bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Climate Change Vulnerability and Risk Management Matrix for the Coastal Zone of The Gambia
Authors: Amuzu Joshua , Jallow Bubu , Kabo-Bah Amos , Yaffa Sidat
Published: February 2018

Global Climate Change is one of the dire challenges facing the international community today. Coastal zones are vulnerable to its impacts. An effective approach with long-term prospects in addressing climate change impacts is it’s mainstreaming into development agenda of sectoral policies. A comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment is a pre-requisite to ensure that the right adaptive response is taken for effective integration into developmental plans. The objective of this study is to evaluate and prioritize risks, vulnerability and adaptation issues of current and anticipated impacts of climate change on the coastal zone of The Gambia. The study will also give a methodological contribution for assessing risks, vulnerability and adaptation from the sub-national to local levels. The relevance of this study will be to create a link between the sub-national and local levels in order to facilitate the integration and mainstreaming of climate change into sectoral and local policies for more climate-resilient communities. This will aid in the promotion of strategic investment of constrained developmental resources to actualize successfully dynamic coping strategies, elude ‘maladaptation’ and less compelling responsive measures. A purposive expert sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for the study. The findings of the study reveal that by the end of the 21st century, the climatic variables likely to have the highest impact on the coastal zone of The Gambia are ‘increased flood severity’ and ‘increased temperature’. The coastal zone of The Gambia showed a high vulnerability to these climate change variables. The suggested adaptive response in addressing the impacts of increased flood intensity in the study area includes; improving regulations for restricting agriculture and livestock grazing activities to improve land cover; strengthening of early-warning systems, among others. The suggested adaptive response in addressing the increase in temperature includes: increase crop diversification and rotation to reduce total crop failure; switching to drought-tolerant crop and animal species, among others.
Microplastics Reduce Short-Term Effects of Environmental Contaminants. Part I: Effects of Bisphenol A on Freshwater Zooplankton Are Lower in Presence of Polyamide Particles
Authors: Rehse Saskia , Kloas Werner , Zarfl Christiane
Published: February 2018

Microplastics can have direct physical effects on organisms in freshwater systems, and are considered as vectors for absorbed environmental pollutants. It is still under discussion if microplastics are relevant pollutant vectors for uptake into aquatic organisms in comparison to further uptake pathways, e.g., via water or sediment particles. We analyzed how the presence of microplastics (polyamide particles, PA) modifies acute effects of the environmental pollutant bisphenol A (BPA) on freshwater zooplankton (Daphnia magna). Daphnids were exposed to PA particles and BPA alone, before combining them in the next step with one concentration of PA and varying concentrations of BPA. The PA particles themselves did not induce negative effects, while the effects of BPA alone followed a typical dose-dependent manner. Sorption of BPA to PA particles prior to exposure led to a reduction of BPA in the aqueous phase. The combination of BPA and PA led to decreased immobilization, although PA particles loaded with BPA were ingested by the daphnids. Calculations based on physiochemistry and equilibrium assumptions indicated lower BPA body burden of daphnids in the presence of PA particles. These results confirm model-based studies, and show that investigated microplastic concentrations are negligible for the overall pollutant uptake of daphnids with water as additional uptake pathway.
Telomere Length Dynamics and the Evolution of Cancer Genome Architecture
Authors: Cleal Kez , Norris Kevin , Baird Duncan
Published: February 2018

Telomeres are progressively eroded during repeated rounds of cell division due to the end replication problem but also undergo additional more substantial stochastic shortening events. In most cases, shortened telomeres induce a cell-cycle arrest or trigger apoptosis, although for those cells that bypass such signals during tumour progression, a critical length threshold is reached at which telomere dysfunction may ensue. Dysfunction of the telomere nucleoprotein complex can expose free chromosome ends to the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair machinery, leading to telomere fusion with both telomeric and non-telomeric loci. The consequences of telomere fusions in promoting genome instability have long been appreciated through the breakage–fusion–bridge (BFB) cycle mechanism, although recent studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies have uncovered evidence of involvement in a wider spectrum of genomic rearrangements including chromothripsis. A critical step in cancer progression is the transition of a clone to immortality, through the stabilisation of the telomere repeat array. This can be achieved via the reactivation of telomerase, or the induction of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway. Whilst telomere dysfunction may promote genome instability and tumour progression, by limiting the replicative potential of a cell and enforcing senescence, telomere shortening can act as a tumour suppressor mechanism. However, the burden of senescent cells has also been implicated as a driver of ageing and age-related pathology, and in the promotion of cancer through inflammatory signalling. Considering the critical role of telomere length in governing cancer biology, we review questions related to the prognostic value of studying the dynamics of telomere shortening and fusion, and discuss mechanisms and consequences of telomere-induced genome rearrangements.
Long Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Protects Against Adriamycin and Cyclophosphamide Chemotherapy-Induced Bone Marrow Damage in Female Rats
Authors: Fan Chia-Ming , Su Yu-Wen , Howe Peter , Xian Cory
Published: February 2018

Although bone marrow and bone toxicities have been reported in breast cancer survivors, preventative strategies are yet to be developed. Clinical studies suggest consumption of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn3PUFA) can attenuate age-related bone loss, and recent animal studies also revealed benefits of LCn3PUFA in alleviating bone marrow and bone toxicities associated with methotrexate chemotherapy. Using a female rat model for one of the most commonly used anthracycline-containing breast cancer chemotherapy regimens (adriamycin + cyclophosphamide) (AC) chemotherapy, this study investigated potential effects of daily LCn3PUFA consumption in preserving bone marrow and bone microenvironment during chemotherapy. AC treatment for four cycles significantly reduced bone marrow cellularity and increased marrow adipocyte contents. It increased trabecular bone separation but no obvious changes in bone volume or bone cell densities. LCn3PUFA supplementation (375 mg/100 g/day) attenuated AC-induced bone marrow cell depletion and marrow adiposity. It also partially attenuated AC-induced increases in trabecular bone separation and the cell sizes and nuclear numbers of osteoclasts formed ex vivo from bone marrow cells isolated from AC-treated rats. This study suggests that LCn3PUFA supplementation may have beneficial effects in preventing bone marrow damage and partially protecting the bone during AC cancer chemotherapy.
Transcriptomics Sequencing Provides Insights into Understanding the Mechanism of Grass Carp Reovirus Infection
Authors: Chen Geng , He Libo , Luo Lifei , Huang Rong , Liao Lanjie , Li Yongming , Zhu Zuoyan , Wang Yaping
Published: February 2018

Grass carp is an important aquaculture fish species in China that is affected by severe diseases, especially haemorrhagic disease caused by grass carp reovirus (GCRV). However, the mechanisms of GCRV invasion and infection remain to be elucidated. In the present study, Ctenopharyngodon idellus kidney (CIK) cells were infected with GCRV, harvested at 0, 8, 24, and 72 h post infection, respectively, and then subjected to transcriptomics sequencing. Each sample yielded more than 6 Gb of clean data and 40 million clean reads. To better understand GCRV infection, the process was divided into three phases: the early (0–8 h post infection), middle (8–24 h post infection), and late (24–72 h) stages of infection. A total of 76 (35 up-regulated, 41 down-regulated), 553 (463 up-regulated, 90 down-regulated), and 284 (150 up-regulated, 134 down-regulated) differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified during the early, middle, and late stages of infection, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis, transport, and endocytosis in the early stage, phagocytosis and lysosome pathways were mainly enriched in the middle stage, and programmed cell death, apoptosis, and inflammation were largely associated with the late stage. These results suggest GCRV infection is a gradual process involving adsorption on the cell surface, followed by endocytosis into cells, transport by lysosomes, and eventually resulted in cell necrosis and/or apoptosis. Our findings provide insight into the mechanisms of grass carp reovirus infection.
Experimental In Vivo Models of Candidiasis
Authors: Segal Esther , Frenkel Michael
Published: February 2018

Candidiasis is a multifaceted fungal disease including mucosal-cutaneous, visceral, and disseminated infections caused by yeast species of the genus Candida. Candida infections are among the most common human mycoses. Candida species are the third to fourth most common isolates from bloodstream infections in neutropenic or immunocompromised hospitalized patients. The mucosal-cutaneous forms—particularly vaginal infections—have a high prevalence. Vaginitis caused by Candida species is the second most common vaginal infection. Hence, candidiasis is a major subject for research, including experimental in vivo models to study pathogenesis, prevention, or therapy of the disease. The following review article will focus on various experimental in vivo models in different laboratory animals, such as mammals (mice, rats, rabbits), the fruit fly–Drosophila melanogaster, the larvae of the moth Galleria mellonella, or the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The review will describe the induction of the different clinical forms of candidiasis in the various models and the validity of such models in mimicking the human clinical situations. The use of such models for the assessment of antifungal drugs, evaluation of potential vaccines to protect before candidiasis, exploration of Candida virulence factors, and comparison of pathogenicity of different Candida species will be included in the review. All of the above will be reported as based on published studies of numerous investigators as well as on the research of the author and his group.
Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of SMA/GF/Epoxy Hybrid Composite Laminates: Flexural, Impact, and Interfacial Shear Performance
Authors: Zhao Shicheng , Teng Jianxin , Wang Zhenqing , Sun Xiaoyu , Yang Bin
Published: February 2018

In this article, hybrid composite laminates with shape memory alloy (SMA) and glass fiber (GF) as the reinforced phase, and epoxy resin as the host material, were manufactured by vacuum-assisted resin injection (VARI) processing. The SMA wires were embedded into the GF/epoxy composites with three kinds of modes. The effect of SMA content and the position on the flexural, low-velocity impact performance of the hybrid composite laminates was investigated. It was found that the bonding performance between the SMA wire and the host material is the key factor that determined the final overall performance of the hybrid composite laminates in both the static and dynamics tests. Based on these experimental phenomenon, we further carried out the fiber pull-out experiment to improve the interfacial shear strength between the SMA and epoxy resin. It was found that the interfacial performance could be enhanced significantly by adding nanoparticles in the interface phase.
Design for Motivation: Evaluation of a Design Tool
Authors: Chasanidou Dimitra
Published: February 2018

Design for motivation constitutes a design practice that focuses on the activation of human motives to perform an action. There is an increasing need to design motivational and engaging mechanisms for voluntary systems, such as innovation platforms, where user participation is a key target. When designing for motivation, a challenge of the early design phases is the selection of appropriate design tool and strategy. The current work presents a design tool, namely DEMO (DEsign for MOtivation), and evaluates its design process. The tool provides multidisciplinary teams with a user-centred, structured method to ideate and ultimately develop a consistent design plan to engage the users of innovation platforms. The evaluation study analysed the tool’s contribution to the design of motivational innovation platforms, utilising three data collection methods: a protocol analysis, interviews and questionnaires. The results discuss the experiences of 32 users with the development of motivation concepts, the group and the user activities, as well as their creativity aspects. Structured processes and the use of artefacts were found to be productive practices in the early design phases. The results also highlight the importance of multidisciplinary and user-centred teams that can enhance collaboration and communication during the design processes.
Fluorescent Nano-Probes to Image Plant Cell Walls by Super-Resolution STED Microscopy
Authors: Paës Gabriel , Habrant Anouck , Terryn Christine
Published: February 2018

Lignocellulosic biomass is a complex network of polymers making up the cell walls of plants. It represents a feedstock of sustainable resources to be converted into fuels, chemicals, and materials. Because of its complex architecture, lignocellulose is a recalcitrant material that requires some pretreatments and several types of catalysts to be transformed efficiently. Gaining more knowledge in the architecture of plant cell walls is therefore important to understand and optimize transformation processes. For the first time, super-resolution imaging of poplar wood samples has been performed using the Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) technique. In comparison to standard confocal images, STED reveals new details in cell wall structure, allowing the identification of secondary walls and middle lamella with fine details, while keeping open the possibility to perform topochemistry by the use of relevant fluorescent nano-probes. In particular, the deconvolution of STED images increases the signal-to-noise ratio so that images become very well defined. The obtained results show that the STED super-resolution technique can be easily implemented by using cheap commercial fluorescent rhodamine-PEG nano-probes which outline the architecture of plant cell walls due to their interaction with lignin. Moreover, the sample preparation only requires easily-prepared plant sections of a few tens of micrometers, in addition to an easily-implemented post-treatment of images. Overall, the STED super-resolution technique in combination with a variety of nano-probes can provide a new vision of plant cell wall imaging by filling in the gap between classical photon microscopy and electron microscopy.
Holocene Hydroclimate Variability in Central Scandinavia Inferred from Flood Layers in Contourite Drift Deposits in Lake Storsjön
Authors: Labuhn Inga , Hammarlund Dan , Chapron Emmanuel , Czymzik Markus , Dumoulin Jean-Pascal , Nilsson Andreas , Régnier Edouard , Robygd Joakim , Von Grafenstein Ulrich
Published: February 2018

Despite the societal importance of extreme hydroclimate events, few palaeoenvironmental studies of Scandinavian lake sediments have investigated flood occurrences. Here we present a flood history based on lithological, geochemical and mineral magnetic records of a Holocene sediment sequence collected from contourite drift deposits in Lake Storsjön (63.12° N, 14.37° E). After the last deglaciation, the lake began to form around 9800 cal yr BP, but glacial activity persisted in the catchment for ~250 years. Element concentrations and mineral magnetic properties of the sediments indicate relatively stable sedimentation conditions during the Holocene. However, human impact in the form of expanding agriculture is evident from about 1100 cal yr BP, and intensified in the 20th century. Black layers containing iron sulphide appear irregularly throughout the sequence. The increased influx of organic matter during flood events led to decomposition and oxygen consumption, and eventually to anoxic conditions in the interstitial water preserving these layers. Elevated frequencies of black layer occurrence between 3600 and 1800 cal yr BP reflect vegetation changes in the catchment as well as large-scale climatic change. Soil erosion during snowmelt flood events increased with a tree line descent since the onset of the neoglacial period (~4000 cal yr BP). The peak in black layer occurrence coincides with a prominent solar minimum ~2600 cal yr BP, which may have accentuated the observed pattern due to the prevalence of a negative NAO index, a longer snow accumulation period and consequently stronger snowmelt floods.
Surface Freshwater Limitation Explains Worst Rice Production Anomaly in India in 2002
Authors: Zampieri Matteo , Carmona Garcia Gema , Dentener Frank , Gumma Murali , Salamon Peter , Seguini Lorenzo , Toreti Andrea
Published: February 2018

India is the second-most populous country and the second-most important producer of rice of the world. Most Indian rice production depends on monsoon timing and dynamics. In 2002, the lowest monsoon precipitation of the last 130+ years was observed. It coincided with the worst rice production anomaly recorded by FAOSTAT from 1961 to 2014. In that year, freshwater limitation was blamed as responsible for the yield losses in the southeastern coastal regions. Given the important implication for local food security and international market stability, we here investigate the specific mechanisms behind the effects of this extreme meteorological drought on rice yield at the national and regional levels. To this purpose, we integrate output from the hydrological model, surface, and satellite observations for the different rice cropping cycles into state-of-the-art and novel climate indicators. In particular, we adopt the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) as an indicator of drought due to the local surface water balance anomalies (i.e., precipitation and evapotranspiration). We propose a new indicator of the renewable surface freshwater availability due to non-local sources, i.e., the standardized river discharge index (SDI) based on the anomalies of modelled river discharge data. We compare these indicators to the soil moisture observations retrieved from satellites. We link all diagnostics to the recorded yields at the national and regional level, quantifying the long-term correlations and the best match of the 2002 anomaly. Our findings highlight the need for integrating non-local surface freshwater dynamics with local rainfall variability to determine the soil moisture conditions in rice fields for yields assessment, modeling, and forecasting.
Recognition of Wheat Spike from Field Based Phenotype Platform Using Multi-Sensor Fusion and Improved Maximum Entropy Segmentation Algorithms
Authors: Zhou Chengquan , Liang Dong , Yang Xiaodong , Xu Bo , Yang Guijun
Published: February 2018

To obtain an accurate count of wheat spikes, which is crucial for estimating yield, this paper proposes a new algorithm that uses computer vision to achieve this goal from an image. First, a home-built semi-autonomous multi-sensor field-based phenotype platform (FPP) is used to obtain orthographic images of wheat plots at the filling stage. The data acquisition system of the FPP provides high-definition RGB images and multispectral images of the corresponding quadrats. Then, the high-definition panchromatic images are obtained by fusion of three channels of RGB. The Gram–Schmidt fusion algorithm is then used to fuse these multispectral and panchromatic images, thereby improving the color identification degree of the targets. Next, the maximum entropy segmentation method is used to do the coarse-segmentation. The threshold of this method is determined by a firefly algorithm based on chaos theory (FACT), and then a morphological filter is used to de-noise the coarse-segmentation results. Finally, morphological reconstruction theory is applied to segment the adhesive part of the de-noised image and realize the fine-segmentation of the image. The computer-generated counting results for the wheat plots, using independent regional statistical function in Matlab R2017b software, are then compared with field measurements which indicate that the proposed method provides a more accurate count of wheat spikes when compared with other traditional fusion and segmentation methods mentioned in this paper.
VEHIOT: Design and Evaluation of an IoT Architecture Based on Low-Cost Devices to Be Embedded in Production Vehicles
Authors: Pajares Redondo Jonatan , Prieto González Lisardo , García Guzman Javier , L. Boada Beatriz , Díaz Vicente
Published: February 2018

Nowadays, the current vehicles are incorporating control systems in order to improve their stability and handling. These control systems need to know the vehicle dynamics through the variables (lateral acceleration, roll rate, roll angle, sideslip angle, etc.) that are obtained or estimated from sensors. For this goal, it is necessary to mount on vehicles not only low-cost sensors, but also low-cost embedded systems, which allow acquiring data from sensors and executing the developed algorithms to estimate and to control with novel higher speed computing. All these devices have to be integrated in an adequate architecture with enough performance in terms of accuracy, reliability and processing time. In this article, an architecture to carry out the estimation and control of vehicle dynamics has been developed. This architecture was designed considering the basic principles of IoT and integrates low-cost sensors and embedded hardware for orchestrating the experiments. A comparison of two different low-cost systems in terms of accuracy, acquisition time and reliability has been done. Both devices have been compared with the VBOX device from Racelogic, which has been used as the ground truth. The comparison has been made from tests carried out in a real vehicle. The lateral acceleration and roll rate have been analyzed in order to quantify the error of these devices.
A Mobility Management Using Follow-Me Cloud-Cloudlet in Fog-Computing-Based RANs for Smart Cities
Authors: Chen Yuh-Shyan , Tsai Yi-Ting
Published: February 2018

Mobility management for supporting the location tracking and location-based service (LBS) is an important issue of smart city by providing the means for the smooth transportation of people and goods. The mobility is useful to contribute the innovation in both public and private transportation infrastructures for smart cities. With the assistance of edge/fog computing, this paper presents a fully new mobility management using the proposed follow-me cloud-cloudlet (FMCL) approach in fog-computing-based radio access networks (Fog-RANs) for smart cities. The proposed follow-me cloud-cloudlet approach is an integration strategy of follow-me cloud (FMC) and follow-me edge (FME) (or called cloudlet). A user equipment (UE) receives the data, transmitted from original cloud, into the original edge cloud before the handover operation. After the handover operation, an UE searches for a new cloud, called as a migrated cloud, and a new edge cloud, called as a migrated edge cloud near to UE, where the remaining data is migrated from the original cloud to the migrated cloud and all the remaining data are received in the new edge cloud. Existing FMC results do not have the property of the VM migration between cloudlets for the purpose of reducing the transmission latency, and existing FME results do not keep the property of the service migration between data centers for reducing the transmission latency. Our proposed FMCL approach can simultaneously keep the VM migration between cloudlets and service migration between data centers to significantly reduce the transmission latency. The new proposed mobility management using FMCL approach aims to reduce the total transmission time if some data packets are pre-scheduled and pre-stored into the cache of cloudlet if UE is switching from the previous Fog-RAN to the serving Fog-RAN. To illustrate the performance achievement, the mathematical analysis and simulation results are examined in terms of the total transmission time, the throughput, the probability of packet loss, and the number of control messages.
Rockfall Analysis for Preliminary Hazard Assessment of the Cliff of Taormina Saracen Castle (Sicily)
Authors: Mineo Simone , Pappalardo Giovanna , Mangiameli Michele , Campolo Santo , Mussumeci Giuseppe
Published: February 2018

A rockfall analysis at one of the most relevant cultural heritage sites of northeastern Sicily (Italy) is presented herein with the aim of assessing the hazard arising from the unstable conditions of the rock cliff of Taormina city, upon which the Saracen Castle is perched on its top. Several rockfalls affected this area in the latest years, representing a serious threat for the safety of inhabitants and tourists. Therefore, the qualitative Evolving Rockfall Hazard Assessment (ERHA) was applied for the hazard zonation, supported by rock mass surveys and Terrestrial Laser Scanner prospecting. Kinematic analysis revealed that the unstable rock failure patterns are represented by planar/wedge sliding and toppling, while simulation of potential rockfalls allowed studying the impact of future events in terms of trajectory and energy. This is higher at the foot of scarps and in steeper sectors, where the application of ERHA identified a critical zone close to the inhabited center, which is one of the main elements at risk, along with a pedestrian tourist path. Achieved results represent a starting point for the definition of risk management strategies and provide a scientific contribution to the study of hazard and risk arising from rockfall occurrence.
Knowledge, Awareness and Practices Regarding Cystic Echinococcosis among Livestock Farmers in Basrah Province, Iraq
Authors: Abdulhameed Mohanad , Habib Ihab , Al-Azizz Suzan , Robertson Ian
Published: February 2018

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an endemic neglected parasitic zoonosis in many of the countries of the Middle East. The disease poses a remarkable economic burden for both animals and humans. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey among livestock farmers in Basrah province, southern Iraq, in order to evaluate their knowledge and awareness about CE, and to understand some of the risky practices that could contribute to spread and persistence of such disease. Of the interviewed participants (N = 314), 27.4% owned dogs on their farms. Among farmers owning dogs, 76.7% (66/86) never tied up their dogs, and 43% (37/86) indicated feeding uncooked animal viscera to their dogs. The majority (96.5%) of the farmers indicated that they did not de-worm their dogs at all. Only 9.8% (31/314) of the respondents indicated eating raw leafy vegetables without washing. Added to that, 32% of the interviewees indicated that they source water for domestic use from a river; meanwhile 94.3% (296/314) of them do not boil water before using it for domestic purposes. Half of the interviewed livestock farmers in Basrah were not aware about how humans get infected with CE disease, and 41.4% (130/314) did not even realize that CE is a dangerous disease to human health. Almost one in three of the respondents who owned dogs on their farms viewed de-worming of their dogs as a low priority practice. This study highlights the gap in knowledge and awareness about CE among the study population. Risky practices associated with dog keeping management and food and water handling practices were identified. The insight from this research could be used to improve the delivery of a health education message relevant to cystic echinococcosis control at the human-animal interface in Iraq.
Impact of a Programme for Water Affordability on Residential Consumption: Implementation of the “Programa Mínimo Vital de Agua Potable” in Bogotá, Colombia
Authors: Vargas Laura , Mingoti Sueli , Heller Léo
Published: February 2018

Affordability of services is a determinant for people’s level of access to water. In this study, we analyse the effect of a programme aimed at improving the affordability of water services on users’ water consumption. The programme was implemented in 2012 by the local government of the city of Bogotá, Colombia, intending to provide an essential “lifeline” volume of water to poor households free of charge. Our assessment was carried out with secondary data and used difference-in-difference estimators in a panel data analysis of a two-period sample: 2011 and 2014. The unit of analysis was defined based on the city’s administrative divisions and the socio-economic stratification of residences. Over the period analysed, beneficiaries’ household consumption increased, reaching per capita consumption levels closer to those of the upper strata of users. Results suggest that the programme contributes to increased consumption and equity among users.
Understanding Mega-Events Success and Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Michopoulou Eleni , Giuliano Chiara
Published: February 2018

The events industry is growing every year, the number of events is increasing, and their role in society is becoming more significant. Satisfied participants are the key to successful events and the main objective of event organizers. The aim of the article is to understand what costumers
consider more important when attending mega-events. A quantitative survey design was adopted by deploying the American customer satisfaction index (ACSI) that included an event specific customer value package in the context of the EXPO Milan 2015 mega-event. Results demonstrate that expectations
of visitors, staff, and volunteers vary considerably, and so do the levels of satisfaction. They also highlight that, alongside other customers' priorities such as cleanliness and safety, capacity plays a role in determining satisfaction. This article presents the summarized findings of a
broader study.
Engaging the Senses to Explore Community Events
Authors: Duffy Michelle , Mair Judith
Published: February 2018

Community events are often staged by local authorities as a way to boost the local economy, improve social cohesion, and foster a sense of belonging. However, although it is arguably comparatively straightforward to conceptualize how events may contribute in terms of economic impact,
it is much more difficult to understand and assess how events can contribute to feelings of connectedness and belonging. To date the focus in the event management literature has been very strongly focused on what people think of events; this study instead draws our attention to what people
do and how this may provide clues as to how they feel in terms of engagement. Recent studies in tourism, geography, and urban studies have started to explore the role the senses play in our engagement and participation in events. Turning to the senses as a means to explore our bodily engagement
with an event provides an opportunity to examine inclusion and exclusion at an event from a new perspective. This article takes an interdisciplinary ethnographic approach to examine a case study of community and the Noosa Jazz Festival in Australia. Findings suggest that festivals, through
their embodied participants, can facilitate feelings of inclusion in a community. Sound, vision, and the festival ambience emerged as being of key importance. The research demonstrates the benefits of interdisciplinary research, particularly drawing from sensual geographies, when exploring
intangible constructs such as connectedness, inclusion, cohesion, and belonging.
Protective immunity of recombinant LipL21 and I-LipL21 against Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis N2 infection
Authors: Kumari Anita , Premlatha Mallela Martha , Raja Veerapandian , Akino Mercy Charles Solomon , Sumathi Kalimuthusamy , Shariff Malini , Natarajaseenivasan Kalimuthusamy
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the spirochete of genus Leptospira with widespread distribution in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Leptospirosis is often confused with other febrile illnesses including jaundice, dengue, and malaria. Generally, the disease is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Though leptospirosis is curable with antibiotic treatment, the laboratory diagnosis of the disease is specialized and open to interpretation with multiple kits available to detect the different serological markers of Leptospira. Moreover, when leptospirosis is misdiagnosed, the disease can lead to multi-organ failure and may have fatal effects. There is a need for strategies to develop vaccines and prevent leptospirosis. In the present study, the immunogenic potential of leptospiral recombinant protein LipL21 (rLipL21) and its truncated form I-LipL21 (rI-LipL21) was evaluated.

Methodology: The recombinant proteins were established in cyclophosphamide treated BALB/c mice model infected with L. interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2.

Results: The vaccination study showed 66% and 83% survivability among mice immunized with rLipL21 and rI-LipL21 respectively and post-challenge with leptospiral strain N2 compared to control groups that showed 100% lethality. Additionally, a significant increase in antibody levels and cytokine levels (TNF-a, IFN-γ and IL-10) was observed evidencing a marked stimulation of both humoral and cell-mediated immune response in mice immunized with rLipL21/rI-LipL21 compared to whole cell leptospiral lysate (WCL).

Conclusions: This study evidenced protective immunization against leptospirosis with rLipL21 and rI-LipL21 recombinant proteins and are potential candidates for the development of leptospiral vaccine.
Bilan de trois années de fouille programmée du château de Marly
Authors: Heitzmann Annick
Published: February 2018

L’histoire du château de Marly commence en 1679 et se termine par sa destruction en 1811, mais l’archéologie le fait revivre depuis 1865. La dernière campagne de fouille archéologique a été réalisée entre 2013 et 2015. Elle a concerné les jardins et les bâtiments. Dans les jardins, ont été étudiés : la grande cascade, dont la maçonnerie de plusieurs marches a été retrouvée, recouverte de mortier hydraulique dans lequel l’empreinte des marbres qui la décoraient était encore visible ; le bassin des Nappes et le bassin des Boules, tous les deux constitués d’un corroi de glaise. Deux bâtiments ont été fouillés. Le troisième pavillon du Levant d’une part (à l’est du Grand Miroir), dont toutes les fondations ont été dégagées, ainsi que le dispositif d’évacuation des eaux pluviales et les bases des arceaux supportant les berceaux de treillage. La fosse d’aisances du pavillon a livré un dépôt latrinaire et du mobilier archéologique. Le Pavillon royal d’autre part, sous lequel ont été trouvées les fosses d’aisances de l’appartement du roi, les caves de celui de la reine et cinq pierrées en étoile sous le salon central. Parmi les gravats qui comblaient ces excavations, il y avait des tessons de canalisation en terre cuite et des éléments de plâtres ou de pierres provenant des structures du château ou de son décor.
Effect of Algerian Halloysite on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Starch-Grafted-Polyethylene Nanocomposites
Authors: Fermas Walid , Merijs Meri Remo , Kaci Mustapha , Zicans Janis
Published: February 2018

This paper deals with the characterization of the physico-mechanical properties of starch-grafted-polyethylene (Starch-g-PE)/unmodified Algerian halloysite nanotubes (HNT) nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding. The nanoclay was incorporated at various filler contents, i.e., 1.5, 3 and 5 wt%. Rheological and tensile properties of the nanocomposites were evaluated by different techniques and the results obtained are compared with those of virgin Starch-g-PE matrix. The study shows a decrease in melt flow index (MFI) values upon increasing the HNT content, which indicates a restriction in the polymer chains mobility due to the confinement effect of HNT. Further, a tensile strength is also improved.
Development and Characterization of Novel Conductive Nanofiller Based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Grafted with Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene)
Authors: Vugule Guna , Reinholds Ingars , Zicans Janis , Merijs Meri Remo , Ozols Kaspars
Published: February 2018

In the present study, an approach for the graft polymerization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) has been evaluated. The surface of the MWCNTs was activated with thiophene groups through the amide linker followed by oxidative polymerization of EDOT monomer resulted in the development of PEDOT-g-MWCNTs. The methods of thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy were used for characterization of functionalization efficiency. The TGA data indicated of 21% functionalization attached to MWCNTs. X-ray fluorescence confirmed the presence of Cl, and S atoms in functionalized fillers. The study of Raman spectra confirmed the presence of PEDOT groups attributed to most characteristic signal at 1400-1500 cm-1 region. The electrical conductivity for both pristine MWCNT and PEDOT-g-MWCNT powder materials was compared.
Hydration Behaviour of Sufonated Polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) Membranes
Authors: Veldre Kaspars , Sala Elīna , Āboltiņa Elīna , Vaivars Guntars
Published: February 2018

Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) have a potential to become power sources in automotive industry and other household applications. PEM such as sulfonated polyetheretherketone (SPEEK) have acceptable operating temperature range but proton conductivity is dependent on amount of sulfonic groups attached to the polymer backbone (degree of sulfonation). At the same time, the sulfonic groups cause sorption of water from surrounding vapour or liquid. This factor may lead to mechanical failure if membrane absorbs too much water. Modification of PEM by adding ionic liquids (IL) may provide good proton conductivity but presence of water could also be critical factor of membrane stability as in high humidity conditions IL are washed out of membrane and replaced by water molecules. PEM with IL inclusions could be potentially used at temperatures close to water boiling point and higher as IL used in this research are thermally stable in temperatures up to 200°C.
Synthesis of Nanoporous SiO2 Based Ceramic Materials via Sol-Gel Technology
Authors: Karpe Margarita
Published: February 2018

The aim of research was developed area of nanoporous ceramic matrials of ternary - ZrO2-TiO2-SiO2 system. The ceramic materials of system ZrO2-TiO2-SiO2 was synthesized via sol-gel technology by hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), zirconia propoxide and titanium isporopoxide solutions. The sols were polymerized at room temperature to obtain gels. Then gels were dried at 100 OC 72 hours. Xerogel was milled 1 or 6 hours and the powder was axial pressed for nanoporous ceramic samples. All the samples were sintered at 800 OC or 1000 OC in air. 1M HYPERLINK "res://\\\\ld1062.dll/type=1_word=hydrochloric%20acid" hydrochloric acid (HCl) and destilled water were used as a catalyst to promote the hydrolysis and condensation reactions. All samples were characterized by X-rays (XRD) diffraction, particle size distribution and compressive strength. Apparent density and specific surface area of ceramic samples were determined by a Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms.
Effect of the Fibre Type on the Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Cementitious Composites for Thin Overlays
Authors: Lukasenoks Arturs , Cepuritis Rolands , Krasnikovs Andrejs
Published: February 2018

Polypropylene (PP), nylon and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) micro-fibres with different geometries were used at 1 vol. % dosage to investigate rheological and mechanical properties of cementitious composites to be used for thin overlays. Slump-flow and visual stability index methods were used to characterise the rheological properties. Single crack tension and bending studies were carried out to evaluate the tensile and bending strength, as well as the post-cracking behaviour. The results show that fibre geometry (L/d ratio and specific surface area) has a pronounced influence on the fresh state rheological properties of the cementitious composites. The results also surprisingly indicated that the nylon fibres are able to significantly increase the pre-cracking tensile and bending strength. All tested composites showed tensile strain softening and insignificant deflection hardening after cracking and a major strength loss. The results indicate single crack tension method to be the most appropriate for evaluation of mechanical properties of cementitious composites used for thin overlays.
Comfort in Sportswear
Authors: Ziemele Inese , Šroma Inese , Kakarāne Annija
Published: February 2018

The study specifies the sports clothing wearer comfort requirements for sportswear. Two essential components of comfort are considered – physiological and physical comfort. Comfort level for non-professional sportswear has been determined analysing the thermophysiological comfort, as well as the level of physical comfort.
The research resulted in development of the algorithm for prediction of physiological and physical comfort in sportswear. The athlete’s thermophysiological comfort is predicted by measuring experimentally the thermal resistance and water-vapour resistance for specimens of fabrics of a sportswear design in laboratory. Physical comfort in a sportswear style and the factors influencing it were determined first determining the typical movements of an athlete in the tested sportswear style.
Photocatalytically Active Cotton Fabrics Produced with Anatase Synthesized Using a Low-Temperature Sol-Gel Process
Authors: Eglītis Raivis , Mežinskis Gundars
Published: February 2018

In this work two different hydrosols were used to impregnate a commercially available cotton fabric with anatase nanoparticles to give it photocatalytic activity. To increase the activity, different pre-treatment methods were applied. The nanoparticle size was determined using dynamic light scattering and x-ray diffraction and the fabrics were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Photocatalytic activity was measured using the degradation of methyl-orange while irradiating the samples with UV light. The synthesis method allowed to produce anatase with an average particle size of 32 to 37 nm depending on the synthesis method used.
Bioremoval of Lead (II) and Cadmium (II) in Single and Multicomponent Systems Using Penicillium sp.
Authors: Khodja Habib , Iddou Abdelkader , Aguedal Hakim , Aziz Abdallah , Shishkin Andrei
Published: February 2018

The biosorption of cadmium and lead by Penicillium sp. isolated from an uncontaminated soil was studied at different initial metal ions concentrations. The maximum removal yields were obtained at 5 mg/L initial metal concentration. The highest removal yields were 35.67% and 81.99% for cadmium and lead respectively in the single system. In the binary system, the removal yield increased to 90.99% and 97.48% for both metal ions at the same initial concentration. This study has also confirmed that Penicillium sp was able to grow in the presence of both metal ions at different concentrations. In addition, this study showed that Penicillium sp was more tolerant to cadmium than lead. Fungi have also shown a tolerance to high concentrations of toxic heavy metals.This study can provide useful information on the bioremoval of heavy metals such as Cd(II) and Pb(II) from wastewaters.
Chronic subdural hematoma associated with fahr syndrome: A clinical association or just a simple coincidence?
Authors: Gurcan Oktay , Gurcay Ahmet , Kazanci Atilla , Goker Tuncer , Eylen Oguzhan , Turkoglu Omer
Published: February 2018

The Fahr syndrome (FS) is a rare degenerative neurological disorder (its prevalence is <0.5%). FS is distinguished by the presence of abnormal bilateral intracranial calcifications with a predilection for the basal ganglia, also presented by movement disorders such as parkinsonism, paresis, and speech disorders. Chronic subdural hematoma (CSH), which is typically the result of mild head trauma, is a regularly encountered condition in elderly. A 63-year-old man has referred to our clinic from another hospital with a history of mild head trauma approximately a month ago. At the time of admission, the patient's Glasgow Coma Scale point was 15 points. In the history, there was only mild ataxia and right-sided hemiparesis. The laboratory examination revealed no electrolytes level abnormalities and normal endocrinal test examinations. Computed tomography revealed bilateral calcifications of basal ganglia, dentate nuclei which were misinterpreted as intracerebral contusion; with CSH of left temporal and parietal region. The hematoma was evacuated by burr-hole drainage. The patient was discharged 5 days after the surgery. The pathophysiology of FS is still unrevealed. There are some suggestions such as secondary to local disturbance of blood-brain barrier or a calcium neuronal metabolism disorder. However, on the other hand, local blood-brain barrier disturbance would also take part in CSH pathology. We hypostasized that patients with the history of FS, who had mild head traumas, might prone to subdural collections. On the other hand, FS and CSH coexistence is very unusual. Neurosurgeons might keep in mind FS when bilateral calcifications are seen in a patient.
Brown-Séquard syndrome caused by blunt cervical trauma with radiographic correlation
Authors: Cai David , Liu Geoffrey , Wolf Christopher , Mansell Zachary , Eskander Jonathan , Eskander Mark
Published: February 2018

Brown-Séquard syndrome, while uncommon, is a neurological condition that classically results from the hemisection of the spinal cord as a result of a penetrating injury to the spinal cord. We present a reported case of blunt trauma causing a high-energy cervical burst fracture/dislocation with a significant cord signal change producing Brown-Séquard syndrome. In this case, the burst fracture at the level of C5 obtained from the motor vehicle accident led to the damage of the left-sided lateral spinal thalamic tract, descending lateral cortical spinal tracts, and ascending dorsal column. This is a unique case of blunt nonpenetrating trauma leading to a high-energy cervical burst fracture/dislocation causing significant cord signal change on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These physical changes produced symptoms of neurologic impairment commonly seen in those patients with Brown-Séquard syndrome.
How I Do It: Celiac and Splanchnic Plexus Neurolysis
Authors: Al-Kutoubi Aghiad
Published: February 2018

Celiac block to alleviate pain in the upper abdomen was first described by Kappis in 1914. Since then the role of this procedure has been fairly established in the management of pain related to pancreatic disease and also in pain related to liver, gall bladder and gastric diseases. This article discusses the clinical indications and technical details of celiac and splanchnic neurolysis.