bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facteurs influençant la compréhension et l’intégration de la RSE dans la stratégie d’entreprise
Authors: Bataillard Carole
Published: March 2018

La Responsabilité Sociétale de l’Entreprise (RSE) soumet les acteurs organisationnels à des difficultés, comme l’atteinte simultanée de ses objectifs ou la gestion du pilier environnemental. Elle reste ainsi difficile à intégrer complètement à la stratégie d’entreprise. Pourtant, des acteurs tels que ceux engagés dans la filière de l’agriculture biologique font quotidiennement face au défi d’atteindre les trois objectifs de la RSE simultanément. Nous avons mobilisé la théorie du sensemaking de K.E. Weick afin d’explorer les processus par lesquels les dirigeants construisaient un sens de la RSE telle qu’elle puisse être intégrée à la stratégie. Les résultats soulignent l’importance du rôle des expériences, des heuristiques et des émotions dans la construction de sens de la RSE.
L’orientation marché : une application aux Offices de tourisme des stations de montagne
Authors: Ravix-Antelmi Catherine , Jolibert Alain
Published: March 2018

Le concept d’orientation marché a pour objectif de caractériser la culture marketing d’une organisation. De nombreux travaux de recherche ont permis d’ identifier les manifestations comportementales et culturelles de ce concept, mettant ainsi en évidence la coexistence de plusieurs dimensions, définies comme des sous-orientations tournées vers des acteurs centraux du marché, que sont les consommateurs, les concurrents, les distributeurs, les prescripteurs et les parties prenantes. Le but de l’article est d’appliquer et d’adapter le concept de l’orientation du marché au contexte particulier des stations de montagne, et voir quel impact peut avoir la culture marketing de son acteur central, à savoir l’Office de tourisme, sur la performance de la station. Nous comparons par conséquent trois modèles différents de l’orientation marché (modèle formatif, modèle réflectif et modèle liens directs) et leur influence sur la performance des Offices de tourisme de stations de montagne.
L’Observatory of European Institutions
Authors: Dehousse Renaud , Bendjaballah Selma , Michaud Geneviève , Rozenberg Olivier , Deloche-Gaudez Florence , Ciavarini Azzi Giuseppe , Costa Olivier , Lalande Romain
Published: March 2018

Le Centre d’études européennes et de politique comparée (CEE) de Sciences Po développe depuis 2005 une étude de la procédure législative européenne. L’Observatory of European Institutions (OEI) 1  vise à mieux saisir les logiques politiques à l’œuvre dans le processus décisionnel de l’Union européenne entre 1996 et 2014. Le projet remplit plusieurs objectifs : il s’agit d’abord de comprendre le processus politique par la constitution d’une base de données d’une ampleur inédite. Pour chaque acte législatif adopté par l’Union européenne, une centaine de variables sur le processus de décision dans l’Union européenne et dans les systèmes politiques nationaux depuis 1996 sont collectées. Ensuite, le projet s’inscrit dans une démarche comparative. La base de données permet d’isoler des logiques politiques propres à chaque secteur de politique publique. À terme, ces analyses comparatives permettront de déterminer l’impact des grands changements politiques connus par l’Union européenne ces dernières décennies tels que les traités, les réformes procédurales, les crises économiques, et ce sur chaque secteur d’intervention de l’Union européenne. C’est en définitive l’Union européenne comme acteur de politique publique qui est appréhendée. Les données ont pu être collectées grâce à un financement de l’Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) entre octobre 2012 et octobre 2015 2 .
Le consommateur camerounais face à la contrefaçon : une approche typologique
Authors: Ndangwa Lucien , Talla Fotsing Luther
Published: March 2018

Cet article montre que les motivations des consommateurs des produits contrefaits sont variées. Les données recueillies auprès de 226 étudiants permettent d’identifier deux profils différents selon les motivations, attitudes et intentions de comportement envers la contrefaçon : les adeptes pragmatiques et les réfractaires idéalistes. Il s’en dégage également que les déterminants liés au produit constituent les principales raisons de la consommation de la contrefaçon pour les adeptes pragmatiques, notamment la rareté perçue des produits originaux, la qualité perçue et le prix perçu. Pour les réfractaires idéalistes par contre, le rejet de la contrefaçon est dû aux risques induits et à l’illégalité perçue. La réflexion débouche sur les propositions de solutions contre ce fléau.
Les systèmes de communication Internet des entreprises du CAC40 : une étude longitudinale (2007-2015)
Authors: Vitari Claudio , Bourdon Isabelle , Rodhain Florence
Published: March 2018

Les entreprises sont confrontées à des pressions les poussant à intégrer les principes de la Responsabilité Sociale de l’Entreprise (RSE). Notre travail vise à enrichir la recherche dans ce domaine à travers une étude sur les systèmes de communication Internet sur la RSE et les facteurs les influençant. Nous proposons un modèle de recherche afin d’identifier ces facteurs. L’étude longitudinale menée sur toutes les entreprises du CAC40 montre une tendance à la standardisation de ces systèmes et à la prépondérance d’une « communication » à sens unique, caractérisée par l’absence de technologies du Web 2.0.
Lorsque la recherche avec les personnes accompagnées en protection de l’enfance se confronte aux défis démocratiques
Authors: Rurka Anna , Rousseau Patrick
Published: March 2018

Cet article discute les liens entre la participation des personnes accompagnées dans le champ de recherche en travail social et la participation civile au processus décisionnel à différents niveaux de la gouvernance. Ce domaine de la sphère publique est traversé par plusieurs tensions contradictoires qui influencent les politiques publiques et qui invitent les chercheurs à se positionner à travers les choix épistémologiques ou méthodologiques opérés. Il s’agira aussi de présenter un dispositif de recherche qui, étant confronté à des univers normatifs différents et aux configurations relationnelles changeantes, peut créer un espace délibératif contribuant à la démocratisation des connaissances produites.
Multimedia Teaching Platform for Urban Planning Utilizing 3D Technology
Authors: Wang Xuhui , Zhang Quan , Chen Yanyi , Liang Shihao
Published: March 2018

In recent years, 3D technology based on computer and internet has achieved high-speed development. People have realized direct and stereo observation of realistic world. Three-dimensional and visualized characteristics of the technology fit well with the teaching objective of college architecture specialized courses. Thus, 3D model has profound practical significance for its application in urban green space system and urban rural overall planning. With “urban-rural master plan” as experimental course, through design of “urban-rural master plan” multimedia teaching platform based on 3D technology and practice of the teaching platform in course teaching, this article has applied control experiment method and statistical method to make comparative analysis on the teaching effect difference of multimedia teaching platform based on 3D technology application in “urban-rural master plan” as experimental course so as to provide theoretical and data support for 3D technology application in “urban-rural master plan” and other college architecture major courses.
English Learning System Design for College Students Personalized English Grammar Check and Diagnosis
Authors: Pan Dandan , Zhou Hongzhi
Published: March 2018

The development of computer technologies help enrich the content of Eng-lish education and provide more convenience for English learning. English grammar is one of the basic elements and affects the expression and recep-tion in English listening, speaking, reading and writing directly. How a stu-dent masters English grammar has a critical impact on his or her overall English level. This paper attempts to achieve personalized check and diagno-sis of college students’ English grammar. by integrating relevant computer theories and learning theories. With the help of Visual Studio and SQL computer technology, we can achieve functional design and database design for personalized grammar check and diagnosis for both learning and teach-ing. The paper also completes the design of the question bank, learning fea-ture database and user feature database Computer-technology-based person-alized English grammar check and diagnosis system for college students de-signed and implemented in this paper can help students grasp English grammatical rules better, improve their grammar test and application abili-ties and increase their interest in English learning, thus, it has a certain prac-tical value in the college English grammar teaching and learning.
Application of a Computer-Assisted Instruction System Based on Constructivism
Authors: Guo Hua
Published: March 2018

Computer-assisted instruction is a new type of educational model that integrates with modern technology and pedagogy. This paper, aiming at application of this model, devises a constructivism-based platform on the premise of investigations on the constructivism theory and the integrableware idea, using comparative analysis, case analysis, for example, the Computer Graphics, and literature investigation, etc. It is proved after each module is designed and implemented on the platform that this instruction platform is more effective in the application. It has filled in the gap of current computer-assisted instruction system in poor universality, etc., better serves the computer-assisted instruction, thus greatly propell the development of current education causes.
Application of Computer Distance Education in Practical English Writing Teaching
Authors: Liu Xiaohua , Zhang Jian
Published: March 2018

With the continuous convergence between computer technology and on-line edu-cation in promoting the reform of traditional teaching and learning style, and up-dating the educational idea and method, this paper takes the application of com-puter distance education (CDE) into the practical English writing (PEW) teaching as object of study, adopts the research methods of literature survey, questionnaire and experimental comparison analysis, and studies the application of flipped classroom instruction model into the PEW teaching; the flipped classroom, based on the on-line video, has become popular in the education world now. According to survey of the teaching situation in PEW, the teaching scheme of flipped class-room has been designed; also, this paper evaluates the teaching effect of this teaching scheme by means of Jukuu web-based teaching platform as well as the questionnaire survey of the students about the learning effect, to validate the teaching effect of this teaching scheme on PEW, and prove that the CDE can promote significantly the PEW teaching.
Computer Distance Virtual Experiment Teaching Application Based on Virtual Reality Technology
Authors: Wang Fengxu
Published: March 2018

The rapid development of computer and network has promoted the emergence and development of new teaching methods and teaching media. This paper takes the computer distance virtual experiment teaching as the research goal, by literature investigation, summarization and case analysis methods, basing on analysis of computer distance teaching, Virtual Reality (VR) technology, virtual experiment teaching, and other related technology theories, the paper proposes a computer distance virtual experiment teaching mode based on VR technology. By taking the virtual computer assembly experiment as an example, this paper designs a computer distance virtual experiment teaching mode based on VR technology, realizes the computer distance virtual experiment teaching of the computer assembly experiment, and verifies the feasibility of the teaching mode. The research results indicate that, this teaching mode has a certain practical significance on improving the computer distance teaching mode and promoting the smooth development of computer distance teaching.
Study on the Design of Campus Network-based Personalized English Teaching Platform
Authors: Wang Hongmei
Published: March 2018

College English teaching is in urgent need of a platform which may improve stu-dents' initiative in English learning, raise learning interest and enhance English teaching management, in order to improve students' English level and facilitate the teacher's English teaching management. The popularity of campus network facili-ties in various universities provides hardware support for the establishment of a personalized English teaching platform based on campus network. The study is aimed at designing a personalized English teaching platform based on campus network, which takes VBSCRIPT as programming language and SQL Server as database software of the platform, completing the interactive processing of the da-ta based on the data structure of client computer/server (B/S). First, the paper in-troduces the relevant teaching and education theories, laying theoretical and tech-nical basis for the design of personalized English teaching platform in combina-tion with the computer technology used in the design of the platform. The combi-nation of questionnaire and analytic study is used in the design of the system from various aspects, and makes the design of the platform come true. At last, the testing of the system verifies that the system meets the relevant functional re-quirement. The platform would provide an open environment for English learning and stimulating the guidance of teachers and is of great significance to improve the level of college English teaching.
Influence Analysis of Computer Modular Learning Environment on College English Listening Teaching Effect
Authors: Miao Jun , Mao Lidan
Published: March 2018

The listening teaching incorporated with computer web-based learning platform technology, has offered the opportunity for English listening teaching. This paper firstly introduces the web-based teaching platform development and related technologies, selects the Moodle platform as the on-line platform, and then designs the teaching experiment of college English listening on the basis of this platform. In the experiment, this paper, taking the 128 non-English major students of one university in China as object of study, conducts the contrast experiment between the Moodle-based listening teaching and traditional listening teaching, and makes statistical analysis of the experimental results by the questionnaire survey as well as the pre-experiment and after-experiment methods. The study in this paper promotes the application of web-based teaching platform in English listening teaching, and has positive effects on promoting the students’ learning enthusiasm and listening education reform.
Design of a College English Mobile Learning System Based on CAD Model
Authors: Zhang Xin , Bi Jingxuan
Published: March 2018

With the development of mobile Internet technology and the advent of the information age, people's demand for mobile learning is growing and the studies on mobile English learning platform are also drawing more and more attention. In this article, firstly, the background of mobile learning is introduced and a Conversation-Activity-Distribution theoretical model, CAD, is proposed with activity theory, situation cognition theory and distributed cognition theory as the cognitive basis. Then, the students’ demand and expectations for implementation, function and content of the mobile learning system are learned by the combination of experiential researches and questionnaire surveys. A model of college English mobile learning system is proposed based on the CAD model, the overall structure of the model is discussed and its various functional modules introduced. With vocabulary learning as case design, the process design, function design and adaptive design of the system are introduced and the functional interface to the system demonstrated. Theoretically, this article enriches the theoretical basis of mobile learning and improves the methods of mobile learning system. Practically, through the studies on related learning theories, it puts forward a CAD theoretical model and carries out the case study on English vocabulary, which are conducive to the popularization of mobile learning in English learning and the improvement of teaching quality.
An Automatic Online Disaster Monitoring Network: Network Architecture and a Case Study Monitoring Slope Stability
Authors: Wang Jianmin , Yang Xiaoqin
Published: March 2018

Geosensor networks(GSN) is an important development direction of the disaster monitoring in the future. An online automatic unattended disaster monitoring system can prevent and reduce the geology disaster to protect the safety of life and property. At present, most GSN are independent and usually service for respective community. The observations data of GSN are bigger and complex , and GSN is mostly heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. So this paper proposes a novel GSN disaster monitoring overall architecture, This architecture can seamlessly integrate sensors for long- term, remote, and near-real-time monitoring. In the architecture, there are four layers are used to collect, manage , transport and processing observation data. Among them, the data server layer applies the OGC SWE standards to integrate and share heterogeneous monitoring data. sensor metadata and observation data are packaged into a virtual sensor that are is transported from data center to application layer through Sensor Observation Service (SOS). To demonstrates the applicability of our proposed method, we use a case named PS-MDMs which are developed and deployed to support mine disaster monitoring and modeling research.
A Genetic Algorithm Based and Subtree Restricted Routing Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Huang Zhi
Published: March 2018

The GA(genetic algorithms) was applied to find routing trees with minimal maximal sensor load thus extend network lifetime in wireless sensor networks. However,  the existing algorithmlimits search space of GA to avoid generating cycles by dividing sensors into layers and stipulating that a sensor only can select a sensor in its lower layer as its new parent. In this paper, we have found that how cycles are generated during GA operations, and proposed a solution based on subtree to avoid generating cycles during GA operations.The solution only requires a sensor not to change its parent to a sensor in the subtree with it as the root. And layers are no longer considered. As a result, GA has more search space and GA operations can be performed more freely. Thus more optimal routing trees are obtained and network lifetime is extended. The experiment shows that our proposed algorithm extend network lifetime notably.
On-site Smart Operation and Maintenance System for Substation Equipment Based on Mobile Network
Authors: Cheng Lin , Hu Wenshan , Liu Zhengyang , Cai Wei
Published: March 2018

The maintenance of substations is crucial for the safety of the electrical grid and power industry. However, for long time, the maintenance teams in the field and the experts in the power companies are divided. The data and expertise exchanges between the on-site maintenance teams and data center are delayed due to the lack of effective communication. This paper introduces an on-site smart operation maintenance system for substation equipment based on mobile network. It is able to establish real-time communication and data exchange channels between the maintenance teams and data center. It consists of an operation and maintenance system platform located on the data center side and smart operation and maintenance boxes with mobile APP which are carried to the field side by the maintenance teams. As the kernel of the system, the smart boxes are bridges between the data center and operation sites. On one hand, it is able to formally upload data to the data center in real-time. One the other hand, the operation and maintenance personnel are able to call for help from the resource on the data center anytime. Using the system proposed in the paper, both efficiency of the operation and maintenance and the normalization of the data can be improved.
VR Interactive Feature of HTML5-based WebVR Control Laboratory by Using Head-mounted Display
Authors: Ye Quan , Hu Wenshan , Zhou Hong , Lei Zhongcheng , Guan Shiqi
Published: March 2018

The development of web-based online laboratory for engineering education has made big progress in recent years with state-of-the-art technologies. In order to further promote the effectiveness within an online virtual environment, the virtual reality (VR) interactive feature of WebVR Control laboratory based on HTML5 is presented in this paper. The educational objective is to assist the students or researchers to conduct a realistic and immersive experiment of control engineering with a head-mounted display (HMD) equipped. The implementation of the VR technique mainly relies on the Three.js graphic engine based on Web Graphics Library (WebGL) which has been supported by most of the mainstream web browsers in their latest version without a plugin embedded. At the end of the paper, the ball and beam system is taken as an example to illustrate the whole operational approach of the novel VR experiment in detail. While such a VR interactive feature hasn’t been integrated into some of the current web-based online laboratories, the technical solution could be inspirational for them.
An IOT-based Multi-sensor Ecological Shared Farmland Management System
Authors: Guandong Gao , Yuchen Jia , Ke Xiao
Published: March 2018

With the wide adoption of a shared economy, the term “share” has become closely linked with people’s daily life. To improve the economic output per unit area of farmland and allow urban residents to experience the fun of cultivating, an IOT-based multi-sensor ecological shared farmland management system is presented and designed in this paper. And an agricultural economy model that remote planting and gains sharing was also presented. This system consists of multiple sensors for data collection, automatically controlled equipment, a transport module (with a ZigBee module and a WiFi module), an app-based smart monitoring and control module and a WeChat public platform. Various information, including air temperature and humidity, soil humidity, illuminance, CO2 concentration, pH, real-time video and images, is collected for users to ensure an optimal crop growing environment via remote control and by sharing agricultural product information in harvesting seasons. Functions such as picking, leasing and transferring are implemented via the WeChat public platform. Not only is detailed information on vegetables growing in rented farmland available remotely via RFID electronic tags and multiple sensors but the real-time growing state of the planted crops is also available via camera. Control of functions such as irrigating, fertilizing and shading is also supported. The test shows that in this system, the data collected via multiple sensors are accurate; real-time information is transmitted and managed smoothly.
Distributed Power Control Algorithm in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Cognitive Radio Systems for Fading Channel
Authors: Chen Lingling , Qi Feng , Gao Xingquan , Wang Huipeng , Liang Jiwen
Published: March 2018

In order to guarantee the quality of service (QoS) for primary users (PUs) and secondary users (SUs) in fading channel, a distributed power control algorithm is proposed based on convex optimization theory in underlay OFDM cognitive radio networks (CRNs). Our purpose obtains the maximum transmit data rate of each SU at all subcarriers under three constraints of the maximum allowable transmission power, the minimum signal to interference plus ratio (SINR) of each SU and the maximum allowable interference generated from SUs to PU at each subcarrier. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed algorithms (m2) are superior to the geometric programming algorithm (m1) in fading channel environment.
A New Device used in Selective Withdrawal from Reservoirs and its Effectiveness Verified in Computational Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Lu Jinsuo , Zhang Wei , Wang Dengyu , Wang Xiaoyi
Published: March 2018

Water intake with fixed height limits the application of selective withdrawal technology in a certain degree. This study proposes a technological idea to install baffles on water intake. Through the rotation of upper and lower baffle, poor water layer can be blocked. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for the upper baffle on water intake is constructed. The results show that the baffle installed on the upper part of orifice can reduce the withdrawal layer thickness and flow on the upper part of orifice centre. Thereby, the withdrawal flow on lower part can be indirectly increased. While, baffle length and inclining angle are the important factors to influence the withdrawal layer thickness and flow distribution. Therefore, the adjusting range of selective withdrawal can be economically enhanced by installing baffles on water intake.
Method of Information Security Risk Assessment Based on Improved Fuzzy Theory of Evidence
Authors: Huang Xuepeng , Xu Wei
Published: March 2018

A method based on improved fuzzy theory of evidence was presented to solve the problem that there exist all kinds of uncertainty in the process of information security risk assessment. The hierarchy model for the information systems risk assessment was established firstly, and then fuzzy sets were introduced into theory of evidence. The basic probability assignments were constructed using the membership function of fuzzy sets, and the basic probability assignments were determined. Moreover, weight coefficients were calculated using entropy weight and empirical factor, which combined the objective weights with the subjective ones, and improved the validity and reliability. An illustration example indicates that the method is feasible and effective, and provides reasonable data for constituting the risk control strategy of the information systems security.
Immune Response in Patients with Mandibular Fracture Complicated with Suppuration of a Bone Wound
Authors: Komskyi M.P. , Romanenko Y.G.
Published: March 2018

Modern clinical observations focused on the increasing complications at the open mandible fracture, which indicated about severe immune suppression in patients with this pathology. For estimation cellular immunity in a peripheral blood there were examined 25 patients in basic group (15 men, 10 women) with mandible fracture, complicated with abscess of a bone wound; control group included 20 practically healthy persons (10 men and 10 women). To assess cellular immunity in the peripheral blood were determined: absolute number of leukocytes, relative amount of lymphocytes; phagocytic activity. Determination relative number of T–lymphocytes (phenotype CD2+, СD3+) and B – lymphocytes (phenotype СD22+) was performed by method of immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies. In a case of mandible fracture, complicated with abscess of bone wound and leukocytosis, in the patients were reduced parameters of cellular immunity: on 40.3% – phagocytic index, on 47.7% – phagocytic number, on 43.9% – content of CD2+– and CD3+– lymphocytes. Content of null cells was increased on 76.8 %
Static Decoupling Performance Analysis and Design of Bionic Elbow Joint
Authors: Cui Bing Yan , Chen Li Wen , Xie Yong Tao , Hu Yu Da
Published: March 2018

The static decoupling performance is closely related to the efficiency of the bionic elbow joint mechanism. The bionic elbow joint has good static decoupling and has high efficiency and carrying capacity. First, the movement structure and characteristics of the elbow joint are analyzed, a kind of bionic elbow joint is proposed, the position inverse solution is deduced, and force Jacobin matrix of the bionic elbow joint is obtained. Second, the static coupling performance evaluation index and the global static coupling performance index are established, the performance atlas are drawn. Thirdly, by use of the Monte Carlo method the structural parameters of the bionic elbow joint are optimized and selected based on the spatial model theory, and a novel the bionic elbow joint is designed based on parameters optimization, and the static decoupling is verified by the simulation experiment of the bionic elbow joint. The analysis results shows the static decoupling performance of the bionic elbow joint is symmetrical, and with the working space of the attitude output angle increases, the static decoupling decreases gradually. Structural parameters and have great influence on the global static decoupling performance. The structural parameters of is 90mm, is 70mm,and is 30mm, the bionic elbow joint has good static decoupling. This paper lays a foundation for further analysis and research of the bionic elbow joint.
Evaluate the Cytotoxicity of Kojic Acid Nanocomposites on Melanoma Cells and Normal Cells of the Skin
Authors: Hussein-Al-Ali Samer Hasan , Arulselvan Palanisamy , Hussein Mohd Zobir , Fakurazi Sharida , Saifullah Bullo
Published: March 2018

Iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) was synthesized by coprecipitation of Fe+2 and Fe+3 into highly basic media, followed by coating with chitosan (CH) and polyethylene glycol (PG) to forming CH-MNPs and PG-MNPs nanoparticles, respectively. Kojic acid (Kj) drug was loaded on the CH-MNPs and PG-MNPs nanoparticles to forming Kj-CH-MNPs and Kj-PG-MNPs nanocomposites. The potential cytotoxicity of free Kj, MNPs, Kj-CH-MNPs and Kj-PG-MNPs nanocomposites was evaluated using skin cancer cells (B16-F10 melanoma cells) and normal skin cell (Human Dermal Fibroblasts murine). Kj at concentrations in the range 1.562–50 μg/mL did not affect on the viability of normal skin cell and skin cancer cells during a 72-hours incubation. The Kj-CH-MNPs and Kj-PG-MNPs nanocomposites exhibit significant cytotoxicity in skin cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value 47.1 and 8.4 μg/mL, respectively.
Conversion of the Retinal Image Using Gray World Technique
Authors: Wan Mustapa Wan Azani , Yazid Haniza
Published: March 2018

Retinal images are routinely acquired and assessed to provide diagnostic for many important diseases like diabetic retinopathy. People with proliferative retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 95 percent with timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care. The color constancy is used in this context to define the ability of the visual system to estimate an object color transmitting an unpredictable spectrum to the eyes. In this paper, a Gray World method was proposed by assuming the average of the surface reflectance of a typical scene is some pre-specified value. The main idea based on illumination estimated using the statistical region data. The effectiveness of the Gray Word method and normal gray technique was calculated by using Mean Square Error (MSE) and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). The Gray World achieved the highest PSNR and lowest MSE proved that the image quality was improved. The proposed method can be used to help the ophthalmologist to detect a lesion in the retinal image automatically. Through the contrast variation in retinal images, the disease can be recognized very well.
Development of Heart Simulator (Heart-S) on the Left Ventricle for Measuring the Blood Circulation during Cardiac Cycle
Authors: Liang Loh Quo , Hui Kok Yin , Mohd Hasni Nur Hazreen , Mohd Adib Mohd Azrul Hisham
Published: March 2018

Heart is a complex structure which acts as a blood pump in mammal’s body. It is important to have detail study for the heart structure. Modeling of heart structure gives a better understanding and figure of the heart valve’s movement as well as the fluid flow movement in the heart chamber. In this paper, the heart simulator (Heart-S) on the left ventricle for measuring the blood circulation during cardiac cycle was proposed. Throughout the experimental modeling of heart valve structure by using rhythmic fluid flow in a closed chamber, the relationship between heart valve elasticity and heart valve angle position to the valve opening width were investigated. The main aspect of the present development is to provide a heart simulator apparatus to obtain data for development of artificial heart and for observing the blood circulation measurement. The result shows good agreement on valve elasticity and the velocity of the fluid from the vortex in the heart chamber can be found after the experiment. The novelty of this development is contributing to the study of the optimal vortex formation in the heart chamber and observe the blood circulation measurement.
Cascade PID Control of a Reactive Distillation Process for Biodiesel Production: A Comparison with Conventional PID Control
Authors: Giwa Abdulwahab , Adeyi Abel Adekanmi , Adeyi Victoria Abosede
Published: March 2018

The combination of chemical reaction and distillation, which is analogous to inserting a chemical reactor into a distillation column, is a phenomenon that can be accomplished using a single piece of equipment known as a reactive distillation column, and the phenomenon is, thereby, referred to as reactive distillation process. Because of this combination, a lot of benefits such as improving reaction conversion, suppressing side reactions and utilizing heat of reaction for mass transfer operation can be achieved. However, this combination has made the control of this process a little bit challenging because of some disturbances that normally affect its smooth running. Therefore, cascade control method, being a type that can be used to handle any disturbance before it affects the main process, is applied in this work to carry out the control of a biodiesel reactive distillation process using proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm. The responses of the process towards the applications of step changes to the input variable (reboiler duty) of the process revealed that it was stable because it could attain steady states. Also, the closed-loop simulations showed that cascade PID controller was better for the control of the process than the conventional PID controller owing to the fact that the responses of the cascade PID control system, upon the application of step changes to the set-point value of the controlled variable, were found to get to the desired setpoint faster and in a better way than those of the conventional PID control system. Moreover, the superiority of the cascade PID controller over the conventional one was demonstrated by the estimation of the integral absolute error (IAE) and integral squared error (ISE) of the cascade control system, which were obtained to be less than those of the conventional PID control system.
Beam and Truss Element for Non-Linear Geometric Analysis
Authors: Bourezane Messaoud
Published: March 2018

The present paper investigates possible improvements to the performances of beam finite element with curvature correction where large slopes as well as large displacement are involved. The displacement field of the beam element is based on simple strain functions satisfying the requirement of exact representation of curvature. The truss element is introduced with the current cross sectional and the current length instead of initial area and initial length in large displacement solution. The finite element method is used in conjunction with linearised incrementation and the Newton-Raphson iterative technique. The two basic formulations to problem involving geometric non-linear, Eulerian and Lagrangian are also discussed. The present elements offer significant advantages over existing stiffness-based elements. Consequently, fewer elements are needed to yield results of comparable accuracy. This is demonstrated with the analysis of several simple example structures by comparing the results to those of stiffness based elements and analytical solution.
Analysis of Crack Propagation by Bonded Composite for Different Patch Shapes Repairs in Marine Structures: A Numerical Analysis
Authors: Kaddour Sadek , Aour Benaoumeur , Bachir Bouiadjra Bel Abbès , Fari Bouanani Mourad , Khelil Foudil
Published: March 2018

This paper focuses on the cracks repair of A5083 aluminum alloy widely used in marine structures. Indeed, these latter are under continuous high loadings which, with time, cause fatigue of the material and finally damage and crack propagation. Composite patches play an important role in repairing damaged structures by cracking in order to restore them as much as possible to their original operating state. In this study, we compare performance and efficiency between two patches made in carbon-epoxy and boron-epoxy with four different shapes: circular, rectangular, trapezoidal and elliptic. The loading and crack lengths effects on the performance of these patches were also studied. This numerical investigation was carried out to highlight the evolution of the J-integral as a function of the applied load, the geometrical shape of the patch and the crack length for both types of composites. According to the obtained results the best performance for the improvement of crack propagation resistance in aluminum alloy marine structures was achieved by using a circular patch in boron-epoxy.
Downregulation of CD3ζ in NK Cells from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients Confers a Proinflammatory Phenotype
Authors: Suárez-Fueyo Abel , Bradley Sean J. , Katsuyama Takayuki , Solomon Sarah , Katsuyama Eri , Kyttaris Vasileios C. , Moulton Vaishali R. , Tsokos George C.
Published: March 2018

Cytotoxic function and cytokine profile of NK cells are compromised in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD3ζ, an important molecule for NK cell activation, is downregulated in SLE T cells and contributes to their altered function. However, little is known about the role of CD3ζ in SLE NK cells. We studied CD3ζ levels and its contribution to cytotoxic, degranulation, and cytokine production capacity of NK cells from patients with SLE. Furthermore, we studied the human NK cell line, NKL, in which manipulation of CD3ζ levels was achieved using small interfering RNA and NK cells from Rag2 mice deficient in CD3ζ. We found reduced CD3ζ expression in NK cells from SLE patients independent of disease activity. Downregulation of CD3ζ expression in NK cells is mediated, at least in part, by Caspase 3, the activity of which is higher in NK cells from patients with SLE compared with NK cells from healthy donors. CD3ζ levels correlated inversely with natural cytotoxicity and the percentage of cells capable of producing the proinflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF. In contrast, CD3ζ levels showed a direct correlation with levels of Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Experiments performed in CD3ζ-silenced NKL and CD3ζ-deficient NK cells from Rag2 mice confirmed the dependence of NK cell function on CD3ζ levels. Our results demonstrate a differential role for CD3ζ in natural cytotoxicity and Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. We conclude that downregulated CD3ζ confers a proinflammatory phenotype to SLE NK cells and contributes to their altered function in patients with SLE.
Cutting Edge: Mitochondrial Assembly of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Complex Is Initiated at Priming
Authors: Elliott Eric I. , Miller Alexis N. , Banoth Balaji , Iyer Shankar S. , Stotland Aleksandr , Weiss Jerrold P. , Gottlieb Roberta A. , Sutterwala Fayyaz S. , Cassel Suzanne L.
Published: March 2018

The NLRP3 inflammasome is activated in response to microbial and danger signals, resulting in caspase-1–dependent secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Canonical NLRP3 inflammasome activation is a two-step process requiring both priming and activation signals. During inflammasome activation, NLRP3 associates with mitochondria; however, the role for this interaction is unclear. In this article, we show that mouse NLRP3 and caspase-1 independently interact with the mitochondrial lipid cardiolipin, which is externalized to the outer mitochondrial membrane at priming in response to reactive oxygen species. An NLRP3 activation signal is then required for the calcium-dependent association of the adaptor molecule ASC with NLRP3 on the mitochondrial surface, resulting in inflammasome complex assembly and activation. These findings demonstrate a novel lipid interaction for caspase-1 and identify a role for mitochondria as supramolecular organizing centers in the assembly and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome.
A Call to Reexamine Quality of Life Through Relationship-Based Feeding
Authors: Henton Patricia A.
Published: March 2018

Feeding interventions that support family relationships enhance children’s daily participation in meaningful occupations at home. A critical review of the literature yielded several premises that support the development of a relationship-based feeding framework. The proposed theoretical framework, based on the Biopsychosocial Model of Pediatric Feeding (Berlin, Davies, Lobato, & Silverman, 2009) and the Ecological Model of Occupation (Dunn, Brown, & Youngstrom, 2003), is presented to guide feeding interventions for children with significant feeding difficulties. A case example that illustrates the practical application of this framework is provided. Further development of relationship-based feeding theory and research is recommended to improve the occupational performance and quality-of-life outcomes for children and their families.
Intra-Sentential Code-Switching among Bilingual Saudis on Twitter
Authors: Habtoor Hussein Ali , Almutlagah Ghzail Faleh
Published: March 2018

Code switching (CS) is a common phenomenon in language contact situations wherein bilinguals utilize two languages in the same context. This study investigated the occurrence of intra-sentential code switching by 12 bilingual Saudi females on twitter who differed in age and education. The data were collected by taking screenshot for 1260 tweets. Data were analysed statistically to show the phenomena of Arabic- English code switching. Moreover, a qualitative method was used for data analysis. Findings of the study showed that code-switching was observed clearly on twitter and that intra-sentential code-switching occurs frequently. It was also observed that at the level of particular syntactic categories in Arabic-English CS, nouns were the most often switched elements in the corpus. This study focused on nouns and verbs as examples of these syntactic categories of CS. English as inserted language was mostly used by participant, so the study focused on Arabic sentences in which English is the embedded language. Finally, it is found that the most inserted words in English were related to the internet and other social aspects.
A Cross-disciplinary Investigation of Textual Metadiscourse Markers in Academic Writing
Authors: Aluthman Ebtisam Saleh
Published: March 2018

This paper is a cross-disciplinary investigation of textual metadiscourse markers (TMDMs) in the British Academic Written English (BAWE) corpus. To this end, corpus analysis tools are utilized to investigate the density of each category of TMDMs and the distribution of these categories across BAWE academic divisions. The premise under the investigation in this study is that metadiscourse is a social interaction that facilitates knowledge communication between writers and their targeted readers. Within the framework of Hyland' s (2000, 2005) claim of disciplinary discourse, this study shows a correlational relation between the use and frequency of different TMDMs across academic disciplines. The quantitative results indicate that the use of transitions outnumbered all other TMDMs in the four BAWE academic divisions, accounting for almost 76.76% of the total occurrences of TMDMs. The results also indicate a greater tendency to use endophoric markers in the physical sciences whereas the social sciences and arts and humanities exhibit larger quantities of evidentials and code glosses. The results are interpreted in terms of the epistemological nature of the academic divisions as well as the target readership.
Oxygen as a Torrefaction Control Parameter
Authors: Bourgonje Kees , Veringa Hubert J. , Smeulders David M.J. , Oijen Jeroen A. van
Published: March 2018

To speed up the torrefaction process in traditional torrefaction reactors, in particular auger reactors, the temperature of the reactor is substantially higher than the required torrefaction process temperature. This is due to the low heat conductivity of biomass. Unfortunately, the off-gas characteristics of biomass are very sensitive in the temperature window of 180-300°C which can cause a thermal runaway situation in which the process temperature exceeds the intended level. Due to this very sensitive temperature dependence of biomass pyrolysis and its accompanying gas production, a potential solution is to inject small amounts of air directly into the torrefaction reactor. It is found experimentally that this air injection can regulate the temperature of the biomass very rapidly compared to traditional temperature regulation by changing the reactor wall temperature. With this new torrefaction temperature control method, thermal runaway situations can be avoided and the temperature of the biomass in the reactor can be regulated better. Experiments with large beech wood samples show that the torrefaction reaction rate and the temperature in the core of the sample depend on the amount of injected air. Since the flow of combustible gasses (torr-gas) originating from the torrefaction process is very sensitive to temperature, the heat production by combusting the torr-gas can be controlled to some extent. This will result in both a more homogeneous torrefied product as well as a more stable processing of varying biomass types in large-scale torrefaction systems.
American Option Valuation Methods
Authors: Zhao Jinsha
Published: March 2018

This paper implements and compares eight American option valuation methods: binomial, trinomial, explicit finite difference, implicit finite difference and quadratic approximation methods. And three Monte Carlo methods: bundling technique of Tilley (1993), simulated tree (ST) of Broadie, Glasserman, and Jain (1997), and least square regression method (LSM) of Longstaff and Schwartz (2001). Methods are compared in terms of computation efficiency and price accuracy. The findings suggest that binomial is the best performing numerical method in terms of accuracy and efficiency. LSM beats the other two simulation methods in terms of efficiency, accuracy and number of discrete exercise opportunities.
Characterization of Banana Peels Wastes as Potential Slow Pyrolysis Feedstock
Authors: Kabenge Isa , Omulo Godfrey , Banadda Noble , Seay Jeffrey , Zziwa Ahamada , Kiggundu Nicholas
Published: March 2018

Uganda is the world’s second largest producer and consumer of banana after India. This has resulted into vast quantities of banana wastes, including the leaves, pseudostem, stalks, rejected and rotten fruits and the fruit peels. This study focuses on the characterization of banana peels to yield banana peels vinegar (BPV), tar and biochar as value added products that can be useful to farmers. Dried banana peels were characterized via proximate, ultimate, lignocellulosic, thermogravimetric (TG), and calorific value analyses. The obtained results showed that the volatile matter and fixed carbon contents were 88.02% and 2.70% while carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were 35.65%, 1.94% and 20.75 ppm respectively. The hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin contents were 41.38%, 9.90% and 8.90% while the higher and lower heating values were 16.15 MJ/kg and 14.80 MJ/kg. The maximum devolatilization rate in the banana peel biomass occurred in the temperatures range of 450–550oC which was taken as the slow pyrolysis regime temperature. The high levels of fixed carbon, volatile matter and ash contents were strong indicators that banana wastes are adequate feedstock for pyrolysis work to yield bio-infrastructure products. Similarly, the lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose fractions had significant correlation between the biomass heating values and the eventual chemical compounds present BPV and biochar. The characterization properties of the banana peels are akin to the leaves and pseudostem and thus are suitable for pyrolysis process.