bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Katherine’s Secrets
Authors: Froula Christine
Published: May 2019

When Mansfield offered Woolf ‘scrupulously truthful’ friendship – ‘the freedom of the city without any reserves at all’ – Woolf had already playfully described her as ‘utterly unscrupulous’. Attacking ‘the same job’ of creating a new postwar aesthetics, they shared ‘priceless talk’ about their ‘precious art’ even as their friendship foundered in distance, absence, ‘quicksands’ of insincerity, misunderstandings, secrets, silences – reserves of all sorts. This essay considers this competitive, irreplaceable literary friendship through the veil of Katherine’s secrets, things we see that Virginia evidently couldn’t, or could see only after Mansfield’s death: Mansfield’s 1919 letters about Night and Day; her ‘doubtful’ unsigned 1920 review of it, ‘A Tragic Comedienne’; her 1915 war story, ‘An Indiscreet Journey’, unpublished until after her death, and its resonances with Colette’s war journalism; the open secrets of her posthumously published Doves’ Nest and Journal, which flow into Woolf’s creation of The Waves. Whether Mansfield’s mercurial ‘we’ voices their ‘public of two’, her exclusive alliance with Murry against Bloomsbury, or their postwar generation’s ‘change of heart’, her work, talk, and thought participate in – and even inspire – that ‘thinking in common’ Woolf theorises in A Room of One’s Own and abstracts as ‘the life of anybody’ in The Waves.
The Fly and the Displaced Self: Affective Potential in the Epiphanic Moments of Mansfield, Woolf and Lawrence
Authors: Hindrichs Cheryl
Published: May 2019

Katherine Mansfield’s claim that she and Elizabeth von Arnim are ‘worms of the same family’ would seem a curious analogy. But this deprecatory trope aligning the writer’s perspective with an insect’s, nonetheless, uses commonly held assumptions to interrogate gendered subjectivity and class dichotomies in the postwar world. In ‘The Fly,’ Mansfield depicts a businessman distracted by the seemingly harmless entertainment of dousing a housefly with ink; his god-like play with the fly evokes an attempt to master trauma – the loss of his son in the war, his consequent lack of purpose, and his complicity. Likewise, Mabel Waring in Virginia Woolf’s ‘The New Dress’ compulsively repeats an image she’s conjured of a fly crossing a saucer as a bulwark against the sense of irrelevance she feels in upper-class society. In Kangaroo, D.H. Lawrence’s writer Richard Somers faces a dark night of the soul trying on and rejecting different ideologies in order to secure a sense of purpose in his work; he sees himself as a fly harrowingly climbing up and continually falling back into a pot of ointment. Each protagonist considers or takes on the point of view of a housefly, attempting to master a trauma that, seen fully, would threaten his or her identity. These scenes should be an affective climax, however, as the deprecating choice of a housefly suggests, they are instead moments not of epiphany or emotional release but of existential impasse.
Dangerous Reading in Mansfield’s Stories and Woolf’s ‘The Fisherman and His Wife’
Authors: Richardson Brian
Published: May 2019

The fiction of both Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf contains numerous depictions of characters in the act of reading. In many of these instances, reading is a dubious or even dangerous activity, causing the protagonists to misinterpret the world around them, misapply literary allusions, or draw incorrect and potentially harmful conclusions from their reading. We see this in Mansfield’s stories ‘The Tiredness of Rosabel,’ ‘A Cup of Tea,’ ‘Bliss,’ ‘Marriage à la Mode,’ and ‘The Little Governess’ which depict readers who mistake, misapply, or misconstrue their reading in different ways. Woolf also depicts many dubious acts of reading, one of the most curious being the misogynist fairy tale that Mrs Ramsay reads aloud to her son, James. Noting the problematic aspects of reading in Mansfield can help us model an alternative interpretation of the fairy tale within the novel in line with Woolf’s ironic use of allusion elsewhere in the text.
Talk
Authors: Smith Ali
Published: May 2019

This transcript of a talk given by Ali Smith at the National Portrait Gallery in London on 23 October 2014 is published here for the first time. A recording of the talk may be heard at https://soundcloud.com/npglondon/getting-virginia-woolfs-goat-a-lecture-by-ali-smith

‘Well it is five minutes to ten: but where am I, writing with pen & ink? Not in my studio.’ No, unusually, in this diary entry from May 1932, Woolf is miles from home and miles from England, a foreigner on holiday in Greece, sitting in a dip of land ‘at Delphi, under an olive tree […] on dry earth covered with white daisies’. Leonard is next to her. His holiday reading is a Greek grammar. She sees a butterfly go past. ‘I think, a swallow tail.’ It’s all part of the desire to catalogue where we are. She describes simply for her diary what’s around her: the bushes and rocks and trees, the ‘huge bald gray & black mountain’, the earth, the flies, the flowers, the sound of goat bells....
Virginia Woolf’s ‘Moments of Being: “Slater’s Pins Have No Points”’
Authors: Egel Barbara
Published: May 2019

NOTE: The spoken words, quotation marks and parentheses all come from Woolf’s 1928 text (CSF, pp. 215–20). I thank the Society of Authors, executor for the Literary Estate of Virginia Woolf, for permission to reproduce copyright material. Formal permission must be obtained from the Society of Authors for any performance of this play....
How too weird
Authors: Rainey-Smith Maggie
Published: May 2019

[Reading Mansfield in Arohata Women’s Prison]

A pet weta is what

I remember most

About Her First Ball

we were locked in

the library, a small

reading group

mixed age, race and

crimes unknown

or perhaps withheld

assuming that fiction

put us all on an equal...
Blackhill: Out of the Slums
Authors: Damer Seán
Published: May 2019

This chapter traces the development of Blackhill, a scheme built under the provisions of the 1935 Housing Act which was aimed specifically at slum-clearance. Blackhill was built in an environmentally-challenged location, and its pioneer tenants were very poor slum-dwellers. Consequently the tenants were overwhelmingly unskilled manual workers on low-income – if they were working. It was characterised by a rumbustious culture of survival, which involved heavy drinking, thieving and gangs. This resulted in the scheme being stigmatised, but it also contained a vibrant community-spirit.
Spinoza, Leibniz or a World ‘less exquisitely organized’
Authors: Cordingley Anthony
Published: May 2019

This chapter concludes the investigation by detailing the way that Beckett’s narrator/narrator weighs up a philosophy of imminence (Spinoza) against a philosophy of transcendence (Leibniz). A new reading of Beckett’s relationship to these preeminent Rationalists is sustained through an examination of the Comment c’est notebooks and Beckett’s “Philosophy Notes”, and other works, such as, Endgame. A deep affinity is discovered between Beckett’s work and Spinoza’s uncompromising attack on the Judeo-Christian transcendentalism and anthropomorphism, which complicates the interpretation of Beckett’s most Leibnizian passages in the third and final Part of How It Is, when Beckett’s “I” attempts unsuccessfully to give a Rationalist account of his own cosmology. The dialectic Beckett fashions between Spinoza Leibniz amplifies the wide range of philosophical concerns detailed over the preceding chapters of this book. His novel use of Leibniz’s mathematics, in particular the calculus of infinitesimals, is revealed as source of a number of philosophical images that interact with other philosophical tropes to interrogate the nature of reality and the divine, and the claim to represent with reason the relationships between each. Mathematics emerges, in Beckett’s text, as a symbolic language transformed into an original, poetic order that expresses the complex and often paradoxical aesthetic questions of authorship, character and textuality.
Craft and Kirk: Security, Status and Shelter
Authors: Allen Aaron
Published: May 2019

This chapter looks at relations with the church, exploring themes of eternal security, earthly status and the material provision of shelter for meetings, before and after the Reformation. In 1475 the Incorporation received not only their seal of cause, granting them trade-regulatory privileges, but also a separate grant of an altar to Sts John the Baptist and Evangelist. This distinction between craft guild and confraternity is crucial to our understanding of the House. The Incorporation made important contributions to public worship, though participation in processions and feast days, and to the provision of masses at their altar in the town’s collegiate church. Beyond this, they also imagined, built and decorated the fabric of these important buildings. In return they were given security and assurance, first through an altar, and later through a pulpit. They received standing through their particularly-prestigious altar dedication and their position in processions nearest to the sacrament, and they took shelter for their corporate meetings in the town’s kirk. With the Reformation, however, the loss of their altar and meeting space had a direct and lasting impact on the corporate identity of the craftsmen.
Horses’ (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving
Authors: Esch Laureen , Wöhr Caroline , Erhard Michael , Krüger Konstanze
Published: May 2019

Domesticated horses are constantly confronted with novel tasks. A recent study on anecdotal data indicates that some are innovative in dealing with such tasks. However, innovative behavior in horses has not previously been investigated under experimental conditions. In this study, we investigated whether 16 horses found an innovative solution when confronted with a novel feeder. Moreover, we investigated whether innovative behavior in horses may be affected by individual aspects such as: age, sex, size, motor and sensory laterality, fecal stress hormone concentrations (GCMs), and task-related behavior. Our study revealed evidence for 25% of the horses being capable of innovative problem solving for operating a novel feeder. Innovative horses of the present study were active, tenacious, and may be considered to have a higher inhibitory control, which was revealed by their task related behavior. Furthermore, they appeared to be emotional, reflected by high baseline GCM concentrations and a left sensory and motor laterality. These findings may contribute to the understanding of horses’ cognitive capacities to deal with their environment and calls for enriched environments in sports and leisure horse management.
L-Tryptophan Enhances Intestinal Integrity in Diquat-Challenged Piglets Associated with Improvement of Redox Status and Mitochondrial Function
Authors: Liu Jingbo , Zhang Yong , Li Yan , Yan Honglin , Zhang Hongfu
Published: May 2019

Tryptophan (Trp) supplementation has been shown to improve growth performance and enhance intestinal integrity in piglets. However, the effects of dietary Trp supplementation on the intestinal barrier function in piglets exposed to oxidative stress remain unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate whether dietary Trp supplementation can attenuate intestinal injury, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction of piglets caused by diquat injection. Thirty-two piglets at 25 days of age were randomly allocated to four groups: (1) the non-challenged control; (2) diquat-challenged control; (3) 0.15% Trp-supplemented diet + diquat; (4) 0.30% Trp supplemented diet + diquat. On day seven, the piglets were injected intraperitoneally with sterilized saline or diquat (10 mg/kg body weight). The experiment lasted 21 days. Dietary supplementation with 0.15% Trp improved growth performance of diquat-challenged piglets from day 7 to 21. Diquat induced an increased intestinal permeability, impaired antioxidant capacity, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Although dietary supplementation with 0.15% Trp ameliorated these negative effects induced by diquat challenge that showed decreasing permeability of 4 kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran, increasing antioxidant indexes, and enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. Results indicated that dietary supplementation with 0.15% Trp enhanced intestinal integrity, restored the redox status, and improved the mitochondrial function of piglets challenged with diquat.
Review of Sunset OC/EC Instrument Measurements During the EPA’s Sunset Carbon Evaluation Project
Authors: Brown Steven , Minor Hilary , O’Brien Theresa , Hameed Yousaf , Feenstra Brandon , Kuebler Dustin , Wetherell Will , Day Robert , Tun Richard , Landis Elizabeth , Rice Joann
Published: May 2019

To evaluate the feasibility of the Sunset semicontinuous organic and elemental carbon (OC/EC) monitor, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sponsored the deployment of this monitor at Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) sites with OC and EC measurements via quartz fiber filter collection in Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; St. Louis, Missouri; Rubidoux, California; and Washington, D.C. Houston, St. Louis, and Washington also had collocated Aethalometer black carbon (BC) measurements. Sunset OC generally compared well with the CSN OC (r2 = 0.73 across five sites); the Sunset/CSN OC ratio was, on average, 1.06, with a range among sites of 0.96 to 1.12. Sunset thermal EC and CSN EC did not compare as well, with an overall r2 of 0.22, in part because 26% of the hourly Sunset EC measurements were below the detection limit. Sunset optical EC had a much better correlation to CSN EC (r2 = 0.67 across all sites), with an average Sunset/CSN ratio of 0.90 (range of 0.7 to 1.08). There was also a high correlation of Sunset optical EC with Aethalometer BC (r2 = 0.77 across all sites), though with a larger bias (average Sunset/Aethalometer ratio of 0.56). When the Sunset instrument was working well, OC and OptEC data were comparable to CSN OC and EC.
Impaired Fear Extinction Recall in Serotonin Transporter Knockout Rats Is Transiently Alleviated during Adolescence
Authors: Schipper Pieter , Brivio Paola , de Leest David , Madder Leonie , Asrar Beenish , Rebuglio Federica , Verheij Michel M. M. , Kozicz Tamas , Riva Marco A. , Calabrese Francesca , Henckens Marloes J. A. G. , Homberg Judith R.
Published: May 2019

Adolescence is a developmental phase characterized by emotional turmoil and coincides with the emergence of affective disorders. Inherited serotonin transporter (5-HTT) downregulation in humans increases sensitivity to these disorders. To reveal whether and how 5-HTT gene variance affects fear-driven behavior in adolescence, we tested wildtype and serotonin transporter knockout (5-HTT−/−) rats of preadolescent, adolescent, and adult age for cued fear extinction and extinction recall. To analyze neural circuit function, we quantified inhibitory synaptic contacts and, through RT-PCR, the expression of c-Fos, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and NDMA receptor subunits, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala. Remarkably, the impaired recall of conditioned fear that characterizes preadolescent and adult 5-HTT−/− rats was transiently normalized during adolescence. This did not relate to altered inhibitory neurotransmission, since mPFC inhibitory immunoreactivity was reduced in 5-HTT−/− rats across all ages and unaffected in the amygdala. Rather, since mPFC (but not amygdala) c-Fos expression and NMDA receptor subunit 1 expression were reduced in 5-HTT−/− rats during adolescence, and since PFC c-Fos correlated negatively with fear extinction recall, the temporary normalization of fear extinction during adolescence could relate to altered plasticity in the developing mPFC.
Comparison of Cellular Death Pathways after mTHPC-mediated Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in Five Human Cancer Cell Lines
Authors: Lange Carsten , Lehmann Christiane , Mahler Martin , Bednarski Patrick J.
Published: May 2019

One of the most promising photosensitizers (PS) used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) is the porphyrin derivative 5,10,15,20-tetra(m-hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (mTHPC, temoporfin), marketed in Europe under the trade name Foscan®. A set of five human cancer cell lines from head and neck and other PDT-relevant tissues was used to investigate oxidative stress and underlying cell death mechanisms of mTHPC-mediated PDT in vitro. Cells were treated with mTHPC in equitoxic concentrations and illuminated with light doses of 1.8–7.0 J/cm2 and harvested immediately, 6, 24, or 48 h post illumination for analyses. Our results confirm the induction of oxidative stress after mTHPC-based PDT by detecting a total loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and increased formation of ROS. However, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and loss of cell membrane integrity play only a minor role in cell death in most cell lines. Based on our results, apoptosis is the predominant death mechanism following mTHPC-mediated PDT. Autophagy can occur in parallel to apoptosis or the former can be dominant first, yet ultimately leading to autophagy-associated apoptosis. The death of the cells is in some cases accompanied by DNA fragmentation and a G2/M phase arrest. In general, the overall phototoxic effects and the concentrations as well as the time to establish these effects varies between cell lines, suggesting that the cancer cells are not all dying by one defined mechanism, but rather succumb to an individual interplay of different cell death mechanisms. Besides the evaluation of the underlying cell death mechanisms, we focused on the comparison of results in a set of five identically treated cell lines in this study. Although cells were treated under equitoxic conditions and PDT acts via a rather unspecific ROS formation, very heterogeneous results were obtained with different cell lines. This study shows that general conclusions after PDT in vitro require testing on several cell lines to be reliable, which has too often been ignored in the past.
Mutant p53, Stabilized by Its Interplay with HSP90, Activates a Positive Feed-Back Loop Between NRF2 and p62 that Induces Chemo-Resistance to Apigenin in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Authors: Gilardini Montani Maria Saveria , Cecere Nives , Granato Marisa , Romeo Maria Anele , Falcinelli Luca , Ciciarelli Umberto , D’Orazi Gabriella , Faggioni Alberto , Cirone Mara
Published: May 2019

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers whose prognosis is worsened by the poor response to the current chemotherapies. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of Apigenin, against two pancreatic cell lines, namely Panc1 and PaCa44, harboring different p53 mutations. Apigenin is a flavonoid widely distributed in nature that displays anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties against a variety of cancers. Here we observed that Apigenin exerted a stronger cytotoxic effect against Panc1 cell line in comparison to PaCa44. Searching for mechanisms responsible for such different effect, we found that the higher cytotoxicity of Apigenin correlated with induction of higher level of intracellular ROS, reduction of mutant (mut) p53 and HSP90 expression and mTORC1 inhibition. Interestingly, we found that mutp53 was stabilized by its interplay with HSP90 and activates a positive feed-back loop between NRF2 and p62, up-regulating the antioxidant response and reducing the cytotoxicity of Apigenin. These results suggest that targeting the molecules involved in the mTOR-HSP90-mutp53-p62-NRF2-antioxidant response axis could help to overcome the chemo-resistance of pancreatic cancer to Apigenin.
Connexins and Gap Junctions in Cancer of the Urinary Tract
Authors: Tschernig Thomas
Published: May 2019

This review focuses on connexins and nexus or gap junctions in the genesis, progression, and therapy of carcinomas of the human urinary tract. Some decades ago, the idea was born that gap junctional intercellular communication might prevent both the onset and the progression of cancer. Later evidence indicated that, on the contrary, synthesis and the presence of connexins as a prerequisite for gap junctional intercellular communication might promote the occurrence of cancer and metastases. The research history of urinary bladder cancer is a good example of the development of scientific perception. So far, the role of gap junctional intercellular communication in carcinogenesis and cancer progression, as well as in therapeutical approaches, remains unclear.
Exercise Intervention Improves Clinical Outcomes, but the “Time of Session” is Crucial for Better Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hong Feng , Ye Weibing , Kuo Chia-Hua , Zhang Yong , Qian Yongdong , Korivi Mallikarjuna
Published: May 2019

This study examined the effects of exercise intervention on the quality of life (QoL), social functioning (SF), and physical functioning (PF) of breast cancer survivors, and identified the responsible and optimal exercise characteristics for amelioration of outcomes. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that adopted exercise intervention and measured the QoL, SF, and PF of breast cancer patients were included. We used meta-analysis to calculate the pooled effect, and meta-regression to identify the responsible exercise characteristics (type, frequency, duration, and time). Subgroup analysis assessed the optimal “time of session” for an improved QoL. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to determine the quality of studies. In the systematic review, we included 26 RCTs with a total of 1892 breast cancer patients, whilst 18 trials were considered for meta-analysis (exercise = 602; control = 603). The pooled effect showed that exercise intervention substantially improved the QoL (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.35; I2 = 61%; 95% confidence internal (CI): 0.15–0.54; p = 0.0004), SF (SMD = 0.20; I2 = 16%; 95% CI:0.08–0.32; p = 0.001), and PF (SMD = 0.32; I2 = 32%; 95% CI:0.20–0.44; p < 0.00001). Meta-regression analysis showed that improved QoL was associated (p = 0.041) with the “time of session”. More specifically, sessions conducted for medium-time (>45 to ≤60 min; p = 0.03) and longer-time (>60 to 90 min; p = 0.005) considerably improved the QoL, whilst shorter-time (≤45 min; p = 0.15) did not. To summarize, exercise interventions improved the QoL, SF, and PF of breast cancer survivors, where the “time of session” appeared to be crucial for an effective improvement in the QoL.
Down-Regulation of Cannabinoid Type 1 (CB1) Receptor and its Downstream Signaling Pathways in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Tutino Valeria , Caruso Maria Gabriella , De Nunzio Valentina , Lorusso Dionigi , Veronese Nicola , Gigante Isabella , Notarnicola Maria , Giannelli Gianluigi
Published: May 2019

Changes in the regulation of endocannabinoid production, together with an altered expression of their receptors are hallmarks of cancer, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Although several studies have been conducted to understand the biological role of the CB1 receptor in cancer, little is known about its involvement in the metastatic process of CRC. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between CB1 receptor expression and the presence of metastasis in patients with CRC, investigating the main signaling pathways elicited downstream of CB1 receptor in colon cancer. Fifty-nine consecutive patients, with histologically proven colorectal cancer, were enrolled in the study, of which 30 patients with synchronous metastasis, at first diagnosis and 29 without metastasis. A low expression of CB1 receptor were detected in primary tumor tissue of CRC patients with metastasis and consequently, we observed an alteration of CB1 receptor downstream signaling. These signaling routes were also altered in intestinal normal mucosa, suggesting that, normal mucosa surrounding the tumor provides a realistic picture of the molecules involved in tissue malignant transformation. These observations contribute to the idea that drugs able to induce CB1 receptor expression can be helpful in order to set new anticancer therapeutic strategies.
Entropy Generation of Forced Convection during Melting of Ice Slurry
Authors: Niezgoda-Żelasko Beata
Published: May 2019

This paper looks at entropy generation during ice slurry flow in straight pipes and typical heat exchanger structures used in refrigeration and air-conditioning technology. A dimensionless relationship was proposed to determine the interdependency between flow velocity and the volume fraction of ice, for which the entropy generation rates were at the minimum level in the case of non-adiabatic ice slurry flow. For pipe flow, the correlation between the minimum entropy generation rate and the overall enhancement efficiency was analyzed. As regards heat exchange processes in heat exchangers, the authors analyzed the relationship between the minimum entropy generation rate and the heat exchange surface area and exchanger efficiency.
Threshold Regression with Endogeneity for Short Panels
Authors: Gørgens Tue , Würtz Allan H.
Published: May 2019

This paper considers the estimation of dynamic threshold regression models with fixed effects using short panel data. We examine a two-step method, where the threshold parameter is estimated nonparametrically at the N-rate and the remaining parameters are estimated by GMM at the N -rate. We provide simulation results that illustrate advantages of the new method in comparison with pure GMM estimation. The simulations also highlight the importance of the choice of instruments in GMM estimation.
Is Fidelity of Implementation of an Anti-Bullying Policy Related to Student Bullying and Teacher Protection of Students?
Authors: Hall William J. , Dawes Hayden C.
Published: May 2019

Bullying is a significant school problem. Policies have been developed to reduce bullying, yet little is known about their implementation, which must occur for these policies to have an effect. This study examines associations between the overall implementation of a state anti-bullying policy and implementation of specific components outlined in the policy with two outcomes: bullying among students and teacher protection of students. Data were collected from 588 educators in K-12 schools across North Carolina a year following the enactment of an anti-bullying law in the state. Results show that overall policy implementation fidelity is inversely related to student bullying and positively related to teacher protection. In addition, the implementation of certain policy components (i.e., educator and student knowledge of bullying reporting procedures, training of educators about protected classes from bullying, student knowledge of protected classes, and educators reporting and remediating bullying based on protected classes) is significantly related to the outcomes. Thus, the implementation of certain anti-bullying policy components may be more potent in addressing bullying. Future research should identify constellations of policy strategies that need to be activated in schools to eliminate bullying.
Maintenance Strategy Optimization of a Coal-Fired Power Plant Cooling Tower through Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets
Authors: Melani Arthur H.A. , Murad Carlos A. , Caminada Netto Adherbal , Souza Gilberto F.M. , Nabeta Silvio I.
Published: May 2019

Determining the ideal size of maintenance staff is a daunting task, especially in the operation of large and complex mechanical systems such as thermal power plants. On the one hand, a significant investment in maintenance is necessary to maintain the availability of the system. On the other hand, it can significantly affect the profit of the plant. Several mathematical modeling techniques have been used in many different ways to predict and improve the availability and reliability of such systems. This work uses a modeling tool called generalized stochastic Petri net (GSPN) in a new way, aiming to determine the effect that the number of maintenance teams has on the availability and performance of a coal-fired power plant cooling tower. The results obtained through the model are confronted with a thermodynamic analysis of the cooling tower that shows the influence of this system’s performance on the efficiency of the power plant. Thus, it is possible to determine the optimal size of the repair team in order to maximize the plant’s performance with the least possible investment in maintenance personnel.
Trusted Transactions in Micro-Grid Based on Blockchain
Authors: Yu Yunjun , Guo Yanghui , Min Weidong , Zeng Fanpeng
Published: May 2019

In order to build a local electricity market (LEM), community members can trade electricity peer-to-peer (P2P) with their neighbors. This paper proposes a Hierarchical Bidding and Transaction Structure based on blockchain (HBTS). First, combined with the multi-agents, each microgrid corrects the estimated cost probability distribution of other microgrids by Bayesian theorem, making its probability closer to the accurate probability. Second, for maximize the benefits of the microgrid, this paper uses the Nash equilibrium in the Cournot model to find the optimal quotation and output of different bidding strategies for the microgrid under different power demand conditions. Then the exchange of electricity translates into an exchange of digital proof of electricity purchases and sales of electricity on the Hyperledger Fabric, ensuring the security of the transaction process and the irreparable modification of ledgers. Finally, we verify the effectiveness of the bidding strategy through experiments, and analyze the transaction process.
Experimental Investigation of Performance, Emission and Combustion Characteristics of a Common-Rail Diesel Engine Fuelled with Bioethanol as a Fuel Additive in Coconut Oil Biodiesel Blends
Authors: Teoh Y.H. , Yu K.H. , How H.G. , Nguyen H.-T.
Published: May 2019

In the present study, the effects of adding of bioethanol as a fuel additive to a coconut biodiesel-diesel fuel blend on engine performance, exhaust emissions, and combustion characteristics were studied in a medium-duty, high-pressure common-rail turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine under different torque conditions. The test fuels used were fossil diesel fuels, B20 (20% biodiesel blend), B20E5 (20% biodiesel + 5% bioethanol blend), and B20E10 (20% biodiesel + 10% bioethanol blend). The experimental results demonstrated that there was an improvement in the brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of the blends at the expense of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) for each bioethanol blend. An increment in nitrogen oxide (NOx) across the entire load range, except at low load conditions, was found with a higher percentage of the bioethanol blend. Also, it was found that simultaneous smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) emission reduction from the baseline levels of petroleum diesel fuel is attainable by utilizing all types of fuel blends. In terms of combustion characteristics, the utilization of bioethanol blended fuels presented a rise in the peak in-cylinder pressure and peak heat release rate (HRR) at a low engine load, especially for the B20E10 blend. Furthermore, the B20E10 showed shorter combustion duration, which reduced by an average of 1.375 °CA compared to the corresponding baseline diesel. This study therefore showed that the B20E10 blend exhibited great improvements in the diesel engine, thus demonstrating that bioethanol is a feasible fuel additive for coconut biodiesel-diesel blends.
Smart Plugs: Paradigms and Applications in the Smart City-and-Smart Grid
Authors: Suryadevara Nagender Kumar , Biswal Gyan Ranjan
Published: May 2019

In the current energy ecosystem, the need for a Hybrid Appliance Load Monitoring System (HALMS) to establish a smarter grid and energy infrastructure is undeniable. The increasing popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has suddenly pushed the demand for smart and connected devices. This review introduces the term smart plug as a device that uses IoT for establishing HALMS. These smart plugs are a handy solution to make the so-called ‘dumb’ devices smart. The strategy of smart plugs to enhance the energy management experience in connected spaces is presented. This study extensively highlights the current smart plug technologies and the relevant activities and limitations that need to overcome the requirements of HALMS.
A Proportional Plus a Hysteretic Term Control Design: A Throttle Experimental Emulation to Wind Turbines Pitch Control
Authors: Acho Leonardo
Published: May 2019

Pitch control is a relevant issue in wind turbines to properly operate the angle of the blades. Therefore, this control system pitches the blades usually a few degrees every time the wind changes in order to keep the rotor blades at the required angle thus controlling the rotational speed of the turbine. All the same time, the control of the pitch angle is not easy due to the system behavior being highly nonlinear. Consequently, the main objective of this paper is to depict an easy to implement control design based on a proportional controller and a hysteretic term to an emulator pitch control system in wind turbines. This emulator is just an automotive throttle device. This mechanical body dynamically captures some hard non-linearities presented in pitch wind turbine mechanisms, such as backlash, asymmetrical non-lineal effects, friction, and load variations. Even under strong non-linear effects that are difficult to model, a proportional controller and a hysteretic term may satisfy the main control design objective. Hence, a recent control design is developed and applied to a throttle system. We invoke the Lyapunov theory to confirm stability of the resultant closed-loop system. In addition, the proposed control approach is completely implemented by using operational amplifiers. Hence, no digital units are required at all. Moreover, the cost of the developed experimental platform and its outcomes are inexpensive. According to the experimental results, the controller performance seems acceptable, and validating of the control contribution too. For instance, a settling-time of about 0.03 s to a unit step-response is obtained.
Assessment of Primary Energy Conversion of a Closed-Circuit OWC Wave Energy Converter
Authors: Benreguig Pierre , Pakrashi Vikram , Murphy Jimmy
Published: May 2019

Tupperwave is a wave energy device based on the Oscillating-Water-Column (OWC) concept. Unlike a conventional OWC, which creates a bidirectional air flow across the self-rectifying turbine, the Tupperwave device uses rectifying valves to create a smooth unidirectional air flow, which is harnessed by a unidirectional turbine. This paper deals with the development and validation of time-domain numerical models from wave to pneumatic power for the Tupperwave device and the conventional OWC device using the same floating spar buoy structure. The numerical models are built using coupled hydrodynamic and thermodynamic equations. The isentropic assumption is used to describe the thermodynamic processes. A tank testing campaign of the two devices at 1/24th scale is described, and the results are used to validate the numerical models. The capacity of the innovative Tupperwave OWC concept to convert wave energy into useful pneumatic energy to the turbine is assessed and compared to the corresponding conventional OWC.
Experimental Investigation of Diesel Engine Performance, Combustion and Emissions Using a Novel Series of Dioctyl Phthalate (DOP) Biofuels Derived from Microalgae
Authors: Hossain Farhad M. , Nabi Md. Nurun , Rahman Md. Mostafizur , Bari Saiful , Van Thuy Chu , Rahman S. M. Ashrafur , Rainey Thomas J. , Bodisco Timothy A. , Suara Kabir , Ristovski Zoran , Brown Richard J.
Published: May 2019

Physico-chemical properties of microalgae biodiesel depend on the microalgae species and oil extraction method. Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) is a clear, colourless and viscous liquid as a plasticizer. It is used in the processing of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and polymers. A new potential biofuel, hydrothermally liquefied microalgae bio-oil can contain nearly 11% (by mass) of DOP. This study investigated the feasibility of using up to 20% DOP blended in 80% diesel fuel (v/v) in an existing diesel engine, and assessed the performance and exhaust emissions. Despite reasonable differences in density, viscosity, surface tension, and boiling point, blends of DOP and diesel fuel were found to be entirely miscible and no separation was observed at any stage during prolonged miscibility tests. The engine test study found a slight decrease in peak cylinder pressure, brake, and indicated mean effective pressure, indicated power, brake power, and indicated and brake thermal efficiency with DOP blended fuels, where the specific fuel consumption increased. This is due to the presence of 16.4% oxygen in neat DOP, responsible for the relatively lower heating value, compared to that of diesel. The emission tests revealed a slight increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from DOP blended fuels. However, particulate matter (PM) emissions were lower from DOP blended fuels, although some inconsistency in particle number (PN) was present among different engine loads.
Non-Probabilistic Time-Varying Reliability-Based Analysis of Corroded Pipelines Considering the Interaction of Multiple Uncertainty Variables
Authors: Hou Xiangqin , Wang Yihuan , Zhang Peng , Qin Guojin
Published: May 2019

Reliability analysis of corroded pipelines is critical to the integrity and safe working of pipeline infrastructure. Aiming at less probability information is obtained for corrosion pipeline engineering, and the mechanical properties of pipeline with corrosion defects deteriorate caused by the accumulative effect of corrosion growth. Based on the quasi-static analysis method and non-probability theory, this paper presents a reliability model for assessing corroded pipelines with corrosion growth. In fact, reliability analysis of corroded pipelines needs to consider the interaction of multiple uncertainty variables. By introducing interaction theory, a mathematical model of corrosion defects considering the interaction of variables is put forward. Moreover, this paper develops a non-probabilistic time-varying reliability method for pipeline systems with multiple defects. Thus, several numerical examples are investigated to discuss the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results show that a two-dimensional or even three-dimensional ellipsoid model with correlation has more accurate results to evaluate corroded pipelines under the interaction of multiple corroded defects with poor information. Furthermore, a non-probabilistic time-varying reliability model is established according to the time-varying characteristics of the corroded pipeline under the influence of multiple factors. An effective complement to the theory of non-probabilistic reliability analysis of system is investigated. The analysis of the results suggests that interaction of corroded pipeline has a negligible impact on reliability. It also provides a theoretical basis for maintenance and is of great significance for risk- and reliability-informed decisions regarding buried oil and gas pipelines.
Characteristics of Cyberstalking Behavior, Consequences, and Coping Strategies: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of Italian University Students
Authors: Begotti Tatiana , Acquadro Maran Daniela
Published: May 2019

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare victims of one type of cyberstalking (OneType) with victims of more than one type of cyberstalking (MoreType) regarding (1) the impact of cyberstalking and (2) attitudes related to telling someone about the experience of cyberstalking and the coping strategies used by victims. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to over 250 students at the University of Torino. Results: About half of the participants experienced at least one incident of cyberstalking. Among them, more than half experienced more than one type of cyberstalking. Victims suffered from depression more than those who had never experienced cyberstalking. No statistically significant difference emerged for anxiety. The coping strategies used by MoreType were more varied than those used by OneType victims of cyberstalking. Moreover, MoreType victims told someone about their victimization more than OneType victims. Conclusion: The work presented suggests implications for health care professionals, police officers, and government. For example, our suggestion is to pay attention to cyberstalking victims and provide flyers in schools, universities, and cafeterias that explain the risk of certain online behaviors and their consequences in physical and emotional spheres.
Leaf Transcriptome Assembly of Protium copal (Burseraceae) and Annotation of Terpene Biosynthetic Genes
Authors: Damasco Gabriel , Shivakumar Vikram S. , Misciewicz Tracy M. , Daly Douglas C. , Fine Paul V. A.
Published: May 2019

Plants in the Burseraceae are globally recognized for producing resins and essential oils with medicinal properties and have economic value. In addition, most of the aromatic and non-aromatic components of Burseraceae resins are derived from a variety of terpene and terpenoid chemicals. Although terpene genes have been identified in model plant crops (e.g., Citrus, Arabidopsis), very few genomic resources are available for non-model groups, including the highly diverse Burseraceae family. Here we report the assembly of a leaf transcriptome of Protium copal, an aromatic tree that has a large distribution in Central America, describe the functional annotation of putative terpene biosynthetic genes and compare terpene biosynthetic genes found in P. copal with those identified in other Burseraceae taxa. The genomic resources of Protium copal can be used to generate novel sequencing markers for population genetics and comparative phylogenetic studies, and to investigate the diversity and evolution of terpene genes in the Burseraceae.
Understanding Male Caregivers’ Emotional, Financial, and Physical Burden in the United States
Authors: Lopez–Anuarbe Monika , Kohli Priya
Published: May 2019

Men caregivers face caregiving burden, have weak support networks and are less likely to seek out programs which increase their caregiving capabilities and help them cope with this burden. Using the 2011 and 2015 National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) database and hierarchical regressions, we studied the emotional, financial, and physical burden of male caregivers as spouses, sons, and other caregivers by assessing the impact of caregiver characteristics, tasks and resources for each subgroup. We highlighted the importance of using a nationally representative database for men caregivers only and emphasized that these caregivers are not a monolithic group. We found that all caregivers experienced these three burden types, particularly elevated emotional stress, with sons reporting the highest emotional and financial strain levels. Assisting with personal care was the most stressful task and caregivers vastly under-utilized support and training. Our results suggest that burden suppressants included having family and friends help with caregiving, having time to decompress, and feeling appreciated by the care recipient. These findings offer insight for devising future policies that intentionally include relationship and burden type to encourage improved and more caregiving from men while supporting their well-being.
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children after Antenatal Maternal Depression Treatment, a Longitudinal Study Built on a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Bleker Laura S. , Milgrom Jeannette , Parker Donna , Gemmill Alan W. , Holt Christopher J. , Connelly Alan , Burger Huibert , Roseboom Tessa J. , de Rooij Susanne R.
Published: May 2019

Antenatal depression is associated with an increased risk of offspring neuro-developmental disorders, potentially as a consequence of an altered brain development in utero. We hypothesized that reducing maternal depression by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) during pregnancy may ameliorate the offspring’s brain (micro)structural outcomes. 54 pregnant women with a diagnosed clinical depression were randomly allocated to CBT or Treatment as Usual (TAU), showing moderate to large depression symptom improvements after CBT. In 16 of their children (69% boys, N(TAU) = 8, N(CBT) = 8, mean age = 5.9 years, range = 3.9–7.1 years) brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans were conducted. Children from the CBT group had a thicker right lateral occipital cortex (difference: 0.13 mm, 95% CI = 0.005–0.26) and lingual gyrus (difference: 0.18 mm, 95% CI = 0.01–0.34). In the CBT group, Voxel-Based Morphometry analysis identified one cluster showing increased gray matter concentration in the right medial temporal lobe at p < 0.05 uncorrected, and fixel-based analysis revealed reduced fiber-bundle cross-section in the Fornix, the Optical Tract, and the Stria Terminalis at p < 0.01 uncorrected. However, none of the results survived correction for multiple testing. Our explorative analyses provided some indication that antenatal CBT for depression may ameliorate offspring’s brain (micro)structural outcomes, but the sample size was extremely small, and our results should be cautiously interpreted. Larger studies are warranted to confirm our preliminary conclusions that CBT for antenatal depression affects brain development in children.
Evaluation of the Impacts of a Phone Warning and Advising System for Individuals Vulnerable to Smog. Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial Study in Canada
Authors: Mehiriz Kaddour , Gosselin Pierre
Published: May 2019

Smog warning systems are components of adaptation strategies that are adopted by governments around the world to protect their citizens from extreme episodes of air pollution. As part of a growing research stream on the effectiveness of these systems, this article presents the results of a study on the impacts of an automated phone warning and advising system for individuals vulnerable to air pollution. A sample of 1328 individuals were recruited and randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The treatment group received smog warning while the control group did not. Data were collected via three phone surveys, two before and one after issuing the smog warning. The comparison between treatment and control groups indicates that exposure to a smog warning improved information on the occurrence of smog episodes (n = 484, OR = 5.58, p = 0.00), and knowledge on protective behaviors. Furthermore, members of treatment group were more likely to avoid exposure to smog episodes by spending more time inside with the windows closed than usual (n = 474, OR = 2.03, p = 0.00). Members of treatment group who take medication in the form of aerosol pumps also kept these devices on themselves more frequently than those of control group (n= 109, OR = 2.15, p = 0.03). The system however had no discernible effects on the awareness of air pollution risks, reduction of health symptoms related to smog and the use of health system services. The absence of health benefits could be related to the lower actual exposure to air pollution of such vulnerable groups during winter.