief introduction into the focus theme “Wearable Therapy”.

Objectives: The focus theme “Wearable Therapy” aims to present contributions which target wearable and mobile technologies to support clinical and self-directed therapy.

Methods: A call for papers was announced to all participants of the “9th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare” and was published in November 2015. A peer review process was conducted to select the papers for the focus theme.

Results: Six papers were selected to be included in this focus theme. The paper topics cover a broad range including an approach to build a health informatics research program, a comprehensive literature review of self-quantification for health self-management, methods for affective state detection of informal care givers, social-aware handling of falls, smart shoes for supporting self-directed therapy of alcohol addicts, and reference information model for pervasive health systems.

Conclusions: More empirical evidence is needed that confirms sustainable effects of employing wearable and mobile technology for clinical and self-directed therapy. Inconsistencies between different conceptual approaches need to be revealed in order to enable more systematic investigations and comparisons.
Clonality increases with snow depth in the arctic dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum
Authors: Bienau Miriam J. , Eckstein R. Lutz , Otte Annette , Durka Walter
Published: December 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Vegetative reproduction and spread through clonal growth plays an important role in arctic‐alpine ecosystems with short cool growing seasons. Local variation in winter snow accumulation leads to discrete habitat types that may provide divergent conditions for sexual and vegetative reproduction. Therefore, we studied variation in clonal structure of a dominant, evergreen, dwarf shrub (Empetrum nigrum s.l. with the two taxa E. nigrum L. s.s. and E. hermaphroditum Hagerup) along a snow cover gradient and compared clonal diversity and spatial genetic structure between habitats.

METHODS:

We studied 374 individual shoots using 105 polymorphic AFLP markers and analyses based on hierarchical clustering, clonal diversity indices, and small‐scale spatial genetic structure with pairwise kinship coefficient. We used two approaches to define a threshold of genotypic distance between two samples that are considered the same clone. Clonality was examined among three habitats (exposed ridges, sheltered depressions, birch forest) differing in snow conditions replicated in four study regions in Norway and Sweden.

KEY RESULTS:

Clonality of E. hermaphroditum differed between habitats with an increase in clonal diversity with decreasing snow depth. Small‐scale spatial genetic structure increased with decreasing clonal diversity and increasing clone size. In three study regions, E. hermaphroditum was the only species, whereas in one region E. nigrum also occurred, largely confined to exposed ridges.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results demonstrated that snow cover in conjunction with associated habitat conditions plays an important role for the mode of propagation of the dwarf shrub E. hermaphroditum.
Gradual vs. abrupt reduction of carpels in syncarpous gynoecia: A case study from Polyscias subg. Arthrophyllum (Araliaceae: Apiales)
Authors: Karpunina Polina V. , Oskolski Alexei A. , Nuraliev Maxim S. , Lowry Porter P. , Degtjareva Galina V. , Samigullin Tahir H. , Valiejo‐Roman Carmen M. , Sokoloff Dmitry D.
Published: December 2016

PREMISE OF THE STUDY:

Revealing the relative roles of gradual and abrupt transformations of morphological characters is an important topic of evolutionary biology. Gynoecia apparently consisting of one carpel have evolved from pluricarpellate syncarpous gynoecia in several angiosperm clades. The process of reduction can involve intermediate stages, with one fertile and one or more sterile carpels (pseudomonomery). The possible origin of monomery directly via an abrupt change of gynoecium merism has been a matter of dispute. We explore the nature of gynoecium reduction in a clade of Araliaceae.

METHODS:

The anatomy and development of unilocular gynoecia are investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy in two members of Polyscias subg. Arthrophyllum. Gynoecium diversity in the genus is discussed in a phylogenetic framework.

KEY RESULTS:

Unilocular gynoecia with one fertile ovule have evolved at least four times in Polyscias, including one newly discovered case. The two unilocular taxa investigated are unicarpellate, without any traces of reduced sterile carpels. Carpel orientation is unstable, and the ovary roof and style contain numerous vascular bundles without clearly recognizable dorsals or ventrals. In contrast to pluricarpellate Araliaceae and Apiaceae, the cross zone is apparently oblique in the unicarpellate species.

CONCLUSIONS:

No support was found for gradual gynoecium reduction via pseudomonomery. The abrupt origin of monomery via direct change of gynoecium merism and the unstable carpel orientation observed are related to the general lability of the flower groundplan in Polyscias. The apparent occurrence of the unusual oblique cross zone in unicarpellate Araliaceae can be explained by developmental constraints.
Controlled supramolecular structure of guanosine monophosphate in the interlayer space of layered double hydroxide
Authors: Gwak Gyeong-Hyeon , Kocsis Istvan , Legrand Yves-Marie , Barboiu Mihail , Oh Jae-Min
Published: December 2016

Guanosine monophosphates (GMPs) were intercalated into the interlayer space of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and the molecular arrangement of GMP was controlled in LDHs. The intercalation conditions such as GMP/LDH molar ratio and reaction temperature were systematically adjusted. When the GMP/LDH molar ratio was 1:2, which corresponds to the charge balance between positive LDH sheets and GMP anions, GMP molecules were well-intercalated to LDH. At high temperature (100 and 80 °C), a single GMP molecule existed separately in the LDH interlayer. On the other hand, at lower temperature (20, 40 and 60 °C), GMPs tended to form ribbon-type supramolecular assemblies. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the ribbon-type GMP assembly had an intermolecular interaction energy of ≈101 kJ/mol, which corresponds to a double hydrogen bond between guanosine molecules. Once stabilized, the interlayer GMP orientations, single molecular and ribbon phase, were successfully converted to the other phase by adjusting the external environment by stoichiometry or temperature control.
Qualidade de vida dos profissionais de enfermagem de um centro cirúrgico
Authors: Almeida Ariely Nunes Ferreira de , Gurgel Emmanuelle Ribeiro Santos , Silva Silvana Rodrigues da
Published: December 2016

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a Qualidade de Vida Relacionada à Saúde (QVRS) dos profissionais de enfermagem do centro cirúrgico de um hospital público da região norte do Brasil.MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo e transversal, realizado com 17 profissionais de enfermagem que responderam ao questionário genérico de avaliação de QVRS, o SF-36. Na análise dos dados, calcularam-se as frequências absolutas (n) e relativas (%) para as variáveis categóricas e as médias, os desvios padrão e o valor mínimo e máximo para as variáveis contínuas. Os escores dos domínios do SF-36 foram obtidos conforme cálculo específico do próprio instrumento.RESULTADOS: Os domínios de QVRS Capacidade funcional, Saúde mental, Estado geral de saúde, Vitalidade e Aspectos sociais aproximaram-se de um melhor estado de saúde, enquanto que, Aspectos físicos, Aspectos emocionais e Dor aproximaram-se de um pior estado de saúde.CONCLUSÕES: Numa avaliação geral, os trabalhadores de enfermagem apresentaram percepção positiva da QVRS.