bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toxicity Effects of Functionalized Quantum Dots, Gold and Polystyrene Nanoparticles on Target Aquatic Biological Models: A Review
Authors: Libralato Giovanni , Galdiero Emilia , Falanga Annarita , Carotenuto Rosa , De Alteriis Elisabetta , Guida Marco
Published: August 2017

Nano-based products are widespread in several sectors, including textiles, medical-products, cosmetics, paints and plastics. Nanosafety and safe-by-design are driving nanoparticle (NP) production and applications through NP functionalization (@NPs). Indeed, @NPs frequently present biological effects that differ from the parent material. This paper reviews the impact of quantum dots (QDs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and polystyrene-cored NPs (PSNPs), evidencing the role of NP functionalization in toxicity definition. Key biological models were taken into consideration for NP evaluation: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fresh- (F) and saltwater (S) microalgae (Raphidocelis subcapitata (F), Scenedesmus obliquus (F) and Chlorella spp. (F), and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (S)), Daphnia magna, and Xenopus laevis. QDs are quite widespread in technological devices, and they are known to induce genotoxicity and oxidative stress that can drastically change according to the coating employed. For example, AuNPs are frequently functionalized with antimicrobial peptides, which is shown to both increase their activity and decrease the relative environmental toxicity. P-NPs are frequently coated with NH2− for cationic and COOH− for anionic surfaces, but when positively charged toxicity effects can be observed. Careful assessment of functionalized and non-functionalized NPs is compulsory to also understand their potential direct and indirect effects when the coating is removed or degraded.
Synthesis and Detailed Examination of Spectral Properties of (S) and (R)-Higenamine 4′-O-β-d-Glucoside and HPLC Analytical Conditions to Distinguish the Diastereomers
Authors: Kato Eisuke , Iwata Ryohei , Kawabata Jun
Published: August 2017

Higenamine is a tetrahydroisoquinoline present in several plants that has β-adrenergic receptor agonist activity. Study of the biosynthesis of higenamine has shown the participation of norcoclaurine synthase, which controls the stereochemistry to construct the (S)-isomer. However, when isolated from nature, higenamine is found as the racemate, or even the (R)-isomer. We recently reported the isolation of higenamine 4′-O-β-d-glucoside. Herein, its (R)- and (S)-isomers were synthesized and compared to precisely determine the stereochemistry of the isolate. Owing to their similar spectral properties, determination of the stereochemistry based on NMR data was considered inappropriate. Therefore, a high-performance liquid chromatography method was established to separate the isomers, and natural higenamine 4′-O-β-d-glucoside was determined to be a mixture of isomers.
Triethyl Citrate (TEC) as a Dispersing Aid in Polylactic Acid/Chitin Nanocomposites Prepared via Liquid-Assisted Extrusion
Authors: Herrera Natalia , Singh Anshu , Salaberria Asier , Labidi Jalel , Mathew Aji , Oksman Kristiina
Published: August 2017

The production of fully bio-based and biodegradable nanocomposites has gained attention during recent years due to environmental reasons; however, the production of these nanocomposites on the large-scale is challenging. Polylactic acid/chitin nanocrystal (PLA/ChNC) nanocomposites with triethyl citrate (TEC) at varied concentrations (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 wt %) were prepared using liquid-assisted extrusion. The goal was to find the minimum amount of the TEC plasticizer needed to enhance the ChNC dispersion. The microscopy study showed that the dispersion and distribution of the ChNC into PLA improved with the increasing TEC content. Hence, the nanocomposite with the highest plasticizer content (7.5 wt %) showed the highest optical transparency and improved thermal and mechanical properties compared with its counterpart without the ChNC. Gel permeation chromatography confirmed that the water and ethanol used during the extrusion did not degrade PLA. Further, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed improved interaction between PLA and ChNC through hydrogen bonding when TEC was added. All results confirmed that the plasticizer plays an important role as a dispersing aid in the processing of PLA/ChNC nanocomposites.
The Impact of Mapping Error on the Performance of Upscaling Agricultural Maps
Authors: Sun Peijun , Congalton Russell , Grybas Heather , Pan Yaozhong
Published: August 2017

Aggregation methods are the most common way of upscaling land cover maps. To analyze the impact of land cover mapping error on upscaling agricultural maps, we utilized the Cropland Data Layer (CDL) data with corresponding confidence level data and simulated eight levels of error using a Monte Carlo simulation for two Agriculture Statistic Districts (ASD) in the U.S.A. The results of the simulations were used as base maps for subsequent upscaling, utilizing the majority rule based aggregation method. The results show that increasing error level resulted in higher proportional errors for each crop in both study areas. As a result of increasing error level, landscape characteristics of the base map also changed greatly resulting in higher proportional error in the upscaled maps. Furthermore, the proportional error is sensitive to the crop area proportion in the base map and decreases as the crop proportion increases. These findings indicate that three factors, the error level of the thematic map, the change in landscape pattern/characteristics of the thematic map, and the objective of the project, should be considered before performing any upscaling. The first two factors can be estimated by using pre-existing land cover maps with relatively high accuracy. The third factor is dependent on the project requirements (e.g., landscape characteristics, proportions of cover types, and use of the upscaled map). Overall, improving our understanding of the impacts of land cover mapping error is necessary to the proper design for upscaling and obtaining the optimal upscaled map.
Evaluation of Sentinel-2A Satellite Imagery for Mapping Cotton Root Rot
Authors: Song Xiaoyu , Yang Chenghai , Wu Mingquan , Zhao Chunjiang , Yang Guijun , Hoffmann Wesley , Huang Wenjiang
Published: August 2017

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an economically important crop that is highly susceptible to cotton root rot. Remote sensing technology provides a useful and effective means for detecting and mapping cotton root rot infestations in cotton fields. This research assessed the potential of 10-m Sentinel-2A satellite imagery for cotton root rot detection and compared it with airborne multispectral imagery using unsupervised classification at both field and regional levels. Accuracy assessment showed that the classification maps from the Sentinel-2A imagery had an overall accuracy of 94.1% for field subset images and 91.2% for the whole image, compared with the airborne image classification results. However, some small cotton root rot areas were undetectable and some non-infested areas within large root rot areas were incorrectly classified as infested due to the images’ coarse spatial resolution. Classification maps based on field subset Sentinel-2A images missed 16.6% of the infested areas and the classification map based on the whole Sentinel-2A image for the study area omitted 19.7% of the infested areas. These results demonstrate that freely-available Sentinel-2 imagery can be used as an alternative data source for identifying cotton root rot and creating prescription maps for site-specific management of the disease.
Transfer Learning with Deep Convolutional Neural Network for SAR Target Classification with Limited Labeled Data
Authors: Huang Zhongling , Pan Zongxu , Lei Bin
Published: August 2017

Tremendous progress has been made in object recognition with deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs), thanks to the availability of large-scale annotated dataset. With the ability of learning highly hierarchical image feature extractors, deep CNNs are also expected to solve the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) target classification problems. However, the limited labeled SAR target data becomes a handicap to train a deep CNN. To solve this problem, we propose a transfer learning based method, making knowledge learned from sufficient unlabeled SAR scene images transferrable to labeled SAR target data. We design an assembled CNN architecture consisting of a classification pathway and a reconstruction pathway, together with a feedback bypass additionally. Instead of training a deep network with limited dataset from scratch, a large number of unlabeled SAR scene images are used to train the reconstruction pathway with stacked convolutional auto-encoders (SCAE) at first. Then, these pre-trained convolutional layers are reused to transfer knowledge to SAR target classification tasks, with feedback bypass introducing the reconstruction loss simultaneously. The experimental results demonstrate that transfer learning leads to a better performance in the case of scarce labeled training data and the additional feedback bypass with reconstruction loss helps to boost the capability of classification pathway.
Response of a Zn2TiO4 Gas Sensor to Propanol at Room Temperature
Authors: Gaidan Ibrahim , Brabazon Dermot , Ahad Inam
Published: August 2017

In this study, three different compositions of ZnO and TiO2 powders were cold compressed and then heated at 1250 °C for five hours. The samples were ground to powder form. The powders were mixed with 5 wt % of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as binder and 1.5 wt % carbon black and ethylene-glyco-lmono-butyl-ether as a solvent to form screen-printed pastes. The prepared pastes were screen printed on the top of alumina substrates containing arrays of three copper electrodes. The three fabricated sensors were tested to detect propanol at room temperature at two different concentration ranges. The first concentration range was from 500 to 3000 ppm while the second concentration range was from 2500 to 5000 ppm, with testing taking place in steps of 500 ppm. The response of the sensors was found to increase monotonically in response to the increment in the propanol concentration. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the prepared samples were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The sensors displayed good sensitivity to propanol vapors at room temperature. Operation under room-temperature conditions make these sensors novel, as other metal oxide sensors operate only at high temperature.
Computational Modeling of Flow and Scour around Two Cylinders in Staggered Array
Authors: Kim Hyung , Roh Min , Nabi Mohamed
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a numerical study on flow and local scour around two identical cylinders with diverse spacing ratios (s/D) and alignment angles (α). The spacing ratio of center-to-center distance between cylinders (s) to the cylinder diameter (D) varied from 1.25 to 5.0, including five alignment angles ranged from 0° to 90°. The detailed scour processes and information were obtained in a physics-based way by using large eddy simulation coupled with sediment transport in a Lagrangian framework and a morphodynamic model. Turbulent flow properties around two cylinders in staggered array are significantly concerned by the spacing ratio and the alignment angle which reflect complex features of evolution of scour and scour depth. The computed results exhibited the scour depth is associated with the spacing ratio and alignment angles especially at the rear cylinder. For small alignment angles, the growth rate at the rear cylinder increased as the spacing ratio increased, due to a decrease in shielding effect. As the alignment angle increased, the scour depth around the rear cylinder increased until the angle reached approximately 45°–60°. Subsequently, the scour depth decreased with the alignment angle. It also revealed that the spacing ratio was more sensitive to the maximum scour than that of the alignment angle. For (s-D)/D > 2.0, the maximum scour depth only depended on the spacing ratio.
Challenges to Water Security along the “Emerald Coast”: A Political Ecology of Local Water Governance in Nicaragua
Authors: LaVanchy G. , Romano Sarah , Taylor Matthew
Published: August 2017

Despite being a water-rich country, Nicaragua struggles to secure clean water access for many of its residents. In addition to distributional and water quality issues, a prolonged drought affecting all regions of the country has compounded preexisting governance challenges to ensuring rural water needs. This article focuses on a rural community along the southwest Pacific Coast of Tola, Nicaragua, where tourism development and drought converge to produce and exacerbate water insecurity. This article examines this water insecurity in the context of two recent national water laws in Nicaragua (passed in 2007 and 2010 respectively) that sought to provide a more comprehensive legal framework for freshwater water governance. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews and groundwater and meteorological data, we contend that water laws have not effectively mediated the hydrological effects of prolonged drought and tourism development, resulting in pronounced water insecurity for local populations in Tola. We cast the findings of this research as relevant to other water insecure areas in Latin America where industry development and weak policy implementation impact the creation and resolution of local water security—including insecurity compounded by increased climatic variability.
Collective Destination Marketing in China: Leveraging Social Media Celebrity Endorsement
Authors: Fath Benjamin P. , Fiedler Antje , Li Zixuan , Whittaker D. Hugh
Published: August 2017

This study examines a social media campaign initiated by Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) using Chinese actress Yao Chen as a celebrity endorser to promote New Zealand (NZ) as a tourism destination for free and independent travelers from China. Yao Chen shared her travel experiences in NZ, including her wedding in Queenstown, on her Sina Weibo microblog, which had more than 10.9 million followers, thereby raising awareness in China of NZ as a tourism destination. Drawing on a single case study, this article shows that the travel experience of a foreign celebrity shared on social media can serve as a script for a typical travel experience for potential travelers. Furthermore, to capitalize on the opportunities created by the collaborative social media campaign, government tourism agencies and businesses need to actively monitor the content on the social media site of the celebrity endorser, which in turn allows them to learn about the target customer and to customize the businesses' offerings accordingly. However, a lack of relevant language and cultural skills can be a barrier preventing tourism businesses from realizing the benefits of such campaign.
Breastfeeding: Knowledge Degree Of Community Health Agents
Authors: De Sousa Artemizia Francisca , E Silva Danilla Michelle Costa , Pereira Antonia Charliene da Silva , Cavalcante Maria Taiany Gomes , Nobre Roseanne De Sousa , E Martins Maria do Carmo De Carvalho
Published: August 2017

The objective was to investigate the Community Health Agents (CHA) knowledge  in breastfeeding. An analytical cross-sectional study with ACS of both genders that work in the Family Health Strategy. The data were obtained through a questionnaire, including open and closed questions regarding their socioeconomic, professional and breastfeeding knowledge. A total of 116 ACS patients with an average age of 44.2 ± 8.8 years and 14.7 ± 5.2 years of service time participated. Of these, 69.6% reported having performed some training, and only 24.8% and 6.2% obtained a satisfactory knowledge classification, related to important aspects about the technique and management of intercurrences in breastfeeding, respectively. Regarding the answers of the closed questions, which were about general knowledge about breastfeeding, the average number of correct answers was 15.2 ± 3.2 questions, which was significantly higher (p = 0.019) among professionals working in the urban area in Rural areas. In view of the results, there is a need for greater investments in the training of the ACS in breastfeeding, so that they can acquire the necessary knowledge to effectively work with pregnant women and nursing mothers, especially with regard to adequate breastfeeding techniques and treatment of breast complications.
The Nonhomogeneous Poisson Process for Fast Radio Burst Rates
Authors: Lawrence Earl , Wiel Scott Vander , Law Casey , Spolaor Sarah Burke , Bower Geoffrey C.
Published: August 2017

This paper presents the nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) for modeling the rate of fast radio bursts (FRBs) and other infrequently observed astronomical events. The NHPP, well-known in statistics, can model the dependence of the rate on both astronomical features and the details of an observing campaign. This is particularly helpful for rare events like FRBs because the NHPP can combine information across surveys, making the most of all available information. The goal of the paper is two-fold. First, it is intended to be a tutorial on the use of the NHPP. Second, we build an NHPP model that incorporates beam patterns and a power-law flux distribution for the rate of FRBs. Using information from 12 surveys including 15 detections, we find an all-sky FRB rate of 587 events per sky per day above a flux of 1 Jy (95% CI: 272, 924) and a flux power-law index of

(95% CI: 0.57, 1.25). Our rate is lower than other published rates, but consistent with the rate given in Champion et al.
The Solar Neighborhood. XLI. A Study of the Wide Main Sequence for M Dwarfs—Long-term Photometric Variability
Authors: Clements Tiffany D. , Henry Todd J. , Hosey Altonio D. , Jao Wei-Chun , Silverstein Michele L. , Winters Jennifer G. , Dieterich Sergio B. , Riedel Adric R.
Published: August 2017

We report findings from a long-term photometric variability study of M dwarfs carried out at the SMARTS 0.9 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. As part of a multi-faceted effort to investigate the range of luminosities of M dwarfs of a given color on the Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram, 76 M dwarfs have been observed for 3–17 years in the Johnson–Kron–Cousins V band. We find that stars elevated above the center of the main sequence distribution tend to have higher levels of variability, likely caused by magnetic activity, than their fainter counterparts below the center. This study provides insight into how the long-term magnetic activity of these stars may be affecting their sizes, luminosities, and thus positions on the H-R Diagram.
Temporal Evolution of the High-energy Irradiation and Water Content of TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets
Authors: Bourrier V. , Wit J. de , Bolmont E. , Stamenković V. , Wheatley P. J. , Burgasser A. J , Delrez L. , Demory B.-O. , Ehrenreich D. , Gillon M. , Jehin E. , Leconte J. , Lederer S. M. , Lewis N. , Triaud A. H. M. J. , Grootel V. Van
Published: August 2017

The ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 hosts seven Earth-size transiting planets, some of which could harbor liquid water on their surfaces. Ultraviolet observations are essential to measuring their high-energy irradiation and searching for photodissociated water escaping from their putative atmospheres. Our new observations of the TRAPPIST-1 Lyα line during the transit of TRAPPIST-1c show an evolution of the star emission over three months, preventing us from assessing the presence of an extended hydrogen exosphere. Based on the current knowledge of the stellar irradiation, we investigated the likely history of water loss in the system. Planets b to d might still be in a runaway phase, and planets within the orbit of TRAPPIST-1g could have lost more than 20 Earth oceans after 8 Gyr of hydrodynamic escape. However, TRAPPIST-1e to h might have lost less than three Earth oceans if hydrodynamic escape stopped once they entered the habitable zone (HZ). We caution that these estimates remain limited by the large uncertainty on the planet masses. They likely represent upper limits on the actual water loss because our assumptions maximize the X-rays to ultraviolet-driven escape, while photodissociation in the upper atmospheres should be the limiting process. Late-stage outgassing could also have contributed significant amounts of water for the outer, more massive planets after they entered the HZ. While our results suggest that the outer planets are the best candidates to search for water with the JWST, they also highlight the need for theoretical studies and complementary observations in all wavelength domains to determine the nature of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and their potential habitability.
The Radial Distribution of Mono-metallicity Populations in the Galactic Disk as Evidence for Two-phase Disk Formation
Authors: Domínguez-Tenreiro R. , Obreja A. , Brook C. B. , Martínez-Serrano F. J. , Serna A.
Published: August 2017

Recent determinations of the radial distributions of mono-metallicity populations (MMPs, i.e., stars in narrow bins in [Fe/H] within wider [α/Fe] ranges) by the SDSS-III/APOGEE DR12 survey cast doubts on the classical thin- and thick-disk dichotomy. The analysis of these observations led to the non-

/Fe] enhanced populations splitting into MMPs with different surface densities according to their [Fe/H]. By contrast,

/Fe] enhanced (i.e., old) populations show a homogeneous behavior. We analyze these results in the wider context of disk formation within non-isolated halos embedded in the Cosmic Web, resulting in a two-phase mass assembly. By performing hydrodynamical simulations in the context of the ΛCDM model, we have found that the two phases of halo mass assembly (an early fast phase, followed by a slow phase with low mass-assembly rates) are very relevant to determine the radial structure of MMP distributions, while radial mixing only plays a secondary role, depending on the coeval dynamical and/or destabilizing events. Indeed, while the frequent dynamical violent events occuring at high redshift remove metallicity gradients and imply efficient stellar mixing, the relatively quiescent dynamics after the transition keeps [Fe/H] gaseous gradients and prevents newly formed stars from suffering strong radial mixing. By linking the two-component disk concept with the two-phase halo mass-assembly scenario, our results set halo virialization (the event marking the transition from the fast to the slow phases) as the separating event that marks periods that are characterized by different physical conditions under which thick- and thin-disk stars were born.
Cloud-scale ISM Structure and Star Formation in M51
Authors: Leroy Adam K. , Schinnerer Eva , Hughes Annie , Kruijssen J. M. Diederik , Meidt Sharon , Schruba Andreas , Sun Jiayi , Bigiel Frank , Aniano Gonzalo , Blanc Guillermo A. , Bolatto Alberto , Chevance Mélanie , Colombo Dario , Gallagher Molly , Garcia-Burillo Santiago , Kramer Carsten , Querejeta Miguel , Pety Jerome , Thompson Todd A. , Usero Antonio
Published: August 2017

We compare the structure of molecular gas at 40 pc resolution to the ability of gas to form stars across the disk of the spiral galaxy M51. We break the PAWS survey into 370 pc and 1.1 kpc resolution elements, and within each we estimate the molecular gas depletion time (

), the star-formation efficiency per free-fall time (

), and the mass-weighted cloud-scale (40 pc) properties of the molecular gas: surface density, Σ, line width, σ, and

, a parameter that traces the boundedness of the gas. We show that the cloud-scale surface density appears to be a reasonable proxy for mean volume density. Applying this, we find a typical star-formation efficiency per free-fall time,

, lower than adopted in many models and found for local clouds. Furthermore, the efficiency per free-fall time anti-correlates with both Σ and σ, in some tension with turbulent star-formation models. The best predictor of the rate of star formation per unit gas mass in our analysis is

, tracing the strength of self-gravity, with

. The sense of the correlation is that gas with stronger self-gravity (higher b) forms stars at a higher rate (low

). The different regions of the galaxy mostly overlap in

as a function of b, so that low b explains the surprisingly high

found toward the inner spiral arms found by Meidt et al. (2013).
The Dependence of the IR–Radio Correlation on the Metallicity
Authors: Qiu Jianjie , Shi Yong , Wang Junzhi , Zhang Zhi-Yu , Zhou Luwenjia
Published: August 2017

We have compiled a sample of 26 metal-poor galaxies with 12 + log(O/H) < 8.1 with both infrared continuum and 1.4 GHz radio continuum data. By comparing to galaxies at higher metallicity, we have investigated the IR–radio relationship’s dependence on metallicity at the 24, 70, 100, and 160 μm bands, as well as the integrated FIR luminosity. It is found that metal-poor galaxies have on average lower

than metal-rich ones, with larger offsets at longer IR wavelengths, from −0.06 dex in

to −0.6 dex in

. The

of all galaxies as a whole at 160 μm show positive trends with the metallicity and IR-to-FUV ratio and negative trends with the IR color, while those at lower IR wavelengths show weaker correlations. We propose a mechanism that invokes the combined effects of low obscured-SFR-to-total-SFR fraction and warm dust temperature at low metallicity to interpret the above behavior of

, with the former reducing the IR radiation and the latter further reducing the IR emission at longer IR wavelengths. Other mechanisms that are related to the radio emission, including the enhanced magnetic field strength and increased thermal radio contribution, are unable to reconcile the IR-wavelength-dependent differences of

between metal-poor and metal-rich galaxies. In contrast to

, the mean total-SFR-to-radio ratio of metal-poor galaxies is the same as that for metal-rich galaxies, indicating the 1.4 GHz radio emission is still an effective tracer of SFRs at low metallicity.
Modulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays in the Inner Heliosphere, Comparing with PAMELA Measurements
Authors: Qin G. , Shen Z.-N.
Published: August 2017

We develop a numerical model to study the time-dependent modulation of galactic cosmic rays in the inner heliosphere. In the model, a time-delayed modified Parker heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) and a new diffusion coefficient model, NLGCE-F, from Qin & Zhang, are adopted. In addition, the latitudinal dependence of magnetic turbulence magnitude is assumed to be

from the observations of Ulysses, and the radial dependence is assumed to be

, where we choose an expression of S as a function of the heliospheric current sheet tilt angle. We show that the analytical expression used to describe the spatial variation of HMF turbulence magnitude agrees well with the Ulysses, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 observations. By numerically calculating the modulation code, we get the proton energy spectra as a function of time during the recent solar minimum, it is shown that the modulation results are consistent with the Payload for Antimatter-Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics measurements.
Constraining the H i–Halo Mass Relation from Galaxy Clustering
Authors: Guo Hong , Li Cheng , Zheng Zheng , Mo H. J. , Jing Y. P. , Zu Ying , Lim S. H. , Xu Haojie
Published: August 2017

We study the dependence of galaxy clustering on H i mass using ∼16,000 galaxies with redshift in the range of

0.0025
<
z
<
0.05

and H i mass of

M

H

I

>

10

8

M

☉

, drawn from the 70% complete sample of the Arecibo Legacy Fast ALFA survey. We construct subsamples of galaxies with

M

H

I

above different thresholds and make volume-limited clustering measurements in terms of three statistics: the projected two-point correlation function, the projected cross-correlation function with respect to a reference sample, and the redshift-space monopole moment. In contrast to previous studies, which found no/weak H i mass dependence, we find both the clustering amplitudes on scales above a few megaparsecs and the bias factors to increase significantly with increasing H i mass for

M

H

I

>

10

9

M

☉

. For H i mass thresholds below

∼

10

9

M

☉

, the inferred galaxy bias factors are systematically lower than the minimum halo bias from mass-selected halo samples. We extend the simple halo model, in which the galaxy content is only determined by halo mass, by including the halo formation time as an additional parameter. A model that puts H i-rich galaxies into halos that formed late can reproduce the clustering measurements reasonably well. We present the implications of our best-fitting model on the correlation of H i mass with halo mass and formation time, as well as the halo occupation distributions and H i mass functions for central and satellite galaxies. These results are compared with the predictions from semianalytic galaxy formation models and hydrodynamic galaxy formation simulations.
De l’art de bien gouverner l’école en Afrique : domination gestionnaire et élimination des résistances
Authors: Charton Hélène
Published: August 2017

L’étude du gouvernement de l’école au Sénégal nourrit la réflexion sur la conduite de l’action publique dans un pays sous régime d’aide, elle montre comment les modes traditionnels de résistance et de mobilisation sont entravés par les modifications de l’organisation et du fonctionnement des administrations qui favorisent des rapports de domination qu’on peut qualifier de gestionnaires. L’insertion et les trajectoires professionnelles des agents donnent à lire le brouillage des identités et des frontières institutionnelles qui mène à l’affaiblissement des capacités de mobilisation et de résistance collectives. Si ces agents partagent les mêmes références et répertoires d’action, leur degré de maîtrise du langage et des instruments de l’aide –qui détermine leur capacité d’action– produit et entretient de profondes asymétries dont la gestion même fait l’objet de techniques de gouvernement propres aux dispositifs gestionnaires. La recherche systématique du consensus permet ainsi d’éliminer obstacles et résistances en les incorporant et en produisant leur propre justification. Les résistances se déplacent hors des dispositifs gestionnaires et se structurent autour d’enjeux plus individuels que collectifs. L’apaisement de la scène éducative, condition nécessaire à la conduite des réformes portées par les institutions de l’aide, fait partie des formes contemporaines du gouvernement de l’école en Afrique.
Examining the Role of Person-Environment Fit in Improving Teaching Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Ali Imran
Published: August 2017

The current study examines the influence of person-environment fit constructs including; person-organization fit, person-job fit, person-vocation fit, person-group fit and person-person fit between teaching satisfaction and life satisfaction among faculty members. The study uses data collected from 509 faculty members teaching in different colleges and universities of Pakistan. The study found significantly positive influence of all person-environment fit dimensions including; person-organization fit, person-job fit, person-vocation fit, person-group fit and person-person fit on teaching satisfaction and life satisfaction perceptions among faculty members in Pakistan.
Graph-Covering-Based Architectural Synthesis for Programmable Digital Microfluidic Biochips
Authors: Kitagawa Daiki , Nguyen Dieu Quang , Dinh Trung Anh , Yamashita Shigeru
Published: August 2017

Digital microfluidic technology has been extensively applied in various biomedical fields. Different from application-specific biochips, a programmable design has several advantages such as dynamic reconfigurability and general applicability. Basically, a programmable biochip divides the chip into several virtual modules. However, in the previous design, a virtual module can execute only one operation at a time. In this paper, the authors propose a new multi-functional module for programmable digital microfluidic biochips, which can execute two operations simultaneously. Moreover, they also propose a binding and scheduling algorithm for programmable biochips, which is motivated from a graph-covering problem. Experiment demonstrates that their algorithm can reduce the completion time of the applications compared with the previous approaches.
Womenpreneurs in Mena Region
Authors: Manzoor Amir
Published: August 2017

MENA region stands at a critical point in its journey of development. The region is characterized by one of the largest and energetic youth population. MENA region needs to address the employment needs of this young population in order become stable, knowledge-based economic region. Female constitute a very significant proportion of total youth population with a very low presentation in the work force. Women entrepreneurship is considered vital to address this disparity. Increased women entrepreneurial activities will not only spur job growth for female but also beneficial for society as a whole. This article explores the entrepreneurial ecosystem of MENA region. The article discusses women entrepreneurship, various challenges and provides specific recommendations to boost female entrepreneurial activities in MENA region.
Investigating Bauschinger Effect and Plastic Hardening Characteristics of Sheet Metal under Cyclic Loading
Authors: Mohamad Jasri
Published: August 2017

To improve sheet metal forming process simulation using finite element method, there is a need to incorporate an appropriate constitutive equation capable of describing the Bauschinger effect and the so-called cyclic transient, derived from a near to actual sheet metal forming process testing tool. A cyclic loading tool has been developed to test and record the characteristics of sheet metal deformation by investigating the Bauschinger effect factors (BEF) and cyclic hardening behaviour. Experimental investigation conducted on low carbon steel and stainless steel demonstrates that the tool is able to record sheet metal behaviour under cyclic loading. The results are analysed for signs of the Bauschinger effect and cyclic hardening effect. It was found that the Bauschinger effect does occur during bending and unbending loadings in sheet metal forming process.
A Novel Integrated Strategic Portfolio Decision-Making Model
Authors: Danesh Darius , Ryan Michael J. , Abbasi Alireza
Published: August 2017

This study proposes a novel method for portfolio selection/decision making that combines the Portfolio Theory (PT), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) cross-efficiency technique. It takes into account the profits, risks and proficiency of a portfolio and is shown to be useful for selecting one with positive and negative data and subsequently measuring its efficiency using AHP, with a consistency test conducted to verify the objectivity of the results. To test the applicability of the proposed model, it is used to determine the efficiency levels of ten of the largest companies in Australia for the years 2014 and 2015. Two criteria, namely, the expected return and variance, are used to identify the preference status of each company. The results indicate that the proposed model is feasible and adoptable for the contemporary industrial scenario as it simultaneously analyses profits, risks and proficiency.
The Development and Measurement of a Customer Satisfaction Index (E-CSI) in Electronic Banking
Authors: Van Huy Le , Long Pham , O'Connor Aidan , Tuyen Pham Dinh
Published: August 2017

In the current technological age, once traditional means of delivering services to customers are losing its dominant position, the application of the Internet has evolved as an innovatively supporting alternative for attracting customers, especially in banking service. In that aspect, customers' perception of online banking service through the delivery of website quality (Webqual) remains the main concern for bank's managers in Vietnamese banking system because customers are easily inclined to another banking service provider due to their poor website-operated experience. Based on the evaluation of factors influencing on banking website quality, its relationship to customer satisfaction and retention, this article suggests the measurement of electronic Customer Satisfaction Index (e-CSI) of perceived banking website quality by three most developed banks of Vietinbank, Vietcombank and BIDV in central Vietnam, from which provides insights that may be useful for improving the quality of online banking service.
Effect of Economic Crisis on Saudi Arabian Consumers' Behavior Towards Luxury Goods
Authors: Azam Afshan
Published: August 2017

This study aims to investigate the effect of economic crisis on Saudi Arabian consumers' behavior towards luxury goods. This article develops a model based on previous researches. The proposed model used three contracts household income, social group influence and personal saving to investigate the effect of economic crisis on Saudi Arabian consumers' behavior towards luxury goods. Using structural equation modeling (AMOS 19.0) allows for statistical tests of the conceptual model and the hypothesized paths. The findings show that economic crisis have significant influence on household income and social group influence, ultimately affect the Saudi Arabian consumers' behavior towards luxury goods. Limitations and practical implications are discussed at the end of the paper.
Modified Internal Rate of Return
Authors: Mieila Mihai
Published: August 2017

The evaluation of the efficiency of investments relies on a system of measures based on actuarial techniques that consider the time value of money. One of the common measures used is the Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Commonly, by applying of the efficiency evaluation criteria, result consistent outcomes. In this paper, the author tries to highlight that, based on its theoretical assumptions and practical drawbacks, considering of this measure in evaluation of the investments decisions may lead to erroneous decision. Despite the fact that the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) has never had a favorable academic press, the surveys outline that financial managers seem just to enjoy this measure. The aim of this paper is to summarize the drawbacks of this indicator and to offer a presentation of the Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR), as a solution to express a project performance by using of a percentage measure concomitant to discard the unrealistic assumption of reinvestment of cash flow stream just at the value of the IRR, allowing a straightforward calculation.
Thermal Radiation, Joule Heating and Hall Effects on Mixed Convective Navier Slip Flow in a Channel with Convective Heating
Authors: Kaladhar Kolla , Makinde Oluwole Daniel
Published: August 2017

This paper examines the Navier slip, incompressible, laminar mixed convection flow between vertical plates with Joule heating and Hall effects. This research includes the thermal radiation with convective boundary conditions also. The resulting equations and boundary conditions are reduced into non dimensional form using appropriate transformations and solved numerically using shooting method coupled with fourth order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg integration scheme.The influence of emerging parameters on fluid flow quantities have been presented graphically. Also, the nature of physical quantities is shown in tabular form.
An Integral Treatment for Dissipative Boundary Layer Flow along a Radiating Vertical Surface by Natural Convection in a Porous Medium
Authors: Sayyed Shoeb R. , Singh B.B. , Bano Nasreen
Published: August 2017

In the present study, an integral method of Von Karman type has been used to analyse the phenomenon of natural convection heat and mass transfer near a vertical surface embedded in a fluidsaturated porous medium considering the viscous dissipation and radiation effects. The buoyancy effect is due to the variation of temperature and concentration across the boundary layer. The effects of the governing parameters e.g. buoyancy ratio (N), Lewis number (Le), Eckert number (Ec) and radiation parameter (R) on local Nusselt number, local Sherwood number, velocity profile, temperature profile and concentration profile have been investigated. The results obtained in the present analysis have been compared with the published results available in the literature and they have been found in precise agreement.
Nonlinear Thermal Convection in Jeffrey Liquid Flow with Cross Diffusion Effects Past a Stretched Surface
Authors: Sampath Kumar Poojari Borappa , Gireesha Bijjanal Jayanna , Mahanthesh Basavarajappa , Gorla Rama Subba Reddy
Published: August 2017

Nonlinear thermal convection in heat and mass transfer mechanism of dissipating Jeffrey liquid is investigated. The impact of cross diffusion and convective conditions are also accounted. Before integrating pertinent partial differential equations; a set similarity variables are employed to reduce them into multidegree ordinary differential equations. The validation process comprised a comparison with existing data, reaching an excellent agreement. Later, the influence of distinct physical parameters on diverse flow characteristics are comprehensively discussed and analyzed. It is established that the nonlinear convection is favourable for the escalation of the thickness of momentum boundary layer. Further, the convective conditions are used as controlling constraints.
IL-21 Receptor Signaling Is Essential for Optimal CD4+ T Cell Function and Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Mice
Authors: Cheekatla Satyanarayana Swamy , Tripathi Deepak , Venkatasubramanian Sambasivan , Paidipally Padmaja , Welch Elwyn , Tvinnereim Amy R. , Nurieva Roza , Vankayalapati Ramakrishna
Published: August 2017

In this study, we determined the role of IL-21R signaling in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, using IL-21R knockout (KO) mice. A total of 50% of M. tuberculosis H37Rv–infected IL-21R KO mice died in 6 mo compared with no deaths in infected wild type (WT) mice. M. tuberculosis–infected IL-21R KO mice had enhanced bacterial burden and reduced infiltration of Ag-specific T cells in lungs compared with M. tuberculosis–infected WT mice. Ag-specific T cells from the lungs of M. tuberculosis–infected IL-21R KO mice had increased expression of T cell inhibitory receptors, reduced expression of chemokine receptors, proliferated less, and produced less IFN- γ, compared with Ag-specific T cells from the lungs of M. tuberculosis–infected WT mice. T cells from M. tuberculosis–infected IL-21R KO mice were unable to induce optimal macrophage responses to M. tuberculosis. This may be due to a decrease in the Ag-specific T cell population. We also found that IL-21R signaling is associated with reduced expression of a transcriptional factor Eomesodermin and enhanced functional capacity of Ag-specific T cells of M. tuberculosis–infected mice. The sum of our findings suggests that IL-21R signaling is essential for the optimal control of M. tuberculosis infection.
Changing interest on saphenofemoral junction in the new century
Authors: Ricci Stefano
Published: August 2017

Not available
The perceptions of midwives regarding audit and feedback on the use of the partogram at Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa
Authors: Lumadi Thanyani G.
Published: August 2017

Background: Audit and feedback is regarded as the cornerstone of clinical teaching to guarantee good practice and to correct poor performance. Feedback given to health professionals assists in narrowing the gap between the actual and the desired information. The findings of the research study on perceptions of midwives on audit and feedback highlighted aspects that needed improvement to address challenges on the use and documentation of the partogram.Objectives: The objectives of this article were to explore and describe the perceptions of midwives on auditing of the partogram by health professionals and to explore and describe the perceptions of midwives on the feedback that was given after audit was done.Method: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted to answer the two research objectives. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 17 midwives who were working in the labour wards of three hospitals. Eight steps of qualitative data analysis as indicated by Tesch were used to analyse the data.Results: The findings revealed that auditing and feedback is sometimes done by midwives themselves, midwives’ managers and district managers. Audit is done monthly or on a daily basis and sometimes inconsistently because of shortage of staff. Challenges indicated were lack of knowledge on the use of the partogram and lack of encouragement and praise when documentation was done correctly and that emphasis was mostly placed on negative aspects.Conclusion: The findings revealed that auditing and feedback and in-service education is done at the three hospitals, although challenges such as inconsistency in auditing because of shortage of staff, lack of knowledge on partogram use and on principles of giving feedback were highlighted.
β-Hydroxybutyrate improves β-cell mitochondrial function and survival
Authors: Sampson MaryJane , Lathen Daniel R. , Dallon Blake W. , Draney Carrie , Ray Jason D. , Kener Kyle B. , Parker Brian A. , Gibbs Jonathan L. , Gropp Jarom S. , Tessem Jeffery S. , Bikman Benjamin T.
Published: August 2017

Pharmacological interventions aimed at improving outcomes in type 2 diabetes and achieving normoglycaemia, including insulin therapy, are increasingly common, despite the potential for substantial side effects. Carbohydrate-restricted diets that result in increased ketogenesis have effectively been used to improve insulin resistance, a fundamental feature of type 2 diabetes. In addition, limited evidence suggests that states of ketogenesis may also improve β-cell function in type 2 diabetics. Considering how little is known regarding the effects of ketones on β-cell function, we sought to determine the specific effects of β-Hydroxybutyrate (βHB) on pancreatic β-cell physiology and mitochondrial function. βHB treatment increased β-cell survival and proliferation, while also increasing mitochondrial mass, respiration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Despite these improvements, were unable to detect an increase in β-cell or islet insulin production and secretion. Collectively, these findings have two implications. Firstly, they indicate that β-cells have improved survival and proliferation in the midst of βHB, the circulating form of ketones. Secondly, insulin secretion does not appear to be directly related to apparent improvements in mitochondrial function and cellular proliferation.